300 jihadis bring down a global superpower

[Bragi]

That's the headline I'd be writing. About 300 jihadists in Yemen, and a few hundred other hard core al Qaeda types scattered across the globe elsewhere (wherever U.S. troops, contractors or diplomats have conveniently assembled for easy attack) have managed to lure the world's global military superpower to declare was on them while cracking down on the liberties of their own citizens, and implementing trillions of dollars worth of do-nothing, fear-inducing "security".

And they've now turned the man Americans voted for to bring them out of this nightmare and restore peace into another "war President."

What a disaster.

- B

[zeemike]

1. Yep n/t

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. or what was believed to be a global superpower

[Buzz Clik]

3. This situation is hardly unique to the US, this era, or jihadists.

When small, un-empowered minorities want attention and a slice of the power, this is what they have done for thousands of years. As a result, leaders who wished to avoid conflicts have conflicts thrust upon them, and warlike leaders find themselves distracted.

Welcome to Earth.

[Bragi]

7. Not sure I agree

What Americans seem to have a great difficulty understanding is that the U.S is actually a secondary target for jihadists. Their primary goal is to bring down governments and leaders in Muslim countries who are complicit in allowing evil western influences into their society.

The big war against the infidels will largely take place after these complicit Muslim governments are toppled by their radicalized populations and replaced with jihadist leaders. The attacks on the west taking place now are principally intended to trigger more military action and repression by the west against Muslims, which will further discredit the evil Muslim lackeys, and result in social uprisings against them.

Bankrupting the west and turning it into an armed camp is obviously consistent with their agenda, but it isn't actually the main thrust.

What the west -- and now Obama -- are doing is to play the role assigned to them by the jihadists. Our complicity in their plans will continue as long as our leaders and people continue to understand and frame the issue as a "security" matter brought about by "crazy" jihadists. Instead, we need to think in terms of a non-bellicose "foreign policy" which would actually isolate the jihadists from the Muslim populations they seek to influence.

But that won't happen, will it. I think Obama was actually on the right track before yesterday. Now, not so much. I'm sure the populations in the Mulsim world likely saw his performance yesterday as just an extension of the America they came to hate under GWB.

It's all so depressing.

[dgibby]

4. Bankrupting the US was always Bin Ladin's goal.

Looks like he's reached it, and in record time.

[high density]

5. Corporate America has eagerly helped out

By offshoring good jobs. Wages that once went back into growing the US economy through consumption are now over in China or India. Plus the remaining wage earners in the US pump additional billions offshore with our trips to the store to buy Chinese products.

[windbreeze]

12. Wonder if he's pissed off that *jr. never paid back the money he borrowed from him...

I think I just figured out why we were attacked...oh, but wait..has BinLaden ever admitted it was actually him?...wb

[Lorien]

6. You can't fight a war against terrorism. You can only fight it with intelligence

and there seems to be precious little of that-or common sense-these days. Hell, did we bomb Timothy McVeigh's hometown?

[arcadian]

8. Too bad our intelligence agencies are engaged in assassinations, coups and regime change

for democratically elected leaders in third wold countries. They have become Wall Street's enforcers.

[arcadian]

9. USA = Paper tiger

[Vidar]

10. Brilliant analysis * Obama has swallowed the bait like a pro. Recommended.

[Martin Eden]

11. We've elevated the terrorists by declaring "war" on them.

To be "at war" with a superpower -- and for that "war" to be widely recognized as a life-and-death struggle that could last for generations -- is to elevate the status of the terrorists far beyond their numbers and their actual ability to inflict damage on us.

When a foolish and incompetent 22-year-old sets his undies on fire in a botched attack and the superpower goes into hysterics with partisan political warfare and the 22-year-old's jihadi supervisor has his smiling face flashed around the world and "al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula" in 5th-rate little Yemen becomes the latest and greatest threat to the safety of 300 million Americans ...

... then we have sent a very convincing message to millions of would-be jihadis among the masses of angry disaffected Islamic youth. The message doesn't tell them to be safe law-abiding citizens. It tells them that the superpower can be defeated and that the surest path to glory is to join the jihadi cause and to blow themselves up to heaven if called upon.

Of course, this relative handful of militants cannot bring down the United States of America. Only the United States of America has the power to do that. Unfortunately, we are headed down that path. We've given the Osama bin Ladens of the world what they needed most -- an elevated status and a superpower bogged down in misguided quagmires on Islamic soil, draining its resources and winning new converts to jihad with every Muslim added to the pile of "collateral damage" from our high-tech drones that can't see into the heart of a human being let alone their gender and age.

We have seen our greatest enemy, and it is us.

[ShortnFiery]

13. No, look at it this way: 300 Jihadis give the MIC the EXCUSE to be "gifted" another TRILLION

of our tax dollars by selling and promoting their machines of death and destruction all over the Middle East Arena.

Our boys and girls in the Military, MERC Units and countless other Private Contracting firms must have A BATTLEFIELD in order to test out their pretty weapons and reap those HUGE paychecks from Uncle Sam.

The Middle East and those rag-tag "suspected" militants provide the companies that comprise the MIC their beloved Battlefield Disneyland.

It's also PT Barnum of the Military Industrial Complex's WET DREAM.

A WAR AGAINST an amorphous enemy = al Quaeda = anyone who threatens the USA's Geopolitical dominance within the entire Middle East.

We the people, watch on STUPIDLY and the rest of the WORLD watches on "in horror" as our Military Corporations have their way ... blowing shit up. :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[AzDar]

14. Kickety

:kick: