Beltway Insider: ISIL /ISIS Beheads US Journalist; Ferguson Unrest; Renewed Russia/Ukraine Violence

President Obama, from Martha's Vineyard, addressed global tensions erupting in the Ukraine and in Iraq as ISIS terrorist's responded to the current United States Iraq policy with the murder of kidnapped journalist James Foley in a graphic and chilling video.

 

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week fell one percentage points to 40% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President dropped one percentage point to 52%. 

ISIL /ISIS Beheads US Journalist

The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, the terror group loyal to Osama bin Laden, and currently marching across Iraq, has declared war on the United States and through the egregious actions of the past week, have notified the world the U.S. military strikes are crippling their organization.

James Foley, 40, an American citizen and journalist for Global Post, was kidnapped on Thanksgiving Day 2012 somewhere in Northwest Syria. He was beheaded this week by the terrorist group ISIS/ISIL in direct retaliation to the Obama Administration decision to stand against terror threats, tyranny and violence and assist the people of Iraq through targeted military airstrikes.

 "The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people.  We will be vigilant and we will be relentless.  When people harm Americans, anywhere, we do what's necessary to see that justice is done.  And we act against ISIL, standing alongside others," the President said.

Obama has continued to justify U.S. military presence in the previously liberated Iraq, a freedom bought at great cost to the United States and other nations who participated in the emancipation through Operation Desert Storm.

Jim Foley's shocking murder enraged the world doing more to amass the global condemnation of ISIS/ISIL, the organizations terror tactics, terrorist loyalties and violent methodologies than any words issued from the Obama administration.

ISIS/ISIL is no different. The terror group loyal to bin laden methodologies, and even worse directs its violence against countrymen whose religious practices are in contrast to the religion of violence and hatred practiced by ISIS/ISIL leaders.

"Let's be clear about ISIL.  They have rampaged across cities and villages, killing innocent, unarmed civilians in cowardly acts of violence.  They abduct women and children, and subject them to torture and rape and slavery.  They have murdered Muslims, both Sunni and Shia, by the thousands.  They target Christians and religious minorities, driving them from their homes, murdering them when they can for no other reason than they practice a different religion.  They declared their ambition to commit genocide against an ancient people," the President said.

The resurgence of factions with terrorist ideologies, is not uncommon in the Middle East as deep seeded hatred of the United States and Westernization create loyalties to these movements who profess the evil of the great Satan America must die.

The Obama administration remains optimistic the newly named Prime Minister-Designate Haider al-Abadi will usher in a new era for the Iraqi people.  The President expects the developing government to bring together a governing body united in the fight again ISIS/ISIL.

"Over the last 11 days, American airstrikes have stopped the ISIL advance around the city of Erbil and pushed back the terrorists.  Meanwhile, we have urgently provided additional arms and assistance to Iraqi forces, including Kurdish and Iraqi security forces who are fighting on the front lines," the President said.

Journalist Freed

In separate news, Peter Theo Curtis, an American Journalist was freed by Syrian members of al-Qaeda Sunday, August 24, 2014. He had been reported missing since October 2012.

Ferguson Unrest

A week after Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) called in the National Guard to restore order in the small town of Ferguson, pocket clashes continued as the family of Michael Brown killed during an unprovoked police shooting.

As residents of Ferguson comes to grips with the scope of this motiveless broad daylight murder that not only killed an 18 year-old African American male, but also pitted the town of 20,000 mid-westerners against each other as violence beget violence in the once peaceful predominately African American St. Louis suburb.

As the details emerged, the Obama Administration has sent multiple agencies into Ferguson to ensure justice, and not vigilantism, rules the day.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, opened a case into the Police shooting, after internal statewide squabbling over jurisdiction began. The independent investigation has already ruled Brown was shot six times by a white officer who refused to report a police shooting or call for medical assistance.

Brown, shot at about noon on August 9, 2014, remained in the street over the next four hours, as local authorities investigated the scene.

Dignity reserved for the dead was absent for Michael Brown as his body was viewable by all, almost as if authorities used it to convey a veiled threat to residents, a warning against unrest or retaliation.

 His mother, family, friends, community leaders and residents all gathered.  The anger, shock, loss, hurt over the warrantless daytime killing superseded any threat veiled or otherwise and residents took to the streets in protest.

Even as the nation has remained concerned over the rash of unprovoked killings by zealous police, the oversight to these shootings is the Department of Justice. Until they become involved state governments remain in charge of governing the residents of the state.

Governor Nixon's decision to call in the National Guard remained for the protection of all Ferguson citizens, residents and businesses.

"Obviously, right now what we have to do is to make sure that the cause of justice and fair administration of the law is being brought to bear in Ferguson.  In order to do that, we've got to make sure that we are able to distinguish between peaceful protesters who may have some legitimate grievances and maybe longstanding grievances, and those who are using this tragic death as an excuse to engage in criminal behavior -- and tossing Molotov cocktails, or looting stores.  And that is a small minority of folks and may not even be residents of Ferguson, but they are damaging the cause; they're not advancing it," the President said.

Renewed Russia/Ukraine Violence

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a convoy of Russian Tanks and troops to move across the Ukraine border again breeching the territorial sovereignty of the neighboring nation.

 "It is imperative that Russia remove its convoy from Ukrainian territory, accept the conditions previously agreed to with Ukraine and the International Red Cross for any humanitarian convoys in Ukraine, and de-escalates the situation by removing its military forces from the border region, withdrawing its weapons, vehicles and personnel from the territory of Ukraine, and stopping the flow of Russian personnel, military equipment and armored vehicles into eastern Ukraine," The President said during a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Putin, in an act of global defiance, sent Russian troops, in a second invasion, moving heavy artillery, weapons and troops into Eastern Ukraine.

"Russia sending a convoy into Ukraine without Ukraine's approval is a further provocation and a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Obama and Chancellor Merkel said.

"Ukrainian humanitarian assistance had already been delivered to the International Committee for the Red Cross, but that safe passage had still not been secured from the separatists for the delivery of Russian aid. Russia sending military columns across the border into Ukraine and its continued provision of advanced weapons to the separatists was inconsistent with any desire to improve the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine and both leaders reaffirmed their support for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis and called on Russia to enter into good faith negotiations," said Vice President Biden in a conversation with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko.

Leaders of the G7 called the buildup of troops along the eastern border as well as the mass movement across the border as

The deployed Russia troops have actively and aggressively engaged the Ukraine military firing at specific targets in order to gain control of the border crossing.

Defying G7 sanctions and sectorial sanctions, that have continued to incrementally increase over the past six months, Putin initially supplied weapons to separatists who, pre-Ukrainian elections, through intimidation tactics caused unrest, fear and violence in an effort to stop the May 25, 2014 elections.

Putin, in a conciliatory response, indicted he would honor the results of those elections. After the Ukrainians voted Petro Poroshenko into office, officially severing ties to the old soviet guard and moving into their own destiny and future, Putin continued to arm separatists along the eastern Ukraine border, amassing troops under the guise of military exercises.

Separatists, under the leadership of Alexander Borodai, fired upon Malaysian Airlines, MH17, on July 17, 2014, killing all 283 on board turning the localized war, thrusting the Russian/Ukrainian war into the global spotlight and creating a geopolitical issue and hotspot scrutinized by every global organizational and effectually bringing three additional nations into this war.

Borodi, a Russian citizen, was quoted on Wikipedia as calling himself a political strategist for Russia during the annexation of Crimea.  "Naturally the people who set up these popular movements and were the initiators are the same people, they are connected to each other... So when I finished the work in Crimea I automatically... came here to work in southeast Ukraine," Borodi said as reported in The Times of Israel.

Putin has supplied weapons since the initial capture of the Crimean peninsula, which resulted in a succession election that "freed" Ukrainians to return to Soviet rule.

President Obama and the leaders of the G7 have remained unified in their determination to have Ukraine returned, in its entirety, to the people of the Ukraine. The European Union, of which Ukraine is officially a member, has not made an official statement of involvement nor has deployed troops to assist its newest member fight off the Russian invasion.

 Any direct U.S. Military exchanges with Russia would initiate the first incident in history where the United States and Russian militaries were actively engaged in war outside of the Cold War.

Hollywood Heavyweights Sign Israel Alignment; Anti Hamas Statement

Close to 200 Hollywood heavyweights, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jerry Weintraub and SONY's Amy Pascal have signed a letter supporting Israel and denouncing Hamas.

The letter appearing in Hollywood daily trades this week indicated the group supports Israel, peace and denounces the tactics of Hamas and grieves over the loss of life on both sides.

The statement, in its entirety, is below.

We, the undersigned, are saddened by the devastating loss of life endured by Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza. We are pained by the suffering on both sides of the conflict and hope for a solution that brings peace to the region.

While we stand firm in our commitment to peace and justice, we must also stand firm against ideologies of hatred and genocide which are reflected in Hamas' charter, Article 7 of which reads, "There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!" The son of a Hamas founder has also commented about the true nature of Hamas.

Hamas cannot be allowed to rain rockets on Israeli cities, nor can it be allowed to hold its own people hostage. Hospitals are for healing, not for hiding weapons. Schools are for learning, not for launching missiles. Children are our hope, not our human shields.

We join together in support of the democratic values we all cherish and in the hope that the healing and transformative power of the arts can be used to build bridges of peace.

For more information on President Barack Obama: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.org, Wikipedia.com

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