

Saturday's letters to the editor

9:20 PM, Sep. 13, 2013  |  Comments
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Arab League absent

As heinous as the use of chemical weapons in Syria is, it is not in the national interest of the United States to attack Syria. Further, the U.S. public is overwhelmingly against an attack as is much of the rest of the world. And, it appears that the U.S. Congress would not support an attack either. As has been pointed out, our efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have been largely ineffective.

While an attack on Syria is not in the national interest of the U.S., it is in the interest of many Arab nations (such as Saudi Arabia). Arab countries often count on the U.S. to do their dirty work for them. The U.S. should prod the Arab League and the United Nations to resolve the mess in Syria.

President Obama's "red line" threat was unfortunate. The U.S. may need to find a way to resurrect its credibility with Iran, North Korea and other nations/groups who are hostile to the U.S.

As I was completing this letter, I heard the breaking news regarding Russia's proposal. If indeed Assad agrees to turn over his chemical weapons to international control the U.S. should defer an attack on Syria.

George Rosinger, Fort Myers

Fed up with war

It is overwhelmingly obvious that the American people are fed up with our government leaders inasmuch as the "people" have made it clear that they do not want the United States to again stick its nose into someone else's business.

The U.S. needs to stop trying to take care of everyone else around the world while turning a blind eye towards our own people. We have people starving and much worse in our own country, yet we choose to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to feed, pamper and for lack of a better term "pay-off" people that want Americans dead. Go figure.

No one appointed the U.S. as the world's top cop. To keep forcing our way into other people's problems is no more than being a bully. We now look for excuses to "flex" and bully other countries, all while losing more and more credibility throughout the worldwide community.

Robert Wagner, Cape Coral

World court ignored

In Syria, the United States has a good case to take to the world court. This would be far more effective than dropping bombs over that country. The problem is that former leaders of the United States are seen in a bad light by this same world court.

The old rules of civilization were pushed aside to the point that the U.S. cannot longer interface with the world court. In 2002, President George W. Bush announced that the U.S. would not abide by the 1949 Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, the same day the first prisoners arrived in the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay.

Bill A Beaumont, Fort Myers

Ineffective diplomacy

The adage, "An old dog can't learn new tricks" is an appropriate description of Sen. Nelson's comments: "As far as I'm concerned, we should strike in Syria today." The "mailed fist" diplomacy of the U.S. has accomplished little and left a legacy of destroyed lives and extreme distrust through the entire Middle East.

At the same time, vast expenditures on military adventures have driven our economy down and diverted public tax dollars from appropriate use to create opportunities for U.S. citizens. Action against the use of chemical weapons is a decision to be debated and made in the global forum of the United Nations.

John T. Battin, Fort Myers

Campaign money

Why is it that we are so worried about the unrest in the Middle East? Some will say it is oil; well, we import only 12.9 percent of our crude oil from the Persian Gulf, a percentage that could very easily be obtained from Canada, our friendly neighbor to the north.

Some will say we must help to protect Israel, but Israel does a very good job of protecting itself. So what is the real reason? Is it the money that the military industrial complex contributes to our politicians either directly or indirectly through super PACs? If the idea is for humanitarian reasons, what about the African countries like Somalia, where children are being murdered or conscripted into armies every day?

It is time to spend our resources here in the USA. Not just our hard earned dollars but our young people and equipment. Rebuild our country first, and then we can police the world.

Pat Tobiasen, Fort Myers

Arab thinking

What history has taught the Jews is that the Arab mind is different than the Western way of thinking. Israel knows that the Arabs only understand power and force. They will laugh at a "surgical strike" on their poison gas stockpiles, coming back with a retort such as "Ha, you think you can hurt us? This is nothing. We will hit you back with 1000 rockets." And if you knock down an Arab, while on the ground he will say, "Ha, you think you hurt me? I will come at you with 1,000 times more force."

That's why Israel bulldozed the homes of terrorists during the Intifada. It hurt their families; the "innocent, indefensible ones." Israel probably knows that killing Assad, his family and supporters is the way to "teach them a lesson." Cruel? Yes. Effective? Yes. Worldwide condemnation is what keeps Israel from striking these blows. But they know; cut off the snake's head.

Nathan Blyveis, Cape Coral

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