2 minute video about what happened in Paris



Noted that narrator mistakenly says Oct 13 (while the graphic shows Nov 13) at the start of the video.

*snip*

1. The government is already tapping our conversations and watching/arresting those who show up on the radar and commit certain types of crimes.

I don't believe that to be true, unless you're conversing with "non-U.S. persons" in whom they've taken an interest.  Call me naive if you want, but I believe that our intelligence personnel take pretty seriously the legal restrictions on collecting on U.S. persons.

As to how do we fix it, well...  we can't.  Not permanently.  We've "defeated" evil several times throughout history, and it keeps rearing it's ugly head under a new flag.  What we can do is try to fix this problem by figuring out what is motivating the violence and fixing that; delivering intense violence on our terms to degrade their ability to plan and coordinate attacks will give us the room to figure out the "hearts and minds" piece...  and hearts and minds are the key, either through changing their hearts and minds, or through "two to the heart, one to the mind."

I don't believe that to be true, unless you're conversing with "non-U.S. persons" in whom they've taken an interest.  Call me naive if you want, but I believe that our intelligence personnel take pretty seriously the legal restrictions on collecting on U.S. persons.

As to how do we fix it, well...  we can't.  Not permanently.  We've "defeated" evil several times throughout history, and it keeps rearing it's ugly head under a new flag.  What we can do is try to fix this problem by figuring out what is motivating the violence and fixing that; delivering intense violence on our terms to degrade their ability to plan and coordinate attacks will give us the room to figure out the "hearts and minds" piece...  and hearts and minds are the key, either through changing their hearts and minds, or through "two to the heart, one to the mind."

Well, naive is probably accurate, but most are at least uninformed...

It was revealed that the NSA was harvesting millions of email and instant messaging contact lists,[132] searching email content,[133] tracking
and mapping the location of cell phones,[134] undermining attempts at encryption via Bullrun[135][136] and that the agency was using cookies
to "piggyback" on the same tools used by internet advertisers "to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance."[137] The
NSA was shown to be "secretly" tapping into Yahoo and Google data centers to collect information from "hundreds of millions" of account holders
worldwide by tapping undersea cables using the MUSCULAR surveillance program.[114][115]

The NSA, the CIA and GCHQ spied on users of Second Life, Xbox Live and World of Warcraft, and attempted to recruit would-be informants from
the sites, according to documents revealed in December 2013.[138][139] Leaked documents showed NSA agents also spied on their "love interests,"
a practice NSA employees termed LOVEINT.[140][141] The NSA was shown to be tracking the online sexual activity of people they termed
"radicalizers" in order to discredit them.[142] Following the revelation of "Black Pearl", a program targeting private networks, the NSA was accused
of extending beyond its primary mission of national security. The agency's intelligence-gathering operations had targeted, among others, oil giant
Petrobras, Brazil's largest company.[143] The NSA and the GCHQ were also shown to be surveilling charities including UNICEF and Médecins du
Monde, as well as allies such as the EU chief and the Israeli Prime Minister.[144]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden

Something the government has been doing for decades through FBI, DHS and NSA is warehousing communications from citizens and promising they would not look at the information until a warrant is issued for a specific investigation.  Yeah, when has the government ever abused its authority?

Well, think about the Constitutional protections there.  You are supposed to be protected against illegal searches and seizures to include electronic communications unless and until a warrant is issued subject to rules of reasonable suspicion.  By collecting the data without warrants, agencies in effect have access to conversations retroactively from before the investigation and legal permission existed to collect it.

See the problem here?  It's equivalent to the cops installing cameras in your home, recording everything you do there 24/7, then going back to review the recordings for evidence of criminal activity after they can get a warrant.

I saw one reference to content there, and it didn't specify content of communications involving U.S. persons.  Show me where there is evidence that any agency of the U.S. government has been accessing CONTENT of communications between U.S. persons.

Metadata ≠ content

I listened closely to any reporting I caught when Snowden made his accusations, and every time...  EVERY TIME... there was NO credible reporting that the content of communications between U.S. persons had been intercepted without a warrant.  Everything I heard was about metadata...  who was called and for how long, etc.  Any evidence to the contrary?

I don't believe that to be true, unless you're conversing with "non-U.S. persons" in whom they've taken an interest.  Call me naive if you want, but I believe that our intelligence personnel take pretty seriously the legal restrictions on collecting on U.S. persons.

As to how do we fix it, well...  we can't.  Not permanently.  We've "defeated" evil several times throughout history, and it keeps rearing it's ugly head under a new flag.  What we can do is try to fix this problem by figuring out what is motivating the violence and fixing that; delivering intense violence on our terms to degrade their ability to plan and coordinate attacks will give us the room to figure out the "hearts and minds" piece...  and hearts and minds are the key, either through changing their hearts and minds, or through "two to the heart, one to the mind."

You're correct. We will never be able to "fix" Islam. Nor will we ever win their "hearts and minds". That is because Islam is a civilizational doctrine, a totalitarian political ideology, more than it is a religion.

The BS about Islam being a "peaceful religion" is just that, BS.

In their minds, and in fact, they have been at war with the rest of us for the last 1400 years. What we're seeing today is just a continuation of that. We make the mistake of thinking it's something "new".

The mistake we made was thinking they were "beaten" when the Ottoman empire collapsed. All they really did was fall back and regroup, for 50 years, and then start again.

These guys give new meaning to the term "playing the long game". They will never quit until all "Kafirs" { non believers } are either killed,converted or enslaved. The word "Islam" itself means "submission".

As much as it goes against our ideology, the only real solution is complete and utter annihilation. As long as one Muslim heart beats, one copy of the Koran exists, the Prophet Mohammad lives on.

And the war will continue.

You're correct. We will never be able to "fix" Islam. Nor will we ever win their "hearts and minds". That is because Islam is a civilizational doctrine, a totalitarian political ideology, more than it is a religion.

The BS about Islam being a "peaceful religion" is just that, BS.

In their minds, and in fact, they have been at war with the rest of us for the last 1400 years. What we're seeing today is just a continuation of that. We make the mistake of thinking it's something "new".

The mistake we made was thinking they were "beaten" when the Ottoman empire collapsed. All they really did was fall back and regroup, for 50 years, and then start again.

These guys give new meaning to the term "playing the long game". They will never quit until all "Kafirs" { non believers } are either killed,converted or enslaved. The word "Islam" itself means "submission".

As much as it goes against our ideology, the only real solution is complete and utter annihilation. As long as one Muslim heart beats, one copy of the Koran exists, the Prophet Mohammad lives on.

And the war will continue.

reminds me of "the master race" only this time it's "the master religion".....   trying to implement the "final solution".

reminds me of "the master race" only this time it's "the master religion".....   trying to implement the "final solution".

Actually I was thinking an analogy to the Borg was a more accurate depiction.  We must be assimilated, or die. 

I'm not a religious scholar, but I've heard here and there that Islam is unique among major world religions for not having undergone a "reformation."  The fact remains that the majority (vast majority?) of Muslims have not taken the path of violent jihad.  I hold out hope that Islam can coexist with the awesome variety of other religions in the world.  Until such time as we can convince the violent minority that another interpretation of their holy teachings is more appropriate, I'm fully behind the "two to the heart, one to the mind" method of modifying behavior.

I'm not a religious scholar, but I've heard here and there that Islam is unique among major world religions for not having undergone a "reformation."  The fact remains that the majority (vast majority?) of Muslims have not taken the path of violent jihad.  I hold out hope that Islam can coexist with the awesome variety of other religions in the world.  Until such time as we can convince the violent minority that another interpretation of their holy teachings is more appropriate, I'm fully behind the "two to the heart, one to the mind" method of modifying behavior.

There is an estimated 1 BILLION Muslims globally.

Estimates are that 5%-10% at any given time are radicalized and committed to Jihad.

That comes to an estimated 50 MILLION to 100 MILLION people worldwide living in cultures that immerse them in hate of the West and non-Muslims.

I don't share your hope.

this disturbs me almost as much...  is this the new faces of freedom, where paramilitary "watches" over us peons?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/security-us-locales-business-usual-35205817

I'm not a religious scholar, but I've heard here and there that Islam is unique among major world religions for not having undergone a "reformation."  The fact remains that the majority (vast majority?) of Muslims have not taken the path of violent jihad.  I hold out hope that Islam can coexist with the awesome variety of other religions in the world.  Until such time as we can convince the violent minority that another interpretation of their holy teachings is more appropriate, I'm fully behind the "two to the heart, one to the mind" method of modifying behavior.

Better start reading up. History provides the answers to those that are willing to listen to the message.

3%

That seems to be the "magic number" when it comes to societal/governmental change.

In 1917 only 3% of the population of Russia was communist/secular humanists. Yet they were able to take control of the country and kill millions that disagreed with them.

In 1927 only 3% of Germans were Nazi's, we know what happened there.

In our own country, only 3% actually fought against the British, yet we were able to found the greatest nation ever seen on the planet.

Conservative estimates show that about 15% of Muslims are actively participating in "Jihad". We can see that they've already taken over the majority of the ME, and they're spreading out across Europe.

They'll beat us with sheer numbers due to procreation rates.

Remember that old adage about picking up snakes........

I'm not a religious scholar, but I've heard here and there that Islam is unique among major world religions for not having undergone a "reformation."  The fact remains that the majority (vast majority?) of Muslims have not taken the path of violent jihad.  I hold out hope that Islam can coexist with the awesome variety of other religions in the world.  Until such time as we can convince the violent minority that another interpretation of their holy teachings is more appropriate, I'm fully behind the "two to the heart, one to the mind" method of modifying behavior.

you're fighting a losing battle against stubborn people who already have their mind set on what they believe the problem is.

reality is, radicalized Islam is merely a sumptom of the actual problem.  get rid of religion, and this still would be happening.  at the end of the day, there's a culture and propaganda war that exists around Islam, not in it, and complaining about Islam is not going to fix the problem. 

I think I can hear the French munitions falling on Raqqah already.

Saw on the news earlier that the French Bombed Raqqah, good for France!

There is an estimated 1 BILLION Muslims globally.

Estimates are that 5%-10% at any given time are radicalized and committed to Jihad.

That comes to an estimated 50 MILLION to 100 MILLION people worldwide living in cultures that immerse them in hate of the West and non-Muslims.

I don't share your hope.

I have seen other much smaller estimates, on the order of fractions of a percent. I don't know which one I believe and haven't researched it in any depth.

Additionally, a total number can be quite misleading. For example you might have one country that is overwhelmingly peaceful and another country that is overwhelmingly hateful, but if you average it then you would have 50% are hateful. Muslims exist across a huge array of cultures and governments making blanket statements often quite inacurate.

You're correct. We will never be able to "fix" Islam. Nor will we ever win their "hearts and minds". That is because Islam is a civilizational doctrine, a totalitarian political ideology, more than it is a religion.

The BS about Islam being a "peaceful religion" is just that, BS.

And what would you say to the muslims that don't fit into that generalization? The ones that reject the violence and don't hate the western world. Are they not real muslims? Are they all just secretly lying?

Can we "fix" Islam? Probably not, but what would that even entail?

We will never win their hearts and minds? We definitely wont if we don't try. We would be foolish it that were our only tactic but we would be equally foolish if reject the hearts and minds. If radical islam represents 15% of the muslim world, what good does alienating and thus increasing that number?

And what would you say to the muslims that don't fit into that generalization? The ones that reject the violence and don't hate the western world. Are they not real muslims? Are they all just secretly lying?

Can we "fix" Islam? Probably not, but what would that even entail?

We will never win their hearts and minds? We definitely wont if we don't try. We would be foolish it that were our only tactic but we would be equally foolish if reject the hearts and minds. If radical islam represents 15% of the muslim world, what good does alienating and thus increasing that number?

You can fix islam and the middle east.

There is already a new sect of islam that is growing, that was created specifically to be compatible with a modern world. Do they have a lot of people? Depends on what you consider 'lots of people'. As of right now, they have a few hundred thousand, but their numbers are growing.

But how do we fix the problem overall in the middle east? Simple:

On September 2, 1945, we made peace with Japan after dropping 2 atomic bombs on them and causing so much destruction that not even the most dedicated zealots wanted to fight anymore; maybe it's time we 'make peace' with the middle east as well.

Set aside the politics and religion for a second.
....
I heard news reports that the bombs were ineffective primitive devices and killed only 1 person.
Most killings were from rifle fire.
...
Question for martial artists.
Unless the active shooters are wearing electronic hearing protection, I assume they are suffering from temporary hearing loss after firing a couple of shots.
If you could get behind the perp, he probably can't hear you coming.
What is the best method of subduing a rifleman from behind? ...if you don't have a weapon of any sort.

Set aside the politics and religion for a second.
....
I heard news reports that the bombs were ineffective primitive devices and killed only 1 person.
Most killings were from rifle fire.
...
Question for martial artists.
Unless the active shooters are wearing electronic hearing protection, I assume they are suffering from temporary hearing loss after firing a couple of shots.
If you could get behind the perp, he probably can't hear you coming.
What is the best method of subduing a rifleman from behind? ...if you don't have a weapon of any sort.

Sucker punch to the back of the head, where the base of the skull meets the spine. You'll need to hit very hard.

No special skills required. Just don't miss.

And what would you say to the muslims that don't fit into that generalization? The ones that reject the violence and don't hate the western world. Are they not real muslims? Are they all just secretly lying?

Can we "fix" Islam? Probably not, but what would that even entail?

We will never win their hearts and minds? We definitely wont if we don't try. We would be foolish it that were our only tactic but we would be equally foolish if reject the hearts and minds. If radical islam represents 15% of the muslim world, what good does alienating and thus increasing that number?

I'll be brief here as I have to go to work,

By Islamic standards they are not real Muslims, that is why they are being killed wherever they are found. Along with Christians and any other "Kafirs".

Exactly.

We've been trying to coexist with them for the last 1400 years. They aren't having any of it, the problem has only escalated, despite efforts at peace. Here's an analogy, if you're killing cockroaches and you "save" ones that you consider "good" how long will it be before they repopulate? How many of those will be "bad"?

BTW, 15% is just the estimated number of "participants". The estimates of those that support Jihad are around 50-60%.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-terror-attacks/isis-propaganda-videos-praise-paris-attacks-threatens-washington-n464161?cid=sm_fb

Enjoy!