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[MDFification]

Assyrian Christians crowdfund and army to fight ISIS

[Sirus]

Assyrian Christians crowdfund and army to fight ISIS

I'm not sure that the best thing to fight an army of angry religious fundamentalists is another army of angry religious fundamentalists. I hope this doesn't wind up as badly as I'm afraid it might 

[forsaken1111]

Assyrian Christians crowdfund and army to fight ISIS

I'm not sure that the best thing to fight an army of angry religious fundamentalists is another army of angry religious fundamentalists. I hope this doesn't wind up as badly as I'm afraid it might 

look at it this way. No matter who wins, the world will have fewer fanatics in it.

[DJ]

Yup, looks like we're getting a crusade after all.

[Sinistar]

Yeah, I'm not sure. On one hand, a group of motivated volunteers that fight for their own agenda, to "protect their ancestral homeland" has a great potential. I mean, any volunteer military group would usually fight stronger than a regular conscripts. On the other, the article above puts out some nice, important points - adding another ethnic minority militia to an already messy anti-ISIS coalition is problematic and there also seems to be some bad blood between Kurds and Assyrians, to name just two.

Ideally, anti-ISIS fight would be something that unites the warring factions of the past. Ideally, this situation would be used to in fact bury the old grudges, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and all that.  And in some cases, this DID happen. But it does complicate things. So in theory, I welcome creations of such militias... BUT the "help" that is provided to them should not in any case be limited just to arms supply/training. More engagement is needed, lest we end up with another Libya.


Now, one actual KS project that caught my eye:
Legendary Showdown: Machines and Magic
So to my knowledge there are some people who know both the Doctor McNinja and Gunnerkrig Court webcomics. A while ago, people from the former created a card game, "Legendary Showdown". Never played it, does sound neat. What is even better - now they created an expansion/standalone, featuring Gunnerkrig. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. Haven't seen much talk about it, but there's also a pretty damn cool steampunk-ish webcomic called Girl Genious. And yeah, you've guest it, this new game has both of them in. So, if you have the first game, the final product will include but will not be limited to (doctor) Ninjas, mad scientist, majics and (cork) robots.

SO yeah, lots of cool stuff. I haven't even read the whole KS page, too busy throwing money at it.

[Helgoland]

Assyrian Christians crowdfund and army to fight ISIS

I'm not sure that the best thing to fight an army of angry religious fundamentalists is another army of angry religious fundamentalists. I hope this doesn't wind up as badly as I'm afraid it might 

They're men fighting for their homeland, for their families, for their wives and children. Not extremists. Nobody protected them in the past, so they take matters into their own hands - it's a good and honorable thing, a decision that deserves our support.
And remember that the Iraqi central state is basically a crapshot regardless of who's in charge: Grassroot (well, sort-of grassroot) militias and regional administrations, regional centers of power backed - and controlled! - by the populace may offer a way to one day create an actual working state in Iraq.

[Neonivek]

Yes Helgoland but you don't understand.

They are religious, that means they are religious extremists!

That means they want to genocide everyone!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I REALLY hope I don't have to explain that I am joking... while taking a stab at people who seem to instantly depict anyone with ANY religious leaning as having "religious" actions

[Sirus]

Assyrian Christians crowdfund and army to fight ISIS

I'm not sure that the best thing to fight an army of angry religious fundamentalists is another army of angry religious fundamentalists. I hope this doesn't wind up as badly as I'm afraid it might 

They're men fighting for their homeland, for their families, for their wives and children. Not extremists. Nobody protected them in the past, so they take matters into their own hands - it's a good and honorable thing, a decision that deserves our support.
And remember that the Iraqi central state is basically a crapshot regardless of who's in charge: Grassroot (well, sort-of grassroot) militias and regional administrations, regional centers of power backed - and controlled! - by the populace may offer a way to one day create an actual working state in Iraq.

They are that for now. I'm just worried about what might happen after IS/ISIS/ISIL gets driven out. Will they become just as extreme? What if they begin turning their guns on all Muslims instead of just the ones they are currently fighting?

Obviously there are non-extremist religious people and obviously I hope this turns out for the best and possibly even helps stabilize Iraq. I just don't have high hopes for that.

[MDFification]

Assyrian Christians crowdfund and army to fight ISIS

I'm not sure that the best thing to fight an army of angry religious fundamentalists is another army of angry religious fundamentalists. I hope this doesn't wind up as badly as I'm afraid it might 

*Angry secular tribesmen

Not saying they're any less capable of atrocities, but the proposed force isn't actually religious in nature, just a collection of non-muslim tribespeople from the Nineveh plains.

[MorleyDev]

Ladies, Gentlemen. I present to you, the ultimate in single-use non-lubricated ocular protection (for his and her pleasure).

[Aklyon]

But it is not lubricated.

[MorleyDev]

But it is not lubricated.

Correct sir, lubrication would be most unfitting for ocular protection. Why, the very notion that one could make some kind of typo-related misdemeanour and put that word in that sentence is inconceivable, inconceivable I say!

Wow, it really is very difficult to stop typing like that once you start.

[Sinistar]

Dear sir, lubricated or not, we must but surely agree nonetheless that such devices are a mandatory device for any gentleman of honor who wishes to engage in some jolly good time with one's organ.

[Draco18s]

Dear sir, lubricated or not, we must but surely agree nonetheless that such devices are a mandatory device for any gentleman of honor who wishes to engage in some jolly good time with one's organ.

Splendidly well done, sir.  ^..^ƪ

[Cthulhu]

Wait, are we saying that's a kickstarter done right?  Really?  Fucking really?

Spoiler: This was my reaction (click to show/hide)