“What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. It defies any code of morality. Let me be clear. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. By any standard, it is inexcusable. And despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable.” – Secretary of State John Kerry, August 28, 2013
What happened in Syria is a “moral obscenity”, but there’s MUCH more to the story and it’s not the first moral obscenity. History is a stern teacher.
Question 1: Have chemical weapons ever been used by the United States of America?
Answer: Yes. The United States used Agent Orange and Napalm, burning the flesh off innocent civilians as well as soldiers of the Viet Cong, and destroying habitats in Vietnam and in Laos.
Question 2: Is the tragic use of chemical weapons in Syria unique or an historical watershed?
Answer: No. Click HERE for the history of U.S. Administration’s supply of Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War when Saddam was still a U.S. ally, and the number of times the U.S. has chosen to look the other way when chemical weapons have been used.
Compassion is in order. So is truth. Ignoring the history is a form of official prevarication. Prevarication is a gentle word for half a lie. We deserve better and so does the world.
Questions 3: Can assurance be given that there will no further military consequences to a narrow strategic strike?
Answer: How can any such assurance be given when there are at least two parties involved and likely more? Syria will not lie back without rocket strikes at U.S. warships, and then….. the game is on. Seems like moral obscenity, prevarication, and high risk no matter where one looks. Let those with clean hands cast the first missile… or work non-violently to stop the cycle of violence.
Views from the Edge 
What happened to the “war on terror”. We are actually backing Al Qaeda in the Syrian civil war. The training we have given the anti-govt. Al Qaeda forces in Syria includes training in the use of chemical weapons. This civil war was induced by the US in order to create regime change in Syria in order to neutralize the rise of Iran & thus stabilize Israel’s future. By doing so we maintain Israel as a Western base for nuclear weapons that are able to threaten anyone that attempts to threaten the supply of Saudi oil to Europe. The fact that Cailf. Dem Diane Feinstein announced yesterday we would be making available new video showing gassed Syrian victims writhing in pain is so transparent it makes one want to vomit. Here we caused the death of 600,000 children in Saddam
‘s Iraq with our trade embargo & backed Saddam’s use of gas against Iran in a war that killed a million or so. With calls against an attack running 90 to one the need for Feinstein’s video is a desperate attempt by the MIC to change US public opinion.
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Gary, You are the historian with so much greater knowledge of the facts and a sweeping framework by which to analyze the strategy and tactics at work here. Your question – What happened to the “war on terror” – accompanied by the factual history of U.S. support of Saddam, and now supporting Al Qaeda in the Syrian civil war, etc., etc., etc. is chilling. And, pulling out video of the very real horror of people dying or dead from chemical weapons in Syria is a PR campaign that ignores all the other videos that are NOT shown that point the finger back at us.
Where did you get the information about 90 to one? Or the number of a million or so deaths in Iraq because of the trade embargo and war with Iran?
Thanks, as always!
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Gordon, the calls running 90 to one is all over the news channels this morning. The million deaths refer to the # killed in the Iran- Iraq war in the late 80s when we looked the other way when Saddam supposedly used gas.
The 600,000 dead children in Iraq due to the trade sanctions refers to the time between the 2 Iraq wars we engaged in between 91 & 03. This is all a part of the historical record that I absorbed when these events happened. I would have to dig a bit to find the original sources.
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Thanks, Gary. I just posted your comment under the title Syria and the War on Terror. I haven’t looked/listened to the news this morning re: the 90 to one. That’s heartening, to be sure! If you can find the data to support the other numbers, it might be useful in a follow up post. Thank you for the information and the clarity.
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What should be really shocking our conscience is the millions of displaced people and absolute lack of response from the international community to provide the resources needed to help. The UN leadership is saying over and over again this is the moral crisis – mean while those who have the resources debate whether to make more people homeless.
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Interesting, isn’t it, David. Thanks for the comment and the reminder.
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Gordon, 1429 persons were killed with sarin and other agents. More than 100,000 were killed by conventional weapons. I doubt that 200 guided weapons can be fired into a country without killing many more. You and I have witnessed Korea, Vietnam, Iraq One and two. There is bloody little evidence to support military intervention as an effective tool to teach anyone anything. we certainly haven’t learned. When you own a hammer every problem looks like a nail.
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Exactly, Jim. That makes two of us. Is there a third? “If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morn-ing; I’d hammer in the even-ing….”
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