{"id":15319,"date":"2013-09-10T12:57:04","date_gmt":"2013-09-10T19:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/chaosmanor\/?p=15319"},"modified":"2013-09-10T16:27:17","modified_gmt":"2013-09-10T23:27:17","slug":"unbelievably-small-strikes-the-road-to-war-and-civilization-in-ontario","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/chaosmanor\/unbelievably-small-strikes-the-road-to-war-and-civilization-in-ontario\/","title":{"rendered":"Unbelievably Small Strikes, Who Used the Sarin? The Road to War, and civilization in Ontario"},"content":{"rendered":"

View 789 Tuesday, September 10, 2013<\/p>\n

\u201cTransparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Barrack Obama, January 31, 2009<\/p>\n

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Christians to Beirut. Alawites to the grave.<\/p>\n

Syrian Freedom Fighters<\/p>\n

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Ninety percent of the American people agree on sending Congress to Syria<\/p>\n

The Onion<\/p>\n

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How to win in Syria.<\/p>\n

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Hi Jerry,<\/p>\n

Someone has been reading your columns.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/2013\/09\/05\/mr-obama-youve-already-lost-syrian-war-here-how-to-win-big-one\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Cheers,<\/p>\n

Doug=<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A realist. There used to be a lot of us. The obvious Middle East Policy for the US is to develop our energy resources and let the Arabs learn to live on much lower budgets. And Herman Kahn thought that the 21st Century would be dominated by a US\/Russian common interest.  It could still happen.<\/p>\n

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I have two questions I hope that President Obama will answer tonight:<\/p>\n

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We grant that Sarin was used in a Damascus suburb under rebel control. Can you show the evidence that this was ordered by Bashar as-Assad"?<\/p>\n

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Who does the United States want to be the winner of the Syrian Civil War?<\/p>\n

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The noon news closed with more confusion about the Syrian situation. Perhaps the President will accept Secretary Kerry\u2019s ultimatum as the condition for not making an incredibly minor \u2013 oops, unbelievably small — strike in Syria. Perhaps Russia will collect all Syrian weapons of mass destruction. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile I have yet to see any rational reason for Bashar al-Assad to have employed Sarin in a Damascus suburb. The casual statement by war enthusiasts that Assad was desperate and used them in the civil war because he was afraid of losing is nonsense: he isn\u2019t losing and that suburb isn\u2019t a vital asset one way or another \u2013 and indeed contains a number of Loyalists as well as rebels. Using Sarin there has no upside, and the downside of using Sarin anywhere is enormous. Had the Sarin knocked out a major rebel headquarters or troop concentration one might see the temptation for the regime to use it: but all it did was kill some unarmed civilians and children. Why would anyone be made enough to choose that target to bet his life on?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile \u201cHuman Rights Groups\u201d flood the Internet with stories about how the evidence is growing to show that Assad used war gasses == but when I read the actual story rather than the headline, I see growing evidence that Sarin was used, but none whatever on who used it. I hear rumors of satellite photographs of missile launches from Assad controlled territory landing in the relevant target areas, but it\u2019s all hearsay \u2013 no one seems to have seen the photographs, only to have been told they exist. We are reminded of the aria on calumny in Mozart\u2019s Barber of Seville.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t say that Bashar al-Assad is a good guy who would never use war gasses on civilians; I don\u2019t know his inner feelings and motivations. I do say he is not a fool, and using Sarin on a suburb of your own capital \u2013 where all the foreign news people will be concentrated and known to the Free Syria press agents \u2013 when there is no conceivable military purpose is the act of a fool. The only explanation other than that it was an act of military desperation \u2013 which it could not have been \u2013 has been by some neocon warriors who say it was a sheer act of defiance. Since Assad denies he ordered any use of Sarin, it\u2019s a peculiar act of defiance. I defy you, oops, no, really, I didn\u2019t do it—<\/p>\n

We continue on the road to war. Now the President needs to justify keeping on a bumbling Secretary of State who make us all miss Hillary Clinton. And to convince the Congress to give him permission to make an unbelievably small air strike against Syria. Only the Russian say that we must not use force. There\u2019s no one out there that we can trust, no side that we want to win the Syrian Civil War \u2013<\/p>\n

One course of action almost makes sense: The United States tells Syria to change dictators. Get rid of Assad or we will. What we did n Afghanistan. The difference is that we say in advance that Assad must Go, but once that has been accomplished we get out (if we ever got in there in the first place). Of course this asserts a US hegemony that will require a much larger military than we have at present \u2013 at least a 450 ship navy and even that is probably not enough \u2013 since we in effect are saying that we have become the Enforcer of World Order. At some point that will be opposed, either directly or through proxies, by China and Russia, both of whom have oppressed minorities willing to stage some kind of revolt. There are nations with unhappy minorities who will not easily assume the role of banana republics in the days of United Fruit. If we are going to bully the world into obeying it\u2019s own ideals, we will need troops to do it. Even that won\u2019t do it all \u2013 if we are going to adopt the role of competent empire, we will also need to learn how to recruit puppet kings and local auxiliary forces, build a Foreign Legion, levy tribute on our allies (Athens moved the Treasury of the Delian League to Athens) and \u2013 well, converting from Republic to competent Empire is a serious step.<\/p>\n

But tonight we will find out what President Obama believes must be done.<\/p>\n

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Live Free or die.<\/p>\n

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‘Cunningham is charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and unauthorized possession of a weapon. He is to appear in court Sept. 26.’<\/p>\n

<http:\/\/www.sunnewsnetwork.ca\/sunnews\/canada\/archives\/2013\/09\/20130906-110915.html<\/a>><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Roland Dobbins<\/p>\n

PETERBOROUGH, ON – A 24-year-old man faces two charges after he used bear spray to fend off a man who was trying to mug him in the street Thursday, police say.<\/p>\n

William Charles Cunningham was walking along Bethune St. at about 4:30 p.m. when another man allegedly tried to grab him and demanded cash.<\/p>\n

Cunningham defended himself by spraying the robber in the face, police said.<\/p>\n

Officers who responded to his call for help discovered he was carrying both the bear spray and a large folding knife, police said.<\/p>\n

Cunningham is charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and unauthorized possession of a weapon. He is to appear in court Sept. 26.<\/p>\n

Jacob Scott Collins, 26, is charged with robbery and breach of probation. He was scheduled to appear in court Friday. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This got my attention because of the dateline Peterborough and my failing eyesight: I saw it as Peterborough New Hampshire. New Hampshire has the state motto \u201cLive free or die,\u201d which is no bad first approximation as a first instruction on how to stay a free society. Then I saw that it WAS Peterborough, ON, so this is an example of where we are going rather than where we are. Perhaps. We will see.<\/p>\n

Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and unauthorized possession of a weapon. So it goes.<\/p>\n

The last time I had any contact with Ontario police was when I was GOH ad a convention and the Regional Police raided the convention because one of the convention entertainments was a singing group that featured as part of their performance a stuffed pillow called \u2018the Penisaurus\u2019, which looked exactly like you think it does. Apparently although the event in the hotel ballroom was supposed to be for convention member only, some mundanes staying in the hotel begged their way past the door dragon for a look at the fan event, were horrified, and ran out to call the Regional Police.  I can see the scene at HQ; \u201cHey Sarge, they say there\u2019s a bunch of science fiction people having a lewd costume party out at a hotel, how many want to volunteer for the raid?\u201d  \u201cMe, Me. Me.\u201d  In any event about 20 cops showed up and raided the place.  Eventually the Penisaurus was banished, two girls were told to put on sweaters, and the police went away.  I have remembered Ontario ever since. Now I have something else to remember them by.<\/p>\n

Be careful in New Orleans<\/p>\n

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WND EXCLUSIVE<\/h5>\n

Police not interested in brutal beating on tape<\/h3>\n

Officer tells victims ‘zero’ chance of finding attackers<\/h4>\n

A couple\u2019s early-morning walk in the world famous French Quarter of New Orleans turned into a nightmare when they were beaten savagely by three black attackers in a horrifying scene that was caught on camera.<\/p>\n

Then it got worse: The responding police officer decided it wasn\u2019t worth filing a report.<\/p>\n

According to the local CBS affiliate<\/a>, the three perpetrators surrounded, verbally abused and then attacked the two victims as they walked through the French Quarter around 6 a.m. on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The woman was punched in the mouth, while the man was tackled and had his face stomped as he lay helpless on the ground. The male victim suffered a concussion and a severely broken jaw that required surgery.<\/p>\n

The video, despite breaks, caught most of the action leading up to the violence. It shows the two victims, both white, crossing the street as they are stalked by three young, African-American males who then surround and strike them.<\/p>\n

After a break in the footage, the two victims are shown, clearly hurt. The surveillance camera also picked up their friend, who flagged down the obstinate officer for help and talked with him for about six minutes.<\/p>\n

The officer is never seen getting out of his vehicle in the footage, but police officials stated to local media that he got out of his car sometime during his response.<\/p>\n

Despite the evidence shown in the video and the report of the victims\u2019 friend to the responding officer, the policeman ruled the call \u201cunfounded\u201d and didn\u2019t write a report of the incident.<\/p>\n

The officer, who was about to go off his shift at 7 a.m., even told the friend who detailed the crime to him that there was \u201czero\u201d chance of the assailants being caught.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.wnd.com\/2013\/08\/police-not-interested-in-brutal-beating-on-tape\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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I don\u2019t know this web site, but it sounds like New Orleans. <\/p>\n

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A new instance of the Iron Law<\/p>\n

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\u201cNew Twist in Feud with Microlender.\u201d<\/p>\n

http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/article\/SB10001424127887323864604579065091325080238.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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Bangladesh To Pursue Legal Action Against Grameen’s Founder Yunus <\/h3>\n

Move Apparently Escalates a Long-Running Political Feud<\/h4>\n

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