This Modern World: And Away We Go -- - Nothing Says "We Care" Like A Tomahawk Missile Strike

[Scootaloo]

75. You know, I was accused of "supporting Saddam" in 2003, too.

So this shit:

Enjoy Basahr Al-Assad's next nerve gas massacre. You own it.

Neither bothers me nor strengthens your case.

My first point is that hammering Syria with missiles - whether it's a handful or a hundred handfulls - is not a moral action. Not because it will have no effect - in fact that's the best we can hope for - but because it's far more likely to have a very detrimental effect.

There's seven factions fighting in Syria right now. Taking down the strongest of the seven isn't going to stop the fighting, it's going to prolong it. That's how this stuff works. Prolonged fighting, of course, means more people dying. It also means the existing factions are more likely to keep fragmenting, which is another factor in prolonging the conflict.

It's also likely that many of these factions will take the occasion of our missile attacks to step up their own fighting - whether it's the opposition groups taking advantage of damage to the government's power, or the government using what it has while it has it... again, more dead people.

As I mentioned, damaging Assad's ability to use conventional methods of warfare is simply going to make him lean more on unconventional methods - 'cause I can tell you, he's not going to be conceding this fight.

Several opposition groups, as well as Iran, have made the claim that they will use these attacks on Syria as a pretext to attack American interests in the region, particularly within Israel and Iraq. While I suspect iran is blowing out its ass, I have no doubts the mujahadeen will do their best to carry through exactly as they say, or at least make the attempt. Again, more dead people - and his time likely to draw in other nations, more than they already are.

All this, so we could "send a message."