America's criminal Syrian bombing based on lies, fantasy

For some time now I've been posting on the myth perpetuated by the US government and its fawning enablers in mainstream media that Syria absolutely used chemical weapons in its civil war, first in 2013; then again this year. Obama was crucified by the war party for pulling back from a retaliatory strike even tho he abstained when the intel pros told him there was no concrete evidence it occurred. But this year Trump set off the Tomahawk fireworks within days with even less likelihood of Syrian guilt. One reader asked for a link verifying my position and here it is...from the most honored and esteemed investigative journalist of the last half century, Seymour Hersh, who exposed the Viet Nam Mai Lai Massacre in 1969 and the Abu Ghraib torture scandal in 2004. Sadly, Hersh is boycotted by US mainstream media, being forced to publish in Europe and on the net. A long but valuable read. Kudos to Hersh...shame on US media wing of the war party.

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/44374-trumps-red-line

Number 289 hits close to home

In 2007 I hired Chris Johnson as a parts order picker at my last company as logistics manager before retiring in June, 2013. Chris was a 22 year old African American from Englewood, one of Chicago's high crime areas, where the opportunity to 'make it' is not high. 

He didn't have much of a resume other than having graduated high school with honors and some technical education afterwards which he apparently could not afford to continue. He also had a gentle poise and sincerity that helped persuade me to hire him for an entry level job in logistics.

 My intuition about Chris was rewarded as he quickly became a valuable employee who was liked by everyone. Chris approached me about taking logistics classes at Daley College to further his career. Even though our company did not have a tuition reimbursement policy, our company president took an interest in Chris and approved a special tuition reimbursement on his behalf. 

Chris worked for me for nearly six years, up to my retirement in June, 2013. I confess to worrying about Chris's safety from crime throughout that tenure as he continued to live in Englewood. I knew Englewood first hand having worked there from 1968 to 1972 as first a social caseworker, then a teacher at Bass Elementary School at 65th and May, just a few blocks from where Chris lived some years later.

I stayed in touch with Chris for a few months after I retired, and had plans to go to lunch with him but never did. Earlier this year I was told he was no longer employed at the company. No information provided as to why or what his future plans were. 

Today, a former work colleague at company informed me that Chris Johnson, 32, was shot to death on June 13, Chicago 2017 murder victim number 289. The news report said he was shot multiple times by person or persons unknown while sitting in a car at 81st and Kedzie, just a few miles from his home. 

Why he was there and what provoked the shooting was not provided. Also not provided was that Chris Johnson was so much more than a 32 year old male gunned down in the shooting gallery our society enables with easy access to guns and unrelenting poverty and despair in America's inner cities. I had the privilege of meeting and working with a lot of fine people during my 46 years in teaching and logistics; Chris Johnson among them.

11th Commandment: Thou shall not violate the separation of church and state

Tho usually attributed to Mark Twain, the statement "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure", was actually uttered by Attorney for the Damned, Clarence Darrow. I'm reminded of Darrow's take on human nature when reading about a mental patient who drove his Dodge Dart into the 3 ton Ten Commandments monument installed on the Arkansas Capitol grounds, demolishing it within 24 hours of its installation. Sometimes God works to ensure the separation of Church and State in mysterious ways.

Sunk costs in criminal wars sinking America

3 trillion for failed war in Iraq; a trillion for failed war in Afghanistan and another trillion for the failed wars in Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and of course, the most dangerous of all, Syria. Uncle Sam is directing our rudderless Ship of State unto the rocks of disaster and collapse. And what do the fools in the war party say to those of us urging 'Get out, get out, get out'? 'We can't because we've already sunk 5 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, including 8,000 Americans, which will not be squandered or lost in vain'.

Any first year economist or political scientist knows that treasure and lives sunk in failed, criminal military ventures can never be recovered. They're buried forever by the folly of man who uses war to create the wealth of the state instead of creating the wealth of the people through peace. Unless we turn away from war and toward peace....we are all sunk.

Trump threatening more bombing over phantom Syrian gas attacks

The reason Obama didn't bomb Syria in 2013 after news reports claimed President Assad used sarin gas on rebels is that his intelligence pros said no evidence supported the charge.

The reason Trump did bomb Syria in 2017 after news reports claimed Assad used sarin gas on rebels, tho again the intel guys couldn't confirm it, is that Trump needed to make his bones as a wartime president.

Now Trump is speculating Assad is "conducting potential preparations for another chemical attack that will involve the mass murder of civilians" which will provoke an aggressive military response. That should make every decent, peace loving American ask: 'Who is the real psychotic war criminal here?'

May 23 to June 23: US killing field of Syrian innocents

Big Bad Uncle Sam whacked 472 innocent Syrian civilians, 137 of them kiddies, between May 23 and June 23 in our criminal, murderous involvement in the Syrian civil war serving as a proxy war against Iran. It's the largest 30 day toll since Uncle unleashed his bombers on the hapless Syrians three years ago. Hey, we need to keep the bomb factories humming and what better way than by using up all that WCD (Weapons of Civilian Destruction) as quickly as they're made.

Remember all the calls to sanction Russia for their killing of innocents trapped in Allepo? Where's the outrage when our utterly senseless involvement there makes the Russians appear as amateurs in the killing of innocents game.

Try to imagine the grief of the relatives sorting through the blood and body parts and realize...it's your tax dollars at work.