GOP Shown To Be Keystone Cops By President Obama

Gallery - GOP Keystone Cops Memeby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

GOP Shown To Be Keystone Cops By President Obama

Somebody help me out here. Are the Republicans for war with Syria or against war with Syria? When it appeared that we might be dropping bombs on Syria all I heard from the Republican party was “Tyranny,” “Dictator,” “Impeachable Offense,” “Unconstitutional” and “Highly Illegal.”

Not surprising since they are functionally illiterate and don’t read their own resolutions… like the one the Congress signed stating that Syria’s possession and use of chemical weapons was against the “Interests of these United States.” Details, details, surely that was under a different President and it doesn’t matter now… Of course it does!

What A Difference A Day Makes

Now that President Obama’s pressure is forcing a diplomatic solution, Republicans again are outraged! They’re tripping all over themselves with no clear idea of what their stance should be. Did we drop the ball? Is Putin getting all the glory for brokering a peace? It would be simply hilarious if you didn’t stop and realize, these idiots are in a position where the safety and welfare of this nation depend on their having good judgement.

It’s a good thing they already have “Obama Care!” It will pay for the psychiatric help they need. What they’re suffering from is commonly known as Schizophrenia. They don’t know which of their multiple personalities to bring to the fore on this issue. You can see them moistening their fingers and putting them in the air to see which way the wind is blowing. When our children’s lives are at stake, whether I disagree with your ultimate conclusion or not… it would certainly be nice to know as an elected official, you made the best choice possible under the circumstance. Right now? Everything they do, they measure against their own personal political gain. That’s not putting country first.

Syria’s Consequences – The Obama Dilemma

Syria's Consequences - Obama's Dilemma Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

We do not live in a world without consequences. Syria’s consequences for using chemical weapons needs to be quick, decisive and comprehensive. Had the world responded when Hitler invaded Poland, WWII may never have happened. If we do not learn from history, we will be doomed to repeat it. Everything has consequences. It is one of the universal laws that governs the Cosmos.

Not Just America’s Responsibility

[KJV] Proverbs 16:18 
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Syria's Consequences - Super Power CertificateThe world has come to expect and rely on the United States taking a leadership role in solving International crises. In point of fact, we have encouraged, cultivated and taken pride in our status as the world’s lone “Super Power.”  The reality is, the American Empire has no clothes and the designation of “Super Power” is merely a certificate taxpayers can hang on their mental walls to help distract us from the reality that we’re paying through the nose to sustain nation States who would throw a party upon our demise.

Syria's Consequences - High Speed Rail

High Speed Rail?

Unless you have ambitions of conquest, you only need a military capable of defending your own borders from any reasonable threat. You do not need to be able to project power around the world. Because the United States has been so willing to do this – at a cost to its taxpayers – other nations have not seen the need to invest a lot of their money developing their own military/industrial complexes. Instead, many of these developed nations have spent their money on providing better healthcare to their citizens, improving their infrastructure with high speed rail and improving their educational systems.

Meanwhile, here in the land of the lone remaining “Super Power,” on a quiet night, you can hear us turning into a third world nation. Our infrastructure is collapsing. Our educational system is failing and our cities are quickly turning into sets for the casting of the next post apocalyptic movie. Put simply, we cannot afford to carry the rest of the world on the backs of the American taxpayer.

Syria’s Consequences

Thus far I have laid out what I believe to be a compelling case for us to stay out of Syria. Unfortunately, loath as I am to say it, this may be the exact wrong thing to do. World Wars occur when multiple nations are drawn into a conflict that began between two nations. In addition to bloodshed and destruction, war creates refugees. Displaced civilians fleeing the conflict. Where do these people go? They flood across the nearest borders into the surrounding nations creating a humanitarian crisis that in many cases, particularly now given the global economic state, these receiving nations are simply not financially equipped to deal with.

Syria's Consequences - Syrian Refugees

Syrian Refugees fleeing into Turkey

Refugees create economic and political crises for the nations surrounding the initial conflict. Suddenly, these nations now have a vested interest in the initial conflict and this creates a powder keg that often explodes. In addition to murdering hundreds of innocent men, women and children through the use of chemical weapons, the other result is, this act has exponentially increased the number of Syrian refugees flooding across the borders of the surrounding nations.

The Whole World Is A Stage

Guy walks into a bar spots a beautiful lady and propositions her. “Would you sleep with me for a million dollars he asks?” Without hesitation, “sure!” she says. “How about for twenty five dollars?” Indignantly, “what kind of a woman do you think I am?!?” “Well, we’ve already established that. Now we’re just haggling over price.”

Syria's Consequences - Kim Jong Un

“Dear Leader” of North Korea Kim Jong Un

Just like nuclear weapons, chemical weapons are weapons of mass destruction. Suppose the Assad Regime had detonated a small tactical nuke? Would it make a difference to you? Fundamentally it’s the same thing. Make no mistake about it, Iran is watching to see what happens and more importantly, North Korea is watching. Doing nothing may be the exact worst thing we can do. Why the worst thing? The world is a jungle that operates on the principle of “Survival Of The Fittest.” You are either predator or prey. If weakness is sensed, a predator can quickly become the prey.

When the United States and the rest of the world indicate that they have no stomach to enforce UN resolutions against the use of Chemical weapons, the hands of State sponsored terrorist are loosed.

Syria’s Consequences – Facing The Harsh Realities

The question is simple, but the answer is not. What do we do? The story is told that at the beginning of WWII, the German army had orders to fall back if they met even the least resistance invading Poland. Theoretically, a single 12 year old armed with a single shot .22 rifle could have stopped the entire German army by simply firing a shot in their direction.

Poland put up no initial resistance and 2.5% of the total global population or over 60 million deaths later, WWII came to an end. Dare we repeat this mistake again? If we refuse to learn the lessons of history, we certainly might.

Syria's Consequences - WWII Cemetery

WWII Cemetery

The world has changed. We are all connected in our global community. What happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. It can be known on the other side of the globe within seconds. Fear mongers have for some time been floating the notion of the United States going to war with China. Here’s why that won’t happen. First, China is holding a sizeable portion of the US debt. The last thing you want to do is harm the person who owes you money or from our perspective, we don’t want to blow up our bank. Second, the main export of the United States is food followed by technology. Taking out the United States would tip the world into global famine.

Of course, there are nations working on the problem of increasing their own domestic food supplies, but right now? The global community needs the United States in tact. The United States is the 3rd top oil producing nation in the world, behind Russia who is first and Saudi Arabia who is second. The bottom line is that WWIII even if no one launched a single nuclear device, would take most of the world back to the stone age. Nations not even participating in such a war would suffer from famine and economic collapse.

Syria's Consequences - Hurricane Katrina Refugees

Hurricane Katrina Refugees

The problem again is, if we do nothing our inaction may lead to the conflict spreading which would draw other nations into what might well turn into WWIII. Right now the United Nations puts the cost of the Syrian refugee crisis at about 3 billion dollars. If you live in the United States, it is easy to forget how hundreds of thousands of refugees would affect much smaller nation States. When hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf and Louisiana in particular, we had a lot of refugees. We looked like a 3rd World Nation. It took us a lot of time to sort things out. People were spending weeks in various sports stadiums and it wasn’t pretty. We were big enough and wealthy enough to absorb our displaced citizens – some were sent as far away as Alaska – but we still have not fully recovered to this date. Now imagine what it would be like for countries some of which are no larger land mass wise than some of our States.

Conclusions

I don’t know what we should do specifically and in particular, but I know we must do something. The longer this conflict continues, the more destabilized and dangerous the region becomes. The more dangerous the region becomes, the higher the probability it will lead to global calamity.

Syria Is Not Iraq – Don’t Get It Twisted

Syria Is Not Iraq - Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Syria Is Not Iraq

Have you ever noticed how our Presidents seem to age right before our very eyes? These are the problems and issues that cause this apparent rapid ageing. As President Obama once pointed out, all the easy decisions are handled before they ever reach his desk. The problems that reach the “Oval Office” are the ones only he can make a decision about. What to do about Syria’s use of chemical weapons on its own people is just such a decision. Contrary to what some of the pundits would have you believe, Syria is not Iraq.

 This Is Not His Daddy’s War

Syria Is Not Iraq - GW BushThere is no doubt the shenanigans of “Bush 43” left a very sour taste in the mouths of the  American people when it comes to military operations in the “middle east.” The analytical amongst us figured out early on, the primary reasons for going into Iraq following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, had more to do with the oil cartels wanting to get their grimy mitts on the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world and our military industrial complex looking to loot this country. Add to these facts, G.W. would get to finish the job his daddy only started, and it was a done deal.

The United States is still paying for the criminal incompetence of G.W. Bush. In the words of Obi Wan Kenobi, “who’s the bigger fool? The fool or the fool who follows him?” I think we’ve answered that question and at an extremely high cost.

Chemical Weapons Actually Used

Unlike the cobbled together justification for going into Iraq, Syria has actually used chemical weapons on its citizens. We’ve seen the videos and the dead bodies have been examined. Did Saddam use chemical weapons on the Kurds? Yes he did. We sold him the chemical weapons he used. However, this occurred back in 1988. At the time of this writing, Syria used chemical weapons against its citizens just 10 days ago. Syria is not Iraq.

Mission Is Not Regime Change

Syria Is Not Iraq - Saddam Statue Pulled DownPresident Obama is not interested in changing the Syrian regime. Not only does the United States have no Constitutional authority to go around changing the regimes of sovereign nations, who is to say that the regime replacing the current one would be any better? Although many nations in our global community are expressing trepidation about taking action, it has been long established policy – global policy – that the nations of the world will not tolerate the use of weapons of mass destruction. Chemical weapons fall under this prohibition. Had Assad detonated a “tactical nuke” I suspect there would be no hesitation in the global community for taking action. The reality is, using chemical weapons is philosophically no different.

Syria Is Not A Major Oil Producer

Syria Is Not Iraq - Graph Of Oil Producing NationsIn point of fact, Syria has not been able to export any oil since the 2011 sanctions. If Syria were a major oil producer, you’d best believe the Republican lap dogs would be getting calls from their corporate masters and they’d be itching to go into Syria. Syria is not Iraq.

Destabilizing Civil War Already In Progress

When we went into Iraq under George Bush 43, Iraq was not at war and was relatively stable. You may not have liked Saddam’s administration, but his people had food, they had electricity and there was law and order in the streets. We went in and destabilized Iraq, seized their oil production and destroyed their infrastructure. As Colin Powell advised Bush 43, “it’s the pottery barn rules; you break it you bought it.” We’ve been paying to keep Iraq together ever since.

Syria is already in the middle of a civil war that is destabilizing the region. If tomorrow you awoke to tanks rolling down your street and bombs falling, what would you do? If possible you’d take your family and get the hell out of Dodge. Those in Syria who can are doing that very thing. Where are they going? They’re going across their borders where possible and that means the surrounding nations are inundated with refugees. Over time, this will serve to destabilize those nations. Thus, the longer this conflict continues, the more dangerous it becomes for that region. Syria is not Iraq.

What To Do?

What should we do in Syria? Frankly, I don’t know. I’m not the President and I’m damn glad I don’t have to make this decision. I’m definitely not an advocate for “boots on the ground.” We can’t simply blow up his chemical weapons stock piles because that would release them into the environment.

I also am not naive enough to believe we shouldn’t do anything. We’ve seen what happens when despots get away with even the least bit of genocide. It always grows and it sets a precedent for all the tin horn dictators watching to see what the consequences might be.

I might recommend what I call the “Moore Doctrine” of modern warfare. Under my doctrine, when dealing with a nation that refuses to see reason, you take out one third of their military assets. You then give them the opportunity to negotiate. If they remain recalcitrant, you take out another third and so on. Assad wants to maintain power. If he loses his military, he’s done for. Reduce his military by one third, you haven’t removed him from power, thus further destabilizing the region, but you may have taught him a valuable lesson and a lesson, more importantly, that those watching will appreciate.