Military strikes on Syria - Yes or No ?

[gxm]

A very firm NO. It is times like this that I am proud to be a Green Party supporter. Thank heavens one political party is standing against this.

 

[21merc7]

A very firm NO. It is times like this that I am proud to be a Green Party supporter. Thank heavens one political party is standing against this.

Agreed.

I don't support any party, but billions (or millions, ever how long) of years of this should tell us that we do nothing. They will not stop until "they" are all gone on both sides. Ever.

They want us back for what reason? If we go back, what are the repercussions?

If we don't, what are the repercussions?

Seriously, the U.S. is not really in a place to get involved with anyone anymore, or at least that is what we are told. If we are so broke b/c of something like this, can't we stay out of it as every other Country does?

 

[MsFacetious]

Over the past two years, 720,000 registered refugees have made the dangerous crossing from Syria into Lebanon. According to aid organizations on the ground, at least that many more have also come across illegally.

In a country of 4 million people, roughly one in four is now a refugee. Lebanon is buckling under the weight of these refugees, leading to abysmal conditions.

In the largest camp in Bekaa Valley, there is no fixed water supply or sanitation. There are streams of putrid waste snaking their way through the camps. And there is not enough food.

----------------------------

To simply live in a makeshift tent on a 10-by-10-foot plot of dirt, some of the landowners in Bekaa Valley are charging $100 a month. It would almost be laughable except as so often happens -- the children bear the brunt of this hardship. They work in the fields for $2 a day, beg under bridges and turn to prostitution.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/08/health/gupta-child-refugees-syria-lebanon/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

[Sonya610]

Over the past two years, 720,000 registered refugees have made the dangerous crossing from Syria into Lebanon. According to aid organizations on the ground, at least that many more have also come across illegally.

Syria ended up with a tremendous amount of Iraqi refugees (a million or so if I recall) many of whom are still in Syria. They are really in bad shape now too because they could not get work visas and they are forced to live in the neighborhoods with the heaviest fighting (rents went up in the safer areas).

On top of that many Iraqi refugees CHOSE Syria because it is a secular country that didn't persecute based on religion, but now the havoc is also causing conflicts among the religious communities (i.e. Shi'ite vs Sunni etc...).

 

[MsFacetious]

Eight in 10 Americans think Bashar al-Assad gassed his own people,
but they don't want to do anything about it, a new CNN/ORC International poll says.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/09/politics/syria-poll-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t1


Horrific Evidence.
Men convulsing on a tile floor.
Children seemingly unable to control their shaking.
Screams in the background

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/po...ongress-syria.cnn&hpt=hp_c2&from_homepage=yes

 

[jjenny]

Eight in 10 Americans think Bashar al-Assad gassed his own people,
but they don't want to do anything about it, a new CNN/ORC International poll says.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/09/politics/syria-poll-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t1


Horrific Evidence.
Men convulsing on a tile floor.
Children seemingly unable to control their shaking.
Screams in the background

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/po...ongress-syria.cnn&hpt=hp_c2&from_homepage=yes

How is bombing them going to help them?

 

[MsFacetious]

Syria president denies ordering chemical attack

Bashar al-Assad says a chemical attack wasn't his responsibility and warns U.S. and allied powers that any strike will generate an unpredictable response.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/09/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

[LaLaw2000]

I have an immediate family member in the Army who does not think a strike will help and doesn't want to see a strike happen.

O/T - not concerning Syria:
He will be leaving for Kuwait in early October. An interesting thing is that a National Guard unit from a town 20 miles from here left 2 weeks ago and a unit from my town left last week. Wonder why there seems to be a 'stacking up' in Kuwait?

 

[LaLaw2000]

How is bombing them going to help them?

IMO, a strike wouldn't help anyone. Even though a strike can be directed at a target away from any city, why add to the devastation and why risk having the al-Assad crazy anger directed at the United States?

I probably shouldn't say this, but I do believe in the assassination of such an evil dictator. MOO, MOO, MOO!

 

[Sonya610]

I probably shouldn't say this, but I do believe in the assassination of such an evil dictator. MOO, MOO, MOO!

Assassinating him would cause utter havoc (plus it likely wouldn't be that easy to do, dictators are smart about things like that).

Rumor has it the US strikes wouldn't even want to overthrow him as that also would cause havoc, the country would be thrown into large scale civil war with Hezbollah on one side and Al Queda/Muslim Brotherhood on the other. No matter who won they would be hostile towards Israel and even more unpredictable than Assad is.

 

[Elley Mae]

"I state that the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the Russian initiative, motivated by the Syrian leadership's concern for the lives of our citizens and the security of our country, and also motivated by our confidence in the wisdom of the Russian leadership, which is attempting to prevent American aggression against our people," he said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162...chemical-weapons-under-international-control/

 

[LaLaw2000]

Assassinating him would cause utter havoc (plus it likely wouldn't be that easy to do, dictators are smart about things like that).

Rumor has it the US strikes wouldn't even want to overthrow him as that also would cause havoc, the country would be thrown into large scale civil war with Hezbollah on one side and Al Queda/Muslim Brotherhood on the other. No matter who won they would be hostile towards Israel and even more unpredictable than Assad is.

I wasn't talking about the U.S. doing an assassination necessarily. Assassinations are not that difficult. I would think that anyone, regardless of who they were, should be assassinated if they gassed their own people. I'd rather see one evil person die than many, many innocent ones - especially children.

MOO!

 

[Sonya610]

I wasn't talking about the U.S. doing an assassination necessarily. Assassinations are not that difficult. I would think that anyone, regardless of who they were, should be assassinated if they gassed their own people. I'd rather see one evil person die than many, many innocent ones - especially children.

MOO!

I am sure Assad is closely protected and the only people that likely DO have access to him are his cabinet members and other close associates.

First off, if Assad goes down then chances are all of those close to him will ALSO go down, possibly be executed, or best case scenario end up in prison while their families are thrown into poverty.

Secondly if you were part of that inner circle and you tried and FAILED to kill him do you have any idea what would happen? Chances are your friends and your family/children could end up dead (possibly tortured to death). Heck even if you succeeded that doesn't mean his henchmen won't go after you and yours anyway.

Maybe you would risk the lives of your children and take the chance but many folks won't.

 

[Sparky]

I have an immediate family member in the Army who does not think a strike will help and doesn't want to see a strike happen.

O/T - not concerning Syria:
He will be leaving for Kuwait in early October. An interesting thing is that a National Guard unit from a town 20 miles from here left 2 weeks ago and a unit from my town left last week. Wonder why there seems to be a 'stacking up' in Kuwait?

IMO They are rearranging things over there.

 

[Elley Mae]

Mr. Lavrov said Russia was proposing that Syria join the international Convention on Chemical Weapons, which bars the manufacture, stockpiling and use of poison gas.

Syria is one of seven nations that are not parties to the treaty, the others being Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea and South Sudan. “We are counting on a quick, and I hope, positive answer,” Mr. Lavrov said Monday evening as Mr. Kerry flew back to Washington to attend briefings on Capitol Hill intended to build support for a military response to Syria’s use of such weapons.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/w...ould-hand-over-all-chemical-arms.html?hp&_r=0

And Mr. Kerry also said that the White House would not slow down its efforts to win Congressional approval of a military strike, the State Department official said.

In early 2009, Mr. Kerry met with Mr. Assad in Damascus to explore the possibility of improving relations between the United States and Syria. Mr. Kerry said that he confronted Mr. Assad about intelligence confirming that Syria had transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah.
Mr. Kerry said that Mr. Assad had “denied it to my face,” adding, “This is a man without credibility.”

I don't think these two like each other very much. jmo

 

[Elley Mae]

French UN proposal on Syria ‘unacceptable,’ Russia says

http://www.france24.com/en/20130910-french-un-proposal-syria-‘unacceptable’-russia-says

Russia told France on Tuesday that its proposal for a UN Security Council resolution holding the Syrian government responsible for the alleged use of chemical weapons was unacceptable.

Ut Oh

 

[Elley Mae]

The UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting on Syria at 20:00 GMT.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24040659

 

[MsFacetious]

Obama set to sell strike on Syria

The hardest job in Washington today belongs to President Barack Obama’s speechwriters - they have to craft an address calling for a vote in Congress that Obama may or may not abide by, over a military strike the president may or may not need, for a war he’s said he prefers not to wage.

So how do you make that one sing?

The Obama administration hasn't been clear in describing what they want the military action to be.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...address-a-speechwriters-tall-order/?hpt=hp_t1

 

[Brassband]

A big fat NO.
Didn't we learn anything from Vietnam?
Obama really needs to give back the Nobel peace prize. What a joke!

 

[21merc7]

Chemical Disarmament Hard Even in Peacetime

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/world/middleeast/Syria-Chemical-Disarmament.html?_r=0

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