Islamic State in the West

If you don’t think that the Islamic State is not a threat to the West or beyond, then you are not paying attention. ISIS/ISIL/IS has full cross border freedom between Iraq and Syria, the borders are gone.

What is more chilling is this is an army of Islam, not just conventional fighters and they are supported with additional fighters from as many as 81 countries, they are supported financially from factions even considered allies to the West but there are thousands pledging full allegiance to this Islamic army and they could be your neighbor. If you don’t believe that then read on.

In case you have no interest to read further, then click here for a simply photo-essay to see the people and countries that are in full solidarity with ISIS. (Photo below is from the ISIS Facebook page, sadly Facebook allows this)

isis

Expressions Of Solidarity With ISIS In The West

 

In April 2013, a rift was created in the global jihadi movement when the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) announced that it was expanding into Syria and that it was changing its name to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Following this announcement, another jihadi organization in Syria, Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), rejected ISIS’s authority, remaining loyal to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. ISIS even challenged Al-Zawahiri himself, refusing to follow his instructions to restrict itself to operating in Iraq. In early 2014, the rift escalated to violent conflict – ISIS versus JN and other jihadi organizations in both Iraq and Syria.

Having taken control of large areas of Iraq in recent months, ISIS is now enjoying increasing shows of solidarity from the Middle East and from across the Muslim world – and also from Western countries. Several factors contribute to its popularity, among them its jihad against the Americans in Iraq prior to its expansion into Syria, when it was ISI; its current struggle against Iraq’s Shi’ite government and its security forces – perceived as apparatuses for Shi’ite suppression of Sunnis; and its war against the Alawi Assad regime, which is an ally of the Shi’ites. ISIS’s activity on these fronts has helped bolster its image as the spearhead in the war against the enemies of Islam within and without the Muslim world, and raised its stature among supporters of global jihad.

Further adding to its popularity are ISIS’s achievements on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria, and its image as the only organization today that is actualizing authentic Islamic ideals and striving towards establishing the Islamic idea of a greater caliphate. It casts itself, and its propagandists depict it, as a legitimate sovereign body implementing shari’a law in areas under its control, and spreading Islam by means of jihad, thus forming the core of this future caliphate. Recently, ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-‘Adnani even called on Al-Qaeda to swear fealty to his organization, because the “state” it embodies supersedes any organization.[1]

Sympathy for ISIS extends also to its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, who is seen by the organization’s fans as the legitimate leader of all Muslims. This is because of his religious education, his lineage, and his jihadi past. As a challenger to Al-Zawahiri, he is considered more charismatic and more capable of leading the Muslim ummah towards the longed-for caliphate. Thus, under Al-Baghdadi’s leadership, ISIS is emerging as an alternative to Al-Qaeda, and is seen as working diligently to actualize the Muslims’ goals without Al-Qaeda’s religion-based reservations about, for example, imposing the jizya poll tax on Christians or conducting mass killings of Shi’ites.

The persecution of ISIS, even by Al-Qaeda, adds to its status in many circles as an “underdog” fighting for the goals of Islam and the good of all Muslims. Additionally, its highly efficient propaganda apparatus circulates videos and publications via jihadi forums and social media, praising itself and criticizing its rivals and opponents.

Westerners Joining And Promoting ISIS

The Westerners who are leaving their home countries to join ISIS in its fight in Iraq and Syria also add to the organization’s prestige, both inside and outside the Muslim world. These volunteers are widely covered by the media in their own countries, and each new arrival also receives a fanfare in the organization’s local press outlets and social media; these volunteers themselves are usually very active users of social media, communicating with friends and family back home as well as followers and engaging in their own efforts to promote and recruit for the organization in the West.  

Further evidence of its sweeping popularity was the June 19, 2014 “One Billion Muslims Support ISIS” campaign, which urged ISIS sympathizers worldwide to express their support for the organization on  Friday, June 20, and even devised a special Twitter hashtag for the purpose. The campaign elicited considerable response from supporters in numerous participants, who posted images and videos expressing their support for ISIS.[2]

This Western support for ISIS is crucial to the group’s propaganda efforts; in addition to swelling the ranks of its fighters and bringing in funds and logistical support, it increases its prestige and deters its rivals.

Elements Used In Expressions Of Support For ISIS

These expressions of solidarity with ISIS on social and other media use common ISIS symbolism. They include posters of support for it and for Al-Baghdadi; the use of the slogan baqiya wa-tatmaddad, “will remain and spread”;[3] the black tawhid flag, widely used by other global jihad elements; and ISIS nasheeds, or Islamic songs.

Other expressions of solidarity include: photos of ISIS posters next to Western landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London, the Atomium building in Brussels, and the Coliseum in Rome; photos of ISIS posters alongside Western passports; and other images shared on social media. All these add to ISIS’s image of an organization on the rise, and may also indicate its expansionist ambitions.

Thank you to MEMRI for their good work and message here.

 

 

 

3 Branches of Government, Me, Myself and I

Legitimate and validated U.S. citizens ARE the only branch of government that matters. The representatives in the House are our voice, such that Barack Obama has historically proven a deaf ear.

Even today at a presser, Barack Obama called the Tea Party, Speaker Boehner and House Republicans out on not passing a new immigration reform law. Well historically Barack Obama has without question used his pen and phone already to alter the law by either Executive Order or by the use of signing statements. Laws simply are such that the DoJ and White House counsel works to find a method of finesse.

So, why did Barack Obama have this presser today? Seems Speaker Boehner got under his skin with this:

WASHINGTON, DC — House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the president’s immigration announcement today:

“In our conversation last week, I told the president what I have been telling him for months: the American people and their elected officials don’t trust him to enforce the law as written.  Until that changes, it is going to be difficult to make progress on this issue.  The crisis at our southern border reminds us all of the critical importance of fixing our broken immigration system. It is sad and disappointing that – faced with this challenge – President Obama won’t work with us, but is instead intent on going it alone with executive orders that can’t and won’t fix these problems. 

“The president’s own executive orders have led directly to the humanitarian crisis along the Southern border, giving false hope to children and their families that if they enter the country illegally they will be allowed to stay.  The White House claims it will move to return these children to their families in their home countries, yet additional executive action from this president isn’t going to stem the tide of illegal crossings, it’s only going to make them worse.  As the Supreme Court reminded us this week, under our Constitution there are sharp limits to what the president can accomplish if he ignores the American people and their elected representatives.”

– See more at: http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/speaker-boehner-presidents-immigration-announcement?Source=GovD#sthash.aoyldfRI.dpuf

 

We have a regime that is engaging in RICO and operates like a monarchy protected by the Secret Service but more protected by a delusional army of lawyers in all agencies of government. What more do you need to know?

Speaker Boehner issued the following memo to his House members.

 

MEMO

To:                   House Colleagues

From:              Speaker Boehner

Re:                  “[T]hat the Laws Be Faithfully Executed. . .”

Date:               June 25, 2014

For years Americans have watched with concern as President Barack Obama has declined to faithfully execute the laws of our country – ignoring some statutes completely, selectively enforcing others, and at times, creating laws of his own.

Article II, Section III of the Constitution of the United States dictates that the president, as head of the Executive Branch of our government, “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” even if the president does not agree with the purpose of that law.  Under the Constitution’s separation of powers principle, only the Legislative Branch has the power to legislate.

On one matter after another during his presidency, President Obama has circumvented the Congress through executive action, creating his own laws and excusing himself from executing statutes he is sworn to enforce – at times even boasting about his willingness to do it, as if daring the America people to stop him.  On matters ranging from health care and energy to foreign policy and education, President Obama has repeatedly run an end-around on the American people and their elected legislators, straining the boundaries of the solemn oath he took on Inauguration Day.

Presidents have traditionally been granted a degree of latitude with respect to the enforcement of the law, and tension between the branches of our government is hardly new.  But at various points in our history when the Executive Branch has attempted to claim for itself the ability to make law, the Legislative Branch has responded, and it is only through such responses that the balance of power envisioned by the Framers has been maintained.

President Obama’s aggressive unilateralism has significant implications for our system of government, and presents a clear challenge to our institution and its ability to effectively represent the people.

If the current president can selectively enforce, change or create laws as he chooses with impunity, without the involvement of the Legislative Branch, his successors will be able to do the same.  This shifts the balance of power decisively and dangerously in favor of the presidency, giving the president king-like authority at the expense of the American people and their elected legislators.

It also has consequences for our economy and its ability to grow and create jobs.  It’s bad enough when Washington politicians force laws upon the people that make it difficult for private-sector employers to meet payrolls, invest in new initiatives and create jobs.   It’s even worse when those same laws are arbitrarily enforced on the whims of the individual entrusted with the responsibility of carrying them out, adding uncertainty for private-sector job creators and families on top of the challenges they already face week-to-week.

Everywhere I go in America outside of Washington, D.C., I’m asked: when will the House stand up on behalf of the people to stop the encroachment of executive power under President Obama?  We elected a president, Americans note; we didn’t elect a monarch or king.

Every Member of the People’s House took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.  It is only through strong action by the House in response to provocative executive action by the Executive Branch in the past that the separation of powers intended by the Framers has been preserved.  For the integrity of our laws and the sake of our country’s future, the House must act now.

I intend to bring to the floor in July legislation that would authorize the House of Representatives – through the House General Counsel and at the direction of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) – to file suit in the coming weeks in an effort to compel the president to follow his oath of office and faithfully execute the laws of our country.  The legislation would follow regular order and be considered by the Rules Committee following its introduction, prior to its consideration by the full House.

Under our system of government, the Judicial Branch has the power to resolve disputes between the Executive and Legislative Branches.  When there is a failure on the part of the president to faithfully execute the law, the House has the authority to challenge this failure in the Judicial Branch by filing suit in Federal Court in situations in which:

  • There is no one else who can challenge the president’s failure, and harm is being done to the general welfare and trust in faithful execution of our laws;
  • There is no legislative remedy; and
  • There is explicit House authorization for the lawsuit, through a vote authorizing the litigation against the president’s failure.

I believe the House must act as an institution to defend the constitutional principles at stake and to protect our system of government and our economy from continued executive abuse.  The president has an obligation to faithfully execute the laws of our country. When this legislation is introduced in the coming weeks, I ask that you review it and join me in supporting it when it goes before the House.

– See more at: http://www.speaker.gov/general/memo-house-colleagues-separation-powers#sthash.8w2vLPpU.dpuf

I Had a Dream

I had a dream for what the future would be for America and it vanished as it was transferred by fiat to all non-Americans. There is a full insurgency of aliens pouring into the United States by air, land and sea. They are filling up court rooms, they are filling up schools, they are filling up healthcare facilities, they are filling up applications for every government entitlement program all segments of government offers and the approvals are being rubber-stamped.  Such was not to be for my dream. http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2014/06/26/dems-block-gop-bills-to-verify-status-block-tax-credits-to-illegal-immigrants/

I had a dream that American citizens would be protected well by our government but that dream has been given preferential treatment to non-citizens. The borders are wide open, new diseases such as Tuberculosis and H1N1 have been re-introduced into our homeland. Such was not to be. http://www.abc15.com/news/national/immigrants-bringing-diseases-across-border

I had a dream that the threat of terrorism inside our shores had faded after the billions spent on security at all levels and the high collection of intelligence but it is growing from factions planning such events while the Washington regime calls the threats and proven lawlessness phony scandals. Such was not to be. http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Hayden-Iraq-Obama-ISIS/2014/06/23/id/578674/

I had a dream that America would continue to be a global leader providing for a calmer world delivering equilibrium where it needed to be applied. Such was not to be. http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/27/world/africa/world-fragile-nations/index.html?sr=tw062714sudanfragile1100astorygallLink

I had a dream that American citizens could rely on some sense of trust of the Federal government that it would be honorable, open and fair. We cannot take care of our veterans, we cannot speak freely, we are not allowed to protect ourselves from local threats and we have lost the ability to get a balanced advanced education to compete for viable jobs. Such was not to be. http://t.co/eMwf2pQPbL

I had a dream that all common Americans had and could maintain some expectation of privacy and we would not be data-mined and scored for obscure objectives many still unknown to us and without our approval or knowledge. Such was not to be. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/06/prism-local-edition-ny-da-employs-381-secret-orders-gather-complete-digital

I had a dream that Americans could maintain reasonable and quality access to healthcare that America would maintain the cutting edge of eradicating disease, advance medicine that cures maladies and could be affordable. Such was not to be. http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2014/03/24/four-years-of-obamacare-failures-is-long-enough/

I had a dream that the most sacrosanct privilege that Americans have is voting and that very precious act of free speech and the ability to redress our grievances would be protected and honest. Such was not to be. http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/297461/reality-voter-fraud-john-fund

I had a dream that our government leadership after 9/11 would have been determined to destroy those who wish to destroy us. The worldwide gesture to call attention our resolve and strength would have been to complete the re-construction of the World Trade Centers at least as quickly as we rebuilt the Pentagon. Such was not to be.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12057176-one-world-trade-center-symbol-of-strength-for-the-american-nation

baseball flag

 

 

There are many more dreams that could be applied here, in fact you surely have some of your own to add. I have a dream to find America again, who is dreaming with me?

Not Flat-footed, Repeat, Not Flat-Flooted

In spite of pulling all U.S. forces out of Iraq in 2011, the United States did leave behind an unknown number of covert intelligence personnel that were tasked to work the ground in Iraq keeping a ear to actions in Iraq and Syria all with the knowledge of Maliki. Not withstanding, the U.S. also maintained a surveillance drone operation in Iraq since the exit of forces.

The drone operations and the intelligence operations were on-going for the last few years and Maliki approved. The information was selectively shared with Iraqi leadership knowing full well that Maliki was connected to the hip to Iran. A nasty conundrum for sure.

At the core of the ISIS conflict in Iraq is the same condition that occurred in Syria and the Obama regime knew full well what was brewing and chose to delay, ignore and actually dismiss, deferring all pro-active measures for the sake of the renewed talks and pending partnership with Iran over several objectives most of which was the re-tooling of the nuclear weapons program and lifting sanctions.

In the meantime, the Obama regime has chosen to not work diligently with Maliki since the U.S. departure from Iraq to ensure any acceptance of the Kurds and the Sunnis into a government coalition which would have prevented what we are seeing in Iraq today, frankly the Obama regime has been dismissive of the same for four years of Assad in Syria.

Iran has been driving the civil war in Syria with the help of Russia supplying weapons to Assad making Syria the incubation location for jihadis from 81 countries to gain fighting skills and a salary such that Western country leadership is deeply concerned over the threat that well trained fighters will return to home countries inciting more Islamists to join the network and widen the range of threats to individual national security.

Not one ally of the United States much less including the United States has chosen to target the core of the spreading Caliphate in the Middle East, Iran. This now begs the question, what are countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Israel and others to do with what has manifested at the hands of Iran?

The crystal ball tells us there is an epic war brewing between the Persians and the Arabs, between the Sunnis and the Shiites. Nothing in the history of the last 60-70 years will compare to what may come.

Drawing back the curtains to allow some sunlight on the matter of Syria and Iraq some key items must be noted.

1. Follow the money. The United States has many tools to track money movement globally and they do. Beyond watching the money movement, the United States also maintains the evidence of the powerful groups and individuals that are behind the funding of terror networks and even more the banks that are cooperating with the networks. In short our own Treasury system has the evidentiary trail and advises the same to the United Nations, the National Security Council and the International Monetary Fund, hence none of this is a secret. Two of the most complicit countries in supplying large, LARGE sums of funds to terror networks come out of Kuwait and Qatar and the individuals involved.

2. The intelligence community has been on top of the actions by Ansar al Sharia, the Army of Islam, ISIS, AQAP and others. Reports and proven evidence is provided daily and is collaborated several times a day with other allied intelligence organizations that includes Germany, Israel, Britain, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland and more. The technology to track activity in the Middle East is augmented by journalists on the ground in the action as well as intel personnel integrated with factions on all sides of the fight. To date the will and interest to analyze, summarize activity and create an action plan has all been ignored.

3. The United States has been training for several years un-vetted individuals in countries such as Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey on anti-terrorism tactics as well as fighting skills. In the matter of being ‘un-vetted’ it should be noted that foreign leadership maintains full authority to choose who participates and the United States is not allowed any influence on the selection. This is an important condition due to the fact that many Islamists have no real loyalty to a cause, only a loyalty to having an income and a need to follow any faction where they feel safer under false promises. There have been many recorded conflicts of leadership within terror cells and mistrust is prevalent.

4. The United States has military personnel and intelligence people that perform forensic analysis after all operations. They gather any and all evidence left behind that includes hard-drives, thumb drives, hard copy documents, written war plans origination of the weapons used, cell phone tracing, terror network online chat forums and social media. Names, dates, actions, threats, operations, missions and more are collected and passed down range and up range for consideration. Not only are agencies such as the Department of Defense, the State Department, ODNI, Joint Chiefs, the National Security Council, Ambassadors and the United Nations provided assessments of conflicts, each agency has their own personnel that does all the same work. There is no lack of intelligence on the ground, on the internet or within the banking/monetary funding system.

In summary, no government especially the United States was caught flat-footed, it was caught with their compass pointing to indifference. As the Caliphate spreads and Iraq is all but lost, one must understand that we will see the same words in the next chapter as the United States exits Afghanistan.

Iran, China and Russia have moved up significantly in the global power ranking at that hands of ignorance of the West. While the core concern is oil and energy resources controlled by adversaries, these are necessary national security concerns for the West for survival of their economies and to date, no one leadership has had the stomach or the forward-thinking agenda for diplomatic objectives in the last six plus years. Get ready, the cost of transportation, economic output, labor costs and the cost of energy are all slated to rise such that new charts for measurement failure will need to be created.

Being flat footed was a choice and a costly choice for a dim future outlook.

 

Enemy of my Enemy

Late Monday, Barack Obama had a White House meeting on Iraq that included John Kerry, Chuck Hagel, Eric Holder, and national security advisor Susan Rice. Also attending were U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, CIA Director John Brennan, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey.

Many issues and deals appear to be afoot as the matter of Iraq and ISIS has many components which curiously there seems to be a lot of silence from other Gulf States like UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

In the meantime and I wrote several days ago, the meeting in Geneva of the P5+1 over Iran’s nuclear program had a real side-bar agenda and that was in fact allied countries colluding with Iran to gain at least cooperation on the Shiite vs. Sunni war in Iraq.

While we cannot estimate how far these discussions advanced, we must begin to look deeper such that Iran is being completely legitimized and accepted by the West surely putting other countries on alert, least of which is Israel.

It defies logic that while the United States does not have an embassy in Tehran, Hillary Clinton attempted to create a virtual embassy (an online version) and that failed, however the United Kingdom has announced their plan to re-open their embassy in Tehran.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague): In February, I updated the House on progress in our bilateral relationship with Iran, following the appointment of non-resident Chargés d’Affaires in November 2013 (Official Report 24 February 2014 col 26). I said then that our decision to end formal protecting power arrangements was a sign of our increasing confidence in conducting bilateral business directly rather than through our Swedish and Omani intermediaries.

Over the past four months, we have continued to expand our bilateral engagement. British and Iranian officials have paid regular visits to each other’s capitals. This has enabled us to resolve a range of practical matters concerning our embassies. And it has allowed us to discuss a broad range of issues, including areas where we and Iran have sharply differing views.

Our two primary concerns when considering whether to reopen our embassy in Tehran have been assurance that our staff would be safe and secure, and confidence that they would be able to carry out their functions without hindrance. There has never been any doubt in my mind that we should have an Embassy in Tehran if the circumstances allowed. Iran is an important country in a volatile region, and maintaining embassies around the world, even under difficult conditions, is a central pillar of the UK’s global diplomatic approach. On Saturday I telephoned Foreign Minister Zarif to discuss the progress we have made to date and our common interest in continuing to move forward in the UK-Iran bilateral relationship.

The U.S. State Department still formally considers Iran a State sponsor of terror as do allies, so what is the explanation of this new friendship?

A priority of Obama Administration policy has been to reduce the perceived threat posed by Iran to a broad range of U.S. interests. Rouhani’s election has also improved prospects for an end to the 34 years of U.S.-Iran estrangement. On September 27, 2013, President Obama and Rouhani spoke by phone—the first leadership level contacts since the 1979 Islamic revolution— Rouhani has not, to date, satisfied the aspirations of those Iranians who see his presidency as an opportunity to achieve an easing of repression and social restrictions.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. What can we now expect in the coming years from Barack Obama? The Islamic Jihad is at least 14 years ago, question is how much longer are we going to accept this war and defeat as the United State IS the only country historically that was proactive to maintain the equilibrium of the world?