tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504598332261057441.post2853661024445237550..comments2024-03-21T19:03:19.133-04:00Comments on Where there had been darkness...: Pray for Paris: An open letter about Syrian RefugeesJugularjoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03768939120752611597noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504598332261057441.post-52784254433490842502015-11-23T00:51:09.305-05:002015-11-23T00:51:09.305-05:00Interesting points, Bob.Interesting points, Bob.cfchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13950133709503504617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504598332261057441.post-79328742755808662672015-11-21T23:45:42.725-05:002015-11-21T23:45:42.725-05:00This is a very intelligent, and heartfelt response...This is a very intelligent, and heartfelt response to a sadly misinformed albeit eloquent person. Of course you would imagine I agree with you, Josh -- but going beyond that, reading your very considered and humanistic commentary makes me proud that I know you. That all said, two things that I keep coming to when thinking of ISIS and the refugee crisis that are somewhat relevant:<br /><br />1. It is completely disingenuous to identify the Syrian refugees as being somehow complicit in the terror activities of the ISIS death cult. If anything, ISIS is employing deliberate maskirovka tactics by using the situation as cover for their more carefully calibrated techniques of convincing domestic disaffected men and women to adopt their own cause. If anything, the attackers are a delivery system for the organization's planners by which they can deliver mayhem and sow confusion in places beyond the reach of their conventional weapons platforms. If ISIS could use aircraft, ballistic missiles, drones, and other standard military ordnance and systems to inflict this damage they would. But since they do not, they use individual people to do the same. The desire to cause terror as a tool of war is really little different (save for the technology) from the methods advocated by Guilio Douhet in 1921 in Command of the Air -- where he argued that terror bombing of civilian cities from the air, using a variety of ordnance including high explosives, incendiaries, and gas, could coerce said populations to submit to force. Air power becomes a delivery system for mayhem, conflating the actual power of the wielder beyond its ordinary military potential. Jump ahead to 2015, and we see how Douhet's objectives have been adapted for use by a non-state/quasi-state actor with chilling effect. And by creating terror in the West (mostly in the US, frankly), ISIS has created the circumstances to fulfill their real objective, which is to convince Muslims that the Occidental West hates them and wishes their destruction -- imbuing their eschatological worldview with ever-growing legitimacy as we continue to heap abuse and indignity on innocents.<br /><br />The second point I keep thinking of is not only how this plays directly into the hands of ISIS, but also how the West is missing a tremendous opportunity to reverse this entire discourse by replacing fear with compassion. Were the US to respond with offers of greater access and support for deserving refugees, ranging from expanding the asylum program (though not changing its vetting requirements) to creating safe cantonments throughout the Balkan States, the Levant (including Turkey, Cyprus, and Lebanon) for refugees using DoD resources and military protection, and help to rebuild the broken lives of the millions of Syrians, Afghanis, Iraqis and others fleeing war and devastation (War and Devastation that the US owns, by the way, as the direct cause of instability and social degeneration in their home countries over 30 years of morally bankrupt and illegal policies) it would create far more good will, support, and the foundation for future potential allies in the region. But that would take hard work, time, and moral courage. . . something that is in very short supply in American society today.<br /><br />Just a few ancillary thoughts that I keep chewing over, and was reminded of as I read your post. Great job, Josh -- keep at it. I'm proud to know you.Bob Wintermutenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504598332261057441.post-75348141286403355372015-11-21T16:36:48.212-05:002015-11-21T16:36:48.212-05:001.) Exactly right. These people aren't ISIS, t...1.) Exactly right. These people aren't ISIS, they're the *victims* of ISIS. I couldn't find the quote, but someone high up in the US Intelligence apparatus observed that Muslims are doing much more to fight ISIS than anybody else.<br /><br />2.) Rick Snyder, the first to announce his opposition to Syrian refugees was asked twice in a recent interview if he would ban tourists and he said he had no intention to do that. <br /><br />(http://www.npr.org/2015/11/20/456713306/governor-who-started-stampede-on-refugees-says-he-only-wants-answers)<br /><br />Snyder comes off as reasonable, if you don't know the facts, and I'm disturbed that NPR is letting him dictate the terms of the interview by adopting his "pause" terminology.<br /><br />I'm amazed how much traction this position has. It should be a no-brainer to accept the refugees. <br /><br />I wound up responding to the post in question because it was posted by someone I thought should know better. (Also the tone of the piece bothered me, what with the implication that anyone who wants to welcome refugees is just a soft-headed dupe who "lashes" out at the hard men of the world, who have determined through their dispassionate assessment of the situation that the DPs just need some more tough love before they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps.) I'm just venting my spleen here; nobody is going to see my response, but the "reasonable" tone of the piece bothered me in a way that usual background level of crazy uncle bullshit on Facebook doesn't.Jugularjoshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03768939120752611597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504598332261057441.post-7066462752365242872015-11-21T13:01:37.056-05:002015-11-21T13:01:37.056-05:00You make some good points. Here are two more:
1) ...You make some good points. Here are two more:<br /><br />1) There is absolutely no reason to believe the refugees support ISIS, and every reason to believe they do not. Remember, these are the people running away from ISIS.<br /><br />2) The reality is that terrorists who want to enter America will simply hop on a plane. The screening process for that is virtually non-existent, and the TSA has been repeatedly proven ineffective, whereas the screening process discussed above for refugees is quite extensive. <br /><br />These two facts alone clearly demonstrate that any opposition to allowing Syrian refugees to begin the entrance process on grounds of safety is utterly, completely irrational.cfchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13950133709503504617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504598332261057441.post-15474169598241197562015-11-21T08:44:48.806-05:002015-11-21T08:44:48.806-05:00You thoroughly go over what's wrong with the w...You thoroughly go over what's wrong with the way Katie Jone's open letter dehumanizes refugees, so I won't rehash any of that. I will add, though, that Katie dehumanizes the homeless without a second thought in order to prop up her faulty logic, mostly emotional driven message. I mean, we really ought to be helping refugees AND we really ought to be helping the homeless instead dismissing either as problems that are too big for society to solve.GGMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07033500188317909488noreply@blogger.com