GWOT Update

[TheMercenary]

Define "they" in your best terms.

[regular.joe]

I think that I fall into the category of "they" and I don't lie, unless it's to save my ass in a third world nation , then I might lie. I've also lied and will continue to lie in certain social situations when the truth is not the most compassionate thing to tell. We might call this diplomacy.

I would also like to hear your definition of who they are.

[TheMercenary]

The Erosion of Noncombatant Immunity within Al Qaeda
Carl J. Ciovacco
Since its inception, al Qaeda’s treatment of noncombatant immunity has migrated from full observance to complete disregard. In just over a decade, al Qaeda transitioned from basing entire operations on the inviolable nature of noncombatant immunity to specifically targeting noncombatants. From 1991 until 2002, al Qaeda evolved through five distinct phases in its observance of noncombatant immunity. These phases transition from Phase One’s complete respect for noncombatants to Phase Five’s intentional targeting of millions of noncombatants with weapons of mass destruction. More recently, however, al Qaeda appears to be taking stock of the harm that targeting noncombatants is having on its cause. This paper will provide a phased analysis of how al Qaeda’s provision of noncombatant immunity disintegrated over time and why it may be returning today. This progression of thought and action concerning noncombatants serves as a roadmap by which to understand how and why al Qaeda made these ideological leaps.

http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/200...ncombatant-im/

[TheMercenary]

Muslim Moderates Missing
The lamestream media told you:
Headlines nationwide assured the public that Muslims in the U.S. are not a problem, based on a recently released Pew Center poll.

USAToday: Poll: Most Muslims seek to adopt American lifestyle.

"This is a very positive story for the vast majority of Muslims," says Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center.

The Voice of America: Poll: US Muslims Feel Post-9/11 Backlash Despite Moderate Outlook

The New York Times: Muslims assimilate better in U.S. than Europe, poll finds, and then leads with this: "A new poll of American Muslims reveals a group that is better assimilated, more content and less politically polarized than counterpart Muslim populations in Western Europe -- but also smaller in number than some Muslim groups had estimated."

Chicago Tribune: U.S. Muslims more content, assimilated than those abroad

National Public Radio: Pew Study Sees Muslim Americans Assimilating.

Washington Post: Survey: U.S. Muslims Assimilated, Opposed to Extremism

The Pew organization says: Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream, but does followup later with:

Muslim Americans reject Islamic extremism by larger margins than do Muslim minorities in Western European countries. However, there is somewhat more acceptance of Islamic extremism in some segments of the U.S. Muslim public than others. Fewer native-born African American Muslims than others completely condemn al Qaeda. In addition, younger Muslims in the U.S. are much more likely than older Muslim Americans to say that suicide bombing in the defense of Islam can be at least sometimes justified. Nonetheless, absolute levels of support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans are quite low, especially when compared with Muslims around the world.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
An alert and unbiased media would have lead with this fact from the survey: More Than One Quarter Of All Young U.S. Muslims Believe Suicide Bombing Can Be Justifiable.

Despite conciliatory headlines across the nation, USA Today did report, "The study also found pockets of sympathy for Islamic extremism, especially among younger people. Muslims between the ages of 18 and 29 express significantly greater acceptance than older people of suicide bombings in some cases... Only 5% say they have a favorable view of al-Qaeda."

With 2.4 million Muslims in the U.S. (two-thirds of whom are foreign born), 5% support for al Qaeda would translate to 120,000 potentially dangerous Muslims in the U.S. theater of operations. The actual number is higher, since percentage support at all ages was not provided. Muslim groups dispute the 2.4 million census figure however, saying the real number is closer to 7 million (which would be 350,000 U.S.-based Muslim supporters of al Qaeda, in the one age group covered).

74% of Muslims surveyed would do not say the U.S. fight against terrorism is a sincere effort to reduce terrorism, but the Times assures readers that this is much better than in parts of Europe.

Find links to the major stories here.

In other news, PBS banned the release of the documentary it paid for about global Islam and its plans for the world, because it presented Muslims in a poor light.

FOX News obtained the censored film and aired the stunning, often revolting, eye-popping details about Muslim jihadis, indoctrination schools, honor killings, abuse of women, suppression of dissent, plans for global domination, and tentacles spread through global religious facilities for the perpetuation of violence, which do present Muslims in a poor light.

Saudi Arabian oil magnates pay for the bulk of the religious facilities that spread the hatred and preparations for jihad. The Saudis get a significant portion of their money from Americans who use oil and gas. In other words, Americans pay their enemies to prepare attacks.

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the broadcast was how FOX methodically exposed the PBS attempt to hide the truth about Islamofascists, whitewash the film's message, distort the story and facts, rewrite the conclusions, fire the producer who was openly conservative, and hide its efforts through claims of journalistic integrity. PBS is funded primarily by public tax dollars.


http://pagenine.typepad.com/page_nin...rate.html#more

[Clodfobble]

74% of Muslims surveyed would do not say the U.S. fight against terrorism is a sincere effort to reduce terrorism, but the Times assures readers that this is much better than in parts of Europe.

I wonder what percentage of non-Muslim Americans would also agree with this statement.

[TheMercenary]

I wonder what percentage of non-Muslim Americans could be considered a threat to national security or a terrorism risk as a percentage of all non-Muslim Americans. Just a thought.

I mean other than tw or Radar.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

So, is this mistaken?

Exerpted:

Al-Qaida is virtually destroyed, surprising even the CIA. Two weeks ago, The Washington Post reported: "Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaida, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border."

It's almost as if there's been some sort of "surge" going on, as strange as that sounds.

Just this week, The New York Times reported that al-Qaida and other terrorist groups in Southeast Asia have all but disappeared, starved of money and support. The U.S. and Australia have been working closely with the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, sending them counterterrorism equipment and personnel.