April 20, 2013

Brainlessness As A Way Of Life

That pretty much sums up the vast majority of members of the “esteemed” Obama Administration. Well, maybe “esteemed” is a little much, so how about stupid? Yes, that sounds much better. Chuck here, tossed back into the salt mines by Mrs. Wolf.

What I’m referring to is this L.A. Times article.

With Al Qaeda shattered, U.S. counter-terrorism’s future unclear

Skilled in tracking foreign terrorists, Jarret Brachman once was a sought-after expert on Al Qaeda, advising several federal agencies and speaking regularly around the country.

Now the former research director of the Combating Terrorism Center, a think tank at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has turned his focus away from Islamic militants. He spends most of his time consulting with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies about threats from domestic extremists and antigovernment militias.

“I have totally re-branded my career,” Brachman said. “I still do the Al Qaeda stuff, but there’s no interest, no demand…. We’ve broken Al Qaeda’s back, strategically.”

Thanks to drone missile strikes and other counter-terrorism operations, the network founded by Osama bin Laden has been so eviscerated that U.S. intelligence agencies no longer fully understand the organizational structure below its nominal leader, Ayman Zawahiri, according to defense officials. The CIA has killed Zawahiri’s top lieutenants almost as quickly as they are identified.

Obama administration officials say the global network is in transition. They say it has decentralized from a top-down group based in Pakistan into smaller, far-flung and largely autonomous factions.

Affiliates in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Mali and Somalia remain dangerous, the officials say, so U.S. forces can’t relax their focus.

“The threat from Al Qaeda and the potential for a massive coordinated attack on the United States may be diminished, but the jihadist movement is more diffuse,” James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence, told the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday. “Lone wolves, domestic extremists and jihad-inspired affiliated groups are still determined to attack Western interests.”

Okay, you may ask them, “so what’s yer pernt?”

Well,

A growing group of analysts and former government officials say the threat from Al Qaeda affiliates is overblown. Most terrorist groups are focused on local concerns, not on America, and have little or no ability to organize a broader plot.

“To the best of our information, there is nobody out there with both the desire and the capabilities to cause any serious damage to the U.S. in any way at this moment,” said Rosa Brooks, a former deputy assistant secretary of Defense.

As Al Qaeda recedes as a direct threat, the CIA and special military forces appear to have throttled back on targeted killings. They have launched 16 drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen this year, according to the Long War Journal, which tracks reports of the attacks. That pace is much slower than in 2012, which saw 88 strikes over the course of the year.

This is more government stupidity. Al Qaeda will remain a threat until we’ve done more than “broken their back”; They need to be smitten root and branch, even the upstarts and pretenders to the proverbial throne.

There is no simply dusting off our hands and saying, “Good, done deal” — The instant we do that, we give them a chance to start regrouping, seeking new methods of financing, training newbies, et-cetera, et-cetera… You see, these fanatics aren’t about to just give up and walk away. We need to stay on their asses 24/7/365.

Then, of course, there are quite a few other groups just like them who will eventually wanna take a crack at us.

Hmmm, let’s see, now…

Hezbollah, Ansar al-Dine, the Abdallah Azzam Brigades,
Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid, Hamas, Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami, the Army of Islam, et-cetera, et-cetera, et-cetera.

There are a whole passel of tangos out there with bones and imaginary bones to pick with us, because
we support a government or country they hate, because our very liberty pisses them off, because, not being Islamic makes us “eeenfeedels” (keel theem!), our sheer economic power, communications technology and military might make us able to try and spread democracy to countries the Islamofascists would prefer we left enslaved peoples trapped in the dark ages and minded our own bees’ wax…

Whatever the reason, all those evil assholes are out there hiding behind their Religion of Peace, waiting patiently for their respective chances to get a crack at us, shoot their shot, leave their mark, claim their 72 virgins and what have you.

What we see in the linked article is the excuse Barack Hussein Obama needs to further weaken our defense capabilities, no doubt so they can find some social program to throw the defunded monetary amounts into.

This Obama character should be given a medal by “The Head Leftie” or the “Enemy-of the State-in-Chief” for his excellent work in undermining so much of what America used to stand for and in helping to undermine or destroy what we still have.

Bummer.

Later.

by @ 12:15 pm. Filed under Government Stupidity, Homeland Security
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