Ed: Last time we went busting in we royally screwed up the entire region and laid the groundwork for what we're dealing with today. Sorry if hearing that is offensive to you, but the fact is this is mostly our own fault.
Ed, do you ever READ? I asserted that taking out the entire Iraq government was a HUGE mistake. Nation-building - dumb and dumber fantasy. Saddam could have been removed without the rest of the nonsense.
Ed: Did you read what Mel wrote? She was right. Crap like Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and that half-wit preacher making a big deal of burning a Koran push young, impressionable, idealistic kids into the arms of ISIS fanatics.
No, these things don't help, but they are FAR from the much greater problem of their political/religious views of conquering, killing, butchuring. Not to mention, these things from the past don't change the fact that we need to step up in a big way - focusing on the past screw-ups won't solve what needs to be done today. Yep, we CAN be smarter, not HELP fan the flames. But make no mistake, the bigger reasons for the flames are not what you mention - but it is what media and terrorist organizations would assert as excuses for their evil actions and goals that dwarf any asserted gripes. They are upset at things that have caused strife in their world, and yet they themselves want to destroy whole civilizations to enslave, rape, destroy. These are people who have no concept or intentions of peace. They understand and respect but ONE thing: Overwhelming force!
Ed: The presence of American troops in the Middle East, our blind support of everything that Israel ever does, and our aggressive drone campaign makes people angry and creates more radicals. FOX News crapping on Muslims is a boon for ISIS recruiters. Donald Trump and Jeb X saying that we should stop admitting Muslim refugees is terrific for ISIS. People like you, preaching about how Islam is evil probably helps ISIS a bit.
Ed, you are so predictable. Hate to tell you, guy, but TROOPS, yes, boots on the ground ARE going to be necessary to stop ISIS. Fox News has brought up many legitimate issues with Radical Islam. IF radicals have easily penetrated certain populations desiring to come here, then YES, until we have a way of screening out the bad guys, it makes total sense to put the brakes on immigration - that makes total sense.
Ed: That means that we need to stop with all of the stupid, useless, counter-productive anti-Islam rhetoric.
Um, does the truth of what Islam teaches offend you, Ed? Do you think it is not helpful for people to wake up and see from where the seeds of radical Islam truly spring from? People NEED to know where a big part of the problem is. NOTHING you mention, if totally changed, will stop those who think like the radicals. They're killing their fellow Muslims like flies - and yet those same Muslims far more support the ideas of Islam than anyone in the West. Still, they're murdering them anyway.
Ed: We need to be extremely careful with our bombs and drones.
Oh, you mean where we must be 100% sure before we unleash a drone that we don't kill unintended targets? Do you know of ANY other bombing techniques that can do this? Nah, didn't think so. Every terrorist killed by a drone was money well spent! It's them or us! War is a dirty, dangerous, unpredictable business. There are FEW certainties related to engaging a dangerous enemy.
Ed: Second, we need to somehow destroy ISIS without making everything worse. That probably means that we need to mix diplomacy with careful, precise force.
DIPLOMACY with these lunatics???!!! Are you freaking SERIOUS!!! Yeah, I'll really trust the leadership of organizations that will send women into markets with bombs, will mow down young kids at cafes with machine guns.
Ed: If we put half a million troops on the ground over there we'll have no trouble driving ISIS underground and taking control of the area, but within a month or two we'll run up against the mother of all insurgencies. When was the last time we defeated an insurgency...?
We can only do what we CAN do. We might NEVER defeat them, but we can keep them at bay enough, hopefully to keep their numbers small and off our shores. ISIS controls territory where they mass troops, train, they have geographically identifiable targets. These all are attackable. Deny them areas for staging, planning, training, as best we can. They still represent targets of territory - this means troops will also be necessary.
Ed: How precisely we'll do all of those things I have no idea. I actually doubt it's possible.
Pretty clear that you don't want to do anything that is not guaranteed success. So, you doubt it's even possible? So, does that mean we don't do the best we can? Do we wait until we have the perfect plan? All you've done is trot out the same old liberal rhetoric, no new ideas, and appear to believe that ISIS is a rational group who only exist because of our missteps and mistakes. I can tell you this, if we do not do our very best to eradicate this enemy, we are making a huge mistake. If you think adjustments in how we treat the Mideast, diplomacy, etc., dialing back anti-Islamist sentiments - against an enemy sworn to wipe the West off of the map, who hates all things Western, equating them with Christianity, throwing homosexuals off of buildings, stoning people - so, we shouldn't use such forceful language over people who think like this? And you believe that these are big keys to defeating and stopping ISIS - these are your focus? Wow, Ed, just wow!
Actually, the Inuit are shocked by what they see in southern jails. Homosexuality is considered a vile perversion by both men and women Inuit detainees I've spoken to.