Guy talks about being an ISIS hostage. "They fear our unity more than our airstrikes" - Polidicks

[url]http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/16/isis-bombs-hostage-syria-islamic-state-paris-attacks[/url] [QUOTE]As a proud Frenchman I am as distressed as anyone about the events in Paris. But I am not shocked or incredulous. I know Islamic State. I spent 10 months as an Isis hostage, and I know for sure that our pain, our grief, our hopes, our lives do not touch them. Theirs is a world apart. Most people only know them from their propaganda material, but I have seen behind that. In my time as their captive, I met perhaps a dozen of them, including Mohammed Emwazi: Jihadi John was one of my jailers. He nicknamed me “Baldy”.[/QUOTE]

Fucking hell; this guy experienced some shit [quote=article]They would play mock executions. Once they used chloroform with me. Another time it was a beheading scene. A bunch of French-speaking jihadis were shouting, “We’re going to cut your head off and put it on to your arse and upload it to YouTube.” They had a sword from an antique shop. They were laughing and I played the game by screaming, but they just wanted fun. As soon as they left I turned to another of the French hostages and just laughed. It was so ridiculous.[/quote]

[QUOTE]Everything convinces them that they are on the right path and, specifically, that there is a kind of apocalyptic process under way that will lead to a confrontation between an army of Muslims from all over the world and others, the crusaders, the Romans. They see everything as moving us down that road. Consequently, everything is a blessing from Allah.[/QUOTE] Interesting. Basically sorta like those crazy rapture suicide cults, except turned outwards instead of inwards.

[quote]They were laughing and I played the game by screaming, but they just wanted fun. As soon as they left I turned to another of the French hostages and just laughed. It was so ridiculous.[/quote] How fun! But seriously, i'm surprised they don't just kill french people right away given their specific hatred for the french.

Why do we always laugh or smile when we're in the most dire situations.

The only thing I don't get is he says Assad is the cause of ISIS

[QUOTE=Riller;49184373]Interesting. Basically sorta like those crazy rapture suicide cults, except turned outwards instead of inwards.[/QUOTE] Imagine if they got their hands on some nukes

Yeah sure, just hug them and then they'll magically be defeated, just like in the fairy tales. The simple fact that he believes removing Assad would help matters is laughable. Look at literally any other Arab spring state and you'll see that things only got worse after the dictator was removed from power.

[QUOTE=Kite_shugo;49184360]Fucking hell; this guy experienced some shit[/QUOTE] Those are some classic fuck-fuck games right there.

[QUOTE=Doom64hunter;49184419]Yeah sure, just hug them and then they'll magically be defeated, just like in the fairy tales. The simple fact that he believes removing Assad would help matters is laughable. Look at literally any other Arab spring state and you'll see that things only got worse after the dictator was removed from power.[/QUOTE] "Hugging them" is not what he, nor anybody else, is suggesting. Merely that xenophobia, racism, islamophobia-- a general fear, hatred, or distrust under any name-- targeted towards Muslims and Middle Easterners plays directly into ISIS's objectives. It is what they want. By giving them that, we're strengthening them, increasing the power and influence of their propaganda, helping to bolster their ranks with disillusioned Muslims and refugees who can see the plainly blatant hatred being spewed around social media and news forums in reaction to the Paris Attacks, Charlie Hebdo, etc, and (even more damningly) those who have suffered at the hands of Western bombing campaigns. Striking hard and fast at ISIS is not a solution. It is not the end. Destroying their core will cause them to splinter into hundreds of equally violent subgroups who will resort to insurgent tactics in an attempt to drag us into another decade-long conflict costing tens of billions of dollars. Like a Hydra, cutting off one head causes two others to take its place. The compulsion to blare rock music through loudspeakers as we overrun ISIS-held cities with attack helicopters is strong, sure, but ISIS demands a more measured response than a simple show of force. Now, military force [I]will[/I] be necessary in some regard, but it must be careful and deliberate, and any force without a long-term plan to stabilize the region, disrupt insurgency and propaganda, and actually [I]unite[/I] Muslim and Western nations will be ultimately fruitless as the same kind of threat under a new name springs up in their wake.

[QUOTE=Araknid;49184410]The only thing I don't get is he says Assad is the cause of ISIS[/QUOTE] Its a sign of a propaganda piece or influenced by a source that isn't exactly unbiased. [QUOTE]Destroying their core will cause them to splinter into hundreds of equally violent subgroups who will resort to insurgent tactics in an attempt to drag us into another decade-long conflict costing tens of billions of dollars[/QUOTE] I've tried putting forth what you just said but always was met with the reply of "We can afford it." Your thoughts?

[QUOTE=JohhnyCarson;49184771]Its a sign of a propaganda piece or influenced by a source that isn't exactly unbiased. I've tried putting forth what you just said but always was met with the reply of "We can afford it." Your thoughts?[/QUOTE] That's like saying you can afford a prosthetic right before sprinting through a minefield wearing nothing but a loincloth and a sign that says "I'm a colossal idiot".

[QUOTE=Araknid;49184410]The only thing I don't get is he says Assad is the cause of ISIS[/QUOTE] People are afraid of being branded islamaphobes and getting lumped in with people that simply hate Muslims regardless of their beliefs but Islam is part of this. How does hating a tyrant lead to a genocidal slave cult rampaging across the desert trying to create a society based on their interpretation of an old book?

[QUOTE=JohhnyCarson;49184771] I've tried putting forth what you just said but always was met with the reply of "We can afford it." Your thoughts?[/QUOTE] Simple people seeking simple answers?

[QUOTE=JohhnyCarson;49184771]Its a sign of a propaganda piece or influenced by a source that isn't exactly unbiased. I've tried putting forth what you just said but always was met with the reply of "We can afford it." Your thoughts?[/QUOTE] I guess I'd just argue that that's a self-destructive perspective. That is the war that ISIS strategists [I]want[/I] us to fight. Why would we engage them on their terms? While their soldiers on the ground might just be violent doomsday cultists, in a sense, it is a grave mistake to underestimate the calculated intelligence of the minds behind the movement. They know full well what game they are playing, and they view open warfare with the rest of the world as not only inevitable, but desirable, and totally necessary in the ultimate goal of establishing a permanent caliphate charged with the destruction of all crusaders and apostates.

[QUOTE=Saphirx;49184408]Why do we always laugh or smile when we're in the most dire situations.[/QUOTE] because you accept you'll die and all you can do is laugh about it

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;49184935]I guess I'd just argue that that's a self-destructive perspective. That is the war that ISIS strategists [I]want[/I] us to fight. Why would we engage them on their terms? While their soldiers on the ground might just be violent doomsday cultists, in a sense, it is a grave mistake to underestimate the calculated intelligence of the minds behind the movement. They know full well what game they are playing, and they view open warfare with the rest of the world as not only inevitable, but desirable.[/QUOTE] That what I say and well doesn't turn out too well. From what I understand, they calculate they will win for various reasons if they go for the very long fight. I mean they want a fight that lasts 100 or a thousand years. They suspect they will hold out and grind us down. As for laughing? Its to relieve stress. A survival mechanism.

[QUOTE=Araknid;49184410]The only thing I don't get is he says Assad is the cause of ISIS[/QUOTE] While the Iraq War was the birth of what would become ISIS, the Syrian Civil War was what enabled ISIS to become the monster it is today. [editline]25th November 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=Doom64hunter;49184419] The simple fact that he believes removing Assad would help matters is laughable. Look at literally any other Arab spring state and you'll see that things only got worse after the dictator was removed from power.[/QUOTE] Assad being removed from power in some way or another is virtually one of the only ways the conflict in Syria will ever stabilize. That doesn't mean the total annihilation of Assad's government but that Assad has to go. He has been the the fuel to the fire that is ISIS and the other rebel groups. The removal of Assad could lead to some sort of consolidation of the people of Syria, in turn leading to a stronger fight against ISIS.

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;49184733]Those are some classic fuck-fuck games right there.[/QUOTE] I'm not familiar with that particular figure of speech.

instead of normal bombs, lets use napalm on whenever they get together to shoot some of those sweet sweet propaganda videos burning alive is as close as you can get to making them pay for their crimes

Regarding this, the Eagles of Death Metal talk a lot about people helping each other during the hostage situation at Bataclan. [video=youtube;n74HBrrFnIc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n74HBrrFnIc[/video]

[QUOTE=Billy-Bobfred;49186671]instead of normal bombs, lets use napalm on whenever they get together to shoot some of those sweet sweet propaganda videos burning alive is as close as you can get to making them pay for their crimes[/QUOTE] Using excessive firepower and tactics that are meant to be seen as ''revenge'' won't bring an end to this conflict. We musn't forget that no matter how many tragedies ISIS caused, we mustn't get down to their level, and the only reason this conflict is fought is to make sure we leave them unable to ever form a competent force.

[QUOTE=Saphirx;49184408]Why do we always laugh or smile when we're in the most dire situations.[/QUOTE] Laughter is/can be a psychological response to stress. When we're made uncomfortable, that's why we might give a nervous chuckle or something. Or start laughing uncontrollably/loudly like this guy did. Cats will do the same thing with purring; it's to calm themselves and relieve stress (partially why, anyway). Makes me think of that French guy who smiled at a mock execution squad of German soldiers during their occupation of France in World War II. [t]http://i63.tinypic.com/ind4jt.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=BusterBluth;49185222]Assad being removed from power in some way or another is virtually one of the only ways the conflict in Syria will ever stabilize. That doesn't mean the total annihilation of Assad's government but that Assad has to go. He has been the the fuel to the fire that is ISIS and the other rebel groups. The removal of Assad could lead to some sort of consolidation of the people of Syria, in turn leading to a stronger fight against ISIS.[/QUOTE] Kind of doubt that. Rebels removed Gaddafi too and they are still fighting in Libya. Sure, it will stabilize in that you'll have less news about it, if any in comparison, the Qatar-Turkey pipeline will be built and the US brass will pat themselves on the back.

[QUOTE=Omesh;49186870]Kind of doubt that. Rebels removed Gaddafi too and they are still fighting in Libya. Sure, it will stabilize in that you'll have less news about it, if any in comparison, the Qatar-Turkey pipeline will be built and the US brass will pat themselves on the back.[/QUOTE] There is still infighting in Libya but it is no where near the state it was in during the conflict in which Gaddafi was overthrown.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;49186628]I'm not familiar with that particular figure of speech.[/QUOTE] It's a name describing all of the little mind-games our Drill Sergeants in basic training played on us. This one time, early in the cycle, our Senior Drill got bat-shit pissed at us for one reason or another, so we had to stand at attention for an hour. Anybody who moved got their names written down, and Drill Sergeant was going to give anyone on that list a negative counseling statement and push to have them kicked out of the Army. He never followed through on it of course, half the platoon ended up on that list.