Islamic State, Politicians and Sadly..... War.

Who is ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Islamic State (self explanatory), ISEL( not really sure, don’t really care)?

Apparently they are a fearsome army of fundamentalists who want to install an Islamic caliphate throughout the world which will be ruled by a patriarchy who will impose sharia law and where all infidels and apostates will be put to the sword.

I’m not so sure and I’m very confused.

I agree Islamic State want to impose a worldwide caliphate (yawn), but it has nothing to do with religious fundamentalism and everything to do with accruing wealth, power and influence by operating as a criminal cartel. Dig below the surface and I think you’ll find the leaders of Islamic State are no different to most politicians/ gangsters throughout the world.

Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi and his cohorts are cut from the same cloth as Obama, Cameron, Putin, the Chinese bloke (don’t know his name and I can’t be bothered to Google it), Assad, Netanyahu or any world leader who believes that just because we toddle off to the polling booths every 4-5 years, it legitimises their right to abuse the positions of power that wealth and patronage has bought them (well except for the Chinese bloke, he doesn't even bother with the polling booth). In ten years another group of privileged, self selecting career politicians will be making the same self serving decisions and the same mistakes, condemning others to suffer the consequences.

It is the Islamic State foot soldiers I would prefer to concentrate on, particularly those of British birth. Their motives for travelling and joining up with Islamic State are far more troubling and are a direct result of the patronage and wealth so enjoyed by the ruling classes. These disenfranchised young men, and they are mainly men, see Islamic State as a way of achieving what they consider they are denied in their homeland, which is self esteem, self respect, control, and with some, an equitable justice which when you look at the absolute disaster western foreign policy has reeked in the Middle East since Sykes-Picot in 1916 and the millions of innocent deaths it has lead to, it is no wonder some people, misguidedly, consider the only route is direct action, the same direct action taken by young British men going to fight in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War or a more contemporary example being British Jews moving to Israel to join the Israeli Defence Force to fight Hamas.

Of course some travelling to join Islamic State do so for what they consider to be admirable and honourable reasons, but sadly to many, a so-called ‘cause ‘is an effective cover for criminals to carry out criminal activities for the purposes of self enrichment or just an opportunity for psychopaths to rape and kill with a degree of apparent legitimacy. Psychopaths love wars. They can rape, kill, rob and pillage and still be seen as heroes.

But predominately, these are underemployed or unemployed, directionless men who see themselves as an oppressed minority that is constantly demonised by a right wing, predominately white, press, that is drawn from, you guessed it, the same small self serving group the politicians are spawned from and see the current mess in the Middle East as a result of meddling and self serving policies being implemented by western politicians who are only concerned with protecting oil, mineral and corporate interests and are unconcerned with the plight of the indigenous population, unless there is a direct threat  to their own interests. If there was an oil pipeline running through Palestine, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would be very a different dilemma.

A large majority of these young men are not religious fundamentalists or zealots. I doubt if many of them have read or studied the Koran in any depth and it would definitely not be their specialist subject on Mastermind (for foreign readers, Mastermind is a British general knowledge television quiz). As they grew up in Britain I suspect many of them indulged in many un-Islamic activities such as playing violent computer games, drinking alcohol and associating with woman. Devout is not a term you would apply to them. But drinking themselves stupid or having sex with white women would still not have helped them erase the fact that, in the eyes of many, they are considered second or third classed citizens, who will never be accepted as British by the golf and country club set.

So Islamic State is a natural draw for them. It allows them the opportunity to gain self esteem and self worth, as well as an opportunity to kick back at the westerners they consider to be so prejudicial towards them. The execution of James Foley was a repulsive symbol of that resentment and let us be clear, that execution was an abomination and it served no purpose at all except a hamfisted attempt to drive a wedge between the USA and the UK by having a Brit decapitating an American. Of course many in the American and UK governments would not have been displeased at that monstrous spectacle because it allows them, with the help of their own foot soldiers, the right wing press, to restrict civil liberties, pry even more into private lives, and reinforces the exaggerated narrative that every Muslim is a possible terrorist and Islam is a danger to national security. So ‘Jihadi John’, as that is the name he has been ‘christened’ with by the British press, and his brutal 15 minutes of fame has achieved nothing except the further demonising of Muslims and the reinforcement of prejudices towards Muslims around the world. As a side note, it's nice to see tabloid journalism is alive and well. After all, let’s not trivialise a grotesque act, and a tragedy for James Foley’s family, by giving a brutal murderer a cartoonish persona. The press did the same with the ‘white widow’ after the Kenyan shopping mall massacre. They don’t really care, do they?

So what is the solution? Some are calling for the removal of passports from those that have travelled to Iraq and are suspected of having engaged in terrorism. Others are calling for those returning from the Middle East to face criminal charges for terrorism, among that number is the apparently now fascist Mayor of London, Boris Johnson (Note to newspapers: You don’t have to print every bit of nonsense the adulterous buffoon spouts). So Johnson and his ilk are calling for a reversal of habeas corpus where the state accuses someone of being guilty and it is the accused responsibility to prove their innocence. That isn't justice, that’s fascism. It the same type of summary justice currently being delivered by Islamic State.

These are reactionary, short-term solutions that will throw a little red meat to the right wingers, to keep them happy, but deliver no real solutions. Unless there is a strenuous attempt to establish a burden of proof rather than just a carte blanche approach where a Muslim travelling to and from the Middle East is immediately assumed as guilty of terrorism, nothing positive will be achieved and we will continue to perpetuate the same vicious cycle of resentment already harboured by many Muslims in Britain. It is just another example of posturing by politicians, scouting for votes, and disguises the fact that they have no real answers. Short term electoral interests trumping long term political solutions, yet again.

The person who murdered James Foley is a criminal and should face criminal proceedings. He belongs to the group of psychopaths previously spoken off. He is a criminal, not a jihadist. Calling him a jihadist just imbues him with a form of righteous legitimacy, allowing him to abdicate all responsibilities for his actions. But there are probably many of the 500-700 who have supposedly travelled to Iraq who had no idea what they were letting themselves in for. They see injustices being perpetrated across the Muslim world, feel disenfranchised and helpless, and so, perhaps misguidedly, decide to take direct action and travel to Iraq to fight what they perceive as a just war. But war is not like a computer game. You can’t pause it, or start again when you get killed.

The question of what to do about Islamic State seems to me quite straightforward. But this is where the confusion comes in. Why is it always the British and the Americans thinking about military action, and let us be clear, to resolve the problem of Islamic State, military action, unfortunately in this case, is the only solution. Islamic State is a criminal cult that is bent on slaughter on a medieval scale and will not cease its illegal activities. It will have to be stopped using force.

So where is the United Nations when you need it? Where are the French, the Germans, the Dutch, the Australians, or Russia? Where are the armies of Jordan, Israel, the Arab League etc. What about the original backers of Islamic State, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. What are their roles in stopping the killing and blood-lust? Why have we not raised a UN army and wiped Islamic State from the face of the earth? They’re not the Third Reich. How many effective fighters do they number, 30,000, 50,000? Surely the United Nation’s could raise an army of 100,000, at least, and backed up by air supremacy, millions of dollars of military hardware and supposedly friendly Arab nations, would obliterate Islamic State.

You may think I’m being incredibly simplistic but what are the alternatives? There are none. Going into Iraq was a disaster, Afghanistan will be a disaster once the west pulls out, Libya has been a failure, and going into Syria would have been wrong because we would have been aiding supporters of Islamic State. But the west must take responsibility for the mess it has created in the Middle East. In this extreme situation where Christians, Shia Muslims, Kurds and Yazidis are being slaughtered, where toddlers are being decapitated and women are subjected to rape, forced marriage or trafficking, where villages are being levelled and the villagers being massacred, where Shia prisoners are  being lined up and executed in their hundreds,  unfortunately there is no alternative. I am puzzled by the lack of action by western governments. Islamic State are not going away and there is no political solution. I can only assume that yet again political self interest is trumping humanitarian needs. Where’s an oil pipeline serving the West when you need one?

Once Islamic State is confronted with a superior organised force, they will disintegrate, fast! Only a hardcore of fighters will remain, whereas the majority of so-called Jihadists, particularly those that have travelled from western countries, will quickly evaporate when they are faced with the harsh realities of modern warfare.

Perhaps I am being simplistic. Perhaps I am forgetting that the slaughter of thousands of men, women and children is unimportant to the West unless the wealth, power, influence and votes of western politicians are threatened. Sadly, all we get is Prime Minster Cameron’s ridiculous scaremongering about the possibility of a terrorist state soon being on the shores of the Mediterranean. Well if he is genuinely concerned and there is a genuine threat to national security, he and his government better step up to the plate and do something about it. But predictably and unsurprisingly they lack the convictions to do anything other than mouth endless platitudes and splash around in a swamp of hypocrisy and self serving concern. They live such comfortable, privileged and safe lives, that experiencing any degree of empathy for people whose lives they are so far removed from, is an impossibility. Anyway, most of them didn't enter politics to make difficult decisions; they just considered it a natural progression in their entitled lives.

I’m afraid in the unique situation of Islamic State; difficult decisions will have to be made. The only answer is war, war....... Jaw, jaw will not work because Islamic State have nowhere to go and very little to lose.

You can shout as loud as you like but they ain't listening.

The Weird World of Justice.

• A man is giving a sentence of 2 yrs and 9 months for making a pirate version of Fast and Furious 6 and selling it as a download.
• Lewis Gill punches a man suffering from Aspergers to death and receives only 4 years!
• Dale Dixon punches Chris Findley to death and receives only 3 years!
• Jack Bolton, Andrew Griffin, Nathan Marshall tortured an autistic boy for three days while filming it on their phones. They were set free! These thugs were allowed to go unpunished and were allowed back onto the streets!

Proof positive that corporate and property rights are far more important than human rights to this government. Justice Minister Chris Grayling, you should hang your head in shame!

Advice to the Tramps and Hobo's of England.

If the Scots should vote in favour of an independent Scotland why don’t you cross the border, a week before Christmas, and claim political asylum, stating that if you are returned to England you face persecution by the Tories. While the Scottish authorities are processing your claim they will have to put you up in a remand centre for Xmas and the New Year. It’ll be like a holiday.Just a thought.

In Memory.

Condolences to the family of the actor (10 Rillington Place, Jurassic Park, Miracle on 34^th Street), and Director (Gandhi, Cry Freedom!), Richard Attenborough, who died on Sunday. He was a man deeply committed to social issues and achieved immense good during his life. He will be sorely missed by many.

“It’ll be the most expensive mess this country has ever got itself into”.

(Senator Russell speaking to President Lyndon.B.Johnson, in 1964, about a possible war in Vietnam).

More Tory Bullshit!!!.

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced, that in future, each domestic policy will be 'examined for its impact on the family'. Considering the current parliament is in recess, and will be until October, and that there are only 9 months until the next general Election, this announcement is obviously a horrible example of politically motivated, PR electioneering bull crap, probably thought up by the 'Aussie mongrel' Crosby.   

There are several questions that need asking. What exactly does it mean? What is the 'family test' criteria? Hasn't the horse already bolted? Why now, when nearly all policy making for this parliament has been completed? 

Here is a list of policies that would fail the 'family test'.

• The Spare Room Subsidy (The bedroom tax).
• Changes to legal aid.
• Department of Work and Pensions sanction quotas, forcing families to have to fall back on food banks to feed themselves.
• Introduction of fees for Industrial Tribunals, leading to an increase in pregnant women being sacked and unable to claim unfair dismissal.
• Selling National Health services to private equity companies.
• Removal of funding from social services, that adversely affects funding to alleviate the effects of domestic violence, and has lead to the closures of many refuges.
• The reduction in funding and closure of SureStart centres.
• Reduction in local government funding, leading to the reduction of public services.
• Between 70%-80% of all austerity cuts have directly affected women and children. 

I could go on.

This is just another flagrant example of brazen Tory electioneering, that is virtually meaningless, as all the policy making for this parliament has been completed. In fact it is a typical example of Tory arrogance and their obvious belief that the majority of the British electorate are simpletons who will fall for this expedient nonsense.

  

Failed Politician Gets Angry.

Due to protests, outside a grocery store in London, over Israels actions in Gaza, the Branch Manager of the store cleared the shelves of all kosher products, possibly because he was fearful that the store would be invaded and the stock would be trashed. 

I have no complaint against the manager for taking actions that probably prevented what could have been a difficult situation, but I do object to the fact that he has given the ghastly, self promoting and failed politician Louise Mensch the opportunity to fill twitterdom with her reactionary bile and grotesque pomposity, as she leaps at another opportunity to fling around charges of antisemitism at the slightest hint of any criticism aimed at Israel. 

For that, I will never forgive him.  

Black Bear, Black Man?

In the North Woods of Minnesota there is a large bear population and a large, predominately white, hunting population. However, I use the term 'hunting' in its looses form, because these rednecks don't actually 'hunt' the bears. They don't go into the woods and track the bears, using skills and bush craft passed down from generation to generation. No they don't. What they do is dump a load of bear food down, climb up into a nice safe hide and wait for a bear to come by. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. It ain't hunting.

Also in the North Woods there are several research bears that are used to study bear behaviour. This is groundbreaking research. These bears wear radio collars and coloured ribbons so they can be easily identified. The huntersrednecks are asked not to shoot the research bears. Do they shoot the research bears? Of course they do, they're ignorant rednecks. And not only do they shoot the research bears, but the rednecks then glorify their exploits on the internet.I suppose it's the same as when white Americans used to create postcards of lynchings and send them to family and friends with messages such as "look at this photygraph  Ma, of this dumb uppity lynched nigga, I done to'k at the hanging today, jus' b'fore church" love Cletus. 

So you see, a black bear in Minnesota or a black man in Ferguson, Missouri. They're both just a couple of dumb animals to white redneck America.

The huntersrednecks spend a lot of time alone in their safe hides and it has been said that they spend much of that time masturbating over pictures of their mom, I don't know if that is true but my gut feeling is........

Death Penalty.

According to a Yougov poll, 20 million Britons support the reintroduction of the death penalty. That's 20 million people who probably like Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Littlejohn, have never read a book in their lives, and think that when it says on a puzzle box '2-5 yrs' that's how long it should take to complete it, so when they manage to finish it in 18 months they feel very smug. 

All In It Together No: 234865746574327.

Chief Executive Officers paid 143 times more than their staff.

'frit'.

The subject of televised election debates will soon raise its ugly head as we near the next election. Milliband is up for it. Clegg is up for it. Farage is definitely up for it. Even the Greens want a piece, which, when considering they have a Member of Parliament, which is more than can be said for Farage's UKIP party, seems only fair. The only recalcitrant is the Prime Minister.

Probably because he is a blustering bully and, as most people know, when it comes down to the crunch, bully's are invariably proven to be craven cowards.  

“Animals are my friends...and I don't eat my friends.” 

(George Bernard Shaw).

Shock! Horror! Brown faced Women Doesn't Know her Place.

Dateline: 7^th August 2014. Location: London.

Today the Tory party was rocked by a brown faced woman who dared to have a point of view. Several Tory politicians in the cabinet immediately assumed the foetal position, began sucking their thumbs and weeping, whilst calling for ‘nanny boo boo’, while others questioned who the women was and when told she was that uppity working class Asian women who kept banging on about people who were not white upper and middle class, privately educated, trust funders replied “ oh her, I thought she was just there to make it look as if we care about presenting an ethnically diverse party to the public. I didn't realise we were supposed to actually listen to her and take her concerns seriously”.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, (current Trust fund value approximately between 20-30 million. Current amount of Inheritance tax avoided approximately 2 million), immediately came out and slammed Baroness Warsi, inferring, in most of his interviews to the press, that she was a silly little women who should be grateful for even being allowed to look at him let alone speak to him. Prime Minister Cameron came out and said he respected Baroness Warsi for sticking to her principles and when he next saw her he would ask her what it was like sticking to your principles as he had never done it.

Phone-ins across the land were awash with men ringing in and accusing the Baroness of being a political opportunist, but still letting it be known that ‘they would if they had a chance’ before reassuring the phone-in host that they were not sexist or misogynistic in anyway and that they never ever casually objectified women in anyway whatsoever.

Some Asian men rang in to state that she did not represent their views in anyway because she was a woman, and that until today, they didn't realise that women even had views. One chap pointed out that he had seen Baroness Warsi on Question Time, disagreed with her strident views, and noticed that the little minx had allowed a strand of hair to escape from her headscarf.

The Tories main criticism of the Baroness appears to be that she is a married, working class Asian women from the north with responsibility for bringing up 5 children, so she obviously had no experience of real life whatsoever, before damning her by revealing the devastating fact that she went to a state school, therefore hinting at the possibility that she might be a communist.

The reason for Baroness Warsi's resignation from the cabinet was the government’s policy on Gaza and its close affiliations to Israel.Aha! Further proof that she must be a communist.

Boris Johnson.

Johnson has let it be known that he wants to become a Member of Parliament again. He doesn't seem to care where it is as the chances of him meeting any of his prospective constituents or having any involvement in any of their concerns or problems are extremely slim as he will be too  busy trying to become Prime Minster. Johnson’s main claims to fame at the moment are being a crap Mayor of London and having sex with women who happen not be his wife and producing offspring from these liaisons.

It is obvious that Johnson would make a fine Prime Minster because anybody who can betray his wife and family by committing adultery would obviously be an ideal candidate for dealing, without prejudice, with the interests of complete strangers.

The truth is Johnson is a self involved narcissist who cares about one thing and one thing only. Boris Johnson.

The Crimes of Iain Duncan Smith. 

Nick Barker – RIP
Former sheep farmer, Nick had a brain haemorrhage which left him struggling to walk. The father of two shot himself after the DWP claimed he was fit to work. Recording a suicide verdict, coroner Michael Oakley said the benefits assessment was key to the tragedy.

Robert Barlow – RIP
Robert worked as a Government scientist but gave it up when diagnosed with severe cardiomypathy. The DWP deemed him fit to work. He died penniless under 2 years later.

Cecilia Burns – RIP
Cecilia had cancer. Atos called her in for one of their assessments. The DWP declared her fit to work, but she appealed the decision. She died shortly after winning her appeal.

Chris Cann – RIP
After losing both legs & a finger to diabetes, Chris was housebound. Despite this, the DWP insisted he travelled outside and go in for one of their fit to work assessments or they would cut off his benefit. The letter shook Chris up badly. Despite the DWP changing their minds about him going in, he died of a suspected heart attack soon after.

Leanne Chambers – RIP
Leanne had a degree in business studies from Teeside University, but she battled depression for a number of years. She had taken a turn for the worse after receiving a letter telling her to go to Atos for one of their ‘fit to work’ assessments. Leanne walked out of her home some time after midnight. Her body was later found in the River Wear.

David Groves – RIP
David stopped work after 40 years on doctors orders after a string of strokes & a heart attack. Atos called him in for a fit to work assessment but he died the night before. His widow says he was in a terrible state and it was the stress that killed him.

Stephen Hill – RIP
Stephen suffered heart problems & was waiting for major heart surgery. Atos found him fit for work after a ten minute check. He died of a heart attack.

Edward Jacques – RIP
Edward fatally overdosed because he was not given a proper assessment by the DWP, an inquest heard.

Brian McArdle – RIP
Brian was paralysed down one side, paralysed in one eye, he couldn't speak. He died the day after being found fit to work by Atos.

Elenore Tatton – RIP
Elenore was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 15 years old. She also had epilepsy. The DWP said she was fit to work after one of their assessments. Two weeks later, she was dead.

(Courtesy of THEKODIAKBARE)

"Old men start wars. Young men die in them".

Craven Cowardice of Prime Minister Cameron.

As the death toll continues to rise in Gaza towards 2000, with child deaths heading towards 400, there has been one notable exception in the condemnation of Israel's disproportionate response to Hamas's rockets.

The USA has called Israels bombing of a United Nations school as 'appalling', which is, considering the USA's normal blind allegiance, for electoral purposes, to Israel, as close to calling the bombings war crimes as you will get. However Prime Minister Cameron has refused to condemn Israel at all, calling only for a ceasefire and for Hamas to stop the rocket attacks. This is a man, who a few months ago could not wait to get into the Middle East ( Syria) and kill some Arabs, yet suddenly he becomes reticent when atrocities are being committed by a so-called 'friendly nation'. This is hypocrisy in all its turgid swamp like form.

Not only does Cameron busy himself with political expediency, but also the Tories have claimed to be outraged and have criticised the Leader of the Opposition, who also happens to be Jewish, Ed Miliband, of politicking, when he accuses Cameron of failing to speak up against Israel's aggression.The only response to that is 'pot, kettle.kettle, pot'.

Cameron is responsible for speaking up for the people of Britain. The majority of people in Britain are outraged and disgusted at the daily atrocities being committed by the Israeli Defence Force. The killing of children, running in fear on a beach, is a war crime. The murder of hundreds of civilians is atrocious and unacceptable. Cameron should be speaking in the interests of the British people not in the interests of the bloody Tory party! He seems more concerned about what the Conservative Friends of Israel think rather than the people of Britain.

Cameron has called for a ceasefire.Everybody wants a ceasefire, that's bleeding obvious. Hamas stopping the rocket firing will achieve this but it is just a short term solution to a problem that will only be resolved by politicians having the bravery to speak out. Jaw jaw is the only solution, not war, war.

Hamas are considered as terrorists, but so were the American revolutionaries, Gandhi, the Jews involved in the Warsaw uprising, Nelson Mandela and Jesus.


Two examples of the Human Condition.

Stevenage, England: A man is caught on camera swinging a dog around in the air by it's lead.

Grand Canyon USA: Two men lure a squirrel, with breadcrunmbs, to the edge before one of them kicks it of the ledge

Two examples why the quicker the Ebola virus takes a grip on the human  race, the better.

Pass the Parcel Cronyism.

The new head of Ofsted ( The Education Inspectorate) was due to be Tory party donor David Ross. Now it is David Hoare, Trustee of AET, the largest chain of academies. No conflict of interests there then?

Wreath Row.

A row is brewing on social networks about the wreath laying ceremony to commerate the fallen of the first world war. Apparently The leader of the Oposition, Ed Milliband, had a rather perfunctory message on his wreath saying " from The Leader of the Opposition"  whereas The Prime Minister had written a personal message. Miliband is being heavily criticised for his seemingly cold message whereas Cameron is being congratulated for his compassion.
However, rather interestingly, when you dig deeper you uncover a very different story. It appears that Miliband was handed the wreath seconds before he was due to lay it, as was The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, who had a similar perfunctory message whereas Cameron was allowed time to write a personal  message.
You get a distinct feeling that someone decided to try and make political capital out of a ceremony commemorating the dead of the first world war. It obviously wasn't Labour or the Liberal Democrats so I wonder who it was. It has the reek and stench of a certain Australian mongrel about it.

  "In no circumstances whatever will the expression 'shell-shock' be used verbally or be recorded in any regimental or other casualty report,or in any hospital or other medical document." 

British army General Routine Order No. 2384, issued on 7 June 1917 issued in France.