Like most of humanity, I have been stunned by the sheer savagery and cruelty of the Islamic State. Yet, thousands have flocked to the ISIS forces from the West. For me, it has been a particularly shocking phenomenon. The images that repel us, attract them. Religion is clearly a release for these people. A release from the obligations of decency and humanity. Images show Islamic State fighters laughing and enjoying the torture and murder of captives. Muslim clerics with ISIS assure them that they can treat non-Muslims as lower than animals and commit rape as an Islamically pure act. It has been an incredibly depressing time for those of us who believe that humans can aspire to true greatest of spirit and caring. This Christmas, however, my daughter showed me the YouTube clip below of a man named Matt Harding who goes around the world getting people to dance with him. After watching him, my faith in humanity was restored.
What is so striking about the Islamic State and other extreme Muslim groups is that they most hate joyous expressions from dancing to singing. They throw acid on little girls trying to become educated and destroy the houses of worship of other groups.
Nothing could be a greater antithesis to the hate of these extremists than Matt Harding and people like him:
What is even more reassuring is that he is not alone. Around the world, people are spontaneously singing and dancing. These are a few clips shared by our readers this year. Watching them restores some of the faith in the future that these extremists really cannot extinguish the joy in the world.
Fix: Therefore, it remains important for us to go back to the basics and educate people on the law and policy, fact basis of OIF.
“Unfortunately Peace through strength is the only stategy that has ever proven to have worked.”
I can see where you would get that impression, but it isn’t the case. Any peace purchased by “strength” is temporary because it creates as many enemies as it conquers. Look at our issues in Afghanistan fighting a losing battle against the Mujaheddin- an armed force created to a great extent by the CIA. Or the hostility of Russia towards the United States created during the cold war, or the existence of a belligerent dictatorship in North Korea created by the Korean war, or the increasing separation between North and South America caused by a hundred or so years of cruel domination by the US. . .The list goes on and on. On the other hand, look at the relationship of the United States and Japan and Western Europe- a relationship created out of investment (the Marshall plan) rather than dominance, or consider the relationship between China (a communist regime) and the Western world created by economic inter-dependance rather than military dominance.
Wasabi Ginger: “You have done a great job of gathering the relevant sources, explaining the foundation.”
Thanks.
Like I said to Olly, I shouldn’t need to explain the law and policy, fact basis of OIF at all. The why of Operation Iraqi Freedom ought to be common knowledge already. Primary sources, such as the US statutes, UNSC resolutions, and UNMOVIC findings I’ve cited, are easily accessed on-line. They give a straightforward explanation of the mission. On top of that, the US-led effort to enforce Iraq’s compliance was not obscure. It had been frontpage news for over a decade. President Clinton’s whole presidency was preoccupied with the Saddam problem, and In fact, Clinton is the best source for understanding OIF. There was neither mystery nor novelty in President Bush’s decisions: Bush’s case against Saddam was really Clinton’s case against Saddam.
False narratives about OIF – the comment at December 28, 2014 at 11:14 am is typical (see my response at December 28, 2014 at 3:47 pm) – can take hold only when people don’t know the law and policy, fact basis of OIF.
Yet, I’ve found that most people really don’t know. Supporters, opponents, even people we rely on to know better, like Professor Turley, have underutilized the primary sources despite that (marked from the UN response to Saddam taking Kuwait) the 1990-2003 enforcement of the UNSC resolutions with Saddam developed an exceptionally robust law and policy foundation in the Office of the President, Congress, and UN Security Council.
Worse, the corrupted public perception of OIF continues to cause damage, like a social genetic mutation in our political culture warping American domestic and international affairs.
Therefore, it remains important for us to go back to the basics and educate people on the law and policy, basis of OIF.
For that purpose, here are basic essential sources for understanding the why of Operation Iraqi Freedom (all sources are freely available on-line):
The 1990-2002 UNSC resolutions for Iraq. At minimum, see UNSCRs 687 (1991), 688 (1991), and 1441 (2002).
Public Law 107-243 of October 16, 2002 (the 2002 Congressional authorization for use of military force against Iraq) and Public Law 105-235 of August 14, 1998 (“Iraqi Breach of International Obligations”).
President Clinton’s December 19, 1998 letter to Congress on the legal authority for Operation Desert Fox, February 17, 1998 warning on Iraq to Pentagon personnel, and December 16, 1998 announcement of Operation Desert Fox (the penultimate military enforcement step to Operation Iraqi Freedom).
President Bush’s September 12, 2002 remarks and background paper (“A Decade of Deception and Defiance”) to the United Nations General Assembly and excerpts regarding Iraq from the 2003 State of the Union.
Pursuant to UNSCR 688: The April 19, 2002 (United Nations) Commission on Human Rights situation report on Iraq and March 18, 2004 situation report by Special Rapporteur on Iraq, Andreas Mavrommatis.
Pursuant to UNSCR 687: The March 6, 2003 UNMOVIC Cluster Document (“Unresolved Disarmament Issues Iraq’s Proscribed Weapons Programmes”), which was the main enforcement trigger for OIF, and the September 30, 2004 Iraq Survey Group’s Duelfer Report.
Remember the rape of Nanking—-90,000 troops bound up with promise of safety and then executed with Japanese press articles proclaiming there heroism. Man’s inhumanity to man goes back a long way. We act as if ISIS’s behavior is new. As I recall peace and change in Japanese behavior was only changed by force. Unfortunately peace in our time seems as futile now as ever.
Unfortunately Peace through strength is the only stategy that has ever proven to have worked.
Eric: The law and policy, fact basis of the decision for Operation Iraqi Freedom is frozen in time. It’s not like I can be creative with it or add to it. I can only explain it.
You have done a great job of gathering the relevant sources, explaining the foundation.
Thank you.
Faith alone won’t protect us. But controlling our borders will go a long way.
There’s an old saying: Put your faith in Allah (God), but tie up you camel anyway. We’ve got camels on the lose.
Point #3: Close our southern border…or we will get whacked.
Point #2: Close our southern border.
“Armed citizens that are properly trained can save lives.”
https://www.youtube.com/embed/AhH25xLkvz8
Hey Wasabi Ginger,
You realize your little chart of who gets along with who is complete bullsh!t, right? The oddest part of your departure from reality is how you’ve insisted that Christians, after well over a thousand years of slaughtering opposing religions, get along with everyone.
Ya buddy, the insistence that God hates every other religion so much that he’s going to send them all to burn in eternal damnation doesn’t imply any hostility towards other beliefs. Heavens no!
“You believe the UNSC resolutions and US laws that actually defined the Gulf War ceasefire enforcement procedure for Saddam are propaganda?”
No, I believe that the manner in which you’ve chosen to quote them, coupled how you’ve chosen to ignore US actions which would force Saddam to refuse to abide by UN resolutions, is nothing but propaganda. But you know you’re just parroting propaganda, so I imagine there’s no argument on that point from you.
Hey Eric, doesn’t it strike you as more than a little bit silly that you’re quoting a report compiled by the CIA and the Pentagon under Bush to justify the invasion of Iraq. . . You know, a report from the same government agencies that Bush staffed with his cronies to invent intelligence to support a war with Iraq?
Personally, I kind of think that if you hadn’t shot your credibility to shit before this, you certainly have now. At this point, even Helen Keller can see that you completely lack in objectivity.
Wasabi Ginger
You talk of body counts like there is some grand scale of justice. They take one of ours, we take one of theirs. You’re a funny guy. Please.
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Sorry, I thought you were trying to imply that Muslim extremism exists in a vacuum, independent from anything…Glad to see that I was mistaken.
I also thought you were trying to imply that Muslims are the problem, and that you may follow up with some other graphic showing that all other religions live in harmony until one throws Muslims into the mix…glad to see that I was just also mistaken.
Oh boy, lazy thinking, you are the bane of my existence! These damn Muslims, such troublemakers!
Anarchist 2.0:
You believe the UNSC resolutions and US laws that actually defined the Gulf War ceasefire enforcement procedure for Saddam are propaganda?
The law and policy, fact basis of the decision for Operation Iraqi Freedom is frozen in time. It’s not like I can be creative with it or add to it. I can only explain it.
You talk of body counts like there is some grand scale of justice. They take one of ours, we take one of theirs. You’re a funny guy. Please.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
another “graphic”
Buddhists living with Hindus = No Problem
Hindus living with Christians = No Problem
Hindus living with Jews = No Problem
Christians living with Shintos = No Problem
Shintos living with Confucians = No Problem
Confucians living with Baha’is = No Problem
Baha’is living with Jews = No Problem
Jews living with Atheists = No Problem
Atheists living with Buddhists = No Problem
Buddhists living with Sikhs = No Problem
Sikhs living with Hindus = No Problem
Hindus living with Baha’is = No Problem
Baha’is living with Christians = No Problem
Christians living with Jews = No Problem
Jews living with Buddhists = No Problem
Buddhists living with Shintos = No Problem
Shintos living with Atheists = No Problem
Atheists living with Confucians = No Problem
Confucians living with Hindus = No Problem
Muslims living with Hindus = Problem
Muslims living with Buddhists = Problem
Muslims living with Christians = Problem
Muslims living with Jews = Problem
Muslims living with Sikhs = Problem
Muslims living with Baha’is = Problem
Muslims living with Shintos = Problem
Muslims living with Atheists = Problem
MUSLIMS LIVING WITH MUSLIMS = BIG PROBLEM
Sorry, it’s “utube Wizards in Winter Yucaipa ca”
Nice graphic there, wasabi.
Interestingly enough, even if each one of those guys took out a 1000 people each, they would not tally up to the number of Muslims this administration alone took out.
Should I make you a list of all the occurrences when someone somewhere was attacked and killed when the aggressor was American?
I can start with the ongoing drone attacks in Yemen and Pakistan…
I wonder who is the terrorist to them?
Anarchist 2.0:
Iraq Survey Group:
Anarchist 2.0:
You keep asserting this for some reason despite that the Iraq Survey Group found numerous violations of UNSCR 687. I’ll repeat the sample of ISG findings I quoted for you upthread:
The firstbtimevibdaw the “Sound of Music” in the train station I watched it fifteen times. It astounds me. My other go to over and over is “winter withe the Wizards”‘or “Wizards in Winter” It’s a Christmas light show in a neighborhood with lists of houses participating.mincan’t get enough. Go to it!
Sadamn was a bad actor with multiple priors, he needed to be taken down.
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Regarding muslim supremacists, if I recall correctly:
The Shoe Bomber was a Muslim
The Beltway Snipers were Muslims
The Fort Hood Shooter was a Muslim
The underwear Bomber was a Muslim
The U-S.S. Cole Bombers were Muslims
The Madrid Train Bombers were Muslims
The Bafi Nightclub Bombers were Muslims
The London Subway Bombers were Muslims
The Moscow Theater Attackers were Muslims
The Boston Marathon Bombers were Muslims
The Pan-Am flight #93 Bombers were Muslims
The Air France Entebbe Hijackers were Muslims
The Iranian Embassy Takeover, was by Muslims
The Beirut U.S. Embassy bombers were Muslims
The Libyan U.S. Embassy Attack was by Musiims
The Buenos Aires Suicide Bombers were Muslims
The Israeli Olympic Team Attackers were Muslims
The Kenyan U.S, Embassy Bombers were Muslims
The Saudi, Khobar Towers Bombers were Muslims
The Beirut Marine Barracks bombers were Muslims
The Besian Russian School Attackers were Muslims
The first World Trade Center Bombers were Muslims
The Bombay & Mumbai India Attackers were Muslims
The Achille Lauro Cruise Ship Hijackers were Muslims
The September 11th 2001 Airline Hijackers were Muslims
etc.