Major terrorist attack in Paris happening now.

[cooltigger21 0]

I realize that this may get things off topic, but while we are at it, why don't we as a country start working to eliminate malaria in Africa? Why don't we work to provide safe drinking water for Africans? It is a little silly that we don't mind ignoring a whole continent of people, but we worry about not being compassionate if we don't take in tens of thousands of "refugees".

We had Malaria all but eliminated but the do gooders got DDT banned. Now untold numbers of Africans are dying as a result.

[AUbritt 611]

I realize that this may get things off topic, but while we are at it, why don't we as a country start working to eliminate malaria in Africa? Why don't we work to provide safe drinking water for Africans? It is a little silly that we don't mind ignoring a whole continent of people, but we worry about not being compassionate if we don't take in tens of thousands of "refugees".

We had Malaria all but eliminated but the do gooders got DDT banned. Now untold numbers of Africans are dying as a result.

Wait, we banned DDT in the US, right? Pretty sure it's still used in other countries.

[AUUSN 823]

WASHINGTON, November 16, 2015 — In the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, the United States and France will strengthen intelligence sharing to the fullest extent allowed by law, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement today.

The United States over the past year has worked closely with the French military, intelligence and security services to strengthen intelligence sharing against counterterrorism threats around the globe, he said, specifically those from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

“In the wake of the recent attack on France, we stand strong and firm with our oldest ally,” Cook said, “which is why the U.S. and France have decided to bolster our intelligence sharing.”

Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have issued new instructions that will make it easier for U.S. military personnel to share operational planning information and intelligence with French counterparts “to the fullest extent allowed by existing law and policy,” Cook added.

Intelligence Sharing

‎The new guidance stresses the strong U.S.-French security partnership and builds on longstanding cooperation that will improve the department’s ability to deter and defeat mutual enemies, particularly ISIL, he said.

Also today, during a briefing with defense reporters, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said Carter has spoken twice since the Nov. 13 attacks with his French counterpart, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, with both leaders agreeing to deepen military cooperation over a broad area of common interests.

Last night, as part of the Operation Inherent Resolve coalition fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria, France conducted a strike near Raqqa, Syria, “with the full coalition weight and support behind them,” Davis said.

ISIL Targets

Davis said the targets were nominated by France based on information the United States was able to share with them thanks to the new intelligence-sharing special instruction.

“We're continuously seeking out and assessing potential ISIL targets,” he added.

Once a target is validated, Davis said, “we take great care, from analysis of available intelligence to selection of the appropriate weapon to meet mission requirements and to minimize the risk of collateral damage, particularly any harm to noncombatants.”

Tidal Wave II

Earlier today, as part of a broader operation called Tidal Wave II targeting ISIL oil revenues, Davis said, the coalition destroyed 116 tanker trucks using A-10 fighters and AC-130 gunships.

Since the start of Operation Tidal Wave II in October, the coalition has conducted a massive strike on Omar oil field near Deir el-Zour, Syria, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said Nov. 13.

“We’ve stepped up our attack [and] focused our targeting on other oil facilities to include al-Tanak and several others,” he said.

Davis said the current phase of Tidal Wave II is designed to attack the distribution component of ISIL's oil-smuggling operation and degrade its capacity to fund military operations.

Disrupting ISIL Funding

“ISIL steals oil from the people of Iraq and Syria to fund its campaign of terror,” he added.

“The long-term effects of this effort to degrade ISIL oil revenue will take some time to be fully realized,” Davis noted, “but we know that in the short term we are disrupting this significant source of funding that's being used to kill innocent people and we are in the process of warning civilians to stay clear of oil infrastructure.”

Travel Restriction

U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, has implemented a travel restriction to France that applies to all DoD personnel, Davis said.

“Until further notice, [Eucom] has prohibited unofficial travel to Paris, and for DoD personnel who are traveling outside Paris, it requires a higher level of approval to go,” he added.

The policy applies to military personnel, DoD civilian employees, contractors and command-sponsored dependents and their families, Davis said.

[cooltigger21 0]

I realize that this may get things off topic, but while we are at it, why don't we as a country start working to eliminate malaria in Africa? Why don't we work to provide safe drinking water for Africans? It is a little silly that we don't mind ignoring a whole continent of people, but we worry about not being compassionate if we don't take in tens of thousands of "refugees".

We had Malaria all but eliminated but the do gooders got DDT banned. Now untold numbers of Africans are dying as a result.

Wait, we banned DDT in the US, right? Pretty sure it's still used in other countries.

Not to.my knowledge it isn't. It certainly isn't being used in Africa.

[AUUSN 823]

Current Status

Since 1996, EPA has been participating in international negotiations to control the use of DDT and other persistent organic pollutants used around the world. Under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme, countries joined together and negotiated a treaty to enact global bans or restrictions on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), a group that includes DDT. This treaty is known as the Stockholm Convention on POPs. The Convention includes a limited exemption for the use of DDT to control mosquitoes that transmit the microbe that causes malaria - a disease that still kills millions of people worldwide.

In September 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared its support for the indoor use of DDT in African countries where malaria remains a major health problem, citing that benefits of the pesticide outweigh the health and environmental risks. The WHO position is consistent with the Stockholm Convention on POPs, which bans DDT for all uses except for malaria control.

DDT is one of 12 pesticides recommended by the WHO for indoor residual spray programs. It is up to individual countries to decide whether or not to use DDT. EPA works with other agencies and countries to advise them on how DDT programs are developed and monitored, with the goal that DDT be used only within the context of programs referred to as Integrated Vector Management. Exit IVM is a decison-making process for use of resources to yield the best possible results in vector control, and that it be kept out of agricultural sectors.

http://www2.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ddt-brief-history-and-status

[AUbritt 611]

I realize that this may get things off topic, but while we are at it, why don't we as a country start working to eliminate malaria in Africa? Why don't we work to provide safe drinking water for Africans? It is a little silly that we don't mind ignoring a whole continent of people, but we worry about not being compassionate if we don't take in tens of thousands of "refugees".

We had Malaria all but eliminated but the do gooders got DDT banned. Now untold numbers of Africans are dying as a result.

Wait, we banned DDT in the US, right? Pretty sure it's still used in other countries.

Not to.my knowledge it isn't. It certainly isn't being used in Africa.

Well, I wasn't certain, so I looked it up.

According to the EPA:

Since 1996, EPA has been participating in international negotiations to control the use of DDT and other persistent organic pollutants used around the world. Under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme, countries joined together and negotiated a treaty to enact global bans or restrictions on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), a group that includes DDT. This treaty is known as the Stockholm Convention on POPs. The Convention includes a limited exemption for the use of DDT to control mosquitoes that transmit the microbe that causes malaria - a disease that still kills millions of people worldwide.

In September 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared its support for the indoor use of DDT in African countries where malaria remains a major health problem, citing that benefits of the pesticide outweigh the health and environmental risks. The WHO position is consistent with the Stockholm Convention on POPs, which bans DDT for all uses except for malaria control.

DDT is one of 12 pesticides recommended by the WHO for indoor residual spray programs. It is up to individual countries to decide whether or not to use DDT. EPA works with other agencies and countries to advise them on how DDT programs are developed and monitored, with the goal that DDT be used only within the context of programs referred to as Integrated Vector Management. Exit IVM is a decison-making process for use of resources to yield the best possible results in vector control, and that it be kept out of agricultural sectors.

[AUbritt 611]

Looks like AUUSN found the same thing I did and beat me to the punch.

Of course, it'd be interesting to see which countries haven't signed on to the Stockholm convention, as well. I'll be China hasn't.

[AUUSN 823]

Looks like AUUSN found the same thing I did and beat me to the punch.

Of course, it'd be interesting to see which countries haven't signed on to the Stockholm convention, as well. I'll be China hasn't.

Great minds and all.

[homersapien 11,390]

I realize that this may get things off topic, but while we are at it, why don't we as a country start working to eliminate malaria in Africa? Why don't we work to provide safe drinking water for Africans? It is a little silly that we don't mind ignoring a whole continent of people, but we worry about not being compassionate if we don't take in tens of thousands of "refugees".

Why did you put refugees in quotes? You think they aren't?

[homersapien 11,390]

I realize that this may get things off topic, but while we are at it, why don't we as a country start working to eliminate malaria in Africa? Why don't we work to provide safe drinking water for Africans? It is a little silly that we don't mind ignoring a whole continent of people, but we worry about not being compassionate if we don't take in tens of thousands of "refugees".

We had Malaria all but eliminated but the do gooders got DDT banned. Now untold numbers of Africans are dying as a result.

Wait, we banned DDT in the US, right? Pretty sure it's still used in other countries.

Not to.my knowledge it isn't. It certainly isn't being used in Africa.

Try a little research. "DDT use in Africa" would be a good start.

[AURaptor 1,125]

With the open borders that this administration has promoted, and piling on more and more unvetted "refugees" from a sectatian Civil War, to deny that we arent an overloaded lifeboat is to fully admit ignorance of a colossal nature.

We're $19 trillion over debt. We're letting more and more people come in , unvetted , and putting them on the public dole. Jobs are already hard to come by in Obama's economy. Food stamps are at an all time high.

Just stop acting like this isn't a big deal.

Why do you keep repeating that the refugees will be unvetted? As far as I can tell, that's completely false.

You're wrong. There IS no way to vet 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 refugees. It's simply not possible. There are no data bases in Syria which we can go to , and how does one interview a 17 yr old kid who has no priors, from a war torn country ?

We had repeated warnings on the Tsarnaev brothers from Russia,, and yet they still pulled off a murder spree and bombing. Who the hell are we going to work with in Syria ? Assad ? It's a pipe dream, a fairy tale. It's the son of ' If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor ', but on a far more dangerous scale.

[AUbritt 611]

With the open borders that this administration has promoted, and piling on more and more unvetted "refugees" from a sectatian Civil War, to deny that we arent an overloaded lifeboat is to fully admit ignorance of a colossal nature.

We're $19 trillion over debt. We're letting more and more people come in , unvetted , and putting them on the public dole. Jobs are already hard to come by in Obama's economy. Food stamps are at an all time high.

Just stop acting like this isn't a big deal.

Why do you keep repeating that the refugees will be unvetted? As far as I can tell, that's completely false.

You're wrong. There IS no way to vet 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 refugees. It's simply not possible. There are no data bases in Syria which we can go to , and how does one interview a 17 yr old kid who has no priors, from a war torn country ?

We had repeated warnings on the Tsarnaev brothers from Russia,, and yet they still pulled off a murder spree and bombing. Who the hell are we going to work with in Syria ? Assad ? It's a pipe dream, a fairy tale. It's the son of ' If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor ', but on a far more dangerous scale.

So, the Tsarnaev brothers from Russia went through the refugee vetting process? I did not know that.

[AURaptor 1,125]

With the open borders that this administration has promoted, and piling on more and more unvetted "refugees" from a sectatian Civil War, to deny that we arent an overloaded lifeboat is to fully admit ignorance of a colossal nature.

We're $19 trillion over debt. We're letting more and more people come in , unvetted , and putting them on the public dole. Jobs are already hard to come by in Obama's economy. Food stamps are at an all time high.

Just stop acting like this isn't a big deal.

Why do you keep repeating that the refugees will be unvetted? As far as I can tell, that's completely false.

You're wrong. There IS no way to vet 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 refugees. It's simply not possible. There are no data bases in Syria which we can go to , and how does one interview a 17 yr old kid who has no priors, from a war torn country ?

We had repeated warnings on the Tsarnaev brothers from Russia,, and yet they still pulled off a murder spree and bombing. Who the hell are we going to work with in Syria ? Assad ? It's a pipe dream, a fairy tale. It's the son of ' If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor ', but on a far more dangerous scale.

So, the Tsarnaev brothers from Russia went through the refugee vetting process? I did not know that.

I never said they did. But we did get intel from Russia on the Tsarnaevs, and they were STILL able to pull off the Boston bombings.

We wont have such cooperation, as the FBI correctly points out, w/ those coming from Syria.

[AUbritt 611]

With the open borders that this administration has promoted, and piling on more and more unvetted "refugees" from a sectatian Civil War, to deny that we arent an overloaded lifeboat is to fully admit ignorance of a colossal nature.

We're $19 trillion over debt. We're letting more and more people come in , unvetted , and putting them on the public dole. Jobs are already hard to come by in Obama's economy. Food stamps are at an all time high.

Just stop acting like this isn't a big deal.

Why do you keep repeating that the refugees will be unvetted? As far as I can tell, that's completely false.

You're wrong. There IS no way to vet 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 refugees. It's simply not possible. There are no data bases in Syria which we can go to , and how does one interview a 17 yr old kid who has no priors, from a war torn country ?

We had repeated warnings on the Tsarnaev brothers from Russia,, and yet they still pulled off a murder spree and bombing. Who the hell are we going to work with in Syria ? Assad ? It's a pipe dream, a fairy tale. It's the son of ' If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor ', but on a far more dangerous scale.

So, the Tsarnaev brothers from Russia went through the refugee vetting process? I did not know that.

I never said they did. But we did get intel from Russia on the Tsarnaevs, and they were STILL able to pull off the Boston bombings.

We wont have such cooperation, as the FBI correctly points out, w/ those coming from Syria.

So the way in which the Tsarnaevs are relevant to the claim that we should turn away the Syrian refugess is that we were unable to stop them, despite prior warnings; and we won't even get any warnings about any Syrian refugees?

[AURaptor 1,125]

So the way in which the Tsarnaevs are relevant to the claim that we should turn away the Syrian refugess is that we were unable to stop them, despite prior warnings; and we won't even get any warnings about any Syrian refugees?

That's part of it, yes. And add to the fact that the leader of the Paris attacks, who remains at large, has routinely posed as a Syrian refugee, despite being on multiple watch lists.

Being on a list doesn't mean you can't get past security. Especially if you have a forged pass port. Or if you've not done anything YET which would put you on any sort of watch list...

Why, you could be a mere kid, who takes apart store bought clocks, and reassembles them into a count down timer, placed inside a brief case, and call it a " clock ", when it doesn't tell time at all.

[channonc 466]

The difference though is that they came in through the country on a tourist visa, and then claimed asylum. They did not enter the country with refugee status.

[AURaptor 1,125]

The difference though is that they came in through the country on a tourist visa, and then claimed asylum. They did not enter the country with refugee status.

A distinction w/ out any true difference.

[channonc 466]

The difference though is that they came in through the country on a tourist visa, and then claimed asylum. They did not enter the country with refugee status.

A distinction w/ out any true difference.

I get the game now. Ignore the facts. :-\

[homersapien 11,390]

The difference though is that they came in through the country on a tourist visa, and then claimed asylum. They did not enter the country with refugee status.

A distinction w/ out any true difference.

So in your mind, there's no difference between refugees and tourists?!

[AUbritt 611]

So the way in which the Tsarnaevs are relevant to the claim that we should turn away the Syrian refugess is that we were unable to stop them, despite prior warnings; and we won't even get any warnings about any Syrian refugees?

That's part of it, yes. And add to the fact that the leader of the Paris attacks, who remains at large, has routinely posed as a Syrian refugee, despite being on multiple watch lists.

Being on a list doesn't mean you can't get past security. Especially if you have a forged pass port. Or if you've not done anything YET which would put you on any sort of watch list...

Why, you could be a mere kid, who takes apart store bought clocks, and reassembles them into a count down timer, placed inside a brief case, and call it a " clock ", when it doesn't tell time at all.

OK, but by your logic, we need to keep everyone out -- not just the Syrian refugees. We also probably need to start rounding up whole groups of people already in the US and deporting them. If we start getting rid of people we don't want, where do you think many of them will go? Aren't you concerned that this is precisely what ISIS seems to want?

[AURaptor 1,125]

So the way in which the Tsarnaevs are relevant to the claim that we should turn away the Syrian refugess is that we were unable to stop them, despite prior warnings; and we won't even get any warnings about any Syrian refugees?

That's part of it, yes. And add to the fact that the leader of the Paris attacks, who remains at large, has routinely posed as a Syrian refugee, despite being on multiple watch lists.

Being on a list doesn't mean you can't get past security. Especially if you have a forged pass port. Or if you've not done anything YET which would put you on any sort of watch list...

Why, you could be a mere kid, who takes apart store bought clocks, and reassembles them into a count down timer, placed inside a brief case, and call it a " clock ", when it doesn't tell time at all.

OK, but by your logic, we need to keep everyone out -- not just the Syrian refugees. We also probably need to start rounding up whole groups of people already in the US and deporting them. If we start getting rid of people we don't want, where do you think many of them will go? Aren't you concerned that this is precisely what ISIS seems to want?

No, that's not by my logic, even remotely. Why do I have to defend imaginary and made up scenarios you dream up , and have nothing to do with what I said.

Do you NOT realize that the Tsarnaev brothers actually carried out the bombings in Boston ? Can you simply grasp , beyond the theoretical,and hypothetical, and for once simply acknowledge the REALITY of what has happened. In Paris. AGAIN. Those 129 are dead They're not coming back. The family and loved ones of theirs will never see them again. Does that even register w/ you ? I get the impression that the Left just sees #'s, and doesn't bother putting names and faces next to those numbers.

This attack happened because MILITANT ISLAMIC TERRORISTS were allowed free access in a country which has very strict gun laws to shoot up 100's of people.

Obama's view is that we can't fight against those who wish to die. I say we can, by killing them and showing the world that those who follow ISIS will never find safe haven, anywhere.

[AUbritt 611]

So the way in which the Tsarnaevs are relevant to the claim that we should turn away the Syrian refugess is that we were unable to stop them, despite prior warnings; and we won't even get any warnings about any Syrian refugees?

That's part of it, yes. And add to the fact that the leader of the Paris attacks, who remains at large, has routinely posed as a Syrian refugee, despite being on multiple watch lists.

Being on a list doesn't mean you can't get past security. Especially if you have a forged pass port. Or if you've not done anything YET which would put you on any sort of watch list...

Why, you could be a mere kid, who takes apart store bought clocks, and reassembles them into a count down timer, placed inside a brief case, and call it a " clock ", when it doesn't tell time at all.

OK, but by your logic, we need to keep everyone out -- not just the Syrian refugees. We also probably need to start rounding up whole groups of people already in the US and deporting them. If we start getting rid of people we don't want, where do you think many of them will go? Aren't you concerned that this is precisely what ISIS seems to want?

No, that's not by my logic, even remotely. Why do I have to defend imaginary and made up scenarios you dream up , and have nothing to do with what I said.

Do you NOT realize that the Tsarnaev brothers actually carried out the bombings in Boston ? Can you simply grasp , beyond the theoretical,and hypothetical, and for once simply acknowledge the REALITY of what has happened. In Paris. AGAIN. Those 129 are dead They're not coming back. The family and loved ones of theirs will never see them again. Does that even register w/ you ? I get the impression that the Left just sees #'s, and doesn't bother putting names and faces next to those numbers.

This attack happened because MILITANT ISLAMIC TERRORISTS were allowed free access in a country which has very strict gun laws to shoot up 100's of people.

Obama's view is that we can't fight against those who wish to die. I say we can, by killing them and showing the world that those who follow ISIS will never find safe haven, anywhere.

First, I'm not 'the left'.

Second, of course I realize that the Tsarnaev brothers carried out the Boston attack and that people died in Paris. I'm struggling to see what those events have to do with denying the Syrian refugees. I'm trying to reconstruct your argument, because to me, it's a real stretch to link the Tsarnaev brothers with the Syrian refugee question.

You're the one who brought up the fact that being on a watch list doesn't mean you can't get past security. I agree with that. But what does it have to do with the question of the refugees?

You're the one who brought up little kids building countdown timers. I was trying to find a place in your argument for them, too.

So, all I could figure is that you're concerned about security generally. If you're a refugee from Syria, you're a security risk. If you're on a watch list, you're a security risk. If you're a kid who builds countdown timers, you're a security risk. I was just trying to figure out where you were going with all these security risks. So, if not to deportation, where?

Because it's pretty unclear to me exactly how they actually link up to the conclusion that we shouldn't accept refugees from Syria.

The only one that seems relevant is that Syrian refugees are a security risk. The problem with that claim is that it comes awfully close to presupposing what you're trying to prove.

[AUDub 11,153]

It's his classic "argument by expansion."

[quietfan 233]

With the open borders that this administration has promoted, and piling on more and more unvetted "refugees" from a sectatian Civil War, to deny that we arent an overloaded lifeboat is to fully admit ignorance of a colossal nature.

We're $19 trillion over debt. We're letting more and more people come in , unvetted , and putting them on the public dole. Jobs are already hard to come by in Obama's economy. Food stamps are at an all time high.

Just stop acting like this isn't a big deal.

Lebanon GDP = 47.3 Billion

U.S. GDP = 14 Trillion

We are the richest nation on earth, the 4th largest nation by land area, but only 184th in population density (https://en.wikipedia...ulation_density ).

We have the world's largest GDP and the most billionaires (more than Russia, China, Germany, the UK, and France combined: https://en.wikipedia...ar_billionaires ).

We have the strongest military on the planet and spend the most to defend ourselves (More than the next ten nations combined: http://www.globalfir...ding-budget.asp ), as well as keeping more police officers on duty than any nation other than the much more populous China and India (https://en.wikipedia...police_officers ), to keep us safe.

...Our 'lifeboat' is a long way from floundering. There's plenty of room for more passengers, although the psychological frame of mind of the current passengers and crew might be somewhat sketchy.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

The difference though is that they came in through the country on a tourist visa, and then claimed asylum. They did not enter the country with refugee status.

A distinction w/ out any true difference.

I get the game now. Ignore the facts. :-\

As Hillary would say....what difference does it make? There is a risk letting 1000s of unvetted refugees in of a few ISIS guys among them. It may be a very small risk but it's there nontheless. Why should we take that risk. How many bad guys did it take to bring down two trade towers and do major damage to the Pentagon........killing 1000s of innocent people. I wonder what the families of those killed think about letting unvetted refugees in.