[Cog]

I see this strike as a reasonable response that conveys that the US is under new management, what you did was unacceptable, and we'll be back if you do it again. It's like raising children, in a way. Smacking their ass today when they're a small reduces the chance you'll have to judo toss them across the living room when they're 16.

[evilgenius]

I see this strike as a reasonable response that conveys that the US is under new management, what you did was unacceptable, and we'll be back if you do it again. It's like raising children, in a way. Smacking their ass today when they're a small reduces the chance you'll have to judo toss them across the living room when they're 16.

Unless, of course, you were wrong about what they did. In that case you are only creating an abuser in your own image.

There are a lot of things going on here. Not least is how the US has been barking up Russia's tree for some time. Ostensibly, they have been doing so in an effort to get them to engage in free market economics. That's a slap against the corrupt oligarchical rule that has existed since the end of the Cold War, and had roots in it. I've no doubt that isn't the entire picture. To tie this to peak oil we should recall that while the Cold War was still going most people believed that the Caspian Sea region contained enough oil to free us from the peak they could see coming across all other sources across the world.

The Caspian didn't pan out, however. There are reserves there, though, and pipelines across places like Afghanistan will make sense at some point. More important than that is to roll the Russian oil output into some kind of market controlled process. Energy is power, and the US benefits most from open markets. It's kind of 'he who has the gold makes the rules,' but not entirely. Let's just say that the US is engaging Russia like one side does against the other in chess, the king is not at stake, only put into check. Regime change is a whole different thing than what they are doing. I suppose that could change. It did with Saddam. Originally his life was not on the line, only the interests of his country.

But it is in both sides' interest for the tumult in Syria to keep going on without resolution. Neither side really wants a democratically awakened Islamic world. Both sides favor governing by dictators or kings. Neither side wants the Export Land Model to take hold, and the supply of oil to the West to shrink at a rate that is faster than what they've been able to plan for.

In addition, I've no doubt that the US does plan on eventually occupying Russia's oil producing regions. They are pushing that way over time. Putin can see it too. That's why he's taken such a stand over the Ukraine. I don't think the US wants to do it in a manner that directly confronts Russia, or they would have just gone ahead and done it already, risking war. It may be a more piecemeal endeavor they want, and a timing that coincides with agreement to what is happening on the part of the Russians. The economic carrot is out there, but currently it is incompatible with the way that Russia is organized politically. Oligarchy has concentrated wealth into the hands of a few who would not be guaranteed the same advantages should free markets win out. I think the hope is that eventually the disparity between the two systems will prove too much for the oligarchs to manage. The weakness in this approach is that it has been shown by 9/11 that the economic and social order in the US may never have been strong enough to withstand nuclear war.

[Plantagenet]

But it is in both sides' interest for the tumult in Syria to keep going on without resolution. Neither side really wants a democratically awakened Islamic world.

You can't have a "democratically awakened Islamic world"----its an oxymoron like "giant shrimp" or "military intelligence."

Islam doesn't believe in democracy. The Koran and Islamic tradition both teach that the proper Islamic form of governance is an Islamic State, to be ruled by a Caliph in accordance with Sharia law. Thats why the "Arab Spring" turned into dictatorship in Egypt designed to repress Islam ---and repression under an Islamic State in Iran ----and unending civil war in Syria between those who want a Sunni Islamic State and those who don't.

Cheers!

[onlooker]

But it is in both sides' interest for the tumult in Syria to keep going on without resolution. Neither side really wants a democratically awakened Islamic world.

You can't have a "democratically awakened Islamic world"----its an oxymoron like "giant shrimp" or "military intelligence."

Islam doesn't believe in democracy. The Koran and Islamic tradition both teach that the proper Islamic form of governance is an Islamic State, to be ruled by a Caliph in accordance with Sharia law. Thats why the "Arab Spring" turned into dictatorship in Egypt designed to repress Islam ---and repression under an Islamic State in Iran ----and unending civil war in Syria between those who want a Sunni Islamic State and those who don't.

Cheers!

Have to agree with Plant

[Cog]

Syrians bombed hospital where survivors of chemical attack were being treated. One has to wonder why. Russia new in advance that the Syrians planned a chemical attack.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04 ... -says.html

A senior U.S. official says the United States has concluded that Russia knew in advance of Syria's chemical weapons attack last week.

The official says a Russian-operated drone flew over a hospital in Syria as victims of the attack were rushing to get treatment.

Hours after the drone left, a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital in what American officials believe was an attempt to cover up the usage of chemical weapons.

Until Monday, U.S. officials had said they weren't sure if the drone was operated by Russia or Syria. The senior official said it still wasn't clear who was flying the jet that bombed the hospital.

The official said the presence of the drone couldn't have been a coincidence, and that Russia must have known the chemical weapons attack was coming and that victims were seeking treatment.

The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly on intelligence matters and demanded anonymity.

[sparky]

.
meanwhile , in the country , the Syrian gov. with Russian help are progressing around Palmyra ,
the US. is helping the Kurds to besiege the town of Al Thawarah to take control of the dam
the Turks are using artillery against the Kurds around A'zaz
there are firing in the usual places , suburb of Damascus , Derra , idlib province ..but not much movement
it's all about bombing pretty much anything .

the only interesting military development is that small drones are used by everybody
and the invention of tank suicide bombing
checkout the gallery , some stuff is pure mad max
http://spioenkop.blogspot.com.au/2017/0 ... ks-of.html

There are no goodies around that I can see ,

the closest to democracy are the Baathists of Assad , that set the bar pretty low

the opponents are a mixed bunch , all are staunch Sunni Islamist dedicated to eradicating Christians and Shias

the Kurds are the closest to a half competent force but fight for their own reasons
they are no friend of the government but no enemy either ,
their number one enemy is Turkey
much to the chagrin of the US which is caught between two "friends"
the Kurds fight for taking the land they want and get paid with large amount of military hardware ,

they know that when the US will betray them for Turkey ,as they will have to , eventually
gunnery is the only electoral argument which matter

[Plantagenet]

Obama and Kerry assured us that they had signed a treaty that resulted in all the chemical weapons being removed from Syria.

It makes one question their other treaty, i.e. their assurances they they have signed a treaty that has resulted in Iran ending their nuclear weapons program.

If Obama, Kerry and the other dolts in the last administration were deceived and duped by the Syrians, chances are they were also deceived and duped by the Iranians.

Sheesh!

[Newfie]

http://gcaptain.com/u-s-navy-practiced- ... -go-ahead/

Article giving some behind the scene detail of the USA attack.

[Newfie]

A bit about the Syria chemical weapons destruction project.

https://www.parsons.com/projects/Pages/ ... ation.aspx

[onlooker]

http://web.archive.org/web/201301292138 ... Assad.html
U.S. 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad's regime'

[Newfie]

Onlooker,
Source looks pretty sketchy. But who the hell knows what and who to believe anymore. As far as I can see they are all lrofessional liars.

[dissident]

So people here actually believe sarin was used. "Sheesh".

The closest to reality evaluation of the chemical involved indicates it was phosgene (Cl2CO). Syria clearly got rid of any military chemical weapons since phosgene hasn't been used since WWI as it has been replaced with more effective chemical agents (including sarin, which is actually nothing compared to VX in terms of potency as a nerve agent).

Now the clown show has moved on to barrel bombs as a "red line". Maybe Trumper can use Assad taking a dump as a "red line". Naturally the real barrel bombs manufactured by the jihadis and lobbed randomly on civilian targets are not a red line since the USA is allied with the jihadis and all this chemical weapons BS is pathetic posturing to look clean while wallowing with the pigs.

[sparky]

.
it's a bit of a toss whom to believe

Assad did let his accounted chemical weapons go , but was there some residuals stashed somewhere ?
why use it , they were winning ?
did some local commanders improvise ?
I would think the Syrian chain of command to be somewhat coherent
maybe that's a mistake .
if it was the Syrian army which did it , the Russians are going to be mightily pissed off

the US intelligence has a rather dubious record on chemical weapons ,
as far as I can read , no evidence has been presented whatsoever to any ally , congress members ,
it's all..... "we tell you , trust us"

the report on the ground are a mixed bunch as usual in this kind of things
most are consistent with an organo-phosphorus type symptom , some are contradictory ,
if it is Sarin that would indicate a pretty high level of sophistication , it's an odorless colorless gas
it is a binary , one need the two agent to be mixed just prior to delivery , it's not stable .

On intelligence one must emphasis that facts don't matter a whit ,
what matter is which intelligence the decision maker want to hear

[Newfie]

Thanks Sparky

[Cog]

Trump has proven he will use military force. That is a message that needed to be sent. Now he must resist the globalists and Neocons who want him to involve us further in that conflict.

[Plantagenet]

Trump has proven he will use military force. That is a message that needed to be sent. Now he must resist the globalists and Neocons who want him to involve us further in that conflict.

Good luck with that.

The attack on Syria happened precisely BECAUSE Trump has flip-flopped and is now listening to globalists and neocons. Didn't you notice that Steve Banion has been demoted and may be on the way out...while Jared Kushner and Ivanka are now Trump's closest advisors? Kusher is a billionaire D globalist---and thats who is charge in the white house now.

Ivanka cried to her daddy about the sad picture from Syria.....and the whole direction of US foreign policy changed.


Ivanka cried.....so her daddy flip flopped his foreign policy and decided to do nation building in Syria

[dissident]

.
it's a bit of a toss whom to believe

Assad did let his accounted chemical weapons go , but was there some residuals stashed somewhere ?
why use it , they were winning ?
did some local commanders improvise ?
I would think the Syrian chain of command to be somewhat coherent
maybe that's a mistake .
if it was the Syrian army which did it , the Russians are going to be mightily pissed off

the US intelligence has a rather dubious record on chemical weapons ,
as far as I can read , no evidence has been presented whatsoever to any ally , congress members ,
it's all..... "we tell you , trust us"

the report on the ground are a mixed bunch as usual in this kind of things
most are consistent with an organo-phosphorus type symptom , some are contradictory ,
if it is Sarin that would indicate a pretty high level of sophistication , it's an odorless colorless gas
it is a binary , one need the two agent to be mixed just prior to delivery , it's not stable .

On intelligence one must emphasis that facts don't matter a whit ,
what matter is which intelligence the decision maker want to hear

Sarin would have a hint of a chance if at least one of the white helmet jihadis got sick. Zero information on this score. Thus it was not sarin. Chemistry and physics don't play politics. Human metabolisms don't either. There are enough constraints here to determine what was not used.

Another detail that I didn't post is that supposedly there was much more than a 10 minute spread between the casualties and the alleged "bombing from the air" (no crater evidence to prove it aside from that damaged pavement which proves basically nothing without chemical analysis). Sarin acts fast being a potent nerve agent so the delay is inconsistent with sarin use. Sarin also causes loss of bowel control. Again, to much posturing by white helmet jihadis and no real data. Trumpy can claim he has secret intelligence, but he is pulling a Killary. CIA does not have the manpower to be in every place at the same time. This chemical warfare story is straight from the jihadis.

[Plantagenet]

Sarin would have a hint of a chance if at least one of the white helmet jihadis got sick. Zero information on this score. Thus it was not sarin. Chemistry and physics don't play politics. Human metabolisms don't either. There are enough constraints here to determine what was not used...... This chemical warfare story is straight from the jihadis.

If it wasn't Sarin then the WMD story from Trump just collapses.

[vtsnowedin]

Do we really need to know the exact composition and dosage of the gas that killed those children? They are in fact dead and that is all we really need to know.

[SeaGypsy]

Considering what's in the balance, everything should be known. Yet again the MIC gets away with preposterous lying in lieu of an open investigation. It may be as simple as Jihadi infiltration of the SDF planting some old chemicals in some bombs. The official story is clearly total hocum.