Special Forces “Red Dawn” Training Film

 @ACS  @Old  @LCpl  @ArcticWarrior Basically the Rust Belt From NYC to Lake Superior North of the Tennessee River Valley.

 @ArcticWarrior  @ACS No shame in no man's land, unless you're comparing it to Dixie. I'm in the sweet spot - in Dixie but I could be in Meximerica or the Breadbasket in a couple hrs if highways still exist.

 @ACS  Just tread lightly Jack is dragging us all down the rabbit hole....

 @ACS  

 Apparently I live in no mans land like Mad Max which I guess is Ok, I have a an Australian Cattle dog, firearms, but Im lacking the 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe, you know the last of the big V8s.

Heres the link to find your zone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Nations_of_North_America

 @LCpl X  @ArcticWarrior  Lucky you, I'm stuck in the Foundry.

 @ArcticWarrior  

I go home I'm in Ecotopia and I stay in Socal and I'm in Meximerica, can't complain.

 @LCpl X  @ACS

 Im sure ue used that as his basis for regionalism. Looks like Im stuck in the Empty Quarter.

 @LCpl X  @ArcticWarrior Red Dancing? or Dirty Dawn? The last kinda sounds porno....

 @ArcticWarrior

They should've done a mash up of Red Dawn and Dirty Dancing, before Swayze died.

 @LCpl X

 Sure the guy was a fruit cake but in relation to Jacks article and the Balkanization scenario they play in that 1960s training film its creepy.

Just remember- Wolverines!

 @ArcticWarrior  

LOL! I think like Garreau's "Nine Nations" take better. Thank god for lousy Russian "analysts", now we know how they lost the Cold War.

 @Old PH2 

(Another cool story.)

http://www.jaas.org/edocs/v14n2/missick.pdf

The Acts of Thomas, which records the story of Thomas’ missionary journey to India. The Acts of Thomas is an apocryphal Christian book. It was written in either the late 100s or the early 200s AD in Syriac and was soon translated into Greek, Latin and Ethiopic. The Acts of Thomas begins with the apostles casting lots to see which region of the world each of them were to go to spread the light of Christ’s gospel. 

The lot of India fell to Saint Thomas. He did not wish to go, saying that he was too weak to travel so far, and said, “How can I, who am a Hebrew, go and preach to the Indians?” That night Jesus appeared to Thomas in a dream compelling him to go, but still Thomas refused. The next day, according to The Acts of Thomas, a merchantfrom the kingdom of King Gundaphernes in India arrived in Judea looking for workers. 

Jesus came to the merchant in the form of a normal man. Jesus asked the merchant if he were looking to buy a carpenter. (According to legend St. Thomas was a carpenter. Thomas is the Patron Saint of Architects for the Roman Catholic Church). The merchant replied that he was. Then Jesus said to the merchant, “I have a slave who is a carpenter and wish to sell him.” He then showed the merchant Thomas at a distance. Jesus then sold Thomas to the merchant and wrote a deed of sale:

I, Jesus, the son of Joseph, the carpenter, confirm that I have sold my slave, Judas Thomas by name, to Abban, Merchant of Gundaphernes, the king of the Indians.

The merchant then showed Thomas the deed and asked, “Is this your Master?” And the apostle said, “Yes, he is my Lord.” “I have bought you from him,” replied the merchant. Thomas then resigned himself to going to India.97 Thomas went to India as a carpenter and eventually preached the Gospel to King Gundaphernes and his royal court and despite initial opposition, converted the King. Thomas then traveled across India going to the Kingdom of Mazdai spreading the good news until, according to tradition, in the year 72 AD Thomas was attacked by a worshiper of the goddess Kali who thrust a spear through Thomas’ heart at the command of King Misdeus. Thomas was thus martyred because he refused to worship Kali while passing by one of her temples on her holy day. Christians and Hindus mourned his death.

 @Old PH2 

Also got Jenkins' 'Jesus Wars'. 

The Gangster Synod is a trip: http://www.uscatholic.org/node/5820 (Funny as fuck. I thought Hollywood took some artistic liberties in its portrayal of early Christians in Alexandria in "Agora", movie about Hypatia, I guess they were really gangsta back in the day. LOL!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqOYjAHZhJ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bByhFiV_nvk

 @LCpl X Now your talking, the apologists wrote some of the best arguments.  Since the truth, (as handed down by  the first century apostolic fathers), is muddled they are one of the many ways we can get insight into that age.  That Quote from Brother Timothy kicks ass, we talk about diversity and multiculturalism, he lived it.  

Take it slow though, there is so much there you could bust an aneurysm.

Reading about the Nestorans makes me think of the Norsemen finding North America. 

"Otaiya"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzdSIWT3OjY

 @LCpl X

 Thats a good movie.

I saw a Jennifer C movie awhile back with her roller skating inside a Target in a white tank top, complete awesomeness

 @ArcticWarrior  

LOL! I'm familiar with the accent, man. I'm a big fan of Shohreh (also, Jennifer Connelly's tits)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohreh_Aghdashloo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quQqgCJ03qw

 @LCpl X

 I have a few RDOs so I will see what I can find out. Its odd talking to people about things that we take for granted. The Dad said he will never go back so long as the current group is in power, the mom goes back every 2 years, the kids, who are in there late 20s have zero desire, even though they can remember living in Tehran they are 100% American and dont seem to have the parents yearning for change. From what they told me, and the mom did most of the speaking, life under the Shah was not bad, if you didnt rock the boat, but the attrocities and arrogance is what did him in. He was no better then the guys who replaced him and they hung that on US. They were quite specific that US money is how he held on so long and that the US caused the coup that eventually gave them the Shah. So while acknowledging the US could help now, they didnt seem convinced.

 They are in their late 40sish so Im not sure how much they would know about Masaddegh. Seems that the circles said family run in are in the well to do, very educated spectrum so they may have a more savy accumen of the situation then maybe the lower income, lower educated groups.

If you ever do talk to any, say E-Ron, not I-Ran lol

 @ArcticWarrior 

That makes perfect sense, man. I know the rhetoric nowadays is Israel, but Iran's so far, they have no vested interest there. As for Iraq, we played both sides equally to guarantee a stalemate. And imperialism, they can blame the British, not us.

Is their disdain for the Shah, the flip of their love for the possibility, what could've been, for Mossadeq?

 @LCpl X

 I will get the low down on the marriage, they acknowledged it was very dangerous 20 years ago. The Shah is what tarnishes our rep. Not Israel, Not Iraq, Not Imperialism, the Shah - he was our guy.

 @ArcticWarrior  

That's some good info, man. I'm curious about Henna now. I've never heard of Muslim and Christian marriage from there, very interesting. I'm sure there's more to the solicitation story.

 @Old PH2  @LCpl X

 I asked my partners family about this in a non-formal QnA. The back story. The mom married a Eastern Christian, she was a Muslim. Major taboo. They didnt tell anyone. The family left E-Ron as its pronounced thru Turkey-The UK-US 20 years ago. I dont know how nor did I ask. The mom goes back every 2 years or so to visit family. She said she tells no one outside of her immediate dinner table for fear she would be picked up. In 2009 she said a very old Eastern Church was attacked by Govt hooligans, she told me point blank that they dont dare say anything about the regime. Christians dont get good jobs, are blacklisted and certainly never get Govt jobs. They stay to themselves and make no waves. She told me we never see the violence that goes on against the people on our news, while she was there last college kids were gunned down right in the open for speaking out. Over dinner she says people do talk about how bad the regime is, but the elections are mostly rigged. They know any change would need outside help but many are suspicious of the US because the Shah was almost as bad. Now they are an educated well to do family so they fall into a different social class so opinions Im sure are biased, but they told me you never hear anyone in private say how great the regime is, kind of like nobody ever admits to buying a backstreet boys disc, but alledgedly they sell millions.

Now being Jack motivated me about these MEK guys, and I devoted a few days looking into them, I had to ask if anybody in the community ever asks for money. That got the older ones attention it was all over their faces, but I was only told that many groups solicit for many reasons. I left it alone.

For you LCpl I asked about the Zoros. I was told the only thing you could be that was worse would be Jewish. The Zoros lay way low and dont even associate with anyone outside there own and for good reason.

I was given a little history on Henna and symbology. The police tolerate it, tatoos you can be arrested for it is strictly forbidden.

And yes I was told when visiting that its always in the air that you can get a state sponsored trip to the "soccer stadium" for any little reason. After that I was told that I would love the history and should visit, which I respectfully declined for the time being.

The opinion I got was the avg guy in Tehran has no love for the regime, wants change, doesnt know who to ask for help and that the Shahs legacy still hangs over us. They know the guy in charge is a wacko and most dont believe anything he says. Being anything but Muslim is still a very serious deficiency and you dont dare be overt in your beliefs if your not.

 @Old PH2

You're right, man. Jenkins' book is some good reading:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorian_Stele

I'm a big fan of Zen via Kerouac's books, so that story about that Nestorian monk Adam, helping a Buddhist monk translate some Buddhist Sanskrit to Chinese, then having Japanese monks around to take some of that translation back to Japan, is trippy.

Still working on the book, but good stuff.

 @Old PH2

Yeah, you definitely get a sense that the Eastern Christians and other ancient non-Muslim traditions (like the Druze, although in Lebanon they kick ass) are undersiege.

The Copts tattoo their kids with a cross on their hand. Not so sure about Assyrians (I know back home my neighbors always win the fuckin' Christmas lighting contest). In Syria though, all Christian sects visit each others churches and celebrations, they intermarry (maybe except for the Maronites). But if a girl talks too friendly to a Muslim boy, stand the fuck by.

 @LCpl X Yeah, it's kind of strange although my wife talks about having Muslim friends and neighbors, they made a real effort to stay separate.  There was this undercurrent of distrust. So although she had a couple of acquaintances, she did not know much of their traditions.  That being said she knows the Shahnameh backwards and forwards.  

There is also the very real chance that one of your daughters could be kidnapped and forcibly married to a Muslim.  When the Ayatolah's took over Iran the protection of minorities that the Shah gave, evaporated.  The Christian, Jewish, Bahai, and Zoroastrian communities either bugged out or circled the wagons.

 @LCpl X  @Old PH2

 Thats a great point about your Eastern Christian types, I think for the most part you are correct. Maybe culturally they have an inherent need for that type of organized religion ( Im seperating faith from religion here- 2 totally different things) Maybe when we analyse the M/E culture and we try to understand the root problems of Jihadism we need to look into that as well as poverty, human rights etc.

* Christianity

 @ArcticWarrior  @Old PH2 

Yeah, man, especially the story of Mithra and Jesus. You ask any born again here, and not only are they ignorant about other ancient religions, but they actually think Christian came out of Jerusalem and straight to the Bible belt. It's fuckin' nuts.

How do they view Mithra in particular and Zoroastrianism in general? 

Another problem, I've noticed, is that these Assyrians, Armenians, other Eastern Christians, their Americanize kids tend to become born again, evangelical types, losing all that tradition.

 @LCpl X  @Old PH2

 My partner at work is married to an Iraninian girl, family has a crazy story of how they got out, anyway she is very familiar with Zoroastrianism and is Eastern Christian. Thats an interesting point about bleed over.

 @Old PH2 

*** if Jonah had not warned the Assyrians, and they did not repent, your Mommy would not be here. ***

LOL! Gotta personalize ancient stories to make em come alive, heck a lot better than Disney cartoons that's for sure, plus no fuckin' toys and DVDs to buy, merchandize that.

Your wife (and her family) being Assyrians and Persians (yup, they never say Iranian for some reason), are they also familiar with the story of Mithra (both Avestan and Vedic versions)? I know there's still remnants of Zoroastrianism in Iran, but how much of this seeps into Eastern Christian communities, especially Iran and in India. It's a great parallel.

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mithra-i

 @JackMurphyRGR  And Jack please tell me you didnt pick up any little clay idols our buy any Ishtar idols in the side markets, remember Father Mirren.

 @JackMurphyRGR 

Why creepy? Did you see drawings of aliens? Take pictures? I sense a SOFREP article on SF, Sumerian fan, in Nineveh.

 @JackMurphyRGR  @Old PH2  @LCpl X

  I hope you took a lot of pictures at Ninevah, thats great stuff.

 @ArcticWarrior  @Old PH2  @LCpl X I've seen Ninevah forest and the ancient ruins in Mosul.  It's pretty creepy if you know what you are looking at.

 @Old PH2  @LCpl X

 That is just awesome, I would love to walk Masada. Mosul Im pretty sure that wont be on my list for awhile, granted Iraq is packed with all kinds of History. Want to visit the Eternal City as well as Damascus and Jerusalem, Acre etc. Love when History comes to life.

 @ArcticWarrior  @LCpl X Personally, I've been to the Western Wall, scaled Masada on my own two feet.  Walked through St. Peter's, walked through Notre Dame de Paris, I've seen from a distance the Haiga Sophia in Istanbul, walked the Acropolis.  But I'd just about give my left nut to see Nineveh, just outside Mosul.  I read to my daughters the book of Jonah and after it's all done I explain to them that; if Jonah had not warned the Assyrians, and they did not repent, your Mommy would not be here.  Get their attention and makes the whole thing come to life.

 @JackMurphyRGR  @Old PH2  @LCpl X

 The Starpeople, he was a big proponent of that wasnt he?

 @Old PH2  

I agree, very good stuff. Between the SOF reading list and this stuff, I'm a happy customer here on SOFREP.

The more we dig, I gotta feeling we'll all find ourselves in the same place:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy9e_Qf62Bc

 @Old PH2  @LCpl X

 Thats good stuff thanks. My Irish wife went to an all girls Catholic HS, A Catholic Uni taught at a Catholic HS and now works at a Cathlic Hospital. So she was really into the Catholic "mytholigies" Angels, ArchAngels etc as well as the history of the early Church and its relation to the older religions. Its mind blowing how tied in the creation stories, the flood stories etc are and how much they all borrowed from each other, how violent the early stories are. Its too bad that part of the world is so whacked because I would love to walk the old Sumerian cities in Iraq so long as I dont end up like Father Merrin and his good friend Pazuzu.

 @LCpl X  @ArcticWarrior If you want a good read about the first few centuries of Christianity and the schisms that developed before and after Constantine find a copy of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-History-Christianity-Thousand-Year-Asia/dp/0061472808

A great deal about the Assyrian Church and the Nestoran mission to China in the 7th -8th centuries.

It also examines some of the apocrypha.

 @Old PH2  @ArcticWarrior  @LCpl X I used to read all about the Sumarians years ago when I first joined the Army.  I read the mainstream stuff as well as Zacharia Sitchen's work.

 @ArcticWarrior  @LCpl X Try finding a good copy of Gilgamesh, the first epic Hero, a cross between Heracles and Oedipus.  Then Find out what you can about Semiramis the Mother/wife of Nimrod.  Really talking about the roots of the Heroic Saga. 

 @Old PH2 

** Thomas is interesting, just don't know whether to believe it or not.  Kind of like the book of Enoch and others in what is known as the Apochrypha. **

Suppose to read the Gospel of Thomas with Gospel of John (Doubting Thomas). I think all the Gnostic gospels have been dated at least a century hence, many agree that "Gospels" of Judas, Mary Magdalene, etc. were attempts by the Gnostics to counter the consolidation of Constantine. But the Gospel of Thomas, I think there's been agreement among Biblical scholars that it's the real deal.

Just curious why it wasn't added in the New Testament, since it doesn't really take or add from the other canonized Gospels. Interesting.

 @ArcticWarrior 

Will definitely share. Or better yet why don't we commission SOFREP to fund the translation of Nabil Fayyad's book, history has shown that if you get a beheading fatwa, your book will sell--"Satanic Verses" Rushdie. Good investment, especially now that Brandon's rolling in the deep.

 @LCpl X  @Old PH2

 Problem is a lot of those readings arent yet translated or available in the US. If you find anything make sure you post it.

 @ArcticWarrior  @Old PH2 

(Thanks, man, will definitely read up on your suggestions. Two Babylons looks really interesting. Another book I've been trying to find is Nabil Fayyad's "Mother of the Believers", he was Syrian writer very critical of the Assad regime, but he stepped across the line when we wrote that book, had to move Germany to save his head. Hoping there's an English translation of this book available)

On 11 December 2007, the security authorities arrested Abdel Fattah Al-Sadany and Mahrous Mohammed Abdul Azim of Madbouly Publishing House (Egypt) at the Khartoum International Book Fair on charges of insulting Islamic religion for distributing a book entitled

“The Prophet’s Wife Eats Her Children Up” ["Mother of the Believers Eats Her Children"] (London: Dar al-Jamal), by Syrian writer Nabil Fayyad.

The book includes sentiments considered critical of Al-Sayeda Aisha (the Prophet Mohammed’s wife). Eyewitnesses declared that the agents who arrested him were accompanied by members of the fundamentalist group of Ansar Al-Sunna.

On 16 December 2007, the two were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. The Book Fair also witnessed the confiscation of several books about Shiite beliefs and a book on the crisis in Darfur, "Darfur, History of War and Genocide" (Horizons House).

http://www.alarabiya.net/save_pdf.php?cont_id=44329

 @LCpl X

 The Annunaki, from the Original creation story from modern day Iraq (Mesopotamia) L. Ron completely ripped off that saga.

 @Old PH2  @LCpl X

 The Apochrypha is some trippy stuff from the few things Ive read.

 @Old PH2  @LCpl X

 Looks like I have some studying to do, thanks I love this stuff.

 @LCpl X The SCA is by far one of the best places for training in hand to hand ground warfare.  Not only do you get to wear armor, but you get to drink homemade beer/mead and kick ass.  You gotta love that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Creative_Anachronism

 @ArcticWarrior  @LCpl X A really cool old book Titled the Two Babylons ties together Chaldean paganism and modern day mainstream religion.  

http://www.biblebelievers.com/babylon/

It was first printed as a pamphlet in 1853 crazy how it all ties back to the "beginning."

 @LCpl X Koine was the basic Lingua Franca of the Levant from just after the Fall of Alexander until the end of Byzantium.  Back in the 80's I was involved with an organization called the Society for Creative Anachronism.  Learned to read and write Koine Greek to take our club minutes which was then translated into High Latin to be given to scribes then hand bound in leather, I know pretty nerdly.  Did I mention that The SCA actually participates to this day in Medieval style ground warfare?  They have tournaments, campaigns and the whole bit.  Serious Hoplites. 

Anyway I believe that Those different forms of Koine are actually transliterations of the original toungue into the Greek Koine script.

Thomas is interesting,just don't know whether to believe it or not.  Kind of like the book of Enoch and others in what is known as the Apochrypha.

if you really want some fun find a intralinear translation of the Syriac Peshita.  Basically the Western Aramaic language version of the Pentatuch.

 @ArcticWarrior  

That's right the evil in 'Exorcist' did come from there. I think it's no coincidence that hot Georgetown coeds in really short shorts run up and down those stairs that priest flung himself out of. Trust me, it's really hard to knock out pull ups (bottom of said stairs) when you have a hard on, but still moto nonetheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0CuofMisMQ

As for Sumerian cosmology, I think Hubbard ripped off a bunch of Sumerian stuff to create Scientology, next to the LDS, 2nd best American religion, or spin-off. Made in USA, yeah sure they're spin-offs of older narratives but gotta appreciate the creativity, extra points for that, only in America.

I'm wondering, when Sagan put Sumerian in that golden record on Voyager, if he consulted Von Daniken.

Agree with Arahmaic, a bunch of Muslims are pissed off that Europeans are finger fucking the Qur'an, and finding out trippy stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Syro-Aramaic_Reading_of_the_Koran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk40dR8UpaU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsh1ZyXnMT4

 @LCpl X  @Old PH2

 I believe Arahmaic Greek was the "universal language" of the region in that time frame.

Sumerians, 35th Century BC folks. Lots of biblical tales originate from that culture. That Western History was born there wasnt lost on me with Iraqs city of Ur.

In the Exorcist didnt the evil come from Sumeria???

And I do believe according to Erich Von Däniken they believe we are children of the stars. Trippy stuff from the beginning.

 @JackMurphyRGR

 Dan Brown couldnt come up with a better story line. What a tangled mess.

 @Old PH2 

* I also read that the Gospel of Thomas was in Arahmaic Greek (that's what I meant)

 @Old PH2 

Is the Gospel of Thomas written in Koine Greek or Coptic Greek, and what exactly is the difference between these two Greek languages? I've also read Arahmaic Greek.

Sorry, learned a lot about the Essenes and the Gnostics over the weekend, still trying to get as much info as I can on them.

How'd you learn Koine? and What's your take on the Gospel of Thomas?

Jack brought up marionette and puppets, a large aspect of control is also in language. It's absolutely cool that you read Koine, your buddy reads Hebrew and Connor reads Latin. 

Sumerian is another interesting language. Carl Sagan added Sumerian in that sat we sent out in the 70s. I wish I could read Sumerian, they seem to have the absolutely wildest and coolest stories.

 @LCpl X I was lucky enough to see part of the Scrolls when they appeared at the NY public library back in the 90's, I read koine but a buddy reads the archaic Hebrew and translated a couple of the better known verses on the spot.  Pretty heady stuff, I'm still blown away at how accurate our modern translations are in comparison.  

 @Old PH2

Kinda like Colombia too.

Very interesting, gents. Burned up google just searching thru what you guys posted.

If only Hollywood wrote all this in for 'Red Dawn', would've made for a fuller viewing experience.

Visited the Hungtington Library this weekend, and was blown away by its roll in making the Dead Sea scrolls available to the public, after years of only certian groups having access to it, feeding closed conclusions to the public.

Definitely a covert ops worth writing about, library vs. library. Also a read for students of arkane knowledge and groups, like Jack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls#Publication

Did you guys know Pythagoras studied with the Essenes of Egypt and Mt. Carmel (near Nazareth)?

 @JackMurphyRGR Maybe I'm off, but I thought the Masonic Lodge was anti Catholic.  Maybe just here in the States?  That is one twisted story, your right about the rabbit hole!! 

Silvio Berlusconi, Roberto Calvi, and Juan Peron, wow!

 @Old PH2 It was more than that.  The best quote I've seen on th topic (and maybe about politics in general) is that the right wing was controlled like a sock puppet and the left wing was controlled like a marionette.

Be careful, you might slip down the rabbithole: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due#Licio_Gelli.27s_list_found_in_1981

 @JackMurphyRGR Just googled it.  Yep, I can see why no one is coming forward.  Right wing paramilitary being used against Italian left wing political parties.  Talk about blowing up in your face,OUCH!!

Damn those boys seriously stepped on their dicks.

 @Old PH2 We know that there were cells in pretty much every European country but don't know the code names or a lot of details in most cases.

 @JackMurphyRGR So, no other "Sword" units being admitted to?

 @Old PH2 It was European wide, into Turkey as well and ties to South America and probably South Africa.  We know it as Gladio because the Italian cell was the one that had it's cover blown.