What puzzles me most is why we seem to give these people any sense of legitimacy. We treat them as a foreign military, as a political entity, as a government. They are not. We all know what happens when you have a moral system which combines tribalism and worshipful devotion. Religion isn't the problem, it's an accessory to the problem. The true problem lies in the politics. No worshipful institution, be they State or Church, should command a group for its own ends. It's like a psychopath with an army.

Our countries have stood side-by-side before in the face of tyranny, even if we did so ambivalently at time. We've stood against France in the 1800s, Germany in the 1930s-40s and again the Soviets until 1991. That was tyranny, they were threats. We aren't dealing with a rogue government here. We're dealing with a fucking mafia; thieves and murderers with principles.

I think they deserve to be treated like the criminals they are, and face death for their crimes.

/rant

Sure, they're not as scary as the Third Reich or the USSR, but given how fast they've assimilated huge portions of Iraq and Syria with tactical brilliance illustrates that they're more than just a disorganized "mafia" as you say. We definitely need to be keeping an eye on them.

I'm not saying otherwise, nor am I calling them disorganised.

I'm calling them out for what they are - thugs and criminals. Not a legitimate political entity.

They're just scum.

Don't we treat them the same as Al-Qaida?

The media sure as shit isn't.

Does anyone even take the media seriously anymore. They're only in it for the ratings.