IRAQ RETREAD--NO MILEAGE NOR SAVING GRACE IN GUNS

President Obama follows the lead of Military advisers, and in footsteps of President Bush, back into Iraq -- photo in 6-10-15 NYT

The headline in the 6-10-15 NYTs puts it this way.

In Shift, U.S Advisers to Help Iraq Fight ISIS. Will Send 450 Advisers to Help Iraq Fight ISIS

This is supposedly “signaling a major shift of focus in the fight against the Sunni militant group.” But there is no shift. We constantly repeat our mistakes, escalating our lethal force, in Iraq, and any place in the world we try to impose our will on other peoples we do not understand nor care for, beyond the resources they make available to us. Our local paper says it better 6-9-15, Analysis: Obama sees Iraq’s military isn’t up to fight. They’re not fighting hard enough, to attain our goals. One of the major recurrent battles with ISIS is at the major oil depot, Beigi, in northern Iraq.

President George W. Bush announces are troubles in Iraq are over, May 2, 2003

Now we have mission creep back into Iraq. Wasn’t “Mission Accomplished” there over 10 years ago? These are current events:

One of the worst refugee crises in history about to occur in Iraq by the end of June.

The Iraq government worried that the U.S. might send weapons directly to Kurds fighting ISIS in north Iraq instead of under Bagdad’s control.

Worried also that the U.S. is reluctant to let them buy weapons from Iran [our enemy] to help fight ISIS [our enemy]

ISIS now controls one third of all Iraq. It didn’t exist until we first invaded Iraq, disbanded Saddam’s Sunni army many going to Syria, then through the CIA enlisted these disaffected Sunnis, and those of Syria, to fight against Assad of Syria [also our Shiite enemy]. ISIS = Islamic State in Iraq & Syria, their new caliphate.

Our answer to all these problems is a rude [we tried this back in 2006-2007] “Awakening.” We will again train more Sunni Iraqis {then it was to fight Al Qaeda}, in this case tribes not yet thoroughly disgusted with us, to fight those other Sunnis in ISIS. And this all on behalf of the Shiite dominated government {like that of Shia Iran & Syria—our enemies} we helped install in Iraq in which very few Sunnis, whatever their faction, have any faith in. We return 450 U.S. troops into the fray, not to fight but to train more Iraqis to fight other Iraqis. And of course we’ll send lots more weapons—not really knowing in whose hands they’ll end up.

This is futility and madness. Repeated mistakes until they bring us all down.

The Last Judgement by Hieronymus Bosch

We’ve become a nation of in guns, not God, we trust.

Most recently we’re poised to send armaments to Ukraine to face down Russia in its own backyard, and increase arms sales to Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Come one come all to the biggest weapons exporter the world has ever known. We've created a 10 billion pound gorilla military that keeps looking for a new or old place to sit down. Its appetite leaves the rest of us monkeys having to constantly scavenge for the scant leftovers. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, not the sword, share with your brothers and sisters, and all else you need will be given unto you--by the God of justice and mercy, the only One really in charge.