Open Thread 11-21-15

Good morning 99percenters!
Today's Open Thread will be some meta, helpful hints, and general information about caucus99percent. We've had quite a few new members join recently and it may be a good time to review some things.

Site History
This essay is a good start for a little site history. The pertinent section is the bottom half of the essay.

Embedding Videos
I've noticed lately some confusion in posting videos in comments and essays. It's really very easy if you keep these general rules in mind:

1 - If you copy embed code from a video, then the code must be pasted in the comment/essay editor. After pasting you should see the code in the comment/essay editor, clicking the "Preview" button will display the video before you publish.

2 - If you use the "Insert video" icon in the toolbar above the comment/essay editor OR the "Video URL" box below the editor, then you must insert the video's URL into the appropriate box. The video URL is the address for the video that appears in the address bar at the top of your browser. Highlight the URL in the address bar, right clik and copy it, then paste it in either of the two boxes mentioned in this section 2.

The embed code will not work in the "Insert video" icon box or the "Video URL" box.

The video URL by itself will not work if pasted alone in the editor.

Who's Online
Here's a couple of helpful notes about the Who's Online feature that you may not know:

1 - The names of the members who are currently online remain for 15 minutes after they log out from the site. Also if a member stays logged in but leaves the site for longer that 15 minutes then their name will no longer appear in the Who's Online readout until they return to the site. So if you see that someone is logged into the site, that doesn't necessarily mean they are still there.

2 - I use a special security program that hides my account from potential attackers (hackers, etc.). Because of that when I have that program enabled my name does not show up in the Who's Online queue, but that does not mean that I am not logged in. More times than not I'm logged in and present at the site even if my name is not listed. So if you need to contact me go ahead and try because chances are I'm here or will be shortly.

Monitoring Comments
Here's a tutorial explaining how to monitor your comments in real time. I thought it useful to include this for the new members and also as a reminder for the site veterans.

Memberlist
You'll find a list of current members at the bottom of every page under the 99% Buddha. I also plan to put a Memberlist link back in the menu in the left sidebar.

The Scheduler
Here's a tutorial on how to use the scheduler.

User Archive
We will be implementing special pages for members who request to have a section of the site to archive their past works from other sites. There will be links supplied for members to access and review said authors past work. JayRaye, joe shikspack, and gjohnsit have all expressed interest in archiving their past work here and this should prove to be a excellent resource and edition to our site. If you are interested in an archival section for your work contact me.

In addition, any member may view another members current essay or comment history by clicking the member's username and then select either "My Content" or "My Comments" to view their material.

FAQS
Many questions you may have can be answered by visiting the FAQs. You'll find a link to them in the header at the top of every page.

And now some music from one of my favorite bands, Delta Moon

Delta Moon - Black Coffee

Delta Moon - Goin' Down South

Delta Moon - Ghost in My Guitar

Delta Moon - Stuck in Carolina

Delta Moon - Blue Highway

Delta Moon - Lonely

Delta Moon - Baby, Please Don't Go

Delta Moon - Hellbound Train

Delta Moon - Preachin' Blues

Delta Moon - Cool Your Jets

Delta Moon - Lovin' In The Moonlight

Delta Moon - You Got To Move

Delta Moon - Lowdown

Delta Moon - I'll Die Trying

Delta Moon - Jelly Roll

Delta Moon - Shake Something Loose

Delta Moon - Lap Dog

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Comments

if you have any other questions about this site, then fire away.

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Always nice to have new members and visitors from the GWS, Great White Satan, as Shaz has dubbed it. The new software is pretty bad when it comes to comments - not to mention the comments. Hard to believe they are promoting the Republican strategy of blow the middle east all to hell just because that is where Hillary landed with her latest flip-flop.

My grandson's are home from university, and we have a family day planned for Sunday to prepare the Italian side of our Thanksgiving meal. Homemade ravioli just like my mom and my Auntie Mollie made when they were here. I keep proposing we eliminate the American side of the meal, aka turkey, but so far no takers. Today between football games (Michigan at noon and Michigan State at 3 pm), Mr. is making a pot of chili for tomorrow. It takes about five hours to make the ravioli, and chili keeping hot in a crock pot makes a handy and convenient meal for the day.

Thanks for the OT Johnny. Appreciate all the work you do to keep c99p so homey.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

you're welcome. Mmmmmm, Italian Thanksgiving dinner sounds good, what time should I be there. I'm not that far away, you know, I can be there in a few hours. What side dish should I bring?

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

gulfgal98's picture

on Thanksgiving. I am not big on turkey either, but hubby is going to smoke one which is about the only way I like it. I would rather have ravioli and chili. Smile

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

NCTim's picture

I usually cook. My sister is bringing Thanksgiving dinner. We have a running joke. Someone will say, "What's Peg bringing to eat?". and then someone will reply, "A big foil tray from Sam's Club". I appreciate the help and charity, but we go about things differently.

Coach Narduzzi is doing a fine job at Pittsburgh. My game is @ 3:45 and we have leftover MM.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

and apparently not doing a very good job of it. Michigan is leading 21 - 10. We're MSU fans.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

NCTim's picture

Penn State sucks. Sweetie and I are both Pitt alums. I could never root for Pedophile State University.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

We want MSU to win against Ohio (everyone), and we want Michigan to lose to everyone. So if we root for Michigan's opponent????....it won't work. Michigan won. MSU is tie 7/7 with Ohio at half-time without Connor Cook.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

gulfgal98's picture

Our recommendations are anonymous and we do not have a down thumbs button or any negative feedback button. This is because we all are adults here. Well, maybe not JtC, lol. Wink

I want to add something I found very helpful in composing a diary here. I am slow and often it takes me a long time to compose. I make a point to hit the Save and Continue button every few minutes while composing. This prevents me from accidentally deleting something or parts thereof while I am writing it. It can always be edited later if I find a mistake.

Thank you for the tutorial on embedding videos, JtC.

Also a big Welcome to all our new members. Also if you write for another site, feel free to cross post it here!

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

I didn't include that because I knew you'd have my back! AND, I am too an adult!! [stamps feet, sticks out a big boo boo lip, throws self on floor (Big Ass Tantrum), and poops pants on purpose] There, see!!

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NCTim's picture

They do not always coincide.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

Also a big Welcome to all our new members. Also if you write for another site, feel free to cross post it here!

Many of us don't visit DKos much anymore and the comment threads there are beyond terrible, so it would be most excellent to have your diaries crossposted so we can discuss it here without having to worry about the Harpies from Hell descending upon us.

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gulfgal98's picture

Two atta boys in one thread! Biggrin Thanks JtC.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Shahryar's picture

a certain woman I know, who shall remain nameless in this comment, has experienced the problem of not clicking that button. She has, on more than one occasion, written a beauty of an OT and then gone to youtube to add just one more video...unfortunately forgetting to open a new window and, in the process, lost her entire work. Since this unnamed woman is otherwise so careful about links and such it means she has (or I suppose if you say it fast you could say "shaz") lost 2 or 3 hours of her time.

When I write an OT I like to do it off c99. I use EditPad, a simple text editor, where I'm used to saving after every couple of sentences. Then when I'm nearly ready I'll bring it in here, preview it, make whatever changes are necessary.

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gulfgal98's picture

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

enhydra lutris's picture

I may be old, but I ain't no effing adult.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

LapsedLawyer's picture

This is because we all are adults here.

Biggrin

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"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it."
-- John Lennon

mimi's picture

linked "history" OT and today's OT. Thank You so much...Don't read my sig line ... I kicked my 'puter and that was his response.

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maybe that's the problem, your computer has a mind of it's own, ghost in the machine and all that.

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mimi's picture

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joe shikspack's picture

just finished breakfast and i'm about to start putting together next week's music. i ran across this last night and thought some of y'all might dig it:

thanks for working on the archive thing, jtc!

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no probs about the archive thing. I'll have to set up individual pages and a specific tag will trigger it to be published to the archive page, something along the lines of a "Joe Shikspack archive" tag or some such. I'll look into it and let you guys know.

The Stringdusters are awesome, thanks! There's been a big influx of new bluegrass bands and performers in the last couple of years, I plan on highlighting some tomorrow in the Sunday Open Thread.

I'm waiting for it to quit snowing so I can go scoop the walk, we didn't get the max that they were predicting but it still looks like we got 6 or 7 inches. Hopefully you folks out east wont get this one.

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NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

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gulfgal98's picture

Yes, I love this group! Dirol I even featured them on one of my Open Threads back in late August. Now it has been two days in row, that Joe has graced us with a clip from the Infamous Stringdusters. Yay! Good

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

mimi's picture

mimi's picture

my old hometown Hamburg - and I like them, hope you don't mind - diversity and all ...
[video:https://youtu.be/BKezUd_xw20?list=RDzz2ljLqQ4cE]
No offense meant ... Yahoo

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mimi's picture

female stringduster power to keep my sanity:
From VoteVets.org in my inbox:

Earlier this week, "the main arm" of the Koch Brothers' political network, Freedom Partners, disclosed it's political giving for 2014 in their annual tax filing. We thought you'd find this interesting:

They granted $12.7m to Concerned Veterans for America for "General Support." It was Freedom Partners' largest gift of the year.

So what are the Koch Brothers' looking for with their gift to Concerned Veterans of America? It's simple: The privatization of the veterans' health care and military retirement plans, organizing for the repeal Obamacare, and dismantling the unions that work within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 2016, only VoteVets can offer a counterweight to this massive, and growing, astroturf organization.

Make a $20 contribution to VoteVets, and help us elevate the voices of progressive veterans during the 2016 campaign.

Concerned Veterans for America are already hitting Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. They've run ads attacking Democrats up for election in 2016 and 2018, and they've thrown their weight behind incumbent Tea Party leaders in the fight to privatize VA care.

With assholes like "Freedom Partners" may be some the Veterans for Peace need to do some kicking too.

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NCTim's picture

Western Carolina considers center funded by Charles Koch Foundation

A proposed Charles Koch Foundation-funded center on free enterprise is a step closer to reality at Western Carolina University, where the Faculty Senate has voted to oppose it.

On Friday, WCU’s provost, Alison Morrison-Shetlar, recommended to Chancellor David Belcher that the WCU Center for Study of Free Enterprise go forward, according to a university spokesman. If Belcher agrees, the proposal will go to the campus Board of Trustees for consideration in December.

The center would be launched with $2 million over five years from the Charles Koch Foundation, which was established by billionaire businessman Charles Koch. He, along with his brother David Koch, is known for funding conservative, libertarian, pro-business and anti-regulation causes.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

mimi's picture

from the article you quoted:

UNC Board of Governors this year eliminated UNC-Chapel Hill’s poverty center

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gulfgal98's picture

The Kochs already own my alma mater, Florida State University. They are literally buying up public colleges and universities and trying to turn them into Koch U.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

gulfgal98's picture

Today's Peace vigil was pretty ho hum despite good crowds of people shopping in the downtown. A few people stopped and all our interactions were positive. Two people remarked that our country is doing exactly the wrong thing by bombing droning people if we really want Peace. Some people are starting to get it. But apparently it would not matter to our corrupt politicians no matter how many people get it.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

but could/do you have a sign up saying:

Volunteers Welcome!
especially
YOUNGER Volunteers!!!

Make a joke and a point about your
group at the same time.

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Only connect. - E.M. Forster

gulfgal98's picture

The two guys have been doing this for 13 years and I am on my fourth year. The original group had 35 people, but many dropped out after Obama was elected. There were several Quakers back then, but none continued. We are not affiliated with any organization either.

We do have homemade signs and a banner that reads "No Blood for Oil." We engage people who pass by. To those in cars, we wave and often they will engage if the light is red. If they are walking, we greet them with a smile and ask how they are doing. Being a small southern town, most are fairly friendly. Sometimes they will stop and talk to us, and then we tell them that we are there every week, except rain or high heat and we would love to have them join us. We have had two people do it for one week and then not come back. Giving up a Sat. midday does require some commitment that many people do not want to make.

Another thing is many of these people in the downtown on Saturday are from out of town and are there on a day visit. We have a real downtown and a lot of people come to shop and spend the day. One thing that makes it work is that we are not overly aggressive about issues unless someone wants to talk about them.

I am 68, Bill is 80 but has had health issues lately, and Don is a very robust 85. So we may not be there that much longer, although one of our group retired just last year at the age of 92.

For me, it is all about the conversations. If it works, okay, but active recruiting is probably not going to do it. The desire and commitment to participate has to come from the people themselves.

I really appreciate your interest and thank you for your suggestions. Smile

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

mimi's picture

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joe shikspack's picture

draft cards for the peace movement and tell them that it obligates them to come and hang out in the square with the peace vigilantes.

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enhydra lutris's picture

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

thanks for the thanks.

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mimi's picture

convincing.
Breaking Bad: The Stimulant Drugs That Link ISIS and the Nazis

When an amphetamine called Captagon was discovered in the room of an ISIS suspect in Paris last week, it was just the latest in a long line of illegal drugs aiming to boost combatants.

When French special forces officers raided the hotel room of wanted ISIS terrorist Salah Abdelsalam in the Paris suburb of Alfortville last week, they found pizza boxes, syringes, test tubes and an amphetamine known as Captagon – a favorite among jihadi terrorists in the Middle East. The more Islamic State expands its actions, the more evidence there is that its fighters are operating under the influence of stimulants that help them overcome fear and fatigue.
...
ISIS is far from the first murderous group to drug its fighters before battle, though. The Persian Hashashin did it way back in the 11th century, as did Japanese kamikaze pilots, African militias, Chechen fighters and Nazi soldiers.
Captagon (the trademark name for fenethylline) is a synthetic stimulant that is simple to manufacture and very cheap: one pill costs between $5 and $20. ... The drug causes feelings of euphoria, extreme energy and reduces the need for sleep and food.
...
Hezbollah discovered the strong effect of the pill on its fighters and began to manufacture it commercially to bankroll its operations. For years, Lebanon was the world’s biggest producer of the drug, including cheap imitations: At its height, drugs were believed to have yielded Hezbollah an annual income of $6 billion, three times the amount that Iran gives the organization.
Islamic State also saw the potential and started its own production line. Syria has now taken over from Lebanon’s Bekaa as the main source of Captagon. ISIS fighters take it regularly,

Oh, shit, why do I read this late at night?

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lotlizard's picture

http://www.indiatimes.com/news/world/saudi-prince-caught-with-2-tons-of-...

(Except for the first three lines, I can't see that Haaretz article you linked to. It's behind a "subscribe" paywall for me.)

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mimi's picture

I think weapon selling and production and drug dealing / smuggling is done by the scum of this world. Sorry. Thanks for the link.
I think you can't read Haaretz in full, because you read it from Germany. May be there Haaretz is not offering its content for free? Or you need to subscribe?
In any case they didn't talk about the Saudi Prince's Captagon smuggling orgie. Oh well, thanks for pointing to that link. Arrghh.

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MarilynW's picture

or shall I say my American friends.

I was wrong about ISIS. I claimed they were not religious, they were just psychopaths. After reading a long article in The Atlantic, I found out that everything
that they do is proscribed in the Koran, in the ancient texts. From the call for blood to the way they enslave women and children. Very little in the article dealt with their treatment of women. The writer does hint that they will self-implode because they have no allies (I immediately thought of Saudi Arabia but maybe Wahhabism is not the same as the literal interpretation of the Koran that ISIS adheres to. (?)

One thing that will help do them in is if the stories of the misery of living in the Caliph becomes known. Some of the Syrian refugees are fleeing ISIS and telling the stories. There's a story about 3 young women who escaped ISIS in the NewYork Times this week-end revealing how "the Organization" controls every aspect of their lives, how the women are so contained and restrained that their strict lives are incredibly boring even as they live in fear every waking moment.

According to the Atlantic article the worst thing that we can do is send US troops to fight them in Syria or Iraq. They will consider US troops on the ground the fulfillment of the prophecy that "Rome" will attack the Caliph. (The Koran doesn't cover bombing raids). The ISIS Caliph is essential to its existence, it needs land and is more interested in the contiguous battles to protect that land and expand it rather than in attacking the West. That was written before Nov. 13. The most important characteristic of ISIS is their plans and dreams for the Apocalypse.

What ISIS Really Wants

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To thine own self be true.

mimi's picture

but the young men they recruit are not religiously motivated extremists or fundamentalists from the start, nor raised in the regions where there are many religious institutions and schools, where they teach Wahhabism and support the Salafi movement perhaps.

The problem is that you can seduce and brainwashed many young men into pseudo-religious based fanatism, even if they are more often pretty darn (raised in Europe) violence accepting criminals, which have been brainwashed into terrorist actions for purpose of self-aggrandizement and power trips (which includes the fact that they gain power over females on the basis of "religious teachings" by very dangerous fundamentalist hate preachers as well. Of course it helps their male alpha status quite nicely). Once getting into those circles and once being sent to training camps, it's over. The girls they recruit are as well just following their "leading alpha males" into "heavenly death".

The parents of these kids are often totally desperate, because they can't fight and have no tools to get their kids out of that kind of brainwashed mind status and can't fight against those who finance those brainwashed young men's activities. How can you imagine the parents of Abdelhamid Abaaoud could publicly say they are "relieved and glad" that their son is dead? How did the brainwashing went on?

Mastermind of Paris terror attacks was linked to at least six UK hate preachers including 'Tottenham Ayatollah' Omar Bakri Muhammad

How to get the recruited and brainwashed minds of these men and women out of their brainwashed status is to me much more important to know at this time.
Frontline Isis: How the Islamic State is Brainwashing Children with Stone Age School Curriculum

The day I met the other victims of extremism: boys brainwashed to kill

I add this link without having read any of the links, so I don't say what's in there is good, but it seems to cover the subject of brainwashed minds quite well. Now I just want the psychiatrists and psychotherapists find ways to get the brainwashed man's (and girls) mind out of the bondage of what he has started to believe in. I think that's a field that is growing and needed and will be probably also abused by many people who can't handle their own "professional tools to de-brainwash their clients". But what is not abused these days by sicko people.

It's just horrible.

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MarilynW's picture

like David Koresh and Jim Jones. So many people followed these murderers. Why is it so strange that many people also follow the ISIS?

Heard some more on CBC radio about how ISIS is not an underground organization, they live openly and boldly in their territory. That's part of the plan that they show the world that they are following the prophecies and planning for the apocalypse.

In the New York Times article the 3 women who escaped from Raqqa were not allowed to have children because "the Organization" said it would make their husbands less willing to go on suicide missions. I wondered why the women would want to have children only to have to watch their little 5 year old sons being trained to kill. I saw that in the Frontline documentary. The youngest boy looked about 5 years old being trained to be a fighter.

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To thine own self be true.