How interesting this all becomes as the madness unfolds, eh? The government of Syria, under the Assad regime, has invited another sovereign, Russia, to come to its aid to assist it in its fight concerning what it perceives as a civil war. So, whatever military presence Russia has in Syria is justified under international law. In marked contrast to this are the interlopers of the U.S., Britain, and France (and their proxies), who have no legal rights to be in Syria, under international law. I can certainly foresee the possibility of Russian SAMs shooting down U.S., British, or French jets over Syrian territory - and doing so with complete justification under international law. I can also foresee the Russians specifically targeting any and all U.S. or NATO affiliated actors already within Syria - and doing so with complete impunity under international law.
How much longer do you believe that Russia will permit itself to be humiliated in Syria by interlopers without a major show of force? They have a heavily-armed cruiser waiting just off Latakia for Erdogan to make this mistake a second time.
What is simultaneously sad, amazing, and revolting, is that the American government, self-professed Policeman of the World, needs to be reminded of the obvious: torture is wrong. Even American exceptionalism does not grant the government special dispensation from the norms of the civilized world.
Roksob is spot on. This has nothing to do with making anyone safer and everything to do with beta-testing new technologies as they come on line. These new weapons need guinea pigs for testing. So ... where to find new guinea pigs ... I wonder? Then there is, of course, the necessary propaganda to dehumanize the guinea pigs first. And have you noticed how much more militarized American society itself has become? Fascist states are not born overnight. They take years, decades to fester. Et voila.
I'm pretty sure we've all seen this tragi-comedy before. It has never ended well. Why should it be any different now? But, alas, election years make strange bed-fellows. Hopenchange's legacy will be merely that white males do not have a monopoly on idiocy and hubris. Shocking, I know.
It seems that we, as an entire nation, are now being drafted to serve three years as unwilling subjects of empire as our government completely unmoors itself from accountability, transparency, and the rule of law. I don't think that this is the "hope and change" that any of us signed up for.
You fail to note the irony of a purported democracy issuing a dictate to another country to remove its popularly-elected executive. I think the United States should reciprocate and Obama should be removed from power. It's only fair.
If systemic violence (precision bombing) is going to be used to combat systemic violence (chemical/biological weapons use on civilian populations), wouldn't it make the most sense to specifically target the potential delivery systems for any future chemical/biological attacks?
If the bombing was explicitly targeted to eliminate chemical/biological weapons deliver systems (if that's even possible), then I think a cogent AND LEGAL argument can be made to international bodies that the otherwise suspect "doctrine of pre-emption" can be justified in circumstances such as this.
Of course, I am presuming that American foreign policy is governed by wisdom and circumspection rather than arrogance, hubris, and greed.
Sadly, I suspect that the temptation to expand the target base within Syria is overwhelming and precludes an otherwise Solomonic use of limited/proportional force directed at the agents/systems that brought about the dire need to respond.
The Powell Doctrine will not work here. In its place, we need a brief intervention that is renowned for its speed, precision, and its very low level of casualties.
This is a razor's edge here.
However, after the last decade of American interventionism, unilateralism, and exceptionalism in this part of the world, it would be foolish to suspect that American foreign policy is guided by anything other than pure realpolitik greed for yet more power and control - and none at all for some semblance of justice.
Alas, the dead here are not to be mourned as persons but celebrated as a casus belli. And so it goes. Cry havoc, and unleash the dogs of war; into the abyss we go. Again.
Exactly! I have recently come to suspect something truly mind-blowing: that the NSA has SPECIFICALLY contracted with GCHQ AND OTHER ENTITIES for the express purpose of having these third-parties IGNORE our constitutional rights in their entirety.
Think about that for a moment. If, in fact, this is true, the NSA, as a monolithic entity, has committed treason and treason on a mind-blowingly huge level.
And if Obama KNEW about this - let alone had anything to do with authorizing it - then let the impeachment proceedings begin!
Let's take a look at Article III, Section 3, shall we?: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."
Granting even our alleged allies the right to engage in mass surveillance of our citizens is nothing more than a crypto-war against them.
Thus, we would effectively have an entire branch of our federal government going rogue - committing treason against the very people it purports to represent.
Is there a more perfect example of an erstwhile democratic government secretly engaging in tyranny? No.
But here's the chilling question: to what end?
The enemy is the executive branch of the United States government.
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How interesting this all becomes as the madness unfolds, eh? The government of Syria, under the Assad regime, has invited another sovereign, Russia, to come to its aid to assist it in its fight concerning what it perceives as a civil war. So, whatever military presence Russia has in Syria is justified under international law. In marked contrast to this are the interlopers of the U.S., Britain, and France (and their proxies), who have no legal rights to be in Syria, under international law. I can certainly foresee the possibility of Russian SAMs shooting down U.S., British, or French jets over Syrian territory - and doing so with complete justification under international law. I can also foresee the Russians specifically targeting any and all U.S. or NATO affiliated actors already within Syria - and doing so with complete impunity under international law.
How much longer do you believe that Russia will permit itself to be humiliated in Syria by interlopers without a major show of force? They have a heavily-armed cruiser waiting just off Latakia for Erdogan to make this mistake a second time.
What is simultaneously sad, amazing, and revolting, is that the American government, self-professed Policeman of the World, needs to be reminded of the obvious: torture is wrong. Even American exceptionalism does not grant the government special dispensation from the norms of the civilized world.
Through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole we all go.
It might be a great question to put to the Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait, @ his website, Bad Astronomy.
To me, it looks more like an ancient impact crater.
And thus begin the cracks in the monolithic Western wall isolating Palestine, at long last.
Roksob is spot on. This has nothing to do with making anyone safer and everything to do with beta-testing new technologies as they come on line. These new weapons need guinea pigs for testing. So ... where to find new guinea pigs ... I wonder? Then there is, of course, the necessary propaganda to dehumanize the guinea pigs first. And have you noticed how much more militarized American society itself has become? Fascist states are not born overnight. They take years, decades to fester. Et voila.
I'm pretty sure we've all seen this tragi-comedy before. It has never ended well. Why should it be any different now? But, alas, election years make strange bed-fellows. Hopenchange's legacy will be merely that white males do not have a monopoly on idiocy and hubris. Shocking, I know.
It seems that we, as an entire nation, are now being drafted to serve three years as unwilling subjects of empire as our government completely unmoors itself from accountability, transparency, and the rule of law. I don't think that this is the "hope and change" that any of us signed up for.
You fail to note the irony of a purported democracy issuing a dictate to another country to remove its popularly-elected executive. I think the United States should reciprocate and Obama should be removed from power. It's only fair.
If systemic violence (precision bombing) is going to be used to combat systemic violence (chemical/biological weapons use on civilian populations), wouldn't it make the most sense to specifically target the potential delivery systems for any future chemical/biological attacks?
If the bombing was explicitly targeted to eliminate chemical/biological weapons deliver systems (if that's even possible), then I think a cogent AND LEGAL argument can be made to international bodies that the otherwise suspect "doctrine of pre-emption" can be justified in circumstances such as this.
Of course, I am presuming that American foreign policy is governed by wisdom and circumspection rather than arrogance, hubris, and greed.
Sadly, I suspect that the temptation to expand the target base within Syria is overwhelming and precludes an otherwise Solomonic use of limited/proportional force directed at the agents/systems that brought about the dire need to respond.
The Powell Doctrine will not work here. In its place, we need a brief intervention that is renowned for its speed, precision, and its very low level of casualties.
This is a razor's edge here.
However, after the last decade of American interventionism, unilateralism, and exceptionalism in this part of the world, it would be foolish to suspect that American foreign policy is guided by anything other than pure realpolitik greed for yet more power and control - and none at all for some semblance of justice.
Alas, the dead here are not to be mourned as persons but celebrated as a casus belli. And so it goes. Cry havoc, and unleash the dogs of war; into the abyss we go. Again.
Exactly! I have recently come to suspect something truly mind-blowing: that the NSA has SPECIFICALLY contracted with GCHQ AND OTHER ENTITIES for the express purpose of having these third-parties IGNORE our constitutional rights in their entirety.
Think about that for a moment. If, in fact, this is true, the NSA, as a monolithic entity, has committed treason and treason on a mind-blowingly huge level.
And if Obama KNEW about this - let alone had anything to do with authorizing it - then let the impeachment proceedings begin!
Let's take a look at Article III, Section 3, shall we?: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."
Granting even our alleged allies the right to engage in mass surveillance of our citizens is nothing more than a crypto-war against them.
Thus, we would effectively have an entire branch of our federal government going rogue - committing treason against the very people it purports to represent.
Is there a more perfect example of an erstwhile democratic government secretly engaging in tyranny? No.
But here's the chilling question: to what end?
The enemy is the executive branch of the United States government.