The above photo is from the New York Post. It covers a massive 100 million dollar deal with the Kardashian family so that they can exhibit their behinds on national TV. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate a woman's posterior as much (ah hell probably more) than the next guy but really? Seriously? On the same day that 3 men were arrested for wanting to join ISIS?
Additionally we heard that there are active investigations about radicalized individuals in all 50 states?
On this day 3 people that were immigrants to the United States. One of them operating a mobile phone kiosk in 3 different states the other two university students, threw away what could have been the American dream and wanted to join ISIS?
This isn't a battle for hearts and minds.
This is a religious battle. Its not about jobs, opportunity, being brought into the American fabric...it has nothing to do with that.
To paraphrase James Carville....ITS THE RELIGION STUPID!
I said all of the above to say this. We won't win the fight unless we properly assess our enemy. Stop looking away. Stop equivocating and just accept the cold hard facts of what we're dealing with. They want us dead.
I am sure I am one of the 'stupid' people and I am even more sure I wont e able to convince Solomon, but I cant help myself .. so one more time.
ReplyDeleteYou do not provide evidence, you provide anecdotes. Anecdotes do not prove statements, however well you word them.
I can put just as many anecdotes here that show how hearts and minds did work in individual cases,. that is what we are talking about individual cases, or about why religion is not the defining factor.
Hearts and minds , at least in my... mind.. is not all about sitting around singing kumbaja, it is about anything that can change how relevant people think and feel. Jordan is a good example, a large portion of the nation was sympathetic to ISIS, but that changed in almost the blink of an eye when ISIS horribly killed their countrymen, insulted their king and the same king cleverly used this to rile up his people,
That is a whole lot of hearts and minds changed.
It is however also about disenfranchisement and combating this. It wont ever work for all, but it will for some and every one stopped from joining or supporting ISIS is one more, Like I said earlier, ISIS is like cancer.. you use ALL methods to combat it, not discard one on because beforehand. Several cases, yes anecdotes, in The Netherlands where parents stopped youth either by convincing them, or by actually reporting them to the authorities show this CAN work.
Looking at the terrorist acts in and around Paris, you might conclude this is about religion, it was Muslims attacking people they felt insulted their believes and attacking a Jewish establishment. For them it certainly was religious motivated, but at the same time a French cop killed was a Muslim, her religion certainly did not stop her being a part of the 'good guys'. In the Jewish supermarket a Muslim man risked his own life to save many patrons and he provided the police with the info they needed to be able to deal with it.
All that being said, religion, in this case Islam is hugely important in this conflict, it is one of the main tools used to recruit and motivate terrorists. That is a reality we have to deal with
A side note about the Kardashians, my wife is a fan, I am not, but I am still glad ll this non sense continues as normal. It shows our society has not succumb to the fear our enemies try to instill in it. If/when we stop living our lives normally they will have , at least for a bit, won.
Lol, would you feel more happy in a modern day Sparta, where society and life revolved around war 24/7?
ReplyDeleteMy ( American) wife is a fan of the Kardashians, I am not, but I am still glad all this non sense continues as normal. It shows our society has not succumb to the fear our enemies try to instill in it. If/when we stop living our lives normally they will have , at least for a large part, won.
Yes, Solomon, we have to know our enemy, but we also have to know ourselves, honestly. Unless we know ourselves AND our enemies, we cannot make an accurate assessment of the situation.
ReplyDeleteAgree that they want us dead. Consider current American culture vs. that of our opponents, and tell me who you think might have the upper hand in battle.
Muslim culture:
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/4795.htm
http://pamelageller.com/2015/02/watch-video-muslim-children-re-enact-isis-beheading-of-christians.html/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2939529/Slaughtered-entertainment-Crowds-gather-watch-barbaric-murder-Jordanian-pilot-specially-erected-giant-screens-streets-Raqqa-CHEER-airman-goes-flames.html
American culture:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2572920/Manny-Nuff-Chocolate-Sunrise-strike-pose-onstage-US-militarys-DRAG-SHOW-gay-lesbian-troops-military-base.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/transgender-navy-seal-warrior-princess/story?id=19314231
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/02/7-year-old-boy-reportedly-suspended-after-making-a-gun-out-of-a-pastry-at-school/
http://www.freerangekids.com/boy-6-suspended-for-making-gun-gesture-with-hand/
http://www.thedailyrash.com/ny-times-calls-obama-bicycle-photos-rugged-masculinity-gone-wild/
I served 14 years active duty in the Navy as a strike fighter pilot. I am deeply ashamed of what it has become, and have come to the conclusion that perhaps I fought for an America that never really existed. I did not risk my life so that Americans would be free to sit around and watch filth on TV and expect to live like kings and queens just because. Watching the moral fall of this country is like watching Old Yeller die of rabies. Yes this is a religious war, but look at the moral state of our country; who WE are now. Your picture says it all. Having this type of filth does not mean we win; it guarantees we lose.
They do this to not scare the average Joe, and tell him that's not a single problem in USA.
ReplyDeleteSucks, but it's necessary to calm the population.
Without air cover, you’re screwed. I don’t care how good the vehicle you are riding with. At the end of day, it’s the air power that determines the outcome of mechanized engagement. US can get away with second
ReplyDeleterated armor while other nations can’t afford to do so. That’s a cold fact. Lethality always comes in second to protection, according to US armor design approach. US ground force has so many other options when comes to fire power. As much as I want see a larger/more capable gun for Stryker or Bradley, vehicle’s organic weapon just isn’t that critical to the US troops.
The best-looking one is the mom. Great legs.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day... ground to air defense will send enough planes to machines Valhalla that air cover will need own "air cover". Every type of air support can be countered with AA systems, how Ukrainians painfully learn.
ReplyDeleteSol, while I was working at EUCOM, some of the Turks took issue with the Kim Kardashian, thinking she was an official of the US Government official or agent due to her talking about the Armenian genocide. The US popularity in Turkey took a hit due her talking about it and her prior film career. It was not widely reported in the English speaking media, but did make a hit in Turkey. Better than HRC
ReplyDeletehttp://mwcnews.net/focus/politics/14608-armenian-genocide.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1375919/Kim-Kardashians-upset-Turkish-Cosmopolitan-cover.html
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/kim-kardashian-kassab-armenia-blame-turkey-syria.html#
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/kim-kardashian-talks-people-acknowledge-armenian-genocide/story?id=23654881
Yes, she is media fodder, but it could be worse.
Somewhat related, it will be interesting to see how the Chinese deal with radical Islam and ISIS returnees:
ReplyDeletehttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-fertile-ground-islamic-state-230002962.html
When looking at something to work together with Leopard 2 you should beware of the Puma.
ReplyDeleteCanada was also looking at the Puma also in regards to an IFV. The reason why the CV90s were getting a lot of attention was because Canada has a great relationship with the Dutch. We purchased Dutch owned Leopard 2 and upgraded them. Hence we were looking at taking some CV90's off their hands also, as they seem to be selling everything off these days.
ReplyDeleteWell, you need to get cash for those F-35 from somewhere... right?
ReplyDelete..and that's the problem. Not only does the army need quality armoured forces, but the Navy needs to build 12 new frigates & 3 destroyers while the air force needs to replace 80 F-18's. There is only so much money to go around.
ReplyDeleteThis might help someone understand Islam:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theblaze.com/blog/2015/02/27/6-eye-opening-things-you-might-not-have-known-about-islam-from-a-top-shariah-lawyer/
As I remember Canada did get Leopard 2 from German Army as an interim solution until the Dutch tanks were upgraded by KMW.
ReplyDeleteCanada just bought the tank hull from the Netherlands. The main deal was with KMW and Germany.
The big difference between both IFV is the turret. The CV90 has a manned turret to handle the cartridge fed 40 mm gun (with only 24 shots per magazine). While the Puma can chose on each shot from two magazines with 200 shots each between APFSDS or Air Burst Munitions (ABM). That is a nice feature in case a helicopter shows up.
The Germany Army just uses 6 dismounts because the squad size is 6. The place for 2 more soldiers is used by rack to store equipment. Behind the driver and side to the commander there would be another good place for a squad leader in case someone needs 9 dismounts.
This
ReplyDeletemodel of the Norwegian army, is equippeted
with an OWS, giving the vehicle the capability to perform
hunter-killer and killer-killer engagements.
Couldn't agree more. The obsession with reality stars is a sign of the decadence and stupidity of our society.
ReplyDeleteWhile we can all appreciated life's little diversions and past-times from the pain of reality, reality-television is a blight upon humanity and Kardashian's exemplify that in spades.
ReplyDeleteAnd why? Because the chief Ho in the family had a 'leaked' sex tape. Her mama has been pimping Kim and her sisters out ever since. It's quite the example for little girls: get plastic surgery, whore yourself out and make millions. You, too, can be a celebrity/hooker
Canada was seriously looking at CV90's. Probably had designs on some of those Dutch units now in Estonia. The Gov't cancelled the project last year due to budget limitations. Instead we chose to upgrade our LAV's to the LAV 6.0 variant. The CV90 would have been a good unit to work with our Leopard 2A4/A6's in our mech forces.
ReplyDelete