The War on Terror /Central Asia/Mid East/Africa thread

[96583UP]

Reuters: Trump calls for airstrikes on Ft. Pierce, FL in retaliation

[BurtReynolds]

Reuters: Trump calls for airstrikes on Ft. Pierce, FL in retaliation

[VinylGuy]

Ricky Martin says he is gay and not afraid.

My gosh, the need of those who have to make an instant statement about themselves every fuckin time...Fuck you Ricky. Fuck you. You were afraid...you were so, so afraid...Now that its cool to be gay you say something like that? Now that your career is over?

What a stupid.

[Jorge]

Kind of a weird thing to take issue with tbh

[zeb]

I concur.

[Henery Hawk]

(CNN)A group of men attacked fans at a Radiohead listening party Friday in Istanbul, apparently angry the fans were drinking during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The video shows the assailants, thought to be from the neighborhood, roughly removing one person from the store. After a few moments of yelling outside the shop, one of the attackers in a white shirt is seen returning and shouting at the remaining handful of people to get out of the store.

He knocks over a beer can and then, still shouting, flings a stool outside. Continuing to curse, he yells, "Are you not ashamed doing this in Ramadan?"

The lights of the store are turned off and voices can be heard in the street shouting, "I'll kill you" and "I will burn you alive inside."

That last part harkens back to one of Turkey's deadliest attacks, in which 35 intellectuals were burned alive by an Islamist mob in 1993.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/18/europe/ra ... ck-turkey/

But its a religion of peace

[Fuck You Jobu]

The "most transparent" Presidency ever is afraid to print the full transcript. Censorship wins again. What's the narrative we're supposed to follow here?

[b_i_revisited]

The "most transparent" Presidency ever is afraid to print the full transcript. Censorship wins again. What's the narrative we're supposed to follow here?

[Fuck You Jobu]

The "most transparent" Presidency ever is afraid to print the full transcript. Censorship wins again. What's the narrative we're supposed to follow here?

[Fuck You Jobu]

Looks like the uproar of censorship caused them to release the full transcript - except that he said Allah, not God

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

Who gives a shit? Seriously. People are so distracted by these non-issues anymore, it's ridiculous. People are getting sucked into it that I never expected would fall for this shit. Did any of you fucks ever stop to think that maybe Obama is trying not to inflame those over-sensitive shitbags, or give them the press that they are desperately looking for, rather than "kissing their asses"? Do you people need Obama to "confirm" that he was an asshole terrorist for you? Jesus H, give it a rest already.

[BurtReynolds]

Who gives a shit? Seriously. People are so distracted by these non-issues anymore, it's ridiculous. People are getting sucked into it that I never expected would fall for this shit. Did any of you fucks ever stop to think that maybe Obama is trying not to inflame those over-sensitive shitbags, or give them the press that they are desperately looking for, rather than "kissing their asses"? Do you people need Obama to "confirm" that he was an asshole terrorist for you? Jesus H, give it a rest already.

That's such a moronic excuse. If you have cancer, do you want to know what type it is? Or should the doctor say "you have cancer, but who cares what kind it is. good luck!"

Face the fucking problem. "Inflame these over sensitive shitbags?" Are you fucking kidding me? ISIS uses people's heads as soccer balls. let's not worry about inflaming them and start thinking of how we are going to deal with them. At least acknowledge the fucking problem, you pussy.

[BurtReynolds]

Better not ban assault rifles. Wouldn't want to inflame anyone.

[b_i_revisited]

Who gives a shit? Seriously. People are so distracted by these non-issues anymore, it's ridiculous. People are getting sucked into it that I never expected would fall for this shit. Did any of you fucks ever stop to think that maybe Obama is trying not to inflame those over-sensitive shitbags, or give them the press that they are desperately looking for, rather than "kissing their asses"? Do you people need Obama to "confirm" that he was an asshole terrorist for you? Jesus H, give it a rest already.

Calling the treatment of the global LGBTQ community at the hands of Islam a "non-issue" is kinda how we get into these situations. The logic you are suggesting, similar to what AG Lynch explained, is irrational. ISIL has the internet. Ask risk of radicalization Muslims worldwide have the internet. There are already tens of thousands of news reports stating the killer pledged allegiance to a hodgepodge of various competing terrorist groups over the course of the attack and editing references to Islam out of these transcripts does nothing to change that. ISIL isn't going to suddenly disavow this guy's actions because the DOJ swapped out the word 'Allah' in a 911 transcript. This is a clear attempt to remove evidence of Islam as a motivation for terrorism, for fear of giving support to the troglodytes who can't separate the millions of peaceful, patriotic, and often highly progressive Muslims who live in this country from those back violence against non-combatants as a political tool. It is a manifestation of identity politics and the fear of being called a supporter of Islamophobia at the expense of the victims whose genetics make their lives illegal in 40 of 57 Muslim majority countries with punishments ranging from imprisonment to caning to death.

Jump to about 5:30 in on this video and see Maher dare to say it:




What people want, at least what I want, is to be treated like a grown-up and given the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that may be. And if that truth is that our inability to regulate firearms has created a situation where homegrown religiously motivated terrorists can wreck havoc on innocents (*people I perceive as innocents, though they may not) then fucking say that. If we really are risking bringing foreign operatives with innocent refugees then fucking say that. If these people are motivated by drone wars then fucking say that. In theory this is still a democracy and you can't have humans make good decisions without being informed and we can't be informed if history is literally being rewritten in front of us and we say nothing.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

You're missing my point entirely. I'm saying that it's a non-issue because it doesn't make a difference at all which terrorist group he belonged to. They are all terrorists, and they all need to be wiped out. And how is killing a gay person any worse than killing a Christian or a child? Killing anyone is wrong. They kill, they pay. Which terrorist group he belonged to and which sexual orientation his victims were is not really relevant when it comes down to it, and it isn't worth complaining bitterly about those details. It's just a distraction from the core issue, which should be eliminating religious extremism and all the ugliness that comes with it.

Christians victimise gay people as well. But instead of cutting their heads off, they infiltrate government and pass unconstitutional and discriminatory laws to make their everyday lives miserable. I would almost prefer having my head cut off.

[Jorge]

Uh I wouldn't. I like my head

[LoathedVermin72]

You're missing my point entirely. I'm saying that it's a non-issue because it doesn't make a difference at all which terrorist group he belonged to. They are all terrorists, and they all need to be wiped out. And how is killing a gay person any worse than killing a Christian or a child? Killing anyone is wrong. They kill, they pay. Which terrorist group he belonged to and which sexual orientation his victims were is not really relevant when it comes down to it, and it isn't worth complaining bitterly about those details. It's just a distraction from the core issue, which should be eliminating religious extremism and all the ugliness that comes with it.

Christians victimise gay people as well. But instead of cutting their heads off, they infiltrate government and pass unconstitutional and discriminatory laws to make their everyday lives miserable. I would almost prefer having my head cut off.

Are you fucking serious? What an idiotic false equivalency.

[b_i_revisited]

You're missing my point entirely. I'm saying that it's a non-issue because it doesn't make a difference at all which terrorist group he belonged to. They are all terrorists, and they all need to be wiped out. And how is killing a gay person any worse than killing a Christian or a child? Killing anyone is wrong. They kill, they pay. Which terrorist group he belonged to and which sexual orientation his victims were is not really relevant when it comes down to it, and it isn't worth complaining bitterly about those details.

I agree with you that killing is wrong and I agree that the race/gender/orientation/etc. of the victim doesn't make the crime of murder any more or less heinous, but I think that in the case of terrorism it is an issue because stopping terrorism (or all violent crime really) isn't just drones and special ops and international coalitions with lots of speeches. It's about understanding "the other" and why they do what they do and then taking steps to change their hearts and minds away from violence. The only way this works is if we are honest and open about the source the problem and in this way the motivations become relevant. And I think what's got the Right stirred up here is that this appears to be an attempt at intentional distortion and rewriting of the facts in order to appease those who would deny the broader reality that sometimes two groups are in direct conflict, which is the equivalent of saying the conflict and it's victims don't matter.

It's just a distraction from the core issue, which should be eliminating religious extremism and all the ugliness that comes with it.

For sure, but where is the line between extremism and average viewpoints in the case of Islam and LGBTQ people? Looking at the global map and opinion surveys, it appears that more often than not when Islam influences national law, LGBTQ people are intentionally targeted for violent oppression based on language in Islam's religious texts. So is that really extremism or is extremism only through our American Christian perspective of religion as more of a hobby than a locked-in life philosophy? It is a higher level issue than the tragedy in Orlando, but it is a real issue and we can't call ourselves defenders of peace and freedom if we don't defend it for all and like Maher pointed out (pains me to say that), if the laws in these countries said the punishment for being black was hanging, the Left would be outraged and demand action. Why don't people of the LGBTQ community deserve the protection?

[Henery Hawk]

(CNN)A mass shooting at a cinema in Viernheim, Germany, has left 25 people wounded, German public TV reported Thursday.

Viernheim is in western Germany, near Frankfurt.
Developing story - more to come

[Simple Torture]

(CNN)A mass shooting at a cinema in Viernheim, Germany, has left 25 people wounded, German public TV reported Thursday.

Viernheim is in western Germany, near Frankfurt.
Developing story - more to come

Police killed the gunman, but nobody else was wounded: https://www.rt.com/news/347958-germany- ... -shooting/