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More Terrorism in France, or Something else? (1 Viewer)

This was good advice BEFORE we invaded in 2003. Now, it's too late. 

If we leave Iraq the "dictator" that will take over will either be ISIS or Iran. Either of these alternatives will be worse for us than things are right now. 
Good then we can fight as a country and not an ideology.  Its stupid to suggest just because we broke Iraq that we have some obligation to hang around.

 
If I were in a meeting designed to fix this issue (and maybe my tech background is the reason I'm thinking this way), I'd focus on eliminating the propaganda coming from ISIS.

How to do this isn't easy, but I think that companies like Twitter, Facebook and other social media services need to step up and admit that their services are being exploited.

As an example, Twitter should disallow access to their services from any ISIS strongholds.  They need to do a better job of censoring their services.  There doesn't have to be "freedom of speech" on twitter.  

From the initial reports, this guy was just a total loser.  He wasn't a devout muslim, he wasn't overly religious.  He was angry and a common criminal.  So then instead of committing suicide like he probably wanted to anyway, he reads some ISIS propaganda and decides that he can kill a bunch of infidels and get to heaven, or if he didn't believe in that, kill a bunch of people that lived in a world he hated.

Bottom line, you have to cut off people's access to ISIS propaganda.  That access happens on the internet.  In a worst case scenario, you shut the entire Middle east off of the grid, only allowing access on a case by case basis, or something of the sort.  This is all quite possible from a technological standpoint.
Twitter in particular has taken steps to identify and stem radical messaging. However what you are suggesting is removing a capability from an entire region or sub region, that IMO goes against the freedoms we stand for in this country. 

I find all this very interesting. A lot if the same people who rail on the NSA (not you shader) for their perceived powers, are also the same people who want Twitter and other social media platforms closed to specific people. They also want America to "do something" to protect America from terrorism, but are afraid NSA might see their midget porn. 

 
If we had our s**t together ar the border and we vetted people correctly (please don't say we are and I don't care what silly link you provide) than the thought of deportations would not be on the radar screen...if you are here legally and properly vetted anything that happens from there should be the same as any other American citizen...that being said let's stop pretending there isn't a gong show going on at our southern border and that the potential to be letting in extremists with this current Muslim migration doesn't pose real issues to our safety...there is a middle ground between being extremist and politically correct but unfortunately we're not capable of finding it in our current climate...
It takes a long time to get a visa - there is plenty of time of vetting, yet we do a terrible job of it when it comes to certain groups because we don't want to profile. Its crazy.

As to home-grown terrorists, just because someone is born here doesn't mean they aren't susceptible to Wahhabi propaganda. That is the real danger of not controlling immigration. For example, Omar Mateen's father should never have been let in, which means that American-born terrorist wouldn't have been American. How many other second-generation immigrants will turn terrorist? We don't know. All we know is that our immigration policies are in part to blame for home-grown terrorism.

 
Barely in Iraq? We have 6500 ground troops there, not to mention two carriers deployed there, which hold 5000 sailors each.  Not to mention the destroyers, frigates, cruisers, and submarines that are along side the carrier.  Not to mention all of the people working stateside on that specific region.  Not to mention people deployed in the Air Force, who have the luxury of being in a more American friendly Mid East country but still conduct missions in Iraq. We easily have 100,000+ military people working to keep Iraq together when you count it all up.  I would hardly call that barely over there. 
:confused:  

 
We absolutely can back away, why are we still in Iraq?  Afghanistan?  Makes no sense.  And stop giving them money.  Its not a hard concept to grasp. 
We never leave.  What country have we left that we defeated in an invasion. Japan, Germany, still maintain bases in Korea 

 
Twitter in particular has taken steps to identify and stem radical messaging. However what you are suggesting is removing a capability from an entire region or sub region, that IMO goes against the freedoms we stand for in this country. 

I find all this very interesting. A lot if the same people who rail on the NSA (not you shader) for their perceived powers, are also the same people who want Twitter and other social media platforms closed to specific people. They also want America to "do something" to protect America from terrorism, but are afraid NSA might see their midget porn. 
So rather than shut off twitter to the Middle East, bomb them instead and kill a bunch of children in the process?  

Social media wasn't defined in the US constitution.  Neither was internet access.

It's like a firewall.  A firewall is a device that is designed to keep people out of your companies' network.  So you build a firewall around the MIddle East.  They can't access the internet.  

But what you can do with a firewall is create exceptions.  If you're a legitimate business, you can gain access.  If you're a person that is approved by the government for internet access, (whatever that criteria might be), then fine you can have access.

 
It takes a long time to get a visa - there is plenty of time of vetting, yet we do a terrible job of it when it comes to certain groups because we don't want to profile. Its crazy.

As to home-grown terrorists, just because someone is born here doesn't mean they aren't susceptible to Wahhabi propaganda. That is the real danger of not controlling immigration. For example, Omar Mateen's father should never have been let in, which means that American-born terrorist wouldn't have been American. How many other second-generation immigrants will turn terrorist? We don't know. All we know is that our immigration policies are in part to blame for home-grown terrorism.
What would have kept mateens father out?

 
It is about degrees of freedom.  I'd say forced deportation is a hard absolute right.  Immigration, police state, and surveillance polices are more ambiguous.  People can disagree with how reasonable it is to restrict different aspects of each.  

I, personally, don't think terrorism is worth restricting most of these.  My position on immigration remains that we need to control illegal immigration and focus on shifting the mix towards highly educated applicants.
Immigration is less ambiguous IMO, and your opinion is a good one. We don't want to militarize our southern border, but we do need to police it better. A police state and surveillance policies on American citizens is downright Orwellian.

 
So rather than shut off twitter to the Middle East, bomb them instead and kill a bunch of children in the process?  

Social media wasn't defined in the US constitution.  Neither was internet access.

It's like a firewall.  A firewall is a device that is designed to keep people out of your companies' network.  So you build a firewall around the MIddle East.  They can't access the internet.  

But what you can do with a firewall is create exceptions.  If you're a legitimate business, you can gain access.  If you're a person that is approved by the government for internet access, (whatever that criteria might be), then fine you can have access.
I understand the concept - but blocking off all information access to a large region will result in information only coming from the people that are the problem to begin with.  You might actually make it worse.

 
So rather than shut off twitter to the Middle East, bomb them instead and kill a bunch of children in the process?  

Social media wasn't defined in the US constitution.  Neither was internet access.

It's like a firewall.  A firewall is a device that is designed to keep people out of your companies' network.  So you build a firewall around the MIddle East.  They can't access the internet.  

But what you can do with a firewall is create exceptions.  If you're a legitimate business, you can gain access.  If you're a person that is approved by the government for internet access, (whatever that criteria might be), then fine you can have access.
Neither were automatic firearms, helicopters, or telephones. Again, some people won't hear of changing the constitution unless it fits their own narrative. Take my assault rifle? Hell no, constitution says I can own that. Shut down the twitters? Damn right, 1st amendment was written before social media!

 
So rather than shut off twitter to the Middle East, bomb them instead and kill a bunch of children in the process?  

Social media wasn't defined in the US constitution.  Neither was internet access.

It's like a firewall.  A firewall is a device that is designed to keep people out of your companies' network.  So you build a firewall around the MIddle East.  They can't access the internet.  

But what you can do with a firewall is create exceptions.  If you're a legitimate business, you can gain access.  If you're a person that is approved by the government for internet access, (whatever that criteria might be), then fine you can have access.
sounds like North Korea

 
I understand the concept - but blocking off all information access to a large region will result in information only coming from the people that are the problem to begin with.  You might actually make it worse.
I haven't thought it through.  But the bottom line is that you have to figure out a way to keep ISIS off the internet or to keep ISIS from infecting the minds of angry and delusional people everywhere.  I think from a technological standpoint, the ability to do that exists now.  

 
We've held onto the removal of Assad demands for far too long.  I agree it would be ideal if he would go, but these removals of dictatorships have not worked out well for us.
The problem is that Russia is seen as an Assad ally - the agreement will look like a betrayal to the forces we support there.

 
I haven't thought it through.  But the bottom line is that you have to figure out a way to keep ISIS off the internet or to keep ISIS from infecting the minds of angry and delusional people everywhere.  I think from a technological standpoint, the ability to do that exists now.  
Sure.  You give security agencies free reign to track them without need for oversight, and upon being tracked and hacking into the telecommunication being used by them, you use targetd airstrikes, assaults and tech attacks on them, their resources and the companies and business that work with them. 

 
Didnt Jimmy Carter pretty much say this and was blasted to eternity? 
That was then, this is now. Israel can pretty much defend itself against its neighbors without our help now. Freeing them from the US leash though, might have some unintended consequences.

 
Democracy does not happen overnight.  And, it does not happen unless the people really (willing to shed blood) want it.  And it will never work in a region that has been carved up and segregated by outsiders leaving no natural affinity towards the inhabitants.
Democracy will never work in a culture based on complete submission to the will of Allah.

 
Democracy will never work in a culture based on complete submission to the will of Allah.
Probably.  But, when they are ready to fight for those types of freedoms, they are probably ready to move on from some of the strict adherence to select passages from Allah.

My point is more that the people have to want those changes enough to die for, before it will take root.  (And, that we have a financial incentive to keep meddling - those that think we are doing this to spread democracy or freedoms, should think again.)

 
Democracy will never work in a culture based on complete submission to the will of Allah.
And a lot of the problem with our Middle Eastern policy seems to not understand this. The historically most stable Arab governments in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, and Jordan are not democracies. Of the predominantly Muslim nations only Indonesia and to a lesser extent Pakistan, have had success with democracy. And in both cases those nations are impacted by "eastern culture" especially Indonesia. 

Eta: turkey also with a European influence and mindset

 
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And a lot of the problem with our Middle Eastern policy seems to not understand this. The historically most stable Arab governments in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, and Jordan are not democracies. Of the predominantly Muslim nations only Indonesia and to a lesser extent Pakistan, have had success with democracy. And in both cases those nations are impacted by "eastern culture" especially Indonesia. 


Let me ask you, or anyone else here, a question about this.  Why do you think this is?  We have plenty of smart people who study and advise on this - I doubt they do not understand this pitfall.

I think the notion of a "failed" policy only comes into play if you consider that our policy is designed to bring peace, democracy, and freedoms to the people of the Middle East.  We have pretty clearly failed in that regard.  I am beginning to question whether that is our real policy goal in the region.

 
Probably.  But, when they are ready to fight for those types of freedoms, they are probably ready to move on from some of the strict adherence to select passages from Allah.
Not sure they are. Small incremental changes work in these places (like allowing women to drive) but democracy simply will not work in many of these countries, Iraq is a shining example. Egypt too. 

Iran is actually one of the more socially liberal nations in the region, and democracy failed badly there too. 

 
I haven't thought it through.  But the bottom line is that you have to figure out a way to keep ISIS off the internet or to keep ISIS from infecting the minds of angry and delusional people everywhere.  I think from a technological standpoint, the ability to do that exists now.  
Including U.S voters?

 
I think the notion of a "failed" policy only comes into play if you consider that our policy is designed to bring peace, democracy, and freedoms to the people of the Middle East.  We have pretty clearly failed in that regard.  I am beginning to question whether that is our real policy goal in the region.
Since about that time, war had been literally continuous, though strictly speaking it had not always been the same war. For several months during his childhood there had been confused street fighting in London itself, some of which he remembered vividly. But to trace out the history of the whole period, to say who was fighting whom at any given moment, would have been utterly impossible, since no written record, and no spoken word, ever made mention of any other alignment than the existing one. At this moment, for example, in 1984 (if it was 1984), Oceania was at war with Eurasia and in alliance with Eastasia. In no public or private utterance was it ever admitted that the three powers had at any time been grouped along different lines. Actually, as Winston well knew, it was only four years since Oceania had been at war with Eastasia and in alliance with Eurasia. 

 
This is unequivocally true.

Come on guys, we're simply not going to kick people out or place them in an arbeitslager...err I mean internment camp...because of their race or creed.

Stop and think for a minute.
His was an opinion, not a statement of fact so it is most definitely not "unequivocally true". 

But I do agree nonetheless. 

That said, I do vigorously support deporting any and all Muslims we can definitively identify as radicalized. I absolutely support that.

 
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His was an opinion, not a statement of fact so it is most definitely not "unequivocally true". 

But I do agree nonetheless. 

That said, I do vigorously support deporting any and all Muslims we can definitively identify as radicalized. I absolutely support that.
What if they are American citizens...born here?

Where do you "deport" someone to who was born here?

 
The point being...you claim a policy would have kept him out.  But since we were supporting the same things...it would not have kept him out at that time.
What I mean is that just because we supported them in ousting the Soviets doesn't mean we should let them come here.

 
What if they are American citizens...born here?

Where do you "deport" someone to who was born here?
If they're radicalized they are in my opinion an enemy of the state. I genuinely believe that. 

The "where" is obviously a question that needs thought, but my knee jerk response is to say I don't care where - just so long as it's not here.

 
What I mean is that just because we supported them in ousting the Soviets doesn't mean we should let them come here.
So, what sort of policy were you in favor of that would have kept him out?  You said his politics...but our support of those same politics at the time, what would have been the reasoning to deny him entry?  Anyone who is political at all?

 
What if they are American citizens...born here?

Where do you "deport" someone to who was born here?
Obviously, we wouldn't deport American citizens, but deportation of radicalized non-citizens does address the problem in part. As to naturalized citizens, they do take a pledge to uphold the Constitution and laws of the land. I don't know if there is a legal way to strip them of citizenship if they do not, but then how can you uphold the Constitution and the Koran? They are somewhat incompatible. 

 
If they're radicalized they are in my opinion an enemy of the state. I genuinely believe that. 

The "where" is obviously a question that needs thought, but my knee jerk response is to say I don't care where - just so long as it's not here.
Going to do the same for non-muslims who are "radical" in other ways?

 
Going to do the same for non-muslims who are "radical" in other ways?
No. Radical Islam has a stated goal of trying to destroy us which makes them an enemy. If there is another ideology with that as a goal that outwardly acts on it, then sure, throw them in, but yours is a broad stroke question, whereas my views are, for now, narrowly focused.

 

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