Category Archives: terrorism

I remember Mosul, but Iraq 3.0 is what happens when you exit a war early | Colby Buzzell | Comment is free | theguardian.com

Sometime in the 2020s, San Francisco

One day my son is going to ask me at the dinner table: Daddy, why did we lose the Iraq war?

I won’t ask him if his teacher put him up to it, because 10 years from now, it will probably be common knowledge that, yes, we did lose the Iraq war. Everybody – teachers and historians, liberals and conservatives – will agree.

I have years to prepare an answer for my son. Right now, this is what I think: We were winning when I was there. We were winning when we were there.

That’s about all I can say. We lost.

Of course, I could also say the same same thing my father thought about his alma mater: A lot of good Americans died in the war.

Period. End of discussion.

What else can you say?

via I remember Mosul, but Iraq 3.0 is what happens when you exit a war early | Colby Buzzell | Comment is free | theguardian.com.

ISIS bids for global jihad leadership with Mosul attack – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

 

Before taking Iraq’s second largest city this week, ISIS had already seized most of Anbar province in Iraq and Raqqa province in Syria. There, it enforces a Taliban-style extreme version of Islam. Mosul represents a much bigger price, an ancient city with great symbolic value. ISIS is effectively creating a stronghold across the Syrian desert in the heart of the Arab world, erasing the borders set a century ago by the British and French after the fall of the Ottomans.

Baghdadi, like Zarqawi, has bigger ambitions. Last month, the Saudis foiled a major ISIS plot to carry out attacks in the kingdom, arresting dozens. ISIS has recruited thousands of foreign fighters to fight in Syria, and some are reportedly being trained to go home to fight in their native lands. ISIS probably trained the French Muslim who attacked the Jewish Museum in Brussels and killed four in May.

Taking Mosul could expose ISIS to counterattack by the larger US-equipped Iraqi army backed by Iran. It may provoke the Kurds, too. It’s a gamble. For Baghdadi, it is an audacious move to outshine his mentor.

via ISIS bids for global jihad leadership with Mosul attack – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

“Because I can and want to! Nah, naw, nah, na! Despite U.N. ruling, Japan says it will resume whaling – UPI.com

Despite a whaling ban imposed months earlier by the International Court of Justice, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said Japan plans to resume its whale hunt in the Antarctic.

“I want to aim for the resumption of commercial whaling by conducting whaling research.”

The ICJ ruled on March 31 that Japan’s annual whale hunt — conducted under the auspices of a scientific research program — did not conform to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, and ordered Japan to stop the program.

It is unclear how Japan intends to bypass the ban.

via Despite U.N. ruling, Japan says it will resume whaling – UPI.com.

No candle-lit vigils for raped and murdered girls — New Internationalist

It’s been pointed out that these girls are not dalit, though most Indian newspapers reported otherwise. They were, nevertheless, extremely poor, powerless and from a lower caste. The perpetrators, apparently, routinely molested and raped lower caste women and this particularly brazen rape and murder, was to teach the poor and powerless a lesson, to show them their place in the feudal, caste hierarchy. Recently, dalit and lower caste people had protested against the behaviour of the dominant caste Yadav men who until now have ruled the roost in the surrounding villages. The local policeman who slapped the victim’s father belonged to the same caste as the perpetrators. And two policemen reportedly, not merely abetted in the crime, but participated in the assault too.

The girls’ bodies bore marks of excessive brutality. The usual scratches, bite marks, bruises, but also  a pattern of  blood clotting which indicated beating and torture. And the post mortem revealed they were hanged while still alive. Commentators have pointed out that the levels of violence and viciousness in the new rape culture is frightening, calling for immediate and effective action. Much of it comes from the porn which circulates freely on mobile phones. It’s not merely rape now. And  the fact that I write ‘merely rape’ illustrates how terrifying  the situation is.  Almost as though one has to be grateful one is ‘merely raped’.

It is with a heavy heart that I note, that the outpouring of grief and outrage which rocked India in December 2012 for the Nirbhaya Delhi rape victim, is noticeably absent in cities across India, for the Badaun cousins. They are not middle class, dominant caste, city women. These were two lower caste, village girls. Not ‘people like us’.

via No candle-lit vigils for raped and murdered girls — New Internationalist.

TeaParty weirdness in Mississippi – 3 McDaniel Allies Were Hanging Out In a Locked Mississippi Courthouse with Some Ballots – The Wire

McDaniel faced off against incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran in the Republican primary election on Tuesday, where neither won enough voted to avoid a runoff later this month. But after the results were announced, Janis Lane (president of the Central Mississippi Tea Party), Scott Brewster (McDaniel’s coalition director), and another man were in the building from around 2 a.m. until 3:45 a.m. early Wednesday morning.

The sheriff’s department spokesman, Othor Cain, told The Clarion-Ledger that the investigation is looking into how the three entered the building, which would be easier if their stories lined up. “There are conflicting stories from the three of them, which began to raise the red flag, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it,” Cain said. “No official charges have been filed at this point, but we don’t know where the investigation will lead us.”

Brewster’s involvement is interesting considering his connection to the Clayton Thomas Kelly fiasco, when the pro-McDaniel blogger illegally video tapped Cochran’s wife in her nursing home. McDaniel and most of his campaign officials denied knowing anything about the video, but Brewster said he remembered when the video came out and “think(s) people made some calls” to have it removed.

But even without that connection the story is very weird. The county’s Republican executive chairman, Pete Perry, told the Clarion-Ledger he had a “concern with someone being in the courthouse with all the election material down there.” The ballots were secure but some of the precinct information was not.

via 3 McDaniel Allies Were Hanging Out In a Locked Mississippi Courthouse with Some Ballots – The Wire.

No respect, no shame, “we can do whatever we want!” Israeli Occupation Forces raid al-Aqsa mosque compound

Settlers accompanied the Israeli Occupation Police are raiding the al Aqsa mosque compound. The Israeli Occupation Forces laid siege to the Palestinians at al-Aqsa Mosque compound gates.

Palestinian sources informed PNN that around 60 Israeli Settlers raided the compound this morning with the purpose of performing Talmudic prayers. Following the raid, Israeli Police Forces prevented Palestinians from praying, in order to protect the settlers who were still in the compound.

The sources added that the department of Awqaf in Jerusalem is attempting to open the compound gates and evacuate the settlers.

The Palestinian Organizations in Jerusalem are afraid that these raids may activate the Israelis’ plan to divide the compound.

via Israeli Occupation Forces raid al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Pimping for Coal and Air to Poison Us All – A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the regulation of emissions of carbon dioxide from new or existing power plants under certain circumstances. (S. 2414) – GovTrack.us

Super Mitch – the fool – McConnell – S. 2414: A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the regulation of emissions of carbon dioxide from new or existing power plants

via A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the regulation of emissions of carbon dioxide from new or existing power plants under certain circumstances. (S. 2414) – GovTrack.us.

John McCain Position Switch On Bergdahl Deal-Is He The Most Disingenuous Member Of Senate Or Simply Unfit To Serve?

While McCain notes that he objected to an earlier proposal that would have called for releasing the very same high value terrorists as an act of “confidence building” with the Taliban, he clearly states that he would support the release of these people if the prize were to be the American soldier being held by the Taliban. He later modifies his response to say that if the exchange were for one of these terrorists—whom he told us just this past Sunday were people responsible for the deaths of thousands—he would support the deal.

Does anyone out there believe that the critics would have been silenced if the exchange had only involved one terrorist…or two…or three? If you believe that our policy of not negotiating with terrorists is the correct policy, does negotiating for the release of one high ranking terrorist make it better? Yet, there is Mr. McCain voicing his support for a deal that , just three months later, he would go on TV to condemn.

I don’t think anything more need be said except that we should all be embarrassed and deeply concerned that this man continues to hold such an important position in our government.

via John McCain Position Switch On Bergdahl Deal-Is He The Most Disingenuous Member Of Senate Or Simply Unfit To Serve?.

12 Haters Running this Fall – Electoral Extremism | Southern Poverty Law Center

The typically baseless claims of these candidates range from demonizing propaganda about certain minority groups to the promotion of fantastic conspiracy theories about the federal government’s allegedly evil machinations. What follows are snapshots of a dozen such candidates, including Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, independents and others who are running for political office this fall or who ran earlier in the year.

via Electoral Extremism | Southern Poverty Law Center.

Growing Up To Be Like Yuri Kochiyama | Race Files

She may be best known in the public eye for the iconic picture that shows her cradling Malcolm X’s head in her lap after he was killed in a Manhattan auditorium, but Yuri Kochiyama’s life and legacy stood for much more, especially to Asian Americans. Many of us learned of Yuri Kochiyama’s recent death, not from mainstream news outlets, which have yet to do her legacy full justice, but from one another. And we have had very similar collective responses: tremendous gratitude for how she influenced us, coupled with a redoubling of our commitment to the principles she lived by.

via Growing Up To Be Like Yuri Kochiyama | Race Files.