The Five Year U.S. War against Syria Enters a New Phase
I need to be talked down. Donald Trump, the President of this country and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and intelligence services, has unilaterally attacked Syria with missiles aimed at government and military resources, based on the lie that the Assad government was behind the recent alleged chemical weapons incident in Syria. There is no doubt the alleged chemical weapon incident was a false flag taken to justify this very action. Anyone who doubts that, prove me wrong.
To keep it in perspective, our last president, Obama and his Secretary of States Clinton and Kerry, also attacked Syria starting with the fake Arab Spring and the unleashing of their proxy Al Qaeda turned ISIS army against the Syria people and the Assad government. Those calling for congressional authorization to attack Syria should have been calling for it for the last five years because that's when the U.S. first attacked Syria (this iteration).
The despicable duo McCain and Graham are happy, the neocons are happy, the Clintons are happy, all the American warmongers and imperialists are happy, Trump has saved the day. They'll finally get their regime change and be able to proceed post haste to Iran. That's their hope anyway.
The lies and propaganda regarding the war in Syria have been off the charts for five straight years, The mainstream, corporate media has literally joined together with our own fucking government to purposefully lie to the American people about what has been happening in Syria. That includes the vast majority of news on the internet. The only places where the entire truth has been documented has been the very sites the establishment labels fake news. The corporate media continues to label it a "civil war". Even supposedly alternative news sites, like Democracy Now, have used that label which is not only erroneous, but flat out a propaganda false narrative meant to obscure the real reasons for the war. It's meant to paint the war as a fight between Syrians for the future of their country when in fact it's a war the U.S. and Israel started to do exactly what Trump wants to do now, regime change and country balkanization. It's not and has never been a "civil war". That is bullshit. The plans have been in the works for decades.
Clearly, what has hit me most in this is not the fact that the U.S., behind it's new president Donald Trump, has unleashed a barrage of missiles into Syria. Nor is it the lies that I hear from Trump, Clinton, McCain, Graham, the corporate media and most of the alternative media. Nor is it the possibility of nuclear war with Russia. What has hit me most is reading and listening to the people of this country. After the Gulf of Tonkin, the JFK assassination, MLK assassination, 9/11, WMD's and babies in incubators and the Iraq war, Obama's red line and many other obvious and proven lies from our government and the oligarchy's media, very few people want to know the truth. Even when told, they cannot accept it for one reason or another. It doesn't get through. Today on the caucus99percent blog, a relative bastion of insightfulness, there were some of who felt the Syria war was too complex and that "we" should not "intervene" over this alleged chemical attack. To clarify, it's not that complex. The U.S. and company are trying to and have been trying to take down the Assad government and Syria for the last five years. And there is no intervening about it, the U.S. has been attacking Syria for five years, how the hell can it intervene? Especially for something it is behind, i.e., this is a false flag event.
I'm stuck between it's fucking useless to so pissed I need to do something about it. I just don't know if there are enough people to join me. Most everybody else seems too fucking confused.
Comments
Was flipping out earlier myself.
Have the same feeling in my gut as when Desert Storm was announced, and the second time when I found out I was going to Iraq.
I smoked pot, and looked at a map of the country. Not Syria. This one. I like to intellectualize anger, and try to see patterns. So, I went with what the continent of NA will look like in political reality, if not the strictest letter of the law.
You ever compare maps of empires? It's fascinating how they tend to move outward from a central point then collapse the same way. I don't think we'll ever get to the point where the federal government will ever claim to NOT have authority, but with nobody maintaining the roads and the rest of the infrastructure, terrain tends to set the borders.
Rocky Mountains are a nice big barrier to an army... as is the Mojave. I figure at least a break between the west and the east. California's gonna get awfully thirsty without LA being fed by the water of 4 other states...
I don't feel a LOT better, but it helps me put things in perspective. History has its ebbs and flows, and that's where I put my mind. I have to BELIEVE that they won't start an active nuclear war. Because there's really no way you can prepare for that. Then it just becomes a matter of luck.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
@detroitmechworks the MIC just landed the
the MIC just landed the biggest fish. Lookit that. The fishing season opened Sat and already a 300 lb Trump reeled in with congratulations, ribbons, medals for all participants. The winner used a sarin lure which has not been very successful before, but this fish apparently was far less smart than other fish.A heart warming spring spectacle. Im reading up on NiFe batteries, getting lots of bucks outta the ATM,and stocking up on canned goods. If the designated opponents are as smart as I think they are, its far more likely the grid will go down than that missels will fly.
@detroitmechworks Don't bank on them (US)
Don't bank on them (US) not starting a nuclear war. Our elites talk all the time about a limited nuclear strike, how nuclear war is "survivable", how they (elites) are buying bug-out places in New Zealand or bomb-proof places in the US. They are utterly deranged and driven by greed and possibly Satanic possession. The Satan part is my only way of describing the unbelievable death and misery we have rained down on other countries in the name of Democracy. This strike on Syria is a way of taking the spotlight off of the demented fiends who are running this country. China and Russia are preparing to get off the US dollar. Pedogate is still out there, now Susan Rice and spying by the Obama administration, and a host of other revelations that must be buried by the fog of war. I weep for this country, because we will reap the whirlwind. It can't continue on this way.
@importer
Lol, yeah, some of them'll sit it out On The Beach in New Zealand, wondering where the sunlight went and why their hair's falling out, at least for a while, and the rest of them'll venture out into the new, darkened, drought-wracked, oxygen-free post-nuking world after several years of waiting for the (from our viewpoint) permanently high radiation level to die down a bit, when their life support system glitches or the power supply otherwise fails, only to find that there's no there there anymore, because they've killed off the naturally sustainable oxygen production system along with everything else...
Sometimes thinking of this is the only thing that keeps me going, even though we'll all be long gone by then.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Are we overlooking the timing?
The missiles were launched 6 minutes before the leader of China left Trump's palace. Was it intentional that this attack would take place while the leader of China was visiting? A show of power?
It appears that the airbase in Syria was not warned and people were killed in the attack. What this attack portends is the stuff of nightmares. That a barely sane President can launch missiles without consulting congress is a nightmare. And his concern over "beautiful babies" while thousands of beautiful babies are dying of starvation in Yemen and it hasn't worried him at all.
Take it easy Al, you are not alone.
To thine own self be true.
Thanks Marilyn, I think this might most be like
someone accused of a false crime by the cops and sent away to prison based on planted evidence. There seems to be nothing you can do about it and it's completely maddening because no one, or very few, will believe your story. The cops get away with it and you rot in prison.
@MarilynW
Thanks, I had no idea that the leader of China was possibly present at this display of lunacy.
The rest of the world is going to be looking at getting rid of the US threat before the US threat gets rid of them - but psychopaths seemingly never really believe that they themselves can suffer any of the negative results of their own actions, even when they're cunning enough to not get caught...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
@MarilynW It reminded me of Pearl
It reminded me of Pearl Harbor when we had Japanese Ambassadors in DC. I don't think it is a big leap to think that the Trumpster would perceive a "show of force" in Syria as a message to the visiting Xi that we are NUMBER 1.
I had hopes that Trump would be able to do some of the things he talked about during the election, but it's clear now that he either lied his ass off to get the job or has been totally neutered by the neocon/libs who need this war to get the heat off of them.
@importer I think not; the desire
I think not; the desire for this war in Syria goes back to the 90s; it's doubtful we attacked Assad to make a point to China.
On the other hand, aside from the seven wars ordered up by the neocons years ago (Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Iran and Yemen) http://www.globalresearch.ca/we-re-going-to-take-out-7-countries-in-5-ye..., the other focus in PNAC's loathsome document of 17 years ago was "East Asia," so maybe we ARE making a point to China. If "YOU'RE NEXT!" is the point, we should all hug our families, say whatever prayers we want, and love every minute left of our lives, because there's nothing else to do.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
There is seldom one reason for us to start a war........
The Bush Crime family always liked to roll up a bunch of stuff at once. The Republicans just used the Nuclear Option to put another raging conservative corporate hack on the Supreme Court, opening the door for either party to jam through the craziest zealots they can find whenever there is an opening. A little message to China here, a coverup of some embarrassing revelations about Susan Rice, Barack Obama, pedogate, Russiagate, the economy is falling apart - there is stuff being dropped everyday. Time for a wag the dog war with Syria, to distract the public from the BS that passes for governing in this country.
I associated it with King of Jordan, but, sure,
showing your biggest creditor how nucking futs you can be is good, too.
I hear you
I haven't been apoplectic, but I have been internally furious. This is what I feared would happen, and now it's happening.
The ANSWER Coalition is still around. You can check to see if they have anything going on in your area here: http://www.answercoalition.org/protests_to_stop_the_war_on_syria
So far, they've got protests scheduled for tomorrow in Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, New York City, Sarasota, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, New Haven, Boston, and Los Angeles. Not bad for one day's notice.
I spent a frustrating day arguing with people over at DK. For some reason I decided it was very important today to write an article arguing against war in Syria. It turned out to be prophetic, since I published it before I heard news of the cruise missile attack, before it had even occurred. I wrote about how what's going on now reminded me of 2002/2003 with Iraq, and then 2011 with Libya. And then I posted it. And then within a few hours, I find out the US lobbed some cruise missiles into Syria.
I do not want to be a Cassandra, but then again, I don't think Cassandra herself wanted her position either.
I suppose in the grand scheme of things it went better than expected, but it had about what you might expect in it -- people arguing that Assad is a monster, and so were Saddam and Gaddafi, and that it was the duty of the United States to slay these monsters, and that the world is better off for having done so. I might attempt to respond to some of them tomorrow, but I'm honestly not sure if it's worth the effort.
I don't know how this will end, but I fear that whatever the details, the answer broadly defined will be "not well."
Thanks for that information.
It's hopeful. I'll be doing some protesting myself this weekend. Going to get some supplies to make a new sign tomorrow.
Oh good lord!
the people who are saying that those people are or were monsters can't see that our government officials are just as bad.
How many of those leaders have committed as many war crimes as ours have?
This country not only invades, bombs, puts crippling sanctions on other countries and teaches other country's military to commit torture and other human rights violations, it also tortures people or pick them up from their countries and sends them to countries that they know are going to torture them.
I can not abide the hypocrisy of the people in our country who thinks that our government doesn't do what those dictators do.
Remember the Tuskegee experiments when our government infected the men with syphilis Or subjected them to the radiation from the nuclear bombs and other crimes that were committed against the people in this country.
Our shit stinks just as much as those other people's.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
Today, our shit stinks one hell of a lot worse
snoop, one hell of a lot worse. And I too want to just scream at the hypocrisy, Trump talking about "no child of God" should have this done to them and there's the headline on the front page of the NYT. My God.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
Minor correction
The Tuskegee experiment did NOT "infect men with syphilis" - it sought out men who already had syphilis, and then treated only some of them so that it would have a "control group" to compare treatment results with. (And no, the poor "controls" were NEVER treated, even after positive results were in.)
Still fiendish, but not quite as demonic as most people think.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
@kakumeiji maru
Good for you, although I don't expect that many remaining over there are capable of reasoning.
But this appalling war crime was telegraphed by the perpetrators in enacting the now-typical False Flag excuse for attack and this war crime cannot - yet again - be left as a done deal, although disposing of Trump brings Pence, and a more calculated worse, abetted by a carefully corrupted NATO.
The whole mess should have been brought down, if only a real investigation had been possible at the time when concerns were voiced about Clinton-related investigations into scandals bringing down the entire, rotten governmental thinly-whited sepulcher. That would have been survivable.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Our monsters are so much better?
Because of American exceptionalism, maybe?
It heartbreakingly ironic: Trump said something like I'm saying, right on national TV, the only national elected official I know of to have done so. Yet he does this.
I too am dumbfounded about the number of people who don't
want to accept the truth about how our government spreads propaganda time after time to get people to accept their wars and they fall for it every damned time.
I am stunned by the same people who saw through the WMDs story are falling for this false flag act and their only problem is that Trump is doing it because he's either Putin's puppet or he's wagging the dog to get people away from the Russian propaganda that says that Russia interfered with the election or whatever other issues that he is involved in.
And many congress members are upset that he didn't get approval from them before he launched this attack against a sovereign country.
Here's a few responses from congressional leaders.
So many members of congress seem to be more upset that he didn't get their permission to bomb Syria than the fact that he did it.
Alrighty then Barbara, where the hell have you been for the last 8 f'cking years when Obama was committing war crimes in the 7-8 countries that he was using drones on?
Or his and Hillary's war crimes against Libya and Syria? Or his aiding and abetting the war crimes against the civilians in Yemen? What gave him the authority to help the Saudis kill civilians by dropping the bombs on them including cluster bombs that he sold them?
Of course these two cretinous men are quite happy with Donald for doing this. McCain has been upset with both Barack and Donald for not killing more people.
I don't have any answers for how we can stop this inhumane madness of going from country after country and destroying them and killing untold numbers of people and creating over 5 million refugees who are stuck in hideous camps without proper or adequate resources for them.
Half of more of the people in this country approve of Trump's actions or are upset with him not because what he is doing is a war crime, but the fact that he is who he is and they question the reason why he did this.
I wish I had the answer for how we hold our government responsible for their war crimes and the unimaginable misery that they are inflicting on millions of people.
My wish is that other country's leaders finally see how this country's actions are risking WWIII and hold them responsible for their war crimes as was set up during the Nuremberg trials instead of aiding and helping them.
Wasn't that the reason why NATO was created? So that no country could do what Hitler did?
How many times are people going to ignore the Never Again promise that was made after WWII?
I
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
@snoopydawg
Thank you! Your comment ought to be required reading, even for those who can barely be led to the fountain of reason, never mind drink from it, just in case some seed of sanity might one day take root as a result.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
There may well come a day
when Americans wake up to the news of bombs or missiles be dropped on the US. At some point, countries opposed to the reckless, warmongering behavior of the US will unite to put a stop to the world wide threat we represent. We are the most dangerous terrorist threat in the world today. And we have a leader who makes Kim Jong Un look reasonably sane.
I certainly won't be surprised if the US is attacked militarily. In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't happened already. There are many ways to bring the US down, military force is just one. I truly believe our days as a menace to the world are going to come to a very abrupt end. And we will have deserved it!
I've been in a state of shock at what Trump has managed to do in 11 weeks. I don't have words to express how embarrassed and ashamed I am to be an American citizen. I hang my head in shame.
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”
George W. Bush
It is only a matter of time before history repeats the lesson..
Time and time again Nationalism rose to prominence after an economic downturn, the angry population suffering in austerity from the corrupt government working in concert with the extremely wealthy pushed the population to their limits. The people look for a leader to end their plight and are given the choice of an angry candidate who elevates Nationalistic Pride and is ready to lash out at the imagined foe responsible. Fed a constant diet of government supplied propaganda and the War Drums beat their steady song of the bad choice of an unjust war.
Time and time again the entire world rises up to meet this threat and conquer the Evil Empire. We are headed for our turn...
We can only hope that there will be an effort to rebuild our economy after the dust settles, but I fear we will not see that happen...
I hold the
DemocRATicParty responsible for this, as they criminally eliminated the one possible sane choice that may have ended this madness to rush to our demise...I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."
~John F. Kennedy~
Economic: -9.13, Social: -7.28,
@reflectionsv37 Trump "managed" to do
Trump "managed" to do it in 11 weeks because it wasn't only Trump that was doing it. This is a unified, continuing policy implemented by every President since 2000, and it's possible groundwork was laid for it during the Clinton regime.
If we don't stop interpreting things individualistically and/or along partisan lines, we're sunk. Of course, maybe we're sunk anyway.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@snoopydawg Putin warned some time
Putin warned some time ago that is the US wanted to continue down this road, we would not sit here all comfy like we have in the past when we did these horrible things in the name of Democracy. He warned that this time we would pay a price. I don't think it was an empty threat.
Any country in the world, including our supposed "allies" have to be looking at this and wondering if they are next. We are trying to start a World War with RUSSIA, CHINA, IRAN and a lot of other countries that are not happy with us. Do we honestly think that all the countries we have invaded and destroyed since WWII have really "forgiven" us - do we even think about that? Japan - our "strong ally" suffered two atomic blasts that have wreaked havoc on their country to this day. When the chips are down and North Korea is a block away with nukes, are they going to back our play or are they going to fold their cards and let us suffer some of what we have done to others? How about all of South America? We can't get enough of destroying their governments, we are at it all the time. How about Mexico? Are they going to join us when the bombs start falling here, or are they going to sit back and watch the show? Maybe they'll build a wall to keep us out.
I feel we are in for a real comeuppance and we may be surprised at who joins on the other side or cheers them on.
^^^This!^^^
This is an outstanding comment, worthy of its own essay!
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
I second that. Move the motion be adopted/
@snoopydawg When you guys talk about
When you guys talk about "how many" people are buying this shit, are you talking about politicians, media figures, etc.? Or are you talking about people you know or those you meet in your daily rounds?
I talked to a conservative-looking young man who was carrying out my groceries today. I bet he and I don't share a lot of political views, but when he asked me how I was today, and I said, honestly, not good, because I don't like this new war, it makes me nervous, he nodded and said "It's scary." Now, of course, they don't want to alienate customers, but in his eyes there was none of the wall that goes up when you say something political people disagree with, but they don't feel free to disagree openly. There was understanding.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I am talking about people like the ones on DK
and all the other people who were upset with what Bush did but either went silent when Obama did the same things, or believed that Gaddafi was giving his troops viagra to rape women, that he was arresting journalists and people who were protesting against him and again forgetting that Obama was president when OWS was brutally taken down by his DHS, and his silence when protesters were met by riot police who also arrested journalists.
And the ones who said it was okay for him to use drones in countries that had nothing to do with 9/11 because they saved our soldier's lives.
And especially the people who refused to see that Hillary is a warmonger. Or that she was responsible for the carnage in Libya and the misery and suffering in Honduras after she and Obama
accepted the new government after the coup which is against US policy.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
@snoopydawg Ah, the partisans. Do
Ah, the partisans. Do they even know the horrors they're supporting?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
The reason for the missiles is to set back
the ability of Assad to destroy the Al Qaeda terrorists and give them time to recover. The terrorists had been taking a shit kicking around Hama after their short lived string of victories using a very large amount of munitions, including US manufactured TOW missiles. This will give them time to receive more weapons from the US and its allies.
Thanks CB, I saw something earlier from a Syrian
official who said the strikes were aimed at helping the terrorists. So this is probably a one time thing for now with a number of purposes. I mentioned before about what Haley said about Russia complicity. So it's about pressure on Russia also.
With moves by Barbara Lee, Rand Paul and others, as well as Russia and China's responses, this was a big move, risky since they have no proof Assad did it.
ISIS taking this opportunity to attack near the airbase
@CB
Gee, almost sounds coordinated with their US funders, doesn't it?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Apparently no major damage!
The runways weren't damaged, aircraft in hangars weren't hit, the few aircraft hit were already unable to fly, 59 cruise missiles were fired, but less than half landed, and "only" seven people were killed. Very odd. Very interesting. The media is happy, though they still want more blood. Hmm.
http://thesaker.is/sitrep-important-update-on-the-us-attack-on-syria/
@Sunspots What the hell is
What the hell is going on?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Either it was only symbolic,
or our military is completely incompetent, or it's a judo play to draw out Neocons to purge them (I hope this is it), or its some combination. Or something else. I think.
Possibly
an "appropriate response," as it was described, that was coordinated with the Russians. When I've taken the time to read about the agreements that have been worked out, at least the public information that has been released about the very difficult process of working out who can attack whom and where, how Russia and the United States have agreed to coordinate their flights when engaged in attacks, since the ceasefire, I've been amazed at the complexity and the hard work the Russian government and someone in our government, maybe John Kerry or his colleagues, have gone to in order to reduce the chaos and move toward focusing on ISIS/AlQaeda, which are not part of the ceasefire.
All of this told me that there are people in both governments interested in ending this thing, which unfortunately, thanks to our allied fascists, necessitates destroying ISIS/AlQaeda. The agreement allows Assad to attack ISIS/AlQaeda. But, as our State Department admitted to reporters last fall, Al Qaeda is sadly "marbled" with moderate rebels, making it controversial at any time Assad attacks.
When a catastrophe like this chemical attack happens, it throws the whole agreement to hell. I feel it put Trump in the position of having to do something game-changing in response, something that would allow total brutality regime change to ensue. But I don't think he did. It looks like he did something powerful that did as little damage as possible to Assad, to the Russians, and to the ceasefire process. I believe him when he says he wants it to end, not expand. Maybe I'm hopeful. His real fight is with the CIA, the Saudi princes, and big oil.
@Linda Wood I really hope you
I really hope you're right.
Please, let there be some sane monsters among the monsters. Or even some actual sane people who aren't monsters. That would be spiffing.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
A clever double game!
If Trump and Co. can be considered clever at all, this might be a brilliant move. The damage is purposefully limited. Letting Trump cause little damage, Putin is not hurt at home. The neoCons are temporarily satiated by the blood and guts. ISIS runs into a trap by the still potent Syrian military. The deep state gets thrown a bone. Now Trump can just sit back and let Ricegate take its inevitable toll on Obama and Deep State.
@Alligator Ed I surely hope so.
I surely hope so. Fingers crossed!
If you'd told me ten years ago I'd be waiting in hope that Donald Trump would do a sane and clever thing to prevent World War III, I'd have asked what you were smoking.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@CB
Hey, those poor terrorists were losing! How unfair! Off with their victims heads!
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Updates about US strikes
This has to be a fully planned false flag event because
if the US really thought that Syria was bombing her own people from that airforce base with chemical weapons then those weapons would be in storage on the base. Sending cruise missiles to blow up the base would have an extreme risk of detonating the CW ordinance. If that happened then you are putting thousands of people at risk of death who are downstream of the CW cloud.
This was completely planned and had Trump's go-ahead. The way that the entire administration started to become hotly anti-Russian can only mean that Trump got strongly on the side of regime change in Syria, that the case was made and won, and that Russia stood in the way. The big question then is why???? It's hard to believe but it looks like it's being done to please our masters, the Saudis so that they can have their pipeline to Europe, and the Israelis who fear a neighbor with a strong military and who is pissed because of illegal occupation of their Golan Heights.
This has become a serious war crime as it's a breach of the UN charter and, by the way, a breach of the US Constitution. Trump has no right to do this. He has to go. This is the Vietnam war all over again. That was justified on lies and continuous lies to justify the killing. Now we don't have the gradual buildup, but are suddenly in an intolerable situation. I think that it is time for major demonstrations in US cities and around the world. Maybe Western governments can play poodle to Trump, but the people are much smarter than that. Especially because Trump is just creating more refugees for Europe to handle. This is 1968 all over again.
Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.
@The Wizard
Oh, boy, President Pence...
Regarding the following, I'm guessing that the Dems didn't really want to do it themselves and deal with the violent outcome, placing themselves at risk. Rewriting the US Constitution to suit their corporate/billionaires masters, I mean.
But, yeah, if they're planning to do away with even the pretense of checks and balances within government, just as they did away with any real pretense of free and fair US elections and have long failed to bother with any pretense whatsoever of protecting the constitutionally protected rights of Americans throughout the United States of America, (except where promoting profitable gun sales along with a lawless Wild West ideology to discredit the notions of civilization/democracy, law and order and of government itself) as they must swear to uphold and must actually do in order to qualify for public office, then why not just alter the Constitutional basis of law and designation of the country to a fascist tyranny?
Re the 2nd part - I noticed that the Repubs win is being attributed to stuff they prevented, like the appointment of Obama's chosen (corporate-friendly, TPP-supporting) Republican to the Supreme Court, rather than to the need to keep the Clintons the hell out of the White House again, and the Mad Bomber away from the nuclear Armageddon button, at all costs. Honestly, some of the simplistic ways some issues are being discussed on such shows make me dizzy... Of course, Americans never really get any actual electoral choice anyway, do they?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vonj1TbVSF8
Glad to know that we should be terrified, because I certainly am. Not often that I do exactly what I should...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
@The Wizard More immediately, it's
More immediately, it's because Trump doesn't want to stand in opposition to the Pentagon, the CIA, and all the industrialists involved in weapons production. Too rich for his blood. He folded his hand.
Yeah, he'd probably rather make money off the oil in Russia than blow Russia to smithereens--blowing ourselves to smithereens in the process--but he's not going to risk himself to stand up for that position: neither his political position nor his personal well-being. I'm surprised Obama made even the small gestures of pushback against this war that he did (once Clinton was out of Foggy Bottom).
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Two things, Al...
1) We need to push back as hard as we can, keep questioning the rationale (MOTIVE!) of those who've been accused (and those who've been accusing) AND the reliability of the voices in our government who urge us on to the next war (Tonkin Gulf, WMD). We may be few in number, but if we are appropriately motivated by fear, we just might be able to get our side heard.
2) One good first step is to maybe go over to Dailykos and see if we might not be able to 'de-program' some of those who used to be anti-war folks at DailyKos before they were manipulated by Hillary into becoming Big Brother devotees who can't imagine ever questioning our leaders when they are urging us to support some war they've alerted us to. A movement toward sanity could gradually take hold.
Maybe, just maybe, this will give us an opportunity to expose the bastards who are pushing this war in the media and make some real gains: by angrily challenging the idea that we can trust our leaders when it comes to issues of war and peace. The likely discovery later on that Assad did NOT order a chemical attack will give us a lot of credibility when this truth come to light.
Success, for us, ultimately will be persuading a majority of 'The Led' to doubt the trustworthiness of anything the pro-War faction has to announce to the American people.
Time to stand up and be counted...
James Kroeger
Love the sentiment but....
DK is a lost cause (circa 3/15/16) when the Deep State (aka Markos) firmly planted the flag atop a once vibrant community.
... I'm stuck between it's
What would you suggest doing? Certainly something desperately needs to be done, and quickly, but you're also absolutely right about about the confusion felt by people.
Would one of the issues be to make sure it's known that many people are not fooled by this endless repeat of the same-old, same-old copy/paste incidents and history of murderous corruption and that Obama's 'legalization' of illegal government propaganda to manipulate the American people right there at home is kind of a give-away?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I feel like ducking. When a red flag and bombs are being
tossed in an alternate universe to challenge Russia, Assad, and further destabilizing the entire Mediterranean region, which is already pressured by human migration, it may end very badly. Hard to see now how it can end, otherwise.
Frustrating and humiliating to live in a country squandering its wealth on making wars elsewhere.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
@riverlover
I don't think there's anywhere to duck to/under... Guess we just need to hold the thought that those luxury bunkers for the few will turn into death-traps once the power fails/a glitch hits/a massive earthquake lets the poison in.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Once the power fails, the Bunkerites will use generators
but probably forgot to install air vents. If they do have air vents, then the radiation they are trying to exclude will intrude. Choke.
@Alligator Ed
But what do they run those generators on?
Unless they're in the 'we'll just wait a moment after the blasts stop before going out, kids' crowd, like the people in that clip somebody posted a while back, of course.
Honestly, the continuing official industry downplaying of such hazards as radioactivity - even after a nuclear blast/spill - kills me. Even if slowly.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
How the hell can it (US) intervene?
Simple answer. Assad and Putin were winning despite the US and its allies sending a massive amount of arms to al Qaeda connected Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The base that was hit will put a huge crimp in the SAA's ability to hold back HTS and ISIS in recently won areas. Just watch the gains the extremists will make in the coming days. I think they have been pre-prepared for this false flag event. They want to retake Palmyra to give Russia another black eye.
The US also needs more time to capture Raqqa in order to set up the future partition of Syria.
@CB
I wish I wasn't so certain that you're absolutely right.
Voting for evil bears grim and toxic fruit...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Talking you down like the ones who talked down Trump?
The US Strike on Syria Underscores Trump’s Media-Fueled Worldview
Couldn't find any official statement by German politicians yet, but this morning German media voices from Washington said among others, the reason that Tomahawk missiles were fired, was because they are so precise that you can aim them with a 2 meter precicion on a target from 1000 miles away. May be that's why Tillerson dares to make the above quite silly statement, despite knowing the fact that the Russians having been present at the attacked Syrian air base.
The question I have in all of this is what Trump's role is supposed to be in all of it. He had read from the teleprompter like a trained dog to repeat someone else's goals, at least that's how he looked to me when he made his statements.
German reporter said this missile attack was considered a "warning shot" to see how far they (whoever the "they" are supposed to be) can go without starting "a war".
See my sig, second line. Pretend to be sane, Big Al. If you believe strong enough in yourself, you end up believing in what you pretend to be. Really, just wait and see. There is anothoer quote from Hermann Hesse that cones to mind:
"Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud." - Hermann Hesse
Peace. We live in horrible times with lost people in seducive, evil technologies nobody of the little people can control for the common good.
https://www.euronews.com/live
@mimi Trump making a 180
Trump making a 180-degree turn in 24 hours--reminiscent of Nancy Pelosi making a 180-degree turn on Iraq when she became Minority Leader, way back when. Usually means pressure has been brought to bear.
The issue here is not whether Trump is a good or bad man. He's a bad man, but so what? It's not his individual evil character that led to these bombings. There's a whole system of people that wants these bombings.
Everybody knows where the booze is. The problem is, who's willing to cross Capone?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
sure, I don't care if Trump is a good man or a bad man
even his degree of 'insanity' wouldn't get me hot. What I want to know is, in your opinion, who this 'whole system of people' is:
I have this human urge to blame something less abstract than a "system of people". I also don't want to blame an '-ism' like - you know already - sexism, racism, nazism, socialism, communism, narcissism, tribalism etc.
But I am frustrated enough to want to blame "SOMETHING and ANYTHING". Help!
https://www.euronews.com/live
Simple greed, if you ask me,
the fight for what's left. All these countries have oil or gas. Anglo-American capital wants to control, and profit from, those resources. That's all. The unfortunate people who live in those countries ? Nobody cares. They can go to Europe or drown in the Mediterranean. It's the oil, not the people, that they care about.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
@mimi There's a long list,
There's a long list, and this is coming out of my head, remember, not out of something more authoritative. This horrific foreign policy idea seems to have come from an organization called The Project for A New American Century, which was a think tank formed in the late nineties with funding from energy (read: fossil fuels) industry and weapons manufacturers. William Kristol, Robert Kagan, Dick Cheney, Richard Perle, Scooter Libby, and many other horrible people were involved, mostly people associated with the Bush family political faction. Many of them found jobs in George W Bush's administration.
Ugh. Just found Bolton on there, and the Mellon Scaifes. Horrible people.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Project_for_the_New_American_Century
https://www.oldamericancentury.org/pnac.htm
The basic gist is that they wanted to make sure that the need for arms and oil continued apace in a world no longer defined by the Cold War; also, they wanted to establish, after the Cold War, an imperial condition in which the United States was basically the only power on the planet.
In 2000, these people were considered to be the lunatic fringe of the American right wing.
According to William Rivers Pitt, "Two events brought PNAC into the mainstream of American government: the disputed election of George W. Bush and the attacks of September 11th. When Bush assumed the Presidency, the men who created and nurtured the imperial dreams of PNAC became the men who run the Pentagon, the Defense Department and the White House. When the Towers came down, these men saw, at long last, their chance to turn their White Papers into substantive policy."[3]
Shit. The article that quotation comes from is no longer available. I wonder if the author could be found/contacted?
Anyway, that's the most obvious place it started, but it includes, more broadly, a set of people at the Pentagon, a lot of people in the CIA, the Bush family, the Cheneys, the oil industry, the weapons industry, and, more recently, the Clintons and their followers. What's happened over here is that the Clintons and the Bushes have united their factions into one horrible, corporatist, anti-human rights, anti-democracy, pro-police state, pro-war nightmare faction, and they control, between them, most of American politics.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
yes, but I know all of that
does it mean Congress has to vote in approval of those folks (The Project for A New American Century) intentions?
I don't think one can force anyone to approve them by a vote. They could deny their support.
https://www.euronews.com/live
@mimi When I say
When I say pressure is brought to bear, that's what I mean.
Some politicians in Congress like the way things are going. Some don't. But they overwhelmingly support the same policies. Why? Because just as there are carrots (bribes) for voting the way the powerful want them to, there are also bad consequences for refusing to do so.
At the very least, you've got the agencies who participate in security and surveillance, including the CIA and the NSA, on the side of the powerful, and you have a completely complicit, or at least captured, media that's willing to commit character assassination on anybody using truth if they can find it, or lies if they can't.
There are no consequences for lying in my country. Therefore you can destroy a person's reputation any old time.
If there's anything true to be found--or distorted--in a politician's life or career, the surveillance whiz kids will find it, and pretty soon you'll see the entire American media baying for said politician's blood. Meanwhile, if they dissent from their party, their party organization won't defend them either--if orgs like the DNC and the RNC are even capable of defending individual members from the donors anymore, which I doubt.
And that's just the part of it I can see. The part that ends their careers. I have no idea what worse threats could be used.
There is no real way to dissent from within Congress. It has changed radically over the past seven years or so; at this point, on most issues it's a rubber stamp for the powerful. There's only a few issues where there is real debate, and only one of those debates happens because of what the people want (Social Security, the last souvenir from when we were a Republic).
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@mimi Another piece of
Another piece of this that I neglected to mention--and what I suspect is really driving this train--is the impending demise of the petrodollar. There's a lot of people over here who, er, object strongly to oil being bought or sold in anything other than dollars. For reasons I'm sure others on this board understand better than me, the end of the petrodollar will bring our empire crashing down (and it won't be fun for us ordinary folks living over here in the US either). On the other hand, I prefer it to nuclear armageddon.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Brilliant
summation, as always.
@Linda Wood Thanks! I wish I
Thanks! I wish I were as good at proposing solutions.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
^^^This, definitely^^^
I truly believe that much of what we have been seeing is much more than oil alone, but a last ditch attempt to prop up the petrodollar. I believe I read that Sadaam Hussein was just getting ready to switch from trading in dollars to trading in euros when we invaded Iraq. I wish someone with more information would flesh out this angle in an essay here.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Don't forget the 900 pound gorilla
in the room. So far, EVERTHING that has gone down in the MENA region since 2000 has been to their benefit.
@gulfgal98 Absolutely.
Absolutely. Although I don't truly understand how the same faction can decide to dismantle their empire (as they did in the 1970s, what with the Powell memo, the shift from making money by persuading the lower classes to spend to making money by cutting costs and seizing the lower classes' assets, the downgrade of the wage scale, globalization, and all the other awesome parts of neoliberalism (such as you've discussed on here) AND also be so desperate to preserve their empire that they're willing to bring on a nuclear winter.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
yes, I know that too, but anyone with a conscience
would not support those, who think they can bomb the shit out of other sovereign countries in defense of US economic interests. US economic interests are not an excuse for engaging in violations of international war laws. A defensive US military activity would be one that would be a response to a military attack by another nation on the US territory with the attacking nation's own military forces. Even a terrorist attack on US ground doesn't represent a reason to respond with a US military war attack on another country.
https://www.euronews.com/live
@mimi
When the Mafia move in and take over, all rules go out the window, along with anyone who objects. Of course, the Mafia has a concept of honour in some areas and enough brights for self-preservation, unlike the US billionaires/corporate interests/PTB running and staffing government.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Don't fall for the Hillary trap, mimi!
. This time there IS plenty of blame to go around.
The plan must be not to blame but to STOP this insanity.
BTW, I like your sig line.
I feel anger, anxiety and so
I feel anger, anxiety and so fucking powerless. I know so many people, my people, who believe the propaganda we have been fed leading up to this attack. We were never, regardless of who sat in the WH, let go of our resolve to oust Assad. What do we do? What can we do? I only speak with my husband about this. And all of you.
I don't know exactly, but I know we can't stay silent.
That won't help. I'm going to email my representatives and tell them in simple terms what I think and demand from them. I'll try to get my relatives and friends to do the same.
I'm going to make a sign "No More War In Syria" and go down to the city park and sit.
I'm going to have to do something. Anything.
me too, BigAl, I am getting headaches not doing anything /nt
https://www.euronews.com/live
In Dresden, people could hold their nose & join populist protest
… marches like Pegida, while carrying peace and anti-war flags and signs maybe?
Frankly, a noticeable shift of people frustrated by Left ineffectiveness to the banner of the Right seems like the only way to get the German establishment’s attention right now. That’s because a strong showing by the populist Right in Germany’s national election in September is the one political development the Establishment genuinely fears.
Any other result will be taken as, except for minor tweaks, the voters endorsing the status quo.
Devastating news!
The insanity in Washington DC is beyond belief. To say that this will not end well is an understatement. Do the American people actually believe that our war making all over the globe is making us safer? Right now I feel angry, depressed, and mostly powerless.
Meanwhile, Congress sits there like a bump on a log.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
@gulfgal98 What little I have read
What little I have read this morning is various congressmen saying Trump should have asked them for permission. They do not say he would have been denied it. They are pissed they can't take fucking credit for it.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I lay this at the door of Adam Schiff and the other Restorationi
These Clinton Restorationists and their McCarthyite witch hunt are the cause of this. They have forced Trump to take anti-Russian action to belie their false claims that Russia and Trump colluded to steal the election from Clinton, may she rot in HELL!
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
@The Voice In the Wilderness
Hey, Clinton's been working as hard as she can to help create a hell right here, so she needn't move to rot there. Credit where credit is due.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
The options of Russia after the US attack in Syria
published by German newspaper "Die Zeit": Die Optionen Russlands nach dem US-Angriff in Syrien - Fragen und Antworten = Russian Options after the US attack on Syria - Questions and Answers.. My own (all mistakes are mine) translation to English:
Sanctions and vetos and US and Russian military bases in the ME and Syria have a boomerang effect, it seems. May be they both, Russia and the US, deserve that effect.
https://www.euronews.com/live
That report assumes Assad was responsible
for the chemical (unable to get specific due to inconclusive, contradicting reporting) attacks. Any which way one looks at this, it is absolutely certain that Assad did not order the attack.
Cui bono?
The terrorists, after conducting a series of fairly successful attacks using hundreds of US manufactured TOW missiles and other heavy munitions against the SAA in Hama, were now being decimated by Syrian air power. In the last week, HST lost thousands of men as well as all the territory they had previously gained. The push-back by the SAA forces had been gaining considerable momentum. This very same scenario was being played out in every other region in Syria. March/April had become a tipping point in the war. The US and its allies needed a casus belli to protect their remaining assets from the pounding it was taking.
I cannot think of one single reason that Assad would choose to use a hodgepodge (sarin, chlorine, hydrogen cyanide) of chemicals delivered in such an ineffective manner against such a militarily useless target. Especially just one day before the Brussels peace conference on Syria.
This definitely was a false flag event. With today's alternate source of disseminating information, the truth should come out, sooner than later. Unfortunately, the zombified public can be readily duped and confused by the steady stream of propaganda the western MSM is capable of generating.
yes, I didn't think Assad would be that stupid either
what I am shaken by is that people here assume I fall for the "Assad did a horrible thing" rhetoric. Why is that? Did I say I fell for the propaganda somewhere in my comments?
I have just some difficulties with some "words" like "false flag" for example. It's my lack of knowledge of the English lingo, stupid.
I wished English would be more precise. Sorry, for the misunderstanding.
https://www.euronews.com/live
My remarks were not directed at you
in the least. They were a response to the article. I have no trouble understanding you. Sorry if I caused you any discomfort.
No Russian defense?
Less than half of the 59 cruise missiles fired landed. There are reports that the Russians have technology than can shut down electronics.
But no, no fighter jets or opposing missiles.
Putin's instincts
have been described in a lot of our discussions. Of course, we can't really know what's happening, but every time he doesn't start armageddon, I'm relieved.
Yes, thank God for that!
@Sunspots It's the only
It's the only reason any of us are still alive, I'm guessing.
Never thought I'd owe my life to a former member of the KGB.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Nice work Big Al.
Couldn't agree more.
@OPOL
Hey, OPOL!
I have trouble making out names in this format and with my vision variably affected by renovation chemicals in the house just now; initially missed recognizing you here and probably elsewhere among the threads, but just wanted to say that it's great (finally) realizing that you're here and that I'm hoping that you're doing better and ideally astoundingly well.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I don't want to
talk you down, except to say that you're needed, including your outrage. I don't want your anger or your feelings of frustration to injure your health, but I hope you'll keep doing what you're doing, communicating your insights to us. It makes a difference.
I'm still flabbergasted that the Media can change the story so completely on a dime. Days ago, we were discussing the war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Mosul and on the mosque in Syria and the bombardment and starvation of Yemen. Immediately after the chemical release in Syria, all of those things are gone. It's frustrating.
I have to admit that, given the madness, I'm relieved the attack on the Syrian airbase was limited to what it was and that it may have included a warning to Russian soldiers in advance. If that is true, I am hopeful that someone in charge of the decision has not decided to go to war with Russia over the chemical release.
I agree that the chemical release was either a false flag action or an accident, in which a Syrian attack on a weapons depot caused the release of the chemical agents.
If Al Qaeda/ISIS/whoever/rebels are storing chemical weapons, is it the responsibility of the Assad forces to know where they are and avoid destroying those places? If the Assad forces know there are chemical weapons stored all over the rebel areas, are they responsible for their release if they bomb a weapons depot? I feel whoever traffics in these chemical weapons and stores them in populated areas is the entity responsible for their release, be it the government of Turkey or whomever.
I also think we have had in Syria an ongoing double purpose that is destroying any possibility of peace, success, or an end to this. Our Military has been told that they are in the theater to destroy ISIS, but our CIA/political/fascism leadership is there to destroy the government of Syria, two different things. And, as has been pointed out, the two goals are at cross purposes. So skeptics like me believe we are there to support ISIS in order to replace the government of Syria with a Wahhabist dictatorship like Saudi Arabia's because it works well for Chevron. John McCain used the atrocity of ISIS's videos to bring us into this conflagration, but once there, we have been protecting and supporting ISIS and its minions. I think we should point out this corruption more forcefully to our fellow Americans.
Big Al - honestly, what were the odds, as of one or two
years ago, that we would fail to finally converty our quasi-covert war against Assad into an overt one with an emphasis on bombs, missles, rockets and drones? Pretty damn small right? This is, after all, what we do; this is our thing. So now it is here and all of the closet militarists, warmongers, hawks and authoritarians are crawling out from under their rocks and joining the mainstream overt militarist war loving powers that be.
We can go out and howl at the wind, and no doubt should. We also need to try to convert some of those folks to rationality and provide intellectual and moral support for those in opposition to this and all of our other crazy warmongering.
Beyond that, out power to interfere and intervene, legally, is low. Russia et. al. might not be able to impose meaningful sanctions, but it might be possible for the people to legally do so. Boycotts and strikes could have an impact, for example. The question there is whether that is wise, given the numbers it would harm here, and whether it would remain legal for more than a few hours once it began.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
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