Link: A. Islamic State Executes Jordanian Pilot
B. Obama Compares Islamic State Terrorists To Crusaders
As I gave my internet news sources a quick scan before sitting down to write this post, a few articles caught my attention. It seems that the video clip of the unfortunate Jordanian pilot being burned to death may be a fake, or a hoax. I studied a couple of the claims, which both seemed legitimate. I have to say, though, that at the end of the video, the young man is dead. Whether he was burned, or executed first and then burned doesn't matter to me anymore. The actions of the Islamic State for a Caliphate in the Levant (ISIL) have reached a level a barbarism not seen since the Gestapo and Einsatzgruppen in the Second World War. The treatment of women, children and the elderly in the hills of northern Iraq was as beastly and inhumane as anything I can recall. Not to mention the routine-like execution of rows and rows of Iraqi young men, whose only crime was to join the army in order to bring home a little money to help feed the family. The group ISIL is as bad as it gets. I am convinced that both ISIL and Al-Qaeda are working towards the same goals as part of the strategy of Islamic Extremism. We keep coming up with different names: Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, Khorasan, and ISIL, just to name a few. Boko Haram used to kidnap girls and force them to adopt their extreme conservative Islamic beliefs. Now they have started kidnapping all children that they come across, and the real fear is that Boko Haram is building an army of child soldiers, similar to what has been seen in Africa in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Rwanda, and with the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. Since President Obama took office and Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State, Islamic Extremism and Islamic Terrorism have flourished. Its a dangerous word to use, but unfortunately its appropriate. During the Bush Administration, security officials frequently spoke of the fear that Al-Qaeda would spread into Africa. Al-Qaeda is not only present in Africa, it is expanding. Operatives in Mali are conducting raids in Niger and Boko Haram has carried out attacks from Nigeria into Cameroon. The West has not been spared, as we have witnessed attacks in Boston, London, Paris and Australia. And we have the Middle East; I can't remember a time that the Levant, the Holy Land and Mesopotamia were in such trouble.
The point is, Islamic Extremism is on the move, and it is a real danger to the United States. I'm relieved to note that the current administration has excepted this reality. The murder of the Jordanian pilot was a horrific act, but no more horrific than any of the other beheadings and executions. The reaction of the Jordanian people was very encouraging. The population of Jordan consists of a majority of Palestinians; since the various wars with Israel, the native Hashemites have become a minority. There has been some concern that ISIL might find sympathizers within the Palestinian-Jordanian community, and within the more conservative Islamic circles. But I was pleased to see the entire nation of Jordan rise up in support of its brave and well-spoken King, Abdullah. For a time, Jordanian officials were negotiating with ISIL regarding the possibility of a prisoner swap. Once the tape was released, it became apparent that ISIL was not negotiating in good faith, and that the Jordanian pilot had probably been dead for days, if not longer. King Abdullah ordered the immediate execution of the two terrorists that had been of interest to ISIL, and unleashed twenty F16s from the Royal Jordanian Air Force to blast those ISIL assholes to bits. In a final salute, the same F16s flew over the home of the murdered pilot, and then flew over the capital Amman, to the joy of the hundreds of thousands of people who had gathered to express their opposition to ISIL. Abdullah has vowed to continue using the Jordanian military to harass ISIL at every opportunity. King Abdullah, like is father King Hussein, is good man, widely respected and admired for his leadership and wisdom. He understands the mentality of groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIL. The only language they speak is the language of strength. You can't defeat ISIL from a position of weakness, assuming your goal is to defeat them.
On Thursday, February 5, at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Barrack Obama discussed the murder of the young Jordanian pilot in the context of the continuing conflict in Syria and Iraq. As he has done previously, President Obama introduced the subject of the Christian Crusades in the Holy Land, the last of which occurred in the year 1291. Just to make sure that no one missed the point, Obama added that, “And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ." I can't remember the last time I was so offended by something said by an elected official, let alone the President of the United States. "And lest we get on our high horse".....have you seen anyone getting on a high horse? Are we not allowed to express indignation and anger towards Islamic Extremists? What did I do to deserve a scolding? Hell, lets get right to the truth of the matter: why does the United States have to share the blame for all heinous acts, because of our history? No doubt we have some dark periods, but we face up to our legacy, good and bad, and with all the of the strength given us by God, we try and learn from it, and become better human beings. President Obama, I'm not ashamed of my country, and I see not connection whatsoever between the last crusade 724 years ago, and the actions of the Islamic State. A little advice, Mr. President. Read up a bit on the enemy. Al-Qaeda and ISIL are not trying to punish the United States (and the West, by proxy) for our past bad behaviors; you are the only one on that kick. Al-Qaeda and ISIL are interested in creating a world controlled by the word of the Quran. So please stop bringing slavery, and the Crusades, and Jim Crow into the discussion. Most importantly, Mr. President, stop apologizing for me. Over and out.
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