Author Archives: Denise Simon

1776 was Really About 1775

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Fellow Conservatives: You read that right. 1775. As we celebrate the birthday of our exceptional nation, I wanted to look back just one more year than Americans usually do today – back to 1775.

Of course, the Revolutionary War began in 1775, not 1776. Before we were ready to take the historic and dramatic step of birthing our own new nation in liberty, there were long and often painful attempts to accommodate the relationship between American colonists and the British Parliament and King. Interestingly, one of the evolutions that happened during that year is that many Americans who started 1775 thinking of themselves as “British” did not finish the year that way. I hear from many Republicans who are having similar feelings this year. One year is a short time for such a change, and it was almost entirely driven by the British themselves. As much as some colonists, especially in Virginia, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Connecticut, were advancing toward independence in 1775, most colonists were not there when the year began.

1775

What are some of the things the British did in 1775 to drive their subjects to rebel, you ask? There were many, and you may notice how history tends to repeat itself… First, as the possibility of armed conflict increased from 1774 into 1775, the four leading states started removing stocks of gunpowder out of reach of Royal Governors, and they commissioned buyers around the world to buy more gunpowder and weapons for their colonial militias. Needless to say, the colonial bodies undertaking these steps weren’t approved or allowed by the Crown, nonetheless, they pressed on – at great personal risk. The British did all they could, especially the Royal Navy, to interdict these shipments. So, my fellow 2nd Amendment supporters will not fail to notice that one of the first “battles” of the American Revolution was for the citizenry to arm itself adequately to protect its own rights against the government itself. It is also no surprise that the first true battle of the Revolutionary War was sparked by a British effort to seize gunpowder stored at Concord, Massachusetts. On their way to Concord, the shot heard round the world was fired at Lexington, Massachusetts and the shooting war was on. Second, it is very important to note that even after the battles at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, many colonists, especially in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland – the so-called “middle colonies” were not enthusiastic to press the colonial case so aggressively. They generally preferred continuing to try to talk through colonial difficulties with the Crown and Parliament, without any pushing, threatening and certainly not attacking the British. But the British Navy began what may literally be called the naval version of ‘scorched earth’ tactics in 1775. They started threatening, attacking and burning colonial seaside towns! Can you imagine? Their notion seems to have been to bully the colonists back into line. The Royal Navy threatened Weymouth, Marblehead and Gloucester in Massachusetts. But the first town burned was Charlestown, Massachusetts. The Royal Navy fired red-hot cannonballs to start the fire, and later that day landed nearby to begin the fight we now know as Bunker Hill. Next door in Rhode Island, Royal Navy Captain James Wallace had been threatening Newport for months. He threatened to burn or fire on their town if they didn’t provide supplies, or if they interfered with his men, or if they allowed Patriot troops into town, and on and on. At that time, about half of Rhode Island’s population lived on the coast or islands along the coast, so they were very vulnerable to Wallace’s threats. Then he began cannonading Newport in the summer of 1775 and regularly thereafter. By the turn of the year, three quarters of the previous inhabitants had been driven from their homes. Wallace’s flotilla bombarded Connecticut towns too, and stole their hay and livestock.

It should be no surprise that during the summer of 1775, both colonies were among the first to call for a colonial navy, and in fact, began fitting out their own navies! The 64-gun line-of-battle ship Asia fired a full broad side into lower Manhattan near Wall Street! This led – as intended – to great fear among those in New York City, and within weeks, many began to leave rather than live under the threat of the Asia’s guns. By the end of the year, about half of the residents had left the city. You can picture in your mind the trail of carts and wagons and families as refugees. Such treatment, or even just seeing the sad plight of fellow colonists, would have affected people strongly. Rough tactics engender depression and sadness, but also resistance! In Virginia, British Captain Montagu threatened to burn York – soon to become known as Yorktown. And the Royal Governor himself – Lord Dunmore – threatened to burn Williamsburg! Hampton Roads was fired upon and so was Jamestown – the original English foothold in America. There was a small naval battle in Charleston Harbor, in South Carolina, in November of 1775, as patriots there tried to sink ships in the channel to protect their town from the kinds of bombardments and burnings that were taking place in New England. Starting in October, the British issued orders to their Navy Captains to go to specific towns, e.g., Gloucester, Massachusetts to “burn, destroy and lay waste the said Town together with all Vessells and Craft in the Harbour.” They also began systematic bombardments of seacoast towns. The most infamous town burning of them all was of Falmouth, Massachusetts in October of 1775. It was done as revenge for Falmouth’s resistance to the Royal Navy in May of 1775. After some threatening back-and-forth with the local leaders, the British Navy spent an entire day bombarding the town, and then went ashore to burn it. 130 homes were burned, along with the new courthouse, the fire station and the public library. It was an instant flashpoint across the colonies. Then, near and dear to my heart, on New Year’s Day of 1776, Norfolk, Virginia was bombarded and burned. Ironically, it was a center of Tory sentiment. Of course, such tactics drove undecideds to the Patriot cause and embarrassed (some) Tories. Other Tories thought even stronger measures were in order. You can imagine the Patriot response to such Tory neighbors! The third tactic used by the British that so pushed colonists toward the independence that we celebrate today was the hiring of Hessian troops to suppress the colonists. This was seen as unleashing demons of war. The Hessians were known to take some of their pay in plunder, and it was a sign to the colonists that the British intended to treat them as “savages” and not “brothers.” 1775 was a lonely year to be a Patriot in many parts of America.  Why did they suffer such depredations and keep going? In their minds it came down to one word: Liberty. They believed in their cause and they were willing to sacrifice everything to obtain liberty in America. At that time they didn’t know whether it would be by protecting their rights as Englishmen, or striking out alone as Americans – with the prospect of having to overcome the greatest military power in the world at that time – an imposing thought!

There is much to celebrate as we think back to 1776. The Founders of this nation were bold visionaries who stepped out on a path that had never been tried before in the history of the world. They lit a lamp for the world, and they knew the risks and confronted them boldly, closing the Declaration by saying: “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” America isn’t a place, and Americans aren’t a tribe, we are a people brought together by our mutual commitment to shared principles. Such a basis for a nation was utterly unique in the history of the world in 1776, and it is a special gift to which each of us are heirs. We are truly blessed to be Americans. Here at the Senate Conservatives Fund, we – you – back candidates that proudly carry forward the principles of the Founding Fathers against the odds and regardless of the tactics used against them. We believe that the gift we have received of America comes with a moral responsibility to preserve her, and we don’t just mean the territory of America, we mean her principled foundation.

Everything we do at SCF is to carry forward the Founders’ vision in the 21st century. The principles that built this exceptional nation are universal and timeless. That means they apply everywhere, and all the time. No exceptions. We back candidates that share our commitment to the first principles of this country, and we ask you to sacrifice your property – your money – so that our candidates can have the gunpowder they need to fight back. None of us – not me, not you, not our candidates – is being asked to put their head in a noose to advance the cause of life, liberty and the opportunity to pursue happiness, as the 56 signatories to the Declaration of Independence did. However, their cause must be our cause, and we need to remember that whatever our sacrifice from our “fortunes” – to use the same word the Founders used – none of us has any excuse to let up or to let long odds bring us down. Did you know that George Washington had three wins and six losses in major battles in the Revolutionary War? He lost more battles, but he won the war. And can you name five people who were at Valley Forge? How about three? How about two? We may not know who they were, but the whole world knows what they did! And their successors in uniform around the world continue to deserve our gratitude and respect today! It took many unnamed heroes to make America, and it will take many more unseen heroes to return America to her foundational principles.

That’s where you come in, though you may not have even realized your role. On this day that we set aside to celebrate America and what she stands for, let me Thank You for carrying on the legacy of Valley Forge and sacrificing to put America back on a principled path of greatness once again.

God bless you and God bless America!

Sincerely, Ken Cuccinelli II

President, Senate Conservatives Fund @KenCuccinelli / @SCF

Islamic State in the West

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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

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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:

Speaker Boehner on the President’s Immigration Announcement

June 30 2014|Speaker Boehner’s Press Office

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 on the Separation of Powers

June 25 2014|Speaker Boehner

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

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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

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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.