I don’t to often delve into politics on my blog other that a few rants over the course of the last couple years here and there. Now my friend and I? get us in a vehicle and we can solve all the worlds problems in an hours drive. Almost all our discussions end with us shaking our heads in disbelief at the lack of action by our current Government.
When I say Government I am including all political parties, and bureaucrats alike. But ultimately in my book the large majority of responsibility falls on the complete lack of engagement by our executive branch. I have been convinced that current administration since it’s beginning in 2008 has set an environment of putting people in charge of three letter government departments not based on ability but loyalty to the party. Ineptitude breeds a very bad work place. With lack of responsibility or accountability. A lot of this sounds like the Soviet Union doesn’t it? Or any autocratic society for that matter. Protect the King, Dear Leader, “President” at any cost. Deflect everything, blame and change the narrative.
Here are a couple things that has saved this country from total wreckage so far. First off the Constitution. It is pretty hard to get around that with so many eyes watching. The Press, unless you control the press it is pretty hard to control the message. Attempts have been made at controlling the press, but they have screamed the loudest. The Legislative and Judicial branches. Say what you want about Congress and the Senate, they both suck on so many levels right now, but they look pretty good considering the alternatives. Judicial, I’m on the fence.The population as whole. When you view your constituency as simpletons and they don’t act the way you expect it is hard to pursue your agendas. What we have witnessed the past six years is the purest definition of insanity, attempting to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Should I give a few examples? Benghazi, the IRS scandal, Fast and Furious, Obamcare, administrations involvement with ACORN, and the New Black Panthers, or MoveOn. How about the latest 60 minutes interview were the Intelligence community was to blame for the lack of updates about the currents events in Syria and Iraq? The failure is 0nly attending 40% of your intelligence briefs and then picking and choosing what you want to hear? The Southern border.The latest Secret Service debacle over a vet jumping the fence and running around the White House with a knife? Granted every administration in the past has had scandals but seriously? When you lead with grand visions and only give broad brush strokes on how to accomplish them it is no wonder everyone is running around trying to cover their asses so they don’t end up in the political gulag.
OK this is Xena not Isis
Unless you have been under a rock lately, everyone (everyone = the press) is all up in arms over the rapid expansion of ISIS, or ISIL or IS depending on what talking head is filling your TV screen at any particular moment. Lets be frank,what ISIS has been doing lately is purely medieval by any standard, whether your perspective is from a Western or Eastern point of view. This loose organization of religious zealots is a well put together and trained group of single minded criminals that hide behind some distorted view of Islam. They have taken a page straight out of the 2nd Century chapter of history during the rapid rise of Islam that happened across vast swaths of the Mid East, Africa, and large parts of Asia. Either you convert of die by the sword. Is there no wonder that the Crusades happened? Europe took the threat seriously enough to stop Islams advance. Only using their religion as a guise.
I am not attempting to diminish their capability as a organization on any level. They are as hard core as hard core can be. And fanatical religious fighters are the worst. There is no surrender, only 72 virgins on the other side. How do you fight a belief when the vast majority of your converts are under or uneducated, no skills, no jobs, or a economy to build upon and the alternative heard is by following Islam (viewed through a sadistic prism) all your problems will go away? its the infidels fault, the Shia’s fault and on and on. Sound familiar?
Like most radical Islamic organization’s they think regionally and not strategically or globally. I will state that there have been egregious attacks here in the US and across the globe as isolated incidents. I take this view based on this thought, unless you want anything other than press and do not follow up your attack(s) you are just drawing attention to yourself and not causing any real damage to the entity that you are attacking. Some will disagree with me, but show me other than the press coverage what has Al Qaeda done to really harm the West? There is also an attempt by those to create psychological damage to their opponents. Hence the latest spate of be heading’s. The press is not covering the daily beheading of the average Iraqi, just the Western journalist.
Like I stated above, unless there is a follow-up assault you are not really accomplishing much. When ISIS states that there will be retribution for the air attacks on their infrastructure. How? A terrorist attack on some part of our country? It is foolish to believe that there are not already cells planning attacks in the US today, as I write this. The FBI has already publicly stated that there are at least a dozen jihadist training camps in the US. A Jihadist only has to make his way to Venezuela (Venezuela has had a very cozy relationship with Iran and its acolytes for years. Where do you think Iran has received its shipments of uranium from?) and follow the path to Texas along with other illegal immigrants, not undocumented but illegal. There are coyote’s that will do anything for cash and never ask who their cargo is or destination.
If ISIS or any other fanatical group wants to make a concerted or sustained attacks on the US they need the backing of the population with the ability to blend into that population. The arrogance of the average jihadist will not allow himself to shut up and be quiet until he is needed. There is always his machismo nagging him to stand out above the rest. Do you not think eventually someone would not turn on the cell. The issue is would our bureaucrats listen? The Boston bombers where on the FBI’s radar for years and only reacted after the fact.
The other side of the equation is the size of this country along with its resources. Most ignorant (ignorant in the context of our country not in education) jihadist have no concept of our shear geographic and economic size and capabilities. If you’re para dime is I can drive from point A to point B in 8 hours I can be at the end of the country and crossing into another. Our my tribe covers from this town to that town and I haven’t been beyond those boundaries,your view is small. Most of us would be hard pressed to cross the state of Texas in that amount of time let alone a portion of the east coast or California for that matter. The disbursement or our infrastructure would be mind boggling to attack without very good coordination or air power. Without a doubt psychological trauma initially would cause havoc and it would be a fair amount of time before the law enforcement community reacted, but the underestimation again of the jihadist is in the ability of our resources to draw upon. A jihadist’s current working environment is one where there is a vacuum politically, economically, and militarily. There is not one here.
One could say that the way to bring down a elephant is through small bites and not trying to kill with one devastating blow. With the press beating the war drums and our Government on vacation I think things are a bit blown out of proportion. I am not sure if our President dreams of A Brave New World every night and doesn’t want to be bothered with the details or if his ruby glasses are so dark that he can’t see anymore through them. I believe it is the former. His head is so wrapped around his own ideology and he is dreaming of greater social causes that he fails to see the barn door is open and the horses have left nothing but a pile of manure.
Will there be a ISIS attack on our soil? I don’t have a crystal ball, but ISIS is already advocating lone wolf attacks knowing they don’t have the resources to wage a full on war/attack/engagement. We all know there isn’t a standing Army in the world that can go toe to toe with us. But those flea bites can take their toll.
So full circle, can you go without food, water, or power for a week if your local infrastructure was disrupted? We all know the urban areas are going to take and require the majority of resources. Those in the rural areas? your on your own for awhile.
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