Syria: Another U.S. March to WAR

Below is a collage of articles about the proposed military action against Syria before the FACTS are known.

While the Corporate Media is beating the drums of war, public opinion seems to indicate otherwise.  

September 4, 2013

Obama Shaken by Boehner’s Support

Posted by Andy Borowitz

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Aides to President Obama said today that he was “visibly shaken” after receiving support from House Speaker John Boehner for his Syria campaign, adding that the Speaker’s vote of confidence was “making him rethink the whole thing.”

[Satire, folks!]

From the Washington Post:

Obama: 'The world set a red line' on Syria
During visit to Stockholm, the president says the credibility of Congress and the international community is at stake.
» Read full article

IN THE LOOP: Obama works to find Congressional support on Syria

THE FIX: The most important moment of Rand Paul's young career
The Syria debate in Congress is the first foreign policy fight of 2016.

The congressional votes for the Iraq war in 2002 might offer a clue to whether Obama can find enough support for an attack on Syria
» Read full article

Add your name to insist on ANSWERS ---
Tell Congress to ask the tough questions on Syria


Tuesday, Sep 3, 2013 08:39 AM EDT

Chomsky: Syria attack would be “war crime”

Even if congressional support is garnered, the antiwar linguist rejects the case for war

By Natasha Lennard


Juan Cole's Columns

On Syria: The U.S. Is No Lone Ranger and Should Put That Six Shooter Away

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/on_syria_the_us_is_no_lone_ranger_and_should_put_that_six_shooter_away_20/

On Syria, a U.N. Vote Isn’t Optional

By OONA A. HATHAWAY and SCOTT J. SHAPIRO

Published: September 3, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/opinion/on-syria-a-un-vote-isnt-optional.html?hp&_r=1&

NEW HAVEN — THE world is in a bind. Syria has violated basic norms of international law and humanity by using chemical weapons on its own people. The United Nations, which is supposed to secure international peace, is paralyzed by the intransigence of Russia and China, which hold vetoes on the Security Council.

From David Sirota for whom I have great respect:

Tuesday, Sep 3, 2013 10:24 AM EDT

4 essential questions before we rush to war

Before deciding how the U.S. should address the human atrocity in Syria, here are the moral questions at stake

By David Sirota


From PCCC:

While our elected officials are divided and undecided about taking military action in Syria, we surveyed PCCC members in every single state and congressional district -- and they’re anything but undecided.

After over 57,000 responses, progressives oppose bombing Syria by 73% to 18%. That is HUGE.

Why do folks feel that way? 81% believe that an initially-limited bombing campaign would lead to deeper involvement. And 80% say, regardless of what our goal is, narrow bombings will NOT achieve it.

Today we're delivering a memo with the survey results to Capitol Hill and the media to make progressive voices heard.

Members of Congress need to hear from people like you -- people who oppose military action -- right now. Click here to call your representatives in Congress and ask them to oppose bombing Syria.

You can also read our full memo to Congress here.

We're getting involved on this issue because it's a huge moment, many Democrats in Congress are undecided, and progressives like us can actually influence the result.

And we'll continue to stay focused on our core issues like expanding Social Security, holding Wall Street accountable, and electing more bold progressive like Elizabeth Warren.

Click here to call your representative to tell them: I don't support bombing Syria.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- Adam Green, PCCC Co-founder

Where the votes stand on Syria

By Aaron Blake, Published: September 3

 

9 questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask

By Max Fisher, Published: August 29

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government04 Sep 2013http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

US defends use of white phosphorus weapons in Iraq - CLG archives --US, UK used white phosphorous in Falluja in 2005. Posted by Lori Price, www.legitgov.org 03 Sep 2013 From November 2005 Archives, Page Two. US denies illegal use of weapons in Iraq 18 Nov 2005 (The Sydney Morning Herald) The Pentagon has acknowledged using incendiary white phosphorus munitions in a 2004 counterinsurgency offensive in the Iraqi city of Falluja, but defended their use as legal. A Pentagon spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Barry Venable, said on Wednesday that the US military had not used the highly flammable weapons against civilians, contrary to an Italian state television report this month that said the weapons were used against men, women and children in Falluja who were burned to the bone. "We categorically deny that claim," Colonel Venable said. "It's part of our conventional weapons inventory and we use it like we use any other conventional weapon," said another Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman. Colonel Venable said white phosphorus was not outlawed or banned by any convention. However, a protocol to the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons forbids using incendiary weapons against civilians or against military targets amid concentrations of civilians. The US did not sign the protocol. US defends use of white phosphorus weapons in Iraq 16 Nov 2005 (Reuters) The Pentagon on Wednesday acknowledged using incendiary white-phosphorus munitions in a 2004 'counterinsurgency' offensive in the Iraqi city of Falluja, but defended their use as legal. Army Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. military had not used the highly flammable weapons against civilians, contrary to an Italian state television report this month which said the weapons were used against men, women and children in Falluja who were burned to the bone. UK used white phosphorus in Iraq 16 Nov 2005 (BBC) UK troops have used white phosphorus in Iraq - but only to create smokescreens [?!?], Defence Secretary John Reid has said. MPs are worried by the admission by US forces that they used the controversial substance in the Iraqi city of Falluja - something they had previously denied. US used white phosphorus in Iraq 15 Nov 2005 (BBC) The Pentagon has confirmed that US troops used white phosphorus during last year's offensive in the northern Iraqi city of Falluja. The US earlier denied it had been used in Falluja.

First Syria 'rebels' armed and trained by CIA 'on way to battlefield' 03 Sep 2013 The first cell of Syrian 'rebels' trained and armed by the CIA is making its way to the battlefield, President Barack Obama has reportedly told senators. Mr Obama said that a 50-man [terrorist] cell, believed to have been trained by US special forces in Jordan, was making its way across the border into Syria, according to the New York Times. The deployment of the rebel unit seems to be the first tangible measure of support since Mr Obama announced in June that the US would begin providing the opposition with small arms.

Congress moves to approve Syria strike 03 Sep 2013 Obama's battle to get congressional approval for a military strike on Syria moved a step closer Tuesday, with leaders of both parties in Congress announcing that the United States should respond to Syrian President Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons. US President Barack Obama convinced leaders of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to support his request for the authorization of a military strike on Syria. After a meeting with more than a dozen senior lawmakers this week, members of both parties went public, praising Obama's plan and pledging a 'yes' vote on the operation against the Syrian government.

US Navy deploys five warships, one amphibious ship to Mediterranean for Syria 02 Sep 2013 The US Navy has deployed an amphibious transport ship to the Mediterranean, where five destroyers are already in place for possible missile strikes on Syria, a defense official said Sunday. The USS San Antonio, with several helicopters and hundreds of Marines on board, is "on station in the Eastern Mediterranean" but "has received no specific tasking," said the defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Unlike the destroyers deployed to the area, the San Antonio carries no Tomahawk cruise missiles but can ferry up to four helicopters and is designed to bring Marines ashore by chopper or landing craft.

U.S. positioning aircraft carrier for possible strike on Syria 02 Sep 2103 The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading west toward the Red Sea to help support a limited [sic] U.S. strike on Syria, if 'needed,' defense officials said on Sunday. The Nimitz carrier strike group, which includes four destroyers and a cruiser, has no specific orders to move to the eastern Mediterranean at this point, but is moving west in the Arabian Sea so it can do so if asked. It was not immediately clear when the ships would enter the Red Sea, but they had not arrived by Sunday evening, said one official.

'IDF soldiers mass on Lebanese border' --Media reports claim Israeli forces have mobilized in the north ahead of a possible US attack on Syria 31 Aug 2013 Lebanese media reported Saturday that the IDF has mobilized a large number of troops along the Israel-Lebanon border, ahead of a likely US attack on Syria following the alleged use of chemical weapons by regime forces last week. According to the reports, which were not confirmed by the IDF, Israeli soldiers were deployed in areas bordering the eastern areas of south Lebanon, namely the Upper Galilee, the Shebaa Farms and the Golan Heights.

US Marine website targeted by pro-Assad hackers 02 Sep 2013 Pro-Syrian regime hackers posted messages on a US Marine Corps recruiting website on Monday, urging troops to defy orders from President Barack Obama. The hackers showed photos of people in American uniforms holding hand-written signs saying they would not fight for 'al-Qaeda' in Syria. "Obama is a traitor who wants to put your lives in danger to rescue al-Qaeda insurgents," the message read, according to a screenshot from The Wall Street Journal.

Obama wins backing for Syria strike from key figures in Congress 03 Sep 2013 President Barack Obama won the backing of key figures in the U.S. Congress, including Republicans, in his call for limited U.S. strikes on Syria to punish President Bashar al-Assad for his suspected use of chemical weapons against civilians. In remarks that appeared to question the legality of U.S. plans to strike Syria without U.N. backing, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the use of force is only legal when it is in self-defense or with Security Council authorization. Assad denies deploying poison gas that killed hundreds of civilians last month.

Two sociopath peas is a pod: Boehner says he'll back Obama on Syria strikes 03 Sep 2013 House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Tuesday endorsed President Barack Obama’s call for military action in Syria. The top elected Republican in Washington, Boehner said following a meeting at the White House that he intended to support Obama’s plan for limited strikes against the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria. "I am going to support the president's call for action,” he told reporters. "I believe my colleagues should support this call for action."

McCain playing poker on his iPhone during Syria hearing 03 Sep 2013 (Washington Post) Senator John McCain (R-Sociopath-Ariz.) plays poker on his IPhone during a U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing where Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey testify concerning the use of force in Syria, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, Tuesday, September 3, 2013.

Obama's proposal seeks broad war power, despite vow of limits 01 Sep 2013 While President Barack Obama insists he wants only a limited air attack on Syria, his proposed authorization of force would empower him to do much more than that. The substantive part of Obama's proposed authorization of the use of military force, conveyed to congressional leaders over the weekend, contains 172 words. That's significantly more than either the 1964 Tonkin Gulf [aka false flag] Resolution authorizing the Vietnam War or the 2001 resolution authorizing retaliation for the 9/11 terror attacks [aka false flag], two measures that later became notorious for how aggressively presidents used them.

Only 'diplomatic support': UK Foreign Secretary says Syria military action ruled out 01 Sep 2013 William Hague, the UK's foreign secretary, has ruled out military intervention in Syria stating Britain will only be offering diplomatic support in the light of PM Cameron's defeat on the parliament vote. The UK Chancellor slammed Labour "opportunists." "Parliament has spoken. I don't think it is realistic to think that we can go back to parliament every week with the same question having received no for an answer," Hague said on the Murnaghan Show on Sky News on Sunday.

White House to Congress: Help protect Israel 02 Sep 2013 The Obama administration is using a time-tested pitch to get Congress to back military strikes in Syria: It will help protect Israel. Israel's enemies, including Iran and the terrorist rebel group Hezbollah, could be emboldened if Congress fails to approve action against the regime government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, senior administration officials said Saturday. And for the second day in a row, President Barack Obama publicly cited the threat against Israel if Assad's reported use of chemical weapons goes unchecked. Secretary of State John Kerry also referred to Israel repeatedly as he made the rounds on all five major Sunday morning news shows -- as well as comparing Assad to Adolf Hitler. [Media: Why is it the 'Assad regime' but the 'Obama administration?' Obama's killed thousands of civilians with drones worldwide. --LRP]

To some, US case for Syrian gas attack and need for strike has too many holes 02 Sep 2013 The Obama administration's public case for attacking Syria is riddled with inconsistencies and hinges mainly on circumstantial evidence [aka lies], undermining U.S. efforts this week to build support at home and abroad for a punitive strike against Bashar Assad's government. The case Secretary of State John Kerry laid out last Friday contained claims that were disputed by the United Nations, inconsistent in some details with British and French intelligence reports or lacking sufficient transparency for international chemical weapons experts to accept at face value. After the false weapons claims [aka lies] preceding the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the threshold for evidence to support intervention is exceedingly high.

Syria intervention plan fueled by oil interests, not chemical weapon concern 30 Aug 2013 In 2009 - the same year former French foreign minister Dumas alleges the British began planning operations in Syria - Assad refused to sign a proposed agreement with Qatar that would run a pipeline from the latter's North field, contiguous with Iran's South Pars field, through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and on to Turkey, with a view to supply European markets - albeit crucially bypassing Russia. Assad's rationale was "to protect the interests of [his] Russian ally, which is Europe's top supplier of natural gas." Instead, the following year, Assad pursued negotiations for an alternative $10 billion pipeline plan with Iran, across Iraq to Syria, that would also potentially allow Iran to supply gas to Europe from its South Pars field shared with Qatar. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project was signed in July 2012 - just as Syria's civil war was spreading to Damascus and Aleppo - and earlier this year Iraq signed a framework agreement for construction of the gas pipelines.

CNN Caught Staging News Segments on Syria With Actors 01 Sep 2013 Anderson Cooper and CNN have been caught staging fake news about Syria to justify military intervention. The primary "witness" that the mainstream media is using as a source in Syria has been caught staging fake news segments. Recent video evidence proves that "Syria Danny" [LOL], the supposed activist who has been begging for military intervention on CNN, is really just a paid actor and a liar. The following video shows him contradicting himself while off air, and even asking crew members to "get the gunfire sounds ready" for his video conference with Anderson Cooper on CNN. [Yes, it's reminiscent of Robbie Parker laughing and asking what he should say at his Sandy Hook presser: 'So, just read the card?' 'Yeah, just read the card.'.]

Government let British company export nerve gas chemicals to Syria 01 Sep 2013 The Government was accused of "breathtaking laxity" in its arms controls tonight after it emerged that officials authorised the export to Syria of two chemicals capable of being used to make a nerve agent such as sarin a year ago. The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, will on Monday be asked by MPs to explain why a British company was granted export licences for the dual-use substances for six months in 2012 while Syria's civil war was raging and concern was rife that the government could use chemical weapons on its own people. The disclosure of the licences for potassium fluoride and sodium fluoride, which can both be used as precursor chemicals in the manufacture of nerve gas, came as the US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States had evidence that sarin gas was used in last month's atrocity [by the CIA-backed 'rebels'] in Damascus.

Syrian rebels used Sarin nerve gas, not Assad's government: U.N. official 06 May 2013 Testimony from victims strongly suggests it was the rebels, not the Syrian government, that used Sarin nerve gas during a recent incident in the revolution-wracked nation, a senior U.N. diplomat said Monday. Carla del Ponte, a member of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told Swiss TV there were "strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof," that rebels seeking to oust Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had used the nerve agent. But she said her panel had not yet seen any evidence of Syrian government forces using chemical weapons, according to the BBC, but she added that more investigation was needed.

Iraq: British Troops Deny Mutilation Claims 02 Sep 2013 Bodies of insurgents killed in a battle in Iraq were not mutilated by British troops, nor were detainees mistreated, a public inquiry has heard. On the first day of evidence from military witnesses, the Al-Sweady Inquiry was told that claims that Iraqis killed in the Battle of Danny Boy were mutilated were "baseless rumours" [?] spread to discredit coalition forces. The inquiry is examining claims that 20 or more Iraqis were unlawfully killed at Camp Abu Naji (CAN) near Majar-al-Kabir on May 14 and 15, 2004, and that detainees prisoners were ill-treated there and later at Shaibah Logistics Base.

KBR Seeks Combat Immunity in Soldier Toxic-Exposure Suit 03 Sep 2013 KBR Inc. is invoking federal laws shielding contractors during wartime to avoid a Texas trial over injuries claimed by troops who were exposed to [KBR's] toxic chemicals while guarding a work site in Iraq. KBR is set to argue today before a U.S. Court of Appeals panel in El Paso, Texas, that such contractor-on-the-battlefield statutes act as a firewall to litigation. Lawyers for injured soldiers are urging the three-judge panel to reject KBR's theory that the Houston-based company is immune from the lawsuits.

Reports indicate that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recently used sarin, a poisonous chemical, against civilians in an area near Damascus controlled by the opposition. Hundreds of people are known to have been killed. United Nations inspectors are currently conducting analysis to determine definitively whether chemical weapons were, in fact, used in the attack.

In response to these developments, President Obama has asked Congress to authorize limited military action against Syrian military assets. The President declared:

“…we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to what happened in Damascus… So to all members of Congress of both parties, I ask you to take this vote for our national security.”

On the other hand, some lawmakers are skeptical of the benefits of military action. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) stated:

“I have grave concerns about what the administration is asking of us, of our military and of the American people. I see this potential bombing campaign as a potential next step toward full-fledged war...We’ve been here before.”

Here are some key questions and answers about the potential U.S. response to the Syria crisis.

Why is the President considering military action now? The primary reason for the proposed strike is not to force the Assad regime from power, but to enforce the international norm against the use of chemical weapons, which are a type of weapon of mass destruction. Although Syria is not party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, many argue that there is nonetheless a strong international taboo against chemical weapons usage.

So what now? The Senate and House of Representatives are holding Committee hearings this week, and both houses will likely vote next week.

Has Congress taken action on Syria in the past? Yes, although it has stopped short of passing anything that definitively establishes a position on intervention. For instance, this year the House’s defense authorization bill expressed a “sense of Congress” that President Obama’s “red line” must be enforced – that is, that the U.S. should act if chemical weapons were used against Syrians. But the House also adopted a measure that ruled out the use of any force that was inconsistent with the War Powers Act. Neither measure ever became law, however, and it remains unclear how Congress will vote.

Want to know more? If you’re interested in learning more, take a look at what our staff has been reading on Syrian chemical weapons and the prospects for US intervention.

• “Backgrounder: Clues to a Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria” Phil Coyle of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, our affiliated research group, breaks down the basics for Science magazine.
• “Are Chemical Weapons Reason Enough to Go to War?” A great primer from Mother Jones covering key facts about chemical weapons, the history of their use, and the debate over whether these weapons constitute a basis for intervention.
• “Vote on Syria Sets Up Foreign Policy Clash Between 2 Wings of G.O.P.” The New York Times’ Jonathan Martin on how the Syria debate reflects and exacerbates divisions within the Republican party.
• “All the Previous Declarations of War” In U.S. history, Congress has declared war 11 times, and has authorized military force (without declaring war) 11 times as well. This timely piece from The Atlantic details those 22 examples that would serve as precedents for a possible resolution on Syria.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on important developments related to the Syria crisis.