2684-ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? | View Thread

http://journal-neo.org/2015/07/18/the-agenda-behind-isis-cultural-genocide/

In what UNESCO is calling ‘Cultural Cleansing’, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have begun destroying 2000 year old Syrian statues in the ancient city of Palmyra and are claiming to have rigged the ancient ruins with explosives. This follows the systematic destruction of historical sites across the Middle East. So far ISIS has destroyed several sites across Iraq, which includes the destruction and looting of Mosul Museum, the destruction of the 3000 year old Assyrian city of Nimrud and the bulldozing of the 2000 year old fortress city of Hatra. Recently ISIS militants threatened to destroy Egypt’s Sphinx and pyramids.

While the world watches ISIS terrorists destroy the relics of the very birth place of civilization, we must reflect upon the reason why this is happening and how we have reached this point. These crimes against history are portrayed in the mainstream media as nothing more than the result of mindless destruction by ISIS barbarians. However it is in fact part of a US Government plan to balkanise the Syrian and Iraqi nation-states, and by attacking the heart of their nationalist identity, their history.

Systematic destruction of both Islamic and Non-Islamic sites.

ISIS’s take over of historical sites are not incidental, they expend military resources to target these sites. ISIS attacked Palmyra in spite of the fact it would have been more militarily strategic to focus on attacking the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor.

The purpose of the focus on destroying historical sites partly stems from ISIS’s adherence to Wahhabi doctrine which is a Puritan interpretation of Islam. Islam forbids idolatry and in the mind set of Wahhabi extremism this translates to ‘all statues are forbidden’. This is how ISIS justifies the destruction of ancient statues, in spite of the fact no one worshiped those statues. The destruction of ancient tombs can also be explained by Wahhabi doctrine which is hostile to burial sites for fear they may become a site for veneration or worship.

But even Wahhabism does not explain the destruction of walls in ancient cities. It is argued that ISIS is destroying non-Islamic sites, to bury any history of pre-Islamic civilisation. It coincides with what has been the gradual ethnic cleansing of Middle East Christians over the last two decades. The Patriarch of Syriac Catholic church in Iraq, Ignatius Joseph III Yonan, described the destruction of Christian sites in Iraq as a conspiracy which the West is complicit. He told the Guardian that he believed it was part of a “Machiavellian strategy” by the West to evict Christians from their ancestral homes across the Middle East.

However, ISIS has also destroyed mosques and Islamic historical sites, revered by both the Shi’ite and Sunni sects. They have even threatened to destroy Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. The Saudi Arabian monarchy share the same Wahhabi ideology as ISIS, and they have been demolishing Saudi Arabian Islamic historical sites to make way for hotels and shopping centres. This has been on going since 1985 but the rate has recently increased in conjunction with the growth of ISIS. The Saudi regime has also destroyed UNESCO heritage listed buildings in the old town of Sanaa,Yemen, through a targeted air strike on the old town of Sanaa. This attack, like the ISIS attacks on old city buildings, cannot be explained by Wahhabism alone. But far from what are seemingly random acts of violence, there is an agenda behind the destruction but it belongs to the United Sates not ISIS.

Cultural Cleansing Pre-Dates ISIS

The Cultural cleansing is a direct result of US foreign policy in the middle east and has been going on for decades. ISIS was borne in 2006 as a result of the US invasion of Iraq. In 2011 the US destabilised Syria by backing the Muslim Brotherhood linked insurrection, creating the fertile ground for the growth and empowerment of ISIS. But the systematic destruction of middle eastern artifacts was happening before ISIS even existed. In Syria, the US backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) were digging up archaeological sites and selling artefacts for weapons. This has been happening since at least 2012, well before ISIS was a presence in the Syria.

New York Times:Fighters allied with the Free Syrian Army units battling the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad have told him that they are developing an association of diggers dedicated to finding antiquities in order to fund the revolution. “The rebels need weapons, and antiquities are an easy way to buy them,” says Abu Khaled, who goes by his nickname in order to protect his identity.

Furthermore, Jabhat Al Nusra (JAN), Al Qaeda’s Syrian wing, was busy wiping out historical sites well before ISIS became a significant presence in Syria. In May 2013, JAN bulldozed a mausoleum in the town of Ayn Al-Arous visited by pilgrims for the prophet Abraham, who supposedly spent some time with his wife Sarah in the town. This year JAN destroyed a 13th century mausoleum of leading Islamic scholar, Imam Nawawi, in Dera’a province.

The Al Qaeda linked JAN follows the same puritanical Wahhabi Islam as ISIS and Saudi Arabia, but they have not received the same coverage as ISIS in the mainstream media. Instead the Qatari interest groups, think tanks and the NATO media attempted to rebrand them as “moderate”.

Going back even Further, In April 2003, only a few days into the US invasion of Iraq, Baghdad Museum was looted. Iraqi soldiers had been defending the museum against an attack by the US military, but were forced to retreat. US forces were accused of being responsible for the looting, but denied the allegations. However there was evidence to suggest that the looting was pre-meditated as thousands of valuables were stolen from locked concealed store rooms. Regardless the US illegally obtained and kept thousands of Iraq’s cultural treasures.

Iraqi archaeologist and architect Ihsan Fathi stated that :

“Huge amounts of documents representing historical importance that cannot be assigned a monetary value were taken by the US.”

“The Iraqi government was trying to get them back but the American Administration wanted to strike a deal and return only half of the documents,” he explained.

Many of the looted artefacts ended up in New York, London and Israel. In 2008 Baghdad officials charged Christie’s auction house in New York, with trying to sell looted artefacts.

Looted Iraqi artifacts found in London included a guardian angel statues from the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, a city that has been recently attacked by ISIS. Babylonian Torah Scrolls were smuggled into Israel with the help of the US military contracted mercenaries,. Israel refuses to return the scrolls to Iraq.

Syria is already repeating the same tragedy as Iraq, in a new brazen method of black market advertising Facebook pages selling precious Syrian antiquities have emerged . Chinese news paper Xinhaunet reported that Syrian antiquities were already turning up in Israel, brought in by smugglers who received them through trade with the FSA.

If we continue to go back in time even further pre-ISIS, US destabilisation of Afghanistan in the 80s resulted in the empowerment of the Taliban and the birth of Al Qaeda. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed 1700 year old Buddha statues with dynamite.

In all cases it was the intervention of the US and its allies that resulted in the destruction and theft of Middle Eastern history. The destruction was caused either directly by the actions of occupation forces or indirectly through the backing of extremist groups. The destruction of Antiquities has been to systematic and purposeful to pretend it was simple the result of a foreign policy mistakes.

An Attack on Nationalism and Identity

The destruction antiquities during invasions and occupation has been common occurrence through out history and is a way for the invading forces to loot a countries resources and demoralize the spirit of nationalism which may unify a country against the invader.

The Roman Empire applied the concept “Damnatio memoriae” (to remove from memory) to those it believed were its greatest enemies. The Romans advocated this against the city of Carthage and “sowed its the ground with salt” to prevent its inhabitants from prospering again. The Nazi plundering of cultural property from the territories it occupied is well documented. Britain, France and Germany also plundered the artefacts of Middle Eastern colonies after the first world war. Many Syrian and Egyptian artefacts remain at the Louvre Museum in Paris. In 2002, on year before the invasion, the Iraqi government appealed to Berlin for the return of the Babylon Gate.

The U.S. seems to have adopted the concept of “Damnation Memoria” against Iraq, Syria and perhaps the wider middle east. The plan to balkanise and redraw the Middle East was laid out by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2006 called “The Project For a New middle East”. The US’s policies during the Iraq war, such as the use of death squads and the introduction of federalism, were designed to cause sectarian divisions. Even as early as 2007, think tanks such as the Brookings Institute were suggesting the ‘soft partition of Iraq’. In 2013, at the University of Michigan, Henry Kissinger stated that he would prefer to see the partition of Iraq and Syria. The strategy is becoming more and more openly discussed not only amongst think tanks but in the media.

The neocolonialist powers in the United states have exploited Wahhabism to pave the way towards balkanisation. Saudi Arabia, ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Taliban have all been useful to this end. In the book Confessions of a British Spy and British Enmity Towards Islam it is claimed that Britain founded Wahhabism in order to weaken the ottoman empire. Whether or not the book’s claims are legitimate, it is clear that Wahhabism and specifically ISIS objectives fit seamless with the imperialist agenda of the United States. A declassified Defence Intelligence Agency document stated that creation of the Islamic State, would be useful in order to isolating Syria from Iraq and Iran. Dividing and conquering, these nations into sectarian based state lets in constant antagonism towards each other, will make them perpetually weak and unable to defend themselves. Israel has already set out its designs to claim the Golan heights as its own if Syria disintegrates.

The balkanisation process is expedited by dismantling a nations Identity. Syria and Iraq derive their national identity from there thousands of years of history. By destroying these ancient artifacts ISIS are wiping out any tangible evidence of Syrian and Iraqi ancient civilisations even existed. Looting these artifacts, and selling them to Europe and the US, also detaches these ancient civilisations from modern day Iraq and Syria. ISIS also useful in that it shares the US government’s disdain for middle eastern nationalism. They believe all loyalties should lie in religion rather than the nation state. British citizens of Pakistani origin who have joined ISIS are claiming Syria as land that belongs to them, though they have never stepped foot in Syria, simply because they perceive it to be a ‘Muslim country’.

It is because of these powerful imperialist interests, that world stands by and watches as ISIS destroys the cradle of human civilisation. The so called ‘Anti-ISIS coalition’ spear headed by the US, is nothing more than window dressing and is never serious about defeating ISIS. They US doesn’t just want to destroy Syria and Iraq, they want to wipe out any memory that these countries ever existed.

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/19/2015 12:29:38 AM
	The Agenda Behind ISIS’ Cultural Genocide Posted on July 18, 2015 [by Jean Haines]by Jean http://journal-neo.org/2015/07/18/the-agenda-behind-isis-cultural-genocide/ In what UNESCO is calling ‘Cultural Cleansing’, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have begun destroying 2000 year old Syrian statues in the ancient city of Palmyra and are claiming to have rigged the ancient ruins with explosives. This follows the systematic destruction of historical sites across the Middle East. So far ISIS has destroyed several sites across Iraq, which includes the destruction and looting of Mosul Museum, the destruction of the 3000 year old Assyrian city of Nimrud and the bulldozing of the 2000 year old fortress city of Hatra. Recently ISIS militants threatened to destroy Egypt’s Sphinx and pyramids. While the world watches ISIS terrorists destroy the relics of the very birth place of civilization, we must reflect upon the reason why this is happening and how we have reached this point. These crimes against history are portrayed in the mainstream media as nothing more than the result of mindless destruction by ISIS barbarians. However it is in fact part of a US Government plan to balkanise the Syrian and Iraqi nation-states, and by attacking the heart of their nationalist identity, their history. Systematic destruction of both Islamic and Non-Islamic sites. ISIS’s take over of historical sites are not incidental, they expend military resources to target these sites. ISIS attacked Palmyra in spite of the fact it would have been more militarily strategic to focus on attacking the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor. The purpose of the focus on destroying historical sites partly stems from ISIS’s adherence to Wahhabi doctrine which is a Puritan interpretation of Islam. Islam forbids idolatry and in the mind set of Wahhabi extremism this translates to ‘all statues are forbidden’. This is how ISIS justifies the destruction of ancient statues, in spite of the fact no one worshiped those statues. The destruction of ancient tombs can also be explained by Wahhabi doctrine which is hostile to burial sites for fear they may become a site for veneration or worship. But even Wahhabism does not explain the destruction of walls in ancient cities. It is argued that ISIS is destroying non-Islamic sites, to bury any history of pre-Islamic civilisation. It coincides with what has been the gradual ethnic cleansing of Middle East Christians over the last two decades. The Patriarch of Syriac Catholic church in Iraq, Ignatius Joseph III Yonan, described the destruction of Christian sites in Iraq as a conspiracy which the West is complicit. He told the Guardian that he believed it was part of a “Machiavellian strategy” by the West to evict Christians from their ancestral homes across the Middle East. However, ISIS has also destroyed mosques and Islamic historical sites, revered by both the Shi’ite and Sunni sects. They have even threatened to destroy Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. The Saudi Arabian monarchy share the same Wahhabi ideology as ISIS, and they have been demolishing Saudi Arabian Islamic historical sites to make way for hotels and shopping centres. This has been on going since 1985 but the rate has recently increased in conjunction with the growth of ISIS. The Saudi regime has also destroyed UNESCO heritage listed buildings in the old town of Sanaa,Yemen, through a targeted air strike on the old town of Sanaa. This attack, like the ISIS attacks on old city buildings, cannot be explained by Wahhabism alone. But far from what are seemingly random acts of violence, there is an agenda behind the destruction but it belongs to the United Sates not ISIS. Cultural Cleansing Pre-Dates ISIS The Cultural cleansing is a direct result of US foreign policy in the middle east and has been going on for decades. ISIS was borne in 2006 as a result of the US invasion of Iraq. In 2011 the US destabilised Syria by backing the Muslim Brotherhood linked insurrection, creating the fertile ground for the growth and empowerment of ISIS. But the systematic destruction of middle eastern artifacts was happening before ISIS even existed. In Syria, the US backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) were digging up archaeological sites and selling artefacts for weapons. This has been happening since at least 2012, well before ISIS was a presence in the Syria. New York Times:Fighters allied with the Free Syrian Army units battling the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad have told him that they are developing an association of diggers dedicated to finding antiquities in order to fund the revolution. “The rebels need weapons, and antiquities are an easy way to buy them,” says Abu Khaled, who goes by his nickname in order to protect his identity. Furthermore, Jabhat Al Nusra (JAN), Al Qaeda’s Syrian wing, was busy wiping out historical sites well before ISIS became a significant presence in Syria. In May 2013, JAN bulldozed a mausoleum in the town of Ayn Al-Arous visited by pilgrims for the prophet Abraham, who supposedly spent some time with his wife Sarah in the town. This year JAN destroyed a 13th century mausoleum of leading Islamic scholar, Imam Nawawi, in Dera’a province. The Al Qaeda linked JAN follows the same puritanical Wahhabi Islam as ISIS and Saudi Arabia, but they have not received the same coverage as ISIS in the mainstream media. Instead the Qatari interest groups, think tanks and the NATO media attempted to rebrand them as “moderate”. Going back even Further, In April 2003, only a few days into the US invasion of Iraq, Baghdad Museum was looted. Iraqi soldiers had been defending the museum against an attack by the US military, but were forced to retreat. US forces were accused of being responsible for the looting, but denied the allegations. However there was evidence to suggest that the looting was pre-meditated as thousands of valuables were stolen from locked concealed store rooms. Regardless the US illegally obtained and kept thousands of Iraq’s cultural treasures. Iraqi archaeologist and architect Ihsan Fathi stated that : “Huge amounts of documents representing historical importance that cannot be assigned a monetary value were taken by the US.” “The Iraqi government was trying to get them back but the American Administration wanted to strike a deal and return only half of the documents,” he explained. Many of the looted artefacts ended up in New York, London and Israel. In 2008 Baghdad officials charged Christie’s auction house in New York, with trying to sell looted artefacts. Looted Iraqi artifacts found in London included a guardian angel statues from the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, a city that has been recently attacked by ISIS. Babylonian Torah Scrolls were smuggled into Israel with the help of the US military contracted mercenaries,. Israel refuses to return the scrolls to Iraq. Syria is already repeating the same tragedy as Iraq, in a new brazen method of black market advertising Facebook pages selling precious Syrian antiquities have emerged . Chinese news paper Xinhaunet reported that Syrian antiquities were already turning up in Israel, brought in by smugglers who received them through trade with the FSA. If we continue to go back in time even further pre-ISIS, US destabilisation of Afghanistan in the 80s resulted in the empowerment of the Taliban and the birth of Al Qaeda. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed 1700 year old Buddha statues with dynamite. In all cases it was the intervention of the US and its allies that resulted in the destruction and theft of Middle Eastern history. The destruction was caused either directly by the actions of occupation forces or indirectly through the backing of extremist groups. The destruction of Antiquities has been to systematic and purposeful to pretend it was simple the result of a foreign policy mistakes. An Attack on Nationalism and Identity The destruction antiquities during invasions and occupation has been common occurrence through out history and is a way for the invading forces to loot a countries resources and demoralize the spirit of nationalism which may unify a country against the invader. The Roman Empire applied the concept “Damnatio memoriae” (to remove from memory) to those it believed were its greatest enemies. The Romans advocated this against the city of Carthage and “sowed its the ground with salt” to prevent its inhabitants from prospering again. The Nazi plundering of cultural property from the territories it occupied is well documented. Britain, France and Germany also plundered the artefacts of Middle Eastern colonies after the first world war. Many Syrian and Egyptian artefacts remain at the Louvre Museum in Paris. In 2002, on year before the invasion, the Iraqi government appealed to Berlin for the return of the Babylon Gate. The U.S. seems to have adopted the concept of “Damnation Memoria” against Iraq, Syria and perhaps the wider middle east. The plan to balkanise and redraw the Middle East was laid out by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2006 called “The Project For a New middle East”. The US’s policies during the Iraq war, such as the use of death squads and the introduction of federalism, were designed to cause sectarian divisions. Even as early as 2007, think tanks such as the Brookings Institute were suggesting the ‘soft partition of Iraq’. In 2013, at the University of Michigan, Henry Kissinger stated that he would prefer to see the partition of Iraq and Syria. The strategy is becoming more and more openly discussed not only amongst think tanks but in the media. The neocolonialist powers in the United states have exploited Wahhabism to pave the way towards balkanisation. Saudi Arabia, ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Taliban have all been useful to this end. In the book Confessions of a British Spy and British Enmity Towards Islam it is claimed that Britain founded Wahhabism in order to weaken the ottoman empire. Whether or not the book’s claims are legitimate, it is clear that Wahhabism and specifically ISIS objectives fit seamless with the imperialist agenda of the United States. A declassified Defence Intelligence Agency document stated that creation of the Islamic State, would be useful in order to isolating Syria from Iraq and Iran. Dividing and conquering, these nations into sectarian based state lets in constant antagonism towards each other, will make them perpetually weak and unable to defend themselves. Israel has already set out its designs to claim the Golan heights as its own if Syria disintegrates. The balkanisation process is expedited by dismantling a nations Identity. Syria and Iraq derive their national identity from there thousands of years of history. By destroying these ancient artifacts ISIS are wiping out any tangible evidence of Syrian and Iraqi ancient civilisations even existed. Looting these artifacts, and selling them to Europe and the US, also detaches these ancient civilisations from modern day Iraq and Syria. ISIS also useful in that it shares the US government’s disdain for middle eastern nationalism. They believe all loyalties should lie in religion rather than the nation state. British citizens of Pakistani origin who have joined ISIS are claiming Syria as land that belongs to them, though they have never stepped foot in Syria, simply because they perceive it to be a ‘Muslim country’. It is because of these powerful imperialist interests, that world stands by and watches as ISIS destroys the cradle of human civilisation. The so called ‘Anti-ISIS coalition’ spear headed by the US, is nothing more than window dressing and is never serious about defeating ISIS. They US doesn’t just want to destroy Syria and Iraq, they want to wipe out any memory that these countries ever existed. *Maram Susli also known as “Syrian Girl,” is an activist-journalist and social commentator covering Syria and the wider topic of geopolitics. especially for the online magazine“New Eastern Outlook”***.
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/19/2015 2:13:29 AM
	More than 400 arrested in Saudi crackdown on IS 10 hours ago Members of the Saudi special police, pictured before a parade in Mecca in 2013 (AFP Photo/Fayez Nureldine) View Gallery Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it has broken up an Islamic State group-linked network and made more than 430 arrests, foiling new attacks on Shiite mosques and a diplomatic mission. Related Stories Saudi Arabia says arrests 431 Islamic State suspects, thwarts bombings Reuters Saudi Arabia says it stopped Islamic State attacks; 400 held Associated Press Car bomb explodes in Riyadh, driver killed: Saudi government AFP Saudis arrest 3 brothers in connection with Kuwait attack Associated Press Saudi brothers arrested over links to Kuwait mosque bombing Reuters The IS jihadist group has claimed several deadly attacks in the Sunni-dominated kingdom. Authorities have "managed over the past few weeks to destroy an organisation, made of a cluster of cells, which is linked to the terrorist Daesh organisation," the interior ministry announced, using the Arabic acronym for IS. The alleged members were engaged in a "plot managed from areas of unrest abroad, with the aim of sowing sectarian sedition and spreading chaos", the ministry said. The cells were involved in several attacks and plots, including deadly suicide bombings of Shiite mosques in the kingdom's Eastern Province, it said. The ministry said 37 people were killed during the arrests, including security personnel and civilians, and 120 were wounded. Six "terrorists" were also killed in the operations. View gallery Saudi security forces inspect the site of a suicide bombing that targeted the Shiite Al-Anoud mosque … It said authorities had foiled bomb attacks plotted during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, including on a mosque used by security forces in Riyadh and other Shiite mosques in the Eastern Province. The group also plotted to attack a diplomatic mission, the statement said without elaborating. Among the 431 suspects so far rounded up, mostly Saudis, were 144 people accused of supporting the network by "spreading the deviant ideology on the Internet and recruiting new members". The ministry said 97 of those arrested were linked to a cell busted earlier and to a November attack on a Shiite mosque in the town of Dalwa that killed seven people, including children. Another 190 suspects were allegedly involved in plots following bomb attacks on Shiite mosques in Qatif and Dammam, as well as an attack on Saudi security forces. View gallery Saudi security forces have been on high alert over the Islamic State group, which has seized large p … IS, which considers Shiites to be heretics, claimed responsibility for the mosque attacks. On successive Fridays in May, two suicide bombings at mosques of the minority Shiite community in Eastern Province killed 25 people. The jihadist group controls swathes of neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and has claimed widespread abuses including the beheading of foreign hostages. It has expanded its operations in the region, also claiming an unprecedented attack on a Shiite mosque in Kuwait and several attacks in Yemen. Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf neighbours last year joined a US-led military coalition bombing IS in Syria, raising concerns about possible retaliation in the kingdom. Interior Minister Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said at the height of the attacks in May that Saudi Arabia's security remained "under control". "Incidents such as this will not destabilise us. We have been through bigger ones," the minister said. He led a crackdown on Al-Qaeda which waged a campaign of shootings and bombings against foreigners and Saudi security personnel between 2003 and 2007.
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/19/2015 10:51:58 AM
	Conspiracy fears unrealized so far in Texas US military exercise sparks fears of martial law By Mark Henricks6 hours ago A special operations training exercise called Jade Helm 15 involving 1,200 US troops and seven states sparked conspiracy theories about food riots and martial law (AFP Photo/Mario Villafuerte) Bastrop (United States) (AFP) - The conspiracy theories grew wilder as the massive military exercise grew closer: food riots and martial law were coming to the United States, some said. Dissidents would be assassinated, Wal-Marts turned into prison camps, foreign troops brought in to help. Then the governor of Texas lent credence to the paranoia by ordering the state's National Guard to monitor a weekslong special operations training exercise called Jade Helm 15 involving 1,200 troops and seven states. Some people reportedly buried their guns so government troops couldn't take them away. Others stockpiled ammunition and supplies. A group called "Counter Jade Helm" helped organize quasi-militias to keep track of troop movements. Jade Helm began last week not with a bang, but a whimper. Bastrop, Texas -- the scene of a rowdy public meeting where people held up signs declaring "no Gestapo in Bastropo" and wore t-shirts with the words "come and take it" under a drawing of an automatic rifle -- was eerily calm on the third day of the exercise. Nobody seemed to have seen any of the troops, or the out-of-town conspiracy theorists who vowed to watch their every move. "We haven't gotten a single call," said Steve Adcock, chief of police in the town of about 7,000. "We thought that there might be something, but nothing's occurred." Local officials and some residents resent the attention the protests have drawn. Bastrop is just a few miles from Camp Swift, a National Guard storage and training facility. People who live here are strong supporters of the military, Adcock said. He didn't recognize any of the people who angrily challenged an Army colonel at April's rowdy public meeting. "A lot of the conspiracy stuff is not local people," Adcock told AFP. "It's making us look really bad." Kay Rogers, a Bastrop lawyer, said a small minority of local citizens supported the protests. "If you talk to 10 people about it, only one of them will even raise an eyebrow," she said. "We have a bunch of fringe elements in the county and they squawk pretty loud." - 'Re-education camps' - But while the wildest theories like how the government is building re-education camps for Christians, libertarians and other "enemies of the state" may seem outlandish, the underlying fear is widespread. Some 60 percent of Americans see the government as a "threat to individual liberty," according to a poll conducted by Rasmussen in May. Two thirds of respondents said they were concerned the government will use military training operations "to impose greater control over the states" yet, oddly, only 16 percent opposed having these exercises in their state. The Army spent months trying to reassure people that the public would experience "little disruption" to their normal lives aside from "a slight increase in vehicle traffic and the limited use of military aircraft and its associated noise." Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lastoria got visibly flustered after the lengthy Bastrop meeting erupted in applause when he was called a liar. "It is not a preparation for martial law," he said with a sigh audible on a video of the meeting. "Some people really, truly want to make this something it's not. All we want to do is make sure our guys are trained for combat overseas." Efforts to create a realistic exercise by having some troops "conduct suspicious activity" while dressed as civilians -- and a map that labeled Texas and Utah as "hostile territory" -- played into the fears of people convinced the government is out to get them. "This is by far the greatest public conditioning exercise in American history," Gary Franchi of the online Next News Network ominously warned his viewers. "US military coordinating with local law enforcement and elements of the willing public will be conducting clandestine activities carrying weapons under aircraft cover at night wearing arm bands with a special insignia." Martial law may not happen this summer, Franchi intoned. But when the times comes: "Troops will be ready and trained to take over your town." Conspiracy fears unrealized so far in Texas Jade Helm 15, a military training exercise that one group claims will usher in martial law, finally begins. ‘Making us look really bad'
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 7/19/2015 11:03:05 AM
	Blasts destroy Hamas, Islamic Jihad cars in Gaza 2 hours ago Palestinian members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, dressed in scuba diving gear take part in an anti-Israel parade in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on July 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Said Khatib) Related Stories Gaza explosions target cars of Hamas officials Associated Press Hamas says claim it supported Sinai attacks 'propaganda' AFP Little hope in Gaza ruins a year after devastating war AFP Hamas armed wing boasts of missiles on Gaza war anniversary AFP Israel strikes Gaza in response to rocket fire, no injuries Associated Press Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Explosions on Sunday destroyed five cars in Gaza belonging to members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, witnesses and a security source said, amid tensions between the Palestinian territory's rulers and Islamist extremists. Police for Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, have not yet commented on the explosions in different areas of Gaza City. There was no immediate confirmation of any casualties. A security source said three of the cars belonged to members of Hamas and two to Islamic Jihad members. There have been growing signs of internal unrest in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas engaged in a power struggle with smaller extremist groups. A spate of bomb attacks has targeted public buildings and officials as well as international organisations. Rocket fire from Gaza into Israel has also been claimed by Salafist extremists claiming links to the Islamic State group. Salafist groups have been angered by a Hamas crackdown and claimed in recent weeks that around 100 of their members or supporters were behind bars. They also criticise Hamas for what they see as its lack of zeal in enforcing Islamic law as well as for its truce with Israel since last year's war in the Gaza Strip.
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Menu

Forums

The Agenda Behind ISIS’ Cultural Genocide

Shemitah Exposed – Jubilee Cycle Predicts Crash in September, October!

More than 400 arrested in Saudi crackdown on IS

US military exercise sparks fears of martial law

Blasts destroy Hamas, Islamic Jihad cars in Gaza