dagblog - Comments for "Are Taliban Just the Proud Boys of Afghanistan?"

and, ta-dah (you just

artappraiser — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 22:56:09 +0000

and, ta-dah (you just reminded me) what you say goes to Omar Wasow's point here " The Rise of Brazil's Neo-Pentecostal Narco-Militia. Taliban’s mix of religious fundamentalism and opium trade (~$400M annually in 2016) reminds me of this remarkable article about “the unification of drug trafficking factions, paramilitary forces and neo-Pentecostal churches, waging a ‘holy war’” in Brazil.

The Taliban have been

moat — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 21:27:23 +0000

In reply to Are Taliban Just the Proud Boys of Afghanistan?

The Taliban have been methodical in their resistance to the European and U.S. attempts to set up a viable government to replace them. The acts of terror on the military were not gestures of protest but pressure campaigns on the personel to walk a very thin line. It is similar to how drug cartels take over government functions in other places. You won't necessarily be killed but you could be at any time.

The collapse of the govenrment at first contact with the Taliban shows that the method worked.

The excuberance of angry young men is the blood of many a movement. It is the older dudes who know how to scare people that form strategies.

to point:

artappraiser — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 18:28:08 +0000

In reply to Apparently not the brightest

to point:

The Proud Boys ain’t called the Smart Boys for a reason.#ProudBoys
— Middle Age Riot (@middleageriot) September 5, 2021

So often these right wing

artappraiser — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 18:07:18 +0000

In reply to Apparently not the brightest

So often these right wing gangs are basically all "co-splay", not as dangerous as like, Chicago gangs, because they stop short of acting out:

UK militia allegedly disbanded after plans for violence go public. Not unlike the Oathkeepers & 3%ers in the US they claim to be patriots while planning to kill fellow citizens, law enforcement and military personnel.https://t.co/jHqVnDBDjg
— Dean Baratta (@TwShiloh) September 5, 2021

It's like they need the psychology of a violent mob, like on Jan. 6, to inspire them to act out for real. Otherwise, they are sissies, afraid of really doing what they dream about.

The law enforcement solution in a society that does not relish punishing thought crime: keep violent mobs from forming! That means tough policing of demonstrations, of course. Things like kettling when large crowds start to get unruly, requiring announcement of or even licensing for city demonstrations so enough cops can be assigned, etc.

It's a much more gnarly problem to solve gun crime by city gangs and lately they cause much much more maiming and death.

Let's make it simple: how many fear driving past a Proud Boy vs. antifa demonstration and how many fear driving now in certain neighborhoods in Chicago and the Bronx? Fear of "Proud Boys" is a joke. They are not like Taliban and they are certainly not at all like ISIS. They also have fear that Chicago gang types and rappers do not exhibit.

Not a single one has shown so far that they have the serious drive of Timothy McVeigh, who WAS A LONER and didn't do Co-Splay militant

Apparently not the brightest

artappraiser — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 17:48:51 +0000

In reply to Are Taliban Just the Proud Boys of Afghanistan?

Apparently not the brightest bulbs on the block except for trying to create victimology narratives out of every situation, that they are good at:

This isn't good. https://t.co/DW5UQJvFBX
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) September 5, 2021

Portland Proud Boy ‘Tiny’ Toese shot at Washington protesthttps://t.co/NbnrFxvAVo
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) September 5, 2021

FYI… He may have shot himself. https://t.co/ZLjuO2aCZt
— Gary Lundberg (@GaryRLundberg) September 5, 2021

There were five shots on the first video I posted.
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) September 5, 2021

Yeah, hope the events are clearly sorted out and reported.
— Gary Lundberg (@GaryRLundberg) September 5, 2021

For a guy on probation, this guy never seems to be far away from trouble.
— Crazy Horse (@Scrumhalf1) September 5, 2021

Well...https://t.co/WMLM2tbYqF
— Capitol Terrorists Exposers (@CTExposers1) September 5, 2021

I see little difference from 17-yr-old Chicago gang thugs playing with their guns to prove their manhood and proving only that in ending up shooting a lot of unintended targets that they have little experience with guns.

to my point:

All those cameras and no footage of the act itself, just PB claims.
— name cannot be blank (@JonathanEugster) September 5, 2021

checking different Twitter accounts here's what I've picked up. They had left the protest walking group downtown for 30 min looking for antifa, chased folks may/may not been antifa including minors PB group split up and shot fired seems friendly fire beat up female journalist
— Joseph E Cappadonia(@CappadoniaE) September 5, 2021

How likely is it that he shot himself in the foot because he’s cosplaying at being a tough guy?
— Mikey (Corto Maltese Resort Poolboy) Alexander (@mikeyhatesit) September 5, 2021

This is not the end of

NCD — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 16:36:38 +0000

In reply to Trumpism's a 5-year

This is not the end of Republican Trumpian antidemocratic radicalism, lies and violence. Not even the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning. Republicans are working to revise voter eligibility, election certification law, legalize vote counting chicanery and ballot disqualification...... and they have packed the courts to ensure the GOP total unaccountable minority power in 2024 and for a decade or more onward. They are likely to have control, or obstruction capability, in all 3 branches of government most of coming cyc!es. They will never win a majority of votes nationally again, but that doesn't matter.

The divided, hesitant Democratic Party is a dead man walking if they don't pass a new voting rights Bill, which they show no urgency or signs they will.

As to the 2020 vote, thanks to the slave state pandering Electoral College: link

"....if Trump had managed to get those 45,000 votes (in AZ GA, and WI) , he would have won 37 more electoral votes, making the electoral college a 269-to-269 tie. Under the Constitution, the election would have then been decided by the House of Representatives, with each state delegation getting just one vote. Even though Democrats have a majority in the House, more state delegations have Republican majorities...."

Trumpism's a 5-year

PeraclesPlease — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 05:16:00 +0000

In reply to The Middle East in general,

Trumpism's a 5-year phenomenon, and it involves more blowhard posing than actual deeds, even though Jan 6 and gutting government in various ways are serious. We'll see where it goes, but the majority voted it out in a democratic system.

The emulations of hard core Islam are not so unique, even though we might say the majority of Islamic states are a bit more tolerant - though have to distinguish Pacific/SE Asian Islam, French-influenced North African-Levant Islam and then both Turkic/Mongol Islam and heartland Arabian peninsula & surroundings.

Wahabbism, the Iranian revolutionary and ISIS takes on Islam are certainly fanatical enough as a religiously-driven fervor, though they also signify 3 strains: traditional Muslim monarchy/Caliphate, populist liberation theology (Khomeini like Lenin driving the Revolution from exile), and an insurgent invasive/occupational Islam closer to Pol Pot's terror tactics. In fact it might be useful to compare to the different approaches to Communism/socialism over the last century as a useful but over simple analogy: Sweden being Malaysia, China being Saudis, Cambodia being ISIS, Russia being part Al Qaeda nation-state (expansionist Prussians?) part forward-looking industrial power (say Saddam-led Iraq?).

Staying power is one of the criteria, fanaticism is another, popularity/persuasion vs overwhelming & crushing is another, legacy political/religious theory-driven vs break all rules transformation... along with base normal political systems (Syria?) with external influencers (Russia?). Note the many international fingers in the central Mideast pie, whereas Pakistan or Algeria are less a melange - partly due to oil, partly centralized/near location, tied to Russia's famous warm water port & previously the Suez Canal and prior Spice trade.

I disagree, it was very

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 04:37:55 +0000

In reply to It's probably not as defined

I disagree, it was very starkly defined under Mullar Omar, maybe as never before, a preference hard ascetic life without sensual distractions or any kind of joy (even kite flying was banned) dedicated to allah much like a monk or nun living in a cloister in the middle ages. The country was under the most extreme version of Sunni Islam that was possible, including punishments (like: cut off hand for stealing. Yes people in power could get away with things like, underage boy sex toys, but that happens in almost all cloistered societies)

In the rural areas of Pakistan where people are not well-educated, the difference between Sunni and Shia culture can still get you not just harassed but attacked beaten or raped or even "lynched". Shia are considered kafir, sworn enemies, bound for eternal hellfire.

It is the main illogical reason Saudi Arabia and Iran mistrust and hate each other so much.

And the difference is quite stark theologically. To compare with Christianity, in the mideast and SE Asia Shia is much more like the Roman Catholic church with lots of mysticism, rituals with passion and much more sensuality, and Sunni is like strict Protestantism with all that stripped out.

Much evidence here that in Afghanistan as per interviews Jan. 2019 through April 2020 that though the rank-and-file Taliban have changed some they haven't changed at lot of beliefs since Omar's day, including the intent to ban ALL music (too sensual and arousing, I presume) and they plan to ban any way people can access it including smartphones, MP3'S and televisions. They are wisely phasing this in slowly. Clearly, they are a LOT more conservative than the Sunni virtue police in Saudi Arabia. Not predicting it's going to work out, but it is clearly the intent.

(Why do you think so many people with a knowledge of western life want to leave via the airport with just the clothes on their back? It's not that they fear being punished for what the did in the past but that they fear they will have to go back to that old Taliban life and if they don't they will be punished for it. Not to mention most possessions that give joy will be taken eventually anyway. I think I've even read that much, more than a few Taliban leaders say they will forgive the past as long as you follow the rules from now on.)

It's probably not as defined

Orion — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 03:09:25 +0000

In reply to Seriously interesting because

It's probably not as defined as all that. When people want to control other people, they make it up as they go along and just use the manual to validate it.

Seriously interesting because

artappraiser — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 01:12:00 +0000

In reply to (No subject)

Seriously interesting because in the previous incarnation of Taliban rule over Afghanistan, Mullah Omar would never allow such physical manifestation of joy. Is much more reflective of arch enemy Shia Islam which has a lot of emotional components, and even ~~god~~ allah forbid, mystical Sufi Islam's whirling dervishes. which would be more than haram...