My Thoughts on Syria....

My Thoughts on Syria….

I come to my friends, new & old with the nth amount of due respect & love for life. I would like to share with you my thoughts & views on Syria. My intentions are not to offend anyone, but to provoke thought & discussion…both negative & positive.

I would like to share my thoughts on the Middle East & the recent catastrophic events which have occurred in Syria. The reason why the US has always failed in the Middle East & some Asian countries is due to the fact that we embrace the concept, ‘do as I say & not as I do’. Many times when we get involved in countries where there are internal struggles, our sense of democracy is not their definition of Freedom. We cannot force peoples or Nations that have had the same foundation for their govt for thousands of years to change & expect everything to be hunky dory. Just as here at home, change is hard to embrace, how more so for Nations who have deeper beliefs, morals & different views of righteous & equal life? I do not feel that it is our right or obligation to spread our concepts of democracy, just as I feel it is not the right or obligation of countries to spread & force communism or totalitarian govts upon others. However, I do feel that we have a moral duty & obligation as humans to protect the human rights of individuals…we should be our brother’s keeper to some extent when it comes to their very existence.

I am not for troops on the ground in Syria, but I also feel that we have a moral obligation in regards to protecting the Syrian people in regards to the use of chemical & biological warfare. As I stated last week after the event took place in Syria, I am not as concerned about the fact that they used chemical weapons as I am about where they attained such weaponry. In the past, both Iraq & Iran have used such warfare on the Kurds & we did not intervene. Nor have we intervened in several countries in Africa & Asia where genocide has been widely practiced. I remember being younger & wondering why as a power house in the World, we allowed such atrocities to occur while we ignored the practice by warring tribes, chieftains & rebels. I believe in a World today where technology, fire power & man’s immoral greed & magnanimous egos exist, that it is more important than ever, to protect our fellow man & the chain of life.

In the 21st Century, man should seek some form or decorum of peace & tolerance worldwide. I do not believe that any such goals will ever be attained when we continually bolster the military & defense of other Nations. Every single Nation where we have helped to fund their military, we have seen a deeper involvement & internal struggle further down the road. In some cases, we have fought our own weapons at a later date, have shed the blood of our fellow Americans & have depleted our own economy & quality of life in doing so. I further believe that certain allies who we have been aligned with over many decades, their radical statements along with actions, have not only hurt our foreign affairs, but at times have endangered the advancements we have made in the region. I am speaking in particular of Israel.

Just as we draw a line in the sand in regards to our intervention into the affairs of a foreign govt & military, we must also learn to draw the same thin red line in regards to any military actions or sanctions we embark upon. Nor should other countries & nations expect of us any longer to carry the full economic burden of ‘policing the World’.

I also do not feel that we can continue to economically fund the infrastructure of other Nations, when our own infrastructure & economic foundation is in question. As members of the human race & a leading power, we do have obligations to the welfare & health of our fellow man. We should focus more on the vital elements of survival abroad, food, health, water, environment & trade.

There are going to be times when we will have to come to the aid of nations, countries & people in a military role, but I do not feel that those decisions should come easy or be forced upon us by the military industrial complex. In this respect, I favor the President & how he has handled our foreign military involvement & missions. He does not seem to be swayed by the War Hawks or industrial Iron Horses who benefit financially from our military, but weighs in heavily by putting ‘human value’ into the equation of his decisions.

My present concerns with using missile strikes or military drones stems from the possible destruction of chemical & biological weapons in Syria, along with the deaths of innocent Syrians. It is not below the mentality of Assad to use his citizens as ‘human shields’ now that it has been made known & public that we will use missile strikes on his targeted military installations…thus adding to our portrait of being a member of the Evil Axis abroad. I can only hope that certain rebel elements within the country can aid the innocent citizenry in their safety prior to our attack & action. I had hopes that members of the Arab League would play a larger role in the present events & disposition of Syria with Assad’s use of Chemical & biological weapons…realizing that such weapons in the region could have a detrimental impact on their own security & the safety of their citizenry.

I’ve never considered anyone the victor in a war or mass rebellion…it would be different if we could throw the opposing parties & enemies in an arena & let them have a go at it there. Too many times the loss of innocence far outweighs the casualties of the actual combatants. The destruction of the infrastructure often hinders the reconstruction of the country for decades to come. I find this one fault within man’s character to wage war & compete with violence, death & destruction sad & somewhat morbid in nature.

I also find it disappointing that in the last 2 yrs, the U.N & Arab League has not found it necessary to take a more active role in what has transpired in Syria. With hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into nearby countries already burdened with their own economics & survival, I would have thought that more restrictions & heavier sanctions would have been levied against Syria. A rebellion that has already claimed the lives of tens of thousands & injured tens of thousands more, when all is said & done, it will take several generations in the process of Syria’s reconstruction.

I know one thing; I will accept my menial life over that of the burdens that heavily weigh on the mind & heart of my President. I can only keep the citizens of Syria, their women & children, the innocent males in my thoughts & hope that in the very near future, the death & destruction which presently surrounds them will come to an end. That as a people they will find their inner strength to reach beyond the wounds, pain & sorrow of the last 2 yrs, to come together in a positive & constructive manner to rebuild their lives & country. All life is precious, as individuals we play a very vital role in the total scope & portrait of life. I do not condone war & violence, death & destruction, suppression & oppression, the distribution of fear in our daily existence, the self-anointed few on self-serving agendas that prey upon the majority…I can only hope that one day man will rise from his sleep & get life right.

To the Syrian people & the surrounding countries harboring refugees, know that you are deeply embedded in my thoughts.

Lady Gray