Hah, you might as well ask “Why anything?” Just “Because”. The Toddler In Chief doesn’t do deepities.
John Moralessays
Something needs to be done, this is something. Ostensibly, the use of chemical weapons must not be normalised (other weapons are apparently fine) and so each time they are used henceforth there will be a further strike by the current coalition of the willing to destroy chemical weapons infrastructure (including command infrastructure).
Rob Grigjanissays
chigau @3: dfntly.
polishsalamisays
Such an easy false flag to do:
*Ship this or that chemical over the Turkish border
*Store this chemical in a school
*Get some jihadi — determined to martyr himself to get his seventy-two virgins — to fire a rocket at aircraft flying overhead, from the vicinity of that school
*Syrian aircraft fire back
*Get out your cameras and recording devices
*Film the aftermath, send pictures & video to your spook handlers
*VOILA! There’s your atrocity propaganda!
And Trump fell for it.
jrkrideausays
Investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to be on the ground at Douma today (Sat. 2018-04-14) but the USA, the UK, and France were unable to wait even 24 hours for even a preliminary report.War frenzy like the lead-up to the Iraq fiasco?
I’m sure they got it right this time and there really was a Syrian Gov’t gas attack.
Rob Grigjanis@#4: What a weird choice of words. You could just have well have asked
“How is bombing Syria going to help stop Syria from gassing Syria?”
If it hadn’t been so late, if I hadn’t been so shocked and disappointed, I might have met your standards. (if not your expectations)
John Morales@#6: Something needs to be done, this is something.
I agree with that. The situation is horrible and US efforts to “regime change” have made it worse. In fact, since Barack Obama declared in 2011 that regime change was an objective in Syria, the Assad regime has been trying to make it harder to be pried out of power. It’s like Assad saw what happened to Ghaddafi and said “not me!”
Submit or be destroyed. And, while the US is trying to pry Assad out with a crowbar, the US is trying to pry Trump out with tweezers. Assad is just trying to outlast Trump.
jrkrideau@#9: Investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to be on the ground at Douma today (Sat. 2018-04-14) but the USA, the UK, and France were unable to wait even 24 hours for even a preliminary report.War frenzy like the lead-up to the Iraq fiasco?
Exactly. Especially because, as Sy Hersh appears to have pointed out, Jabhat Al Nusrah(sp) nearly stampeded Obama into doing what Trump has now done.
Edit: I am not convince by Hersh; I think a UN team should be brought in to examine the forensics and present evidence who’s behind the attack. Then let’s see a UN-sponsored mandate for use of military force against countries using chemical weapons including white phosophorus in Syria.
jrkrideausays
@ Marcus It’s like Assad saw what happened to Ghaddafi and said “not me!”
Ghaddafi, Saddam, and others I probably forget. If one goes back far enough, Noriega?
And, of course, on the other side, Russia, Iran and even Turkey desperately don’t want to loss him. No one in those three countries may have any use for him as a person but if the US managed to get rid of him Syria is likely to splinter into a failed state with hundreds of waring factions.
None of these countries want a failed state with almost any flavour of terrorist group you can think of (well perhaps no Hindu nationalists or KKK) spreading chaos. Worse, from Turkey’s point of view giving the Kurds in Syria and Iraq a chance at their own state.
And who knows what might happen to Iraq? A new ISIS fighting it out with Shi’ite militias?
I don’t think Macron has thought the failed state/more refugees possibility out.
@ 14 John Morales
Sometimes? I live in Canada. We tend to be in a constant state of WHAT?.
Alex Jones and words such as “logic” or “reason” don’t really go together but I think I see what he was ranting about. IIRC Jones is very anti-Islam.
The Syrian Gov’t and allies have basically destroyed any number of Islamist groups, especially ISIL. They seem to be exiling the remnants to the Iblid Governate where the various factions are happily shotting each other.
So, somewhat logically, Assad must be a good guy since he is wiping out Islamist terrorist groups. Or, not as bad as ISIL and all the rest. He is still a muslim.
I had not expected Jones to be that perceptive. Maybe he has good writers.
drewsays
On a positive note, somehow they knew to evacuate before airstrikes. I think there ought to be a version of rock, paper, scissors that’s something like “airstrike, gas, people,” but I can’t find the right hand movements.
jrkrideausays
Bloody hell, I know I cannot spell or type but that last post is outstanding!
drew@#16 I think there ought to be a version of rock, paper, scissors that’s something like “airstrike, gas, people,” but I can’t find the right hand movements.
Rob Grigjanis says
What a weird choice of words. You could just have well have asked
“How is bombing Syria going to help stop Syria from gassing Syria?”
Who are “people”?
Rob Grigjanis says
“just as well have asked”
chigau (違う) says
Rob Grigjanis
srsly?
Rob Grigjanis says
Or, “How is bombing Germany going to help stop Germany from gassing Germany?”
I’m not saying that bombing targets n Damascus was the right thing to do. But your wording is ridiculous.
Lofty says
Hah, you might as well ask “Why anything?” Just “Because”. The Toddler In Chief doesn’t do deepities.
John Morales says
Something needs to be done, this is something. Ostensibly, the use of chemical weapons must not be normalised (other weapons are apparently fine) and so each time they are used henceforth there will be a further strike by the current coalition of the willing to destroy chemical weapons infrastructure (including command infrastructure).
Rob Grigjanis says
chigau @3: dfntly.
polishsalami says
Such an easy false flag to do:
*Ship this or that chemical over the Turkish border
*Store this chemical in a school
*Get some jihadi — determined to martyr himself to get his seventy-two virgins — to fire a rocket at aircraft flying overhead, from the vicinity of that school
*Syrian aircraft fire back
*Get out your cameras and recording devices
*Film the aftermath, send pictures & video to your spook handlers
*VOILA! There’s your atrocity propaganda!
And Trump fell for it.
jrkrideau says
Investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to be on the ground at Douma today (Sat. 2018-04-14) but the USA, the UK, and France were unable to wait even 24 hours for even a preliminary report.War frenzy like the lead-up to the Iraq fiasco?
I’m sure they got it right this time and there really was a Syrian Gov’t gas attack.
Marcus Ranum says
Rob Grigjanis@#4:
What a weird choice of words. You could just have well have asked
“How is bombing Syria going to help stop Syria from gassing Syria?”
If it hadn’t been so late, if I hadn’t been so shocked and disappointed, I might have met your standards. (if not your expectations)
Marcus Ranum says
John Morales@#6:
Something needs to be done, this is something.
I agree with that. The situation is horrible and US efforts to “regime change” have made it worse. In fact, since Barack Obama declared in 2011 that regime change was an objective in Syria, the Assad regime has been trying to make it harder to be pried out of power. It’s like Assad saw what happened to Ghaddafi and said “not me!”
Submit or be destroyed. And, while the US is trying to pry Assad out with a crowbar, the US is trying to pry Trump out with tweezers. Assad is just trying to outlast Trump.
Marcus Ranum says
jrkrideau@#9:
Investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to be on the ground at Douma today (Sat. 2018-04-14) but the USA, the UK, and France were unable to wait even 24 hours for even a preliminary report.War frenzy like the lead-up to the Iraq fiasco?
Exactly. Especially because, as Sy Hersh appears to have pointed out, Jabhat Al Nusrah(sp) nearly stampeded Obama into doing what Trump has now done.
Edit: I am not convince by Hersh; I think a UN team should be brought in to examine the forensics and present evidence who’s behind the attack. Then let’s see a UN-sponsored mandate for use of military force against countries using chemical weapons including white phosophorus in Syria.
jrkrideau says
@ Marcus
It’s like Assad saw what happened to Ghaddafi and said “not me!”
Ghaddafi, Saddam, and others I probably forget. If one goes back far enough, Noriega?
And, of course, on the other side, Russia, Iran and even Turkey desperately don’t want to loss him. No one in those three countries may have any use for him as a person but if the US managed to get rid of him Syria is likely to splinter into a failed state with hundreds of waring factions.
None of these countries want a failed state with almost any flavour of terrorist group you can think of (well perhaps no Hindu nationalists or KKK) spreading chaos. Worse, from Turkey’s point of view giving the Kurds in Syria and Iraq a chance at their own state.
And who knows what might happen to Iraq? A new ISIS fighting it out with Shi’ite militias?
I don’t think Macron has thought the failed state/more refugees possibility out.
John Morales says
Also, sometimes the USA confuses me.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/04/infowars-alex-jones-cries-on-air-over-syria-strikes-trump-is-crapping-all-over-us.html
jrkrideau says
@ 14 John Morales
Sometimes? I live in Canada. We tend to be in a constant state of WHAT?.
Alex Jones and words such as “logic” or “reason” don’t really go together but I think I see what he was ranting about. IIRC Jones is very anti-Islam.
The Syrian Gov’t and allies have basically destroyed any number of Islamist groups, especially ISIL. They seem to be exiling the remnants to the Iblid Governate where the various factions are happily shotting each other.
So, somewhat logically, Assad must be a good guy since he is wiping out Islamist terrorist groups. Or, not as bad as ISIL and all the rest. He is still a muslim.
I had not expected Jones to be that perceptive. Maybe he has good writers.
drew says
On a positive note, somehow they knew to evacuate before airstrikes. I think there ought to be a version of rock, paper, scissors that’s something like “airstrike, gas, people,” but I can’t find the right hand movements.
jrkrideau says
Bloody hell, I know I cannot spell or type but that last post is outstanding!
Marcus Ranum says
drew@#16
I think there ought to be a version of rock, paper, scissors that’s something like “airstrike, gas, people,” but I can’t find the right hand movements.
There really ought to be.
Maybe for all 3 you could use a fist.
abbeycadabra says
Easy. Can’t gas people who are already dead.