Serious Threat To Current & Former Military

I've been hearing from military friends and family about the FBI warnings concerning ISIS threats. I guess this is just a heads up if any forum members aren't aware.

It's not just news reports this time... military members (at least from what I saw/heard from a close friend who's a former high-ranking officer) are being highly cautioned to monitor social media accounts to be sure nothing is said about being military, etc. Again, not really anything new except that the newly issued warnings seem to be a higher level of severity than previously.

This isn't just a warning for those deployed... it's for families on our own American soil as well. Wasn't that long ago that we were discussing/debating here at the forum whether or not ISIS is a threat to Americans. Guess here's the answer.

 

Kate, how many times has someone associated with ISIS staged an attack on US soil?

For that matter, how many times have any Muslim, foriegn or domestic, attacked the US or American after 9-11-2001? One? None?

Now compare that with all the allerts and warnings have been made regarding the threat of these "terrorists?" Dozens? Hundreds?

To my mind and my training it is easy to see tropes and memes of manipulation being used on members of the American Public.

 

Thank you for your input, @Interrogator#6 . As a family member of former and current military enlisted men, women, and officers, I am choosing, as everyone should, to take this latest FBI warning seriously.

I am aware that there's always been a certain level of threat present, but the fact that ISIS never attacked here before? That's really not too comforting because as soon as it happens, all this will be moot.

So you're not even going to be concerned for your loved ones since you were military? You trust ISIS that much? More than the FBI? I don't.

I do realize that everything that happens concerning politics or the military is spun as "manipulation" by some people... but ya know what? Sometime that's going to be proven wrong. Seriously.

 

Kate, it is not a simple case of black verses white. I do not support ISIS over the FBI, but on the other hand I do not blindly endorse the FBI. I am what I consider a centerist and one who wants a de-escalation of situations which seeming tend towards militarization.

I see a tendency in the US of a militarization of domestic police departments. This is being done in the name of "security against terrorism" but the result is less domestic security and the rise of a police-state.

In some ways our society has achieved George Orwell's 1984.

We are told ISIS is a threat in domestic US, yet there has yet to be any attacks. But US airpower (drones) and proxy ground units have attacked ISIS -- their military units and civilians. Yet they are being called the aggressors.

What I want is some truth and sanity. I want the situation to de-escalate rather than escalate.

Is that wrong?

 

Not wrong in the least, nope. But not realistic with a group like this either. And definitely not rooted in wisdom to underestimate the threat. History is filled with horror stories when "let's play footsie" was chosen instead of having the wisdom to identify the worst threats and do something about them before things escalate.

I'm a peace-seeking person, too... but I'm not a Pollyanna and I'm not oblivious to the possibilities and threats... it would be too dark and gloomy with my head in a pile of sand while terrorism takes over the world while wimpy leaders chant, burn incense, and hope it goes away... and I refuse to put my head there.

 

What is the specific nature of this threat utilizing social media? You have mentioned ISIS/ISIL (the boogie man) and yet all you have said is beware. It is wise to watch your online interactions, yet what are we to watch for specifically from ISIS? Are they engaging in mass cyber warfare? Are they going to attack individuals like North Korea has attacked Sony and South Korea?

 

Sorry for not getting more specific, @jrj1701 ... I assumed anyone interested in knowing more would just Google it. But I Googled it for you... here are a few links that explain it further. In a nutshell, they're looking for operatives in the U.S. and social media is where those recruits would find out who's a military member.

Let me know if you need more... there's a bajillion of them from all different organizations whether or not related to the military or the media.

http://security-today.com/articles/...bout-isis-threat-within-americas-borders.aspx

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ke-Facebook-Twitter-target-military-home.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...tacks-at-home-Report/articleshow/45344398.cms

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/01/politics/fbi-warns-military-of-isis-threat/

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/fbi_warns_us_military_about_is.html

http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/...iers-regarding-isis-threats-to-their-families

 

Oh, forgot to answer this part specifically... yes, that would be the objective... individual attacks on family members. That is the call/threat that has been issued by ISIS against Americans (maybe Europeans, too, but that's something else you'd need to look up.)

 

Kate these warnings are still vague and accomplish what Interrogator #6 is stating and will have a detrimental backlash. When you warn people about the threat of social media, most will just close their accounts and not mess with it, and social media has proven to be an effective tool for communication, most times miscommunication, yett communication with the inherent problem of misunderstanding is preferable to no communication. Terrorist have been foiled in their attacks in the past because there are those that have communicated with law enforcement what suspicious behavior has been observed. ISIS utilizes the fear of their ruthlessness to achieve their objective, they are ruthless yet they are not supermen. I fear that the warhawks are trying to get us in another ground war that we will not be able to clearly win, another Vietnam.

 

Hmmm... maybe one person's "vague" isn't the same to another. They are calling for people within this country to join them and kill military members and family members. The way they are to find them is to watch social media. I see TONS of happy service family members posting pictures and mentioning where their sons, spouses, brothers, sisters, etc. are deployed to. It would take me (and I hate social media!) about 10 minutes to gather enough information to land me on that person's doorstep.

Maybe I'm being dense... what is there about "find family members of military personnel and kill them and you can join us" is vague?

If you've been keeping up with the news, you'll know that there are a number of young people from here and Europe joining ISIS daily. Many are being apprehended, many aren't. A directive to "don't leave your country, work from within it"... well, I just can't see that as vague. Pretty clear to me.

Sure it could have backlash... what couldn't? But to have discovered the threat and NOT put it out as a warning... wow, can you even imagine how people would squawk about "homeland security KNEW this and didn't warn military families?! Must be a government cover-up because they want a war. Wah wah." Pathetic, but true.

 

Sounds like pumping up the troops here to me, say the boogeyman is going to whack your family, that really gets a guy angry. I say that there will be an attack on a low level expendable here shortly to add spice to this media driven fear-fest.

 

I just stumbled upon this thread. I, too, come from a military family (been a few years, but I still have the connection). Since the date of this original posting, there have been more incidents involving ISIS. They encourage independent radicals to act, and I can see some caution being appropriate. I notice that Interrogator6 mentioned the growing militarization of the police. Note my recent thread on this forum on the subject.

 

I just noticed that my comment on on 3DEC14 was a wee bit prophetic, imagine that. We need to pay attention folks, instead of reacting to the media driven hysteria. Extremist are wanting us to fight and lead us into an unnecessary war, caution is needed to keep from being involved.

 

I don't follow this... unless you're saying the FBI is the media? Well no, you're not saying that. The original post concerned the warning to military families about a documented threat to families of military members. Not media, not hysteria, just fact. I also don't think you're saying that intelligence sources receiving credible threats should have just kept quiet about it and pooh poohed it under a rug?

Actually now that I think of it, I never *did* anything about it in the media, just the warnings to military people I know from the intelligence community.

 

@Kate on 3DEC14 I said that a low level expendable would be attacked, on 7JAN15 Charlie Hebdo was attacked. I was not referring to your warning, but to the way this is being played out in the media.

 

AHHHH! Well thank you for explaining that, @jrj1701 ... we'd been talking about threats to US military families so I didn't make the connection to what you meant. Frankly I don't actually know what Hebdo is connected with or much about it at all... so I wasn't thinking there was an American connection. Sorry!

 

While you are on the topic, Kate, how many American service personnel or their families have been wounded or killed recently by ISIS?

Be vigilant, be aware, but don't get paranoid and don't panic.

 

@Kate If it is reported in the U.S it affects the way we are thinking, attacks on basic freedoms have proven to get some folks upset and worried, so we are less likely to get upset when stronger measures are taken to "protect" us from the perceived threat. Also some will pressure their legislatures to "do something about those terrorist" and thus the military industrial complex will get the job of sending our boys over there to handle business and also make more Arabs angry and thus the ranks of ISIS grows, and self defeating cycle, another Viet Nam. If we use critical thinking skills then we don't get caught into being the policeman of the world.

 

These ISIS animals are probably the most barbaric enemy we've faced since the Nazi's. I don't know any other way to put it. The contempt I feel for these goons is amazing. Hopefully they arent able to pull off a mass casualty attack against our troops or American citizens. I just hope we have the fight in us to destroy them.

 

In any reaction we have to terrorists such as ISIL we must always remember that anytime we give up any of our American Revolution dream of a free and open society we hand them a victory. When the SS elements within our security structure used water boarding we gave them a victory. My father and a whole lot of other Americans fought WWII to prevent such things coming to this nation. We had a major continuance of our Revolution in the 60s and 70s to ensure a free society in America (the domestic enemies have fought to undo much of that in the last few decades). It is time to renew our commitment to such ideals.
However, we need to always be careful about our use of social media. There are many people who seek to use the information we put out there for nefarious ends. Teens need to be particularly careful. Military families need to understand that there are people (not just ISIL) who seek to take advantage of them.