Ok so I've gone and read about it in the last few minutes (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28439404)

Seems like the response is quite measured honestly.

I can't imagine any country putting up with rockets being fired at civilians. Any other country would treat it like an act of war, and respond appropriately.

Actually, yes. That's 100% correct.
Read some of the post WW2 books from the German perspective about what happened during WW2. They are very enlightening as to what people thought they were a part of. The guys that were shooting at American/Canadian/British and other troops on D-Day, those "Nazi's"... They had all been fed a steady diet of propaganda. They were told that the Nazi party and Hitler had united Europe under a single flag for the first time ever and that the Allied powers were coming to try and take that away. In many cases they didn't know the horrors that were being committed upon the Jewish people, sometimes just a few miles from their town. Sounds a lot like the situation in the middle east, except I think most people in Isis know what is going on and actively cheer for murder because their religion demands it.
Now I do think that within National Socialism as well as Islam ,and for that matter any idea (looking at you Christians), there is a potential for people to use the idea in order to corrupt others and spread hate. I think it's perfectly fine to hate those assholes.

Sad, but not really surprising.
Did she not know they treat the LGBT community as criminals in most of the middle east?
It is important to do at least a little investigation before going to a completely different culture, and be prepared if you find out that simply who you are is a crime.
It could have been worse if she had brought some alcohol with her, that can get you serious prison time. My dad spent lots of time in Saudi Arabia in the 70's, and he used to say he never went somewhere where alcohol was so seriously banned and criminalized, or where more people drank. Apparently even though it's treated like heroin, everyone has a bar at home and drinks like a fish in private. Go figure.

I'm glad she wasn't put in jail over this, but she got lucky. Ignorance of the law, or thinking that the law is immoral and wrong is no excuse and won't keep you out of prison.

@RFlagg

A disenfranchised person would say that threats or promises about what Trump or Hillary might do in power aren't as effective as they used to be. People who understand that lies are part of the new game aren't going to be surprised when the game reaches the lying phase. At this point, each party promises the world but soon the game will move on and they will do as they please.

Playing the game is giving your consent to what the person eventually does - and that IS scary to some people. I gave my consent to Tony Blair, and I consider him one of the key players in causing some of the most terrible British/worldwide problems, including the current problems with Islamic fundamentalism. Personally my line has been crossed and I'm not going to be convinced by a 'better than the other' option.

'Better than the other' is EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT. They have already set the terms of the debate; now there is no other option but to choose between these two things that are not good enough. There is no time left, our neck is in the noose and we're voting to tighten it an inch at a time for fear of it tightening all at once. Climate change needs attention NOW; poverty and suffering are happening in our communities NOW; diplomacy has to happen in the middle east because children and families are dying and it is happening NOW.

I think the world needs change or protest now, I suspect we only disagree on the time scale. I agree Hillary would be 'better' than Trump. All I'd say is 'better than the other' hasn't worked in 20+ years. We might already be too late.

Got to love the country singer's straw man about Hitler and Japan and ignoring the fundamental issue of US policy in the Middle East and acting to protect oil interests over letting them self rule and work out whatever issues they have to work out. I understand the need to try and contain the fallout from the wars between the various Islamic factions (mostly Shia and Sunni) from spilling over to neighboring nations, but the US policy has been overt in serving US interests over the long term interests of the region since the 50's. The US solid backing of Israel, even in cases where it is clearly in the wrong, adds fuel to the fire.

And I know those on the right complain how Obama has backed away from Israel, though the evidence clearly differs as the US still refuses to tell Israel, to the degree we should, to treat people within its occupied zones with proper respect... and the fact so many Americans feel the need to protect Israel and favor Israel over its occupied territories no matter what, again adds fuel to the fire and shows those in Islam how under attack their faith is, which makes them stronger in their faith and more sure that they are on the right path, since the devil is working harder to put their faith down than any other faith... of course I hear this exact same argument from Christians all the time, how the devil is trying to put Christianity down proves that Christianity must be true... amazing how a little empathy would probably help world peace, but neither faith seems to have any... though I've seen enough FB memes about how Christians are so depressed because they have so much empathy and I wonder where it is, as I've yet to see any empathy from Christians as a whole. All of which digresses from the original point...

US foreign policy is directly responsible for the rise of ISIS/ISIL, whatever you want to call it... now ISIS has risen itself up to be a rather large threat via its actions, which are deliberately provoking, as it's easier to radicalize people when the world starts turning against Islam as a whole, as those on the Right are apt to do, than turn against the small segment that aren't peace loving. Of course the Right's preferred response to those provocations are to do exactly what ISIS has publicly stated they want. They want a large war against them, they'd love it if Republicans banned them from coming to the US as it would make lone wolf attacks in the US by US citizens more prevalent, which like they did with Miami (the shooter himself pledged allegiance to ISIS, but he also pledged allegiance to Hezbollah, which is fighting against ISIS)... Republican policies, especially those of Trump and Cruz are so on point with ISIS desires, one has to wonder if they themselves are tied with ISIS interests, or if they are tied to military interests that profit off continuing the war and sacrificing American lives in the name of war profiteering... but Republican Jesus said "Blessed are the warmongers and the war profiteers and cursed be the peace makers"... It was there on the Sermon on the Mount when he also said, "Blessed be the rich employer who pays his employees poorly, and cursed be those employees who are poor and needy and needing assistance. Surely I say unto you, if you give tax breaks unto the rich and cut benefits for the needy and the poor, I shall bless your Nation... oh and forget the sick and dying, they got themselves into their mess, they are responsible for getting out, only the well to do shall have healthcare." Again I digress though...

There aren't even words.

Saddam was a bad guy is absolutely the most ignorant remark you can make. Were Stalin, Hitler and Mao simply 'bad' guys? Saddam committed multiple genocides against his own people. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians killed not as collateral damage, but systematically. The remaining widows were systematically raped to impregnate the Kurdish women with half-Arab children and breed the Kurds out of existence. If that's not enough, Saddam invaded and seized Kuwait and declared a part of Iraq. In the Iran-Iraq war, he made extensive use of banned chemical and biological weapons against Iranian forces, before turning them on Kurdish Iraqi's as well. Anybody content to just call that 'bad' behaviour is morally bankrupt.

Oh, but along the way Saddam brutally murdered anybody that spoke out against him, or had their daughters raped or their families otherwise held hostage or also killed. More over, because Saddam classed these people as 'terrorists', clearly we should take him at his word. In that one sense, yes, Saddam was effective at killing and pacifying the people he counted as 'terrorists'. That of course is missing the fact that Saddam was the singularly most terrifying monster in the entire Middle East at the time.

Um, I don't think that was Bob's or Milkman's point. And the point is all that matters because the fact that America is fucked up is irrelevant. Just as saying country A is okay so all government will not fall into the trap.

Fact is EVERY government since the start of mankind has fallen into this trap. Some take longer than others, and there are insulating features (such as nations that are sheltered by natural terrian, those with rich resources, those with low populations, and those that have never had a TRULY meaningful impact on the world but just kinda get by.)

America's problems are myriad but I think it's because they won too much in the last century and are about to fall, as any great boxer has.

Edit added later:

And no, most other governments are not. Russia, China, North Korea, many South American nations, Mexico, the Middle East, all those examples are not minor. Now you could say "many" governments.

Go into any community in America practically. If you look you will find churches feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, visiting the sick, and generally providing help for the neediest members of the community. Because I am part of such a community, I see that going on first hand each and every day. I know people who have been tirelessly doing these kinds of things for decades and have never received a penny from any of it. The only reason they do it is because they love God and love people. You dont get to see those kinds of Christians because they don't call attention to themselves. Many of them, especially the older generations, aren't even on the internet.

Inevitably, the US Government will end the tax exemption for the church because that is the way things are going in the world. Eventually, anti-christians will have their wish; Christians will be hated by all nations and there will be an attempt to exterminate them globally as it is happening right now in the middle east. That is prophecy from the Lord Jesus Christ, and when that happens, remember that He said it would happen. I hope and pray for all of you, as the world grows darker and the end looms, that you will know in your soul that what is happening is wrong even if everyone else says it is right. I pray you will have the conviction in your heart to turn to the Lord before it is too late. God bless.

Matthew 24:9

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake

Misleading - maybe not many are current generation migrants but most are second or third generation offspring of north african and middle east muslim migrants brought up inside muslim communities in Europe. Not your traditional Europeans.

Why ISIS attacked Brussels? Logistics - they have a huge support network there. Effect - seat of many European institutions. Who would care if they attacked Brno?

There is no reason to believe that second or third generation offspring of current migrants will be any different. And I dont mean Syrian war refugees - I mean the other two thirds of whoever has come to Europe recently.

Except Videosift is not just for Americans.

When you look at the majority opinion of the western world and especially the subset that speaks english, it is majority liberal by your standards.

America is remarkably ass backwards in comparison, so much so that your Liberal candidates appear moderate, and your Conservatives appear batshit insane.

You have to go to the middle east to a Muslim theocracy to find people more conservative than right wing America.

So don't feel that you're somehow under-represented in the developed world.

I'm so glad the middle east is just a video game setting.

Oh shit, did I forget to check the sarcasm box?

Your video, Animated Map Of ISIS Sweeping Over The Middle East, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Kahn is a genetically modified human, a leftover from Earth's Eugenics Wars. Played by Montalban and ruled over Asia and the Middle East before being deposed, some books place him as North Indian and a Sikh, but then who knows what genetic modification might do to someone's racial appearance.
So while Montalban is still not white, he's not Indian either.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Noonien_Singh

@newtboy
If it was about safety, they would have illegally immigrated to the multiple neighboring countries

Right, as if you don't know how well fleeing from Germany to neighbours like Poland or France or Italy would have worked out for them... Seriously?

If the Syrians all went to Belgium, installed their own laws and government supplanting the local Belgians', made the Belgians non-citizens, took their lands and properties, pushed them into one small corner ghetto, then complained about how bad the Belgians are...

Are you suggesting that Jews did all this prior to the outbreak of civil war in Palestine? That doesn't reflect reality in any way shape or form.

it was close to 5% before the invasion.

When do you count Jewish immigration to Palestine as becoming an invasion? Palestine was already 8% Jewish by demographics in 1890. That's enough time for almost a 3rd generation to be born by 1940. Slowest, invasion, ever.

The leap was from 1930-1940, with an additional 450k Jewish Palestinians. In that same time the Arab population grew by 420k, so I guess they were both invading???

The alliance of Arab nations that fought them was much SMALLER militarily, you know this.

Right, Israel's initial standing army was 10k, matching Egypt's 10k. But Egypt wasn't the only one in the alliance of course, Jordan had that many as well. Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the remaining alliance members represented another 10k together too. Sure, in hindsight we know they don't jointly commit their entire forces to the task an outnumber the Jewish military 3 to 1. I'm not quite sure how the Jewish people planning a defense were supposed to anticipate that and 'hold back' accordingly.

Honestly, I just can not comprehend what you expect Jewish people fleeing Europe to have done instead. Fleeing to other parts of Europe still left them in Nazi controlled territory and on a train back to Poland. Standing to fight in other European countries meant getting shot at, defeated, and then on a train to Poland. Crossing the ocean was a far sight harder than going to the middle east. Of all the middle east countries, Palestine was the most promising so I find it hard to fault the folks leaving Europe and setting up shop there. Once arrived there, I again find it hard to condemn them for demanding fair treatment and being willing to fight for it.

I said those illegally invading in the 30's had little to flee (unless you are saying they had a time machine and KNEW what was coming).

Mein Kampf was first published in 1925, it had sold nearly a quarter million copies by 1933 when Hitler took power. How could they ever have seen anything bad coming their way I wonder...

Oh hey look guys, I fixed the middle east.