Say goodbye to ISIS: Airstrikes begin in Syria

[Victorian Gray]

Just pointing out the manipulations of the left on voters. You CAN'T vote for this guy because he's going to do the exact thing we end up doing. And it works! Prey on the fear centers of uninformed voters. Genius really when you think about it. I mean it's horrible that the left has to treat people that way but the left seems to have no qualms with it. Lambaste your political opponents for their principles and then adopt those same principles. It takes a certain type of person to pull that off. It's salesmanship on steroids.

So, no, you don't have an alternative strategy. Why didn't you just come out and say so.

 

[BoberFett]

Well I'll sleep better

yes, that is sarcasm.

Last week, James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, said the group posed a more direct threat to targets in the United States than ISIL fighters.

So... we bombed people in Syria who were producing IEDs that were supposedly a danger to targets in the US?

Were they going FedEx them to us?

 

[BoberFett]

how exactly do you "bomb ISIS" do they have fixed bases and buildings they launch missiles at?

It's not like these guys are a country with fixed government targets, they are a roaming group of people and I don't think they stay in one location in easy to identify groups.

Easy. We've got INTELLIGENCE.

America! Fuck yeah!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

So... we bombed people in Syria who were producing IEDs that were supposedly a danger to targets in the US?

Were they going FedEx them to us?

I think they were made "in and around Tikrit".

 

[xaeniac]

So when does one claim victory in this type of campaign?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I don't think that anyone thinks that airstrikeso finish anything.
Its going to degrade IS's ability to go on the offensive if they are losing their leaders and shuffling their assets around. Hopefully that will give the other players breathing space to reclaim their territory.

But that is not how this is sold. Obama committed to the destruction of IS. No safe havens. War.

And that's the problem, we're in for a penny, and the pound follows. War rhetoric isn't very smart. It binds those who use it to action before prudence. This President and nation never learn.

 

[gotsmack]

Do not move the goal post.

First you say "surrounded and facing certain death."

Then you say "if there is a chance to retreat."

But either way, there are numerous examples of American courage.

I think it would be up to the commander. If the commander says stay and fight then they'll fight until over run and then maybe surrender.

The only army I think would fight to the last man even if given the opportunity to surrender when over run is the French Foreign Legion.

 

[mizzou]

unless there is some type of criminal war tribune trials held after all is said and done, the living asshats will just reform into a new organization.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Actually they do have fixed bases and buildings. That's what's being bombed in Syria at the moment.

They will learn real quick that this is the case. Then they will just scatter amongst the population real quick and regroup.

There is no government they are targeting. It is an irregular group who do not have a conventional army.

After this bombing is concluded, what next?

 

[chucky2]

We're bombing an entity that is living amongst the populace they're controlling, and no worry over civilian casualties? We are going to keep track of how many innocents we're killing right?

 

[BoberFett]

Here's an article that sums things up pretty well.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread...essive-democrats-follow-obama-to-war-in-syria

You Democrat cheerleaders can keep taking turns slurping each other off, pretending you're better than Republicans.

LOL, Democrats.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

We're bombing an entity that is living amongst the populace they're controlling, and no worry over civilian casualties? We are going to keep track of how many innocents we're killing right?

War's a different animal, a socially sanctioned murder. The problem faced by politicians is not that the innocent die, but that they have lost the game of balancing death vs perceived benefit. That's why we have war rhetoric. Create an atmosphere of fear then present someone as The Savior who invokes patriotism and how we'll save ourselves and the world from evil doers. As long as the simple minded play their non critically thinking part alls well. Inevitably though those not to blame die in increasing numbers, but they are still good if they successfully maintain the fear level. After too long though people wake from their dream and look back at the real price and by that time it's too bad so sad.

This tactic works.

 

[Jhhnn]

They will learn real quick that this is the case. Then they will just scatter amongst the population real quick and regroup.

There is no government they are targeting. It is an irregular group who do not have a conventional army.

After this bombing is concluded, what next?

I don't think that's an accurate characterization. They appear to be a well financed, organized & led revolutionary army. By well led, I mean they're good at what they do, at least so far, otherwise it wouldn't be the way it is.

We created a power vacuum when we toppled Saddam, and the Maliki Govt failed to fill it in that part of Iraq. We made it worse when we weakened Syria. One way or another, forces will arise to fill that vacuum. With some luck, that might be the new govt in Baghdad.

If we've been trying to destabilize & balkanize the region, we've done it well, and we've had a lot of help. I figure this has been the goal of the Neocon faction of the US foreign policy apparatus all along. I'm not sure that Kerry & Obama know what they're getting into, but they apparently don't support that. Well, in Iraq. Syria is apparently another matter.

 

[squarecut1]

So another American adventure in middle east starts. Some things never change do they..

 

[squarecut1]

So looks like ISIS is the new Monster which if not attacked, will destroy the whole world. Maybe they have the WMDs which were gonna destroy the world in 2003.

And we can expect significant civilian casualties from these strikes. As is always the case, the innocent pay the price. Again, some things never change..

 

[pcgeek11]

The innocents always pay the price. They always have and they always will. That cannot be changed. Example WWII. How many innocents dies as a result of the bombings in Germany and Japan. On the flip side there was no other realistic way. War sucks, but the evil has to be faced sooner of later.

 

[bradly1101]

So when does one claim victory in this type of campaign?

I don't think one does. It seems never ending and plenty of people make out like bandits in a never-ending war. So yeah, it will never end.

The president said today that we are going to destroy this idealism. Huh?

 

[bradly1101]

And we can expect significant civilian casualties from these strikes. As is always the case, the innocent pay the price. Again, some things never change..

It's already starting.

An unknown number of civilians were killed in the strikes. Syrian rights groups say the civilian casualties include three children.

http://www.vox.com/2014/9/23/6832577/the-us-is-bombing-syria-what-we-know-and-dont-know

War is a war crime.

 

[irishScott]

Hell it's Obama. Everything he does is legal, even if it's not. Oh well, he wanted a war an now he's finally got one.

You'd be surprised. Huffington Post had a front page article trying desperately to equate Obama's actions to Bush's.

If Obama had told half the world to go fuck itself and sent in ground troops the author might have had a point, but we're not. Nor do we have any known plans to occupy or attempt to nation-build Syria.

Bottom line IMO is ISIS has got to go, and Obama's current tactics seem to fit the situation pretty well.

 

[MongGrel]

I don't think that anyone thinks that airstrikes are going to finish anything.
Its going to degrade IS's ability to go on the offensive if they are losing their leaders and shuffling their assets around. Hopefully that will give the other players breathing space to reclaim their territory.

This.

I'd be harder than that myself still, the BUFFS would be making serious runs.

 

[irishScott]

It's already starting.



http://www.vox.com/2014/9/23/6832577/the-us-is-bombing-syria-what-we-know-and-dont-know

War is a war crime.

Yeah, because if we just left ISIS alone I'm sure no more innocent children would die. It was such a chill, live-and-let-live form of government before we came along and started bombing them for oil.

 

[MongGrel]

Here's an article that sums things up pretty well.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread...essive-democrats-follow-obama-to-war-in-syria

You Democrat cheerleaders can keep taking turns slurping each other off, pretending you're better than Republicans.

LOL, Democrats.

I still do not understand where the Democrat BS always comes out in this line of thinking.

Many, many people in my family were Democrats and fought in WWII, my Grandfather that was my idol growing up went into North Africa against Rommel, then D-Day, spent 6 months in a foxhole in France, then went in to take Berlin.

He had 5 Bronze Stars I could run off a list of several other relatives that did similar things.

Why Republicans think they are more patriotic is way, way, way beyond me.

He hated Dubya with a passion, and was embarassed at what the US had become onto his deathbed, he even mentioned it the night I went to the house before he died and rushed over.

He went into Hospice that nite and didn't even last till the morning.

Hell, Kerry had a much more solid war record than Dubya, and he got Swift Boated.

Republican Leadership are all about talking shit, brainwashing people, and not accomplishing much other than raping the public in general.

 

[squarecut1]

I don't think one does. It seems never ending and plenty of people make out like bandits in a never-ending war. So yeah, it will never end.

It is a self perpetuating, never ending thing. The more bombs we drop, the more enemies we create. The more enemies we have, the more justification for more bombs. So on and on it goes.

As Gore Vidal titled his book, Endless War for Endless Peace.

Truly what wickedness there is in this world

 

[bradly1101]

Yeah, because if we just left ISIS alone I'm sure no more innocent children would die. It was such a chill, live-and-let-live form of government before we came along and started bombing them for oil.

So we should make every atrocity around the world our responsibility when they also wish us harm? If so we'll be at war forever.

I say that we should protect the 'homeland' from our shores only. When we hit them over there, we just create more of what we claim to want to stop.

 

[MongGrel]

It is a self perpetuating, never ending thing. The more bombs we drop, the more enemies we create. The more enemies we have, the more justification for more bombs. So on and on it goes.

As Gore Vidal titled his book, Endless War for Endless Peace.

Truly what wickedness there is in this world

So you'd endorse just letting people that have openly claimed war on you to just run amok and do what they want and are out to kill you publicly just to continue down that route and go on a genocidal spree and just ignore it then ?