OH! Syria!

I don’t believe I have ever seen a more difficult decision than the one facing our Congress, right now.

To vote whether to support a military response to the action in Syria is one that seems to have no right or wrong answer.

It infuriates me to watch the images on television of those people (men, women, children, and elderly) dying at the hands of evil men. To think that we would watch that and do nothing is beyond unconscionable! Isn't that what we did as the Jews marched to their death at the evil hands of another!

We have a President vacillating on a decision, only to finally decide to allow Congress to vote on the action. In my opinion, he only decided to involve Congress to avoid blame when it all goes south. Perhaps he believes strongly that Congress will vote “no” so that he can use them as an excuse for the answer he wanted to give all along – we will do nothing – but was afraid to give.

I understand this is Syria blowing Syria up. I understand fully (as well as anyone) that both sides fighting there are our enemies. Perhaps, Sarah Palin, whom I respect greatly, had the right answer with her sarcastic rendition of an oft quoted statement by our military, “Let Allah sort it out.”

BUT!! Our enemies have already claimed victory! Our allies are worried! That about says it all, doesn’t it? Well it should!

I have fully supported those that attempt to show our nation (and the world) that we are actually aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, who spawned al-Qaeda, when we are sending money and fighter jets to Egypt. What in the world is this administration thinking????? Few said anything then, but now everyone is up in arms and in a convoluted tizzy, finally seeming to comprehend that to involve ourselves in Syria is also to aid our enemies! Well what in the heck do you think we have been doing? And where was our concern then? Further, where was our concern when Syria was killing thousands of their own people? But to do nothing as this evil enemy wreaks havoc on his own people, then or now?? Where have we come? The message we are sending to Iran - the "silent enemy eyes" that are watching - is, we will do nothing!

Obviously, conservatives as well as liberals are on both sides of the issue; no one seems to know what the best answer is, though many pretend they do.

We have people highly influencing others with their isolationist attitude, but along with that we also have people on both sides of the aisle that want us to stand down. There are those that view America as an “Imperialistic” nation, a nation that is simply trying to take over and control the world. Obama, himself, has always viewed this nation as "Imperialistic" and sticking our nose in where it doesn’t belong…an evil nation trying to control the world. That is why his action now is so ironic i.e. that he would take a view of intervention in Syria. It just doesn't fit with his norm.

I can also think of another politician though espousing to be conservative, has that same imperialistic view of America. I believe that view is at the root of the dilemma we are facing. Obviously, Obama’s lack of experience, arrogance and inability to lead got us into this mess; but his derogatory view of America is equally responsible. And let me interject here, he is certainly acting like an "Imperialistic" President. But I believe that view, which I have been concerned with for some time is a bigger part of the problem we are having in trying to come to a decision on this matter. "Stand down; butt out; you evil people trying to take over the world."

We are NOT an imperialistic nation! Nor have we ever been. This is a liberal, propagandist mindset working itself into the hearts and minds of even conservatives. America has never set out to take over the world, our interventions have always been humanitarian in nature…unless your viewing it from an anti-American,“anti-colonial” mindset, such as President Obama was raised and schooled.

That's why now his intervention in Syria, just doesn't fit with the Obama we have come to know and - ehem - dislike.

Likewise, those that say this "civil war" doesn’t affect us, does not understand who our enemy is! That the US was responsible for 9/11 as some have erroneously stated for 12 years is, in part, what has brought us to this place. I will never listen to any reasoning that someone like that might have in regard to whether we should take action in Syria or not. If one does not understand and believe we have an enemy in "radical" Islam, then they should keep their mouths shut!

Others looking for a reason to vote no, warn that our military is in a weakened state. Yes, that is a valid concern. Yes, that should be considered!

This has been a difficult decision for me to decide what I believe. Some of my heroes, such as Col. Ralph Peters and Col. Allen West say we absolutely should not involve ourselves. On the other hand, Charles Krauthammer has eloquently stated why we should be involved. And no, he is not a “neo-con” which some have labeled him since he came out with his statement. Later, he seemed to change his stance. And that is ok - it isn't any wonder; this is a very complicated, convoluted issue.

 

“What does Israel think?” was one of my first questions as I tried to weigh my decision. And I listened to a former defense minister of Israel and became convinced I was on the right track in my thinking, though hating to disagree with some great conservative thinkers.

 

Almost all conservatives oppose this action by Obama. Likewise, many on the liberal left also oppose. Libertarians, along with those of isolationist views oppose this action. Call me a RINO; call me daft; call me confused; call me wrong; call me whatever you like but the truth of the matter for me: I don’t give a rip about what any of them say if they don’t adequately understand who our enemy is…and many of them DON’T! Many only take the "no" side because they want to take the opposite side of Obama...I can't blame them. But for myself, I will listen only to those that understand the enemy we have in radical Islam.

 

My decision for some time remained unsettled; I respect some on both sides of the issue, but that is the “hawk” in me. I have always believed strongly in fighting against evil while trusting the Lord, and worrying about the consequences later. That used to be the conservative, Republican platform. I am unapologetic for that. I believe in aiding those that cannot aid themselves. Since when have we cowered to enemy threats. I believe in stopping terror before terror stops us. But I also understand the complicated place in which we find ourselves because of the ineptness of a President that either is wittingly, or unwittingly seeking to destroy America. The bottom line for me is, we don't have a President we can trust and that changes the dynamics decidedly.

 

Hal Lindsey had an interesting take in his newsletter this week. But perhaps most interesting to me of all is what Joel Rosenberg wrote. It is EXACTLY what I have been feeling and explains best why I believe what I believe. Both letters are posted below for you to read.

 

This is something we should individually seek to understand and believe for ourselves and not just jump on the band-wagon of one we might revere.

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This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report'
(http://www.hallindsey.com/)
 

The world is once again focused on the Middle East. And once again, it's Syria.

This time, the Syrian government is accused of using chemical weapons in an attack on the rebels. Reports indicate that hundreds, mostly civilians, were recently killed and injured in a WMD attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

It is undeniable that a chemical weapons attack occurred. It is undeniable that hundreds are dead and hundreds are injured. It is undeniable that this is a cruel atrocity worthy of international scorn and, many think, punishment.

However, I do not believe that it is undeniable that the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad committed the atrocity. He is certainly capable of it and the Syrians have the resources to do it. But for me, what's lacking is the motive.

In the last few weeks, things have been going Assad's way. His government seems to be gaining ground against the rebel coalition. The world's attention has been diverted from Syria's civil war to Egypt's civil struggle.

Why, when he is at least holding his own, if not starting to win, would he choose now to perpetrate the one act -- the use of chemical or biological weapons against his own people -- that would return the world's attention to Syria and guarantee its wrath would be poured upon him? It just doesn't make sense.

And when you take into account the fact that the Syrian rebel opposition is now dominated by al-Qaeda -- an organization that also has absolutely no qualms about using chemical weapons to further its goals -- it's enough to give any rational person reason to pause. The nagging truth is that the rebels are the party in this conflict that stands to gain most from a chemical attack blamed on the Syrian government. That's because it will almost surely provoke some sort of Western intervention in the civil war that may tip the balance in favor of al-Qaeda and their opposition allies.

President Obama and British Prime Minister Cameron have been working to secure a United Nations-approved military intervention in the conflict. However, on Thursday the British parliament conducted a preliminary vote and decided to say, "No, thank you" to the UK's involvement in an armed response.

We're now waiting to see what the Obama administration will choose to do and if it will go it alone or seek Congressional approval. Suffice it to say there's plenty of skepticism to go around. U.S. law seems to require the President to consult the Congress before committing our military forces to a conflict that does not threaten us directly. However, he chose to participate in the Libyan intervention without Congressional approval and he's suffered no repercussions from that decision.

One thing I do know, however, is that any sort of international military intervention in Syria will certainly put Israel -- who has intentionally stayed on the sidelines and kept its mouth shut -- at great risk. We all know that Assad has threatened to attack Israel if outside powers attempt to intervene in the civil war. Now, a leading military figure in Iran has threatened to destroy Israel if the West meddles in Syria.

So we need to earnestly pray for the peace and safety of Israel as well as pray for God to grant our leaders wisdom in dealing with this delicate situation. I agree that the world community cannot let gas attacks go unanswered, but we must be careful to get the facts right before we act. And we must be careful not to act in a way that strengthens the hand of al-Qaeda.
 

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 From Joel Rosenberg:

(http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/new-podcast-why-i-cant-support-the-resolution-to-go-to-war-in-syria/)

Why I cannot support the resolution to authorize this particular President going to war in Syria.

In Uncategorized on September 5, 2013 at 11:49 am

(Washington, D.C.) — UPDATED: Last night, Lynn and our sons celebrated Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. We ate apples dipped in honey. We watched a YouTube video of someone in Israel blowing the shofar. And we prayed.

As we did, I found myself wondering, What kind of year is ahead for Israel? For the people of Syria? For the people of Iran and Egypt and Lebanon and Jordan and all those in the Middle East? There is so much pain and uncertainty in the epicenter right now. More than 110,000 people have been killed in Syria during their civil war, some, reportedly, because of chemical weapons. More than two million Syrians have fled their country as refugees from the violence. An estimated five million Syrians have been “internally displaced” — they have fled away from their towns and villages to be safe from the violence, but they haven’t fled outside the borders of their country. Yet.

When I see such suffering, my heart grieves. I want to help. But is there a way, really, to make a difference?

As an evangelical Christian, and the president of The Joshua Fund, there is something my team and I — with your help — can do. We can pray fervently and faithfully for peace in Syria, for God’s mercy on that embattled country, for courage and boldness for the Christians there to be light in the darkness, for the spread of the Gospel, for many to come to Christ, for the Church to be the agent of hope and forgiveness and reconciliation. We can send our team into the region to encourage our Arab Christian friends and allies in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. We can fund projects to care for those who are suffering. We can fund projects to get the Gospel to as many people in Syria as possible. We can teach Christians about the history and future of Syria and Damascus. We can also stand with Israel, bless her people — Jews and Arabs — and prepare for another possible war. And we can pray for and encourage other Christian ministries and organizations who are like-minded. In short, we can do what the Bible tells us to do, regardless what the politicians and military leaders do. So this is what my colleagues have been doing, and this is what we will continue to do.

As an American citizen, I’m finding it actually much more difficult to determine what to do. As I’ve written recently, on principle I want the U.S. to take action. I don’t want to see cruel tyrants use weapons of mass destruction with impunity. There must be justice. Assad and regime should be punished.

But here is the thing: We are witnessing the clash between two terrible evils in Syria right now – Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime is in a winner-take-all fight to the death with the bloodthirsty, demonic forces of al Qaeda and other Radical Islamic groups.

In this nightmare environment, can the U.S. military make a meaningful difference? I’ve been wrestling about this for several days, and here is where I have come out.

I cannot in good conscience support the Congressional resolution to authorize this particular President with the power to use U.S. military force in Syria for 60 days, much less 90 days.

1.) The United States does not currently have a President who is trustworthy, principled, steady and wise — to the contrary, Mr. Obama is weak, vacillating, dithering, and devoid of a clear, compelling and principled policy in the Middle East. He doesn’t inspire confidence, not with our allies, not with Congress, and most importantly, not with the American people. It is clear that he drew his “red line” without thinking it through. He doesn’t have a plan. He hasn’t built Congressional or international support. He is winging it. And that is incredibly dangerous.

2.) Nobody is with us — President Obama has been unable to build even the limited international coalition for action that President George W. Bush built going into Iraq in 2003.

3.) The unintended consequences of becoming engaged in the war in Syria with an undependable President could be catastrophic, and this could draw our government, and thus us, in even deeper, with no exit strategy — What if a U.S. military strike in Syria leads to the fall of Assad and to al Qaeda or other Radical Islamic groups coming to power? What if Syria’s chemical and biological weapons fall into the hands of al Qaeda or other terrorists? What if those terrorists use those weapons against the American people and/or our allies? What if the Radical jihadist rebels start massacring the Christians of Syria? What if Assad, in a desperate last gasp of vengeance, unleashes a chemical weapons attack against Israel? These are just a handful of the nightmare scenarios.

Under a different President — one who was trusted and respected deeply by the American people, and our allies; one with foreign policy experience; one with solid principles and a steady hand – I could support this resolution because I would believe that the President would be ready to handle any unintended consequence. As it stands, I agree with most of the language in the resolution. But I do not have any confidence that President Obama is up to this enormous challenge. And since the downstream effects of what could be unleashed by a mishandling of this crisis are so horrible, I would not be able to vote in favor of the resolution if I were a member of the House or Senate.

It is a dangerous thing to have an American President that the nation does not trust to lead us into battle, or that we can depend upon in times of crisis. But that is where we are.

All the more, I am praying for the sovereign Lord to have mercy on us, our allies, and on the people of Syria and the people of the epicenter. I’m also praying for the President, his national security team, and Congress, as well as for the leaders of Israel — for the wisdom and courage to do the right thing. But my hope is not in the White House. My hope is in Christ.

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More from Joel Rosenberg:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/357734/what-netanyahu-learning-president-obamas-vacillations-syria-joel-c-rosenberg