{"id":1977,"date":"2013-08-31T00:15:52","date_gmt":"2013-08-31T04:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/masspirates.org\/blog\/?p=1977"},"modified":"2013-09-04T10:29:26","modified_gmt":"2013-09-04T14:29:26","slug":"dont-bomb-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/masspirates.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/31\/dont-bomb-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t bomb Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

One might think that our interventions in Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Yemen would have convinced our leaders that poking our weapons into other countries is something we should do rarely and only with widespread international support. \u00a0With the recent war drums for attacking Syria, it is clear that our leaders seem not to have learned their lesson.<\/p>\n

We oppose calls for bombing Syria.<\/em><\/p>\n

The US has a long history of using chemical weapons, whether\u00a0Agent<\/a>\u00a0Orange<\/a>\u00a0in Vietnam or\u00a0depleted<\/a>\u00a0uranium ammunition<\/a>\u00a0in both of our wars with Iraq. \u00a0As\u00a0recently released CIA documents show<\/a>, we actively aided Saddam Hussein even though he used chemical weapons on Iranians during his invasion of Iran in the 1980s. \u00a0US calls for doing something about the Syrian government’s alleged use of nerve gas, is ironic at best.<\/p>\n

Yet throwing bombs that\u00a0cost us $500,000 and missiles that cost us even more<\/a>\u00a0at the Syrian government forces will not help the Syrians in their struggle for freedom. \u00a0Indeed, it is\u00a0likely to cause even more deaths<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake. We are democrats with a small d, and oppose authoritarian governments especially when they use force to keep themselves in power. \u00a0We cheered the Arab Spring whether in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen or Bahrain. \u00a0We cheered when Syrians used creative nonviolence to challenge their unelected government. \u00a0We continue to cheer\u00a0their use of nonviolence<\/a>\u00a0even in the face of a violent and horrible civil war.<\/p>\n

The Syrian people have the right to find their own path. \u00a0US military intervention isn’t likely to help the Syrian people, end the civil war or ensure that the peace ends up any better than Iraq or Egypt.<\/p>\n

The civil war in Syria is a fight we need to stay out of.<\/em><\/p>\n

Please:<\/p>\n