OT: Syria .. Where They Probably Are

[Guest guest]

Hi Marilyn,

 

> Ok, we have Butch's (invaluable) input on where China stands.. how about

> Syria??? They have a kick-butt airforce and nobodies saying what's up

> with them!

 

Not sure if they have a kick-butt air force but if they were to try to

mess with Uncle Sugar I'd say they'd have a kicked butt air service with

inoperable aircraft.

 

> I'm kinda thinking they'll be on the " other " side though......but who

> knows.

 

As a nation, it's fair to say that generally Syria is on the other side.

They're hard-core supporters of Hammas and Islamic Jihad .. but the new

president is much smarter than his father .. he understands that there

is not a lot for his country to gain by merely being a participant in

the anti-Israeli consortium. Of course, he and all other Arabic

countries must support the Palestineans to the degree that they can

control their own population. The Kind of Jordan, for example, feels

comfortable in being able to tell it like he thinks it is ... he has

control over his people's hearts and minds .. it's been that way since

his father married a Palestinean American Princess .. ;-p

 

Syria has long been on the US government's list of countries supporting

terrorism ... but ... last Monday, Syria .. along with Bulgaria, Guinea,

Cameroon and Mexico won a two-year, non-permanent seat on the United

Nations Security Council. This is a routine .. these countries

replaced Bangladesh, Jamaica, Mali, Tunisia and Ukraine. It gives them

a little bit of exposure to the realities of the council.

 

In the last few years, the focus of the Security Council has remained on

peacekeeping efforts .. which also puts these temporary members in a hot

spot if they are called upon to provide forces .. so acceptance of a

seat is sort of an agreement to play civilized for awhile. Also, we

might look at seating these cats as a form of " preventive " diplomacy ...

treat them like responsible adults and they might act like responsible

adults.

 

Also ... keep in mind that President Bush has made it plain that the end

of the fight against terrorism is not in sight ... and Afghanistan will

not be the last country that might be hit. This creates butt puckering

on the part of countries like Syria, Iran, Libya and Sudan in that they

all have ... or support ... terrorist training camps in the Bekaa Valley

of Lebanon. And regardless of the degree of support, they are guilty by

association. This holds true for some countries who are supporting non

Islamic terrorists like the Revolutionary Left (DevSol) and the

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Terrorists. So ... the butt pucker factor

can make these countries play by the rules .. for a while.

 

Bottom line ... there is no Islamic country with a secular and

democratic government ... in all of them, those in power stay in power

by either being benevolent - like Oman and Saudi where they take care

of all needs of the people ... or autocratic - as is the case in the

other Islamic countries. I would guess that the Kingdom of Jordan is

the only one of the Islamic countries where the leader can sleep well

nights. I say this because the Jordanians are the only ones who do not

have to walk the tightwire betwixt doing what they know is in their best

interest from an international point of view ... that is, condemning

terrorism ... and doing what they think must be done to pacify their own

ignorant masses ... that of supporting the idea of Jihad.

 

The natives can get restless when all they have to do for entertainment

is backgammon, dominos or playing in the sand ... though this is not

intended to be a smart aleck comment ... it is true and therefore, it is

a little bit comical. Demonstrations and calls for Jihad create male

bonding in a group of people who are bored crapless.

 

Today is the Day of Prayer in this part of the world ... it's also been

declared, by those who I like to describe as ignert, scumbag, ragheads

as Kill An American Day. Here in Turkey, it's also Happy Hour Day .. we

only have 1-2 weeks more to sit outside afore it gets too cold -

accordingly, I've decided that I'm not gonna allow these bastards to

disturb my Happy Hour ... ;-p

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

> Hugs,

>

> Marilyn - from the Anthrax state... translates to Florida, in case

> someone didn't hear about our 3rd person being hospitalized!)