Hope n' Change doesn't know - we're in listening mode right now. But a lot of what we're hearing is extremely disturbing.
In remarks made yesterday, Barack Obama showed far greater anger and passion about the call to use the words "radical Islamic terror" than he exhibited when speaking about the dead and wounded Americans in Orlando. He openly mocked the idea that there was any point or value in putting a name to those who would destroy our nation.
Hillary Clinton, pushed by her Republican opponent, actually voiced the words "radical Islam" in a speech which suggested that, if elected, her anti-terror strategy would be an extension and expansion of the administration's current "Operation Diddly Squat" initiative.
The ACLU blamed the attack on fundamentalist Christians, making us think that the Feds are way overdue in raiding ACLU offices in search of meth labs.
And then there's Donald Trump.
In a speech about the murders on Monday, the presidential wannabee pushed into frightening rhetorical territory. "If we don’t get tough, and if we don’t get smart, and fast, we’re not going to have our country anymore," quoth The Donald. "There will be nothing, absolutely nothing, left."
Well, no. Terror attacks of the type that occurred in Orlando are painful, frightening, and absolutely unacceptable - but they do not pose an existential threat to our country at this point.
And how did this nightmare happen? According to Trump, "we have, just, no intelligence gathering information." Wow - none? Really? Even though this attack wasn't prevented, intelligence agencies had interviewed the perpetrator twice, tailed him, and kept him on a terror watch list as long as was feasible.
The suggestion - and not just from Trump - is that the government should surveil more and be willing to take a person of interest out of circulation before he or she acts. Or might act. But where do we really want those lines drawn?
In the past 8 years, Conservatives have been routinely referred to (from Obama on down) as hostage takers, terrorists, and violent extremists. Homeland Security suggested that military veterans should be considered potentially dangerous. The IRS made a point of investigating and punishing groups which favored balanced budgets, reduced taxes, Constitutional government, and a preference for legal immigration. Hillary Clinton is currently shrieking that Conservatives are active and dangerous aggressors in the "war on women."
All of this being the case, ask yourself if you're on someone's political hit list before enthusiastically embracing the idea of preemptive incarceration of American citizens.
Our nation is hurting and angry right now, and the do-nothing "blame America first" coalition of politicians and media members on the Left make Donald Trump's call to action sound appealing. And we'll admit, some of his suggestions make sense (by the law of averages alone, it had to happen eventually). Yes, we need to get tough and smart. And we need to do it fast.
But let us not be stampeded into a genuine existential threat to our freedoms and way of life out of fear, confusion, or deliberate misdirection.
32 comments:
"In remarks made yesterday, Barack Obama showed far greater anger and passion about the call to use the words "radical Islamic terror" than he exhibited when speaking about the dead and wounded Americans in Orlando. He openly mocked the idea that there was any point or value in putting a name to those who would destroy our nation."
Well, it was either that or admit he'd had three (San Bernadino, Chattanooga and Orlando) terrorist attacks in less than a year on his watch.
I think I am behind the curve on this killer. If he thinks that will make him a martyr, will that magically transform him so he enjoys female company and if not, will he loan out his 72 young ladies or swap them for 72 young men? It is sickening, but the real problem is that we probably have at least half a million Manchurian Candidates in the country and our government has no intention of seeking them out. Of course the FBI will do an outstanding job investigating this as they have on the emails.
"Operation Diddly Squat"
Thankfully, it's late, not early, or there might have been coffee on the keyboard...
GREAT stuff, Stilt!
(and apols to those who may have been annoyed yesterday, apparently I put on the Big Shoes and stepped on ALL the toes...) Attempts to provide general info seem to have been taken personally, sorry. No offense taken on this end...
Removing internal threats to your society? Easy-peasy. Once the intel is in and verified then........whsssh - Gone. Never seen or heard from again. I can show you how if you like and I won't cost that much.
@Pete(Detroit). I had to go back to see the fuss. You didn't step on many toes. And yes, 30-06 is still a fine cartridge. I fired two rounds last deer season. The first was to check rifle, scope & sighting for the first time in two years. Center X @ 200 yards. Call that good; no adjustment. The second was a heart shot @ 250.
What really disgusts me about the Orlando shooting is how rapidly the MSM blamed the gun, even before the bodies had reached room temperature. As usual they misinformed the public about the weapon used. It was not an AR-15 as stated, it was a Sig Sauer MCX Carbine. Regardless, neither gun is a true assault rifle.
Furthermore, it appears that Crisis Actors were used in much of the video shown. If you search "Orlando False Flag" on YouTube, you find many interesting points being made. Including the fact that when we were shown people carrying the supposed wounded victims down the street, they were actually transporting them past the camera crew back towards the Pulse Nightclub. Why would they do that, and why were they doing it in the first place when they were not paramedics?
I have no doubt much of it was staged to further the gun-grabbing agenda.
The raghead used an assault weapon. It doesn't make any difference if he used a Hamilton Beach electric knife with a 5000' extension cord.
Arguing with the Media is a waste of time, they don't care about truth, light and the American Way. Hell Rolling Stone just called for the repeal of the Second Amendment; never mind that to do that would require repealing the Constitution.
Folks, You have a war coming your way. The shooting hasn't started yet. It will after this election, sporadically, and grow as the Left sees their grip on America slip.
Obama has slightly over seven months to finish off his bucket list of destroying this Country. Don' doubt he'll try.
@Stilton-I must vehemently disagree with your contention that terror attacks such as the one in Orlando do not pose an existential threat to our country. They absolutely do impose a threat to our citizens, our open and tolerant society and ultimately our way of life. I would also posit that not only violent jihad, but stealth jihad is an existential threat to our nation. In fact, the unabated flow of those whose goal is Sharia law, and our collective PC belief that they are open to assimilation will in fact doom our constitutional republic. We are only a couple of years away from what is currently happening in western Europe. Islam is the problem, and will remain the problem until it has a reformation from a 7th century death cult into an actual religion.
@ Ed G. Mann: Turbans are not rags. They are actually small, carefully folded sheets. Therefore, in the name of Political Correctness, please refer to them as "Little Sheet Heads".
I agree with TrickyRicky, islam IS a 7th century death cult NOT a religion. As for guns......I don't know anything about them but what difference does it make what kind was used by the latest monster? Can't any type kill? And so can swords and rocks, knives, etc. A killer will use whatever is at hand. I guess some types of weapons can get more victims than others before being stopped, but even one or two dead is too many.
@rickn8or- Since Obama happily (and loudly) took credit for the years without successful attacks, he needs to also accept some blame for these failures.
@James Daily- My theory (and it is only that) is that the killer knew there was no way for a gay man to enter heaven except through cleansing martyrdom. And again, if that was his goal, what better way to show his bonafides then to offer Muhammad dozens of gay sacrifices?
Regarding the investigation, I have great respect for the FBI...and a great loathing of the way this administration uses the DOJ to inhibit the FBI's efficacy.
@Pete(Detroit)- Glad you liked the Diddly Squat line. God knows it's hard to wedge even tiny bits of humor into a story this grim.
@Popular Front- I don't disagree; my point is that I'm pretty sure Barry and Hillary would both see me as an "internal threat" for my role in radicalizing constitutional conservatives even thought I'm a lovable (albeit crotchety) old milquetoast. I'm not eager to be disappeared.
@Rod- I have nothing to add on the manly subjects of gun ownership and hunting. Maybe I need a testosterone patch...
@Geoff King- Among my liberal friends (don't judge me) I initially saw zero criticism of the shooter and/or his ideology and instead saw (and continue to see) the blame placed entirely on the NRA. This is the very definition of missing the point.
As far as "false flag" operations, I'm going to remain skeptical - I think the situation can be spun by the Left without the need for actual staging of events.
@Ed G. Mann- There are entirely too many videos online showing what radical Islamists can do without guns: car bombs, suicide vests, beheadings, drownings, people immolated in cages, and on and on. The tools are secondary to the evil intent.
And yes, I think Obama will accelerate his (so far successful) efforts to break the back of our nation in his final months.
@TrickyRicky- I'm actually in agreement with you, though can understand how you might have read my words to think otherwise. What I was saying is that the deaths of 50 or 100 people, however tragic, will not in and of itself pose a threat to our nation's existence, any more than would the loss of lives in a single plane crash.
But degrading our freedoms and open way of life is absolutely an existential threat - and indeed is what I'm warning about today. We need to find a workable balance between freedom and security, but we must tread very carefully while doing so. In a very real sense, when all of us are "safe" because none of us are free, then the terrorists have indeed won.
I'm also in agreement about the existential dangers of flooding our country with immigrants who are unlikely to assimilate and who bring hateful cultural biases with them. The recent finding that 99% of some immigrant groups adhere to Shariah law should have every warning bell in the country going off.
So yes- we need to make some big changes around here and, as Trump says, we need to be tough, smart, and quick. My concern - and not only about Trump - is the "smart" part of the process.
@Geoff King- I appreciate the clarification.
Stilton, you wrote that lamont "openly mocked the idea..." that calling a spade a spade wasn't going to help us in the fight to avoid destruction at the hands of terrorists. Well, lamont mocks EVERYTHING by his very existence. He mocks the cruelty of abortion by saying "it's above my pay grade", (as if every OTHER thing isn't as well). He mocks common sense, basic economic logic, political wisdom, history, the failure of socialism, and anything that doesn't comport to his myopic world view, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT CHILDREN DO! Just like Pee Wee Herman, his "I know you are, but what am I" mindset shows his DNA has more "Ritz cracker" than any OTHER component, and he mocks the world he cannot comprehend. He suffers from "arrested development", and my contention is he is "stuck" at about 4 to 6 years old, mentally. That must have been the age it finally hit him that he wasn't wanted by loved ones, so his emotional maturity STOPPED at that age and the whole world has been predicated on how a 4 year old makes his world work ever since. The fact that his new "daddy" probably bent him over for sexual pleasure and may have offered him to his male friends as well exacerbated his childhood trauma. He lacks the mental discipline needed to operate in a man's world. Remember the picture of lamont on the bike with the girls styrofoam helmet? Dancing on Ellen Degenerate? Reacting to martial arts demonstrations? He's a "mock man", it's all he knows. It's why he was drawn to Saul Alinsky. If Elton John wrote a song about him it would be called "Mocket Man".
Your take on Trump's speech...."but they do not pose an existential threat to our country at this point."
Well, by all means, let's wait "til the point" of "existential threat" to respond.
Which "point" Do you prefer? Paris, Brussels, Londonistan, or Dearbornstan? Clearly not "existential", so let's wait til Beirut ,the former "Paris of the Mediterranean".
Yep, then it will be time for tough Talk, but never action.
@Stilt: You're not being a hunter is fine; you're still one of the clearest thinkers & sharpest wits around. Have it tested regularly but I bet your blood chemistry is fine. I'm not much a hunter-killer; just like to have some lean venison in season; and when the few bold ones from hordes of squirrels become destroyers of our house, vehicles & yard; they have a problem. We appreciate good tools & learn to use them correctly; that's how we regard firearms. But I as well also think we're on a slow but steady path to another war on our turf.
One question nobody seems to be asking anywhere is "Why did it take THREE HOURS for the Orlando Police/Sheriff SWAT teams to engage the target?"
Just askin'
@Bruce Bleu- I actually think Barry's mocking has more to do with the Alinsky method of ridiculing your enemies.
@GenEarly- If you check both my editorial and comments, you'll see that I'm calling for action right now. And nothing less than tough action will do. My point is that in considering what tough actions to take, we don't throw logic to the wind and grant the government freedom-crushing powers while in a state of panic. All I mean by saying that such attacks aren't currently an existential threat is to say we have time (albeit not much) to actually think about the degree to which we want to rebalance the relationship between freedom and security in our nation.
By the way, in terms of specific actions, I'm all for increased surveillance and (ahem) profiling of certain Muslims (and others), initiating and enforcing harsh penalties for anyone who knew of an impending attack but said nothing (this asshole's wife needs to be made an example of), securing our borders with the biggest walls and best border patrol agents money can buy, and immediately shutting down Obama's illegal program of importing Shariah-loving Muslims into the country and quietly resettling them in areas where they can eventually dominate.
I am not in favor of immediately deporting all Muslims, Mexicans, and/or those whose expression of political opinions doesn't match that of the administration (or next potential president).
@Rod- Sadly, I think you're right about violence heading our way. Here's hoping that Bernie's snowflake Army doesn't learn to use the tools you're referring to - although I tend to think they're not going to be the real threat.
@Chris- It's my understanding that it took them that long to get intelligence on the layout of the club, an idea of how many people were inside, an idea of how many shooters there were, make a plan of entry/attack, and simultaneously prepare for the possibility of bombs - all while trying to save as many lives as possible.
There may be legitimate criticism of their strategy at some point, but I haven't heard anything compelling yet.
I see it as a resurrection of the Islamic war against civilization which was basically quiescent until the late 20th Century. It came alive due to the geo-politics of oil and was enabled by oil money into the lands around the Persian Gulf.
The methods are much different from those of the era prior to and during the Crusades, but the goal is unchanged.
I have found some helpful analyses from certain websites. wwww.gatesofvienna.com and www.sultanknish.com among others. Matt Bracken appears to have a clear mind about the present-day threat.
Regards,
Desertrat
Yes, Obama's latest lecture at us yesterday was typically tiresome. But I'm over it. Why? Because by denying the painfully obvious for so long, he and his fellow Progressives have done something far worse to those they've been trying to cover for. By only generically referring to the growing list of atrocities conducted Muslims as "terrorism", they've now fully equated the word "Terrorism" with "Islam".
Because of this, whenever anything happens, be it a San Bernardino episode or a whack job named Mohammed who takes hostages at a Walmart, the first thing that everyone regardless of political ideology now thinks is "Another attack from Islam".
Want a good example of this, just google the word "terrorist" and select "images" and see what comes up. 99.9% of what you see will be Middle Eastern guys named Mohammed and related carnage. What you won't see are any white, male Tea Party members.
(No doubt after Google indexes this page, Larry Page will get a memo to correct this error and get some images of angry white guys up there, like he's been accused of doing to searches regarding Hillary)
Either way, it's no longer necessary to label. Everyone knows what it is, and any further efforts to deny it are only going to erode the Progressive front further. It's a shame that it took such a brutal attack for another group on the Progressive Values Totem Pole to figure out that their safety was ranked below the interests of other Progressive special interest, but there you go. They just don't hate Jews. They don't just hate Christians. They don't just hate gays. They hate agnostics and atheists too. They hate freedom. They hate America. They hate all of us.
Seeing how so many of our leaders seem to hate us too, is it any surprise that the "terrorists" feel even more empowered to act?
@Chris. I think this was an attempt to debunk the saying "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away".
(However, I am not going to second guess the response of the officers. I put up with that enough times during my career.)
The shooters radical Islamic bona - fides go all the way back to 911 when he was in high school. His father is also a radical. What is frustrating is that he was investigated twice and case closed.
Now we have in America what seemed so bizarre in England - born and raised in the country, citizens, but just as radical as Somali war lords.
Barry the Pretender says he doesn't refer to terrorists as "radical Islam" because he doesn't want to imply all muslims are terrorists. Yet he keeps referring to "ISIL'. Isn't he aware that means "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant"? Isn't he then implying that Islam is the enemy?
Gonna have to disagree with you this time, Stilton. Terrorism is absolutely an existential threat. They, along with the Clinton/Romney leftoids, are hell bent on destroying Western civilization in its entirely. They'll kill some and outbreed the rest. Trump is absolutely correct about the urgency of dealing with unchecked numbers of violent people coming over our borders.
I just read on MSN that the FBI has no charges pending against the shooter's wife. Even though she knew he was plotting to kill. She even drove him on some of his surveillance runs and to buy guns and ammunition. Did she drive him to the nightclub the night of the shooting? Obama seems to care more about where the LGBT community members can go to the bathroom than he cares about protecting them from being massacred. Also, why did it take the police 3 HOURS to stop the violence? You can kill ALOT of people in 3 hours with a semi-automatic weapon. Were these people sacrificed for Obama's anti-gun political agenda? Remember the Gulf oil spill a few years back and how terribly long it took before that got under control? At the time, people were asking how come the Navy didn't help stop it? And how Obama used this disaster to further his anti-big oil/environmental agenda. I sincerely hope Obama is not using these tragedies deliberately for his own nefarious purposes.
Well, this latest terror attack by a radical Islamist wasn't bad enough to keep Michelle, her daughters, her mother and the rest of her entourage from taking another taxpayer-funded jaunt to Europe (to promote education for girls, yeah right). I guess she's got to get in as many vacays as possible before the spigot is shut off. My contempt meter for this bunch has boiled over beyond repair. I loathe them.
It is good to know that if you are being shot at by a crazed killer you can depend on the police showing up to help you out in 3 hours or so.
Last I checked, even a non-assault, single shot weapon is capable of firing at least one defensive shot in 3 hours.
@Desertrat
both of those are good sites, but you have both addresses wrong:
http://gatesofvienna.net/
and
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/
A few random points. The killer did not use an AR. He used a Sig-Sauer MCX. The MCX lists for over $1800. You could buy three good AR's for what it cost.
The Killer is said to have fired over 900 round in less than 7 minutes. That's 30+ 30 rnd magazines. In seven minutes.
Despite the claims of him having been a "customer" at the club on several occasions, he needed to "case the joint" before the attack
It was a case of Islamic Terrorism. Calling it a mass shooting plays into Obama and the Democrats narrative. The terrorist killed the people. The gun was just a tool
@Stilton - no need to worry friend, people like you are not the sort of vanishing acts I was referring to. It is every man's - and woman's right to gripe about their government. Hell you should hear what I say about mine!
No, I was referring to that gutless turd in Orlando. A typical arab act, massacring unarmed and innocent people. If what is coming out in the news Down Here is true, warning systems should have been bellowing A-OOOGAHH!! for the last couple of years at least with this guy. All the signs were there, right from grade school it seems. THEY are the kinds of people who have to vanish into a soundproof cell while their bona fides are examined, with electrodes on them if necessary. Truth will out. Check check doublecheck and check again. The price of freedom and safety is vigilance, NOT pc tea and sympathy as the 'progressives' would have us do.
@Desertrat- Make no mistake, I believe there is such a war going on. Fundamentalist Islamism is incompatible with Western values, and it's critical that we address the problem.
@John the Econ- Well said. At this point, Obama's refusal to differentiate between radical Islam and mainstream Islam has brought people to the conclusion that there is no substantive difference. Interestingly, this is also what the radical Islamic terrorists want us to think, so that we'll declare war (either militarily or through punative policies) on all Muslims - thereby immediately adding a billion or so new combatants to their side.
@NVRick- Neither will I second guess the officers, and I don't think that was the intent here. Sometimes, circumstances will make it impossible for officers to respond quickly in a hot shooter situation. And that's a time when everyone trapped inside will wish they were carrying.
@Linda McWilliams- There's a definite problem among the descendants of Muslim immigrants. Not all of them, but enough that it should be another warning sign added to the profiling (yes, damnit, profiling) of potential terrorists.
@NVRick- Perhaps when using the term ISIL, Obama is focusing on the word "State." We already know he hates States (57 at last count).
@Anonymous- It seems that ALL the news is delivered in a handbasket stinking of fire and brimstone these days. My policy these days is not to believe any story from any single source, but rather to use that story as a starting place to do additional searches and confirmations. Which is neither convenient nor a guarantee of accuracy.
@IGnatius T Foobar- Oh, you only think you disagree with me (grin). Yes, in the long run terrorism of the type seen in Orlando can be considered an existential threat to our nation- not owing to the body counts, however appalling, but because it could make us willingly give up the freedoms which define us.
And note that I fully agree that Islamic fundamentalism is an existential threat to Western civilization via the strategy of "killing some and outbreeding the rest."
Finally, I completely agree with Trump's position that unvetted, Shariah-loving "immigrants" need to have a door slammed in their faces as soon as possible. I believe with all my heart that Barry is deliberately bringing in as many such people as possible to help seed new communities of Islamic breeders in the heartland.
@Anonymous- I'll be very interested in seeing what becomes of the shooter's wife. I don't know why she isn't in the slammer at this very moment, and can only hope this is part of some strategy rather than simply idiocy. It's so hard to tell the difference anymore.
And I may be wrong on this point, but I think during that 3 hour period after the initial attack the shooter was NOT killing people but rather holding them hostage. That's one reason for the police to hold back, as well as the shooter's claim that he had explosives at the ready.
Per your last point, there's no question in my mind that this is another case in which Obama will "never let a serious crisis go to waste." This story had become a subject of partisan political spin while the bodies were still on the dance floor.
@Shelly- Well, life must go on. Especially 5-star vacation life on the taxpayer dime.
@Geoff King- No argument here.
@Michael Beaty- I haven't seen a source suggesting that number of shots in that amount of time. I have seen reports that the killer fired a total of just over 200 shots.
Regarding the shooter's sexuality, I don't know if he was gay, straight, bi or anything else - though there seems to be evidence pointing to having some homosexual leanings. While potentially interesting (and quite possibly related to his choice of targets), his killing spree had nothing to do with his sexual preferences and everything to do with him embracing Islamic terrorism.
I'll also note that when I refer to him as the "shooter" it's not to put the blame on the gun. Rather, it's to avoid using the bastard's name.
@Popular Front- See, you wouldn't put me on the "disappear this guy" list - but would Obama? Jarrett? Hillary...?
What are the rules which would protect me (and you) while sweeping filth like this killer off the street before he acts or has any criminal record?
Is inflammatory speech enough to preemptively incarcerate someone? Anti-government opinions? Association with people who are gun enthusiasts? Association with conspiracy theorists or "extremists" (keeping in mind that Homeland Security labels pretty much everyone with Tea Party leanings as a potentially dangerous extremist). I'm already "guilty" of all the above.
Or maybe the cutoff is the acquisition of a gun? How is that going to sit with 2nd amendment proponents?
I'm not saying we can't or shouldn't make rules - but I AM saying that we need to be smart and cautious about it. And here's my big rule of thumb: before approving any such rules and policies, ask yourself if you're comfortable with how they'll be administered by Obama or Hillary.
Yes 72 male virgins. Exactly!
Maybe the fbi can figure out his motivation?
Gag me already. ARRRGGGHHHH!
Yes 72 male virgins. Exactly!
Maybe the fbi can figure out his motivation?
Gag me already. ARRRGGGHHHH!
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