General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe false dichotomy of "military action" or "sit in silence" is INFURIATING
How many fucking times are we going to hear this fallacy?
It is not about sitting in silence. We can exert political pressure, leverage Syria's neighbors, allies, the U.N. and the Arab League.
Besides, if we've got such damning and undeniable evidence of chemical attacks by Assad, then we shouldn't have any problems getting Russia and China on-board, right?
I cannot believe we are being fed this bullshit by John Kerry and President Obama. NOBODY IS SUGGESTING WE DO NOTHING. We're demanding that we not engage in a military intervention!
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)keep a rainy day fund in another country. I'm all for seizing his assets!
muriel_volestrangler
(101,405 posts)The European Union imposed sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad's regime after it violently suppressed anti-government protests.
Most of the UK assets is cash held in bank accounts by people and organisations named in the EU's action.
...
But Iain Willis, at the business intelligence firm Alaco, says it is just a fraction of the fortune amassed by the Assad family and its close associates during 41 years in power.
He estimated the figure at £1bn and says most of it is beyond the EU's reach, deposited in Russia and other countries that have yet to apply sanctions on Damascus.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18897218
indepat
(20,899 posts)n2doc
(47,953 posts)Blue Owl
(50,547 posts)Same goes for NPR and any other MIC-sponsored media outlet who are beating the war drums.
Supersedeas
(20,630 posts)KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)leverage Syria's neighbors- they are already in a humanitarian crisis harboring 2 MILLION Syrian refugees.
the UN is impotent
the Arab League is content to cluck their tongues
Russia is exerting its influence via Assad, they support his actions
LibAsHell
(180 posts)Saying, "this hasn't worked, so let's use military strikes" is not the answer.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)xchrom
(108,903 posts)east interventionist policies.
iraq? a mess.
libya? a mess.
afghanistan? a mess.
cruise missiles cost over a million bucks a piece.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)All our Armed services are volunteers........
tecelote
(5,122 posts)just show us a success!
Plus, my tax dollars did not volunteer.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)and so was Afghanistan.
But Libya is a success
and when did you begin to think your tax dollars would be spent as you desire?
its your duty to pay taxes and support your country.
tecelote
(5,122 posts)Paying taxes yes. But, it's my duty to speak what I believe in.
Democracy not communism.
I believe we need to help our citizens before we go spending money on this scam to continue supporting the MIC.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)give People like Assad free range to use WMD without retribution ,,,enjoy your democracy while you can.
btw......If it were a MIC scam they would be planning a full scale invasion of Syria.
tecelote
(5,122 posts)How about helping Americans first? Is this more important to you than your brothers and sisters here at home?
btw - How much do you get paid to post this crap?
'Look like a Democrat and talk like a teabagger.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)I believe it is important for the world as a whole not to let People like Assad to get away with using WMD's. You think that notion is Un-Democratic, heh?. I don't ,,, the protection of the Liberal state is more important than any one individual rights. That sound tea baggist to you? There is no need to attack me personally because I disagree with your post.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)pnwmom
(109,021 posts)pansypoo53219
(21,005 posts)i have read enough history(up to f of my 1891 encyclopedia britannica set) to know that appeasement is not the answer, but neither is regime change ala saddam that mccant wants.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)when you have big missiles that can be shot off RIGHT NOW, what option do you think wins?
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)Better to go with the easy answer.
DLnyc
(2,479 posts)It is good to have international agreement when trying to assure that international agreements (against military use of poison gas) are respected.
G_j
(40,372 posts)Phlem
(6,323 posts)and welcome to DU!
-p
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)that political pressure has worked so well on these Third world idiots with WMD's.
What political pressure are you going to apply to Assad that is not already been applied?
Do Tell,,,,,,
geez
LibAsHell
(180 posts)Are you serious? We haven't done a god damned thing in the past 2 years except talk about what a tragedy the whole thing is. 100,000 people got blown up before this chemical attack and we were content just talking about how bad we felt. That's not political pressure. That's not leveraging anything. Let's not pretend like we've been engaged to any significant degree of trying to get this resolved. We haven't.
Again, if we have the definitive proof that Assad used the chemical weapons, share it with Russia and China and then we can start getting some real pressure on the Assad regime. Guess what, though? We don't have it!
And launching missiles and dropping bombs has worked? Do tell...
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)what pressures we should apply that we have not already been applied.
We have share our proof with Russia and China,,, just as all the rest of the free world has done
They know what happened.
They it happen just as we called it.
Do you really think Russia and China give a shit?
Can't wait to hear yall's whines after Iran shares a Nuclear weapon with Assad so he can test it for them
Guess we will have to share more info with Russia and China, heh?.
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)And the rest of it is ridiculous as well.
- Assad's been a brutal dictator a long time. We didn't just notice.
- Plenty of rebel atrocities going around, what with the head chopping & liver eating.
- The same "international rules" that ban chemical weapons prevent the U.S. from acting unilaterally, so which is it, are we the Law Keepers or the Law Breakers?
- We have zero credibility as the World Police, while the victims of our previous illegal, dishonestly promoted war, still walk the smouldering ruins of the previous "WMDS only the U.S. can prevent" debacle.
- We can't kill Syrians into not killing Syrians. What kind of asshole logic is that?
Morever, nothing proposed is a solution to actual problem, which is the Syrian civil war. Punishment bombing will do nothing. Committing to toppling Assad would be another illegal, destructive, presumptuous American military intervention in the Middle East.