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Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:09 am
Hello Everyone,
While the war in Syria has significantly wound down, there are still unresolved disputes, simmering tensions, and cases of deadly violence.
Russia continues to be a major player in the country, while US forces and their allies occupy oil-rich areas, predominantly in the east of the country.
As the lesser of two evils, the survival of the Syrian government has always been a far more preferable outcome for Syria’s Christians than the prospect of a jihadist/rebel victory. I believe it would also be good for Syria if the western countries would pull out, and stop stealing Syria’s oil.
This is not to say that Russia has pure motives but, as I’ve always maintained, the (pro-Assad) Russian side in Syria is clearly not as terrible as the (pro-rebel) western side in Syria.
All of that aside, there have been recent tensions, and cases of fatal violence in the southern city of Daraa, which was a pro-rebel hotbed right back at the start of the war (eventually conquered by Assad/the Russians in 2018).
There has been recent combat, killings, taking of prisoners, government-siege, etc, in the vicinity of Daraa in recent months. A degree of insurrection has apparently continued on there since 2018.
Anyway, a recent agreement (overseen by Russia) has been reached, though it would presumably be fragile and tentative, with very little mutual trust.
A key demand from the rebels is for the government to drop its siege, while rebel fighters who do not wish to respect the peace deal will likely gain safe passage to Idlib, the state in north-western Syria.
This state, as you may be aware, is the only one in Syria still under broad rebel control, and it has become a virtual dumping ground for jihadists and terrorists, as well as their families, as the Russian-backed Syrian government has taken back more Syrian territory, while allowing diehard jihadist rebels to resettle in Idlib as part of the agreements.
As it stands, Idlib is an extremist stronghold in which Turkey, and presumably others, are heavily involved, with all manner of militant and terrorist groups vying for control.
A largescale government assault to take it back would be incredibly bloody and destructive, so I don’t pretend to know what the answer is there (only God knows).
All I know is that Syria would have been MUCH BETTER OFF had the outside world left it alone all along, and not thrown petrol on the fire by supporting rebels and terrorists in that country.
A link to a little article about Daraa is below:
www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/09/sy ... hts-abuses
While the war in Syria has significantly wound down, there are still unresolved disputes, simmering tensions, and cases of deadly violence.
Russia continues to be a major player in the country, while US forces and their allies occupy oil-rich areas, predominantly in the east of the country.
As the lesser of two evils, the survival of the Syrian government has always been a far more preferable outcome for Syria’s Christians than the prospect of a jihadist/rebel victory. I believe it would also be good for Syria if the western countries would pull out, and stop stealing Syria’s oil.
This is not to say that Russia has pure motives but, as I’ve always maintained, the (pro-Assad) Russian side in Syria is clearly not as terrible as the (pro-rebel) western side in Syria.
All of that aside, there have been recent tensions, and cases of fatal violence in the southern city of Daraa, which was a pro-rebel hotbed right back at the start of the war (eventually conquered by Assad/the Russians in 2018).
There has been recent combat, killings, taking of prisoners, government-siege, etc, in the vicinity of Daraa in recent months. A degree of insurrection has apparently continued on there since 2018.
Anyway, a recent agreement (overseen by Russia) has been reached, though it would presumably be fragile and tentative, with very little mutual trust.
A key demand from the rebels is for the government to drop its siege, while rebel fighters who do not wish to respect the peace deal will likely gain safe passage to Idlib, the state in north-western Syria.
This state, as you may be aware, is the only one in Syria still under broad rebel control, and it has become a virtual dumping ground for jihadists and terrorists, as well as their families, as the Russian-backed Syrian government has taken back more Syrian territory, while allowing diehard jihadist rebels to resettle in Idlib as part of the agreements.
As it stands, Idlib is an extremist stronghold in which Turkey, and presumably others, are heavily involved, with all manner of militant and terrorist groups vying for control.
A largescale government assault to take it back would be incredibly bloody and destructive, so I don’t pretend to know what the answer is there (only God knows).
All I know is that Syria would have been MUCH BETTER OFF had the outside world left it alone all along, and not thrown petrol on the fire by supporting rebels and terrorists in that country.
A link to a little article about Daraa is below:
www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/09/sy ... hts-abuses
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth 
- Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sun Sep 12, 2021 5:28 am
Hello Everyone,
Though this forum is largely about Syria, this will be a short post about Afghanistan.
A common, ongoing theme of this forum has been to expose the government-media-military complex.
Our human governments, of course, are in the pocket of Satan. Their main priority is to do away with Christian principles, abolish sovereignty anywhere it may be found, and build the Luciferian, global empire which is described in Bible prophecy, particularly in the book of Revelation.
The mainstream media, of course, is ruled by Satan, and is in the business of doing coverups, telling lies and dumbing down the populace in general. It is the mouthpiece of government.
The military, I am quite sure, has a lot of people within its ranks who are tough, decent people. Yet the institution itself (the military) is the sledgehammer of human government, and for decades has been destroying countries across the globe who dared to desire their own sovereignty. The military establishment is undoubtedly evil, and is an arm of government.
To get to my point, I don’t want to get into partisan politics, as it is clear that evil in politics in largely non-partisan. But I now wish to present you a perfect case study, courtesy of the great ‘Axis of evil’: government, media, military establishment.
Anyway, you would have all heard of the whole recent debacle around Kabul Airport. As you would know, during the chaotic evacuation, a suicide bomber from an ISIS splinter group killed 13 US personnel, and up to 60 Afghani civilians.
The government of the US pledged to take revenge, and within a day or two, international establishment media reported that a US drone launched a strike in or around Kabul, killing two of the terror masterminds who had planned the suicide bombing at the airport.
Thus- believed the vast majority of people who trust mainstream media- justice was done.
Except, it really wasn’t. In the days after the drone strike, I heard two separate people say something like this: ‘I bet that there were no terrorists even targeted in the attack. The drone would’ve struck some random people in the street, the military would’ve then claimed that terrorists were killed, and the international media would then regurgitate the claims of the military without question.’ (These weren’t the exact words, but this was the general sentiment).
To cut a long story short, both people were correct. A recent expose by the New York Times (!) has admitted as much. I am usually full of scorn for outlets like the New York Times, but I have to give it credit on this occasion. Unfortunately, this stunning revelation has gotten very little coverage from the rest of mainstream media, who prefer to stick to the narrative that the drone strike killed terrorists.
In short, this is what really happened, in order:
A) The suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport.
B) The pledge by the US president that the terrorists will be held accountable.
C) A drone strike on an aid worker transporting water. This worker, seven kids, and a total of about ten people were killed, which almost certainly DID NOT include any terrorists.
D) International media reported that two terror masterminds behind the suicide bombing were killed in the drone strike, with vague mention of the possibility of ‘civilian casualties’.
E) The truth begins to seep out courtesy of the odd outlet like the New York Times, although, by this time, the drone strike is already old news and most are either disinterested in, or unaware of the truth behind what really happened.
It doesn’t give me any pleasure to keep telling you that our governments are profoundly evil, that mainstream media is total, vile trash, and that the military establishment is also a force for evil; the military generally used as the sledgehammer of those who want to build Satan’s New World Order.
A link to an article on the drone strike thing in Afghanistan is below:
https://thenationalpulse.com/news/joe-b ... e-reveals/
Though this forum is largely about Syria, this will be a short post about Afghanistan.
A common, ongoing theme of this forum has been to expose the government-media-military complex.
Our human governments, of course, are in the pocket of Satan. Their main priority is to do away with Christian principles, abolish sovereignty anywhere it may be found, and build the Luciferian, global empire which is described in Bible prophecy, particularly in the book of Revelation.
The mainstream media, of course, is ruled by Satan, and is in the business of doing coverups, telling lies and dumbing down the populace in general. It is the mouthpiece of government.
The military, I am quite sure, has a lot of people within its ranks who are tough, decent people. Yet the institution itself (the military) is the sledgehammer of human government, and for decades has been destroying countries across the globe who dared to desire their own sovereignty. The military establishment is undoubtedly evil, and is an arm of government.
To get to my point, I don’t want to get into partisan politics, as it is clear that evil in politics in largely non-partisan. But I now wish to present you a perfect case study, courtesy of the great ‘Axis of evil’: government, media, military establishment.
Anyway, you would have all heard of the whole recent debacle around Kabul Airport. As you would know, during the chaotic evacuation, a suicide bomber from an ISIS splinter group killed 13 US personnel, and up to 60 Afghani civilians.
The government of the US pledged to take revenge, and within a day or two, international establishment media reported that a US drone launched a strike in or around Kabul, killing two of the terror masterminds who had planned the suicide bombing at the airport.
Thus- believed the vast majority of people who trust mainstream media- justice was done.
Except, it really wasn’t. In the days after the drone strike, I heard two separate people say something like this: ‘I bet that there were no terrorists even targeted in the attack. The drone would’ve struck some random people in the street, the military would’ve then claimed that terrorists were killed, and the international media would then regurgitate the claims of the military without question.’ (These weren’t the exact words, but this was the general sentiment).
To cut a long story short, both people were correct. A recent expose by the New York Times (!) has admitted as much. I am usually full of scorn for outlets like the New York Times, but I have to give it credit on this occasion. Unfortunately, this stunning revelation has gotten very little coverage from the rest of mainstream media, who prefer to stick to the narrative that the drone strike killed terrorists.
In short, this is what really happened, in order:
A) The suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport.
B) The pledge by the US president that the terrorists will be held accountable.
C) A drone strike on an aid worker transporting water. This worker, seven kids, and a total of about ten people were killed, which almost certainly DID NOT include any terrorists.
D) International media reported that two terror masterminds behind the suicide bombing were killed in the drone strike, with vague mention of the possibility of ‘civilian casualties’.
E) The truth begins to seep out courtesy of the odd outlet like the New York Times, although, by this time, the drone strike is already old news and most are either disinterested in, or unaware of the truth behind what really happened.
It doesn’t give me any pleasure to keep telling you that our governments are profoundly evil, that mainstream media is total, vile trash, and that the military establishment is also a force for evil; the military generally used as the sledgehammer of those who want to build Satan’s New World Order.
A link to an article on the drone strike thing in Afghanistan is below:
https://thenationalpulse.com/news/joe-b ... e-reveals/
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sun Sep 26, 2021 12:41 pm
Hi Everyone,
This is a really short post today, with reference to a new article at al-monitor.com.
As mentioned in the article, according to a new, revised UN tally, over 350,000 people have been killed since the Syrian Civil War started ten-and-a-half years ago.
This is in contrast to an ongoing tally by the (pro-rebel) Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, which has reached over 600,000.
The UN estimate is conservative, the estimate from the Syrian Observatory is possibly less thorough, and maybe overblown.
But ultimately, I don't know.
A link to the aforementioned article is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... undercount
This is a really short post today, with reference to a new article at al-monitor.com.
As mentioned in the article, according to a new, revised UN tally, over 350,000 people have been killed since the Syrian Civil War started ten-and-a-half years ago.
This is in contrast to an ongoing tally by the (pro-rebel) Syrian Observatory For Human Rights, which has reached over 600,000.
The UN estimate is conservative, the estimate from the Syrian Observatory is possibly less thorough, and maybe overblown.
But ultimately, I don't know.
A link to the aforementioned article is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... undercount
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:55 pm
Hi All,
Here is quite a long article, many links contained within, about the current diplomatic situation regarding Syria.
The war, of course is still simmering along in a low-intensity way. People are still dying, but the worst of the violence appears to have significantly reduced. A death toll of almost 390,000 is mentioned in this article (the open issue of overall death tolls for the conflict was the focus of my previous post).
The main thrust of this article is the push by the government of Egypt to bring Syria in from the (diplomatic) cold, and rehabilitate its image in the Arab World.
This is significant because, unless I’m mistaken, Egypt is certainly the biggest, and possibly even most powerful nation in the Arab world.
When the Egyptian government fell in the early stages of the Arab Spring (ten years ago), the western powers installed a puppet, Islamist government which was anti-Syrian (and hostile to Christians within Egypt).
A counter-revolution a year or so afterward overthrew the western puppet government, and the government of Egypt (since that time) has generally been more secular, and friendly towards Syria (and Christians within Egypt).
The latest developments in official Egyptian-Syrian relations took place in late September, on the sidelines of UN meetings in New York.
Various other political developments and considerations vis-à-vis Syria are mentioned in the article, which you could read about for yourself. But I believe that Egyptian efforts to help stabilize Syria and bring it in from the cold would clearly be for the best, and in the best interests of the Christians who still remain in that part of the world.
Overall, the Egyptian moves have partial support in the Arab World, but are opposed by countries such as Qatar, which have been staunch supporters of jihadist rebel groups including al-qaeda, and even (for a while) ISIS.
Naturally, the military-industrial complex based in Washington would also be against any such moves towards stability in that part of the world, because this would be bad for the profits obtained through the ongoing manufacture and sale of weapons.
Link to the article, from al-monitor.com, is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... arab-world
Here is quite a long article, many links contained within, about the current diplomatic situation regarding Syria.
The war, of course is still simmering along in a low-intensity way. People are still dying, but the worst of the violence appears to have significantly reduced. A death toll of almost 390,000 is mentioned in this article (the open issue of overall death tolls for the conflict was the focus of my previous post).
The main thrust of this article is the push by the government of Egypt to bring Syria in from the (diplomatic) cold, and rehabilitate its image in the Arab World.
This is significant because, unless I’m mistaken, Egypt is certainly the biggest, and possibly even most powerful nation in the Arab world.
When the Egyptian government fell in the early stages of the Arab Spring (ten years ago), the western powers installed a puppet, Islamist government which was anti-Syrian (and hostile to Christians within Egypt).
A counter-revolution a year or so afterward overthrew the western puppet government, and the government of Egypt (since that time) has generally been more secular, and friendly towards Syria (and Christians within Egypt).
The latest developments in official Egyptian-Syrian relations took place in late September, on the sidelines of UN meetings in New York.
Various other political developments and considerations vis-à-vis Syria are mentioned in the article, which you could read about for yourself. But I believe that Egyptian efforts to help stabilize Syria and bring it in from the cold would clearly be for the best, and in the best interests of the Christians who still remain in that part of the world.
Overall, the Egyptian moves have partial support in the Arab World, but are opposed by countries such as Qatar, which have been staunch supporters of jihadist rebel groups including al-qaeda, and even (for a while) ISIS.
Naturally, the military-industrial complex based in Washington would also be against any such moves towards stability in that part of the world, because this would be bad for the profits obtained through the ongoing manufacture and sale of weapons.
Link to the article, from al-monitor.com, is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... arab-world
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sat Oct 09, 2021 9:25 am
Hi All,
This is a little post touching on the topic from the previous post; namely, the diplomatic situation regarding Syria, and moves by some Arab countries to restore relations with the Assad government, and even recognize it on an official basis.
In the last post, I mentioned how Egypt was leading efforts to bring the Assad government in from the cold. I am going to post a new article today, which mentions the UAE and Oman as other countries to restore relations with Syria.
According to the article, Jordan is the latest country to do this. The King of Jordan and Assad of Syria have now apparently begun to speak with each other. This is noteworthy because Jordan, on the southern border with Syria, was long used as a base for the CIA, other intelligence agencies, etc, to funnel weapons across the border into the arms of their jihadist proxies, and use Jordanian territory as a sanctuary for these jihadists.
It would naturally be a big positive if Jordan was no longer used as a base to help terrorists in Syria.
As stated in the article, there are now even murmurs that Saudi Arabia could be conducting secret contacts and talks with the Syrian government. As pointed out in the article, however, the big gamechanger would be if Turkey were to do the same. While Saudi Arabia also sponsored terrorists in Syria, including ISIS, Turkey shares a very, very long border with Syria, on the northern side.
While many nations joined in on the globalist effort to destroy Syria, perhaps none were more pivotal than Turkey, both as a base, and an accomplice, i.e. western nations interfering from afar would have found it much, much harder to do so without Turkey.
Also, Turkey was the biggest state sponsor of ISIS. The terror group would not have risen so quickly and aggressively without massive support from Turkey.
The article I will link to is quite long, and outlines the main considerations, points of contention and potential outcomes that could arise from a possible thaw in relations between Turkey and Syria.
Link is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... unge-assad
This is a little post touching on the topic from the previous post; namely, the diplomatic situation regarding Syria, and moves by some Arab countries to restore relations with the Assad government, and even recognize it on an official basis.
In the last post, I mentioned how Egypt was leading efforts to bring the Assad government in from the cold. I am going to post a new article today, which mentions the UAE and Oman as other countries to restore relations with Syria.
According to the article, Jordan is the latest country to do this. The King of Jordan and Assad of Syria have now apparently begun to speak with each other. This is noteworthy because Jordan, on the southern border with Syria, was long used as a base for the CIA, other intelligence agencies, etc, to funnel weapons across the border into the arms of their jihadist proxies, and use Jordanian territory as a sanctuary for these jihadists.
It would naturally be a big positive if Jordan was no longer used as a base to help terrorists in Syria.
As stated in the article, there are now even murmurs that Saudi Arabia could be conducting secret contacts and talks with the Syrian government. As pointed out in the article, however, the big gamechanger would be if Turkey were to do the same. While Saudi Arabia also sponsored terrorists in Syria, including ISIS, Turkey shares a very, very long border with Syria, on the northern side.
While many nations joined in on the globalist effort to destroy Syria, perhaps none were more pivotal than Turkey, both as a base, and an accomplice, i.e. western nations interfering from afar would have found it much, much harder to do so without Turkey.
Also, Turkey was the biggest state sponsor of ISIS. The terror group would not have risen so quickly and aggressively without massive support from Turkey.
The article I will link to is quite long, and outlines the main considerations, points of contention and potential outcomes that could arise from a possible thaw in relations between Turkey and Syria.
Link is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... unge-assad
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sat Nov 13, 2021 11:27 am
Hello Everyone,
Syria has quite obviously drifted away from the news in recent times, as the war has (somewhat) wound down, and the world developed an almost singular paranoid obsession with Covid-19. But I will continue to relay news to you about that country, and part of the world, when I come across it.
In some of my last posts, I mentioned how some countries of the Middle-East had begun to put out the feelers, and bring in the Syrian government from the diplomatic cold. This effort has apparently been led by Egypt, but several other countries from that neighbourhood have also been involved.
I recently came across an article from debkafile.com (from about a month ago) which suggested that even the USA was not going to stand in the way of this. While it wasn’t going to actively engage the Assad government of Syria, the messages from Washington were that it wasn’t going to stand in the way of others from doing so.
I don’t know what to make of this, but of course I hope it’s true. One ought to be cautiously optimistic. I say ‘cautiously’ because Washington is obviously the globalist HQ of the military-industrial complex, which isn’t so much into ‘doing the right thing’ as it is about manufacturing and selling weapons, launching wars and taking down any nation or group that does not want to bend its knee to the New World Order.
On the other hand, perhaps (forgive me if this is wishful thinking, which it possibly is) maybe after a failed, intensive, decade-long endeavour to sew strife, wreak havoc and destroy Syria, maybe it is somewhat pulling back.
I say ‘somewhat’ because, as we speak, western forces continue to occupy (oil-rich) eastern Syria, primarily in order to steal its oil.
Anyway, all of that aside, while I certainly hope Syria will be now left alone by all and sundry, and helped by its friends (and those seeking to renew contacts with it, as well) to properly restore its security and rebuild, the military-industrial complex will continue to seek war across the globe.
In recent times, I have begun to get the impression that the western nations are beginning to puff their collective chest out even further against Russia and China. While Russia and China are far from angels, I would encourage you strongly to remember that western mainstream media is totally filthy and demonic, with ‘truth’ way, way down its list of priorities. Thus, be very wary of any demonization that is being carried out against Russia and China.
There are two sides to most stories and you can be sure that- for every mainstream media story that essentially says, ‘West is good, Russia bad,’ or ‘West is good, China bad,’- there would assuredly be stories in Russia or Chinese media that say, ‘Russia/China good, west bad.’
My next point is that while I don’t hope that China invades Taiwan, there is also plenty of US-instigated provocation in that part of the world, directed against China. Also, invasions and wars have happened all throughout history, and I do not believe that defence of Taiwan against China is worth starting a literal third world war over.
I am not necessarily saying that nothing should be done to help Taiwan, but I am certainly, most definitely saying that a largescale war (western countries v China) is absolutely a terrible idea, if it’s only in order to defend Taiwan.
This may sound a bit cold-hearted, but I ask you this: What would be worse for the entire world- A fairly quick, if somewhat bloody Chinese takeover of Taiwan, OR, a largescale conventional war, western countries v China, with real potential to quickly turn apocalyptic, not to mention nuclear, with Taiwan possibly taken over by China in the end anyway. If anyone wishes for war with China, I’d urge you to be careful what you wish for.
The link to the debka article about the US and Syria is below. Lastly, I take this chance to pray to the Lord that China would not invade Taiwan, and that if Taiwan were to be reabsorbed back into China, that it would be done in a far more peaceful manner, and not infringe too much on the relative freedoms of the Taiwanese people.
As stated, link below:
https://www.debka.com/us-shifts-towards ... -unawares/
Syria has quite obviously drifted away from the news in recent times, as the war has (somewhat) wound down, and the world developed an almost singular paranoid obsession with Covid-19. But I will continue to relay news to you about that country, and part of the world, when I come across it.
In some of my last posts, I mentioned how some countries of the Middle-East had begun to put out the feelers, and bring in the Syrian government from the diplomatic cold. This effort has apparently been led by Egypt, but several other countries from that neighbourhood have also been involved.
I recently came across an article from debkafile.com (from about a month ago) which suggested that even the USA was not going to stand in the way of this. While it wasn’t going to actively engage the Assad government of Syria, the messages from Washington were that it wasn’t going to stand in the way of others from doing so.
I don’t know what to make of this, but of course I hope it’s true. One ought to be cautiously optimistic. I say ‘cautiously’ because Washington is obviously the globalist HQ of the military-industrial complex, which isn’t so much into ‘doing the right thing’ as it is about manufacturing and selling weapons, launching wars and taking down any nation or group that does not want to bend its knee to the New World Order.
On the other hand, perhaps (forgive me if this is wishful thinking, which it possibly is) maybe after a failed, intensive, decade-long endeavour to sew strife, wreak havoc and destroy Syria, maybe it is somewhat pulling back.
I say ‘somewhat’ because, as we speak, western forces continue to occupy (oil-rich) eastern Syria, primarily in order to steal its oil.
Anyway, all of that aside, while I certainly hope Syria will be now left alone by all and sundry, and helped by its friends (and those seeking to renew contacts with it, as well) to properly restore its security and rebuild, the military-industrial complex will continue to seek war across the globe.
In recent times, I have begun to get the impression that the western nations are beginning to puff their collective chest out even further against Russia and China. While Russia and China are far from angels, I would encourage you strongly to remember that western mainstream media is totally filthy and demonic, with ‘truth’ way, way down its list of priorities. Thus, be very wary of any demonization that is being carried out against Russia and China.
There are two sides to most stories and you can be sure that- for every mainstream media story that essentially says, ‘West is good, Russia bad,’ or ‘West is good, China bad,’- there would assuredly be stories in Russia or Chinese media that say, ‘Russia/China good, west bad.’
My next point is that while I don’t hope that China invades Taiwan, there is also plenty of US-instigated provocation in that part of the world, directed against China. Also, invasions and wars have happened all throughout history, and I do not believe that defence of Taiwan against China is worth starting a literal third world war over.
I am not necessarily saying that nothing should be done to help Taiwan, but I am certainly, most definitely saying that a largescale war (western countries v China) is absolutely a terrible idea, if it’s only in order to defend Taiwan.
This may sound a bit cold-hearted, but I ask you this: What would be worse for the entire world- A fairly quick, if somewhat bloody Chinese takeover of Taiwan, OR, a largescale conventional war, western countries v China, with real potential to quickly turn apocalyptic, not to mention nuclear, with Taiwan possibly taken over by China in the end anyway. If anyone wishes for war with China, I’d urge you to be careful what you wish for.
The link to the debka article about the US and Syria is below. Lastly, I take this chance to pray to the Lord that China would not invade Taiwan, and that if Taiwan were to be reabsorbed back into China, that it would be done in a far more peaceful manner, and not infringe too much on the relative freedoms of the Taiwanese people.
As stated, link below:
https://www.debka.com/us-shifts-towards ... -unawares/
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:48 am
Hello Everyone,
While the globe continues to self-destruct under covid-hysteria (which, in my opinion, certainly has strong demonic elements), the military-industrial complex continues to provoke for war in various locations.
I believe that I may have discussed China/Taiwan in a recent post. China is obviously not blameless in this theatre, but nor is the military-industrial complex. Furthermore, I don’t believe it would be worth trying to defend Taiwan, just as I believe that a failed 20-year war in Afghanistan was a bad idea, which ended with the Taliban in power, as they had been before that was started in 2001.
That aside, the other area of provocation is the tussle over Ukraine, with NATO on one side, Russia on the other. I personally think it would be better if everyone left the Ukraine alone. However, that’s not how human nature works. Next best option: the western nations colonize the west of that country, which is largely pro-west, while leaving the east of that country alone, which is largely pro-Russian.
Again, I don’t claim that Russia is blameless in this theatre, but I personally believe that the military-industrial complex (based in Washington, with its tentacles throughout Europe) is the main villain. Furthermore, it is very greedy, and not willing to compromise, or share.
In recent decades, the western nations have taken great pride in demonising and decimating small defenceless nations. Needless to say, Russia and China are not small defenceless nations. And, like with Taiwan, I do not believe that it is worth fighting a war over the Ukraine, especially since about half of that country is pro-Russia.
There has been a fair bit of mainstream media hot air lately about a looming Russian invasion of the Ukraine. I do not believe it, but will of course stand corrected if events pan out as such.
Russia has made it crystal clear that it will not accept the Ukraine going into NATO, yet the military-industrial complex continues to prod, provoke, push, test, etc, while making out that all of the aggression is coming from Russia.
I will now post to a really good article from ‘Real Clear Defense’. It is a great article because, unlike corporate media in general, this does not shill for war, does not place all of the blame on Russia, and takes a pragmatic look at the whole thing.
It also makes the (strong) point that, from the point-of-view of NATO, it is simply not worth going to war against Russia over the Ukraine.
Moreover, such a clash could become apocalyptic, with Russia possessing nuclear weapons.
Link to the article is below:
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articl ... 06307.html
While the globe continues to self-destruct under covid-hysteria (which, in my opinion, certainly has strong demonic elements), the military-industrial complex continues to provoke for war in various locations.
I believe that I may have discussed China/Taiwan in a recent post. China is obviously not blameless in this theatre, but nor is the military-industrial complex. Furthermore, I don’t believe it would be worth trying to defend Taiwan, just as I believe that a failed 20-year war in Afghanistan was a bad idea, which ended with the Taliban in power, as they had been before that was started in 2001.
That aside, the other area of provocation is the tussle over Ukraine, with NATO on one side, Russia on the other. I personally think it would be better if everyone left the Ukraine alone. However, that’s not how human nature works. Next best option: the western nations colonize the west of that country, which is largely pro-west, while leaving the east of that country alone, which is largely pro-Russian.
Again, I don’t claim that Russia is blameless in this theatre, but I personally believe that the military-industrial complex (based in Washington, with its tentacles throughout Europe) is the main villain. Furthermore, it is very greedy, and not willing to compromise, or share.
In recent decades, the western nations have taken great pride in demonising and decimating small defenceless nations. Needless to say, Russia and China are not small defenceless nations. And, like with Taiwan, I do not believe that it is worth fighting a war over the Ukraine, especially since about half of that country is pro-Russia.
There has been a fair bit of mainstream media hot air lately about a looming Russian invasion of the Ukraine. I do not believe it, but will of course stand corrected if events pan out as such.
Russia has made it crystal clear that it will not accept the Ukraine going into NATO, yet the military-industrial complex continues to prod, provoke, push, test, etc, while making out that all of the aggression is coming from Russia.
I will now post to a really good article from ‘Real Clear Defense’. It is a great article because, unlike corporate media in general, this does not shill for war, does not place all of the blame on Russia, and takes a pragmatic look at the whole thing.
It also makes the (strong) point that, from the point-of-view of NATO, it is simply not worth going to war against Russia over the Ukraine.
Moreover, such a clash could become apocalyptic, with Russia possessing nuclear weapons.
Link to the article is below:
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articl ... 06307.html
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Wed Dec 22, 2021 6:17 am
Hello again Everyone,
A common theme that I‘ve come across lately among the YouTube preachers I listen to is human pride. God really hates human pride. There is no doubt about it.
I do not believe that this applies to natural kinds of pride. Pride in one’s children, for example, strikes me as a perfectly innocent, natural kind of pride. I also believe that we could even be proud of our own performance in things like business, sport, etc, as long as it is ultimately kept in check, and we remember that we are not good, and only God is good.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the pride that God so despises is raw, unfiltered human pride, i.e. when we think of ourselves as awesome, and superior to other people. There are many Bible verses which condemn pride, but one example is: Proverbs 16: 18- ‘Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.’
Don’t get me wrong, we all have to battle with pride to varying degrees. I personally hate pride, both when I see it in others, and when I see it in myself. One of the things that most sickens me about modern western civilization is the arrogant pride so evident throughout society, from top to bottom, and back to the top again.
Besides making money, and revelling in spreading death, destruction and misery across the globe, I also believe that pride is a big driving factor behind the military-industrial complex, and the countless wars of aggression launched by western nations since World War II.
Haughty, sickening, clearly insincere talk of ‘democracy’, ‘freedom’, ‘human rights’, ‘rule of law’, etc, has been deployed (by politicians, mainstream media, etc) to promote these wars of aggression.
Sure, they are nice-sounding words on their own, but are clearly awful when considered in the context that they have been used, i.e. as a cover for greedy, imperialist wars on behalf of the New World Order. In the end, this western arrogance has been an important factor in the systematic development of the Beast Empire, as the arrival of the anti-Christ (to take the reins of this empire) draws nearer.
Another common factor of the overt pride of the military-industrial complex is the narrative that non-western countries don’t care about civilians at all, but when western countries go to war, there is suddenly great care for civilians, and great efforts are undertaken to avoid civilian harm. Thus, according to this narrative, non-western countries (or, countries not aligned to the west) have no qualms about killing civilians. However, western countries, or those aligned to the west, are the opposite- they care greatly about civilians.
This is largely hubris, and easy to debunk. On the one hand, countries like China, Iran, Russia, do indeed have a history of low regard for civilian life in times of war. This is true. However, contrary to what western propaganda would have us believe, the fact is that countries such as the US, UK, states of the EU, etc, have a similarly low regard for civilian life in times of war. It’s just a fact, and it’s easy to prove (I’ve spent years documenting western atrocities in this very forum, to maybe help open the eyes of anyone who has largely bought into the western propaganda).
There is no such thing as a ‘Clean war’. It doesn’t exist. True, not every military force is the same. Groups like al-queda, which have been supported by the west in the past, would go to great efforts to deliverately kill civilians, and revel in it, while, on the other hand, military forces like those from China, Russia, the West, etc, would tend not to kill civilians deliberately, or revel in it, but would just not be very careful about wiping out a bunch of ‘bad guys’ who were hiding among civilians.
Thus, the talk of ‘Precision strikes’ that you hear from western sources is also a term of propaganda.
From my experience of research, this is what a ‘Precision strike’ might really look like: If a bunch of ‘bad guys’ were indeed hiding among civilians, a ‘Precision strike’ could indeed take them out. But it’s also going to take out anyone in the vicinity of those ‘Bad guys’.
The mainstream media would then tend to tell us that a ‘Precision strike’ took out some ‘Bad guys’. The identity of the ‘Bad guys’ would not really be checked or verified. We would be just told to believe that the ‘Bad guys’ had been taken out. There may or may not be mention made of the civilians also killed in the strike. If there would be any mention of them, sterile terms like ‘Collateral damage’ may be used, in reference to the slain civilians.
There might also be vague, non-committal statements from political/military leaders that, ‘We’re looking into reports of civilian casualties,’ or, ‘We can’t confirm that there were civilian casualties,’ etc. On the odd occasion that there is an open admission of civilian casualties, it will get media coverage for a day or two, with generic ‘Regret’ expressed by a leader or two, before the whole incident disappears entirely from the news.
Conversely, it may be many days, or even longer, before such an admission is made, or any proper coverage given by the media. But either way, it will not stay in the news for long.
To sum up, western talk of ‘Concern for civilians’, ‘Precision strikes’ and so on is just more of the same arrogance and pride that we see throughout society. Personally, while I have no doubt that countries like China, Iran, Russia, are every bit as brutal and murderous as the western countries, I do not believe that they are as arrogant and overtly proud about it as the western countries are. But that’s just my view (I certainly don’t know everything), and God probably see all of us as one-and-the same. We are all fallen, after all. On the other hand, some of us know that we’re fallen, and some of us unfortunately don’t. It could be that God has extra anger against those that don’t know they are fallen, thus His clear disdain for human pride. But again, we are all fallen.
All of that aside, I now refer you to an article, which I believe is based on information that was initially obtained from the Pentagon, before it was covered by the New York Times, and then by other media.
I, and many others have known for a long time that the military-industrial complex has had the blood of countless innocents all over its hands for many decades, and it is still going strong, smearing more and more layers of blood over previous layers. But to hear an admission from the culprit itself is interesting.
Just a note; every time there is an admission of this sort, you can be virtually sure that what is being admitted is actually being understated. That is to say, their admission that US-led airstrikes in the Middle-East have killed ‘Thousands of civilians’ would almost certainly be a fraction of what they have actually killed. The more likely number would be many, many tens of thousands (from airstrikes alone).
A link to an article about this is below:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... lians.html
A common theme that I‘ve come across lately among the YouTube preachers I listen to is human pride. God really hates human pride. There is no doubt about it.
I do not believe that this applies to natural kinds of pride. Pride in one’s children, for example, strikes me as a perfectly innocent, natural kind of pride. I also believe that we could even be proud of our own performance in things like business, sport, etc, as long as it is ultimately kept in check, and we remember that we are not good, and only God is good.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the pride that God so despises is raw, unfiltered human pride, i.e. when we think of ourselves as awesome, and superior to other people. There are many Bible verses which condemn pride, but one example is: Proverbs 16: 18- ‘Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.’
Don’t get me wrong, we all have to battle with pride to varying degrees. I personally hate pride, both when I see it in others, and when I see it in myself. One of the things that most sickens me about modern western civilization is the arrogant pride so evident throughout society, from top to bottom, and back to the top again.
Besides making money, and revelling in spreading death, destruction and misery across the globe, I also believe that pride is a big driving factor behind the military-industrial complex, and the countless wars of aggression launched by western nations since World War II.
Haughty, sickening, clearly insincere talk of ‘democracy’, ‘freedom’, ‘human rights’, ‘rule of law’, etc, has been deployed (by politicians, mainstream media, etc) to promote these wars of aggression.
Sure, they are nice-sounding words on their own, but are clearly awful when considered in the context that they have been used, i.e. as a cover for greedy, imperialist wars on behalf of the New World Order. In the end, this western arrogance has been an important factor in the systematic development of the Beast Empire, as the arrival of the anti-Christ (to take the reins of this empire) draws nearer.
Another common factor of the overt pride of the military-industrial complex is the narrative that non-western countries don’t care about civilians at all, but when western countries go to war, there is suddenly great care for civilians, and great efforts are undertaken to avoid civilian harm. Thus, according to this narrative, non-western countries (or, countries not aligned to the west) have no qualms about killing civilians. However, western countries, or those aligned to the west, are the opposite- they care greatly about civilians.
This is largely hubris, and easy to debunk. On the one hand, countries like China, Iran, Russia, do indeed have a history of low regard for civilian life in times of war. This is true. However, contrary to what western propaganda would have us believe, the fact is that countries such as the US, UK, states of the EU, etc, have a similarly low regard for civilian life in times of war. It’s just a fact, and it’s easy to prove (I’ve spent years documenting western atrocities in this very forum, to maybe help open the eyes of anyone who has largely bought into the western propaganda).
There is no such thing as a ‘Clean war’. It doesn’t exist. True, not every military force is the same. Groups like al-queda, which have been supported by the west in the past, would go to great efforts to deliverately kill civilians, and revel in it, while, on the other hand, military forces like those from China, Russia, the West, etc, would tend not to kill civilians deliberately, or revel in it, but would just not be very careful about wiping out a bunch of ‘bad guys’ who were hiding among civilians.
Thus, the talk of ‘Precision strikes’ that you hear from western sources is also a term of propaganda.
From my experience of research, this is what a ‘Precision strike’ might really look like: If a bunch of ‘bad guys’ were indeed hiding among civilians, a ‘Precision strike’ could indeed take them out. But it’s also going to take out anyone in the vicinity of those ‘Bad guys’.
The mainstream media would then tend to tell us that a ‘Precision strike’ took out some ‘Bad guys’. The identity of the ‘Bad guys’ would not really be checked or verified. We would be just told to believe that the ‘Bad guys’ had been taken out. There may or may not be mention made of the civilians also killed in the strike. If there would be any mention of them, sterile terms like ‘Collateral damage’ may be used, in reference to the slain civilians.
There might also be vague, non-committal statements from political/military leaders that, ‘We’re looking into reports of civilian casualties,’ or, ‘We can’t confirm that there were civilian casualties,’ etc. On the odd occasion that there is an open admission of civilian casualties, it will get media coverage for a day or two, with generic ‘Regret’ expressed by a leader or two, before the whole incident disappears entirely from the news.
Conversely, it may be many days, or even longer, before such an admission is made, or any proper coverage given by the media. But either way, it will not stay in the news for long.
To sum up, western talk of ‘Concern for civilians’, ‘Precision strikes’ and so on is just more of the same arrogance and pride that we see throughout society. Personally, while I have no doubt that countries like China, Iran, Russia, are every bit as brutal and murderous as the western countries, I do not believe that they are as arrogant and overtly proud about it as the western countries are. But that’s just my view (I certainly don’t know everything), and God probably see all of us as one-and-the same. We are all fallen, after all. On the other hand, some of us know that we’re fallen, and some of us unfortunately don’t. It could be that God has extra anger against those that don’t know they are fallen, thus His clear disdain for human pride. But again, we are all fallen.
All of that aside, I now refer you to an article, which I believe is based on information that was initially obtained from the Pentagon, before it was covered by the New York Times, and then by other media.
I, and many others have known for a long time that the military-industrial complex has had the blood of countless innocents all over its hands for many decades, and it is still going strong, smearing more and more layers of blood over previous layers. But to hear an admission from the culprit itself is interesting.
Just a note; every time there is an admission of this sort, you can be virtually sure that what is being admitted is actually being understated. That is to say, their admission that US-led airstrikes in the Middle-East have killed ‘Thousands of civilians’ would almost certainly be a fraction of what they have actually killed. The more likely number would be many, many tens of thousands (from airstrikes alone).
A link to an article about this is below:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... lians.html
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:34 am
Hello again,
You may have noticed more sabre rattling with reference to the Ukraine. Western mainstream media tell western audiences that Russia are the bad guys, and the western countries are the good guys.
Russian media undoubtedly tells Russian audiences that the western countries are the bad guys, and Russia are the good guys.
The best outcome would be for the western nations to respect Ukrainian sovereignty, and for Russia to respect Ukrainian sovereignty.
Neither side is doing this. Moreover, the western side of Ukraine is largely pro-western, and the eastern side of Ukraine is largely pro-Russian (with a heavy concentration of ethnic Russians, speaking the Russian language, based in the eastern side of Ukraine).
From my own estimation, the most bellicose talk of war is not coming from Russia, nor even from Europe. It is coming from political/media figures in Washington, who want to bring all of Ukraine into NATO, and officially out of the Russian orbit.
To put this into perspective for you, this would be like Russia believing that it has a legitimate right to annex Alaska from the USA, or perhaps New Mexico. The USA would understandably not tolerate this, just as Russia is understandably not going to tolerate an attempt by western countries to annex all of Ukraine into NATO.
In my opinion- I’m only an amateur observer, but I read very widely- Ukraine is a red line for Russia. Russia is simply not going to accept a move by western countries to annex Ukraine. The Ukraine and Russia have a very long, intertwined history and Ukraine has been ruled by Russia in the past. No, not everyone in the Ukraine loves Russia. But not everyone in the Ukraine loves the USA.
To get to my point, I would prefer that both sides would leave the Ukraine alone. But neither are going to do that. Both sides are pushing, and provoking. The next best scenario would be to divide it- the western part goes to the western nations, the eastern part to Russia.
But whatever the case, it is not worth going to war with Russia (over the Ukraine) under any circumstances. Most western military aggression since Vietnam has involved picking out weak, defenceless countries, and decimating them from the air (minimising use of ground forces as much as it is possible).
Exactly this scenario has seen numerous countries (Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya, etc) blown to smithereens from the air, with no way for these targeted countries to defend themselves.
I’m sure it is no surprise to anyone reading this (I’m quite sure at least some of you know more about military issues than myself), but Russia has a military which could virtually match the USA (and its allies) in combat, be it in the air, water, or on the ground.
Such a hot war would probably end very badly for Russia, but it would also end very badly for the USA, and allies of the USA. Such a conflict would also be an unspeakable disaster for all of the Ukraine, and much of Europe.
And let’s not forget; both sides also possess thousands of nuclear weapons (and other WMDs) which could easily destroy all life on earth several times over.
Is it really worth fighting against Russia (over the Ukraine) in the face of such potential catastrophe? The answer is ‘No’.
As usual, I will refer you to an article which I recently read. It is titled, ‘Test War: How Russia’s Air Force Brutally Used Syria for Target Practice’.
In short, not only did Russia intervene in Syria to prevent the collapse of the secular Syrian government (an ally of Russia) and push back against the western-backed terrorists running rampant across Syria, but the conflict also gave Russia the opportunity to test large segments of its Air Force in an actual war.
As outlined in detail in the course of this article, large numbers of hardware (particularly aircraft) and personnel were put to the test in Syria, and came through very well (although, the article accuses the Russians of being more indiscriminate with their bombings compared to the west. Note: the news source is American, so bias in favour of the US could be expected, just as you would expect a Russian source to be biased in favour of Russia).
Link to the article is below:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... ice-128737
Final comment for today: It doesn’t essentially matter who I, or any other person, thinks is to blame for the escalating tensions over the Ukraine. But any sane person must recognize that war should not even be a last resort. It should not be any resort at all. And if Russia was to invade the Ukraine, just let them do it. It is not worth risking the annihilation of the planet just to try to bring Ukraine into NATO.
That’s all. Until the next time.
You may have noticed more sabre rattling with reference to the Ukraine. Western mainstream media tell western audiences that Russia are the bad guys, and the western countries are the good guys.
Russian media undoubtedly tells Russian audiences that the western countries are the bad guys, and Russia are the good guys.
The best outcome would be for the western nations to respect Ukrainian sovereignty, and for Russia to respect Ukrainian sovereignty.
Neither side is doing this. Moreover, the western side of Ukraine is largely pro-western, and the eastern side of Ukraine is largely pro-Russian (with a heavy concentration of ethnic Russians, speaking the Russian language, based in the eastern side of Ukraine).
From my own estimation, the most bellicose talk of war is not coming from Russia, nor even from Europe. It is coming from political/media figures in Washington, who want to bring all of Ukraine into NATO, and officially out of the Russian orbit.
To put this into perspective for you, this would be like Russia believing that it has a legitimate right to annex Alaska from the USA, or perhaps New Mexico. The USA would understandably not tolerate this, just as Russia is understandably not going to tolerate an attempt by western countries to annex all of Ukraine into NATO.
In my opinion- I’m only an amateur observer, but I read very widely- Ukraine is a red line for Russia. Russia is simply not going to accept a move by western countries to annex Ukraine. The Ukraine and Russia have a very long, intertwined history and Ukraine has been ruled by Russia in the past. No, not everyone in the Ukraine loves Russia. But not everyone in the Ukraine loves the USA.
To get to my point, I would prefer that both sides would leave the Ukraine alone. But neither are going to do that. Both sides are pushing, and provoking. The next best scenario would be to divide it- the western part goes to the western nations, the eastern part to Russia.
But whatever the case, it is not worth going to war with Russia (over the Ukraine) under any circumstances. Most western military aggression since Vietnam has involved picking out weak, defenceless countries, and decimating them from the air (minimising use of ground forces as much as it is possible).
Exactly this scenario has seen numerous countries (Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya, etc) blown to smithereens from the air, with no way for these targeted countries to defend themselves.
I’m sure it is no surprise to anyone reading this (I’m quite sure at least some of you know more about military issues than myself), but Russia has a military which could virtually match the USA (and its allies) in combat, be it in the air, water, or on the ground.
Such a hot war would probably end very badly for Russia, but it would also end very badly for the USA, and allies of the USA. Such a conflict would also be an unspeakable disaster for all of the Ukraine, and much of Europe.
And let’s not forget; both sides also possess thousands of nuclear weapons (and other WMDs) which could easily destroy all life on earth several times over.
Is it really worth fighting against Russia (over the Ukraine) in the face of such potential catastrophe? The answer is ‘No’.
As usual, I will refer you to an article which I recently read. It is titled, ‘Test War: How Russia’s Air Force Brutally Used Syria for Target Practice’.
In short, not only did Russia intervene in Syria to prevent the collapse of the secular Syrian government (an ally of Russia) and push back against the western-backed terrorists running rampant across Syria, but the conflict also gave Russia the opportunity to test large segments of its Air Force in an actual war.
As outlined in detail in the course of this article, large numbers of hardware (particularly aircraft) and personnel were put to the test in Syria, and came through very well (although, the article accuses the Russians of being more indiscriminate with their bombings compared to the west. Note: the news source is American, so bias in favour of the US could be expected, just as you would expect a Russian source to be biased in favour of Russia).
Link to the article is below:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... ice-128737
Final comment for today: It doesn’t essentially matter who I, or any other person, thinks is to blame for the escalating tensions over the Ukraine. But any sane person must recognize that war should not even be a last resort. It should not be any resort at all. And if Russia was to invade the Ukraine, just let them do it. It is not worth risking the annihilation of the planet just to try to bring Ukraine into NATO.
That’s all. Until the next time.
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:40 am
Short message today. There is another article to share with you.
It is a little (tragic) human interest story with a Christian perspective re: the war in Syria. It’s about Michel Boutros, a lone, 90-year Christian man who is still in Idlib city. This is the capital of the governorate named Idlib, the only one in Syria still under jihadist control.
While there are possibly 200 Christians still scattered across the governorate, he is possibly the only one (known of) still in the capital.
According to the article, there were 10,000 across the governorate when the civil war broke out in 2011.
If you read it, you will get a bit of insight into the guy, his struggles, what has seen him survive up to the present, and how he is going at the moment. He comes across as a very humble and modest guy that has gone through great hardships, but is still somehow here.
The article is generally well-intentioned, but I’d just like to draw your attention to a key point; that is to say, it glosses over the dramatic reduction in the Christian population in that governorate, and if you didn’t know better, one would be forgiven for assuming that the Christians just casually packed up and moved out as war (and the terrorists) came to dominate in Idlib.
The reality, of course, would have been far more horrible, and would have undoubtedly involved severe persecution, abductions, beheadings, ethnic cleansing, shootings, bombings- etc- carried out by the jihadists against the Christians (and against other minorities)
Link to the article is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... -community
It is a little (tragic) human interest story with a Christian perspective re: the war in Syria. It’s about Michel Boutros, a lone, 90-year Christian man who is still in Idlib city. This is the capital of the governorate named Idlib, the only one in Syria still under jihadist control.
While there are possibly 200 Christians still scattered across the governorate, he is possibly the only one (known of) still in the capital.
According to the article, there were 10,000 across the governorate when the civil war broke out in 2011.
If you read it, you will get a bit of insight into the guy, his struggles, what has seen him survive up to the present, and how he is going at the moment. He comes across as a very humble and modest guy that has gone through great hardships, but is still somehow here.
The article is generally well-intentioned, but I’d just like to draw your attention to a key point; that is to say, it glosses over the dramatic reduction in the Christian population in that governorate, and if you didn’t know better, one would be forgiven for assuming that the Christians just casually packed up and moved out as war (and the terrorists) came to dominate in Idlib.
The reality, of course, would have been far more horrible, and would have undoubtedly involved severe persecution, abductions, beheadings, ethnic cleansing, shootings, bombings- etc- carried out by the jihadists against the Christians (and against other minorities)
Link to the article is below:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... -community
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Fri Feb 04, 2022 6:37 am
Hello All,
There is very fresh news that a raid by US forces in Syria killed the latest leader of ISIS. The best inititial response to this 'news' would be the following: I will believe it when I see proof of it.
If you cast your mind back to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was news that, (if I recall correctly) right after a suicide bombing was carried (possibly by ISIS) out at the airport, there was a US drone strike which killed a bunch of ISIS leaders in Afghanistan.
In short, doubts quickly grew about this story, and it was officially admitted (a few weeks later) that the victims of the drone strike were an aide worker and a bunch of kids, not ISIS.
So, was the leader of ISIS really just killed in Syria? Maybe. But maybe not. The government and mainstream media are hopelessly dishonest, and I think it is wise to be skeptical of anything we hear in the mainstream 'news'.
I wish to comment a bit more on the situation iin Ukraine. I do not have an article to share with you today, but (from reading around) I have developed the impression that there is virtually no-one interested in war against Russia besides the military-industrial complex based in Washington.
Russia apparently only wants assurances that Ukraine will not be absorbed into NATO, and will not have NATO rockets stationed there (pointed at Russia). The Leader of the Ukraine has pleaded with the US government/media to stop the fearmongering and panic with reference to Russia.
Germany is particularly disinterested in war, as is much of Europe. After all, it was only about 75 years ago that Germany, after a long, gruelling war of attrition, was left pulverised by Soviet Forces (and others) at the end of World War Two. I don't believe that Germany is in a rush to return to those days when it lay in ash and ruins.
I have also seen at least one survey which said that the vast majority of US citizens are disinterested in war against Russia. Thus, it seems to be only the political establishment in Washington, and some of their puppets across the globe (like the UK), as well as mainstream media and the weapons manufacturers who seem to be lustful for war against Russia.
There really is very little appetite across Europe, or even the regular American on the street, for war against Russia.
The current western-Russian conflict does not need to turn into a war. In fact, war is entirely avoidable and would be a disaster for nearly everyone involved: except, of course, for the political establishment in Washington (and their puppets like the UK), mainstream media, and weapons manufacturers.
No matter what your views of geo-politics (no hard feelings if your views are not the same as mine. I believe in freedom of opinion), I would ask you, if you feel so inclined, to pray that this would not escalate into a war.
All the best.
There is very fresh news that a raid by US forces in Syria killed the latest leader of ISIS. The best inititial response to this 'news' would be the following: I will believe it when I see proof of it.
If you cast your mind back to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was news that, (if I recall correctly) right after a suicide bombing was carried (possibly by ISIS) out at the airport, there was a US drone strike which killed a bunch of ISIS leaders in Afghanistan.
In short, doubts quickly grew about this story, and it was officially admitted (a few weeks later) that the victims of the drone strike were an aide worker and a bunch of kids, not ISIS.
So, was the leader of ISIS really just killed in Syria? Maybe. But maybe not. The government and mainstream media are hopelessly dishonest, and I think it is wise to be skeptical of anything we hear in the mainstream 'news'.
I wish to comment a bit more on the situation iin Ukraine. I do not have an article to share with you today, but (from reading around) I have developed the impression that there is virtually no-one interested in war against Russia besides the military-industrial complex based in Washington.
Russia apparently only wants assurances that Ukraine will not be absorbed into NATO, and will not have NATO rockets stationed there (pointed at Russia). The Leader of the Ukraine has pleaded with the US government/media to stop the fearmongering and panic with reference to Russia.
Germany is particularly disinterested in war, as is much of Europe. After all, it was only about 75 years ago that Germany, after a long, gruelling war of attrition, was left pulverised by Soviet Forces (and others) at the end of World War Two. I don't believe that Germany is in a rush to return to those days when it lay in ash and ruins.
I have also seen at least one survey which said that the vast majority of US citizens are disinterested in war against Russia. Thus, it seems to be only the political establishment in Washington, and some of their puppets across the globe (like the UK), as well as mainstream media and the weapons manufacturers who seem to be lustful for war against Russia.
There really is very little appetite across Europe, or even the regular American on the street, for war against Russia.
The current western-Russian conflict does not need to turn into a war. In fact, war is entirely avoidable and would be a disaster for nearly everyone involved: except, of course, for the political establishment in Washington (and their puppets like the UK), mainstream media, and weapons manufacturers.
No matter what your views of geo-politics (no hard feelings if your views are not the same as mine. I believe in freedom of opinion), I would ask you, if you feel so inclined, to pray that this would not escalate into a war.
All the best.
-
TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
- Location: Germany
- Marital Status: Married
Re: The situation in Syria
by TrueAndMagneticNorth » Sat Feb 26, 2022 7:17 am
Hi Everyone,
The biggest news of late would be the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which you would all no doubt be aware of. It’s been big enough to remove the hysterical two-year long focus on corona from the headlines. Let’s see how long corona can be kept from the headlines, after the manic obsession inspired by the virus for two straight years.
Firstly, my own judgement on the Ukraine crisis was completely wrong. I did not think there would be an invasion, and have been proven wrong on this count. Has the west provoked the Russian invasion? Absolutely. Does this excuse Russian war crimes in the Ukraine? Absolutely not.
My own view of the situation is thus: The Russian intervention in Syria was far more clear-cut from a moral point of view, i.e. the western powers and their allies supported terrorist groups such as al-queda and ISIS to take down the secular government of Syria. The Russians intervened on the side of the Syrian government, which was clearly the lesser of two evils.
It’s not near as clear-cut on the issue of the Ukraine.
There are times when all of us, every last one of us, are going to have incorrect or misinformed opinions, and we should seek counsel from God first and foremost. That aside, I believe that He wants us to be discerning in all matters. There are many bible verses which indicate this, including Romans 12:2- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
It is a very easy trap to fall into, to have double standards. We are all fallen, and all would be guilty of applying double standards at times, but we must of course STRIVE for truth, honesty, and discernment, despite the battles and hurdles along the way.
Anyone familiar with this forum would be aware that a lot of time has been spent discussing the evils of western civilization, western war crimes, the lies of the media, etc. Russia, an adversary of the west, has (from time to time) stood up against the west. A kneejerk partisan response from anyone critical of the west would be to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, I believe that we are called on to be discerning, and use sound judgement, rather than go with kneejerk reactions.
Just as the western/NATO destruction of countries like Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and (to a certain extent) Syria have been profoundly evil, so too is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One has to try to be consistent, lest one lack discernment and just go with the common position of one mob or another. I encourage everyone to think independently.
After all, when Jesus returns, He is going to put an end to all godless empires, whether it be the west, Russia, China, whatever. The only thing that will stand in the end is the kingdom of God.
Regarding the Ukraine, I believe that I may have already mentioned it earlier in this forum, but my wish was for it to be left alone- by both the west, and by Russia. However, the US/EU have long planned on absorbing (codeword for ‘annexing’) Ukraine into NATO. Russia has long warned that it will not accept this. Ukraine was caught between a rock and a hard place, and is now paying the price because the evil empires on either side of it would not leave it alone.
Civil war has boiled in Ukraine for most of the last decade, and both sides (US proxies and Russian proxies) have committed war crimes there. That said, it is clearly the Russian side which has decided to ramp up the war crimes to meet their objectives. Just as US war crimes are US war crimes alone (no matter how people may try to spin it), Russian war crimes are also Russian war crimes alone, and the last days have been very disheartening.
Make no mistake about something else: Jesus wants us to have real compassion, and not mob 'compassion'.
I quote Zechariah 7: 8-10: And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
There would certainly be a lot of people genuinely concerned and appalled by the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. But I just wonder how many such people would have been equally appalled at what the western nations did to Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, etc, when the media would have been spinning these evil wars in a far more positive light than they are now covering the equally evil invasion of the Ukraine.
I am 100% sure that the vast bulk of politicians, media, social media types, their followers, etc, do not care about the Ukraine. They are only pretending to care. This is called fake compassion, and it is what most people possesses, and what virtually all of us would possess without Jesus.
Russia currently cares nothing about the wellbeing of the people in Ukraine, mainly because the Ukraine is currently ruled by a puppet government of the west. Russia wants to use whatever means necessary to take it down. Make no mistake about it; if Russia succeeds, and installs a puppet government controlled by Moscow, then nearly all of the people currently ‘supporting’ the Ukraine will suddenly be against it, and will call for sanctions, tough action etc, to be brought against the Ukraine (to punish it for no long being a western puppet, and becoming a Russian puppet).
There is so little genuine compassion in this whole thing (from any of the sides), that it is just pathetic and sad. But Jesus calls on us to be better; to not fall into the trap of double standards, and to show genuine compassion. This invasion has already, only a few days in, cost the lives of hundreds of Ukraine soldiers, probably hundreds more Ukraine civilians, and hundreds of Russian soldiers. Sure, the Russians here are the aggressors, and it would be much better if they weren’t there at all, but if you find yourself cheering the deaths of the Russian soldiers, then I would challenge you to ask yourself if there is real compassion in you, and if the compassion felt for the Ukrainian people is fake (I’m not judging anyone, as I also have to constantly evaluate myself, to make sure that my compassion is not fake or selective)
Even with terror groups like ISIS and al-queda, I was personally satisfied to hear about their defeats, and it was strategically beneficial that large amounts of them were removed from circulation (in order to save innocent people from their genocidal warpath), but I never would go to the point of dancing on anyone’s graves, not even satanic demons like ISIS or al-queda.
I now quote Romans 12:19: Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
The Russians are not ISIS or al-qaeda. In the end, most of them are people like you and I, and some of them would be Christian. The Russians are not so different from the Ukrainian people, and that’s what makes this especially tragic all around. It’s the politicians that start these wars, but the regular people on the street that suffer.
My prayer to the Lord is to please limit the bloodshed as much as possible, and bring about a swift end to the war, no matter what the outcome. The worst-case scenario would be an insurgency that would take root, but I fear that it would certainly be in the interests of the western political establishment, mainstream media, weapons manufacturers, etc, to provoke, and maintain a long-term, bloody insurgency.
For this reason, I hope that Russia does not get too greedy and try to take the whole country. The eastern side of the Ukraine is largely pro-Russia and many of the locals there would be happy to be absorbed into Russia. The western side of Ukraine is largely pro-western, and wants to be absorbed into NATO, etc. In my estimation, if Russia ultimately stuck to the eastern part of the Ukraine, the violence could be limited. But if it tried also to take the western side, and occupy it, it could be a nightmare for everyone involved, except for the politicians, mainstream media, and weapons manufacturers.
That’s about all I’ve got to say for today. Feel free to add your own point of view, if you wish.
The biggest news of late would be the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which you would all no doubt be aware of. It’s been big enough to remove the hysterical two-year long focus on corona from the headlines. Let’s see how long corona can be kept from the headlines, after the manic obsession inspired by the virus for two straight years.
Firstly, my own judgement on the Ukraine crisis was completely wrong. I did not think there would be an invasion, and have been proven wrong on this count. Has the west provoked the Russian invasion? Absolutely. Does this excuse Russian war crimes in the Ukraine? Absolutely not.
My own view of the situation is thus: The Russian intervention in Syria was far more clear-cut from a moral point of view, i.e. the western powers and their allies supported terrorist groups such as al-queda and ISIS to take down the secular government of Syria. The Russians intervened on the side of the Syrian government, which was clearly the lesser of two evils.
It’s not near as clear-cut on the issue of the Ukraine.
There are times when all of us, every last one of us, are going to have incorrect or misinformed opinions, and we should seek counsel from God first and foremost. That aside, I believe that He wants us to be discerning in all matters. There are many bible verses which indicate this, including Romans 12:2- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
It is a very easy trap to fall into, to have double standards. We are all fallen, and all would be guilty of applying double standards at times, but we must of course STRIVE for truth, honesty, and discernment, despite the battles and hurdles along the way.
Anyone familiar with this forum would be aware that a lot of time has been spent discussing the evils of western civilization, western war crimes, the lies of the media, etc. Russia, an adversary of the west, has (from time to time) stood up against the west. A kneejerk partisan response from anyone critical of the west would be to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, I believe that we are called on to be discerning, and use sound judgement, rather than go with kneejerk reactions.
Just as the western/NATO destruction of countries like Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and (to a certain extent) Syria have been profoundly evil, so too is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One has to try to be consistent, lest one lack discernment and just go with the common position of one mob or another. I encourage everyone to think independently.
After all, when Jesus returns, He is going to put an end to all godless empires, whether it be the west, Russia, China, whatever. The only thing that will stand in the end is the kingdom of God.
Regarding the Ukraine, I believe that I may have already mentioned it earlier in this forum, but my wish was for it to be left alone- by both the west, and by Russia. However, the US/EU have long planned on absorbing (codeword for ‘annexing’) Ukraine into NATO. Russia has long warned that it will not accept this. Ukraine was caught between a rock and a hard place, and is now paying the price because the evil empires on either side of it would not leave it alone.
Civil war has boiled in Ukraine for most of the last decade, and both sides (US proxies and Russian proxies) have committed war crimes there. That said, it is clearly the Russian side which has decided to ramp up the war crimes to meet their objectives. Just as US war crimes are US war crimes alone (no matter how people may try to spin it), Russian war crimes are also Russian war crimes alone, and the last days have been very disheartening.
Make no mistake about something else: Jesus wants us to have real compassion, and not mob 'compassion'.
I quote Zechariah 7: 8-10: And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
There would certainly be a lot of people genuinely concerned and appalled by the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. But I just wonder how many such people would have been equally appalled at what the western nations did to Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, etc, when the media would have been spinning these evil wars in a far more positive light than they are now covering the equally evil invasion of the Ukraine.
I am 100% sure that the vast bulk of politicians, media, social media types, their followers, etc, do not care about the Ukraine. They are only pretending to care. This is called fake compassion, and it is what most people possesses, and what virtually all of us would possess without Jesus.
Russia currently cares nothing about the wellbeing of the people in Ukraine, mainly because the Ukraine is currently ruled by a puppet government of the west. Russia wants to use whatever means necessary to take it down. Make no mistake about it; if Russia succeeds, and installs a puppet government controlled by Moscow, then nearly all of the people currently ‘supporting’ the Ukraine will suddenly be against it, and will call for sanctions, tough action etc, to be brought against the Ukraine (to punish it for no long being a western puppet, and becoming a Russian puppet).
There is so little genuine compassion in this whole thing (from any of the sides), that it is just pathetic and sad. But Jesus calls on us to be better; to not fall into the trap of double standards, and to show genuine compassion. This invasion has already, only a few days in, cost the lives of hundreds of Ukraine soldiers, probably hundreds more Ukraine civilians, and hundreds of Russian soldiers. Sure, the Russians here are the aggressors, and it would be much better if they weren’t there at all, but if you find yourself cheering the deaths of the Russian soldiers, then I would challenge you to ask yourself if there is real compassion in you, and if the compassion felt for the Ukrainian people is fake (I’m not judging anyone, as I also have to constantly evaluate myself, to make sure that my compassion is not fake or selective)
Even with terror groups like ISIS and al-queda, I was personally satisfied to hear about their defeats, and it was strategically beneficial that large amounts of them were removed from circulation (in order to save innocent people from their genocidal warpath), but I never would go to the point of dancing on anyone’s graves, not even satanic demons like ISIS or al-queda.
I now quote Romans 12:19: Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
The Russians are not ISIS or al-qaeda. In the end, most of them are people like you and I, and some of them would be Christian. The Russians are not so different from the Ukrainian people, and that’s what makes this especially tragic all around. It’s the politicians that start these wars, but the regular people on the street that suffer.
My prayer to the Lord is to please limit the bloodshed as much as possible, and bring about a swift end to the war, no matter what the outcome. The worst-case scenario would be an insurgency that would take root, but I fear that it would certainly be in the interests of the western political establishment, mainstream media, weapons manufacturers, etc, to provoke, and maintain a long-term, bloody insurgency.
For this reason, I hope that Russia does not get too greedy and try to take the whole country. The eastern side of the Ukraine is largely pro-Russia and many of the locals there would be happy to be absorbed into Russia. The western side of Ukraine is largely pro-western, and wants to be absorbed into NATO, etc. In my estimation, if Russia ultimately stuck to the eastern part of the Ukraine, the violence could be limited. But if it tried also to take the western side, and occupy it, it could be a nightmare for everyone involved, except for the politicians, mainstream media, and weapons manufacturers.
That’s about all I’ve got to say for today. Feel free to add your own point of view, if you wish.
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TrueAndMagneticNorth - Posts: 736
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