Definitely part of the problem. Problem with the problem is, a certain percentage of all of us are crazy. So the second order problem is, what mobilizes them?
I feel like we’ve gotten exactly nowhere in the last 15 years. And the crazy thing is, 15 years is a totally arbitrary milestone. Nobody invented terrorism on 9/11. Shit, I was doing the exact same stuff in Germany that we re-implement did after the 9/11 attacks, only back then, it was the Red Brigade.
I said we’ve gotten nowhere… It’s really worse than that. We’ve gone backwards. We have lumped all of these separate, unique, and interdependent threats under the umbrella of terrorism. It’s like somebody really believes that there is an Evil League of Evil where these guys all get together to catch their nefarious plot’ where these guys all get together to hatch their nefarious plots.
Terrorism is not a thing. It’s really an adjective, not a noun. It is a way of doing something, but it is not a unifying trait. You can’t get a terrorist journeyman’s card at the Local #47.
Every time somebody blows something up, we all rally around the “let’s go get the terrorists” banner. Don’t give me wrong, I’m totally in favor of hunting down all of them as individuals , terminate with extreme prejudice and all that. But I am under no illusion that that is accomplishing all a lot, anymore then stamping on one and he’ll will make next weeks picnic any safe but I am under no illusion that that is accomplishing a whole lot, anymore then stamping on one anthill will make next weeks picnic any safer
Religious, ethnic, and tribal differences were not erased no matter how hard we and the allies in two world wars tried to reorganize the middle East. Think Ireland and Scotland on a newer, greater, and never ending scale. The only common enemy they have is us and our allies. The only order they know are dictators that run things from the safe end of an army. There are exceptions, Jordan for example. Only they can solve their problems. The best we can hope for is to isolate the terror and war in their own lands. We need to simply get the hell out of there, and surgically strike any direct threats. Quietly, without taking credit. That would be the smart play. Trump and Billiary aren’t smart. Besides, there is money to be made in wars. We wasted more money in two months in Afghanistan than it would take to get all the National Park infrastructure back in top shape and let citizens into the parks they own for free.
Many of the boundaries in the Middle East were drawn up by Western powers, not the inhabitants. Or, they represent moving targets since the area has been a virtual Interstate Highway System of invasion, conquest and war for millennia. Hell, Afghanistan and Pakistan do not have nice, neat national boundaries that correspond to ethnic boundaries. Imposing rationally derived boundaries and rules on that part of the world is hard enough if the Western Powers were not trying to muck it up. UK, Russia, and Uncle have certainly not helped.
But if they keep bombing cities, there may be one ultimate solution.
Imperialism has a lot to do with these problems as does the age-old “How many of these mofo’s do we have to kill before they understand violence is NOT the answer?” attitude.
Meanwhile the guy most responsible for unleashing the current murderous stupidity is busy at home in Texas painting pictures of cats.
That’s the truth. The Texas painter along with the lawyer shooting asshole from Wyoming.
I see the voters in Arizona have gone for the “orange is the new white” jerk. I’m not surprised. I am surprised that Bernie didn’t win here.
True ’nuff. Seems really easy to muck around over there and ignorantly think you are doing some good (or in the gentleman from Wyoming’s case, doing some good for your military-industrial complex bankrollers), but once you uncork these situations (Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, etc) its a little tough to put the genie back in the bottle. But the genie will get out anyway, though, i.e., Yugoslavia when Tito croaked. I think these kinder, gentler rearrangements are inevitable and in a modern world of fast jets and faster Internet, the shit gets global. Hell, pretty soon anyone with a 3-D press will be able to set up his own arms factory in a cave somewhere in Idaho or Mosul.
After yesterday’s attack I was reading a little about home made explosives. Its easier to make the stuff than to make sure you don’t blow yourself up in the process. Seems to be the same problem: easy to get in, hard to get out intact.
I guess we got spoiled. Two elections in a row with someone I wanted to vote for instead of against (well, there were people I wanted to vote against, too, but you get the idea).
Like Lawrence of Arabia, Obama has not been perfect. But he looks like the love child of Superman and Wonder Woman next to the half-pint Buzz Windrips and Elmer Gantrys the GOP is trying to foist off on us.
Mad Blog Media 
Sad. No other words seem right.
those people are effing crazy.
Definitely part of the problem. Problem with the problem is, a certain percentage of all of us are crazy. So the second order problem is, what mobilizes them?
Good response.
I feel like we’ve gotten exactly nowhere in the last 15 years. And the crazy thing is, 15 years is a totally arbitrary milestone. Nobody invented terrorism on 9/11. Shit, I was doing the exact same stuff in Germany that we re-implement did after the 9/11 attacks, only back then, it was the Red Brigade.
I said we’ve gotten nowhere… It’s really worse than that. We’ve gone backwards. We have lumped all of these separate, unique, and interdependent threats under the umbrella of terrorism. It’s like somebody really believes that there is an Evil League of Evil where these guys all get together to catch their nefarious plot’ where these guys all get together to hatch their nefarious plots.
Terrorism is not a thing. It’s really an adjective, not a noun. It is a way of doing something, but it is not a unifying trait. You can’t get a terrorist journeyman’s card at the Local #47.
Every time somebody blows something up, we all rally around the “let’s go get the terrorists” banner. Don’t give me wrong, I’m totally in favor of hunting down all of them as individuals , terminate with extreme prejudice and all that. But I am under no illusion that that is accomplishing all a lot, anymore then stamping on one and he’ll will make next weeks picnic any safe but I am under no illusion that that is accomplishing a whole lot, anymore then stamping on one anthill will make next weeks picnic any safer
Religious, ethnic, and tribal differences were not erased no matter how hard we and the allies in two world wars tried to reorganize the middle East. Think Ireland and Scotland on a newer, greater, and never ending scale. The only common enemy they have is us and our allies. The only order they know are dictators that run things from the safe end of an army. There are exceptions, Jordan for example. Only they can solve their problems. The best we can hope for is to isolate the terror and war in their own lands. We need to simply get the hell out of there, and surgically strike any direct threats. Quietly, without taking credit. That would be the smart play. Trump and Billiary aren’t smart. Besides, there is money to be made in wars. We wasted more money in two months in Afghanistan than it would take to get all the National Park infrastructure back in top shape and let citizens into the parks they own for free.
Many of the boundaries in the Middle East were drawn up by Western powers, not the inhabitants. Or, they represent moving targets since the area has been a virtual Interstate Highway System of invasion, conquest and war for millennia. Hell, Afghanistan and Pakistan do not have nice, neat national boundaries that correspond to ethnic boundaries. Imposing rationally derived boundaries and rules on that part of the world is hard enough if the Western Powers were not trying to muck it up. UK, Russia, and Uncle have certainly not helped.
But if they keep bombing cities, there may be one ultimate solution.
Imperialism has a lot to do with these problems as does the age-old “How many of these mofo’s do we have to kill before they understand violence is NOT the answer?” attitude.
Meanwhile the guy most responsible for unleashing the current murderous stupidity is busy at home in Texas painting pictures of cats.
That’s the truth. The Texas painter along with the lawyer shooting asshole from Wyoming.
I see the voters in Arizona have gone for the “orange is the new white” jerk. I’m not surprised. I am surprised that Bernie didn’t win here.
True ’nuff. Seems really easy to muck around over there and ignorantly think you are doing some good (or in the gentleman from Wyoming’s case, doing some good for your military-industrial complex bankrollers), but once you uncork these situations (Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, etc) its a little tough to put the genie back in the bottle. But the genie will get out anyway, though, i.e., Yugoslavia when Tito croaked. I think these kinder, gentler rearrangements are inevitable and in a modern world of fast jets and faster Internet, the shit gets global. Hell, pretty soon anyone with a 3-D press will be able to set up his own arms factory in a cave somewhere in Idaho or Mosul.
After yesterday’s attack I was reading a little about home made explosives. Its easier to make the stuff than to make sure you don’t blow yourself up in the process. Seems to be the same problem: easy to get in, hard to get out intact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-IkWpm7TS0
I guess we got spoiled. Two elections in a row with someone I wanted to vote for instead of against (well, there were people I wanted to vote against, too, but you get the idea).
Like Lawrence of Arabia, Obama has not been perfect. But he looks like the love child of Superman and Wonder Woman next to the half-pint Buzz Windrips and Elmer Gantrys the GOP is trying to foist off on us.
Perfectly stated, Patrick.