Comments on: Trump sends a message to ISIS in Nigeria

By: Jeff Cox

Jeff Cox — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 05:06:42 +0000

Richard,

You are absolutely correct. I would just point out that the US doing anything militarily in sub-Saharan Africa is very unusual. That we have done this at all is a message in itself. Will it reach its intended recipients? Don’t know.

By: R2L

R2L — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 04:07:06 +0000

Richard and Kate: I agree.

By: R2L

R2L — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 04:06:06 +0000

I suspect the ability of the “West” to effectively counter the deep belief systems and ideology of Islam (to thereby reduce or avoid violent terrorist attacks and related jihadi efforts) will have to focus on the historical gaps and scholastic flaws being discovered in the whole portrayal of Islamic history and the “unquestioned” nature of their scriptural documents. Only when their belief system can be effectively undermined will they lose the fervor with which they want to ride the world of the successful and prosperous “Satan” they see all around them.

I gather a growing fraction of Muslims are either ignoring real religious practices or only going through the motions to avoid social and personal difficulties from the more rabid of their peers. But 1300 million nominal and real adherents are still a great barrier to bring down.

By: Kate

Kate — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:44:00 +0000

It was symbolic but I doubt it presages a focused campaign.

By: Richard Cook

Richard Cook — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:33:09 +0000

It means nothing if we poop out a few missiles. We want to look like we are doing something when, typically, we are doing nothing. What do we hope to accomplish? This is a cultural/tribal/religious war. Unless the Christian side takes a more aggressive stance, develops a campaign plan, commits resources and personnel to it this is just a sideshow. I don’t thing the western nations really care because it’s Africa. As a former Africa analyst in the military I’ve seen this way too many times.

By: Kate

Kate — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:03:50 +0000

It was done in cooperation with the Nigerian government, which is currently headed by a Muslim. I think he sees the Islamists as a threat to his own position as well. Good.

And to those idiots who claim Trump is a racist, they should look at whom he just acted to defend: Nigerian Christians. May God preserve them. The same for Christians in the Middle East, China, India, Indonesia, and so on, where they are threatened and attacked.

By: om

om — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:00:47 +0000

The battleship is Trump laying down a marker to Xi and the CCP PLA (which includes its navy).

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:42:17 +0000

Re: “Battleship”: the worst offenders in the incorrect use of the term “battleship” are the novice journalists who think it refers to any ship capable of battle. No, that is a “warship”!

OT but related to the classification of ships: many years ago I regularly worked as an IT contractor for a client in Portland, Oregon. As I stayed there during the week, I rented an apartment and got used to listening to a local radio show every morning while commuting to work.

During my time there, a sudden flood occurred, and a visiting naval destroyer became temporarily “trapped” at its Willamette River berth, because it could not pass under a certain bridge to return to the main channel of the Columbia River, and thence to the Pacific!

Now this bridge as I recall was known as the “Iron Bridge”, and reputed to be exceedingly ugly (I don’t think I ever actually saw it).

When this news was announced on air, the host said to his on-air cohost “See this is the optimist in me! Everyone is saying that this is a problem… here we have a ship known as a “destroyer”, and in its way is the ugliest bridge in the known universe… this is NOT a problem, but a golden opportunity!!”

Needless to say cooler heads prevailed while the river went down, and the ship went on its way. But it was pretty funny around town for a few days. Okay, it was Portland, right?

Ps. Apparently there have been several “Iron Bridges” over the Willamette through the years, and this one may now be known as the Fremont Bridge.

By: M J R

M J R — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:13:21 +0000

Calling a spade a spade, and calling scum scum. I’m all for it.

By: physicsguy

physicsguy — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:12:32 +0000

Alan,

And they are the same ones who claim any semiautomatic gun is an assault weapon.