Why the hell are we going to war with them? Somehow the killing of two journalists rose to the level of a national security problem? This is completely asinine, and is complete bullshit. Everything about this situation has been like a real life Wag the Dog. Much of it has been blown way out of proportion.
Yes, IS is taking over large portions of Syria, our enemy, and Iraq, no clue what that relationship is. However, how does this make it our problem? No matter what the media says, IS is not randomly killing Christians, or really anyone, at least if the populace abides by the IS laws. Oh, and yes, they are laws, they are a functional government with complete control of their territory. Heck, they are collecting taxes, and are paying wages to the government officials throughout their territory.
As for their threats to attack us, I find them to be funny, from a US point of view, and needed from an IS point of view. I believe that it is pure propaganda to win support. They are landlocked and are busy consolidating power. To consolidate their power they need the locals to think they are pissed at the US, but that is all it is, at least for the foreseeable future. They have great leadership that seems to know what they are doing by yelling at the US. (Hell, look at Germany complaining about the US spying, at least until they got caught doing the same thing. That was pure propaganda to boost support for Merkel.)
To me, IS is part of the natural order of a sovereign state’s life span. They are created, and after an indeterminate amount of time they are challenged, and either fail, lose power, or win more power. (The latter is what happened after the US Civil War.) I see this as a fight that the locals need to fight. If we choose the winner, does the victor have the support of the locals? I doubt they would, and so the mess in the Middle East would continue.
Yes, two journalists appear to have lost their lives, but they went to Syria knowing the risks, and yes, that was one of the risks. I empathize with their families, but it does not rise to the level of a national security issue.
Current and upcoming military action by the US is stupid, and pointless. It doesn’t matter if US troops are used or not, either way it is stupid to attack. If you must, keep sending aid, and ensure that refugees can leave, but that is all.