Oops.

[Fat Charlie]

Well, sweetie, I helped ISIS get its start.

My wife called earlier to tell me that she had just heard a segment on NPR that was talking about the origins of ISIS:
Time In A U.S.-Run Detention Center Helped Islamic State Leadership : NPR

Of the 25 members of the Islamic State's military council, 17 were held for months or even years at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq. An ISIS leader says discussions there were instrumental to the group.

A little background: Back in 2003 when the US Army rolled into Iraq, some MPs stopped right after crossing the border and set up a prison camp right outside Umm Qasr. After the war was over (remember that little chestnut?) the main prison operations were moved to Abu Ghraib, but Camp Bucca was kept running and expanded to be used for long term storage of every random bad guy picked up that they didn't need to interrogate, but didn't want running loose.

Due to sloppy invasion planning (We got tanks into Baghdad! Now what?) There was a whole country full of violence but with no front lines. Rear area security is an MP task and there just weren't enough of them. Artillery units move around in dangerous rear areas and there wasn't any need for cannons there, so bunches of artillery units parked their howitzers and went to be MPs for a year. Except the MPs also needed tons of prison guards, so when we weren't doing base or area security or running convoys, we were in the compounds.

We knew most of them hadn't done anything wrong, as such. We'd seen enough times where language and cultural differences mixed with automatic weapons and fear led to misunderstandings, so we didn't bother to judge them: they had their job and we had ours. We didn't stack them naked like the real MPs up north had been doing, but we were still their jailers. We knew that whatever they had been hauled in for, whether or not they had been our enemies before, they sure as hell wouldn't be our friends afterwards. How would you like it if someone invaded your country and decided you needed to go to jail for a while? You can see their position, at the very least.

As it turns out, the whole operation gave bad guys a golden opportunity to recruit and network. At least I get to know that I kept them safe and well fed during their leadership retreat. Our tax dollars hard at work, I guess.

[freebeard]

Of course, the disinfosphere is buzzing with speculation the whole thing is an elaborate false flag operation.

Early on I read an essay about how ISIL members had never been photographed without their face covering, and the discipline required to make that a thing. Is it still the case?

[Frank Lee]

Ohhh, I thought it was about ICE's.

[Fat Charlie]

I wouldn't be surprised to find it's completely true. With 600 or so to a compound and only a couple or three of us to go inside it at any time, we didn't do much to them aside from keeping them in. Every compound had a mayor, an interpreter, a chow crew and a trash crew. Usually the only one we spoke with was the interpreter. The rest of the bunch could have been plotting anything they wanted right in front of us, and do you think we'd have known anything?

It's a safe bet that these now ISIS guys were in at the same time. At one point the compounds got segregated with sunni and shia being separated as best as could be done, but that was the only thing I saw happen that even looked like an attempt at controlling anything- and that would have actually made it more likely that these guys were together. If any of them were in compound 5, I'll bet I lit smokes for some of them.

But even a friendly prison guard in an occupying army is still a prison guard in an occupying army. I couldn't make anyone less of an enemy, all I could do was try not to make it worse.

[Frank Lee]

...

[redneck]

.

Fat Charlie

How would you like it if someone invaded your country and decided you needed to go to jail for a while? You can see their position, at the very least.

How dare you use common sense and reasoning. You obviously haven't drank enough kool aid yet.
Proceed quickly to the nearest TV for reprogramming...

*cough*... I meant for the official story...*cough*...*cough*...





>

[Cobb]

Those who control your eyes, control your mind.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

But even a friendly prison guard in an occupying army is still a prison guard in an occupying army. I couldn't make anyone less of an enemy, all I could do was try not to make it worse.

There's a guard on the second shift comes on at three
And he's always about a half inch off of me
Like he needs to keep remindin' me that I'm not free

God forgive him 'cause he doesn't see
He's no less a prisoner 'cause he holds a key
And God forbid he turn his back on me

Steve Earle — The Truth

The Truth Lyrics - Steve Earle

[freebeard]

Historic Speech in Damascus sends Shockwaves around the World | Veterans Today

The novel idea it lays out is that it isn't a problem of Terrorism, but of an International Crime Syndicate. One of the pull quotes:

Duff also identified American Generals McInerney and Vallely as being involved in organizing Daisch along with Senator John McCain.

He also pointed out that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel [who has just resigned] was the one that prevented the American bombing of Syria in response to the False-Flag gas attack at Aleppo, Syria.

[Frank Lee]

It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall in some of those executive offices.