The Common Ills: England boasts of taking out a 'terrorist' pick-up truck

Thursday, October 02, 2014

England boasts of taking out a 'terrorist' pick-up truck

How many weeks is it supposed to take for President Barack Obama's Iraq 'plan' to work? Not only is the Islamic State supposedly closer to Baghdad than ever before but this is the week NBC News (link is text and video) reported, "ISIS militants seized weapons and besieged hundreds of Iraqi soldiers after overrunning an army base northwest of the capital, a senior security official told NBC News. The attack on the Albu Aytha military camp, 50 miles outside of Baghdad, comes amid airstrikes by the U.S. and its allies and gains by Kurdish troops on the Iraqi-Syria border."

In fairness, it hasn't been all losses. The Press Association trumpets, "British jets have hit Islamic State (Isis) forces in support of a Kurdish advance in north-west Iraq. The Ministry of Defence said RAF Tornado GR4s had used a Paveway guided bomb to attack a pick-up truck." Wow. A pick-up truck. Guess that was money well spent.

And guess that will leave three-wheelers for the Australians to go after? David Wroe (Sydney Morning Herald) reports, "Prime Minister Tony Abbott is tipped to announce on Friday that Australia will begin combat operations against the Islamic State group, and air strikes are expected to begin at the weekend."

While the senseless bombing continues, DPA reports that Germany's Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen declared today that her country will be sending an unspecified number of "military doctors" into northern Iraq. Other nations are either, like the US, openly panting with wide eyed lust over bombing Iraq or else hoping to get there soon.

Barack's 'plan' is failing and some might grasp that were not stupidity in the US at a record high among those providing commentary.

Take CIA contractor Juan Cole whose understanding of the Middle East has always been about as shaky as his understanding of war. Juan's found two new topics he can mangle -- as his piece at Press TV makes clear:

It was all the way back in February, so the memory of this headline has faded:

“Congress passes $8.7 billion food stamp cut”

By Ned Resnikoff

It’s official: 850,000 households across the country are set to lose an average of $90 per month in food stamp benefits.

The Senate on Tuesday voted 68-32 to send the 2014 Farm Bill – which includes an $8.7 billion cut to food stamps – to President Obama’s desk.

Nine Democrats opposed the bill, and 46 members of the Democratic caucus voted for it, joining 22 Republicans.”

The GOP Congress’s assault on the American working class has been waged with the pretext that the Federal government has no money (what with being in debt and all).

Juan, doesn't the CIA value math skills anymore?

Let's use the numbers Juan has provided. 68 members of the Senate voted to cut food stamps. The Senate has 100 members (Juan didn't provide that, so I will). 22 Republicans voted to cut food stamps, Juan writes, and 46 Democrats voted to cut food stamps -- that's how he gets to 68.

Juan seems unaware that 46 is greater than 22. "The GOP Congress's assault on the American working class . . ."

Huh?

46 Democrats voted for the bill, 22 Republicans.

Those are the figures Juan provides.

And it's also not a "GOP Congress" he's writing about. The Republicans control the House of Representatives. But Juan's writing about the Senate which is controlled by the Democrats -- that's how Harry Reid (a Democrat) can be Senate Majority Leader.

The point of Juan's piece should have been the outrageous spending on war while food stamps are gutted. But Juan's apparently not interested in that important topic.

He just wanted to continue to waste everyone's time and had decided to churn out another piece of garbage and hope that, as usual, everyone would look the other way as half-wit Juan flaunts a lack of basic logic and reasoning skills.

By the way, Press TV looks pretty stupid for running his piece as does TruthDig.

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