Are We Poised for a War in Syria?

[Cheshire Cat]

From this evenings news.  It appears a good number of American's and legislators are not in favor on any intervention in Syria.  I found the comments made by local Syrian very compelling.  Especially this one.

Syria is not, it's different. You have to deal with it very carefully, because the chaos after this intervention will be extremely dangerous," said Hazar Kassis.

"My feeling, if there's any American operation, military operation will not solve the problem, even more than that, it will make it worse," said Dr. Kassis.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/jacksonville-couple-speaks-about-syrian-conflict/-/475880/21725978/-/vxpqiyz/-/index.html   (click link for full story)

Channel 4 spoke Friday night with local law makers about the situation in Syria.

"I think it'd be a huge, huge mistake for America to enter into this," said Congressman Ted Yoho.

Yoho said he demanded proof that doesn't seem available during a conference call with the White House.

"If it's this serious, I think we need to be back in Congress, call the recess off," said Yoho. "I think Britain did what was right. They debated it, and they said, 'We're not getting involved in this.'"

[Cheshire Cat]

Well done Mr. President.  The president has just announced he is ready to act at any moment, "however" he is going to take the decision to Congress and let the peoples representatives decide before the order to strike is executed!  This is what needed to happen!  This is what I hoped he would do.

http://www.cnn.com/

[If_I_Loved_you]

Well done Mr. President.  The president has just announced he is ready to act at any moment, "however" he is going to take the decision to Congress and let the peoples representatives decide before ordering the order to strike executed!  This is what needed to happen!  This is what I hoped he would do.

http://www.cnn.com/

He just gave himself a way out.

[Cheshire Cat]

Here is Obama's statement on video via News4Jax.

http://www.news4jax.com/politics/obama-to-make-statement-as-syria-strike-possibility-looms/-/1875986/21732172/-/n3pypoz/-/index.html

[buckethead]

We definitely need to bomb Syria.

If we don't, who will?

We could ask the Federal Reserve Bank to print money in order to finance the endeavor, and could ask GE to produce a few thousand more Tomohawk missiles.

If we don't bomb Syria into oblivion, the Evil Doers™ win.

You're with us, or you're with the terrorists.

http://youtu.be/c3I3ahtwrZE

If any mods would kindly embedd this video for me... TIA

[Cheshire Cat]

Oh my, oh my....George Galloway speaks again and again and again...... 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Galloway

[Cheshire Cat]

This is an interesting news piece coming out of Syria via Mint Press.   Apparently there are "rebels" in Syria saying that they believe they were given "chemical weapons" along with some other weapons supplied by Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

The Prince as it turns out is also very heavily invested and connected in Washington, D.C. and to top politicians.  This information if it proves to be truthful would put a whole new light on the politics in Syria and the politics of U.S. leaders and the Saudi's. 

http://www.mintpressnews.com/witnesses-of-gas-attack-say-saudis-supplied-rebels-with-chemical-weapons/168135/  (click link for entire story)

(to learn more about Mint Press here is their FB link,  https://www.facebook.com/MintpressNewsMPN)

EXCLUSIVE: Syrians In Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack
Rebels and local residents in Ghouta accuse Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan of providing chemical weapons to an al-Qaida linked rebel group.

Ghouta, Syria — As the machinery for a U.S.-led military intervention in Syria gathers pace following last week's chemical weapons attack, the U.S. and its allies may be targeting the wrong culprit.

Interviews with people in Damascus and Ghouta, a suburb of the Syrian capital, where the humanitarian agency Doctors Without Borders said at least 355 people had died last week from what it believed to be a neurotoxic agent, appear to indicate as much.

The U.S., Britain, and France as well as the Arab League have accused the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for carrying out the chemical weapons attack, which mainly targeted civilians. U.S. warships are stationed in the Mediterranean Sea to launch military strikes against Syria in punishment for carrying out a massive chemical weapons attack. The U.S. and others are not interested in examining any contrary evidence, with U.S Secretary of State John Kerry saying Monday that Assad's guilt was "a judgment ... already clear to the world."

However, from numerous interviews with doctors, Ghouta residents, rebel fighters and their families, a different picture emerges. Many believe that certain rebels received chemical weapons via the Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and were responsible for carrying out the dealing gas attack.

"My son came to me two weeks ago asking what I thought the weapons were that he had been asked to carry," said Abu Abdel-Moneim, the father of a rebel fighting to unseat Assad, who lives in Ghouta.

[Cheshire Cat]

Another article just out from NPR asking the question, what if this was Saudi influence via the rebels or the rebels on their own?  Many unanswered questions.  Consider this,

For one thing, the alleged chemical attack happened in the Ghouta region of Damascus. It is controlled by the rebels, and civilians in the area sympathize with the rebels.

"The smart thing [for the rebels] would be for you to aim for barracks and maime/kill a significant few hundred soldiers as the best chance for reverberations that played to your advantage," said Lopez. "This was not done."

It seems clear, Lopez says,"that some armed unit foot soldiers were sent in by Assad some time after the attack in limited numbers. That achieved the desired effect of making the case that since Assad soldiers were hit, the weapons came from the 'terrorists;' but these were exemplars, too few to make a strategic difference for the rebels."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/08/27/216172145/is-it-possible-the-syrian-rebels-not-assad-used-chemical-weapons  (click link for full story)

[If_I_Loved_you]

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), a senior member the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that while he supports Obama's decision to seek congressional approval on Syria, immediate military action is needed.

"The president wants to put to rest any doubt the American people may have.  I support the president's decision. But as far as I'm concerned, we should strike in Syria today," he said in a statement shortly following Obama's Saturday afternoon remarks. "The use of chemical weapons was inhumane, and those responsible should be forced to suffer the consequences."

Obama said Saturday afternoon that while he had decided "the United States should take military action against Syrian regime targets," he would seek congressional approval for military action before moving forward.

House leadership said the lower chamber will consider authorizing a strike on Syria the week of Sept. 9, postponing any military action — which had initially looked imminent — until that week, when Congress is set to return from recess.



Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/319809-sen-nelson-urges-immediate-strike-on-syria#ixzz2dbYOX2JU
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

[Cheshire Cat]

We can all be thankful that Bill Nelson never rose to the office of President.  Obama made the right call today and that is where things stand regardless of who agrees and who doesn't.  The elected representatives of the citizen's, our congress need to wade through this issue and then decide whether or not they agree with the President that strikes on Syria is the course of action this country should take without any allies to speak of on the record supporting this action.  We still have a democratic process in America and we need to use it.  There is much more going on than meets the eye in this situation and before we go blasting away at another country who is in the midst of a civil war we must know without a shadow of a doubt the who, why, when and where of the chemical attacks which is not yet confirmed by anyone at the White House. No one can say what the "sufficient" indicators they have in hand are that point to the guilty party and new reports have come out today which put a serious Saudi overtone on this mess.  With Saudi interests at play, Israeli influence at play and Russian influence and support of Syria in the mix, a wrong move could be catastrophic in this case.

[If_I_Loved_you]

We can all be thankful that Bill Nelson never rose to the office of President.  Obama made the right call today and that is where things stand regardless of who agrees and who doesn't.  The elected representatives of the citizen's, our congress need to wade through this issue and then decide whether or not they agree with the President that strikes on Syria is the course of action this country should take without any allies to speak of on the record supporting this action.  We still have a democratic process in America and we need to use it.  There is much more going on than meets the eye in this situation and before we go blasting away at another country who is in the midst of a civil war we must know without a shadow of a doubt the who, why, when and where of the chemical attacks which is not yet confirmed by anyone at the White House. No one can say what the "sufficient" indicators they have in hand that point to the guilty party and new reports have come out today which put a serious Saudi overtone on this mess.  With Saudi interests at play, Israeli influence at play and Russian influence and support of Syria in the mix, a wrong move could be catastrophic in this case.

The "Israeli influence at play" is so very true. So if we do bomb area's of Syria with or without the Congress. You have heard what Iran has said to Israeli "Strike on Syria Would Lead to Retaliation on Israel, Iran Warns" and "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Tuesday after security meetings in Tel Aviv that, "The State of Israel is ready for any scenario. We are not part of the civil war in Syria but if we identify any attempt whatsoever to harm us, we will respond and we will respond in strength." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel who really isn't a fan of President Obama knows that America would help Israel 100%! So if President Obama doesn't hit Syria at this time the area will be in the $h!t in the near future. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/29/world/middleeast/syria-iran-israel.html?_r=0

[If_I_Loved_you]

Here is what Fox News is putting out http://nation.foxnews.com/poll/2013/08/30/should-us-proceed-with-intervention-in-syria-without-britain/ But you don't have to be a brain surgeon to understand Fox News hates President Obama and most people who look at Fox are ?

[buckethead]

I see political affiliations stateside as being irrelevant to the issue, as well as news/punditry/propaganda outlets selling a war, or decrying it.

Fifty pages of caterwauling doesn't provide a shred of evidence showing any particular faction to be responsible for gassing people, yet some treat it as a foregone conclusion.

And Galloway might be a hack. If you hear any untrue, or even hyperbolized points within the speech I linked, please point them out.

Message being more important than messenger. That, and the Scottish accent is bitchin.

[civil42806]

Well done Mr. President.  The president has just announced he is ready to act at any moment, "however" he is going to take the decision to Congress and let the peoples representatives decide before the order to strike is executed!  This is what needed to happen!  This is what I hoped he would do.

http://www.cnn.com/

Then he shouldn't have talked it up like he was going to attack, talking about red lines, about all the horrors going on.   DOD officials talking about attack plans.  Quite frankly I think this all bit dear leader in the butt.  He and Kerry talked themselves into a corner and needed an out.  So at the last second he punts to congress and hopes dearly that they vote against any attack.  That way he can vote present and place blame on congress about any outcome.  Oh and work a couple of rounds of golf in as well.

[Charles Hunter]

Just saw this on Facebook - a group organizing in Jacksonville to oppose war in Syria:
https://www.facebook.com/jawsyria