Yesterday I emailed Kirsten Gillibrand, one of my New York senators:
Kirsten,
Please don’t bomb Syria. It’s a civil war. Neither side is worth backing. Both sides are evil. We have no idea what the outcome will be. But we know the consequences will be unpredictable and expensive. Send more humanitarian aid to the refugee camps. At least two million Syrians have fled their homes and are now refugees. My parents ran away from the Nazis in 1939. My mother was Austrian. My father was Romanian. As Jews, they would have been gassed had they not run away. We need to help these Syrian refugees big-time. They’ll remember us. My parents never forgot those who helped them.
This morning I awoke to the front page lead story in today’s New York Times:
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.
“For fifty years, they are companions to corruption,” he said. “We swear to the Lord of the Throne, that this is our oath: We will take revenge.”
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.
You can read the full story and watch the video of the execution. Click here.
You can email The White House here.
I have never asked you, my readers, to do anything like this. I’m begging you to contact your senators, your congressmen and women, and the White House. Tell them they must not allow us to become involved in choosing sides in Syria, in bombing Syria or do anything else except providing aid to the refuges.
This is a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan:
This camp is home to 160,000 refugees. It is now Jordan’s fifth largest city. 6,000 people a day arrive at the sprawling Zaatari refugee camp. Read more here.
You can see more refugee camps by googling Syrian Refugee Camps and clicking on Images. Or simply click here.
Last night Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report talked of the upcoming Syrian war. Stewart talked of “the strong possibility of a nebulously defined American led targestish bombing designed to bring peace and stability to the bombees.” He had some choice video of John McCain playing poker on his iPhone during the Senate hearings and then complaining he’d (john McCain) lost thousands of dollars on the poker game! Stewart also interviewed Andrew Harper, head of the UN Refugee Agency in Jordan. For the show, click here. For the extended Andrew Harper interview click here.
Stephen Colbert called it “Cris-Ish in Syri-Eh” and cracked that only 29% of Americans want the U.S. to attack Syria, which on the plus side means that 29% of Americans know there is a place called Syria. Colbert criticized Obama as a “weak leader” on the basis that he was doing a miserable job marketing the war in Syria. Colbert then ran a a bunch of video clips of George W. Bush selling us on the Iraq war. The clips had all the words — from the axis of evil, to Saddam Hussein is a homicidal dictator, who is addicted to weapons of mass destruction, 50 tons of mustard gas, mobile biological weapons labs, the regime is seeking a nuclear bomb. And the most famous line, “the smoking gun could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.” The clips were wonderful. Colbert commented, “I love being lied to by a professional.” You can watch last night’s entire show here.
If you watch the entire Colbert show, you’ll find a segment called:
Perfect Polly is the funniest Colbert segment I’ve ever seen. As I write this column eight hours after I saw the show last night, I can still remember the words. And I’m still laughing.
Jon Stewart is repeated at 9:00 AM this morning and 7:26 PM tonight on Comedy Central. Colbert is repeated at 9:30 AM and 6:55 PM. Watch last night’s shows this morning or this evening on TV or on the Internet.
Please contact your senators and congresspeople today. I hope it’s not too late to stop Obama doing something really stupid in Syria.
Harry Newton who, sadly, voted for Obama — both the first and the second times. It hurts. It hurts.
Send this column to all your friends.
Does SYRIA 2013 = SARAJEVO 1914?? “Putin says Russia might restart Syria’s suspended S-300 air defence missile contract. Describing the weapon as “very efficient”, he said: “If we see that steps are taken that violate the existing international norms, we shall think how we should act in the future, in particular regarding supplies of such sensitive weapons to certain regions of the world.” The statement could also be a veiled threat to revive a contract for the delivery of the S-300s to Iran, which Russia cancelled a few years ago under strong US and Israeli pressure.” http://ow.ly/oC2iO Vlad really isn’t kidding!!
Obama is waving a rolled up newspaper at the dog two weeks after it pooped on the couch.
“I hope it’s not too late to stop Obama doing something really stupid in Syria.” Sweet shit, Harry I wish it wasn’t too late to stop him from doing a LOT of stupid things in the US !
I contacted both California senators and am in the process of emailing all the California representatives in Congress – there are far too many, but that’s an argument for another day. However, Harry, I am telling them that I do want U.S. military intervention in Syria. And not just air strikes, either. I want boots on the ground. I want American boys with their hands around the necks of the bad guys because that’s what I pay taxes for. Do you realize how much of your taxes goes to the military industrial complex? An outrageous amount. Let’s put that money to use.
Fact is, Harry, you are not an American. You are from Australia, a country with a less than stellar record of standing up for itself. You do not understand our freedoms, our history in World Wars I and II, our pride. Like Piers Morgan, you are from a pacifist country where leaders put their tail between their legs and run at the first sign of trouble. You have no right, Harry, to sing our National Anthem or salute our flag because you have no concept of the American blood that was spilled. You are clueless.
With many Republicans now backing Obama military strikes are inevitable, no matter how many sissiified, cowardly emails you send members of Congress. (BTW – you’d get farther not referring to her by her first name, but as “Representative…”) So, go away, Harry, we have some Syrian butt to blow off the world map.
I AGREE & HAVE SENT MESSAGES TO MY CONGRESSMAN & 2 SENATORS & THE PRESIDENT DAYS AGO & HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A REPLY FROM ANY OF THEM.
It’s certainly convenient to ignore the important and blatantly obvious tie between what’s going on in Syria, (and who is supporting it and why – like Iran and Russia), and its impact on Lebanon, its encouragement for Iran and its nuclear weapons and missile development efforts, and, the western country that can not hide in NYCity, Israel. I suppose we should just leave it to the brave folks of Israel to take care of these inter-related problems in the middle-east.
Agree with your sentiments, but have we come to the pass where two comedians are the source of our
news and opinions. Surely there must be more substantial sources.
Where?
I contacted Angus King my “Independent” Senator in Maine . He responded immediately with a canned message saying he will get around to replying within a “couple of weeks”. So much for the immediacy of email. I will now place a phone call to his office.
Harry I fully agree with you on Syria and in fact on August 31 as soon as I heard that President Obama put it up for a congressional vote, I emailed the President, both my Senators (I live on Long Island) and my Representative Steve Israel who returned the nonsense below that he supports military action buts wants some “limits”. I have yet to get any response back from the White House. Both my Senators sent email acknowledgements that they get loads of email and don’t expect a prompt reply, so far nothing else.
I also signed into the link below with Credo Action: act.credoaction.com/sign/dont_bomb_syria/
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Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the current situation in Syria. I am grateful for your thoughts and appreciate the opportunity to respond.
Since the start of unrest in March 2011, more than 100,000 Syrians have been killed, over two million have fled the country, and millions have been internally displaced. Now it is clear that the Syrian regime has violated international law by using chemical weapons against its own people. The most recent attack, on August 21, 2013 resulted in the death of 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. Additionally, the instability in Syria is causing repercussions throughout the Middle East, given Syria’s close ties to Iran and Hezbollah.
I have consistently supported strong diplomatic and economic mechanisms to promote human rights, security and stability with respect to those threats.
Last year, I cosponsored the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (H.R. 1905), which was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on August 10, 2012. It codifies prior sanctions and directs the President to impose additional sanctions on Syrian officials who commit serious human rights abuses. H.R. 1905 also imposes additional sanctions on those who supply and aid these human rights abusers.
I also introduced bipartisan legislation calling for Bashar al-Assad and other perpetrators to be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC), the first permanent international court established to hold accountable perpetrators of the most serious crimes around the world.
On August 31, 2013, President Obama announced he would seek congressional authorization for the use of military force in Syria. I have spoken with senior administration officials, reviewed intelligence reports, and attended classified briefings on the situation in Syria. Given the regime’s escalation of attacks — and the broader regional and global implications — I have concluded that a surgical and targeted air strike is needed as long as it is limited to degrading Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities. I have arrived at this conclusion for several reasons. First, because we don’t want the current chemical weapons capability to fall into the wrong hands — to be used against Syria’s neighbors or to more directly threaten or harm our interests. Second, to send a message to Hezbollah and Iran that there are consequences to the grotesque use of chemical weapons. Third, because decades of international law must be enforced. Fourth, because, unfortunately, the lack of consequences to the Syrian military command will empower them to broaden the use of chemical weapons and annihilate many more.
I do want to stress that, while I believe that a surgical and targeted effort aimed at degrading Syria’s chemical weapons capability is warranted, I do not believe that the current climate in Syria rises to the level of any additional involvement. In particular, it does not warrant the deployment of U.S. military personnel within Syria.
Currently before Congress is a draft resolution to authorize the use of military force in Syria. I am concerned that, as currently drafted, this resolution is far too broad. That is why I will work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that any authorization for the use of military force is narrow and provides specific authority limited to degrading chemical weapons capabilities without resorting to U.S. boots on the ground.
As I continue to closely monitor this evolving situation in Syria, please do not hesitate to contact me again on this or any matter of concern. You can keep in touch by liking my Facebook page (Facebook.com/RepSteveIsrael), or following me on Twitter (@RepSteveIsrael). You can also visit my website (http://house.gov/israel) to learn more about the issues important to you and to sign up for my e-mail updates.
Sincerely,
Steve Israel
Member of Congress
I agree with you, Harry, and I sent emails days ago. Bombing Syria makes no sense at all.
CZC
Gee Harry……I wonder where Syria got all of its chemical weapons?………oh yea, it must have been Russia. “Their ain’t no fool like an old fool.
I am also Jewish. My grandparents also escaped from Europe – but not many of my relatives, who perished there. Not everybody did/could escape. Many Jews would survive if US and its European allies would respond to Nazi’s atrocities in the beginning. Why the situation in Syria is different?
It’s different because there are refugee camps with real people in them whom we can and should help with humanitarian aid. We actually did stop the Nazi atrocities in the end by winning the war. But doing it earlier? There was much discussion…
I am not saying that we shouldn’t help refugees. But there are many more people inside Syria that need help. And yes, of course, Nazis have been eventually stopped – but not before they exterminated many people.
We had boots on the ground in Germany and lots of allies. WE only really left when we had a new government and a new constitution, etc. And we still actually have troops there. This policy doesn’t work in the Middle East. We’ve discovered that in Iraq.
So since that policy doesn’t work in the ME, there should be no policy, is that correct? This situation is far more complex than a simple man can comprehend. It’s going to be inevitable the West gets involved in this, one way or another, just like in Libya. Why did the West get involved in Libya? One big reason: to secure Khadafi’s military arsenal. Why get involved in Syria? To secure Assad’s arsenal. That is, unless you want enemies of the USA smuggling in vials of Syrian sarin to your precious NY in order to gas Jews yet again in history.
Right, let’s help the refugees. But at what point, Harry is enough enough? What is your “red line”? This is serious question man, and I respect your opinion. But all you are doing is saying “no” with no explanation of when it might be “yes”. Maybe you don’t give a crap, hell let Assad kill as many people as he wants, but at least have the courage to say that’s your position.