ISIS Crisis

[redwill]

This has worked out well for Sweden.

Think about how well it has worked out for these Middle Eastern countries which we denigrate on a regular basis.

[newarenanow]

What I think is lost in the discussion of "heavy lifting" is how much Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon have done to take in Syrian refugees.

We can all sit around and talk about the "heavy lifting" the US is doing, but why not airlift a few hundred thousand refugees here to the US?

Fact is, our "heavy lifting" is just paying taxes. We don't gotta do nothing. We just sit around debating about the playcall in the SB and try to determine whether a standing workdesk is worth it while pontificating about the situation thousands of miles away from our cubicles.

We're real heavy lifters, ain't we?

I like to use "we" when my favorite sports teams win championships too.

[newarenanow]

If they blew up ISIS, they could sent those refuges back.

[redwill]

If they blew up ISIS, they could sent those refuges back.

Who are "they"?

In any case, there would still be a terrible civil war raging in Syria.

Just bring the refugees here. I'm sure yinz would open up your homes to them and would support hundreds of millions of dollars being spent for their basic needs. After all, we have been so welcoming to refugees from Central America.

[PensFanInDC]

What I think is lost in the discussion of "heavy lifting" is how much Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon have done to take in Syrian refugees.

We can all sit around and talk about the "heavy lifting" the US is doing, but why not airlift a few hundred thousand refugees here to the US?

Fact is, our "heavy lifting" is just paying taxes. We don't gotta do nothing. We just sit around debating about the playcall in the SB and try to determine whether a standing workdesk is worth it while pontificating about the situation thousands of miles away from our cubicles.

We're real heavy lifters, ain't we?

Could dead hats also be added to this list?

[newarenanow]

If they blew up ISIS, they could sent those refuges back.

Who are "they"?

In any case, there would still be a terrible civil war raging in Syria.

Just bring the refugees here. I'm sure yinz would open up your homes to them and would support hundreds of millions of dollars being spent for their basic needs. After all, we have been so welcoming to refugees from Central America.

Middle East countries, or the Baltimore Ravens, depending on what you are discussing.

[redwill]

Could dead hats also be added to this list?

Certainly. Ain't nobody clean.

It'd be nice to get clean, though.

[Tico Rick]

The point wasn't that the burning pilot video will get people to join up. It will be seeing the Jordanian response (i.e. other Sunni Muslims) bringing the thunder down on ISIL that will swell their ranks.

Not saying I agree with it, just sharing the commentary.

I just don't see too many people in the Muslim world having a problem with any Jordanian response, given the barbarity of ISIS' actions.

[Gaucho]

What happened to Sweden?

[Avyran]

What happened to Sweden?

One example of the Syrian refugees. And an NPR article discussing the overall situation.

[shafnutz05]

Just bring the refugees here. I'm sure yinz would open up your homes to them and would support hundreds of millions of dollars being spent for their basic needs. After all, we have been so welcoming to refugees from Central America.

I'm not sure where you are going with this, but I have no qualms about saying I don't want them coming here. Period. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and you can bet that a decent percentage of those refugees that would be coming west would hold the same extremist views as the people they are running from. Even if it's only 15%, that's a major problem, and we would essentially be paying to invite that threat to the homeland. Again, I could cite multiple case studies from European countries where this is occurring.

I feel awful for the civilians over there, I really do, especially the moderates or what-have-you. Unfortunately, they are the ones that need to do something about it...if the extremists make up as small a percentage of the population as we'd be led to believe, there should be a big numbers advantage to put an end to the crazies.

[Kaizer]

Time to send in the basterds.

[Tico Rick]

Just bring the refugees here. I'm sure yinz would open up your homes to them and would support hundreds of millions of dollars being spent for their basic needs. After all, we have been so welcoming to refugees from Central America.

I'm not sure where you are going with this, but I have no qualms about saying I don't want them coming here. Period. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and you can bet that a decent percentage of those refugees that would be coming west would hold the same extremist views as the people they are running from. Even if it's only 15%, that's a major problem, and we would essentially be paying to invite that threat to the homeland. Again, I could cite multiple case studies from European countries where this is occurring.

I feel awful for the civilians over there, I really do, especially the moderates or what-have-you. Unfortunately, they are the ones that need to do something about it...if the extremists make up as small a percentage of the population as we'd be led to believe, there should be a big numbers advantage to put an end to the crazies.

European case studies don't mean much in this case, for two reasons: 1) many Muslims living in Europe come from former colonies of the countries they reside in, so there could be some latent resentment there; 2) the U.S. has been much more successful in creating a multi-cultural society with minority "buy-in" than the European countries have. I'm not saying you wouldn't get some immigrants with wacko views, but it's not analogous to what has happened to Europe, IMO.

[PensFanInDC]

Just bring the refugees here. I'm sure yinz would open up your homes to them and would support hundreds of millions of dollars being spent for their basic needs. After all, we have been so welcoming to refugees from Central America.

I'm not sure where you are going with this, but I have no qualms about saying I don't want them coming here. Period. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and you can bet that a decent percentage of those refugees that would be coming west would hold the same extremist views as the people they are running from. Even if it's only 15%, that's a major problem, and we would essentially be paying to invite that threat to the homeland. Again, I could cite multiple case studies from European countries where this is occurring.

I feel awful for the civilians over there, I really do, especially the moderates or what-have-you. Unfortunately, they are the ones that need to do something about it...if the extremists make up as small a percentage of the population as we'd be led to believe, there should be a big numbers advantage to put an end to the crazies.

European case studies don't mean much in this case, for two reasons: 1) many Muslims living in Europe come from former colonies of the countries they reside in, so there could be some latent resentment there; 2) the U.S. has been much more successful in creating a multi-cultural society with minority "buy-in" than the European countries have. I'm not saying you wouldn't get some immigrants with wacko views, but it's not analogous to what has happened to Europe, IMO.

And you don't think that their view of the US isn't similar if not worse?

[Tico Rick]

No, just making the point that they're not analogous situations. And since the U.S. doesn't have former colonies in the mideast, one could argue that U.S. has no moral obligation to welcome them over here. Thus the U.S. could be quite thorough in screening applicants while also being magnanimous by letting "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" into the country, as has been done since this country's inception.

[PensFanInDC]

No, just making the point that they're not analogous situations. And since the U.S. doesn't have former colonies in the mideast, one could argue that U.S. has no moral obligation to welcome them over here.

I would argue we have current colonies in the middle east.

Thus the U.S. could be quite thorough in screening applicants

That's funny!

[Tico Rick]

Thus the U.S. could be quite thorough in screening applicants

That's funny!

Chinese who wished to immigrate to the U.S. in 1924 didn't find it so funny, but whatever.

[PensFanInDC]

Thus the U.S. could be quite thorough in screening applicants

That's funny!

Chinese who wished to immigrate to the U.S. in 1924 didn't find it so funny, but whatever.

Sure, 90 years ago we screened applicants. It's not really so common today was my point.

[redwill]

Just bring the refugees here. I'm sure yinz would open up your homes to them and would support hundreds of millions of dollars being spent for their basic needs. After all, we have been so welcoming to refugees from Central America.

I'm not sure where you are going with this, but I have no qualms about saying I don't want them coming here. Period. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and you can bet that a decent percentage of those refugees that would be coming west would hold the same extremist views as the people they are running from. Even if it's only 15%, that's a major problem, and we would essentially be paying to invite that threat to the homeland. Again, I could cite multiple case studies from European countries where this is occurring.

I feel awful for the civilians over there, I really do, especially the moderates or what-have-you. Unfortunately, they are the ones that need to do something about it...if the extremists make up as small a percentage of the population as we'd be led to believe, there should be a big numbers advantage to put an end to the crazies.

The point I'm trying to make is that so many of these countries in the Middle East are doing things that us Mighty Americans are simply unwilling to do. As you so eloquently stated. We don't want that sh*t here.

But they have those refugees. They are caring for those refugees. Hundreds of thousands. They are dealing with it.

What are we doing? Does it make you proud?

Do you think we can judge these Middle Eastern countries from our position of NIMBY?

[redwill]

I'm sure you're aware that the US rejected taking Jewish refugees from Europe prior to and during WWII for anti-Semitical reasons. I'm sure you're aware of our recent rejection of children from Central America for ... well ... I dunno reasons. Then there's the Chinese who built the RRs and so on and so on ...

Is this a 15% terrorists issue or just a no-refugees-in-America-especially-brown-ones issue?

[kovyfalcon27]

Only here can a thread about terrorists burning people alive and filming it get turned into how terrible all the people who post here are because we're Americans. If this is putting so much mental strain on you redwill, then go on the crusade! Empty out your bank accounts, make trips over there, smuggle out the refugees and put them up in your house as you suggested we all do! You'll be so much better than all your worthless fellow Americans then!

[Avyran]

I'm confused.

[shmenguin]

Redwill is a program created by MIT engineers to go on random message boards to play devil's advocate or simply raise theoretical questions to further conversation.

[kovyfalcon27]

Redwill is a program created by MIT engineers to go on random message boards to play devil's advocate or simply raise theoretical questions to further conversation.

Well it all makes sense now, you should have told me this before I responded.

[shafnutz05]

I'm well aware of our own checkered past, but it bears zero relevance to the current situation. It's not because they are "brown", it's because of their religion and belief system. I don't know too many Jews in the 30s that were practicing or endorsing jihad.

American citizens are the most generous population on Earth,in terms of international giving and stewardship. I'm not going to feel guilt over the sins of our ancestors