In an attempt to stir the GOP fear machine, junior Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) said yesterday that ISIS might be winning against the West, reported The Hill. He mainly referred to the shooting at the “Draw Mohammed” event for which ISIS took credit.
“There is an investigation ongoing, but there is no doubt if we just looked on social media that this was an Islamic State-inspired attack, regardless or whether it was an Islamic State-sourced or planned attack,” Cotton said. “And that’s in part because the Islamic State seems to be winning right now, so they are appealing to disaffected youth all around the country who want to be with what they see is the winning force.”
Cotton’s statement is a rhetorical overshoot. Islamic radicalism, or any religious radicalism for that matter, has been around way longer than ISIS. Religious-inspired attacks aren’t some new things that just appeared when ISIS formed. Were the shooters ISIS supporters? Probably. But just because someone supports something doesn’t mean they are a part of it.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the shooting, but everyone should already be well-aware that ISIS are experts at propaganda and psychological warfare. In this case, they’re likely claiming responsibility for an attack on American soil to bolster their fear propaganda in America. Only fools would fall for it. Cotton certainly has.
Cotton also used this shooting as a platform to voice his support for reauthorizing the section of the Patriot Act that was misconstrued by the White House and the NSA to gather massive collections of phone data from millions of people.
“That’s one reason why it is so important that we reauthorize the expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, which would help stop these exact kinds of attacks,” said Cotton.
Reauthorization is unlikely because a federal court ruled the NSA’s use of Section 215 of the Patriot Act as illegal and “stretched.”
Cotton is a war pimp. He relishes is stirring fear among his constituents to rally support for frivolous use of America’s valuable military resources. Ever since he took office in January, he’s been constantly instigating war.
