Marines on the mountain?
I already have extremely high regard for the Marines and special forces. But if this report is true, my regard for them goes up a slight notch, if such a thing be possible:
Their mission: Find a way to get tens of thousands of weak, dehydrated, and dying people off a mountaintop (where the temperature’s well over 100 degrees, by the way) when there are well-armed barbarians waiting below. One option is to lead them down the mountain on foot and into Kurdistan by land, but that’s tricky. ISIS is down there, of course, and the road south to Kurdish territory would take them through territory held by the jihadis. Who’s going to do the fighting if U.S. “combat troops” aren’t available and there aren’t enough Peshmerga to shoulder the load?
It is like a horror movie or an action movie, or some combination of the two. But this is real life.
Oddly enough, they’re planning for a NEO.
In this case NEO stands for Noncombatant Evacuation Operation and not the attractive brunette blogress.
I never participated in one of these, but I went through the planning process a couple of times. You’ll be happy to know that no one does it better than the Marines. It’s one of their primary missions.
And here I thought Barry was telling the absolute truth!
Amazing, just amazing.
Like Catholic nuns, the Marines are one of those few groups who will never get enough credit or understanding commensurate with their sublime contribution to mankind.
It’s one thing to “send in the Marines” to rescue the staff of a besieged American embassy, or to send in the Seals to bump off Osama bin Laden; those kind of missions have an American interest. But to my mind, this mission will cost American lives only for the purpose of making Obama look good. Yes, I feel sorry for the Yazidis’ plight, but the time to have stopped the ISIS rampage was back when they were playing Jay-Vee ball.
CapnRusty:
It is very clear that an ounce of prevention (or nipping in the bud) is worth many tons of attempts at cure. Obama’s “jayvee” remark was sophomoric and incredibly shortsighted. Downright stupid.
Heroes are made when everything goes to sh cause somebody screwed up and weren’t doing their job.
I’m worried about the persecuted Christians as well. Not much left of ‘Christendom’ or ‘the West’ these days, or of the Judeo- Christian world view. I don’t care whether it makes the president ‘look good’ to send in the Marines or the Seals, or even the dreaded ‘Contractors’. Sitting here twiddling our thumbs while these evil savages do their worst is a reprise of the way America stuck her head in the sand during the Holocaust. When it comes to things like this we should not be – and are not, I hope! – “war weary”.
I’m still hoping for some B-52 raids around the base of the mountains.
Unless Obama is willing to commit the logistical resources, close air support and boots on the ground needed, there is no way “to get tens of thousands of weak, dehydrated, and dying people off a mountaintop (where the temperature’s well over 100 degrees, by the way) when there are well-armed barbarians waiting below”.
If Obama does not make the needed commitment and orders the Marines to try it anyway, it’s tantamount to sending those men to their deaths knowing they have no chance of completing their mission. I am not hopeful that Obama will do enough and if not, this has the potential for disaster. Be prepared for Marines heads to be sawed off and shown on Al Jazeera with narration by Soledad O’Brian.
But of course if disaster does strike, it will not be Obama’s fault but the Marines… or faulty intelligence or that trusty standby… Bush.
America wasn’t doing nothing during the Holocaust.
American newspapers like the New York Times owned Salzbergers, were actively covering up news of concentration camps and ethnic cleansing, while FDR was trying to figure out how to get Americans into a war without saying anything, all the while denying Jews entrance to the US from Europe.
At that link, there’s a report that the besieged parents are cutting their own veins to let their children drink their blood so they won’t die of thirst.
But Captain Bullsh** is too busy golfing on Mahtha’s Vinyahd and pandering to his base base to give a damn.
As the Mom of a Marine, I can’t help but feel disgust for a President and his administration that are responsible for causing circumstances to arrive to this point. There are no words.
Carl–until the American press starts reporting on the actual atrocities of the Islamic terrorist, we as a people will remain ignorant and represent no threat to their plans. Sending in Marines who honor their sworn duty (as opposed to our President who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect the United States) will not amount to a hill of beans…only dead, honorable Americans.
Geoffrey Britain:
I admire not only the Marines’ incredible courage but their judgment. Marines usually aren’t into committing mass suicide. But I admit to being very concerned about exactly what you describe.
My toilet needs cleaning; the Old Lady is Dying!
Why should I worry whether their flag is flying?
Is a man with causes to forsake them for others?
I have death to face and must fasten the covers.
Wind, soil, fire remain- so I need not be involved
of Robert Jay Lifton, of a call to be resolved.
Casting doubts on past ways and spiritual hosts,
a grey lady casts her doubts on Our Lady of Coasts.
The craps and scraps of the Ginsberg paranoia,
Moloch in place of and sub for uppance Judah,
Hopeful you can stop the ignorance coming in:
jWhen subjects are replaced, a genocide begins.
It’s a matter of history, of history, of history:
Can’t talk now the place is messy, messy, messy.
“But this is real life.”
Yes it is, but it is far removed from the everyday reality of Kardashians, hashtags, and golf. Storm louds are gathering, we have a @&#@€£¥é—â‚©* president and a citizenry where less that 50% are capable of paying attention to what truly matters. This has all the potential to turn into a massacre which the msm will allow the boychild to dust off his hands like pocket lint from his golf shorts. I hope all Americans serving under this CINC survive because he obviously does not care for anything other than himself.
There’s precious little news coming out of the MSM. The Long War Journal has some details, but we don’t really know what’s going on.
I don’t know who VICE News is, but here’s what they say about themselves:
“VICE News is an international news channel created by and for a connected generation. Our documentaries and original news series bring you an unvarnished look at some of the most important events of our time, and shine a light on underreported stories around the globe.”
Here’s one of their most recent videos from Iraq.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGQwTOsh__0&list=UUZaT_X_mc0BI-djXOlfhqWQ
Kinda gives an idea of what’s coming. That Obama has done nothing is despicable. Does he or any of his minions have any clue about these cunning barbarians?
If anyone can help those poor Yasidis off the mountain, it’s the Marines. God bless ’em! No better friend, no worse enemy.
According to reports by Aljazeera the situation on the mountain is getting better. That is some good news among the bad if you can believe Aljazeera. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/us-rescue-yazidis-less-likely-after-visit-201481323213112130.html
Looking beyond the immediate crisis, I’m very concerned. Where will people like the Yazidis turn for help when the United States has been fundamentally transformed by the left? We are in the midst of a religious war whether we want it or not. The Islamists and the more passive “moderate” Muslims share the same goal to destroy Western culture based on our Judeo-Christian religion. The left shares the same immediate destructive goal against Western Civilization so will do everything possible to prevent an effective counter offensive against Islamism.
One of the most effective strategies of the Left/Islamic allies is to equate anti-Islamism with racism and to call anyone who opposes Islam an Islamophobe. In Israel the left defends the Islamists by maintaining blatant double standards in which the Palestinians are free to commit any atrocity against the Jews at will without criticism while the Jews are loudly condemned for protecting themselves.
On a lighter note (but actually dead serious), this is bitingly hilarious: Robin Williams skewers the jihadi swine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=osvvTOzzQBE
Y…
You are not factually correct.
The NY Times actually DID report about Nazi atrocities — and on a pretty timely basis… ON PAGE 17, that is.
Shockingly, the actual body counts were often accurately reported, too.
It’s just that the general readership dismissed such accurate accounts because bylines were (generally) missing and because the Times editorial page utterly ignored Nazi atrocities. The news blurbs were not elaborated upon in any meaningful way.
No US Government official was ever cited to aver the accuracy of the horrific news.
And, in general, the Times would construct the revelations as being facts that were “feared” — citing this or that Jewish organization/ sect.
At no time would the Times put its absolute imprimatur on the veracity of the horrific statistics — even when the Times wouldn’t print such items until IT WAS VERIFIED.
&&&
And as to the general tenor of the times, when the very first two Auschwitz escapees revealed the horrific news to the Swiss press — those publishers spent fully two-weeks trying to break their story. (!!!) The two Jewish survivors were kept isolated in separate hotel rooms while reporters interrogated them for countless hours — in an effort to deny that the Nazis were doing exactly what Adolf said he intended to do all along!
FINALLY, the Swiss published the Auschwitz story — circa June 1944, IIRC — running it Page One, Column One, Sunday and for days after ward.
Their tale was then available to the ENTIRE diplomatic community — which was fulsomely represented in Switzerland by every nation on Earth. (Europe & Americas)
STILL the American press shunned such a truth, even though much of the published account entirely dovetailed with previous NY Times news articles.
Even as late as the Spring of 1945 Allied generals acted astonished about Nazi death camps. This in spite of having daily murder stats broadcast back to Nazi HQ from the field by Enigma (wireless) transmissions — completely broken by Bletchley Park going back Y E A R S.
Even David Irving alleges that the British were getting details about Auschwitz — even from the start — by a morally offended SS captain (Catholic) — who leaked many astonishing details only knowable by an SS officer within the camp — by way of the Catholic church (his Priest — he wanted to save his soul), thence, Polish underground.
&&&
We’re seeing a bizarro repetition of reality suppression WRT ISIS and Barry’s MASSIVE personal involvement.
1) He, personally, released al-Baghdadi from Gitmo in 2009. Barry ALWAYS signs off on any prisoner transfers — releases — from Gitmo. They are so limited in number.
2) He has always held to the zany idea that he could establish his own ‘back-fire jihadi army.’ By doing so, he would be emulating the mullahs — and every other Muslim despot.
(Ding, ding, ding — we have an identity.)
3) The re-ramp of ISIS EXACTLY coincides with Barry’s Jordanian cohort — fueled with American and KSA $$$$$$$. Notably, this crew was vetted against AQ sympathies.
They no sooner crossed over into the Euphrates river valley but ISIS politically split with al-Nusrah. More, ISIS went after al-Nusrah, hammer and tong. Go back and read the accounts. They are still to be found at The Long War Journal.
Barry’s Muslim legion immediately drew defectors straight out of al-Nusrah, weakening it fatally by doing so. AQ’s brand is now an echo of its prior strength. A quick inspection of the map shows that al-Nusrah is almost entirely vanquished. (!)
The fanatics simply dropped one flag (AQ) and picked up al-Baghdadi’s!!! This hyper expansion has happened so quickly that the mind reels. ISIS is now fighting — as the dominant faction — from Lebanon to Baghdad.
And none of it could’ve happened without Libyan weapons shunted over via Turkey from Benghazi — at American, British Qatari and KSA expense. Lacking enough Arabic speakers — take a wild guess as to who was really calling the shots in the Jordanian desert.
American supplied communications gear made it possible for al-Baghdadi to co-ordinate his far flung fanatics. They almost certainly permitted al-Baghdadi to get inside the comms of the Iraqi army!
In short, an intel capacity that was supposed to benefit the Jordanian cohort when they confronted Assad’s crew was instantly vectored over against Iraq — where comms used the exact same encoding algorithms and frequencies.
Breaking into Russian comms would be a much tougher proposition, of course.
&&&
Now that ISIS has M198 howitzers — and their prime movers — it TOTALLY OUTCLASSES the Syrian army. Russia never supplied counter-battery arms with the scope to counter the M198.
(BTW, don’t believe anything Wiki posts about the M198 — especially its range. Whereas the Russians always fully claim/ over claim performance stats — the Americans NEVER fully claim any military performance stats. Such figures are ALWAYS official lies.)
[ A classic in this regard: BB-63, the New Jersey, was always pitched by the USN as being a 32 knot battleship. During WWII British official publications admitted that this vessel sustained 35 knots in the open ocean, fully laden for combat, when racing to sink the IJN. (Adm Halsey, fleet commander was on board at the time.) The Bismark never attained more than 28.5 knots in the Baltic — under ideal conditions — NOT loaded for combat — light as a feather, she was, for this speed test. So, apples to apples the American ship (35 knots) was an incredible 8 knots faster than the Bismark (27 knots) when similarly loaded.
This performance gap exists up and down the entire range of American weaponry and equipment. It’s routine for throttle/ speed restrictors to be in place in jets, tanks, combatant vessels,… you name it.
So you can see why the opfor doesn’t trust any open literature stats for American systems. We low-ball everything.
To hide, for morale purposes, their inferiorities, the opfor always stretch their stats. This lies behind some of the horrific crashes seen at the Paris Air Show, etc.]
I no sooner posted the above but what my PC crashed — ghost in the machine, style.
Amazing, no?
blert:
And this Koestler article was published in 1944 by the Times, in the magazine section.
20 Green Berets were deposited on the site of the Yazidi mountain refuge. The Yazidis had, for the most part, self-evacuated to Kurdistan. The Green Berets reported there were not so many Yazidis left on the mountain to justify a large rescue operation.
Side note – the Green Berets are America’s only Special Forces. All the other units are Special Operation Forces. Not much of a difference for most civilians, but it’s a really big deal within the SF and SOF family.
“U.S. declares Yazidi intervention a success, says rescue mission unneeded.”
So don’t worry, it’s all good now according to the DOD. No Marines or SpecOps guys hurt, no more dead Yazidis.
We can all sleep safely in our beds at night knowing that the Obama administration has dismissed all your concerns.
Nitey-nite.
blert @ 12:57 – – great, informative post. TY.
I hope you come back here because I would like clarification about “back-fire army” in the second point.
I think I understand the analogy to fire-fighting (altho maybe not) but am uncertain what you mean literally.
Also wonder if you could clarify the connection to BO.
American military has no precident in history…
if Russia took over Japan or China, would they have helped rebuild it, and make it into a self actuated self governed free republic, or would they have “kept” it?
a french soldier describing the modern american marine… [sorry its too big to post with procrustes around)
http://themoderatevoice.com/26565/a-french-on-the-ground-view-of-the-american-soldier/
I wish my son would send me an address so i could send him stuff and wish him happy birthday… 🙁
anyway… is it anywonder the whiners who are helpless who cant even make their own work in the USA Would hate such a force? is it any wonder that every competent military that stands against such, uses our own people against ourselves.
it tryly pains me to hear friends tell false stories of horrors of “people they know” who claim to have witnessed such (just like everyone comes from an awful family and is proud to tell their story of it to gain whatever).
funny thing.. i tell them that the military desperately wants people who have witnessed such things to come forward, tell thier story and prosecute the criminals (with extreme prejudice). things may happen, but they are prosecuted and tracked down and there is no statute of limitations for such.
not one of them was willing to drop an anonymous dime to get things investigated and have the horrible persons who everyone knows americans collected ears and body parts and other horrible things – prosecuted… nope… they would rather walk around like a agitprop parrot, disparage the greatest force on earth too.
and as you read above, they are not the greatest force for their strenght and brutality, but for their strength and integrity.
booyah… semper fidelis…
“The NY Times actually DID report about Nazi atrocities – and on a pretty timely basis… ON PAGE 17, that is.”
That’s not reporting on anything, it’s a cover up. The same way they “report” corrections, or rather they don’t.
Ymarsakar:
Did you follow the link in my last comment? In 1944, an article by Arthur Koestler appeared in the NY Times magazine section. The subject matter was how he and others were reporting on the Holocaust and yet people weren’t doing anything about it.
An excerpt:
I’m not saying the Times was doing a good job of reporting it. But it’s not as though it was a secret and they were not reporting it, either. The Koestler article describes how hard it was to energize people to do something about atrocities.
Joker: Where does he get all those wonderful toys.
Me: Where does Blert get all that wonderful info.
your comment neo reminds me of Phil Ochs song from pleasures of the harbor album..
Small Circle of Friends – Phil Ochs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMeG6dAFqXw
An Air Force general once told me that the trouble with the Marines is they run up the middle even when an end run would be better. He meant it as a compliment. Sometimes a run up the middle is necessary.
The desperate situation on the mountain and the threats to Erbil seemed to get better very fast. I’m wondering if our air strikes concentrated the mind of the crazies. I wonder if our SF guys who spent 24 hours on the mountain didn’t bag some crazies.
The only crazy the US absolutely needs to bag is in DC.
But it’s not as though it was a secret and they were not reporting it, either.
To answer your question, I wasn’t reading blog posts around that date stamp, probably.
As for this particular matter, the New York Times back then was controlled by the top, with some people floating around on the bottom that were shoved into a corner. There weren’t as many centralized controls back then, but what existed was enough to downplay opinions based upon who said them.
It’s not a secret what the US was doing in Iraq, but most people wouldn’t know based upon 99% of what was reported, which was IEDs and civilians being killed by “X”. Whatever X was, mostly referring to Americans.
The propaganda was centralized, coordinated, and manifested at the top of the New York Times by the owners and editors, although they didn’t have 99% control like they do now.
50 years from now, they’re going to pull an article from the MSewerMedia about US doing good things in 2006 Iraq, and people will say “see, they were reporting on what was really going on”.
Ymarsakar:
No one says they were reporting well, thoroughly, or fairly. I believe I made that quite clear in my earlier comments. I was merely saying there was some reporting, rather than a complete blackout.
Tonawanda Says:
August 14th, 2014 at 9:06 am
blert @ 12:57 — – great, informative post. TY.
I hope you come back here because I would like clarification about “back-fire army” in the second point.
I think I understand the analogy to fire-fighting (altho maybe not) but am uncertain what you mean literally.
Also wonder if you could clarify the connection to BO.
Barry’s Muslim ‘back-fire army’ has been conjured up by Barry’s magical thinking super-radical genius.
%%%%
Some back round first:
All during the Muslim/Ottoman era the top despot used and manipulated dupe armies.
The mullahs are the current reigning champion practitioners of this art.
Hezbollah
Hamas
AQ
AQ in the Arabian Peninsula
etc.
I’m only listing their more famous/ infamous assets.
The Punjabis of Islamabad are scarcely one step behind, themselves, with a rogues gallery of ‘off brand’ Muslim pirates/ assets. Many are expected to be self-funding. (Opium/ Hashish/ sex slavery)
Similar assets have been established by the Damascus crew (Assad & Coy); by the Duck of Death (Libya); on down the line: (Sudan, Nigeria, Malia,…)
$$$
Barry wants to play the same game — and fold it back upon the anti-American Muslim factions.
Much in the manner of the Frankfurt Shul, Barry figures HE can run the radical movement in the New World — best.
So Smart Diplomacy (TM) would dictate that Barry spawn a slew of ‘back-fire’ jihadis that would be duped into taking Barry’s marching orders.
John O. Brennan (often fingered as a Muslim — he speaks perfect Arabic) is Barry’s point man in this entire endeavor.
Blow-back and troubles follow Brennan as surely as they follow Jamie Gorelick. (!) Both are masters of disaster.
[Gorelick: Black Hawk Down, 9-11 Chinese Wall, Clinton stone waller, Freddie Mac, … and now the IRS scandal … she’s up past her ears on it, too.]
[Brennan: CIA scandals up the yingyang, General Petraeus affair, back-fire jihad armies, hatchet man at the CIA (house purge for Barry), top mole for the ummah (if you exclude Barry, himself) … on and on it goes. He was sent down and out into the field the same way that Darth Maul was cut loose by Darth Sidious, every despot needs his Beria/ fixer.]
####
As to current events…
ISIS — at least in its early restructuring under al-Baghdadi – stayed on script… PERFECTLY.
It Hoovered up all of the jihadis — putting al-Nusrah to the wall — both financially and by body count.
Further, ISIS immediately went after Barry’s nemesis in Baghdad: al-Maliki. (David H.) Petraeus, (Stanley A.) McCrystal and Barry (Soetoro) all can’t stand him.
Both four-stars fingered al-Maliki as being the KEY problem in Baghdad — and nothing else.
He can’t be reasoned with, his corruption can’t be stopped, ever. He’s so bad even Tehran can’t work with him. Even the mullah’s refused to back his play!
@@@
Now that Barry has too much jihad on his plate — suddenly ISIS calms down!
A cynic would bet that Brennan informed al-Baghdadi that all would be stasis as long as ISIS stayed within the traditional Sunni zone. But, that if he got out of line, then his patron would slap him down.
One might note the totally pathetic support for Kurdish Sunnis. Like any Muslim despot, Barry’s minions offer a slew of excuses.
Even now, Barry can’t bear to think about destroying the gift M198 howitzers that al-Baghdadi has shifted back over to Syria. Hey, I guess the crew IS taking orders, after all.
Whatever success Assad is now having will be short-lived. Sometime this autumn, ISIS will have hauled M198s far enough west to interdict Damascus from the sea. As it stands, the weather is too hot for major campaigning.
All that we’re seeing is skirmish action in Lebanon — which should result in political re-alignments: al-Nusrah losing more crewmen to al-Baghdadi.
The recruitment of a fresh Muslim mercenary army. They never cease to chase a paycheck.
“But dying is no way to make a living…” Tuco.
Well said Eli.
@@@
Barry’s ISIS is astride the crescent. It’s totally frustrating the Hez and Tehran.
It’s Barry’s first Muslim back-fire army. Look to see this pattern replicated.
Barry and Brennan scheme to keep ISIS aimed and deployed strictly in the Middle East. The plan is to keep it bleeding against the Shi’ite hordes — pretty much forever.
Barry has absolutely zero desire to see his new toy destroyed. He expects that it will ensconce itself — and be contained.
Its existence will corral Assad to the coast. It will link Turkey to KSA and Jordan, eventually becoming a front line state facing Israel.
At that time Barry figures to use ISIS as a pressure point against Jerusalem so that Bibi can climb down and ‘really negotiate’ for a ‘two-state solution.’
Barry does not anticipate that ISIS already has Jordan in its sights. ISIS wants to confront Israel from the Med through to the Gulf of Aqaba. Perfect. What could go wrong?
By such a time, ISIS should be in a position to go hammer and tongs on Kuwait and KSA. One should figure on Riyadh falling first. This would put al-Baghdadi in a position superior to any dreamt by Saddam.
And he’d still have Barry in his corner. (!)
The key thing is that all of these moves can happen like lightning because Barry absolutely refuses to intervene. The actual military power of KSA is an absolute joke compared to that which crumbled north of Baghdad.
This campaign is already underway, hence the battle space preparation, targeting KSA military intelligence. (It’s a thin organization with an even thinner bench. Social media should entirely do it in.)
Social media were a HUGE factor in dialing in the activities of the Mosul general officers. The Shi’ites never saw it coming.
Social media inside a disaffected population = a million finks.
Then a database assembles all of the motes of intelligence up into predictive power.
Stanley A. McCrystal was the pioneer in this craft. This was his route to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi… and everyone in the Z organization.
@@@
Thanks due to Barry’s magical thinking, we will live in interesting times.
Cheers.
blert, what about this assessment from Spengler:
“ISIS by itself is overrated. It is a horde enhanced by captured heavy weapons, but cannot fly warplanes in a region where close air support is the decisive factor in battle. The fighters of the Caliphate cannot hide under the jungle canopy like the North Vietnamese. They occupy terrain where aerial reconnaissance can identify every stray cat. The Saudi and Jordanian air forces are quite capable of defending their borders. Saudi Arabia has over 300 F-15′s and 72 Typhoons, and more than 80 Apache attack helicopters. Jordan has 60 F16′s as well as 25 Cobra attack helicopters. The putative Caliphate can be contained; it cannot break out into Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and it cannot advance far into the core Shia territory of Iraq. It can operate freely in Syria, in a war of attrition with the Iranian backed government army. The grim task of regional security policy is to channel the butchery into areas that do not threaten oil production or transport.
Ultimately, ISIS is a distraction. The problem is Iran. Without Iran, Hamas would have no capacity to strike Israel beyond a few dozen kilometers past the Gaza border. Iran now has GPS-guided missiles which are much harder to shoot down than ordinary ballistic missiles (an unguided missile has a trajectory that is easy to calculate after launch; guided missiles squirrel about seeking their targets). If Hamas acquires such rockets-and it will eventually if left to its own devices-Israel will have to strike further, harder and deeper to eliminate the threat. That confrontation will not come within a year, and possibly not within five years, but it looms over the present hostilities. The region’s security will hinge on the ultimate reckoning with Iran.”
He believes, as do I, that air power is decisive in desert warfare. Though I have no idea if KSA or Jordan’s pilots are worth much. He also believes that the ultimate enemy is Iran. If your conjecture is right and Obama/Brennan are trying to pull the strings on ISIS they could be useful in confronting Iran. But if they go rogue, that could be a nice mess of potage.
J J…
Barry-Brennan have already administered a spanking — and at the theoretical extreme limit of USN air power.
I would not be surprised to find out that the very latest ISIS expansion (Kurdistan) was not, in fact, approved by al-Baghdadi. He, apparently, uses a loose rein.
I’d say that al-Baghdadi wants to liquidate al-Nursah as priority number one. This is to be done by cross recruitment — and the occasional assassination of ‘slow to converts.’
Further, al-Baghdadi wants to enfold all around the FSA. This is already pretty much a given. It’s EXTREMELY notable that ISIS gained its first batch of American arms by way of the FSA — particularly to include night vision gear. Remember?
So the move against Mosul was merely a scaled up ‘boon pick-up.’
The $500,000,000 in additional training for the FSA was intended, by Barry Soetoro, to be an additional boon for ISIS.
By this time, Congress must come to understand that the FSA is only Door#1, #2, or #3 in “The Weapons Prices Are Right.”
In this ‘boon show’, the curtains are pulled back by bearded imams — who are still virgins.
@@@
Spengler’s conjectures are meaningless with Barry in the wheelhouse.
He has absolutely no intention of attacking his prized Muslim back-fire jihad army.
It’s Barry’s full intent to jihad his way forward — frustrating Shi’ite jihadis.
Ankara is furious because this gambit has already shunted Turkey into wingman status. Erdogan thought that he’d be the big wheel.
He can easily imagine a turn of the wheel — which would spin off Armenia and Kurdistan from his hunk of Anatolia.
Turkey’s economy now is so shaky that Erdogan needs to cut serious deals with the (Iraqi) Kurds.
As for Iran, without Barry Soetoro as their ace in the oval, Tehran would already be plunging into economic crisis. Net deliveries of crude oil have simply cratered.
Because of the tender mercies of Riyadh, there is no prospect that this trend will reverse. It’s Iran’s needs that have pushed Riyadh up to 10,000,000 bbl/ day.
Further, KSA is pushing against Putin, too. The Saudis have figured out something that eludes Barry: Moscow and Tehran are on the same (economic) page.
%%%%
And in other related news: Ukraine is on the griddle BECAUSE she moved to sign up Western oil drillers.
While the big boys get the press, the Russian’s real worry remains the small American wildcatters. These are the fellows that own the trade secrets of fracking. Even know, Chevron and ExxonMobile have not solved fracking. They just have big budgets — and are willing to grease some palms. (Nothing illegal, mind you.)
The problem with the minors is that they, the Russians, have no leverage over them. They can’t be spanked. They also have a tendency to drill 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In Texas, these players can bring a prospect on line in less than eight-weeks.
I’ve read that when it’s required, the Ukrainian army is providing massive security for oil drillers.
If American drillers replicate their prior results, Ukraine could go from needing natural gas to exporting it in less than twenty-five months.
There is a big hitch: the Russians managed to get Kiev to massively ramp up natural gas taxes at the wellhead. This economic sabotage has slid right under the noses of the Ukrainian powers that be. It has to be reversed immediately, or Ukraine will never see its trade balance fixed, will never leave Moscow’s orbit, will never escape Putinism.
###
In yet other news, Brent is now no longer an international benchmark for crude oil dealing. The Europeans (and Australians) are becoming addicted to refined imports from the USA.
Something like 300,000 bbl/ day in refining capacity has been shut down in Australia because Californian/ Washingtonian imports are crushing the ‘crack spread.’ If Red China slows down, Australian demand will tail off, too.
Wiki:
New South Wales
Kurnell Refinery (Caltex), 124,500 bbl/d (19,790 m3/d),[37] Botany Bay Closing in 2014
Clyde Refinery (Royal Dutch Shell), 100,000 bbl/d (16,000 m3/d), Clyde Closed in 2012
Victoria
Geelong Refinery (Royal Dutch Shell), 130,000 bbl/d (21,000 m3/d), Geelong
Altona Refinery (ExxonMobil), about 75,000 bbl/d (11,900 m3/d), Altona North
Queensland
Bulwer Island Refinery (BP), 90,000 bbl/d (14,000 m3/d), Bulwer Island Closing in 2015
Lytton Refinery (Caltex), 104,000 bbl/d (16,500 m3/d), Lytton
The Americans have essentially replaced Nigeria and Libya — but with refined products. (Think middle distillate, gasoline, kerosene)
Gulf and East Coast American refineries have driven over 30 European refineries out of operation/ into bankruptcy/ reorganization.
All that is left are their tank farms. As you might imagine, these were typically (dinky) refineries that imported Libyan light, sweet crude. (Ireland at the top of the list.)
The second the local economy turned soft — and these refineries had to turn the burners down — they became hopelessly uneconomic.
American refining capacity is increasing at about 3.5% per year ( that is 560,000 bbl/ day in out put )
Some of this surge is entirely due to the massive availability of cheap natural gas — which supplies hydrogen at a much lower cost than any steam reformer running on heavy oils.
This latter technological revolution skews the stats. It’s entirely why net output (for the North Americans) no longer lines up with crude oil production. In a loopy, round a bout way, methane is being transformed into gasoline and middle distillates.
This trend is only part way home. Expect even further, ‘surprises’ on the refined exports front. Expect that Brent fails to ‘catch fire.’ Those that would’ve bid for Brent are going belly up — as American products float across the pond.
For Putin and the mullahs, this is absolutely tragic.
So sad.
blert, all this scheming doesn’t seem to fit Barry’s, “Who me?” persona, but I can see such advisors as Valerie J., Brennan, and maybe some Soros acolytes doing the sceming and Barry signing off on it. Sounds like the Game of Thrones.
Your take on what’s happening in the energy industry is interesting. Since 9/11 I have believed that our most powerful weapon against the Islamists was to go all in developing our energy. Even with the huge barriers that the Greens have put up against that, what is happening is apparently making some big waves. Just think what could happen if we could just drill, baby, drill on federal lands and off shore. Without the oil money, jihad is barely possible. We could then watch as the Islamic world became less significant and less of a threat.
The US traitors don’t want there to be a lesser threat. How then can they declare emergency rule and ban guns, for the Greater Good?
It’s now coming out that the DoD/ CIA is actually not quite sure WHAT the story is on al-Baghdadi.
As a nom de guerre it has been most popular. So much so that there is a roster of al-Baghdadis toted up by the CIA.
If you’re not aware: Muslims lack a diversity of names. Rather like the Chinese, they have too many souls versus popular proper names.
Their solution, coming from the era of tiny populations and local raiding, is to reference their village. They’re flexible on this point. It may or may not be the village/ city of their birth. It can easily be a location wherein they made their mark — attained adult status — religious acclaim — perhaps even graduated.
Examples
(Ayatollah) Khomeini … from the city of Khomein
(President) Ahmadi-nejad … from Nejad
(He’s of Jewish birth, 100%. His father converted when he was a toddler. His Jewish ancestors were known as weavers of Jewish prayer scarfs/ Tallit. This amazing detail comes by way of the Mossad, who I figure to be pretty accurate about such things.)
al-Maliki … from Malik
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Unlike Western infidels, such ‘last names’ are not actually surnames. They don’t convey any familial information.
A man’s lineage is often built into his FULL extended name. This quickly gets bulky and absurd — because even when this is done, it’s the same few Muslim names that are being recycled… endlessly.
Not surprisingly, the CIA/ DoD have shifted over to using nicknames and numbers… plus biometrics whenever possible.
THIS proved to be the undoing of the al Anbar rebellion. With time and persistence, (Stanley A.) McCrystal built up a biometric map of the entire adult population.
Since most Iraqis are ‘stay-at-homes,’ the traveling activists became highly exposed. They popped up all over the database. They didn’t in any way realize the larger significance of being passed on through the endless US Army and Marines check points.
Ironically, by being so easy to pass on through, the opfor became comfortable about presenting himself to capture. These silent captures were NEVER publicized then, or later. It was always put out that ‘Achmed’ had been captured by Iraqi security forces.
This enhanced the self-esteem of the Iraqi security services, while totally obscuring what the Americans ere doing to pop a hole in AQ in Iraq’s fighting strength.
This entire gambit explains why the Americans were totally in love with “K barriers” right through Baghdad.
(K barrier = keystone barrier — keystone inverted)
(Military scale barriers are put on steroids.)
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Because of all of the above, at this time al-Baghdadi’s career is ‘fuzzy.’
I’ve seen reports that he’d gained street cred by way of Gitmo, by way of Iraqi prisons, by way of field operations, and by way of heredity.
Those who feel they can claim blood descendancy from Mo’ are entitled by tradition to wear a BLACK turban/ head towel. Al-Baghdadi makes much of his. By tradition a Caliph has to be born of such a bloodline.
With all of the intervening generations, there can be no shortage of such players.
%%%
The confusion over this matter also points to the collapse in White House/ DoD/ Federal credibility on issues large and small.
One would think that al-Baghdadi’s bio would’ve been vetted and made public by this date. It’s not as if he’s living under a rug.
One has to conclude that the CIA can’t even produce a sloppy Order of Battle for the opfor. That’s a scandal of the first water.
Send in Inspector Clouseau!
blert:
Agreed about the confusion over al Baghdadi.
But Ahmadinejad is very unlikely to have a Jewish background, although it’s not 100% certain.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/6256173/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-revealed-to-have-Jewish-past.html
“A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian — a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver. ”
And
“The Iranian leader has not denied his name was changed when his family moved to Tehran in the 1950s. But he has never revealed what it was changed from or directly addressed the reason for the switch. ”
%%%
Lacking the capacity to blow up the document proffered by the fanatic, I can’t take it much further.
Changing ones surname in Iran is much more consistent with religious conversion than anything else.
IIRC, the Mossad was referenced as affirming this assertion, but I no longer see it listed at the top of the Google rankings. The last time I looked, it was right there on the first page.
Stranger things have happened.
Due to his status, it’s obvious why the topic would be officially taboo inside Iran. So much for tracking down the facts.
blert:
The link I provided says that name is NOT a Jewish name meaning cloth-weaver. Did you read the link?
I stand corrected.
Dang Fleet Street rumor mongers.