ISIS Prediction

I believe that ISIS/ISIL may well have radicalized itself out of existence. The clock is ticking.





It is my prediction that France, with help from the U.S., Britain, Russia and others will conduct a air/ground assault on all ISIS strongholds. Russia will help with the deal that the coalition will not use this effort as an opportunity to remove Assad, and will, in fact, leave his fate in the hands of Russia. I wouldn't be surprised if the coalition effort also included coordinated attacks on sites in Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Increased airstrikes will occur to "soften" targets, but knowing that any real defeat must include feet on the ground, ISIS has crossed a line that will make that happen. Iran and the Saudis will be heavily involved and the ISIS held thought that that there will be a surge of Muslim support for them will be revealed for the illusion that it is.

The clock is ticking against this band of sadistic murderers. While it will take time to organize, time is running out for ISIS.

HONOR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MURDER

Taliban Execute Woman Accused Of Adultery, Officials Say 

The above was a headline in the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/07/taliban-execute-woman_n_1656253.html?utm_hp_ref=world)

"Allah warns us not to get close to adultery because it's the wrong way," another man says as the shooter gets closer to the woman. "It is the order of Allah that she be executed". These people are insane. God has nothing to do with such cowardly, heinous and brutal acts!

Here is another interesting story:

"Hundreds of schoolgirls have been wailing, vomiting and fainting in northern Afghanistan over the past few months.
No one has died from the mysterious illness and most recover within a day or two. This is the fourth straight year the illness has afflicted Afghan girls in the northern provinces although there has been a dramatic spike in 2012 — 858 cases reported in the first five months alone compared to 119 last year.
The provincial governments and Kabul say the girls are being poisoned by the Taliban, or Pakistani spies, because they are attending school — something that was forbidden during the Taliban rule in the 1990s." (http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1222990--afghan-schoolgirls-mystery-sickness-poison-or-mass-hysteria) Officials are calling this mass hysteria, not poisoning. Even if this were true, is the cause not in the terror of the Taliban?


Some say that this whole attitude od keeping woman in line is a part of their culture. Hoe ignorant. That would be like saying what the KKK did is okay because it was part of our southern culture. Or, don't faukt the Nazis, it was just a cultural thing to mass exterminate the Jews. 


Sorry, where the culture condones rape and brutality, there is no culture; just a bunch of cowards and macho asses.

SHARK INFESTED ECONOMIC WATERS

Just when you thought it was safe to read the economic news you discovered that these troubled waters are still under threat by ravaging sharks. As President Bush signs what many economists say is a waste of money, an anathema to economic theory; the news from the Street is not encouraging. In case you were busy this weekend, here are some of the headlines and quotes you may have missed:

“…investors believe the package will only be a baby step in the long road to economic recovery.”
"At best, we can hope that it stems some of the more intense risk from the credit crisis.”
“Brace yourself. The credit squeeze that almost every financial expert has warned about is here.”
Economy sheds most jobs since 2003, more cuts seen
Payrolls drop by most in 5 years; more pain ahead
THE LATEST: Employers slashed 159,000 jobs in September, the most in more than five years and the ninth month in a row of nationwide job losses.
Factory orders drop by 4 percent in August
…the credit strains began to hit manufacturing with full force.
Jobless claims pushed to 7-year high
Durable goods orders drop 4.5 percent in August
Stocks end lower amid worries after House OKs plan
Sting in the tail on US bailout day
NEW YORK (AFP) - US stock markets fell sharply Friday after the Congress passed a huge financial rescue plan
SEC short-selling ban to expire Wednesday night
Congress passes bailout, focus shifts to fallout
Stocks drop on economic concerns despite bailout
…the $700 billion financial rescue package may not unblock credit markets and stave off a U.S. recession.
Even with Congress' unprecedented $700 billion financial bailout, the faltering economy and the jobs market probably will get worse

The signing of the Bailout Bill is the equivalent of Economic Appeasement that will ultimately be compared to that of Chamberlain and the Nazis at Munich. Driven by fear, innuendo and out right lies, the majority of American politicians appeased the Wall Street threats of economic collapse. Like Hitler who kept saying, “One more, that is all and then I will stop,” Congress and the President have allowed Wall Street more “Lebensraum,” living space. Making a fear based and not a reasoned based decision, politicians have allowed the money forces to launch their final assault on the consumer in their efforts to control the entire monetary system.

What is being said now? The above quotes and headlines tell it like it is. The economists say that the bailout will have little effect on the credit crunch. There will still be foreclosures. Jobs will still be lost. Hiring will come to a standstill. Things will get worse. Reports also now indicate that until housing prices start rising, the bailout will not end the credit crunch. Banks do not want to make loans for cheaper houses. Pardon my ignorance but if homes are cheaper, are they not more affordable for more people? The ‘greenbacks’ are still dripping with ink and the refrain is that the bailout is not enough. How could so many politicians ignore the proper decision making process? Why did they not have hearings? Why did they not consult a broader base of experts? We are not talking thousands of dollars, but hundreds of billions of dollars. Is that not cause enough to pause, take stock and properly evaluate the alternatives?

Finally, for the moment, we have this wonderful news story: “An American member of al-Qaida pointed to economic troubles in the United States as proof that "the enemies of Islam" face defeat…” Not too long ago I wrote an article asking if the American economy was under terrorist attack. My assumption was that foreign elements were manipulating markets to cause havoc for the West. What I should have guessed is that the terrorists are not abroad, they are within our very borders and their name is Wall Street.

IS THE U.S. ECONOMY UNDER TERRORIST ATTACK?

Is the American economy under a terrorist attack? Most U.S. economic indicators are down. Consumer confidence is low; gas prices are high; food costs are soaring; unemployment is on the rise; the value of the dollar is declining; mortgage foreclosures are still rising, and basically, the economy is a mess. Is this just a normal cycle or is something else driving the downturn?
Most of what is happening to the U.S economy makes little sense and the turmoil seems self-induced. Banks and mortgage companies did not have to raise home interests even though the rates were not fixed. As soon as they saw what was happening, any rational mind would have stopped raising rates and re-evaluated its impact before it got out of control. It benefits no one to have banks foreclosing. Did they think that by doing so there would be thousands of more homebuyers waiting in the wings to scoff up the empty houses?
We all know what is happening to oil prices. Economists tell us that prices are usually driven by such factors as inventories, demand, political unrest, climate, value of the dollar and speculation. While these are often fabricated excuses to raise prices, the facts do not line up. According to most reports, inventories are fine; demand is actually down; political disruptions have been minimal and the climate has not recently destroyed or halted too many drilling operations. The dollar is certainly off, partly due to the oil issue but the key factor appears to be speculation. According to most analysts, it is speculation that id fueling the current absurd increases in oil. These same analysts also say that the speculation makes little sense and does appear to be driven by normal standards of supply and demand. The obvious question is who are these speculators and do they have a hidden agenda?
On the food front things are getting progressively worse. Prices rose 4% in 2007 and they are expected to rise at least another 4% in 2008. We have seen food riots in places such as Mexico, India, Italy, Indonesia and Africa. The U.N. is warning of massive food shortages as the ravages of global climate change and the use of food as biofuel greatly reduce world food supplies. There are persistent attempts by U.S truckers to stage a national strike over diesel costs which all but cripple deliveries of food to markets and many on fixed incomes are facing choices between food or medications. Here in Maine it is quite possible that the lobster and fishing industry will be decimated this summer by soaring fuel costs.
In the face of all of this negative news we see little or no public policy aimed at addressing these issues. Record oil profits go unchecked, food and energy costs are spiraling out of control, seasonal jobs are severely threatened and yet nothing is happening to deal with these issues. Scientists are reporting faster than expected rises in greenhouse gases and polar ice is also melting at unanticipated rates. Assuming an active storm season this summer, all of these factors combine to further exacerbate an unstable economic climate.
It is clear that things like environmental disasters may be out of our immediate abilities to change. However, the economy seems to be shooting itself in the foot and nothing is being done to attend to the victim; namely, the consumer. The underlying question is who is doing the shooting? Who stands to gain by all of this turmoil? Who is pulling the economic strings causing havoc to the economy? Are there “economic terrorists” bent on disrupting the world economy?

ARREST ME NOW! GUEST BLOG BY SHANNON EVANS

Arrest me now. I may not be Arab, Muslim, or male but I do fit the profile of the two schmucks currently being much maligned by the FBI and the local papers for their “suspicious activities.” You see, I once lived in a fundamentalist Muslim country and was married to a Palestinian. I grew up in a small southern town where the tallest building was the Merchants and Farmer’s Bank and so I often stare up at the buildings in Seattle and any other large city I happen to be wandering. I was a civil engineer in my previous career and find myself fascinated by bridges, viaducts, railroad bridges, locks, dams, and other key pieces of urban infrastructure. I sometimes go on line to study architectural drawings. I have even been known to photograph these critical pieces as well as churches, mosques, and even the airplanes on the tarmac at SEATAC. I live on an island and yet I am still fascinated by the roar of the engines and the speed of the water as it rushes beneath me on the ferry. I still take pictures of the skyline, the Colman Docks, the stern, the bow, the galley, and other urban places that interest me on the ferries that come and go from our bucolic little island port. I once took a picture of the cute little coast guard fellow on the ramp leading to the boat because he was just cute as hell in his battle dress. I feel guilty as hell for all my subversive activities! Where do I turn myself in and to whom? The FBI? The Port Authority? Screw that! Send me the hotties from the Coast Guard!
There are more subversives in my family to arrest as well. Consider my son who is a commissioned officer in the US military currently training at a prestigious flight school sponsored by Uncle Sam. Seems to me he should be an object of great concern. Could he, an Irish/Cherokee/ Scottish/Arab American, be a deeply embedded covert Al Qaeda operative? Due to his deep-seated ancestral roots steeped in carnage and jihadist tribal behaviors could this red-blooded Arab American boy turn? Could he possibly be pre-programmed from infancy to ride his aircraft into a large building all in the name of Allah? Why else would he have gone to university to study to be an aviator? Why else would he have joined the military? He has to be a mole for Osama and the Boys!
How did the Arabs become the bad guys? When did we become so steeped in this new brand of ignorant isolationist bigotry? Islam, Muslim, Arab, Jihad. These words strike fear into the hearts of the ignorant masses of our country. FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, Patriot Act. These are the words that should strike fear in our hearts. They are the weapons of Mass Destruction. Being scared all the time and spying on my neighbors doesn't seem to be a real productive way to live one's life. Less than a century ago some of the finest men in the world fought against this same oppressive behavior in places called Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches along the coast of Normandy. Have we as a nation forgotten the nationalistic behaviors of the Germans as they sought to rid themselves of their Jewish population? Jews were different looking and accused of manipulating the world monetary institutions thus causing the great depression so they could profit and grow their ambitions. The NAZI party was a small but vocal group that instituted a system to spy on and seek out subversives who were Jewish or Jewish-looking. Photos and drawings were circulated to help the common folks identify potential suspects. Watched, photographed, and finally the leadership, knowing what was best for the “real” Germans, instituted a plan to take care of their “Jewish threat.” Their initial solution? Isolated “work camps” in other countries where Jews and non-conformist others (gays, lesbians, jazz musicians, gypsies, the mentally handicapped, and pacifist clergy to name a few) were sent for further interrogation and evaluation. This was all done in the best interest of the German people by their government.

Need we forget our own colorful past rampant with bigotry? I am a child of the south and frankly, I do remember White only/colored only washrooms, drinking fountains, and theatres. I lived through the hangings, the cross burnings, integration and George Wallace. I can remember a hot August when the local sheriff was up for re-election and all the local kids white and black were at the market getting an ice cream. One of the white kids stole a piece of penny bubble gum and slipped it in the shirt pocket of one of the “colored” boys. The minute the black children left the store the kid who planted the evidence said, “Mister, that nigger stole some gum and stuck it in his pocket!” The store owner ran out, confronted the boy, and held him until a deputy showed up. Cuffed, searched, and crammed in the back seat of the squad car he was driven away. The next day the headlines of the local paper screams, “BLACKS RESPONSIBLE FOR SMALL TOWN CRIME WAVE!” The arrest of an 8 year old child sparked near riots in the black community. There were those in the white community who called for a hanging but the prompt gun wielding riot gear clad sheriff’s response quashed the uprising. The grateful white population promptly re-elected the overweight tobacco chewing uneducated bigoted lawman.

If our reason for profiling is to stem terrorism then we better expand the list! Guantanamo will have to be enlarged to house our home grown redneck militia members who have attacked such auspicious government and private sites as the Oklahoma City federal court house, abortion and Planned Parenthood clinics. We should also create a special section on the base for the members of ELF who target the EPA and other environmentally linked facilities.

In the interest of saving the rest of the world from terrorism we better round up and tag all South American communists, Basques, Japanese Cult members, and Irish people. They have a propensity for blowing cars, buses, and trains up as well as carefully placing biological agents. Maybe these are all Al Qaeda satellite organizations that act as cells or Mastermind groups for the mass destruction of those who do not follow Sharia!

So, the next time you are on the Washington State Ferry and notice a skinny, red haired fellow with bad teeth and an Irish accent taking photos, detain him! Notify the authorities! You will only be doing your civic duty and saving us from the Celtic arm of Al Qaeda!



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RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM-REVISTED

Religious extremism is not confined to fundamentalist terrorists. By its very nature, organized religions are destined to foster division and hatred between competing faiths. A new study commissioned by the EastWest Institute says that, “Violent Muslim, Christian and Jewish extremists invoke the same rhetoric of good and evil” in their efforts to recruit followers to address their perceived social, economic and political inequities. The questions is, “are these extremists actually going against their religious beliefs or are their actions the natural outcome of those beliefs?”
The authors of the report compared fundamentalist movements in the U.S., Britain and Israel with the focus upon Christian, Jews and Muslims. It went on to say that while the current focus has been on Muslim extremists, the other religions also have similar tendencies. The perpetuation of the “us versus them” mentality seems to lie at the root of the problem. In her book, “Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill,” keynote speaker and author Jessica Stern said, “it was dangerous for U.S. President George W. Bush to use terms such as "crusade" or "ridding the world of evil.” This raises the question as to whether President Bush would be considered a religious extremist.
The basic problem arises when the “message” turns into an institution. There is little doubt in my mind that that those whose words have been perverted by organized religions to create an “us versus them” mentality would totally disassociate themselves from the modern religions founded in their name. We are all familiar with atrocities committed in the name of religion and with religions turning a blind eye to atrocities.
The notion that religious extremists are on the fringe of their faiths makes me wonder. We have “the chosen people” versus the “born agains” versus the orthodox versus the faithful. When we have the president of this country referring to an “axis of evil” and a Pope bad mouthing Muslims, is there any wonder why zealots and extremists emerge from their infested holes? Extremism is the natural outcome, the consequence of those who have taught violence and hatred in the name of God.
If “terror in the name of God” is the excuse, then the root cause of the terrorism fostered by religious extremists must lie in religious perceptions. Where did those perceptions arise? Who has taught them those perceptions? When you can only get to heaven through Jesus or by martyrdom to Allah, what is the message we are giving to those with differing religious concepts? If there is a “chosen people,” then what about the rest of the world and those who are not chosen?
The Department of Homeland Security was in attendance at the conference where religious extremism was discussed. The goal was to find the common root causes of this phenomena and presumably ways to address those causes. Will the Department take on organized religions who give with one hand while robbing the widow with the other? Very doubtful! Perhaps our hope lies in a simple trend. If you Google “Christianity some 54 million web site are listed. But, if you Google “spirituality” there are 86 million sites. If the world can evolve away from “us versus them” dogma into a higher level of spirituality, there may be hope. Given that “religious extremists in three religions share views,” according to an article by Claudia Parsons of Reuters on 6/13/07, then we must certainly at least explore the notion that the religions are the spawning grounds of that extremism.