About those guards in Benghazi
A reader alerted me to the following, written by someone who purports to have had a long career as a US Foreign Service Officer. If correct, it sheds some light on certain questions that have come up in recent discussions on this blog in connection with the security (or lack thereof) at the Benghazi consulate:
The press has spent a lot of time speculating about marines. Not all embassies have them, and few consulates do. Contrary to what you see in Hollywood movies, an marine detachment at an embassy (MSG) is generally small: six to eight marines, at times a few more. Their job is to protect the most sensitive parts of the embassy. They are rarely expected to be the force that stops an assault on the outer walls. That is the responsibility of the host nation. I remember being inside an embassy on many occasions, with a howling mob of thousands of irate Muslims outside, hoping that the host country would fulfill that responsibility. If they did not, and things such as high walls, and barbed wire could not hold back the invaders, we had drilled, over and over and over, the things we all would do to protect classified materials and ourselves as best we could. Different embassies have different rules of engagement for the marines. In the ones I ran they had very instructions on the use of deadly force. They had weapons, and those were loaded.
The Obama White House is hiding its manifest incompetence and failures of judgement behind the excuse of lack of “actionable intel.” The White House claims there was no “advance warning” of an attack in Libya and presumably Egypt. This, of course, is nonsense. As noted before, there rarely is highly detailed advance warning of a specific event; when you have that sort of rare quality intel you often can do something to avoid the incident in the first place. If, for example, you know of an assassination attempt on the Ambassador at point X on date X, at a minimum you make sure the Ambassador is not there then. In one case in which I was heavily involved, we had exceptionally good intel that the bad guys were building a giant truck bomb to use in a public event in which we would be participating; we were able, working with specially vetted local forces and the always great Aussies, to interrupt that construction effort and put away a nice number of evil doers. Most of the time, however, you have to have good people interpreting incomplete and often contradictory information in light of current events and the current operating environment. It is an art, not a science, and it relies on something which seemed missing in the Libya case, i.e., common sense.
Common sense, remains the single most important component in making decisions about security. If the resources did not exist for whatever reason to have a properly set up and secured facility in Benghazi, why was it there? That is a question for the people at State management and for the Secretary. Who approved placing such a weakly defended facility in a highly unstable location? What was the purpose and usefulness of the facility weighed against the risks of having it there? Some bad calls seem to have been made.
A valuable piece of intel seemed to have been ignored: the calendar. Did nobody have access to a calendar? They are readily available. In the missions where I served we always had a keen awareness of the date and the love of terrorists for key dates. Certainly the date 9/11 should have rung some bells. Were people not aware of outside events that could have an impact in Libya? What was the urgent nature of the business that required the Ambassador to be in a remote, hard-to-defend location on 9/11, at a time when any newspaper reader could see the tensions building all over the Muslim world? Canada, for example, had just shut down its Tehran mission and ordered Iranian diplomats in Canada to leave. Why? What was up? I do not want to be unfair but I fail to understand why the Ambassador was in Benghazi on 9/11.
When I was at State, the atmosphere under the Obama misadministration was even more unreal than usual. The fawning over Obama and Hillary Clinton knew no bounds. The press releases and the internal conversations seemed to reflect the nattering of a cult rather than sober deliberations. We would have “serious” people tell us, “The world loves President Obama.” There was a feeling that somehow we were at a magical turning point in the history of humanity.
In addition, Breitbart quotes Colonel David Hunt as saying it would have been Hillary Clinton with the final authority for such decisions, as well as the rules of engagement:
Hunt told Breitbart News that the new State Department Rules of Engagement for Libya, approved and signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton since the 2011 fall of Khadafi’s regime, severely compromised the safety and security of murdered Ambassador Stevens and all American diplomatic staff in Libya.
He also stated that the decision not to staff Benghazi with Marines was made by Secretary of State Clinton when she attached her signature to the State Department Rules of Engagement for Libya document. Breitbart News has subsequently learned that under those rules of engagement, Secretary Clinton prohibited Marines from providing security at any American diplomatic installation in Libya…
We allowed a contractor to hire local nationals as security guards, but said they can’t have bullets. This was all part of the point of not having a high profile in Libya.”
Wishful thinking on Hillary and Obama’s part. But common sense is not their specialty.
Oh nonsense. Since Obama could stop the oceans’ rise, then surely he would have made the terrorists forget about that date.
OMG. That’s not just pablum for the American masses.
They actually believe it.
We’re in more danger than I thought.
9-11-2012 Eleventh anniversary of 911 Reality bites Obama administration in the neck, the Democrats chickens have come to roost. Hillary, Barack and a host of others have dismissed reality and substituted a reality all their own.
The POTUS is living in a socialist fantasy world where Russia, China, Islam and North Korea are just folks who have been treated badly by America and if we bow enough, pay enough, die enough they shall one day love us.
Or else He is the true Manchurian candidate.
Neo, I *really* wish you would set up buttons for tweeting your posts. Mostly because I’m lazy, but also because you write enough posts that being able to pass them on easily would be great.
I agree with Rickl; this is terrifying if true.
Kind of off topic, and maybe I’ve missed mention of this here but I was over at Pajamas Media and read that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made a phone call to “lean” on a Florida pastor (the one who burnt a Koran not too long ago) and “urge” him to withdraw any support for that YouTube video.
Seriously?
As the author of the PJ piece says…”Then surely we have crossed some kind of Rubicon.”
I’m actually beside myself right now. Loss for words. Enraged.
Jim Sullivan:
As I read somewhere else, the only proper response to that is “Nuts!”
“Nuts” is the reply the 101st Airborne Division Commander gave to the demand for his surrender at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_McAuliffe
The Obama Administration is going after the maker of the offending YouTube film… Once he is out of the way we will have no more trouble, or will we?
Put him on trial, says Mursi of Egypt, where verdicts are reached pre-trial. What charge? Don’t matter, put him on trial. And Hussein and Holder oblige, FBI proceeds to “investigate”. One American, allegedly a Coptic Christian, is more disposable than a piece of Kleenex, to Hussein, Holder, Hillary and their lapdog media. It has been the lead story on Yahoo! news, which makes me puke. I gotta change my email address in a protest they won’t get or understand?
Never mind Chiken–buy more bullets. We’re gonna need ’em.
The Romans got where they were–earned their superior position, called the shots, and ruled so much of the Earth for so long–by most times recognizing just who their enemies were, and by being extremely disciplined, methodical, clear-sighted, pragmatic, shrewd, and cold-blooded in their analysis, and extremely ruthless and draconian in their actions against those they identified as enemies, creating the mindset throughout the Republic and then Empire, and beyond their borders as well–for close to a thousand years–that made sure that being able to say “I am a Citizen of Rome,” carried great weight, and a great deal of legal and personal protection with it.
For many centuries you did not “mess” with the Romans, and did so at your extreme peril, and I believe it fair to say that the ruthless and violent Romans were more feared than loved–and held off the onslaught of history–until corruption so hampered and enfeebled them, and the rot, the decadence, and the erosion of traditional values, mind-sets, and ways of behavior was so widespread throughout Roman society, and had penetrated so deeply that, finally, they lost their will, were unable to see clearly and to act, were impotent, “the center could not hold,” and they were overwhelmed by more vigorous barbarians who had an eye for the main chance, and no such encumbering and enfeebling “sophistication,” urbanity, and cosmopolitan, world-wise “understanding.”
As I see it, all U.S. Embassies should have a Marine guard. There, not only for symbolic reasons–to remind people what we can do, if we are pushed, to protect the Ambassador and staff, and to buy them the time necessary to destroy vital secrets but, realistically, there also as a tripwire; invade and sack our Embassy, kill our people, mow down our Marines, and a dreadful shit-storm of retaliation such as you cannot stop or comprehend will rain down upon your country and its leaders, we will teach you a lesson that you and your children and their children after them will never forget.
That should be the upfront and unsubtle message of each and every Marine guard contingent.
That message, of course, is only believable and effective if it is backed up by our swift, violent, and overwhelming retaliation to attack.
Some have said that we Americans are “the New Romans,” but they are wrong.
We Americans always naively want to be loved (or at least to be respected), when the wiser course in this dangerous and violent world–as it really is–is, instead, to want to be–at least in part–feared.
Obama and Hillary and their ilk and their world-view and policies have cheapened and diluted the meaning and substance of being an American citizen, destroyed our reputation, made us a laughingstock, made being a U.S. citizen a joke, and created such an image of fearful, cringing, apologetic ignorance, impotence, and weakness that they have endangered our country and each and every one of us, and pinned a “kick me” sign on our backs that is a target and invitation for every two-bit bully and psycho nation, organization, and individual in the world.
Ultimately, I believe it likely that they and their far Left, politically correct, cringing, apologetic policies have made WWIII that much more likely, and the eventual butcher’s bill–for our citizens, but much more so for those who would attack us–so much higher than it might otherwise have been.
But, the real shame of it all is that, with the help of their supporters and a wholly bought MSM and Academia, they will almost certainly escape responsibility, much less the punishment for what they have done and will, no doubt, enjoy further career “successes” and cushy retirements, full of high speaking fees, ghost written memoirs, honors, and luxury.
And those who died or suffered unnecessarily as a direct result of their paths through life and their Leftist ideology, wishful thinking, willful ignorance and/or malice, and foolish policies?
They will likely be regarded as merely nameless, faceless “collateral damage,” and will be forgotten.
Reuters quoting Al Qaeda in Arab Peninsula:
“It said defending the Prophet’s honor was a “religious duty and obligation to the Muslim nation, each according to his ability”.
The group also said that Muslims living in the West have an extra duty to be involved in attacks on key targets.
“They are more capable of doing harm and reaching the enemy is easier for them,” it said.”
Yup. Bomb threats at UT-Austin. ND State Univ, and leetle Hiram College, all possibly by Muzzie students from abroad, here in our quest to recycle US dollars. Not to be taken lightly.
“From each according to his ability” has a familiar ring!
Wolla- I had thought of carpet-bombing a square mile of Benghazi, centered on the consulate. OK, with a 24hr notice for evac.
The absolutely disgusting part for me (aside from reports about the ambassador’s dead or almost dead body being gang-raped) is that the highest echelons of our media, our politicians and our military are all too ready to throw the first amendment overboard. Oh, mustn’t offend the Muzzies, not afflict their delicate sensibilities with the suggestion that … umm, their society is supremely dysfunctional in that it was based on conquest and slave-trading and that their prophet was a pedophile gangster chief with a good line in BS, in that he persuaded thousands (later millions) of followers that their base and disgusting criminal impulses had divine sanction.
If Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t lose the election in a landslide, it’s clear proof that a majority of our fellow citizens have lost their ever-loving minds.
In my opinion, a film-maker in the U.S. has made a shameful film, a film that is anti-Muslim. Later, people attacked the U.S. embassy in Lybia, after being outraged by that film. This attack was around Sept. 13, 2012.
What I think President Obama should be doing, in order to work things out with the people angered by this film, is the following:
Obama should have a televised press conference every day.
He should say at these press conferences:
This film is a bad film. He had the freedom to make the film, but we Americans do not support people when they shamelessly attack other people’s religious beliefs or their chosen morals.
We did not agree with this man’s film, and we never will.
We Americans deeply regret that this man has treated you and your beliefs in this way.
And I believe that President Obama should get on television and make that speech, every day, until the anger and protests over this film have ended.
That is what I think Mr. Obama should do to help people with this situation.
In a remarkable admission by former Nixon era Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, reveals what is happening at the moment in the world and particularly the Middle East.
A few observations:
1) As if further proof is needed that the State Department consists Obama addled brain morons”:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-foreign-ministry-officials-say-u-s-ignored-arab-wrath-1.465210
2) There is an Arab saying that a man who goes about without a sword is not a man of peace because he incites his neighbor to attack him.
3) The Libyans in Benghazi are generally upset at the murders.
4) Obama’s spokesmen explained that when Obama said he regarded Egypt neither as a ally or enemy he really meant something else.
5) The Obami will not see this as a refutation of Obama’s vision but rather as proof that the Arab street doesn’t know that Bush is no longer in office.
saaf: In a remarkable admission by former Nixon era Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, he revealed to me in a super secret telephone interview (we chat nearly every day, you know, and twice on Sundays) that Martians have landed and are about to take over the world disguised as purple petunias.
You heard it here first.
TR you are dead wrong in your suggestion. An apology in the Arab world is a sign of weakness, weakness is an invitation to be attacked. Your suggestion would make things infinitely worse.
A better response would be to state that one: we are sending armed guards to all embassies with orders to shot on sight anybody who crosses without permission unto embassy grounds. Those states who do not agree to these conditions will have their US embassies withdrawn at once, likewise relations will be downgraded or suspended, and travel warnings against that state will be issued.
And two: under our laws private opinions are not the business of the government therefore their will be no comment or action regarding the anti-Islam film.
Actions like that would show strength and therefore would get respect in the Arab world.
Obama was too damn stupid to understand that glaringly obvious fact, but then again he knows more than anybody about everything. And half the country buys into this hallucination, happy 1933!
http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/150781/
A literal midnight knock on the door by police literally wearing brown shirts.
Still think I was kidding in my comment from last night?
Very interesting, Neo, and thank you for posting it.
Reminds me of when years ago I was in Athens as a guest of the American Ambassador. Eight Greek security guards were with him everywhere outside the embassy, and Greek police with machine guns and all were all around (outside) the building. I naively asked him why we didn’t provide the security and he said “They’re the ones with the terrorist problem. If they want me to stay here, they need to provide the security.”
Ah, I though. So that’s how it works.
TR – you write as if English is not your first language. Where do you live?
Since I asked, I’ll go first: Virginia, USA
“For whatever reason, Secretary Clinton chose to double down on misleading the American people. “Libyans carried Chris’s body to the hospital,” said Mrs. Clinton. That’s one way of putting it. The photographs at the Arab TV network al-Mayadeen show Chris Stevens’s body being dragged through the streets, while the locals take souvenir photographs on their cell phones. A man in a red striped shirt photographs the dead-eyed ambassador from above; another immediately behind his head moves the splayed arm and holds his cell-phone camera an inch from the ambassador’s nose. Some years ago, I had occasion to assist in moving the body of a dead man: We did not stop to take photographs en route. Even allowing for cultural differences, this looks less like “carrying Chris’s body to the hospital” and more like barbarians gleefully feasting on the spoils of savagery.”–Mark Steyn
And not a question to our Secretary of State, President, military from the media can I find regarding this.
Who needs Hollywood for comedy when we’ve got President Bozo?
TR:
I am anti-Muslim, though I have not made a “shameful” film, as you call it. I am quite confident in my belief you have not viewed the film in question. I have not seen it either, but I know better than to characterize it in any way because I have not seen it.
You fall into the useful idiot category. Beware of being a parrot. You are a human, with a brain and a soul, so think and act like one.
This is not a ding on the state dept; just an observation. Their safety is more important to them than ideology. So; stupidity such as these recent events will bring leaks and criticism from all corners in state… I don’t blame them BTW. I wouldn’t put up with my employer putting me in needlessly dangerous situations. If risk involved possible gain… yeah.. thats different.
Let’s get one thing straight: That stupid YouTube video had NOTHING to do with these coordinated, organized terrorist attacks.
The notion that it did is just a flat-out lie promulgated by the Obama Administration and its propaganda arm, the so-called MSM. They don’t want Americans thinking that their foreign policy just might be to blame.
I never thought I’d find myself thanking The Lord for the British Media.
He put better what i was getting into a few threads back as the whole thing stunk of chum and bait.
the date
the presence of an ambassador
presence of top secret information
the place and situation
the lack of defensibility
the lack of defenders
the lack of arms/ammunition
and that it was recently reopened by hillary.
and a year earlier the Israelis were attacked and survived do to a safe room and Obama tried to take credit for the assist… so where was the safe room for this location as a minimum?
TR Says:
“This film is a bad film. He had the freedom to make the film, but we Americans do not support people when they shamelessly attack other people’s religious beliefs or their chosen morals.
We did not agree with this man’s film, and we never will.
We Americans deeply regret that this man has treated you and your beliefs in this way.”
and he should continue,
“that said; murder of American citizens will not be tolerated. We have video and satellite images and will hunt down and bring to justice everyone involved. Your offense will never be accepted as a valid reason for murder. Also; in my religious tradition those responsible will not end up in paradise. Rather hell. We aim to help get them there as quickly as possible.”
We did not agree with this man’s film, and we never will.
You’re right. It was a stupid, pathetic video that resembled nothing so much as an eighth grader’s class project.
We Americans can do better than that.
This one was well-made and to the point.
TR:
“This film is a bad film. He had the freedom to make the film, but we Americans do not support people when they shamelessly attack other people’s religious beliefs or their chosen morals.”
With the exception of progs and libs attacking Bible Thumpers and Teabaggers of course. In this case, the progs and libs are SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER, with they added advantage they know they won’t run the risk of getting offed for insulting said Bible Thumpers and Teabaggers.
TR: First of all, the stupid video is NOT the reason for the attacks. It is the pretext.
Second, groveling is not going to get it done with Muslims, especially Arab Muslims. They only respect STRENGTH. If the State Department and Obama don’t know that by now, they are imbeciles, or they are acting like imbeciles on purpose.
rickl said, “Let’s get one thing straight: That stupid YouTube video had NOTHING to do with these coordinated, organized terrorist attacks.”
Absolutely correct. The one you linked to by Ann Barnhardt has been out there for several years now. Why no protests over that one? Is it because she is challenging the jihadis to do something about it?
And there’s another one out. Produced by a man who donated a million bucks to Obama. Who knew? Of course it’s an equal opportunity blaspheming film. Read all about it here:
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2012/09/15/Obama-Contribution-Anti-Islam-Filmmaker
And no protests in the U.S. or ME over that one.
The imams and radicals use any convenient excuse to whip up the Muslim street. This tiny little film was convenient for them. This time it also happens to be a convenient alibi for the administration. After all, Obama promised that, “The Day I’m Inaugurated Muslim Hostility Will Ease.” Read about that here:
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/09/14/FLASHBACK-Obama-The-Day-Im-Inaugurated-Muslim-Hostility-Will-Ease
The evidence is pretty firm that what is really going on is the same old same old. The Muslims don’t like infidels, even when we kow tow to them. Very inconvenient for Obama.
Oh well, as I always say, “Heckuva job, Barry!”
TR, I’d laugh at your absurd suggestion, were it not that I suspect you are quite serious.
Obama has spent far too much time already apologizing for America. It is not appropriate on any level that he grovel over the exercising of a fundamental American right, no matter how pathetic or ill advised the resulting demonstration of free speech (in this case a craptastically poor piece of filmwork) might be.
Islamofascists do not respect apologies anyway; their response invariably is “Die infidel!” An apology only serves to reinforce their notion of moral superiority.
Saw this comment on a patriot’s blog. Did any of you hear about this latest “screw the Bill of Rights” development?
>>The Obama administration is battling to restore a controversial provision of a new federal law that it admits could have been used to arrest and detain citizens indefinitely — even if their actions were protected by the First Amendment.
A federal judge this week made permanent an injunction against enforcement of Section 1021 of the most recent National Defense Authorization Act, which was declared unconstitutional.
The Obama administration then took only hours to file an appeal of the order from U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest, and attorneys also asked her to halt enforcement of her order.
http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/obama-detention-ok-for-1st-amendment-activities/
When the First Amendment goes, we’re all fucked.
<<
Wolla Dalbo — “We are all Spartacus now.”
Morituri te salutant. Islam delenda est.
Curtis:
“Who needs Hollywood for comedy when we’ve got President Bozo?”
The only thing, Curtis, is that this Isn’t.Funny.At.All.
I’m sick of the murdered ambassador being given a free pass here. This guy was a O-bot, he believed violent Muslims were a “tiny minority”, and he thought he was bringing democracy to Libya.
If he didn’t realize that every day he spent in Libya, ESPECIALLY a 9/11 anniversary, meant he was at risk of getting sodomized, killed, and having his corpse dragged through the street, then he was beyond naive. A person who realized the inherent danger in Islam wouldn’t have accepted the post, or else would have insisted on ramped-up security around him at all times.
As one commenter posted here (or elsewhere) at the time of the murder, the ambassador was of the mindset that he would have been smiling and waving to the mob clamoring about his consulate, thinking they were there to praise his work in “liberating” them–up until the point an RPG hit his vehicle. No, he might have been so naive, that he still would have been on the side of his captors after he was captured and raped (it was a beautiful “cultural” experience to him, most likely). He probably was being careful to respect Islam up until the moment his last breath was being choked out of him by the Muslim mob.
I believe I already covered this at length in another thread.
They are liberals. Their DEFINING QUALITY is an almost total lack of wisdom aka “common sense”.
They CANNOT learn from experience — “Gain Wisdom”…
If there were a “Wisdom Quotient” test to match the “Intelligence Quotient” test, then liberals would consistently, to the point of uniformity, rank in the bottom quartile of the bell curve. There’s not a lick of common sense in the lot.
the film did not come out on the date that this all happened. its been out for a while, so its just a convenient excuse for the party of low iq…
on another note.. the war i have been talking about since before obama’s election is here.
and no the Mayan calendar didn’t predict it. but the prediction may have been used to hide it a bit – as such a prediction makes people near its time of effect believe differently about the same information. in our case, the desire to believe its not true, creates a blind to information that would point that way as to fulfill that desire. think of it as overcompensation.
Armada of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran strike
An armada of US and British naval power is massing in the Persian Gulf in the belief that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s covert nuclear weapons programme.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9545597/Armada-of-British-naval-power-massing-in-the-Gulf-as-Israel-prepares-an-Iran-strike.html
its gonna be a hot time, in the igloo tonight…
because the Chinese are storming Japanese embassy/consulates… and other things happening too outside the focus given the focus.
in case anyone forgot, the Russian fleet is already in the area over Syria, and a few other things. and this has always complicated and tied things up with problems during actions in that areas (see six day war).
just dont forget this too:
Russian Nuclear Attack Sub Patrolled Waters Off Gulf for a Month…Undetected
http://freebeacon.com/silent-running/
NLAF Intercepts More Bears
http://tinyurl.com/9byauzm
Two Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-16s on quick action alert this morning intercepted a pair of Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers flying in Dutch airspace without identifying themselves.
and
Two Russian bombers with nuclear capability have been intercepted near the west coast of the United States for the second time in two weeks. The Russians broke across the 200-mile U.S. air defense intrusion zone surrounding U.S. territory and were met by U.S. interceptor jets
that was around july 4
but they did that before that too
Russia Violates U.S. Airspace
Northcom says Russian nuclear bombers violated U.S. airspace during arctic war games
http://freebeacon.com/russia-violates-u-s-airspace/
they have also done it to Canada, and so frequently to the UK that they were worried about collisions with civilian airlines traveling.
Two Russian bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, have been caught flying over British airspace.
http://news.sky.com/story/767880/russian-nuke-bombers-invade-uk-airspace
and Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 (august), took territory, and now has kept it.
and what of the chinese seizing island by using activists, the japanese ejecting them, and now they are really at it..
and the middle east is not the only ones protesting US peoples artistic sensibilities
Sponsor of anti-China mural in US ignores Beijing’s protests
http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201209160018&Type=aIPL
all kinds of stuff now is happening at once… probably because its too much to handle for someone who cant handle it, and if they all happen at once its easy pickings all over. surprise!
Gary Rosen:
Ludic comedy, sick comedy, the comedy of the United States as a drunken bumbling incoherent Santa Claus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cIN2SQ4ANA
As JJ says from time to time: It is to weep.
Hillary+O’Bammyx1,000=IQ of a…???
Thanks, Artfldgr. We are getting intel briefings here; Hussein is not even bothering.
RandomThoughts said:
“TR, I’d laugh at your absurd suggestion, were it not that I suspect you are quite serious.
Obama has spent far too much time already apologizing for America. It is not appropriate on any level that he grovel over the exercising of a fundamental American right, no matter how pathetic or ill advised the resulting demonstration of free speech (in this case a craptastically poor piece of filmwork) might be.
Islamofascists do not respect apologies anyway; their response invariably is “Die infidel!” An apology only serves to reinforce their notion of moral superiority. ”
Good to know. Wasn’t trying to tick you off. To be clear, that wassn’t meant as an apology. If you’ll allow me to reply:
firstly, the beginning of my post says [this is my opinion]. And an opinion can be workable in realpolitik, or not workable in realpolitik, or anywhere in between.
I purposefully chose the word, regret. I used the word, “regret”, in the sense of ” we wish this hadn’t happened. I did not use it in replace of the word: apology.
If I had meant to write my post as an apology for Obama to make, It would have been smaller.
I don’t know if you lean that way, but yeah, I would like to see Obama say to the criminals + the protestors doing crime + killings in the Middle East: [respect us, and don’t attack us, or me + my military will find ways to kick your _ss and crush all of our enemies!…whoever they are!…],
But, in seeing his performance as a weak-willed President + commander, I don’t think that’s something he will do.
That’s Mr. O, for ya.
Based on past incidents it is usually the case, it seems to me, that when a mob forms and is able to storm a U.S. embassy, they are usually able to do so because the local regime has decided to withdraw its protection from that Embassy and to facilitate that storming and, indeed, there has been some reportage that the usual guards just melted away before the attack.
Thus, believing–based on oh, I don’t know, just the mountain of the last 1,400 years of evidence–that you cannot believe a word Muslims, and especially their leaders say, I would not believe a word that comes out of the mouth of the current leader in Libya concerning how the mob somehow overcame his guard forces.
To quote Turkey’s President Erdogan, there is not a moderate and a radical Islam, “There is only one Islam.”
The Jihad is real, the Jihad is 1,400 years old, is based on the world-view, imperative, primary commands of Allah, Muhammad, and the Qur’an, and the ultimate objectives of Islam, and is quite alive and operative here and now.
Did we dare to open our eyes and admit it, this is WWIII, fought out, all over the world, on battlefields and in court rooms and newsrooms and on the Internet and TV, and this sacking of our embassy and murder of our Ambassador and diplomatic personnel is merely one assault on one battlefield in one theater of operations, and our government’s denial, willful ignorance, and fearful, cringing, apologetic stance, coupled with toothless Presidential bluster abut “protecting the lives of every American” aids our enemy greatly, and gifts them with half or more of the final victory already won.
This is a collective post to a few posters who reacted negatively, or possibly negatively, to my first post. I’ve made it collective, since I think a lot of people don’t follow this discussion right now.
I think I understand the hot emotions that you have over this topic. That being said, lambasting anyone who appears not to think just like you do, is not a discussion, it’s a kind of a verbal brawl. Please try to avoid them.
I did not say that the President should apologize for him or the U.S.A., or imply that he is apologizing, over this situation, because I believe that an apology is incorrect for this situation. I always have.
I did not say apologize, I said the word, [regret].
I have a Webster’s Dictionary on my shelf, and this is the main definition for the word, regret, and it is the definition that I used:
“regret- the emotion arising from a wish that some matter or situation could be different from what it is”.
This is the definition that I used. It is not an apology. An apology, is to say that you are sorry for an act or situation, and that you might have some responsibility for that act or situation.
I had posted my idea as just that, [an idea], as in “here is a possible act, let’s talk about it, do you think it will work?” I never said that this idea was something that the President, or anyone [must] do.
A few of you read “regret” and too quickly thought I was saying “let’s apologize”. And then a few people reacted hotly + with anger over it. I can see why you reacted that way, but please try a different approach if I post something, that you think provokes you.
Try asking:
“Hm, TR, It sounds like you’re asking for the President to apologize, here. That really sounds offensive to me. Is that what you meant to say?”
If you ask me to explain something that I posted, and you do it in a calm + reasoned way, maybe you’ll find out that I didn’t mean, “apology”, or that I didn’t mean to do anything else that offended or bugged you.
I ask that, if my post bugged you, or made you feel anything else negative, that you look at your written response, and think about what my post says, without the idea of “an apology” in it.
And, a few people sent me posts that sound like: insults, intolerance, and judgmental ideas.
I kind of understand how reading something that upsets you can make you get too mad and react like that. However, if you respond to me in: insulting ways, intolerant ways, or ways with judgmental ideas, I probably won’t respond. Those are things and behaviors that I do not tolerate. Please do not expect that I will.
If you feel odd or badly about some post that I have made, please reasonably and politely ask me what I’m talking about. And I will do my best to explain my posts, and discuss things with you in a reasonable and polite way. Thanks. That’s all.
I know two military service members, a senior Army officer who worked at the Clinton White House, and a former Marine who was assigned to Camp David security. Both described occasions where Hillary Clinton clearly displayed contempt for military members; when dealing with Marines, the look on her face was described as closer to hatred than mere contempt.
Propaganda is a nice weapon. Up until your own people, allies, and supporters believe it. Then it is a double edged blade that cuts the user sharper than the enemy.