Syria

Victims of Assad's Nerve Gas Attack

I am posting this to hopefully wake up you, dear reader, to an horrific dictator in Syria, that has been murdering innocent children by the hundreds, and over 100,000 of his own people, just so he can remain in power. 

As an American, I am fully aware of our national war-weariness.  We have had a bad experience in getting led into a war in Iraq, yes.  Syria is not Iraq.  It is not a question as to whether Assad has chemical weapons, nor that he MIGHT use them, he has used them.  He used them first in a small way, and when the international community did nothing, proceeded to use them in a larger way.  If we do nothing now, he will have the green light to proceed and exterminate as many people he likes, using this most horrific and indiscriminate of weapons to do it.  Even worse, it will be sending that green light to any and all other tin pot dictators that we will do nothing if they choose to use chemical and biological weapons.  We will definitely see much larger mass muderss, and our own people will definitely be put at risk of attack by these weapons, as will our allies in the region.

The issue is raised that some of the rebels in Syria are bad guys.  No doubt, some of them are.  If we do nothing, those evil people will stand to benefit, by being the only support for the people of Syria fighting for their freedom from an evil dictator.  We are told by the talking heads on television, that it is not our business, not our people getting slaughtered, we have no business there.   As Americans, we also forget that we did not win our own independence and freedom without the aid of foreign powers, one of whom even sent her own sons to fight for us, and her fleet to fight the British; I am referring to France.  Today, we are the greatest military power on Earth.  No other nation can provide the kind of aid which we can, nor the leadership to help people fighting for their freedom.  Shall we now turn our backs on them, as we have done for the past two years, and allow Assad to brutally kill off many more of his own people, drive millions out of the country and destabilize an already unstable region?  How will history look upon our actions, or inactions I should say?

I realize it is most unpopular to be proposing that we get into yet another war; yet this is a case most  urgent and indeed dangerous.  To do nothing runs far greater risks than to act and act strongly.  I do not believe we need to send our own troops in to fight for the Syrian people, they are not asking for that.  I do think we ought to be providing a safe zone for the refugees within the borders of Syria, a no-fly zone over the entire country, and even air support for the rebels to help even up the fight.  We could also impose a sea blockade, so that Assad and his evil henchmen could not get any further supplies of weapons and ammunition by sea.  We would be far safer in the long run, to help the rebels win their freedom, and eliminate Assad's government from rule.  

Consider this, Assad is most friendly with Iran, our self-declared enemy, and Russia which seems to be reverting to a Cold War state opposing the USA and the west in general.  Why would we NOT want to see Assad lose this war?  Stability?  As Thomas Jefferson said, when the tumult and instabilities of democratic government were being pointed to as a reason for the United States NOT to become a democracy he told them he would happily take the tumult, for despite the lurchings and uncertainties, over time the benefits will far outweigh the drawbacks.  

What message will we be sending Iran, actively working to build nuclear weapons, should we stand by and turn a blind eye (and deaf ear) to Assad's mass murder by illegal chemical weapons?  Green light!  They will see the west as weak and divided, and while we may be divided, we should not lead the mullahs in Iran to believe that we will fail to act when faced by such evils.

You do not have to take my word on it that Assad has gassed his own people, read this:

US Assessment on Syria

or if you do not trust US sources;

France, Britain confirm use of nerve gas

Contact your congressional representatives and urge them to act on Syria, we have to act or we will face far greater tragedies in the future.

Good luck and good hunting amigos, I hope you find the treasures that you seek.

Oroblanco