Visionz

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1



U.S. airstrikes begin on ISIS militants in Iraq



Cliffs:

• Two U.S. F/A-18 jet fighters bomb Islamic State artillery outside Irbil
  
• President Obama gives authorization for "targeted airstrikes"
  
• The U.S. military also may use airstrikes to intervene in a humanitarian crisis
  
• Critics call for the U.S. to take fight directly to militants
  

Stocker

Maybe even the Obama will be brought to realize that the IS folks are waging a war of fundamentalist radical islam vs. people who just want to live their lives their own way. I hate to say it but I don't think anyone besides the US and NATO (read: the US, mostly, but in blue) have the ability to really stop their taking over all of the middle east. Russia could but won't, also China. If we sit on our hands, pretty soon we'll be looking at all their neighboring nations attacking israel in the name of islam.

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Again.

Tibbi

If they won't respect each other, make them fear us.

i8acobra

Or, just do like the LAPD did in the 80's... Back off and let them kill each other.

Stocker

Problem is, by the time they are done killing being left alone, Israel is a glass factory, Europe is subjugated and the IS has nuclear ICBMs. Then there's REALLY nobody else to stop them . . . and they STILL will want to kill us.

i8acobra

I have no problem with Israel being a glass factory.

Stocker

I'm guessing you might have a problem with various cities in the USA being glass factories, and that would be next after Israel. But I don't think they get Israel. The ever-hated jooooos seem to do pretty well in a clinch.

i8acobra

Not even close. The second ANYONE bombs anyone with a nuke, the US will turn that whole area into a parking lot... and we'd still have a few thousand warheads left. The only danger to the US is the fallout.

Tibbi

Actually, that kind of a misnomer. Fallout from a modern warhead is pretty well contained. Even the primitive bombs we dropped on Japan had very minuscule lasting effects. Much of the radioactive debris had half-lives in the seconds or milliseconds. If it is a fairly well made market weapon (IE: not a dirty bomb or I.E.D.) then there's no danger of creating a domestic Pripyat. Granted, the loss of life will be a bastard. The kill range on a decent nuke is pretty intense, and the lucky go quick.

Stocker

ok news flash: the radio today said Islamic State militants have laid hands on radioactive yummies enough to make a dirty bomb. People are pouring over our Southern border in their thousands, and I'm pretty sure Israel has a few holes on their border too. Now it's getting more interesting.



So the question is: if someone manages to get a truck bomb over here, and nobody claims responsibility, who do you bomb? My guess is the current crop of "leaders" in the USA would seek to understaaaaand whyyyyyy they did it first, after they pull their heads out enough to figure out who.



Fallout: not just entirely free of concern yet. Remember we're not dealing with first-world nations with advanced weapons, we're dealing with durka-durka-jihad and 4th generation warfare. Dirty bombs are not out of the question at ALL, now.