maybe we should drop books instead of bombs

[callmeslick]

coming on the heels of yesterdays news that ISIS has actually grown in territory and membership since the US and allies started the bombing campaign, I read this:
http://www.npr.org/2015/01/15/377442344 ... moderation

[Will Robinson]

Good god man, you are bordering on GW Bush's outlook of the region. Give the people something to compare it with and they will choose freedom. Are you going to be safe back in the Liberal frat house after this?

I do want to correct one part of your pointing out the increased growth rate of ISIS. That is, we didn't just 'start a bombing campaign', we backed quickly out of space that we occupied leaving soft targets and decided to shape the outcome from a 'safe altitude'. The growth was predicted by lots of people who looked at the dynamics of the region and said 'yea, we need to stick around and make this a different situation before we go'. Then we left anyway. so now if you drop those books youll probably cause a bunch of potential thinkers to have their eyes pokes out by that punk Muhammad's thugs.

[callmeslick]

Good god man, you are bordering on GW Bush's outlook of the region. Give the people something to compare it with and they will choose freedom. Are you going to be safe back in the Liberal frat house after this?

well, they ARE pretty heavy when airdropped. It was an interesting story, but I think the real point one can glean is that EDUCATION is the antidote to radicalization, or at least, violent tendencies.

I do want to correct one part of your pointing out the increased growth rate of ISIS. That is, we didn't just 'start a bombing campaign', we backed quickly out of space that we occupied leaving soft targets and decided to shape the outcome from a 'safe altitude'. The growth was predicted by lots of people who looked at the dynamics of the region and said 'yea, we need to stick around and make this a different situation before we go'. Then we left anyway. so now if you drop those books youll probably cause a bunch of potential thinkers to have their eyes pokes out by that punk Muhammad's thugs.

actually,the news related to Syrian territory and NOT Iraq, so NO, we never occupied that space.

[Tunnelcat]

Slick, poverty does more to make radicals out of disaffected young males than any other reason. War and killing looks a hell of a lot more fun to these guys than just sitting around bored and broke in a slum tenement in some European city. Dropping books wouldn't solve a thing when most of these people see a Western education as an evil problem that must be eliminated at all costs anyway.

[callmeslick]

Slick, poverty does more to make radicals out of disaffected young males than any other reason.

agreed, along with bad education and living in ghettoes in Europe. My point, TC, was more around the ineffectiveness of bombing
before anyone bothered to secure travel in and out of the region. Turkey is still a NATO member, yet seems to be the single passageway
in and out of Syria. No sense kicking hornets nests when the hornets can freely fly away and sting elsewhere, is there?