ISIS is like invasive cancer cells - a systematic world response is required

Just at the time when President Obama and CNN writer Peter Bergen were trying to spread some solace about how ISIS was being "contained", the November 13th attack on innocent Parisians blew the concept of success into smithereens.  This morning, the Paris death toll is reported at 127 innocent civilians and at least 8 terrorists are dead.  Obviously, the reports of successes against ISIS were wrong.  In fact, nothing is working to prevent evil ISIS from spreading terrorism like malignant cancer cells, outside of the Middle East with the potential to infect anyplance in the world.

The civilized world must unite behind France and protect civilization as we know it

Young evil men who reportedly had granades and AKA 47 assault rifles, while wearing suicide vests, created an agonizing series of terror attacks during coordinated attacks. From reports at the secnes, they knew what they were doing during their assault.

It's impossible to understand how this widespread attack was coordinated against Parisian innocents without the terrorists betraying their barbaric intentions. Certainly, there had been several ominous warnings when several past incidents were apparently thwarted; so it seems obvious that Parisian security authorities were on alert for security threats. Yet, recent news of some triumphs in Syria against ISIS seemed to create the illusion of the group somehow being on the ropes. Tragically, the intention of ISIS is to create high profile carnage and being in Syria wasn't getting them much attention. Now, the cancer this diabolic group is causing is spreading beyond Syria. There's a potential for "metastatic" terrorism and "copy cat" combat training attacks, to erupt anyplace in the world. 

What are Americans to do now?  Our international friend and allies in France have been assaulted.  We must respond for two important reasons: (a) ISIS must be stopped because the world has no alternative but to destroy this movement and (b) like any infectious disease, the spread of ISIS will eventaully cause mahem throughout the civilized world. 

As Senator Diane Feinstein said on several news reports, "we're either going to fight them there or fight them here".

Leadership against ISIS can no longer be political. Destroying ISIS can't be accomplished like the line up of Republican presidential candidates suggest, by creating hot air rhetoric, but without a plan. 

Destroying ISIS will involve a coordinated world wide strategy with inspired leadership.  

Paris has experienced an assault on its people and its culture. As citizens of the civilized world, it is essential for Americans to lead and unite behind a strategy to eliminate ISIS and all terrorism from the world.  Otherwise, the ISIS cancer will continue to spread and tragically consume civilization as we know it.

Meanwhile, Bergen on CNN reported:

(CNN)In a speech in 1942, Winston Churchill said that a recent British victory against the Nazis in North Africa was "not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

Might the coalition arrayed against ISIS also be at the end of the beginning of the campaign that eventually will destroy the organization?

Over the past 24 hours the coalition has scored two important tactical victories. The first is the reports of the assassination of "Jihadi John" the notorious British terrorist, who starred in many of ISIS' beheading videos. U.S. officials now say they are "reasonably certain" that he was killed in a drone strike. An investigation by the Washington Post found that he was Mohammed Emwazi, Kuwait-born and London-raised.

The second tactical victory against ISIS had a greater impact. It was the seizure of the town of Sinjar in Iraq by Kurdish forces. Sinjar sits along the road that connects Raqqa with ISIS' de facto capital in Iraq, the city of Mosul. The seizure of Sinjar helped to put pressure on ISIS in both Mosul and Raqqa, as ISIS forces in these cities can no longer easily reinforce each other.

Yet, while these two successes were newsworthy, another cell within the ISIS group  had gone "dark", aka "underground" to create the November 13th Paris assault.  

Like cancer, ISIS has learned to develop the ability to hide within plain site so the overriding immune system cannot recognize it while doing its systematic damage.  

Enhanced Interrogation Techniques is a euphemism for torture

I've tried to find an objective way of blogging about Enhanced Interrogation techniques (EIT) used by  the Central Intelligence Agency, to obtain intelligence after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, and afterwards.  

Finally, California Senator Diane Feinstein disclosed a report many didn't want released about how the Agency (CIA) used torture on 9-11 suspected terrorists. 

As a result, it's impossible to be objective, anymore. 

Quite frankly, the one name missing from the report, in my opinion, is the name of former Vice-President Richard Cheney. I honestly don't understand how this damaging report can be considered finished until Cheney is named and accused of ordering the use of the illegal torture, enhanced interrogation techniques.

At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Americans were joined by allies from all over the world who were on our side to find and destroy those responsible for the terrorism.  Consequently, I've been reluctant to second guess how the investigation about the perpetrators of the attacks was handled because, obviously, ordinary people like me have no access to the information. It seems like the world was working towards a common goal to find, prosecute and penalize the September 11, 2001 terrorists led by Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

Now, we know that Vice President Cheney was complicit in allowing the men, suspected of knowing how Bin Laden operated, to be tortured to obtain information.

Whether it worked or not is irrelevant. Osama bin Laden is dead. Rather, instead of helping the US to find the root organizers of terrorism, the detainees who were subjected to torture have caused a boomerang effect, by inciting even more Al Qaeda and extremist related terrorism.

Of course, the CIA and former VP Cheney are pushing back vehemently on the Feinstein released torture report. Those involved in using torture EIT are justifiably fearful of facing international justice, like the War Trials at Nuremberg, following World War II.

In fact, the legacy of the United States using torture and EIT will follow Cheney and the CIA forever.  

Enhanced Interrogation Techniques are a euphemism for torture. Indeed, Feinstein's Senate report has ripped the scab off of the euphemisms about torture. In fact, torture is what it is and the US will be at risk for retribution for our actions in the foreseeable future, by all who were victimized by our actions.  

Moreover, our nation's humanitarian attempts to prevent human rights violations in other countries are now discredited.  

Someone with a name will eventually be held accountable for authorizing the use of torture against suspected terrorists, who were held without cause after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.
This person's name is Cheney, but he lives in Wyoming, far from the reach of retribution. Nevertheless,  innocent Americans may well be targeted in his place. 

Our national legacy is tarnished by these EIT actions.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, EIT are now part of the national lexicon . As a result, the concept of torture has become transformed into what might become a sometimes acceptable means of obtaining information. Well, I don't believe the terrorists of the world are intimidated one moment by EIT's and we're seeing their response regularly in brutal retaliations.  

As Senator John McCain would likely say, it's time for the US to take responsibility for the wrongdoing done by torture and to outlaw its use forevermore.