Saturday, August 31, 2013

Oblivious

 
The sun continues to beat down as our wonderful summer just keeps on going. And now it is a long weekend, outings, picnics, excursions to the USA, and maybe undertaking some last minute chores so that when school starts next week, the transition will go smoothly.
So in this land of peace and plenty, how many of us are watching the drama unfold as today President Obama announced that he has decided that a strike against Syria for using chemical weapons is justified. Do we understand just how dangerous this is, and what the motivations are behind this unilateral proposed action?
 
Obama is the first sitting president of the USA who has had zero military experience. He was a city planner, remember? So I suppose it does not occur to him that as the Commander-in-Chief of the vast US military machine, he should perhaps keep quiet about the plan of action against Syria. Hey, the guy from Wikileaks did not even do something this dumb. By announcing to the world where the strikes will take place, and what weapons will be used, he has just given the terrorist Syrian regime a 'heads up' as to what assets they should move and where they should place the maximum number of civilians, mainly women and children.
 
Lets recognise this move for what it is. He wants to proclaim to the American people that he is a strong and decisive leader. He wants to let Syria know that they are outside the norm of usual warfare and they need to be taught a lesson. But just a minute. Is this about a bad regime or is it about chemical weapons. If it is about a bad regime that tramples on human rights, then what about China, Russia, and North Korea. If you are going to be the policeman of the world, show a little consistency here.
 
He says he does not want chemical weapons to proliferate and get into the hands of the 'bad guys'. I have news. The bad guys already have them. He claims that he is not after a change in regimes, only sending a strong message that this behaviour is not acceptable.
 
Well, let's just watch and see what happens as the Syrians, whose autonomy and pride will be hurt, strike out against Israel. If we are lucky, the Syrians will make sure enough women and children will get killed and the USA will have such a black eye in the world's estimation that they will back off and learn to handle this conflict in another way.
 
Whatever happens, it will happen soon.
 
 

2 comments:

Chris said...

Terry, I have enjoyed scrolling through your beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Terry said...

Thanks Chris. I just purchased and installed 'Lightroom 5', which is a photo enhancement program, on my computer and expect the photos to be improved as a result.