Thursday, September 5, 2013

"Brutality of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma in West"

"The Syrian rebels posed casually, standing over their prisoners with firearms pointed down at the shirtless and terrified men."
The prisoners, seven in all, were captured Syrian soldiers. Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts. They kept their faces pressed to the dirt as the rebels’ commander recited a bitter revolutionary verse. The moment the poem ended, the commander, known as “the Uncle,” fired a bullet into the back of the first prisoner’s head. His gunmen followed suit, promptly killing all the men at their feet.
This scene, documented in a video smuggled out of Syria a few days ago by a former rebel who grew disgusted by the killings, offers a dark insight into how many rebels have adopted some of the same brutal and ruthless tactics as the regime they are trying to overthrow.
The NY Times article includes part of the smuggled video, warning of "graphic scenes some viewers may find disturbing".

Chip Ahoy said...
It is stunning to observe how naturally the responsibility for spouting off his big fat loose stupid mouth is shifted to the whole world and how smoothly and naturally responsibility for taking the country directly where the entire country says "don't do this" is shifted to congress, and how naturally and smoothly and seamlessly all observable mechanisms fall into place to make that possible.

The world did not draw that red line, he did.
He tried to backpedal and could not. His supporters are doing this. It is not right.

The man has done this his whole life, and his enablers positively surround him and keep him inflated and carry him along as big puffy Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloon, Party arms holding ropes, steering around corners, never tiring.

And then contrast that with the observables of responsibility falling flatly upon the shoulders of a single individual irrespective of the coalition established, you don't have to be partisan to be deeply and truly appalled.

I do not hate the man. But I am hating the Party that holds him aloft and instigates so much trouble constantly for its own subsistence more and more each passing day. Each day it resembles the Nazis more and more closely. This is a brilliant example. The DNC is taking our country directly to a place where it absolutely should not be, and saying otherwise. And they're doing it because the president they put and maintain in place did what he does, flapped his lips aggressively imagining no real world consequences. That entire government Departments will swing into action to activate the golden words of their idol. So that he can actually say and actually believe that the world is hooked up directly to his mouth, and that he does not fully control what comes out of it when the world speaks through him. Truly demented.

41 comments:

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

That is if we believe the "West" is made up of the one's administration and the French PM... maybe.

Icepick said...

Recycled comment:

Also, a CNN story about the G20 summit reveals a "good" reason for this Syrian distraction:

(CNN) -- It's supposed to be a summit about the global economy, but the debate over possible military strikes for Syria's apparent use of chemical weapons will likely overshadow the G-20 conference this week.

Yeah, let's not talk about the fact that there are five million fewer full-time jobs in the USA now than there were six years ago. This after more than four years of "recovery". We can't talk about what a colossal failure we have as a President on economic issues (about which the President doesn't give a shit), so they're going to distract us all with some foreign adventurism to have us all talk about what colossal fuck-ups they are on foreign affairs, instead. It's a plan!

Probably the first plan they've had....

Shouting Thomas said...

OK, you've started the day with sex tapes of some celebrity girl I don't know and a mass execution video! And, it isn't even 10 o'clock!

You're rocking out, LEM. You'll be an Old Dawg yet!

How you gonna follow up the first two posts?

Icepick said...

Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts.

There are those damned red lines again. Have they been crossed yet?

Also, remember when Abu Ghraib was a big deal, when (*gasp*) prisoners were humiliated? Perhaps the guards should have just shot their Iraqi prisoners instead. Because, you know, according to the world's chief leftist that makes a person one of the good guys, deserving of the USA military going in and slaughtering the children of their enemies.

How did we end up with such evil people in charge of this country? We couldn't have done worse putting the Dahmers and Bundys in charge of things.

Icepick said...

I'm sure Syria's Christians will do well under the new regime Obama will install.

rhhardin said...

It's the Chicago way.

rhhardin said...

Islamists are community organizers.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

It's important to bear in mind that we're not being played.

Icepick said...

I'm sure Syria's Christians will do well under the new regime Obama will install.

From an AP story:

Syrian government troops battled al-Qaida-linked rebels over a regime-held Christian village in western Syria for the second day Thursday, as world leaders gathered in Russia for an economic summit expected to be overshadowed by the prospect of U.S.-led strikes against the Damascus regime.

Residents of Maaloula said the militants entered the village late Wednesday. Rami Abdul-Rahman, the director of the Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights, said the fighters included members of the of al-Qaida affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group.

...

Speaking by phone from a convent in the village, a nun told The Associated Press that the rebels left a mountaintop hotel Thursday after capturing it a day earlier. The nun said the frightened residents expect the Islamic militants to return to the Safir hotel and resume shelling of the community below.

"It's their home now," the nun said. She said some 100 people from the village took refuge in the convent. The 27 orphans who live there had been taken to nearby caves overnight "so they were not scared."

The nun spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.


The "community below" mentioned above is a Christian village in Syria.

The nun does not seem to be in fear of reprisals from Assad's government, but from the rebels. You know, the good guys, according to Obama!

rhhardin said...

Everything Obama says is a lie.

You'd think it would be random, but he manages to get the opposite of the truth.

Probably it's because he only speaks to counter some truth.

No opponent in turn has to lie about him.

Icepick said...

It's important to bear in mind that we're not being played.

I'm certain that when Obama and his minions say that, they're being honest. THEY know EXACTLY who it is they're supporting.

Of course, the Administration thinks they're playing the American public. And of course, they are. No doubt the polls will show that the American public doesn't support this adventure, but will support Obama anyway, just as they don't like the direction the country is going, but still think Obama is one swell guy doing a great job!

rhhardin said...

Obama's got most of America rooting for Putin, which is a novel achievement in American history.

Icepick said...

SO, to sum up, there is credible evidence that the Syrian rebels

(a) have a significantly large element inspired by al Qaeda;
(b) have used chemical weapons themselves;
(c) have tried to smuggle Sarin OUT of Syria (according to Russian and Turkish sources - and don't forget that the Turks are a part of NATO and thus our LEGAL allies);
(d) torture and execute prisoners;
(e) are intolerant of anyone not professing their particular brand of Mohammedanism.

And these are the guys the Administration wants to support, in part because some other Arabs allegedly want to give the government money to do their dirty work.

The Dude said...

We are their air force, they are our boots on the ground.

All is swell, and Obama's wars are full of goodness and chewy nougat centers.

Michael Haz said...

Remember when Kerry and Obama and McCain were totally furious that American soldiers made prisoners in Abu Ghraib wear underwear on their heads? Oh, the brutality!

Now those same politicians demand that the American military fight on behalf of brutal al-Qaida thugs who torture and kill Christians and other Moslems. The same al-Qaida that flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

They have lost their fucking minds.

The Dude said...

I would argue that they have not lost their minds, rather that they have always been on the same side as Al Qaida, but now are a bit more open about it.

Chip Ahoy said...

It is stunning to observe how naturally the responsibility for spouting off his big fat loose stupid mouth is shifted to the whole world and how smoothly and naturally responsibility for taking the country directly where the entire country says "don't do this" is shifted to congress, and how naturally and smoothly and seamlessly all observable mechanisms fall into place to make that possible.

The world did not draw that red line, he did.
He tried to backpedal and could not. His supporters are doing this. It is not right.

The man has done this his whole life, and his enablers positively surround him and keep him inflated and carry him along as big puffy Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloon, Party arms holding ropes, steering around corners, never tiring.

And then contrast that with the observables of responsibility falling flatly upon the shoulders of a single individual irrespective of the coalition established, you don't have to be partisan to be deeply and truly appalled.

I do not hate the man. But I am hating the Party that holds him aloft and instigates so much trouble constantly for its own subsistence more and more each passing day. Each day it resembles the Nazis more and more closely. This is a brilliant example. The DNC is taking our country directly to a place where it absolutely should not be, and saying otherwise. And they're doing it because the president they put and maintain in place did what he does, flapped his lips aggressively imagining no real world consequences. That entire government Departments will swing into action to activate the golden words of their idol. So that he can actually say and actually believe that the world is hooked up directly to his mouth, and that he does not fully control what comes out of it when the world speaks through him. Truly demented.

Aridog said...

I am sick of this "no boots on the ground" meme. It is 101% bullshit. There ARE already American boots on the ground in Syria, just as there were in Vietnam and Laos in 1959-60 under Operation White Star, a participant of which, in 7th SF Grp., I know very well as friend. Again before Desert Storm, US feet were on the ground deep inside Iraq.

THAT is how it is done. If you believe for one millisecond that the opposite is true, you are believing a fairy tale lie by your representatives in Washington DC. How they can tell it with a straight face still mystifies me.

rhhardin said...

The Obama support mechanisms are all entertainment news.

They have a hold on the ladies' vote.

Aridog said...

Chip Ahoy @ 10:19 AM...perfect. Just fucking perfect description of the malaise we all face.

edutcher said...

Reminding us once again of why the only reason we go to war is if the country, not Choom's ego, is threatened.

rhhardin said...

Obama's got most of America rooting for Putin, which is a novel achievement in American history.

Ought to be bumper stickers -

I'm rootin' for Putin.

Chip Ahoy said...

It is stunning to observe how naturally the responsibility for spouting off his big fat loose stupid mouth is shifted to the whole world and how smoothly and naturally responsibility for taking the country directly where the entire country says "don't do this" is shifted to congress, and how naturally and smoothly and seamlessly all observable mechanisms fall into place to make that possible.

He was raised that way.

It's never his fault and he's never wrong.

Any deviation from that would be racist.

rhhardin said...

Brutal by Erik Satie, part of Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear (1 piano 4 hands).

Unfortunately on a synthesizer but it's okay.

A girl at work declined to take a whack at it with me on the piano, having listened to an LP of it, long ago.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Obama's got most of America rooting for Putin, which is a novel achievement in American history.

Putin told Snowden he could stay in Russia as long as he didn't "hurt" America any more.

Obama could have his strike at Syria as long as it helps Russia.

Michael Haz said...

Sixty, I think you may be right.

Chip Ahoy - That is brilliant!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Whatever happened to the wise men that advised presidents?

Who are Obama's wise men?

There seems to be nobody advising Obama on this.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Has anybody heard if garage is backing Obama on this?

bagoh20 said...

The President is being more flexible after the election.

You know damned well that Putin just laughed out loud when he heard that.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aridog said...

Michael Haz said...

Sixty, I think you may be right.

No doubt in my mind that he's right...Obammessiah and his administration have favored al Qaeda and Muslim Bros. from day one. They actually think that for their weaselly support they will be given respect. They know nothing of history, which says nothing good about all the grand schools they all graduated from...ignorance can be retained even as your earn a parchment.

bagoh20 said...

Why would you surrender to people like this. Take the bullet in the face rather than the back of the head.

Shouting Thomas said...

I will continue to follow the wisdom of that great sage, Henry Miller.

He figured out how to sit out WWI and WWII, and, instead, spent his time eating great meals, drinking wine and banging the girls.

I'll sit this one out, too.

Aridog said...

bagoh20 said...

The President is being more flexible after the election ... You know damned well that Putin just laughed out loud when he heard that.

I'm sure he did. He also likely keeps a close watch on his pants zipper to prevent marauding sucking or kissing by certain politicians who are more flexible.

Putin made my whole week by outright calling John Kerry a liar.

Scary world when Putin is right and our entire administration is wrong. Maybe even Congress too, we'll soon see.

edutcher said...

AnUnreasonableTroll said...

More nonsense.

Get a job you fucking loser. You are unemployed because you are an incompetent blowhard. Is your impotence also Obama's fault? And throw out that blowup doll that you pretend to be your wife.

Get a fucking job and stop sponging off the rest of us, you pathetic piece of shit.


Troll's been in the medicine cabinet again.

Michael Haz said...

I don't believe that this will be the "shot across the bow" Obama claims it will be. It will be a war, period.

If it was a mere shot across the bow, the US could drone Assad. No problem, we're pretty good at droning.

No, this is an attack. It is cruise missiles, it is a fleet of warships. It is overwhelming air power. It is not a shot across the bow. Not one bit.

There are US forces on the ground, especially along the Syria/Jordan border. Do not kid yourselves. This will be a war. Obama and Kerry are lying about what they want to do.

If Obama truly wanted to bring peace to Syria, he'd be sitting down with Putin to discuss how they could jointly cause an end to the Syrian civil war.

As it is, Obama and Kerry are taking American forces all-in in support of an al-Qaeda led revolution against the Syrian government.

The Dude said...

As I have said, they are all on the same side - they have the same goals - the destruction of the US and the destruction of Israel.

Kerry has never been on the side of America. Obama may or may not be a citizen, seems that his records are so well hidden that even the NSA can't find them, but he is sure anti-American in his words and deeds.

Icepick said...

So, all the usual suspects are in favor of Obama blowing up children in order to help al Qaeda murder Christians. Good work, Democrats! You've actually managed to live down to my expectations!

Icepick said...

Here's Putin talking about Kerry:

Speaking to his human rights council Wednesday, Putin said, "This was very unpleasant and surprising for me. We talk to them (the Americans), and we assume they are decent people, but [Kerry] is lying and he knows that he is lying. This is sad."

Really, it's hard to choose sides on this issue. Putin's human rights council? LOL The bastards are thick on this one!

But let's here it for Obama's smart diplomacy, and the restored relations with Russia. RESET, bitchez!

Titus said...

Dear Lord.

No fucking war. No strikes.

Give it up Obama.

Eventually in Syria they will all end up killing each other and only some will survive.

They can start to build a country at that time on their fuckng own.

Good luck Syria.

tootles and tits.

Icepick said...

Here's the top comment on the NYT article, as judged by the NYTs itself:

Thinker
Northern California

NYT Pick

In judging the US government's ability to distinguish "good" rebels from "bad" rebels, it's worth noting that the commander of the rebel group in this video was not a jihadist. Presumably none of his men were either, since jihadist rebels typically won't work for a "secular" leader.

In other words, these cold-blooded killers, flagrantly violating one of the oldest and most sacred rules of war by shooting 7 prisoners of war in the back of the head – and videotaping the gruesome scene and uploading it to YouTube – probably would be classified as "good" rebels to which the US apparently will be supplying weapons in the near future. (When they stand in line to receive their US weapons, presumably none of these prisoner-killers will mention his starring role in this video.)

In other words, even if it were realistic (which it's not) to predict that our weapons will not find their way to "bad" rebels (for example, through the black market), it appears likely that we'll be supplying weapons directly to some very bad guys – guys who will use them to shoot prisoners of war in the back of the head.

It's almost literally unbelievable that our government would even consider jumping into this war.

Sept. 5, 2013 at 7:58 a.m.

Lydia said...

“The day the United States fails to act against Assad is likely the day Iran’s supreme leader spins his uranium centrifuges into overdrive. If we won’t act against a use of weapons of mass destruction, Iran will surely believe that we will not act against its nuclear program.”

That’s my main takeaway from an op-ed in the Washington Post yesterday by two conservative Republicans in the House, Mike Pompeo, from Kansas, and Tom Cotton, from Arkansas, explaining why they're supporting a strike on Syria.

The whole thing’s worth a read.

Icepick said...

That reasoning would make a lot more sense if we had attacked Syria when they BUILT their chemical weapons facilities. We're talking about usage here.

In fact, we're talking about using the weapons against their own people. Frankly I don't give a shit if Iran builds nukes and then proceeds to nuke Tehran. In fact, I'm all for it.