jerseyhoya wrote:You didn't like it the last time I posted it either. Points for consistency.

Wood's right that ISIS' hangup about territory is one of their key weaknesses. Another is the whole apocalypse now thing, which was a weakness for Jim Jones, the Branch Davidians, etc, etc.

But then he goes on & on & on parsing ISIS 'theology', like a Baptist preacher close-reading The Good Book.

Pro tip, Mr Wood - any idiot can interpret religious teachings any which way, & never be wrong - not so much because god does or doesn't exist but because fallible humans drew up those teachings, which are all teeming with contradictions.

It's not so much not liking it as feeling like there's a lot less in what he writes than it may look like. I mean, even he says

....continuing to slowly bleed it [ISIS], through air strikes and proxy warfare, appears the best of bad military options.

so that puts him miles ahead of the Jeff Duncans, the Jackie Walorskis, the Mike Turners, the Lindsey Grahams, etc

The Savior wrote:

Monkeyboy wrote:This is one of our long weekends, so we had a ton of students in Paris. None of our students were hurt or anything. They sent a bus to pick all of them up.

I'm in Berlin. I flew out yesterday afternoon and there was a lot of security in Geneva, which usually isn't the case. I have to wonder if they expected something. I had my hands and computer tested for explosives, something that's never happened there.

Think there's a UN Security Council meeting there this weekend. John Kerry among other foreign bigwigs in town.

That would make sense, though there's always something going on there with major political ramifications. It's possible I've just missed those times in the past. I didn't mean it in a conspiratorial way, just that they sometimes suspect something is coming based on intelligence chatter.

Anyway, it sucks. What they hell is wrong with people.

Can't wait to see the republican prez candidates start to call for US military action to defeat ISIS.

watching some Shep Smith on Fox. Did they have a major coup at the top there? In half hour I've heard him interview 2-3 people who concluded, with his agreement, that shooting the way to victory vs ISIS/middle east enemies is a non-starter, that it didn't work in the past & won't now, and that solving Syria is a damnable difficult riddle that no one has a good answer for.

No reflexive POTUS bashing, no "gunz alla time" promoting, seemed quite reasonable.

Am I getting old? Or hard of hearing? Or both maybe

even the fluff coverage is engaging; interviewing family members of the Eagles of Death Metal now

Shep is one of the guys on there that sounds reasonable from time to time. Though you may still be getting old

The Dude wrote:Shep is one of the guys on there that sounds reasonable from time to time. Though you may still be getting old

yeah thanks for reminding me

Monkeyboy wrote:This is one of our long weekends, so we had a ton of students in Paris. None of our students were hurt or anything. They sent a bus to pick all of them up.

I'm in Berlin. I flew out yesterday afternoon and there was a lot of security in Geneva, which usually isn't the case. I have to wonder if they expected something. I had my hands and computer tested for explosives, something that's never happened there.

I was randomly checked like that (computer and hands) in Berlin like two years ago. I think was for drugs though.

I also randomly got pulled aside and had to go through security again (well after I had gone through the first time) in Munich the year before. Pretty weird, especially since I'm white.

Gimpy wrote:

Monkeyboy wrote:This is one of our long weekends, so we had a ton of students in Paris. None of our students were hurt or anything. They sent a bus to pick all of them up.

I'm in Berlin. I flew out yesterday afternoon and there was a lot of security in Geneva, which usually isn't the case. I have to wonder if they expected something. I had my hands and computer tested for explosives, something that's never happened there.

I was randomly checked like that (computer and hands) in Berlin like two years ago. I think was for drugs though.

I also randomly got pulled aside and had to go through security again (well after I had gone through the first time) in Munich the year before. Pretty weird, especially since I'm white.

I dunno, I've had some suspicions about you myself

Well, over 90% of stuff does get by airport security. Guess they'll have to screen me another half dozen times before they find anything.

I get checked all the time when I leave the country (and re-enter) and some times they bring me into a back room and ask me questions. I'm on a list for some reason.

It's for your anti-Hinkie sentiments.

oh great, now boarding with you two has probably tainted all of us here

DEPORT THEM

My dad and his brothers all got separated and asked a bunch of questions when they were flying to Greece for my grandfather's funeral. Airport security is weird and mostly pointless.

Youseff wrote:I get checked all the time when I leave the country (and re-enter) and some times they bring me into a back room and ask me questions. I'm on a list for some reason.

Anonymous tipster

Anonymous hipster

one of the "news" bits floating about is the finding of a Syrian passport on/near a self-blown-up guy, the insinuation being he's a blowed-up refugee omg!

A correspondent Fox's Smith is talking to notes French authorities believe that passport & other docs they've found at the sites may be fake/planted.

Monkeyboy wrote:

The Savior wrote:

Monkeyboy wrote:This is one of our long weekends, so we had a ton of students in Paris. None of our students were hurt or anything. They sent a bus to pick all of them up.

I'm in Berlin. I flew out yesterday afternoon and there was a lot of security in Geneva, which usually isn't the case. I have to wonder if they expected something. I had my hands and computer tested for explosives, something that's never happened there.

Think there's a UN Security Council meeting there this weekend. John Kerry among other foreign bigwigs in town.

That would make sense, though there's always something going on there with major political ramifications. It's possible I've just missed those times in the past. I didn't mean it in a conspiratorial way, just that they sometimes suspect something is coming based on intelligence chatter.

Anyway, it sucks. What they hell is wrong with people.

Just trying to add perspective for you

drsmooth wrote:one of the "news" bits floating about is the finding of a Syrian passport on/near a self-blown-up guy, the insinuation being he's a blowed-up refugee omg!

A correspondent Fox's Smith is talking to notes French authorities believe that passport & other docs they've found at the sites may be fake/planted.

Pretty cool to try to fake evidence to try to fuel a horribly ignorant narrative.

drsmooth wrote:one of the "news" bits floating about is the finding of a Syrian passport on/near a self-blown-up guy, the insinuation being he's a blowed-up refugee omg!

A correspondent Fox's Smith is talking to notes French authorities believe that passport & other docs they've found at the sites may be fake/planted.

This was on CNN so who knows but they had CIA sources that said it was likely that the Passports were "real" and/or "legitimate"

Why would someone do that? If this was a decentralized attack (e.g. the core ISIS leadership was not involved), then leaving a Syrian-Passport at the scene of the crime would help draw that line so that ISIS could "take credit."