World View: Farce Continues over Wednesday's Chem Weapons Attack in Syria

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Farce continues over Wednesday’s chem weapons attack in Syria
• Rockets fired from Lebanon land in northern Israel

Farce continues over Wednesday’s chem weapons attack in Syria

Syrian man in front of United Nations building in Beirut holds up placard saying, ‘Dear Free World, Enjoy watching us burn.’ (AP)

You just can’t make this stuff up. A day after the huge chemicalweapons atrocity killed hundreds or perhaps thousands of people in asuburb of Damascus, Syria, the U.N. chemical weapons inspectors whoare sitting there in Damascus are being forbidden by the regime to goand inspect the attack. The Bashar al-Assad regime has been makingvery one indignant statement after another that they aren’tresponsible, but they’re still using one excuse after another toprevent the U.N. from finding out the truth.

In New York, Russia has already made it clear that it will notallow the U.N. Security Council to do anything.

To add to the farce, Samantha Power, America’s new ambassador to theUnited Nations, who for years has never missed an opportunity toexpress childlike, girlish outrage at atrocities in Darfur andelsewhere, and has demanded that the U.S. intervene to alleviate suchatrocities, seems to have disappeared. She didn’t show up atThursday’s emergency Security Council meeting, and no one would saywhere she is. Speculation is that she’s on vacation, and no one wantsto admit it.

The farce was continued in the State Department briefing byspokesman Jen Psaki, when she spouted the usual Administrationnonsense:

“Well, the redline has been clear. I know there’s beensome confusion about this. The redline is the use of CW, the useof chemical weapons. That was crossed a couple of months ago. ThePresident took action, which we talked about at the time. While,as I mentioned, we’re still focused on nailing down the facts -the intel community is focused on that, the Administration isfocused on that – if these reports are true, it would be anoutrageous and flagrant escalation of use of chemical weapons bythe regime. So our focus is on nailing down the facts. ThePresident, of course, has a range of options that we’ve talkedabout before that he can certainly consider and, of course,discuss with his national security team.”

It’s hard to stop laughing when you read this bilge. “The Presidenttook action” a couple of months ago. And what was the action? “[tofocus] on nailing down the facts.” That’s exactly the same “action”that the president took several times in the past year.

It’s just as well the President Obama and Ambassador Power are bothout to lunch right now. The U.S. could have done something to stopthis conflict a couple of years ago, but today there’s nothing left todo but let the Syria conflict continue to spread into a major regionalconflict. And anyway, the U.S. administration no longer has anycredibility anywhere in the world, so let’s just let them enjoy theirgolf games and outdoor barbeques.

I’ve received a number of criticisms from web site readers complainingabout yesterday’s article that Ishouldn’t automatically assume that the Bashar al-Assad regime isresponsible for Wednesday’s chemical weapons attack, since theopposition rebels might have been the perpetrators.

It’s true that I assume that the regime of the psychopathic presidentBashar al-Assad is responsible, because (a) the regime has beenresponsible for hundreds of atrocities in the last 2 1/2 years, and(b) al-Assad has lied so many times that he has no credibility. Isthere anyone out there, including those who support al-Assad andcriticism me, who believes anything that comes out of al-Assad’smouth?

However, I’m willing to be open-minded. Let’s see what theU.N. inspectors have to say. If they find that the al-Assad regime isinnocent, then I’ll admit I was wrong.

Here’s one comment from another web site reader, defending al-Assadand criticizing me:

“Mr. Xenakis, you are quick to blame [Bashar al-Assad]but you give the very reasons for which it would not make sensefor him to have done this. With inspectors 20 miles away, hewould HAVE to allow them access to the alleged attack site. Ifnot, the world would automatically suspect that he has somethingto hide.”

Well, this is good for another laugh. Maybe the regime “would HAVE toallow … access,” but it’s not happening, is it? The inspectors arestill in Damascus. So apparently the regime doesn’t HAVE to allowaccess, after all.

But still, why would al-Assad order this chemical weapons attack whilethe U.N. inspectors are in town? The answer to that question iseasy: Al-Assad probably didn’t personally order the attack. Theattack was probably ordered by one of al-Assad’s lieutenants who isjust as psychopathic as al-Assad, and who didn’t even know that theU.N. inspectors are around.

It’s unreasonable to expect a man as busy as al-Assad to take the timeto approve every atrocity, massacre, mass torture and mutilation andchemical weapons attack by his army. He can leave those decisions tohis lieutenants. If he had to approve every one personally, then hewouldn’t have to time to pursue his hobbies, which, I assume, aresomething like going into his basement and sticking needles under thefingernails of Sunni Muslim children, and then pulling out their teethwith pliers.

As for who’s responsible for Wednesday’s chemical weapons attack,let’s see if the U.N. inspectors to do their inspection, or whetherthe psychopaths Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin will block them.

My bet is that the regime launched the chemical weapons attacks, andthat they won’t permit the U.N. inspectors in. Let’s see if I’m rightor my critics are right. BBC andFox News

Rockets fired from Lebanon land in northern Israel

Two hot chicks walk past damage caused by a rocket fired from Lebanon into Israel (Reuters)

An al-Qaeda linked terrorist group, Brigades of Abdullah Azzam, isclaiming credit for launching a barrage of four rockets from southernLebanon into Israel, suggesting that Islamist militants are opening upa new front with Israel. Two struck Israeli communities and one wasshot down by Israel’s “Iron Dome” anti-missile system. None of themcaused any casualties.

Israeli officials are concerned about the increasing rocket attacks onIsrael by jihadist militants in both Lebanon and Sinai. The Syrianconflict has provided a fertile training ground that has drawnjihadists from Pakistan to Nigeria to Dagestan to come for training inSyria and to learn terrorism skills they can take back home. Thanksto the Syrian war the entire region is becoming inflamed, and I placethe blame squarely on Russia’s president Vladimir Putin whose weaponsand training have made it possible for al-Assad’s atrocities againstSunnis, many of whom are innocent women and children, to continue.Reuters

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