Is the Islamic State Really un-Islamic?

Jonah Goldberg

“Now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not Islamic. No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a state.” –    President Barack Obama in his address to the nation on Wednesday.

 ... "The president faces the same dilemma that bedeviled George W. Bush, and I sympathize with him. It is not in our interest for the Muslim world to think we are at war with Islam, not just because it is untrue, but more specifically because we desperately need the cooperation of Muslim nations. That’s why Bush constantly proclaimed “Islam means peace.' ”
...
"To be sure, there are Muslims who have had precisely this reaction as well. But can anyone deny that the world would be a better place if more Muslims felt – and demonstrated – that terrorists were giving them a bad name?"

 

Is you is or is you isn't Islamic?

 

Obama: Islamic State 'Is Not Islamic'   "Addressing the nation from the White House, he used the opportunity to repeat the administration’s rejection of the jihadists' claim to be acting on behalf of Islam." ...

 

On What Is and Is Not Islamic   "During his speech last night, President Obama declared, “ISIL is not ‘Islamic.’ No religion condones the killing of innocents. And the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim.” It is certainly true that the vast majority of the victims of ISIS, as the group is more commonly known, have been Muslim as have been the majority of victims of other radical Islamist movements, it is not the job of any president to decree what is and is not Islam; what is and is not Christianity; and what is and is not Judaism. For all practical purposes, religion is what its practitioners believe it to be, not what an American president says it is." ...

Never forget; not just the Islamic radicals but a few of ours as well.

Wolfie's Pics Via  Conservatives Network

Remember the above and forget this guy:
 

Ward Churchill vs Megyn Kelly: FULL INTERVIEW. How Can You Compare 9/11 Victims to Nazis?  Watch the video

 

John McCain Dresses Down Jay Carney over Obama’s Syria and Iraq failures

Legal Insurrection   "Barack Obama’s address to the nation regarding the threat of ISIS was met with both cautious optimism and unbridled mockery from pundits on both sides of the aisle.

"No one was more optimistic than CNN’s latest hire, former Obama Administration press secretary Jay Carney. Unfortunately for Carney, however, CNN had also invited Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who was more than a little irritated at the media’s willingness to overlook the fact that Obama chose to ignore the possibility of the current crisis when he decided to pull the occupying force out of Iraq."
 

... "Senator McCain’s assertion that a residual force in Iraq could have tempered the threat of ISIS comes from a place of experience, not of brash partisanship."

 Senator, do you wish you had not said this back in 2008?
 

 

ISIS assumed you were speaking to them.

World reaction to 9/11

Youtube

 

 The following day at the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, American marches were played.  Including the US National anthem which the London crowd sang along with.

How BBC1 interupted programmes on 9/11

Australian Live Television Coverage of 911 attacks

More reaction around the world

The Falling Man

Your Child’s School Might Be Pushing Zinn’s Marxist View of US History

Sara Noble  "Many public schools in the United States have been putting Howard Zinn’s Marxist view of the history of the United States on reading lists and on bookshelves. Most recently, Zinn’s tome, A Peoples’ History of the United States, has been added to supplementary reading lists for AP U.S. history. There is even A Young Peoples’ History of the United States.

"How teachers in the classroom use it does matter, however, it reads more like Soviet propaganda than U.S. history and it’s about as accurate.

"Howard Zinn was a Marxist whose book presents a dreary, cynical history of a dystopian United States. It is filled with inaccuracies because, for him, it was not about the truth, it was about spreading the ideology. He used second-hand sources for his “factual US history – statements of alleged facts without footnotes, clip jobs, and interviews substituted for real research.

"Zinn came out the New Left and the 1960’s leftism extremism. His book reflects their views." ...
...
But wait! There's more! The article finishes with this:

"Bill Bigelow, who runs the Zinn Project today, wrote an anti-July 4 article this year, claiming that George Washington was a war criminal and Thomas Jefferson basically plagiarized The Declaration of Independence.

"Zinn was an America-basher, a dangerous one. So are his followers who keep the flame alive.

"Parents need to read over their children’s reading material or they might find their child growing up hating America." (Emphasis added, TD)
Full article...

The REAL War On Women, NOT the silliness we see on Western streets and campuses

The REAL War On Women    "Our latest video is up now. This video is not sugarcoated and may contain some disturbing images for some viewers. It is a serious and sensitive subject, yet the message needs to be heard. A very big thank you to our producer Rob Duke on an excellent job done.
"Please watch, like and share this video and help us spread the truth about the so-called "war on women."    Hat tip to Ray Merryman; Constitutional Freedom Party photos

"This video is not sugarcoated and may contain some disturbing images for some viewers.
It is a serious and sensitive subject, yet the message needs to be heard."

Stay with this for about a minute and a half

 

UPDATED Saturday: ‘If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you.’ – Ted Cruz.

RedState  "It would have been the easiest thing in the world for Senator Ted Cruz (R, Texas) to ignore the fact that the “In Defense of Christians” summit dinner that he was speaking tonight at had far too many people involved with it who, as the Washington Free Beacon notes, “includes some of the Assad regime’s most vocal Christian supporters, as well as religious leaders allied with the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.” But he did not. Instead, he told those folks the truth:..."

 

"Those who hate Israel hate America,” he continued, as the boos and calls for him to leave the stage got louder. “Those who hate Jews hate Christians. If those in this room will not recognize that, then my heart weeps. If you hate the Jewish people you are not reflecting the teachings of Christ. And the very same people who persecute and murder Christians right now, who crucify Christians, who behead children, are the very same people who target Jews for their faith, for the same reason.”

Ted Cruz Stands Up to ‘Hatred and Bigotry’ at Conference of Middle Eastern Christians
"Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon that the “hatred and bigotry” he encountered when he was booed off the stage at a Middle Eastern Christian conference for defending Israel on Wednesday night was like nothing he has previously seen in his political career."   Via www.lucianne.com/

It was when Senator Cruz said “Christians have no greater ally than Israel”  ... " But, as the Caller reported, “”Cruz had already had enough.” He declared: “If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you. Good night, and God bless.” Then, in a show of character that is rare among politicians, Mr. Cruz just turned around and walked out. It was a marvelous moment and, we’d like to think, a glimpse of how Mr. Cruz might perform as president in the world organizations...."

Wait a minute, there. Aren't these the "Christians" we hope to defend against Islamic oppression? These tend to be liturgical Christians whose voice of authority is the Church organization and not the Scriptures. Love for Israel comes from a knowledge of it as learned from the Old and New Testaments where we read of the role Israel has played and will play in the course of history. TD

UPDATES:
Mideast Christian Conference Organizers Never Told Cruz That Israel Was Off Limits
“ 'Tonight’s injection of politics when the focus should have been on unity and faith, momentarily played into the hands of a few who do not adhere to IDC’s principles,” Baaklini said of the incident. “They were made no longer welcome.' ”
... "[Mark] Tooley also noted, however: “Cruz, a savvy politician, knew the reaction he would provoke from some by commending Israel, and he maximized his political moment before the many cameras.' ”

Spengler (David P. Goldman) asks: Why Did Middle Eastern Christians Drive Sen. Cruz from the Stage?

...Lebanon was a Catholic project from the outset, and the Vatican’s thinking about the region is colored nostalgia for a dying Christian community and a searing sense of regret for what might have been. If only the State of Israel hadn’t spoiled everything, many Arab Christians think, the Christian minority would have wielded enormous influence in the Arab world. It is true that in many Arab countries, Christians comprised a disproportionate share of merchants and intellectuals. But the same was true of the 130,000 Jews of Iraq before 1947, who owned half the businesses in Baghdad...

Why Was Ted Cruz Booed Wednesday Night?   ... "A key goal of the summit was to bolster resolve here in the U.S., focusing people on the looming elimination of Christianity over in the Middle East. As best I could tell from that ballroom Wednesday night, they booed Ted Cruz because, instead of using his platform to help nameless, foreign, forgotten Christians targeted by Islamic extremists, he added yet another distraction to the mix." ...

Some Educated Reaction to the President's 9/10/ 2014 speech

CNN: 5 takeaways from Obama's ISIS speech     ... " I thought the first part of the speech as he talked about the attack on ISIS was strong and presidential and serious. You could quibble with it, I am sure there will be disagreements. But as a presidential speech, it did very well. What surprised me was the second part of the speech when he started to talk about how well the country is doing with jobs and leading around the world. I think for an awful lot of people, America is feeling pretty blue right now. I think those kind of assertions don't ring true to a lot of people. It seemed to me it detracted from the main message of the speech. - David Gergen - CNN commentator and former adviser to presidents from both political parties"

From 9/9: 10 questions for Obama on ISIS  from Newt Gingrich

 

Arizona lawmakers react to President Obama speech on ISIS   

What Obama Got Right—and Wrong—in His ISIS Speech   ... "He mentioned that Secretary of State John Kerry in particular was seeking more Arab assistance.  Unfortunately, Kerry’s credibility is weak, and the Arab countries are not big “joiners” when the fight is tough. But the president is right to seek this. It is a key to any measure of success." ...
" Never tell your enemies what you will not do, Mr. President."

Obama's poll-driven ISIS speech pleases almost no one   ... "So he went on television last night to enunciate…something.  Because he has to do something.  (“Do” in his customary sense of “say.”)  The particulars don’t matter nearly as much as the appearance." ... American Thinker

The speech "succeeded in tone but failed in substance." "When it comes to foreign policy, a presidential speech is measured by two things: strategic tone and strategic substance."...
 "It was self-limiting when it comes to our capabilities, it was hedging in intent, and it manifested an obsession with domestic opinion." NRO

Andrew Malcolm: Tardy Obama talks tough on ISIS. But can anyone really believe him?

 

... "Unfortunately, these 1,985 well-spoken words of Obama's come in the context of a presidency that has been degraded and virtually destroyed by his own actions -- and inactions."
"Barack Obama has squandered the hope, good will and, most importantly, the credibility he carried into the Oval Office nearly a thousand years ago. His serial lies, misleading claims and phony stats have not only corroded trust in him and his office but crushed and ground it into microscopic dust."
... Via Lucianne

Obama Rejects 'Best Military Advice' in Fighting ISIS   ... "Recommitting ground combat forces to Iraq would have been highly controversial, and most likely would have been opposed by a substantial majority of Americans. But Austin’s predecessor, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, said the decision not to send ground troops poses serious risks to the mission.

" ' 'The American people will once again see us in a war that doesn’t seem to be making progress,' Mattis said. 'You’re giving the enemy the initiative for a longer period.' '"

 

Obama’s ‘Strategy’ Has No Chance of Success  "President Obama just announced that he is bringing a counter-terrorism strategy to an insurgency fight. He was at pains to repeat the phrase “counter-terror” four times in a short speech. Noting that ISIL is not a state (partly because the international community thankfully does not recognize it), he declared, “ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.”  Neither of those sentences, unfortunately, is true."
...
 "ISIL has described a very clear vision of seizing control of all of the territory of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories.  It intends to abolish all of the borders and redraw them according to a new structure of governance suitable to its hateful version of an old Islamic heresy.  That vision also makes it more than a simple terrorist organization.  It’s awfully hard to develop a sound strategy when you start by mis-diagnosing the problem so profoundly. That’s why the “strategy” the president just announced has no chance of success."   FREDERICK W. KAGAN and KIMBERLY KAGAN 

Online posts show ISIS eyeing Mexican border, says law enforcement bulletin

 

Jana Winter;   "Social media chatter shows Islamic State militants are keenly aware of the porous U.S.-Mexico border, and are “expressing an increased interest” in crossing over to carry out a terrorist attack, according to a Texas law enforcement bulletin sent out this week.

“ 'A review of ISIS social media messaging during the week ending August 26 shows that militants are expressing an increased interest in the notion that they could clandestinely infiltrate the southwest border of US, for terror attack,” warns the Texas Department of Public Safety "situational awareness" bulletin, obtained by FoxNews.com.

Texas Department of Public Safety Issues Bulletin Warning of Increased "ISIS Interest on the Southwest Border"    Quoting Judicial Watch:  

Intelligence officials have picked up radio talk and chatter indicating that the terrorist groups are going to “carry out an attack on the border,” according to one JW source.  “It’s coming very soon,” according to another high-level source, who clearly identified the groups planning the plots as “ISIS and Al Qaeda.” An attack is so imminent that the commanding general at Ft. Bliss, the U.S. Army post in El Paso, is being briefed, JW’s sources say. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to multiple inquiries from Judicial Watch, both telephonic and in writing, about this information. 

U.K. Prime Minister Warns of ‘Greatest Terrorist Threat’ in History. Hours Later, Obama Made This Comment at Fundraiser.
“[I] promise you things are much less dangerous now than they were 20 years ago, 25 years ago or 30 years ago,” Obama said after referencing challenges posed by the Islamic State terror group, the Ukrainian crisis and China’s advancing economy." ...

@BailofRights wrote:

I laughed at "America is safer" Lol. We may as well have a welcoming committee with fruit baskets & guns on the southern border.

George W. Bush 2007: Pulling all troops from Iraq will risk throwing away gains

Legal Insurrection    "No, George Bush hasn’t actually commented on present events in Iraq, probably because he doesn’t believe it’s helpful for ex-presidents to criticize their successors.

"But he already described the situation back in 2007, when he gave a speech explaining why he was vetoing a bill passed by the Democratic Congress which would have pulled troops out of Iraq (the first three minutes of the video are especially relevant):

 

"For those who say “but Bush negotiated the agreement under which Obama ended up completely pulling out of Iraq,” there is no question that everyone involved in those Bush negotiations expected that the next president would forge a new agreement with the Iraqi government when the time came, and that it would involve leaving some residual forces there. But it was clear that Obama had no interest in doing so; he barely participated in the talks and pulled out when the going got the least bit rough.

"Contrast Bush’s speech in the video above with this speech of Obama’s which he made on the occasion of the complete withdrawal from Iraq. He justifies and celebrates that withdrawal by praising the accomplishments the US had made in Iraq up to then—including and especially those of the surge which he had bitterly opposed as a senator. Ironically and tragically, those achievements have evaporated now, although their loss might well have been prevented had he left a small residual force in the country.

"If we had a real press, they’d all be pointing this out on their front pages. But we don’t."

No Shortage of Advice for Obama: More on What He Should and Will Say About ISIS Tonight

The Daily Signal
 

 

"President Obama “has to avoid the risk of talking about what he will not do and what America will not do,” says Steve Bucci, a former top Pentagon official and a director at The Heritage Foundation. “We have to get the message across that we are going to stand firm against ISIS, that it is going to be with international support … and he needs to avoid putting a timeline on it.”

"Heritage Foundation’s Nile Gardiner, a former adviser to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, also weighed in on the speech, remarking that, “the international community wants to see real leadership from the United States.' ”

Warning: are we prepared to see videos of captured allied forces being beheaded in TV?

The Chicago Sun-Times: Obama’s ISIS plan appears modest, realistic    "America’s experience in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 13 years has been an unending stream of negative unintended consequences. As America contemplates its next move in the struggle against terrorism, a clear set of lessons has emerged: embrace skepticism, fully anticipate unintended consequences and, above all else, set humane and realistic expectations." Via http://www.lucianne.com/

National address on eve of 9/11 will outline plan for military action, aid for US-backed opposition forces in Syria fighting Islamic State.   "The president's plan includes additional support for opposition militias in Syria vetted by the United States, which will serve as a ground force complementing America's air campaign.

"Former Kurdish fighters or Peshmerga forces currently serve that role in America's air war against Islamic State in Iraq, holding cleared ground after US strikes occur. Obama has ruled out introducing US combat troops on the ground.

"The new policy in Obama's speech will be his expressed intent to strike the group in Syria, after months of deliberation among members of the National Security Council.

"Speaking from the State Floor of the White House, Obama will also discuss a coalition of partners he has rallied to the fight, which thus far includes the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates."

 

From our traditional and loyal allies, Great Britain:  Barack Obama and Isil: time for America's deliberator-in-chief to man up   "Tonight, exactly one year after Barack Obama strode to a microphone in the East Room of the White House to make a prime-time televised address to the nation on "what to do about Syria", the US president is preparing once again to do…just that.
Even by the tortured standards of Mr Obama, the 2013 address was a truly dismal affair in which the President could be heard arguing with himself over his own non-response to the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons.
In "my judgment as Commander in Chief", the president said, Assad should suffer "a targeted military strike" for breaking the century-long taboo against using chemical weapons. But as "President of the world's oldest constitutional democracy", Mr Obama explained half a breath later, he had decided to "take this debate to Congress".   Via http://www.lucianne.com/