Category Archives: Middle East

UPDATED: What ‘Bombing ISIS’ In Syria Looks Like

Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, Middle East, Neoconservatism, Russia, Terrorism, War

This is what “bombing ISIS” in Syria looks like. You can’t find them, you can’t tell friend from foe, and you kill kids galore. It’s a bad idea.

“The truth about Syria: Undercover behind rebel lines,” By Clarissa Ward

The Russians did it. How will our Daisy Cutters differ?

UPDATED (3/22): Donald Trump, will you consider?

There are no good bombs.

American Foreign Policy Foments A Good Deal Of Hatred

Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, Islam, Middle East

American foreign policy is a necessary but insufficient explanation as to why Muslims hate the United States. Myron Robert Pauli concentrates on the first variable in the hatred equation: What the U.S. government does to make Muslims hate us over and above the call of Islam.—ILANA

Republicans and Moslems
By Myron Robert Pauli

In the latest and possibly last of these Republican slugfest debates, the question arose over whether Moslems hate America.

Here’s what I would have said: “Suppose Liechtenstein murdered the government of Texas, installed corrupt incompetent puppets who make Boss Tweed look like Moses, destroyed the infrastructure, dropped 10,000 bombs all over Texas – while roving ethnic mobs of Christian Whites, secular Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks were murdering and displacing 3 million refugees. Would it be POSSIBLE that many Texans might hate Liechtenstein? Would the reason be other than that they are wealthier, have good skiing, pretty mountains, beer, a monarchy, safe banking, and sauerbraten?”

Kasich (not the first to answer) gave the standard politically-correct establishment blather of Moslems love us other than some “radical” 1% or so. A perfect example of why Republican voters have rejected the establishment. Well, Kasich seems to be a competent governor – so win your favorite son beauty contest and go back home to govern!

Trump, not surprisingly, answered “Moslems hate us”. He might have said MOST Moslems or MANY Moslems but a good showman knows how to jack up the ratings! He gave his usual, “You don’t like my answer, up yours!” look and gave his followers their daily orgasm as he gave his verbal finger to political correctness. No doubt he will probably qualify his answer next week on some TV interview but, of course, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Trump’s supporters love every word he says and will shrug off any contradictions to biased media attacks.

While I was thinking about the Moslem scientists I have worked with – none of whom have decided to don a suicide vest and blow themselves up in Union Station, I watched Ron Paul saying how he works with Moslem physicians. My daughter’s dermatologist is a Moslem but then so is Virginia born Dr. Malik Hasan – the Army psychiatrist who should have been killed in Ft. Hood if American soldiers were allowed to carry guns.

… And, of course, this is the flaw of generalization. A lot of Moslems hate us. Most do not kill us in although the percentage goes up when we invade their lands. And while not ALL terrorists are Moslems, a statistically significt—very significant—percent are.
Sneaky, devious, ambitious, and clever Cruz did not want to step on either the Kasich or Trump landmines and avoided answering.

Which led to the all-time lightweight answer from Rubio. Instead of repeating his “new century” slogan, he attacked Trump because Trump’s answer endangered “Christian missionaries in Bangladesh”! I can’t make this up!

Now think this over… How happy are Abdul and Fatima when their kids Jazmine and Ishmael come back as Christine and Luke and spotting big crucifixes? They might even be less ecstatic than the Orthodox Jews I know if their kids came back as Christians! They even might be less happy than Ted and Heidi Cruz would be one day if their teenage daughters came back as disciples of some lunatic sex-cult guru. Yes, Marco, if there is one thing that might upset Moslems even more than blowing up their electric power grid, it would be turning their kids into Christians! You managed to out-Kasich Kasich and out-Trumped Trump in one answer. You should just stick to the canned lines about how Obama knows exactly what he is doing or compare hand size with Trump!

Did anyone notice how many Moslems “hated America” when Cleveland, Taylor, or Hoover were Presidents? Indians perhaps – but probably most Moslems didn’t give any thought to America. However, why leave something alone when there is so much fun kicking a hornet’s nest? Ouch!

The primary season food-fight debates are almost over. Most likely, Hillary and Donald will sling enough “BS” to excite their followers to vote. In the long haul, some new politician will replace our current Hope-N-Change Messiah (wasn’t HE going to not only get Moslems to all love us but also reduce racial tensions in America????) , our troops will still be flailing around the Middle East, and more Moslems will come to hate us. As the French say, “plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose” (the more things change, the more they remain the same).

******
Barely a Blog (BAB) contributor *Myron Pauli grew up in Sunnyside Queens, went off to college in Cleveland and then spent time in a mental institution in Cambridge MA (MIT) with Benjamin Netanyahu (did not know him), and others until he was released with the “hostages” and Jimmy Carter on January 20, 1981, having defended his dissertation in nuclear physics. Most of the time since, he has worked on infrared sensors, mainly at Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. He was NOT named after Ron Paul but is distantly related to physicist Wolftgang Pauli; unfortunately, only the “good looks” were handed down and not the brains. He writes assorted song lyrics and essays reflecting his cynicism and classical liberalism. Click on the “BAB’s A List” category to access the Pauli archive.

UPDATED: MIAMI Breakthrough: Not Just ANOTHER GOP Debate

Donald Trump, Economy, Elections, Foreign Policy, Free Markets, IMMIGRATION, Islam, Labor, Middle East, Republicans

For your convenience, here are my tweets in real time of the 12th, GOP debate, in CORAL GABLES, at the University of Miami (3/10). Since so few networks respect the written word, let us thank CNN for providing a transcript. For the first time, I’m comfortable saying Mr. Trump won the debate. He had never done so before.

UPDATE (3/11):

From first to last, with the most important tweet—you’re looking at it—in the lead:

Trump Must Lay Responsibility For Libya At Hillary’s Chubby Feet

Hillary Clinton, Islam, Middle East, War

Donald Trump finished George Bush off and, by extension, brother Jeb’s candidacy. Trump should not be shy about laying Libya at Hillary’s chubby feet—from the invasion to the fiasco of Benghazi.

Republicans have confined their critique of the war Hillary Clinton initiated in Libya to criticism of her role in the Benghazi tragedy. Given their comparable zeal for unconstitutional, unethical and futile wars; Republicans have never seriously gone after the war Hillary launched on Libya; a war that has seen the US leave another Arab country in ruins.

I’ve heard Sean Hannity attempt this line of inquiry. He stopped short of pursuing a critique of the US-led ruination of Libya, perhaps because it would’ve left him and like-minded conservatives vulnerable. After all, had they not cheered a similarity unjust adventure in Iraq? Indeed they did.

The New York Times has a two-part expose, written, naturally, from the utilitarian perspective that it’s OK for the US to launch such wars, provided the war turns out well.

Part 1: In Their Own Words: The Libya Tragedy: Highlights of interviews with decision makers involved in the Libya intervention about what went wrong. Read the series.

Part 2: A New Libya, With ‘Very Little Time Left’ By SCOTT SHANE and JO BECKER: The fall of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi seemed to vindicate Hillary Clinton. Then militias refused to disarm, neighbors fanned a civil war, and the Islamic State found refuge.

RELATED:
“Libya: A War of the Womb.”

“To Be Or Not To Be In Benghazi; That’s The Question.”

“‘Left’ And ‘Right’ Bamboozling You On Benghazi.”