Syria gassing their own people, so what?

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by NothingSacred, Sep 3, 2013.

  1. NothingSacred

    NothingSacred Active Member

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    Why does that mean that WE have to do something? I'm sick of being World Police! Let them die, and if someone has to "do something"... let it be SOMEBODY ELSE! I want to be like Europe or Australia and just STAY OUT OF IT!

    Besides, as the Tea Party reminds us, WE ARE BROKE, we CAN'T AFFORD any more SPENDING. So there is no way that this NEW, unfunded SPENDING PROGRAM should be taken on when we are being told we need to cut spended that WE NEED HERE INSIDE THE USA!
     
  2. Wizard From Oz

    Wizard From Oz Banned at Members Request

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    How much exactly will it cost the US to fire say 20 Cruise missiles into Syria?
     
  3. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Actually, we have it even worse. At least Iraq and Afghanistan were in your strategic interests, we followed the United States into war so we could protect YOUR interests. It's inconceivable that there was any threat to the Australian homeland, but despite this we sent hundreds of our people to their deaths for your control of the region.

    [hr][/hr]

    But yeah, it would be nice to just let the Syrians sort this out, as we should.

    Why do we need to steal from our people to oppress theirs?

    [hr][/hr]

    The way I see it sovereignty is best located closest to the individual. The most troubling part of the Syria debate has been how people have just assumed national sovereignty means nothing, and that the world government headed by the United States/the UN should get to decide everything. That's ridiculous. Stop interfering in matters that have nothing to do with you, and let the Syrians figure out their own future.
     
  4. Alfalfa

    Alfalfa Banned

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    What neighborhoods do we aim them at?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Bali.


    ...
     
  5. Taxcutter

    Taxcutter New Member

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    Let 'em gas each other. Doesn't hurt my feelings a bit. They all hate the US.
     
  6. Wizard From Oz

    Wizard From Oz Banned at Members Request

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    Target selection was not an issued raised by the OP - It was the cost of the intervention they were concerned with
     
  7. Alfalfa

    Alfalfa Banned

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    You mentioned 20 cruise missiles, I was wondering what targets would be used. It's a rather crowded country.
     
  8. Wizard From Oz

    Wizard From Oz Banned at Members Request

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    I simply plucked a number, if you have a more accurate assessment of the missiles needed I would be interested in hearing the numbers
     
  9. tecoyah

    tecoyah Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The targets do not truly matter, we will kill a lot of people for no reason. It will have very little effect on the situation other than giving people another reason to hate us.

    These people are not worth the effort to help, and do not want it anyway.
     
  10. TomFitz

    TomFitz Well-Known Member

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    Yes, the Tea Party didn't care when Sadaam Hussein gassed Kurds in Iraq in 1987.

    Back then, they didn't know where Iraq was (many of them still don't).

    But when Boy George and Darth Vader told them to care about it fourteen years later, they stomped and cheered for war.

    Now they're back to isolationism.
     
  11. Serfin' USA

    Serfin' USA Well-Known Member

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    That depends on if you include the costs associated with blowback.
     
  12. mikezila

    mikezila New Member

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    about what it cost for them to nuke Detroit.
     
  13. Bluebird

    Bluebird Well-Known Member

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    Yeah,This one is a toughie,for everyone----
    The United Nations has all agreed that chemical weapons used by a country on their own people is unacceptable----SO, "WHERE" is the United Nations on living up to the "AGREEMENT"?
    I agree that "if" the Syria people started a civil unrest-it is up to them to finish what they started--Why do countries "always" look to the United States to bail them out of situations they have not thought ahead to finish?
    However,that being said---I know that the United States is the super power here,always has been,always will be---
    If something isn't done to tell this Dictator he is breaking this United Nations rule---"EVERY" other Dictator will feel free to go all nuke on their people to keep them in check!
    I'm with our POTUS here--on having a discussion & debate with Congress-this goes way beyond just shooting a couple dozen missiles---
    Wouldn't it be nice for us to say--"Sorry",can't afford to help at the moment"---Our involvement with other countries woes started a "long" time ago----it just isn't going to end just because the Tea Party(that doesn't have a clue what's up with anything)says so.......
     
  14. NothingSacred

    NothingSacred Active Member

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    Lets say each one costs $100K, that's probably 50-100 decent jobs that can be created inside the USA, I'd rather spend it on food stamps for crack jeads than to blow up some Syrian city.
     
  15. Mr. Swedish Guy

    Mr. Swedish Guy New Member

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    Wars aren't really that costly as some would like us to believe. The US could easily afford to completely destory the assad regime n perhaps a couple of months, and all expenses would still be pretty minor when looking at the budget. Staying afterwards to clean everything up as you're doing in afghanistan and iraq is another story though.

    I say, that if you see evil and is capable of stopping it you ought to do that. In fact, I'll even say that your position is rather immoral, but you do have a point in that it's unfair to just have the US bear the weight: ideally it ought to be shared. But one must ask if military intervention really is the best way to stop atrocities.

    It's worth noting that I don't for a second believe that the US really cares about human rights violation: This is simply about extending US influence and the usual business. The US, and pretty much all other countries are always pragmatic when it comes to foreign policy, as is expected. The US probably benefits from intervening in Syria somehow, so don't worry about it being a loss.
     
  16. Serfin' USA

    Serfin' USA Well-Known Member

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    It might not be a loss for the government, but I would argue it is a loss for taxpayers.
     
  17. Lil Mike

    Lil Mike Well-Known Member

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    There was no Tea Party in 1987. You're one of those guys who don't even know what the Tea Party is, but just know their bad huh?
     
  18. Lil Mike

    Lil Mike Well-Known Member

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    If the US really wanted to topple the Assad government, I don't think it would be that hard to do. Hit every military installation and supply depot, as well as hit every major government building, and in a couple of days, you would so weaken the government that it would throw the civil war to the rebels. But that's not (I hope) under consideration.

    But I have to disagree that US foreign policy is pragmatic. How is attacking Assad pragmatic for US interests? Syria isn't even a signatory of the Chemical Weapons Convention, so in an international law sense, they didn't violate any international law that would pique the interest of the US or UN. When the parameters of an attack on Syria explicitly exclude attacking either Assad or the chemical weapons, there doesn't seem to be any reason to attack.

    Obama decided to throw a US ally to the wolves (Mubarak in Egypt) so an Islamist regime could be voted in that's hostile to US interests, and then after the military coup supported the Islamists.

    I just wish US foreign policy was pragmatic.
     
  19. Mr. Swedish Guy

    Mr. Swedish Guy New Member

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    Perhaps, but remeber that they do gain by the US having influence over other countries. access to oil and other resources that stuff. Resources might not be in the case of Syria though.

    Of course, the US could take of syria very quickly.

    The US's interests might simply be to make syria go from pro-russian to pro US or atleast neutral, and if they plan on taking on Iran they might be planning ahead as syria is sort of allied to iran right? When they, or if, they finally decide to take on Iran it will be much easier without a syria supporting them.
     
  20. Lil Mike

    Lil Mike Well-Known Member

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    If there was a way to flip a government in Syria to be pro US or at least pro Western, I would be all for it. As it is, it seems like the choice is between an anti-American dictatorship or an anti-American Islamist government. I'm doubtful that even a Sunni Islamist regime in Damascus would be interested in joining the US in some sort of common cause in isolating Iran.
     
  21. Mr. Swedish Guy

    Mr. Swedish Guy New Member

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    Really? The sunnis and shias hate eachother, I think getting the support of the sunnis against the shias wouldn't be hard at all for the US.

    even if the rebels are islamists, they are still more in line with US interests than the baathists. Perhaps the US is thinking that they can get their support by aiding them and giving them weapons and money, and playing on their hatred for shias.
     
  22. Pred

    Pred Well-Known Member

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    So did all your Democrat leaders. Oh, you forgot? Look it up.
     
  23. akphidelt2007

    akphidelt2007 New Member Past Donor

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    So we've run out of made up money?
     
  24. Wizard From Oz

    Wizard From Oz Banned at Members Request

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    But the cost of the missile has already been paid for. The weapons platform is also already in existence. So really the total cost of the operation is paying whoever needs to be paid the 5 minutes it takes to press the big red button to make these birds fly.
     
  25. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Some of you are worrying about the cost but not really understanding how this all works.

    Any of you know how much money it costs to operate one of those battleships per hour that are carrying these cruise missles? Look it up, it will blow your mind.
    Hell do you know how much it costs to operate pretty much any piece of military hardware for an hour? It's not like those battleships just go home when they aren't sitting in the Mediterranean giving people the finger. They are always out sailing around somewhere costing just as much to operate.

    So them firing a few cruise missles is pennies compared to the grand scheme of things.

    If you are worried about the cost then start campaigning to bring those things back to port and shut them down.
    I am by no means advocating this, but I'm trying to help some of you have a valid argument if you wish to argue about something.

    On a side note isn't it pretty sad when France is backing us up but nobody else is lol....
     

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