Vocal Voices

That poor pIlot to be burnt to death
I can't get it out of my mind
They are evil
We're Will it All end

Lots of dead people. Because they (say), they believe that their God has told them to make the world his followers and to return the world to the 13th century religious borders.

They have money, followers and the sheer rigidity of the religion, which does not allow interpretation, allows those who claim to "interpret" the faith to demand disgusting and insane acts from their followers.

All these families which denied their daughters status or education have created a huge mass of unbalanced young men who believe that wanting is being and that want is justice.

After all if the Christian word of peace, tolerance and aid can be twisted into the Spanish Inquisition, how much more so the teachings of Islam. My middle son has read the English translation from cover to cover. His statement to me? "That is the most bloodthirsty book I have ever read in my life!"

In my mind "Fundamental" Islam occupies the same place as "National Socialism" and we made the same mistake with them. You cannot appease someone who believes, totally, that they are right and that you are wrong and that they will win when they take the war to you.

There is a difference between a Skirmish and a War and there is a difference between a War and Total War. The first gulf "war" was nothing more than a skirmish. The second gulf war was a war as was Afghanistan. Note that when both regimes felt the sheer power of "War" with the western worlds, they folded up, ran away and turned to terrorism.

The only thing that will kill IS is Total War and that is fought on a whole different playing field with a whole different set of rules. WWII was Total War. It killed 8.5 million Germans of whom around 5 Million were civilians. It killed 29 Million Russians of whom more than 20M were civilians.

So far we are treating IS as a Skirmish. We don't want to get involved, we don't want our troops dying on the ground. What we might want to remember is that IS claims a large chunk of NATO as their "God given" right to rule.

Once again, as so many times over history, the Middle East proves the whirlpool that drags the Christian world into conflict.

Where is Temüjin when you need him???

I fear you are right Suff, I have a terrible sense of foreboding about where this is all leading.

If all the members of NATO allocated only 10% of their resources to this "war" there would be about 350,000 troops, several hundred of the right aircraft - plus drones, and thousands of tanks and artillery pieces. Plus all the intelligence technology and methods. Nobody, but nobody, would go up against that sort of force; not the Russians and not the Chinese - IS would have no chance.

The SOP for execution of the war would be"take no prisoners" and give no ground.

As for the homegrown versions, they should be easy. Round them up and put them on military transport aircraft to the region. Once there they would be given an AK47, two magazines and enough rounds to fill them then they would be given five minutes of 500m head start after which they would be fair game targets. That is unless they put a mag (full or empty) on the 47 at which time they would immediately become targets. There would be no option to refuse - take it or leave it.

If only they had the balls to do it!

nothing will change
and we saw all about the holocaust last week
soon forgotten
im afraid

Things do change. Sadly, nowadays, mostly for the worst.

We have seen the golden years in our lifetimes. Now governments have caught up with technology and want to use it to rule our lives... Terrorists use it to.... Rule our lives. In fact everyone wants to use it to rule our lives, even us.....

I decline.