Something "Not Right" in Syria?

Is it me or does something just not seem right about the recent events going on in Syria? A mass killing in the small village of Houla  involving as many as 83 women and children, 108 total killed, were first deemed victims of government tank attacks and international outrage soon followed. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain immediately voted to expel Syrian diplomats and called for NATO intervention, Canada,  Britain, and Australia are moving to expel their Syrian diplomats as well.   

Closer examination of the video and photographic coverage shows that the photos published by the trusted BBC were from an mass killing in Iraq back in 2003, and the original photographer Marco di Lauro, posted on his Facebook page his astonishment that no one checked their sources before publishing them. The BBC later quietly removed the original photos from its online story and replaced them without any retractions, highly un usual.  The original story also blames Syrian government tanks for bombarding the village causing the deaths but video footage shows something much different. The Syrian  government noted no tanks were even in that area at the time and all of the deaths occurred at near point blank range from either gunshot wounds to the head or stab wounds with a knife.

The Syrian government is claiming that outside forces are using al-Qaeda forces to stir unrest and keep the conflict growing while the outrage over the killings has increased international calls for the removal of the Syrian president and his staff. I am far from saying that the Syrian government is innocent in all this but what makes this smell is the inconsistencies in the reporting of these stories by so called trusted news media. What possible advantage would the Syrian government gain from the killings of its own women and children, and who WOULD have the most to gain from these actions?

If one were conspiracy minded they "might" conclude that indeed similar tactics have been used in other counties to further the agenda of western nations in the middle east. Many of the NATO nations have grown weary of war and its cost and have been slow to move on Syria, including the US, and maybe one big event could move NATO to military action. Die hard conspiracy folks might have further considered that as war ends in Iraq and Afghanistan international bankers looking to profit from war need a new source of revenue as Nations borrowing for more military funds would surely boost their bottom lines. Then again maybe it WAS the Syrian government employing terror tactics on its own people to quash a rebellion within its own borders? Food for thought may make you wonder what the Unites States government would be willing to do to its own people if a similar rebellion broke out within its borders, but then again only conspiracy minded folks would consider that?

Memorial Day vs Veteran's Day

I was reading a blogger make a point that today is Memorial Day and as a holiday is it much different in Veterans Day. Veterans Day is different as it's a day to honor all those that have severed in the military to protect our freedoms, where as Memorial Day is the day we honor those that have died protecting our freedoms. I guess I had never really thought of it is those terms and, like so many, I really have always treated both holidays pretty much the same. This led my curiosity to research and just find out how many people have in fact died while serving and the numbers are eye opening and enlightening, in the last 231 years 1,346,000+ men and women have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy today. A tally follows...

The Revolutionary War - 1775 to 1783

The small Continental army with the help of a rag-tag group of guerrilla fighters, which included Native American Indians and French forces, fought for 8 bloody years against the forces of His Majesty King George III of Great Britain, at that time probably the most powerful nation on earth, in order to win the freedom to govern themselves as they saw fit. The fledgling colonies lost nearly 5000 men in that conflict.

The War of 1812 - 1812 to 1815

A bloody little sequel to the Revolutionary War, once again against His Majesty George III's forces. The U.S. lost over 2000 men in this conflict.

The Mexican War - 1846 to 1848

This war was fought against neighbors to the south and their then masters, the kingdom of Spain. In two bloody years the U.S. lost over 13,000 men in battle.

The American Civil War (War Between the States) - 1861 to 1865

The Confederate States of America (southern secession states) and the Union (northern states) locked in deadly conflict for nearly five years over complicated legal and moral disagreements. The toll of this war was nearly 700,000 men. The bloodiest conflict in the history of America.

The Spanish-American War - 1898

A little tiff against Spain once again. The U.S. lost over 2000 men.

World War I - 1917 to 1918 (U.S. involvement)

The world's first truly global conflict. The U.S. entered this war to assist their allies, the United Kingdom and others, in securing the future of Europe. While the U.S. was only involved for the last year or so of the conflict, it suffered over 116,000 men lost.

World War II - 1941 to 1945 (U.S. involvement)

The most catastrophic event in the history of mankind. This war was a defining moment in the entire history of the human race. The U.S. fought in numerous entirely different and geographically distant theaters of operation: Europe, the Far East, the Near East, Africa, the South Pacific, the North Atlantic, the northern Pacific, etc. With over 16 million men in service to the U.S. in this war, there were over 400,000 men lost.

The Korean Conflict - 1950 to 1953

The U.S. and its allies attempt to prevent the communist North Korean forces, eventually aided by Red China, from conquering and subverting the peoples of the South Korea. This bloody, hard-fought "police action" cost the U.S. over 36,000 men lost.

The Vietnam Conflict - 1964 to 1973 (not counting technical assistance to the French prior to actually entering the conflict)

Another politically complicated conflict that initially involved the U.S. in an advisory role to their ally the French, who were attempting to maintain control of their colonies in Vietnam against the communist forces of North Vietnam. Eventually, the U.S. actually became involved in the conflict through treaty obligations with the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). This terribly bloody anti-insurgent conflict lasted 9 horrible years and cost the U.S. nearly 60,000 men and women.

The Gulf War - 1990 to 1991

The U.S. and its allies forcefully and rapidly come to the aid of the country of Kuwait after it was invaded by the forces of Iraq under the leadership of Saddam Hussein. Following through on United Nations' mandates, the U.S. and its allies decimate the forces of Iraq and successfully liberate Kuwait. The U.S. lost 382 men in this conflict.

The Iraq War - 2003 to present

This conflict is so current right now, and with all the political complications and questions, suffice to say that so far the U.S. has lost over 2000 men in this war.

Add up all those men and women who've died in these wars and conflicts over the last 231 years along with the covert and overt operations such as; Grenada, Panama, Mogadishu, and the Balkans you end up with a tally of nearly 1,346,000+ men and women who've given their lives to protect the freedoms and interests of United States of America. So in these times where we see so many attacks on our Constitutional rights and privileges being slowly one by one eroded let's not forget the ultimate price that these brave men and women have paid for them. We need to ask ourselves this, "If they can give so much for them what am I personally willing to do to keep them"?

Arlington Cemetary

Why gay marriage and why now?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to Google "are people born gay". You'll find scientific study after scientific study clearly showing sexual preference can evolve throughout a individuals lifetime, but could basically  be determined by many possible factors ALL of which are pre determined at birth.

Once you accept these basic PROVEN facts being against gay marriage just doesn't make sense? How does someone else's happiness somehow invalidate your relationship with your spouse? How does showing young people that everyone has a right to happiness threaten the very basic fundamental "sanctity" of marriage? It's not like they are going to suddenly wake up and say, "Gosh being gay is cool , I think I'll be gay" Anyone that believes that is ignoring the science on this subject, and choosing to  believe in science for other subjects, which is clearly hypocritical.

Making gay marriage in issue now, with all the other problems this country faces, is like wondering if there is enough milk in the refrigerator while your house in on fire. Whether you like Gov. Daniels of Indiana or not it's hard to argue the point he made when he said, "Our debt is the single biggest threat to the future way of life for our children, social issues ARE important but we need to get our house in order first, if anything for our children's future".  

For me the clear reason Obama and company are choosing to make this issue news is to purely the distract from his record as president and the issues that are truly going to drive the election this time around. Gay marriage, would even as he himself admits, is a states rights issue and not something that the federal government should even be addressing. Let's focus on the debt, government spending, jobs and the economy, and bringing our troops home. When he has something to say that makes sense on these issues that's when it's REAL news.