Issues Under Fire

Apologies all around for closing out 2015 early but after reviewing this years postings and podcast Americas most critical issues have already been addressed And from this observers perspective the simplest solution to most of those critical issues is America overcoming its fears If the United States would simply grow a pair Americans could stop being afraid all the time Americans seem to be afraid of almost everyone Americans are even afraid of themselves

Now that the Black Lives Matter issue has gained enough attention to make a cop think twice before pulling the trigger we should use this opportunity to take a look at the next demographic thats found itself in Americas crosshairs The American Muslim

Imagine sitting at a bus stop standing on a train platform or walking down the street when someone starts shooting or stabbing people randomly What would you think Imagine sitting in traffic waiting for the signal to proceed when some maniac starts ramming his car into others and mowing pedestrians down with no regard for human life What would you say Imagine if the rumors of an Islamic Plague were true what would you doFor those who imagine such scenarios Donald J Trump has a plan to save America from being overrun by Muslim Zombies Donald Trump has personally seen people of the Muslim faith change overnight from peace loving hardworking family oriented Americans into blood craving lunatics hellbent on killing infidels Donald Trump has captured and trapped infected Muslims in the basement of one of his many mansions Theyre being held for observation According to Donald Trump there are no signs symptoms or warnings And at this time there is no cure

As President Obama continues to promote and prosecute his strategy against ISISISIL in Syria Iraq and beyond with air strikes intelligence gathering special operations regional coalition building and beefing up homeland defenses against internal threats more needs to be done to assist in undermining ISISISIL as a threat While the president will eventually realize marginal results from bombing oil fields disrupting supply chains and thus choking off economic resources his strategy wont choke off ISISISILs human resources

Loretta Lynchs announcement of the Justice Departments planned investigation into pattern and practices of the Chicago police was so meticulously articulated and so narrowly focused its difficult to envision the people of Chicago ever seeing their civil rights respected let alone protected By the time the US Attorney General had finished her longwinded selfserving presentation of the DOJs intent to intervene this observer was struck by how little that intervention would actually accomplish The entire presentation was no more than an artful dodge

While observing President Obama address the nation about the global threat ISISISISL poses to humanity and his strategy for confronting it it became apparent just how many fronts this war against religious extremism must be fought Wisely avoiding the Western way of life vs Islam narrative his critics have embraced the president appealed for calm and common sense He acknowledged the nations concerns moving forward while assuring the fearful the United States and its allies were fully engaged with the enemy

It must have been a bittersweet celebration after Rahm Emmanuel won reelection for mayor of Chicago April past Because after the congratulations died down a nice dinner a great bottle of wine and some long overdue quiet time with family the bloodied skeletons hidden in his closet began to rattle To know his corrupt to the core police department could be exposed at any moment had to have weighed heavily on his mind

When the city of Chicago finally surrendered the highly incriminating video tape of Laquan McDonalds death by cop everyone involved must have known a shitstorm of epic proportions was on its way Every cop responding that fateful night of October 20th 2014 to the intersection of 41st Street and Pulaski Rd is now reliving and reviewing the event endlessly Theyre wondering how theyre going to answer the Feds when the tough questions are finally asked Will they rat to salvage their careers or will they hold the Blue line

Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive Had Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel taken a lesson from former NY congressmen Anthony Weiner he might have handled his last chance to do the right thing differently The minute Mayor Emmanuel stepped up to the microphone to field questions regarding the video tape of Laquan McDonalds death he shouldve been prepared to tell the truth and nothing but the truth And the truth was simple He Fked up Fking up is forgivable lying about it is not

Anyone whod take the time to monitor the racial climate in America will quickly find the temperature has risen appreciably in the last eight years Similar to the earths climate change the racial climate in America is showing clear and irrefutable evidence of racial hostilities heating up between Whites and Blacks And similar to the earths climate change there will be those wholl deny that clear and irrefutable evidence as it stares them straight in the face

Donald Trump has signaled some very interesting ideas as to how hed protect the homeland from foreign and domestic threats Some of his ideas are so interesting they had to be examined immediately By next week his campaign operatives will have scrubbed his statements from the public record If elected Trump stated he wouldnt rule out establishing a database for the purpose of keeping track of Muslims in America As astounding as that might sound he was quite serious about the proposalWhile electronic ankle monitors or digital tracking implants werent mentioned one could envision that type of technology being employed in a Trump administrations war against terror Americans might feel safe in Trump world but you could hardly call this space north of Mexico and south of Canada the United States of America anymore Donald Trump may be an asshole with clownish hair but hes also a very dangerous man

While undoubtedly some of the best minds in the world are working around the clock trying to figure out how ISIS and affiliates plan to infiltrate borders to do harm this observer is more interested in how ISIS and affiliates plan to infiltrate minds to do harm One would think projecting an image of Islam so vile and evil ISIS would be worried the world would only hate Muslims more One would think conducting terror attacks against innocent people in the name of Islam wouldnt exactly gain many converts Sadly anyone thinking this way would be dead wrong because ISIS has a plan When America Muslims begin to feel the heat for what ISIS and their agents are doing all over world human nature being what it is theyll feel betrayed by the United States when they become targeted for reprisals When the racist remarks start in the schools when the discrimination begins in the work place when racial and ethnic profiling is taken to the next level many in the Muslim community will begin to feel isolated ostracized and thre

As dramatic events play out on the streets of central Paris and beyond endless uneventful days drag on without notice in Syrian refugee camps Sprinkled among the few pockets of humanity left in the region the camps literally litter the landscapes of Turkey Jordan and Lebanon providing just enough food and shelter to disguise one hopelessly demeaning day from another And refugee families past their time inventing ways to survive those endless hopelessly demeaning days

Issues Under Fire US Signals Europe Close Your Doors to RefugeesAnyone fleeing a war zone will never set foot on American soil No matter what the circumstances no Syrian Afghan or Iraqi will find sanctuary in America They will find no rest for the weary here They will find neither pity nor sympathy in the hearts of those calling themselves Americans And most all they will find no freedom in America The message to those seeking refuge from some of the most hellish conditions on earth is do not look to America for helpIf youre huddled among masses of tired and poor people yearning to breathe free youd better keep stepping because America has slammed the door raised the gate and filled the moat with alligators If thats not enough of a deterrent armed drones land mines and gun turrets should keep the worlds homeless hungry and helpless at bay While the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain open they only exist as iconic tourist destinations For 25 USD you can see what America once stood for

When US officials announced they were reasonably sure a drone strike had killed Jihadi John last Friday morning little did the world know ISIS would be laying claim to the death and wounding of hundreds in Paris by nightfall In what French President Francois Hollande accurately describe as an act of war against his country ISIS ISIL placed Paris on notice the French had a war on its handsVowing a merciless response French President Hollande declared a stated of emergency closed the boarders well not exactly place the nation on lockdown and ordered French jets to pounded the hell out of ISISISIL strongholds in Syria on Sunday Providing comfort to terrorized Parisians the French government has placed security forces at every location authorities could fathom as being a potential targetWithout question President Hollande has crossed every T and dotted every I in identifying threats to mitigate harm to the French people Unfortunately all these types of measures have been taken before Air strikes in far away land

With racial tensions flaring up on college campuses across America, exposing the depths of hatred and intolerance simmering in the hearts of America’s youth, it begs one to wonder if this is a glimpse of America’s future. If America’s latest generation of best and brightest are still grappling with the issue of race, then one can presume race relations will remain a challenge for decades to come.It’s through the words, actions and attitudes of America’s White university class, we get a clearer view into what has been and is being discussed at dinner tables across the country. After a careful review of Black complaints being lodged against their White classmates, apparently, the “N” is used liberally and regularly among close friends and relatives behind closed doors. If that’s happening, its no stretch to presume White moms and dads are telling racist jokes or laughing out loud in front of the kids when they hear a good one. And honestly, It rarely takes much more than that to set a mindset fo

Yesterdays post questioning the issue of Blacks on Black violence in Chicago created quite a row as some commenters pushed back against my observations An exchange of ideas eventually resulted in the age old retorts of Black criminality being a horrible symptom of circumstance 400 years of oppression police abuse and institutional racism Without skipping a beat another chimed in with the usual lack of good schools decent jobs or the possibility of upward mobility as being a contributing factor to violence in the Black community

As the Black Lives Matter Movement continues to gather steam across the nation many troubling questions remain unanswered when it comes to certain parts of the country Why are Blacks shooting and killing Blacks in record numbers in Chicago Is it mostly a gang related issue Is it related to decades of poverty Is it related to years of human neglect Is this violence related to the breakdown of the family structure Is it a lack of educational and career opportunities Is it a massive mental health issue Could it be all these things combined

As Barack Obama makes a desperate effort to clear his desk of campaign promises during the last stages of his presidency the Guantanamo Bay issue will plague his legacy even if Gitmos doors were miraculously closed today The issue is not Guantanamo Bay the issue is indefinite detention As long as the United States retains the authority to arrest and hold a person without charge or trial forever where that person is being held is irrelevant

With Russias military strength building daily to protect the Assad government while the US expands special operations activities to support the Syrian rebels it looks as though ISIS has become an afterthought Despite the deafening calls for the defeat of the Islamic State realities on the ground reflect alternate priorities Although Russia and the United States claim the focus remains directed at ISIS the latest bulk of casualties have been the result of fighting between the Syrian army and rebel forces More at RertoVision media