British Journalist David Haines beheaded!
 

This madness seems to become routine!

And ISIS say that they will kill even further British hostages...

Obama: "The United States stand shoulder to shoulder with Britain!"

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Edit: Haines was no journalist, he worked for an aid organization.

Yet when I suggest bombing these murderers forward into the stone age everyone gets their knickers in a twist.

"I have ordered the Iraqi air force to halt shelling of civilian areas even in those towns controlled by ISIS [the Islamic State militant group]."
- Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Abadi

Politics at play already. And he is hoping that the US will go along and if we don't? We know how well that played out in the past.

I really don't comprehend all the discussion. If you have termites in the beams of the house you call an exterminator. You certainly do not debate the rights of the termites.

I agree - nuke the bastards back into a new stone age. Otherwise significant ground action will be required to dislodge ISIS, let alone destroy it.

Any effective response to ISIS will require Arab leadership, not US.

So somehow it's worse to kill by beheading then kill by dropping a bomb from 1000 feet?

Bombs are more civil and are being used to rain down righteous retaliation.

Depends on how one views the beheading's. I view that as an act of targeted terror and committed for effect, not results. Our bombing on the other hand would be targeted for results.

I'm sure the people on the receiving end of those bombs see it as being just as terrifying.

Tweet them first and then drop the bombs.

Now we know where your head/thought is at.

1) If you like your head, stay out of Iraq.

2) If you're going to war, go to WAR! If you're just going to muck about with it, DON'T BOTHER!

With love,
Dave

In addition, the bombs are being dropped to effect public opinion and the beheadings are having their intended result.

Fixed and let Al Jazeera have monopoly on the news from the badlands.

It is embarrassing that Germany again acts so cowardly - don't name THAT "Realpolitik", too - like they did in the Libya crisis some years ago. Currently Germany offers some bullet proof wests and some weapons...

I wish Merkel would say: "Germany is standing shoulder to shoulder with America and Britain." But this will never happen...

Anyway - Mr. Obama has to admit to the fact that ISIS cannot be exitinguished without ground troops. Yes, sir: American boots on the ground of Iraq and Syria...!

This is what it's come to. Europeans complaining that America won't send OUR CHILDREN to go kill the bad guys for you. Sometimes, I think we should have just let Stalin have you for a while.

Have a great Day,
Dave

Yes I believe that evil should be struck down wherever it rears its ugly head.

Not necessary, there are some Iraqis with cojones and willing to defend their homeland. The kurds are damn good fighters so give them the weapons they lack. I was rather hoping that when we left Iraq we would have left the Kurds a few tanks and some of those bomb proof trucks.

A kick in the lame ass of the German Government would be a beheading of a German young pretty woman... and this is a disgrace... or the suicide-bombing of a Kindergarten in the Fatherland, then our politicians could realize how much this ISIS threat is also our concern...

Have a sensational Day,
Chris

Ye Gods. All these guys have to do is kill three white people, in a grandstanding nasty way, and people are seriously saying nuclear genocide is the answer. Get a fucking grip.

Appropriate measures are necessary, they could hardly expressed by bar-room slogans.

I reserve the right to overreact to OTT barroom slogans.

And I'll nuke anyone who'd deny you your overreaction right.

All I'm saying is that when we do go to war, we should fight it to win and stop mucking about with it. The whole "surgical strike" and "limited response" thing just is not working. But, I do agree that we need to restrain ourselves from developing an itchy finger, shooting at anything that looks like it might become a threat. That's no good either.

Dave

I assume you're talking about winning the traditional American US Grant way. Unconditional surrender. But let's look at what that really requires. You have to kill, destroy, and occupy massively and thoroughly. The population must be in fear for the biological survival of the nation.

For example, by the time WWII was over, 8 to 10 percent of all Germans were dead. Historically, conquered nations have often lost 20% or more of their population.

So, in rough numbers, doing the job to ISIS might mean killing 10% of the Sunni populations of Iraq and Syria, very roughly, maybe 2 million or so. Mostly civilians, ISIS doesn't have vast armies mobilized, they just have a fairly unlimited ability to draw more fighters from the population.

So, kill 2 million, 'win the war.' Up for that?

War is a blunt instrument anyway, and making unconditional surrender the goal makes it really blunt. I've nothing but admiration for leadership that goes to war reluctantly and in a limited way, if that will do the job.

ISIS's greatest strength is the way they can mobilize a virulent right wing here to do enormous political damage, just by killing two Americans.

In a way that is what I think is a correct attitude. "In a way" means that I try not to overreact but to react in an appropriate manner.

After the beheading of Herve Gourdel in Algeria I ask myself if this could happen everywhere.

That little mindworm is how terrorism works. Minuscule effort, gigantic effect.

It may help to consider that Gourdel wasn't just a random tourist snatched off the street in Algiers. He took it on himself to go on a backpacking trip into the remote and broken country where the Islamists hide. He was then abducted some time ago, so they had him available to make use of now.

'Anytime, anywhere' is not what this shows.

Indeed! Well said Don. The Corpo-craptastic media has everyone pissing in their pants over the remote possibility of random beheadings coming soon to town near you. Nothing sells soap better than fear these days, I guess. :(

There was this incident recently in Australia where an attempt of a beheading of an accidental person in public has been thwarted.

Don, Bob, I hope that you are right.

If it bleeds it leads. Remember when the evening news was the Vietnam War?

God, yes. The evening body counts. :(

Hi Chris, I fear that there will be some of these random attacks like in England last year but the real test will be is not to freak out and over react to them. :(
We are much more likely to break our necks in the shower or step off of a curb and get run over by a bus, statistically.

Hysteria is always a bad advisor. However sometimes I ask myself if ISIS sympathizers could be PC lurkers.

The consequences of a domestic beheading are terrible to ponder.

Pete

Rantings, ravings, and ratings through the roof.

British Journalist David Haines beheaded!
 

As well armed as our general public is... We might be last on their list of places to go.

One thing a public beheading here would do is give a big boost to the 'let's all carry guns' movement.

It would also get some number of mosques and convenience stores burned.... :(

All in all - we are more or less talking about a snowball principle.

This does not worry me because - and do not consider me naive - but what the good is will be victorous!

This is America. We have an old saying here; "Nice guys finish last.".

Make of that what you will.

Dave