U.S. Bombing of Syria: The Elephant in the Room
After Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to launch Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian military base, the media and most politicians hailed the decision. The Secretary of State and other officials sounded "tough." The U.S. won't sit idly by while innocent people are murdered by their government in cold blood. It was said they were subjected to chemical weapons. Sarin gas, perhaps the most lethal of all chemical weapons, was mentioned. But there remained an "elephant in the room": no proof.
Reporting included stories of children victims. Sad, to be sure. It's hard to hear about, never mind see photos, of innocent children suffering, even dying. And so we were fed a picture of an outraged President of the U.S. responding decisively to an outrageous act of wanton murder by a government killing its own people. But, again, is it true? No certain connection exists - at least not at the moment - that Assad was behind the attack. Will any proof be offered?
Indeed, some voices spoke out right away: the idea that Assad ordered these attacks makes no sense. Especially noted was the recent meeting of minds with the U.S. government that would create a joint effort to suppress the terrorist groups the Assad government is opposing. So why would Assad undermine this effort?
And it's not like we haven't seen all this played out before. We were reminded of the Iraq War launched by George Bush. Remember the "proof" that Sadaam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons in the face of an agreement to desist from doing so? Then Secretary of State Colin Powell presented this "proof," only later admitting there was no real proof. By that time, the military had unleashed "Shock and Awe" reigning bombs on Bagdhad as U.S. military forces put boots on the ground. Many Iraqi civilians died. U.S. troops were killed and maimed. And while some continue to defend that war to this day, the fact remains the cause for used to unleash the Iraq war was falsified. As a result, much of the support for the Iraq War was garnered by lies.
Are we witnessing a repeat of that deception now? Will it lead to war with Syria? Was this the act of a President whose ratings have fallen, using war as means to boost those ratings? It's possible. Or was this action, taking place right before a meeting with the Chinese leader Xi, intended to send a message to the Chinese government: Either you control the North Koreans or we (the U.S. government) will? Could be. Indeed, Chinese troops were observed massing near the border with North Korea after the attack. Was that a result of the Tomahawk missiles blasting that Syrian base?
We're in puzzle territory here, and won't attempt to put the pieces together now. But however all this turns out, doesn't it strike you as odd, if not disturbing, that no attempt has been made at proof of any kind. It's all mere assertion at this point.
One side note to all of this has been the action of the stock market. The potential outbreak of a war "should have" caused stocks to dive, especially in light of the general expectation of a correction in this long bull market. But no such dive has occurred - yet. Is that a sign of continued strength, even a signal that we can expect prices to rise to new highs? If nothing else, it does demonstrate significant underlying strength - or at least an unwillingness of traders to go against the tide to bring prices down. Maybe not correction will be forthcoming after all.
All of this is interesting, of course. But the lack of concern about the lack of proof remains the more interesting and important piece of the puzzle. Doesn't such lack of concern encourage and empower leaders to do whatever the heck they want, facts and proof be damned. That can't be good for the country. It can't be good for any of us, especially if you're a parent or spouse of a potential combatant in any potential war.
Perhaps proof of some sort will be offered in the coming days and weeks - at least some attempt to connect the dots. If not, what do you think the chances are that we Americans will raise our voices and demand an explanation? There were a few protests, but it seems the vast majority of people are so far just going along with the government's actions - no questions asked.
Reporting included stories of children victims. Sad, to be sure. It's hard to hear about, never mind see photos, of innocent children suffering, even dying. And so we were fed a picture of an outraged President of the U.S. responding decisively to an outrageous act of wanton murder by a government killing its own people. But, again, is it true? No certain connection exists - at least not at the moment - that Assad was behind the attack. Will any proof be offered?
Indeed, some voices spoke out right away: the idea that Assad ordered these attacks makes no sense. Especially noted was the recent meeting of minds with the U.S. government that would create a joint effort to suppress the terrorist groups the Assad government is opposing. So why would Assad undermine this effort?
And it's not like we haven't seen all this played out before. We were reminded of the Iraq War launched by George Bush. Remember the "proof" that Sadaam Hussein was developing nuclear weapons in the face of an agreement to desist from doing so? Then Secretary of State Colin Powell presented this "proof," only later admitting there was no real proof. By that time, the military had unleashed "Shock and Awe" reigning bombs on Bagdhad as U.S. military forces put boots on the ground. Many Iraqi civilians died. U.S. troops were killed and maimed. And while some continue to defend that war to this day, the fact remains the cause for used to unleash the Iraq war was falsified. As a result, much of the support for the Iraq War was garnered by lies.
Are we witnessing a repeat of that deception now? Will it lead to war with Syria? Was this the act of a President whose ratings have fallen, using war as means to boost those ratings? It's possible. Or was this action, taking place right before a meeting with the Chinese leader Xi, intended to send a message to the Chinese government: Either you control the North Koreans or we (the U.S. government) will? Could be. Indeed, Chinese troops were observed massing near the border with North Korea after the attack. Was that a result of the Tomahawk missiles blasting that Syrian base?
We're in puzzle territory here, and won't attempt to put the pieces together now. But however all this turns out, doesn't it strike you as odd, if not disturbing, that no attempt has been made at proof of any kind. It's all mere assertion at this point.
One side note to all of this has been the action of the stock market. The potential outbreak of a war "should have" caused stocks to dive, especially in light of the general expectation of a correction in this long bull market. But no such dive has occurred - yet. Is that a sign of continued strength, even a signal that we can expect prices to rise to new highs? If nothing else, it does demonstrate significant underlying strength - or at least an unwillingness of traders to go against the tide to bring prices down. Maybe not correction will be forthcoming after all.
All of this is interesting, of course. But the lack of concern about the lack of proof remains the more interesting and important piece of the puzzle. Doesn't such lack of concern encourage and empower leaders to do whatever the heck they want, facts and proof be damned. That can't be good for the country. It can't be good for any of us, especially if you're a parent or spouse of a potential combatant in any potential war.
Perhaps proof of some sort will be offered in the coming days and weeks - at least some attempt to connect the dots. If not, what do you think the chances are that we Americans will raise our voices and demand an explanation? There were a few protests, but it seems the vast majority of people are so far just going along with the government's actions - no questions asked.
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