As much as possible, I try and keep the blog politics-free. The truth is, that occasionally, its just not possible, nor should it be. Politics impact every aspect of our lives, and it certainly plays a large part in the current events we address here at Mukhabarat, Baby! The day of the San Bernardino shootings, I posted a blog that delivered a dire warning regarding the future. I opined that if Islamic extremists had been able to develop a network of sleeper cells in cities across the United States, than we can expect not a rash of high profile attacks, but a monthly event to keep the issue in the news, and keep the fear alive in our communities. The enemy doesn't want a body count as much as they want to change the way we live our lives. An attack in this west coast location this week, and another incident in the southeast two weeks later, will be the modus operandi of a forward-thinking terrorist group. As long as the newspapers and the media are talking about preparedness and the need to react by altering our schedules and lifestyles, then the bad guys are on track. The attack in Philadelphia today, and other similar incidents have me very concerned that the enemy is taking this route, in its never-ending effort to see us abandon our hard-won freedoms and retreat behind locked doors and security systems. I urge my readers to live your lives with a reasonable amount of caution ("no vacation to Damascus this spring, Mildred"), but to fight the enemy with the tools for which so many heroes over the years have made the ultimate sacrifice: enjoy the freedoms we have, spend time out with family and friends, and take that vacation to the Ozarks. For those of us who can no longer carry a rifle on the battlefield, we have our own way of fighting back. We must live free.
Last week, President Obama once again used Executive Authority to make law. Executive Authority exists for a reason. It provides the president with the tools necessary to make decisions in a time of great national crisis. President Obama, taking full advantage of the raw emotions relating to the recent events in San Bernardino, signed an ideologically motivated law that will make it more difficult for persons who want to legally purchase a firearm. Obama sees himself as a master of theater, but truly, he is an amateur. We've seen the tears before, and bringing the kids on stage isn't a novel idea either. The law that you passed using abusing Executive Action will not impact criminals and terrorists who want to repeat what occurred in San Bernardino. Creating more laws to impede law-abiding citizens has been shown time-and-again to accomplish one thing: it strengthens the Black Market, which is where the bad guys usually get their weapons, anyways. The shooters in San Bernardino allegedly convinced a friend to buy the weapons. Will Obama's new law prevent friends from buying firearms and then illegally selling them or giving them away? I don't think so. The point is, Obama is anxious to solidify his legacy as a progressive thinker who didn't let something as meaningless as our checks-and-balances system of government interfere with his obligation to help the American people who are too stupid to help themselves.
I've heard a number of Obama supporters screeching about the use of Executive Action by George Bush (oh, how they do still hate Bush! LOL.) and others. If a president chooses to utilize Executive Action in manner that does not threaten the separation of powers and our checks-and-balances system, then it is not an ABUSE. Executive Action has been used in the past, but not for avoiding a confrontation with Congress that the Executive Branch is sure to lose. Obama put Executive Action into effect because he would not be able to get Congress to pass gun-control legislation that was possibly unconstitutional and did nothing to address the actual problem. While this issue is being slapped back-and-forth by commentators and analysts in the media, ISIS, Al-Qaida, and all the other party poopers continue to kill people. I believe we have reached a point in the history of the United States in which domestic terrorism in the form of the activation of Islamic Extremist sleeper cells (not just groups but single operators as well) may very well become a part of our lives. Our immigration system, built for a moderate level of security by a nation with a tradition and history of welcoming visitors, is not difficult to exploit. Not only would it be possible for the bad guys to set up shop through legal entry on tourist visas, but hiring an expensive and proven smuggler in Mexico is not Rocket Science; the enemy can enter illegally just as well. But the real problem is our complete unwillingness to address the problem at its root. If ISIS is destroyed (and we should take out Al-Qaida, Al-Nusra, Khorasan, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Boko Haram simultaneously), then the cells in foreign countries, no longer having access to a support network and resources, dry up and disappear. President Obama would be hard-pressed to declare war on Islamic terrorism, considering he has just sponsored a nuclear treaty with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world's greatest supporter of terrorism (you know Iran....the "death to America" bunch).
As things are, we can only hope that our superb law enforcement and intelligence organizations can keep a lid on things until we can have a change in the oval Office. Actually, I'm predicting the use of Executive Action on Amnesty/Immigration Reform as well; President Obama does still have a year to work on that legacy, you know.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
True to form, Charlie Hebdo spits on us.
Link: French magazine Charlie Hebdo launches broadside at all religions.
On January 7, 2015, the offices of French left-wing satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were attacked by a group of Muslim Extremists, who succeeded in killing eleven employees and injuring eleven more. Following this insane act of evil, the free world, from Tokyo to Valparaiso, raised the banner, "je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie), to send the message that we too were deeply wounded by this event. Over the next few weeks, the message kept growing, with "je suis Charlie" dominating social media. We embraced the people of Charlie Hebdo, and reminded them, that not everyone in the world is driven to propagate violence and fear through the use of mass murder. In the past, Charlie Hebdo, being a virulently atheist publication, had occasionally dumped all religions into one bucket. In the year since January 7, 2015, I can't identify even one instance of Christians planning, attacking and murdering persons of another religion. Surely the staff at Charlie Hebdo watches the news and stays up-to-date on current affairs. I expected a bit of change regarding the "lumping" of Christians into the same grouping as ISIS, Al-Qaida, and Boko Haram. I should have known better.
The latest edition of Charlie Hebdo (with an image of God on the cover, carrying an AK-47), again dumps Christians and Islamic terrorists into the same pot. Interestingly enough, Charlie Hebdo was unable to write a feature on ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al Nusra, and Boko Haram alongside its Christian counterparts, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO CHRISTIAN COUNTERPARTS to these fanatical Islamic groups. According to Charlie Hebdo, Christians are just as responsible for Islamic terrorism as are ISIS and Al-Qaeda, just because they are not clever enough to be atheists, I assume. When was the last time an extremist Christian group committed an act of terror in Europe? When was the last time that a Christian group attempted to deprive someone of their free will? Charlie Hebdo will probably dig up old horror stories from the past, hoping to strike that sensitive Christian vein of guilt, but this time, I don't think they will reap their desired result.
By choosing to mark the anniversary last year's attacks with a nasty, elitist, ignorant rant about all religions, Charlie Hebdo has actually done us a favor. The magazine's fortunes had jumped dramatically immediately followed the incident, but in the last six months, the numbers have fallen back down to respectable, but no longer outstanding figures. I think the people of France are tired of the old, creaky, reactionary, elitist message of the left, and will move to unite under the banner of defending the Republic. The last time I checked, the French Republic was at war with Islamic terror, not Christianity. Hebdo's numbers will continue to fall until the only place you see it anymore is in litter boxes and lining the cages of canaries. I pray that nothing remotely similar to January 7, 2015, happens to Charlie Hebdo again, but if it does, I can tell you that this is one American whose response will be "je suis chretien" (I am a Christian).
On January 7, 2015, the offices of French left-wing satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were attacked by a group of Muslim Extremists, who succeeded in killing eleven employees and injuring eleven more. Following this insane act of evil, the free world, from Tokyo to Valparaiso, raised the banner, "je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie), to send the message that we too were deeply wounded by this event. Over the next few weeks, the message kept growing, with "je suis Charlie" dominating social media. We embraced the people of Charlie Hebdo, and reminded them, that not everyone in the world is driven to propagate violence and fear through the use of mass murder. In the past, Charlie Hebdo, being a virulently atheist publication, had occasionally dumped all religions into one bucket. In the year since January 7, 2015, I can't identify even one instance of Christians planning, attacking and murdering persons of another religion. Surely the staff at Charlie Hebdo watches the news and stays up-to-date on current affairs. I expected a bit of change regarding the "lumping" of Christians into the same grouping as ISIS, Al-Qaida, and Boko Haram. I should have known better.
The latest edition of Charlie Hebdo (with an image of God on the cover, carrying an AK-47), again dumps Christians and Islamic terrorists into the same pot. Interestingly enough, Charlie Hebdo was unable to write a feature on ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al Nusra, and Boko Haram alongside its Christian counterparts, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO CHRISTIAN COUNTERPARTS to these fanatical Islamic groups. According to Charlie Hebdo, Christians are just as responsible for Islamic terrorism as are ISIS and Al-Qaeda, just because they are not clever enough to be atheists, I assume. When was the last time an extremist Christian group committed an act of terror in Europe? When was the last time that a Christian group attempted to deprive someone of their free will? Charlie Hebdo will probably dig up old horror stories from the past, hoping to strike that sensitive Christian vein of guilt, but this time, I don't think they will reap their desired result.
By choosing to mark the anniversary last year's attacks with a nasty, elitist, ignorant rant about all religions, Charlie Hebdo has actually done us a favor. The magazine's fortunes had jumped dramatically immediately followed the incident, but in the last six months, the numbers have fallen back down to respectable, but no longer outstanding figures. I think the people of France are tired of the old, creaky, reactionary, elitist message of the left, and will move to unite under the banner of defending the Republic. The last time I checked, the French Republic was at war with Islamic terror, not Christianity. Hebdo's numbers will continue to fall until the only place you see it anymore is in litter boxes and lining the cages of canaries. I pray that nothing remotely similar to January 7, 2015, happens to Charlie Hebdo again, but if it does, I can tell you that this is one American whose response will be "je suis chretien" (I am a Christian).
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