Friday 19 September 2014

This is not funny at all



There are reasons why Australia is called "the lucky country".

We have religious and political freedom and live far away from trouble on the largest island in the world.

Relatively....Safe, Peaceful and Blessed.

No, of course it's not perfect. Just ask any refugee who tries to make it by boat only to be dragged off to sit it out in a neighbouring country waiting to taste 'freedom'.

But, perhaps our luck is running out.

Because the largest anti terrorism operation ever seen in Australia occurred early this morning in raids across Sydney and Brisbane.

Why? Because security officers had intercepted telephone calls between people who had hatched plans designed  to “shock” and “horrify” the community, involving the “random selection of persons to rather gruesomely execute”.

In other words they planned to kidnap people off public streets and behead them with a sword, film it and put in on social media.

All in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Like, what the hell? Aren't those people in the Middle East somewhere? Far away?

No. Apparently not.

And what have I heard people say all day in reaction to these raids?
This is just a pathetic beat up by the Government to turn people's attention away from internal domestic politics.
Seriously. People have their heads buried in the sand (which after today's arrests may have been the safest place for them... but....).

It's time to get REAL.

ISIL is growing rapidly and exponentially. In every country.

According to the CIA, the group has tripled its size in three months and it is seriously cashed up and armed.

And alarmingly, hundreds of vulnerable young kids from Canada, Britain, Australia, the US, Europe and other largely non Muslim nations are being recruited on the ground by ISIS supporters and targeted by social media campaigns to run away and join them.

Surely, the absolute last thought that crosses a parent’s mind when their young teenager goes missing is that they fled the country to join a terrorist organisation.

An organisation so violent that even al-Queda wants nothing to do with them.

Most recruits are young men but many females are also joining.

Just read the media headlines to see how young some of these recruits are;

A 19 year old Gold Coast female extremist shot and dismembered in Syria
- MORE Australian women joining the jihadists 
- French 14 year old detained on suspicion of travelling to Syria  

- Two Austrian teenagers, 14 and 15, who joined the Islamic State are persuading other teenagers to follow suit
- Six arrested in France over female Jihadi recruitment
- Spain locks up 14 year old on way to Syria
- Austrian poster girl Jihadist believed to have been killed
- Three young Minnesota women have travelled to Syria to support the ISIS terror group.


Two teenage Austrian girls who became the postergirls of ISIS, one of them was recently killed in Syria
 
How do you go from being a teenager in middle America, Austria, Australia to pledging allegiance to the blood thirsty Islamic State?

If ever this World needed strong leadership and our kids needed strong guidance it is now.

However, I am just not sure how you fight this kind of war when social media is being used so successfully to recruit, captivate and promote a cause. The tentacles are getting longer all the time unless something is done to halt its growth.

We need to be talking about it with kids not pretending it does not exist. And hopefully the world's leaders will do what is necessary to stop this evil spreading further. Because, as with every organisation of its type, there is someone sitting at the top making a grab for power. They need to be removed. Quickly.

Thoughts? 



16 comments:

  1. Scary times coming for everybody I am afraid of! I hope you have a gun, Not that any we citizens would have would compare to their assault rifles (issued and stolen from the USA) It makes my stomach turn. We should have stayed over there and not with drawn as our Generals said. But, our POTUS at the moment is out of touch with everything except his golf clubs. Please be safe and you all will remain in my prayers.

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    1. Hello Darsden, nice to see you drop by. Yes, I think it is easy just to pretend its all ok but to me this is all a little different in that this is a terrorist group where its members are living amongst us as it were. Anyway, I am still trying to research it a bit more to get a better handle on it. But hatefully, they are targeting vulnerable people to join like some warped cult except this is evil to the extreme. I feel terribly sorry for so many of these people leaving their safe lives and going to somewhere that they have no real knowledge of. Many are just kids. Just so sad.

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  2. Whoah a deviation from your humorous posts. This ISIL is the most evil cult out and they are targeting people who know nothing about the religion or who are recent converts. I think most of us tend to ignore the news until it hits us between the eyes. Next we we will be bombing our own young people. Why do people join cults? People are looking for a sense of purpose and are easily brainwashed. I cannot understand but I believe it. Gone are the days when these atrocious things happen in other countries. I guess these days we have to be alert and not alarmed or fearful. Yes we should be talking about this with our teenagers. It is a must. I read that ISIS has taken over oilfields worth billions and robbed banks for millions even though their numbers are estimated at 30,000 or so. They are cashed up to buy the weapons and people they need. I think the West has moved way too slow on this one.

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    1. Yes Sarah they have lots of money because of the oil. And Turkey, Syria itself and others are all happy to deal on the black market with them. The World is ***#ed!!!!

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  3. All you have to have to be a terrorist is have a phone, a knife and a person to kidnap. They do not represent Islam and I feel sorry for Moslems in general. Bloody Bush should never have invaded Iraq in the first place. The landscape has never been the same since.

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    1. That is true Anton. I also feel sorry for Muslims who will fear their lives because of idiot extremists. We can all coexist for goodness sakes. But it is all about a few people wanting power and then pulling puppet strings on others.

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  4. Over here is difficult not to get political about this. Hell it's even difficult not to get political about what to have for lunch.
    This a very serious threat to civilized life. I wish we all could live under a society ruled by laws created by thoughtful people. The more I hear/read about the Islamic State the more I compare them to Nazis. We still have small groups of Nazi followers. I don't understand the hatred. Brain washing especially with young idealist people can and will happen. We need to be aware of the threats and the organizations behind them. How do they get so much money? Why does any area in the world support their existence?
    good post - but I wish you had to write it

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    1. Yes Bill. How hard could it be?

      For some reason humans are crazy about power. I was thinking about this even in relation to England and Scotland and the Scottish Independence vote. I lived in Scotland for a while and I was amazed that there is a real hate between the countries even though its hundreds of years since they were at war. And their countries are so tiny and they essentially live in each other's pockets. Just plain strange to me.

      I did not know much about ISIS which then became ISIL and since the hoo ha here in the last week have tried to find out more about them. The alarming thing for me is that many of our own citizens (and same for other non Muslim) countries are running off to join them. A quarter of their army is supposedly from Britain. Crazy. That makes it rather frightening because essentially we will then be killing our own citizens if they are attacked. Half these kids do not even know what they are doing but just brainwashed. So sad (but I also wonder if Army recruitment in the West is similar too - recruit kids from poor socio economic backgrounds and promise them the world by joining the army and then sending them to war in Iraq etc).

      Anyway their numbers are growing because as they take over towns and cities in Syria, Iraq etc they tell people they either join them or they will kill them. Plus they have a very successful online recruitment strategy.

      In terms of their wealth, that has come from taking over Eastern Syria and moving into Iraq. They took control of 5 oil fields which are worth billions a year (1.8 m a day) and they sell the oil on the blackmarket to Turkey, Iran and even Syria. They took control of the second biggest city in Iraq, Mosul, and then looted the banks which supposedly netted them $450m. All up they supposedly have cash reserves of 1.2 billion and that's a growing concern. They also supposedly earn about $5m a month in extortion of local businesses and $40m in the last year from taking hostages. Private donations from supporters all over the world also assist them.

      Very difficult to have a strategy to fight them as they are not a State as such I imagine. They are essentially 30,000 thugs spread everywhere. Although I just read that France has just delivered the first bomb on them.

      The head of ISIS is a man called Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - read up on him. He led Al Queda in Iraq before splitting from them to form ISIL. He is very determined to make himself into the one true ruler of Sunni Islam. He is surrounded by a group of experienced military officers who were in Sadam Hussein's army. Someone found a copy of their organisational structure somewhere. So, it seems you take one of these leaders out and there is someone else to quickly replace them. It cannot be easy coming up with a way to manage this.

      I think they are extremely strategic about what they are doing. Wonder what the outcome will be..

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    2. BTW - I had a typo in the last sentence of my comment. I meant to write, "but I wish you didn't have to write it"
      Your study of this terrorist group is deeper than mine. I didn't know they had so many sources of funding.
      recruitment - It puzzles me too. There always seems to be a supply of people willing to follow cults and radical ideas. Army recruitment in the West is very different but both groups do target the same age group. I do believe it easier to "mold" a younger person into a soldier than an older established person.
      Back in the days after 9/11 I remember someone (politician, news pundit?) say that fighting terrorists is like fighting cockroaches or rats. They are everywhere and many of them. You really need to eliminate the conditions that allow them to thrive.
      Hopefully the smarter countries in the Middle East will realize the benefit to fighting this threat.
      I'm still worried about the nutter running North Korea. He is not spread all over but has a supply of dangerous weapons.
      thanks for sharing your findings and thoughts.
      all the best

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  5. Americans tend to ignore things until it's almost too late. We are there. But the media is in control. Did you know the media hates blogs? For the very reason of your post. You are being honest and the media can't control it. I think we're in deep trouble and until another 9/11 happens.... sadly... disturbingly.... we will continue to believe the media that all is well and allow them to redirect us like sheep being lead to the slaughter.

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    1. Yes well I have been like that too Aleta. I would rather just focus on a puppy and good times. But then these raids happened this week for us and it made me sit up and take notice. I am trying to get a better understanding.

      This feels very much different to what has gone before. It is almost as though the internet is allowing ISIL to infiltrate all countries and brainwash people into carrying out atrocities on it's behalf. They need to bomb their leadership circle as they have clearly defined leaders and deputies. Just finding them is the problem as given they have no State etc and are spread out it means a lot of innocent people get hurt or killed in the process.

      It is definitely a new kind of war these days. I do not envy and leader trying to work out a solution but they have to try. I did not agree with the Iraq War but this time something has to be done as this butchery cannot be tolerated. Thanks for your comment. I always love your opinions.

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  6. That is very powerful stuff Lilly. I agree with you totally and I, like you, am starting to think that Australia isn't as safe as everyone thinks it is. The sooner we stomp on these people and organisations the better!

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    1. Tough isn't it? There is something wrong with young people born here who are feeling so disenchanted with their life and future that they seek such a horrific existence elsewhere. And sadly, I am sure they really believe they are doing the right thing. As always its the leader who is the pied piper.

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  7. Hi Lily, It's interesting you post about this because you were the first person I thought of when I heard this horrific news on the television.

    Hat's off to the police/security for figuring the awful plot out before it happened but that still leaves the WTH feeling. I wish I had answers. It's all terribly unsettling.

    Stay safe,
    xo jj

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    1. Yes JJ there are no answers but we have to trust our leaders I guess that they know what they are doing. Anyway I will go back to talking about dogs now lol.

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Thanks for your comments.