It was only a few months ago when all evidence indicated that Erdogan’s henchmen killed an American female journalist who was about to expose his alignment and support for ISIS.  Now another woman is targeted by Turkish authorities....
(Via Breitbart) Turkish authorities have arrested former Miss Turkey, Merve Buyuksarac, 26, because she quoted a poem on social media that insults President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The arrest is the latest in a crackdown on free speech in Turkey that has worsened since two radical Islamists slaughtered twelve people at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France.
Buyuksarac, an industrial designer and writer, quoted the poem “The Master’s Poem” from weekly humor magazine Uykusuz on her Facebook page. The poem criticizes “the president through verses adapted from Turkey’s national anthem.” She deleted the post after a friend warned her about the government’s intrusion on freedom of speech.
“I shared it because I found it funny,” she claimed. “I had no intention to insult (Erdogan).” (more…)

(Via Stars and Stripes) For the wife of the gunman accused of killing four people at a kosher supermarket in Paris 10 days ago, the escape from questioning about complicity in the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks was relatively easy.
Once Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, got to Turkey, she followed the path of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other European jihadi volunteers before her — into the self-declared Islamic State.
Aided by smugglers in the Turkish border town of Akcakale, and several companions, she walked through a disused border crossing on Jan. 8 and into the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, which has been an Islamic State stronghold for months. (more…)

I would expect this from Erdogan, but from Ron Paul it’s profoundly disappointing. Erdogan blames the generic “West” for creating racism and negative views of Islam, adjusting his view to present a massive conspiracy against the Islamic world. However, Ron Paul specifically blames the U.S.

(JPost) Erdogan accused the West of having a double standard with regard to Muslims. The Turkish leader said historically Muslims were never on the side of terror, nor did they perpetrate massacres.

Referring to last week’s deadly attacks in France, Erdogan said that racism, hate messages and Islamaphobia stood behind the acts.

“We hope that the those attacking nations, cease their assault on our mosques.”

“Take note that the acts of terror are not carried out in a vacuum. The acts follow a predetermined script and we should be alive to a plot against the Islamic world,” he added. (read more)

Erdogan’s position really does not come as a surprise.  Essentially his Muslim Brotherhood affiliation has been more open in the past several years.  Recently, as Qatar kicked out the five terrorist leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, Erdogan opened up a sanctuary for them.
In addition Erdogan has openly supported the Islamic State (ISIS) -as they fight against Syria’s Assad- by keeping the Kurds from crossing the border to battle ISIS in Kobane, and closing his NATO bases to the U.S. effort against the terror network. (more…)

~ Actions Speak Louder Than Words ~

In recent days some western media have begun to take note of Egypt’s President Fatah al-Sisi who challenged the larger Muslim religion to confront violent religious extremism.

However, with this recent attention few are paying attention beyond the words to the concrete actions al-Sisi has quietly taken in the past eighteen months to put action where his mouth is. So allow us to highlight some of the actionable items that showcase a man of action behind his words. Since reluctantly taking power in 2013 Fatah al-Sisi has:

◾Disbanded the Muslim Brotherhood as a political terror entity. (link)  (link)
◾Arrested those who burned churches and attacked Coptic Christians. (link) (link)
◾Jailed or banished the extremist forces.  (link)
◾Supported Israel’s right to exist and defend it’s borders.  (link)  (link)
◾Defeated Hamas in the border region. (link)  (link)
◾Destroyed the border terror tunnels used by Hamas  (link) (link)
◾Pressured Hamas and the PA to negotiate the ceasefire, and forced the PA and Hamas to assemble ONE negotiating group for their interests. (link)  (link)
◾Fought extremism in the Sinai region, and fought against ISIS infiltration.
◾Fought the Libyan new al-Qaeda network “Libyan Dawn”.  (link)
◾Charged and prosecuted the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood, who fled to Qatar.  (link)

(more…)

Predictable in the extreme.  Those who have followed events can see through the timing of this announcement and identify the agenda/motive.  The recommendation of charges against Petraeus is cover fire for a Hillary Clinton presidential bid.

As outlined in the Benghazi Brief, the only player in the joint CIA/State Department Libyan operation “Zero Footprint” -that resulted in the Benghazi attack- who was an extreme risk to Team Hillary Clinton, was David Petraeus. 

Operation Zero Footprint began with Leon Panetta, prior to Petraeus tenure as leader of the CIA.   When Benghazi erupted Petraeus became a risk – enter Mike Morrell.

Paula Broadwell let it slip (video below) that the Benghazi CIA Annex was a black ops rendition site in Eastern Libya tasked with two general purposes.  Vetting the “rebels” and al-Qaeda operatives, and jointly repurchasing the Clinton weapons, primarily the MANPADS.

WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. and Justice Department prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against retired Gen. David H. Petraeus for providing classified information to his former mistress while he was director of the C.I.A., officials said, leaving Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to decide whether to seek an indictment that could send the pre-eminent military officer of his generation to prison.

The Justice Department investigation stems from an affair Mr. Petraeus had with Paula Broadwell, an Army Reserve officer who was writing his biography, and focuses on whether he gave her access to his C.I.A. email account and other highly classified information. F.B.I. agents discovered classified documents on her computer after Mr. Petraeus resigned from the C.I.A. in 2012 when the affair became public. (more…)

Considering he just built the worlds largest presidential palace, it makes sense he take control of the youth education.   Erdogan Vows to Impose ‘Arabic’ Ottoman Lessons in Schools… 
TURKEY – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to make lessons in the Arabic-alphabet Ottoman language compulsory in high schools — a highly symbolic move which enraged secularists who claim he is pursuing an increasingly Islamist agenda.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, abolished the Ottoman language in 1928, replacing its Arabic alphabet with a Latin one.  He also purged the language of many of its Arabic, Persian and Greek words to create a new “pure” Turkish closer to the language people spoke. (more…)

A really insightful paper written about the current status of Kobane Syria.  Quite a remarkable glimpse into the status, thoughts, hopes and prayers of those who are there. I hope you find it both reflective and enlightening…

Planting Trees In Kobane

After two months of restless nights, we are all finally starting to sleep a little better.  The siege of Kobane is drawing to a close in the form of an historic and complete victory for the towns undaunted defenders.

The Daesh gangsters are exhausted, demoralised, and cut off from their supply routes.  The road from Kobane to Raqqa is severed now, and the 200 or so daeshbags remaining in southern and eastern Kobane are short of food and ammunition, and their morale is failing.

Those remaining have descended into the sewers “literally, on this occasion”. (more…)

Update below (more…)

Given the current state of relations between NATO member Turkey and the rest of the Western World it is not surprising to see our soldiers at risk in the region.   However, this is infuriating.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Anti-American protesters shouting “Yankee, go home!” roughed up three U.S. Navy sailors Wednesday in Istanbul near where their warship was docked on an inlet of the Bosphorus Strait in the Black Sea.

About 10 protesters shouted at them, calling them killers and said they should leave Turkey. The protesters, who carried a banner of the Youth Association of Turkey, threw red paint at the sailors and briefly succeeded in putting white sacks over their heads. (more…)

It is well known and accepted in international circles that President Obama’s BFF is President Recep Erdogan of Turkey.
It is also reasonably accepted that Erdogan is a Sunni Islamist and power thirsty Marxist who views his job to resurrect the ottoman empire.
Those of you who have followed our research into the psyche and ideology of Erdogan might be interested in the newly finished palace he built for himself.
At a cost of over $500,000,000.00 (£384,000,000.00) and boasting 1,000 rooms covering a total floor area of 3.1 million square feet, the palace is four times the size of Versailles, allowing Mr Erdogan to exceed the residential grandeur of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” of France.

Inside the palace, a majestic hallway leads up to a sweeping staircase. The quixotic architectural style seems to cross the Ottoman and Seljuk traditions with that of a modern Chinese railway station.  (see more pics and details)