Syrian opposition group fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria, in this undated file image posted by the Raqqa Media Center which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting.
President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House in Washington, on Sept. 10, 2014.Read moreObama orders U.S. airstrikes in Syria for first time
Hours before President Obama was scheduled to address the country regarding his plan to "degrade and ultimately destroy" ISIS, Chattanoogans were divided on what the president should do to stop the terrorist group that has seized control of large swaths of Iraq and Syria.
Despite two beheadings carried out by the group on camera and a rising concern about the Islamic State militants that has been reflected in the media worldwide, a number of people downtown who were asked about the situation said they didn't know much about it.
But those who did expressed a general feeling that the nation needs to do something to protect our country and citizens in ISIS-occupied nations. Others expressed a strong reluctance to get involved in another overseas entanglement following two wars which, they said, had only made things worse.
Reed Tomlin, chief technology officer for Carbon Objects, said he favors limited intervention against ISIS.
"I don't think we have an appetite for boots on the ground," he said. "I think we need more airstrikes. Maybe targeted operations, but nothing large-scale. I just don't think that there's political capital for that or that it's a good idea."
Allie O'Connell, CEO of Carbon Objects, who was eating lunch with Tomlin, said action against ISIS shouldn't be treated like other operations in the Middle East.
She said the biggest thing we need to stay away from is attempts at nation-building, like the United States has tried in the past.
"I think the nation-building project has proved maybe culturally insensitive, maybe not super effective," she said. "But I do think the international community is concerned that if ISIS isn't stopped quickly, it could become a much worse problem."
Bassam Issa, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga, said in a phone interview he also believes ISIS needs to be stopped, just as any terrorist organization should be stopped.
"I think we should defend ourselves, and I think that ISIS is just a terrorist organization like a lot of others out there," he said. "It's an organization that has nothing to do with Islam whatsoever."
He added that equating ISIS to true Islam is "absolutely wrong." He cited the brutal attacks and executions carried out by ISIS, most notably of two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, who were beheaded in separate videos released online.
"Islam basically states in the Quran that whoever kills one human being, it's as if he killed the entire world," Issa said.
He emphasized that the conflict with ISIS is politically driven rather than religiously driven. And when it comes to fighting ISIS, he advocated using citizens of the affected countries, rather than sending in Americans on the ground.
"We use our air force, and the soldiers of these countries go in," he said. "We can give them weapons if we need to and let them do the ground work. There's plenty of people there to fight on the ground. It's their fight, and we can help from there."
But other residents, such as Annette Green, said the United States should not get involved at all.
"We've got enough to worry about over here," she said, citing joblessness and homelessness in America. "Everybody needs to take care of home first."
Ben Schnell, a project manager for Lamp Post Group, said the last thing we should do is return to Iraq.
"I think the biggest mistake we could make right now would be to go back in to Iraq, whether that be troops going back on the ground, or air strikes," he said. "If anything we should fund any humanitarian help, if there's any opportunities for that."
Residents John Barry, who is a lawyer, and his friend Jim Hubbard, who is retired and now helps run a hot dog stand downtown, both said they're exasperated with Obama's inability thus far to act at all, in any direction.
"I think we ought to be doing more than we are doing," Barry said. "(ISIS has) announced they mean to do us harm in any way they can, and it doesn't seem to me like we are doing enough to prevent that from happening."
Hubbard said regardless of what Obama said in his speech, he doesn't believe he'll follow through.
"He just has no comprehension of what to do," Hubbard said. "He's just sitting back waiting for them to come over here and hurt us. Don't wait until they do it."
Contact staff writer Hannah Smith at hsmith@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6731.