Although killing ~100,000 people in the current Syrian conflict with conventional weapons is disturbing, recent public condemnation of ~1500 deaths due to poison gas has been much more strident. Even Hitler forbade the use of chemical weapons in warfare (if not in civilian genocide).
Read this informative NY Times article: A Weapon Seen as Too Horrible, Even in War – NYTimes.com.
Here is a thoughtful opinion opposing a punitive strike against Syria:
https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/06/opinion/heck-syria-strike/index.html
Dear Mark,
I did read your CNN opinion piece & find it very thoughtful.
I have read various other pieces & there seems to be a recurring theme
that if Obama strikes it is an international war crime.
Various legal references were cited. At this point Putin out maneuvered Obama.
Wether we agree or disagree, Putin is a consummate politician & ex-KGB.
Obama should not be playing egotistical childish games with him.
Our President should not be giving aid to our enemies & violating his
“so-called” pledge when he became President.
Obama’s administration have done gun running in Benghazi & will not let a full investigation take place, he has upset the balance of power in Egypt allowing the Brotherhood
a strong foothold. The terrorists now have an open season on slaughtering
Coptic Christians. Striking Syria is absolutely wrong & encourages these terror
wheedling savages to do more inhumane treatment to our fellow brethren.
If one made a list of our President’s atrocities & lies he should be up
for impeachment. There are legal scholars who can cite specific laws
he has violated. Unfortunately we have a political body who are more interested
in their ego & political points than doing their job to represent the people
who sent them to Congress. McCain showed his disdain by playing
“solitaire” online – he’s out of touch & his time is long overdue to retire.
Just because he was a POW doesn’t qualify him to stay in office.
So it goes for Kerry – a proven liar rejected by the People for his
Presidential run. Unfortunately too many people repeat sound bites
& will not look at other opinions & seek information in order to form
their own thoughts. If it’s not a sound bite then they go the PC way
& keep their brain sterile.(critical thinking is dead) We have
& are loosing this country. There is the existence of soft tyranny.
When I lived abroad under a dictatorship it was out in the open &
not the covert form we presently live under.
Thank-you for giving me the opportunity to share some of my thoughts.
I have serious concerns & did not plan on living in this environment
at this stage of my life. It’s certainly not a reward for having
worked an honest life.
Maggie
It looks like a Russian proposal for Syria to give up chemical weapons will be accepted and Assad has resumed conventional bombing of Damascus. Therefore, the end result is: more ordinary carnage and less horror?
Despite Obama’s assertions on the issue, US policy is quite hypocritical. The effects of our own chemical weapons use is still being felt in Vietnam and Fallujah (we used white phosphorus in Fallujah and actually hosed down the streets and buildings when the offensive was over), not to mention our continued / expanded use of depleted uranium in armor piercing rounds, bombs and missiles. Our own soldiers suffer from their use, as well.
…Furthermore, if we do strike Syria, we WILL be using munitions that are laden with depleted uranium. Which is worse, chemical weapons or depleted uranium? Uranium-238 has a half life of 4.468 billion years (that’s BILLION, with a “B”). In areas where we’ve used these munitions, babies are now being born with, for instance, no eyes, or any number of other deformities. Gulf War Syndrome? Hmm. Remember images of explosions or rounds hitting buildings that had sparklies flying around afterwards? That was depleted uranium. We use it everything now. Our soldier handle it. And, we’ll use it in Syria, if we strike. Total hypocrisy…