Blog Heap of Links for the day 27 June 2014

The wars in Iraq and Syria have effectively merged into one sprawling conflict, especially in light of the massive blitz across northern and central Iraq by militant group ISIS and its affiliates. The multi-country crisis has taken on increasing complexity as Iraq and Syria fragment along sectarian and ethnic lines. … Twitter user @deSyracurse has put together a fascinating and impressively granular map of the spreading chaos throughout the two countries.

The Hatra complex, a Unesco world heritage site which features 200ft-high temples, now stands in territory claimed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) group. There are fears the stone statues within the area could be destroyed by jihadists, who have already demolished a statue of Iraqi musician and composer Othman al-Mousuli 70 miles away in Mosul. [See pix at link]

A Royal Navy patrol ship tracked down and intercepted two Russian landing craft in the English Channel yesterday.

HMS Severn, a 1,700-tonne River-class patrol ship armed with three machine guns, headed off the two military vessels sailing east through the Channel.

The ship 'closed and tracked' the Russian craft as they, which are thought to have been moving from the Mediterranean back to their home bases.

Russia has lost contact with one of three military satellites responsible for detecting intercontinental ballistic missile launches, leaving Moscow blind to possible nuclear attacks… [War News Updates blogger comments: "This is not reassuring news to know about as tensions rise between Russia and the West."]

… just four days before he was scheduled to return home. …Moncie Lamar Johns joined the Marines when he was 17 years old and served 22 years, including fighting in Operation Desert Storm. He retired in 2010 as a gunnery sergeant and moved back to the United States, wanting to spend time with his two young daughters. But [Father] Bill Johns said something was missing for his son, who was one of four siblings. His two brothers also served in the military. "He's been always a person to want to help. And he found out really on the jobs here he couldn't help a lot of people,” Bill Johns said. “But he told me a couple times he said, 'Dad, I can help them overseas.'”

Bush's Iraq compared with Obama's "Iraq" [image at link]

"But sometimes, the news that's coming off is just — these are just Washington fights. They're fabricated issues, they're phony scandals that are generated. It's all geared towards the next election or ginning up a base. It's not on the level." [Says the expert.]

EPA administrator Gina McCarthy admitted that some of the information and emails they are seeking were "lost" in another of the Obama administration's many "hard drive crashes." The admission prompted Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI) to ask, "What is it with bureaucrats and public employees…the hard drives crash?"

The thing with Obama is that he can’t be bothered and there is no hand on the tiller half the time. That’s the story of the Obama presidency. No hand on the f***ing tiller.The IRS targeting the Tea Party, the Justice Department’s seizure of AP phone records and James Rosen’s emails — all these scandals. Obama’s allowed his hatred for his enemies to screw him the way Nixon did. …incompetent and feckless… You can’t trust the motherf***er. Obama has treated Bill and me incredibly shabbily. And we’re angry… [Hillary, from Edward Klein's book Blood Feud]

[An excellent and in places humorous video compilation of bald-faced b.s. by the Bullslinger in Chief.]

June 24 2014 Tuesday-Today Megyn Kelly DESTROYS State Dept. Lackey Marie Harf on Obama Administration Hypocrisy [Video from Fox News at link]

"The improper criteria used to highlight organizations for investigation just by their name was a mistake," [IRS Commissioner] Koskinen [a form of weasel] said. "I apologize to anybody who ever had their applications held up needlessly. Everybody needs to be confident that the IRS is going to treat them fairly no matter who they are. Republicans, Democrats, whatever organization they belong to. So it's a serious matter." However, he maintained that evidence uncovered so far by six investigations found no involvement by the White House, as alleged by some Republicans. [Just as he earlier said he found no evidence of wrong-doing.]

Our troops must adhere to the sharia during the Islamic month of Ramadan in Bahrain and other Muslim countries. Subjected to dawah (proselytizing) by an Islamic cultural adviser at the Naval Support Activity, soldiers are forced to sit through lessons on Islam. No eating, drinking, alcohol, smoking during the month of Ramadan. This is what the Obama administration and the US military are obsessed with as armies of jihad tear through the Middle East.

"Hamas, a vicious terrorist organization that seeks Israel's destruction, and has launched thousands of rockets into Israel, killing innocent civilians. These rockets have also killed dozens of Americans. [Video at link of US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on kidnapped Israeli teens]

But rather than discouraging Hen, the hostility he faced inspired him to redouble his efforts. In the one and a half years since Hen arrived in Seattle, keeping track of Hen was much like tracking a tornado. Always in motion, always traveling Hen shared the beauty of Israel with over 40,000 students from High School through college. His final project, supporting the students of the University of Washington in fending off a BDS inspired divestment resolution resulted in a decisive victory. …

“What did I learn? That Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism….

Thanks, @replouiegohmert for "joining" me on @AmericaNewsroom this morning #photobombed pic.twitter.com/NeRjH4vajh

…this was the week in which the Obama administration's attempts to deflect blame for the border crisis fell apart. … Recent days have been filled with anecdotal reports, from local news outlets in Central America to major American newspapers, citing immigrants who say they came because they believe U.S. law has been changed to allow them to stay. And now comes word that Border Patrol agents in the most heavily-trafficked area of the surge, the Rio Grande Valley sector of Texas, recently questioned 230 illegal immigrants about why they came. The results showed overwhelmingly that the immigrants, including those classified as UACs, or unaccompanied children, were motivated by the belief that they would be allowed to stay in the United States — and not by conditions in their homelands.

“Death trains” rumbling through Mexico teeming with children, headed for the U.S. border. Teenage girls raped. Unspeakable violence at the hands of ruthless coyotes, carrying out President Obama’s stunningly reckless new foreign policy. … Actions have consequences, Mr. President. And executive actions have executive consequences. You are personally responsible for the harrowing condition of every one of these children. You are personally responsible for ripping apart every single one of these families. …

More than 52,000 children have entered the country illegally in recent months… space is running out to house the children and adults… U.S. Border patrol agents are reportedly getting sickened from the refugees… “I’ve talked to border patrol down in McAllen. They’ve seen TB; they’ve seen chicken pox; they’ve seen scabies. And according to Border Patrol, 4 or 5 of their agents have tested positive for those diseases.” … “I’ve had a 7-year-old little girl from El Salvador with her mother come to my front door just in dire need, lost, needing help,” says Linda Vickers… her ranch is about 60 miles north of the border… “Young men that have had multiple deportations and do not want to get caught. I’ve heard them tell border patrol as they’re loading them into their vehicle ‘That’s okay, Obama’s gonna let me go.’”

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to allow gun stores to exist "in only about half of a percent of Chicago's geographic area" got the go ahead on June 25. City Alderman voted 48-0 in favor of the plan.

There was a small applause when Obama mentioned the need for background checks to keep people from just walking into a store to buy a semi-automatic. The problem with this statement is we have had background checks to keep people from just walking into a store to buy a semi-automatic since 1993.