Obama's call to attack Syria

[ThunderPussy]

You do realize that there are Al Qaeda personnel helping the rebels right? There is no good side of this war. At least a good side for America. Let them hash it out like they have been for the past 2 years. A few missiles aren't going to stop the killings and troops on ground are THE LAST thing America wants to do.

[NYC17]

Touche
I don't know what to say about that other than wonder about context, but right actions are still right.

The actions he mentioned are fine, if you want to give the appearance of accomplishing something without actually doing anything of merit or worth. It's very clear what his opposition is about, and it has nothing to do with the right thing.

[Deathcries]

I imagine we have plenty of people employed by the government, your one time superiors, working that very thing out right now. Or do you not have faith in them enough to entrust them with the planning?

No. I really no longer have faith in some of these leaders. I believe people like John McCain are just wanting war. I've been over there. There are some very evil people over there who hate what most countries stand for. Would you feel safe by yourself in a middle eastern country?

Note: The whole purpose of a lot of people being in the military or why they joined is to go to war. I joined because I wanted to protect my family, friends and neighbors. There are people who feel the same way I do. However in my experience a lot of those kids just want to kill someone and be a Rambo. At least that's what I saw in my unit. A lot of people join military for the glory, instead of the right reasons.

[Kalyyn]

That would take decades and countless billions of dollars.

We did it for South Korea, didn't we?

[NYC17]

No. I really no longer have faith in some of these leaders. I believe people like John McCain are just wanting war. I've been over there. There are some very evil people over there who hate what most countries stand for. Would you feel safe by yourself in a middle eastern country?

I'm talking about actual current military leaders who are creating the strike details and planning.

[Kalyyn]

No. I really no longer have faith in some of these leaders. I believe people like John McCain are just wanting war. I've been over there. There are some very evil people over there who hate what most countries stand for. Would you feel safe by yourself in a middle eastern country?

If we're going to accuse politicians of not understanding the horrors of war, I think John McCain is literally the last person in the entire human race you should mention.

[Deathcries]

If we're going to accuse politicians of not understanding the horrors of war, I think John McCain is literally the last person in the entire human race you should mention.

John McCain went through hell no doubt, but that doesn't make him untouchable or always right.

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I'm talking about actual current military leaders who are creating the strike details and planning.

I explained that. When you're in the military your job is war. They make money having war. Of course they're going to want war. It's what they do.

[Collegeguy]

The actions he mentioned are fine, if you want to give the appearance of accomplishing something without actually doing anything of merit or worth. It's very clear what his opposition is about, and it has nothing to do with the right thing.

I'm guessing his context was to keep those weapons out of Al Qaeda hands. Sounds like a sound right thing to do rather than just give them to Al Qaeda.

[Gambit5555]

I'm going with this theory. I've never seen Assad launch attacks against the US. I have seen Al Qaeda launched attacks against the US. I don't care for Assad, I despise Al Qaeda. What Assad does to Al Qaeda is none of my business.

[Åmbulance]

John McCain went through hell no doubt, but that doesn't make him untouchable or always right.

I would say it makes him more qualified then say those who've never even seen a pair of combat boots on their feet.

[Mercadi]

I actually saw a great idea for how to handle Syria on the interwebz the other day.

What the US needs to do is find the largest pocket of Christians and moderate Muslims, somewhere which has little or no Al Qaeda influence. Then, we need to take this area, and fortify the hell out of it, creating a new Free Syria. A Free Syria which is it's own nation, with it's own flag. We then allow refugees to come to this area, and do everything needed to defend it. However, we stop at defending it. Once we have Free Syria secured, we cease to fight offensively. Rather, we let Free Syria grow in strength and stability under US protection, until it is ready to muster it's own army and reunify the country.

Funny that you mention that... Al-Nusra just took control of an ancient christian town there in Syria today. Its original inhabitants were allowed to vacate their houses and flee.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-of-Jesus.html

[NYC17]

I'm guessing his context was to keep those weapons out of Al Qaeda hands. Sounds like a sound right thing to do rather than just give them to Al Qaeda.

And how does the non-intervention that he's now advocating accomplish that?

[Prokne]

If we don't do anything how will the rest of the world look at us? We will be the greedy rich kids that didn't help people when they needed it. Imagine how hated the US would become in the future.

And we should look right back and them and ask why they didnt do anything either. Seriously its not our responsibility to fix everyones problems. To be fair we should also shut up about being morally superior to everyone else because they just use it against us. It was never true, we always used our superpower status for our own benefit. There is not really any benefit from helping Syria just like all of the African conflicts which are basically the same if not worse.

[Collegeguy]

And how does the non-intervention that he's now advocating accomplish that?

I don't see what that has to do with non-interventionism.

[Deathcries]

I would say it makes him more qualified then say those who've never even seen a pair of combat boots on their feet.

I'm was a Combat Engineer Stationed in Khandahar, Afhghanistan from 2007-2008. My boots were on the ground.

[killerlee]

Syrian Government launches a chemical weapons attack against it's own civilian populace.
World more concerned with possibility of US intervention.


Says absolutely everything you need to know about the utter and complete joke we call the international community. It has no moral authority. A blatant war crime (the EU's words, not mine) has occurred and countries don't want to deal with it. They want to minimize it and pretend it didn't happen as it so clearly did in order to avoid COLLECTIVE responsibility to do something about it.

If foreigners ever wonder why the US takes action periodically without international approval, this is why. If you want to know why the US ignores the international community on everything from the UN to trade to climate change, this is why. It's because the international community is inherently non-serious, and we're the most serious people in the room.

If the international community is incapable of taking vigorous action against a chemical weapons attack against ones own people, this is not an international community worth working with or whose respect is worth a damn.

You do realize that the Chemical Weapons attack was done by the rebels as the rest of the world has been saying except the USA. Assad had nothing to do with the chemical weapons attack and has actually been against using them because he knew the world would come crashing down on him. He isnt smart but he isnt that stupid. The use of such weapons was done the rebels against there own people to justify bringing in the USA. These are not good people, while i sympathize with the people getting hurt. You do realize the only reason the USA wants to go in there is natural resources, just like they went into Afghanistan and Iraq, Minerals and Oil.

[Deathcries]

And how does the non-intervention that he's now advocating accomplish that?

How does intervention help us?

[Paulosio]

I hear a lot of people saying that we shouldn't help the Syrians because they are the ones that bombed us. I don't believe that, and I refuse to judge all Muslims over the evils of one select group (Al Qaeda).

The problem with that statement is that the "Syrians" you'd be helping i.e the rebels are largely made up of Al Qaeda affiliated groups and insurgents many whom aren't even Syrian. The evidence that the chemical weapons attack was carried out by Assad isn't entirely compelling and there has been talk that the rebels have been caught with Sarin.

What happens to the Christians and other none Muslims in Syria if the rebels get their way ? Assad ran a secular state. The rebels would likely either remove none Muslims from the country or worse. See the following story about a Christian village that has apparently been occupied by the rebels http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Maalo...sus-28942.html I say apparently because you have to take all news from that conflict with a pinch of salt as there is a lot of propaganda coming out of both sides making it hard to be sure of the truth.

Videos of situation in Maaloula: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d4e_1378659874 http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/08/wo...ria-civil-war/
Again everything should be taken with scepticism.

Lets say there is military intervention in the form of the bombings... What will it really achieve ?

This has nothing to do with protecting Syrian civilians in my opinion. It's all about regional power balance. Syria just happens to be a major ally of Iran btw.... Russia just happens to have it's Mediteranean ports in Syria and would possibly lose them if Assad was to lose. There's some fairly obvious reasons for the opposing positions of the US and Russia in this regardless of the civilian casualties.

Also over 100,000 people have died in this conflict and that was fine but as soon as a few hundred die in a chemical wepaons attack that's a problem? I just don't see the logic to that. Dead is dead.

[Elegiac]

I'm was a Combat Engineer Stationed in Khandahar, Afhghanistan from 2007-2008. My boots were on the ground.

Your point being what?

[Deathcries]

I'm going with this theory. I've never seen Assad launch attacks against the US. I have seen Al Qaeda launched attacks against the US. I don't care for Assad, I despise Al Qaeda. What Assad does to Al Qaeda is none of my business.

Guess you forgot about 9/11. It was a long time ago.

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Your point being what?

I was referring to Ambalance.