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Today's Poll: Should the U.S. bomb Syria?

By Howard B. Owens
Howard B. Owens

Why should that make a difference? More than 500,000 people have died in this war via conventional weapons. We're going to risk a war with Russia over 40 who didn't?

Apr 11, 2018, 2:22pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

When you are dead you are dead and conventional weapons can kill you just as slowly and painfully and miserably as chemical weapons.

If we should be concerned about anything, it should be the 500K dead in a war we helped create by destabilizing the region when we invaded Iraq.

What's ironic, is I'm saying things Trump used to believe, things that helped him get elected.

Apr 11, 2018, 3:10pm Permalink
James Burns

Assad’s regime in Syria needs to be punished for this crime IMHO. However how? Do we invade and take over the country? We (the USA) have recently taken over two counties in the Middle East. We have not figured out how to set up a government that will work and we have destabilized an already very volatile region.

We can send in missiles but with Russians there we need to be careful and not start a bigger conflict. When Trump last ordered a missile attack we warned the Russians (per a treaty that is no longer in effect) and they tipped off Assad’s military so he moved planes before the attack, thus the attack was not a good deterrent. Now this morning Trump tweeted that an attack was coming, letting Assad know so he can move assets and troops to minimize the effect of the attack.

The problem with Syria (Iraq and Afghanistan too) is there has never been a good workable solution other than to try and contain the problems. This containment polcy too has been less than effective for the most part.

Apr 11, 2018, 3:12pm Permalink
Billie Owens

I thought Trump didn't believe in tipping his hand to the enemy regarding our next move? Hasn't he said that over and over again and criticized his predecessors for being too detailed about military timelines and maneuvers? I'm confused.

Apr 11, 2018, 3:42pm Permalink
Daniel Norstrand

Funny (not) how all mainstream media reports only the portions of Trump comments that would support a strike. Both Trump and Mattis in initial interviews qualified their statements about punishing Assad with statements relating to proof that he &/or the Russians are guilty. Anyone with a lick of sense knows that Trump just said days earlier that we would be out of Syria very very soon. Pundits, military, and neocons in our government came out immediately to contradict him!! Our/Their Commander in Chief!!@ Trump wants to concentrate on America & Americans. I backed him over other opponents of war criminal Hillary because he proclaimed that "war is a waste." He's far from perfect but aren't we all. The warpigs like the swamp just the way it is. He doesn't.

Apr 11, 2018, 5:57pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Even Justin Raimondo now recognizes that Trump isn't the anti-interventionist he voted for.

https://original.antiwar.com/justin/2018/04/08/trump-is-he-stupid-or-da…

Trump's tweet today doesn't need any other context. It's pure warmongering. Any contradictory statements only add to the danger because mixed signals are the last thing a U.S. president should be sending.

He's jettisoned all of the anti-inventionists from his administration and hired warmongering neocons like John Bolton.

For anybody who hoped Trump would lead us into a less militaristic foreign policy, he's clearly misled them.

Apr 11, 2018, 6:21pm Permalink
James Burns

Well maybe the main stream media is saying what they are about Trump supporting a strike because he tweeted exactly these words “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” There it is in black and white written down for all to see. Hard to misinterpret that one.

Apr 11, 2018, 6:21pm Permalink
david spaulding

People on the other side of the world are killing each other and some how America feels it needs to go over there and kill more people. Doesn't make any sense to me. America has already sent all kinds of weapons, semi automatic rifles included, to Syria. So America wants people to die there but for some reason death from gas is a no-no. I don't think so, death is death, a bullet, a bomb or gas.. stay the hell out of there...

Apr 11, 2018, 6:49pm Permalink
Daniel Norstrand

Trump has to walk a fine line. The last President who backed down when the Russians challenged our military warmongers got manlickered in the head. (Kennedy when he agreed to pull our missiles out of Turkey to end the Cuban missile crisis). Many are still not aware that WE actually backed down in that situation. Mainly because our government didn't let us know that we had created such a problem by placing missiles on Russia's doorstep. While that may not have directly been responsible for JFK's elimination, it didn't help. I'm certain that I will be assailed with the conspiracy theory mantra. But studies show that even though our government still refuses to give us the whole story, the people by a significant majority believe that the government line is just that. (A line). Reagan had our vaunted Marines skidaddle out of Lebanon after 400 of our finest were murdered, not out of fear that they couldn't fight a successful war in the area, but because he knew who was behind it. LBJ didn't call off support for the USS Liberty when under attack because he was fearful that our military was overmatched. Many enemies cloak as friend. Trump alerted Putin to the 1st attack on Syria because his hand was being forced to attack. He's doing the same now. Russia is not the enemy of the American people. They are the enemy of the neocon deep state warmongers whom Russia thwarted in Syria & Ukraine. Again on Russia's doorstep. Look into Rep. Dana Rohrbach questioning the support of neo Nazis in Ukraine by American agents. There is YouTube video of him questioning a number of said agents in congressional hearings. The list goes on and on.

Apr 11, 2018, 7:18pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

You realize that if you’re accusing him of tipping Putin not out of crazy/stupid bluster but out of calculation, you’re accusing him of treason. I saw a news report tonight about how Assad is preparing for a possible attack by moving resources. That largely negative any effectiveness -- if there could be any -- of an attack. It's not farfetched that Trump knows exactly what he's doing because he criticized Obama for tipping his hand.

I didn’t vote for Trump but I had high hopes that he could improve relations with Russia and you’re right that the war party has sabotaged that potential. I also hoped he would be the foreign policy president he said he would be but his ego has gotten in the way, which I knew it would.

If he really wanted to govern as a non-interventionist he would have kept Bannon and not hired Bolton.

Apr 11, 2018, 10:06pm Permalink
Daniel Norstrand

It must be rather obvious to even the most uninformed Americans that subversives have control of many facets of our government. Congress can't get sopeaned material out of our own justice department and/or the FIB for God's sake. Scumbags like the head of the NSA testify in congressional hearings and are caught in egregious, blatant, knowing lies with no repercussions. Fighting the swamp pigs calls for extraordinary measures. We are not at war with Russia. We are not officially at war with Syria. Hence, no treason.
There is no proof of Syria or Russia perpetrating these alleged gassing. The investigations I've made indicate that the only time Assad utilized poison gas was against the Kurds back in the 80s. In what could be viewed as analogous to the US Civil war. I'm not a fan of Assad but he has obviously been vilified as has a long line of other convenient villains who happen to be or have been trying to throw off the yoke of world bankers who fleece us all. As our government has tried a number of times to operate our own national bank & issue our own currency, didn't turn out too good. See causes the the war of 1812. Our unimaginable debt is a testament to how difficult it is to to shed that yoke.
Assad is not stupid enough to poke the US warpigs. What's the upside?

I'm Very happy Howard that you as well as the majority of the participants in the poll are against more aggression. Please lets put pressure on our representatives to make it stop.

Apr 12, 2018, 12:33am Permalink

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