Hello, Renxkyoko Iglesias here, musing, pondering, thinking, reflecting, ranting.
My last post was 3 weeks ago. I know I should post more often but I’ve been really, really busy. Tuesday this week, a relative from Seattle, Washington, came over . The last time he saw me was when I was 6 months old. In other words, that was the first time we met. He’s gay , and he came here to California to get married to his long time partner in San Francisco. ( They’ve been together 13 years ) His partner’s parents are coming over too to attend the civil ceremony. Last year, Cee, our relative, and his partner’s parents went to France for vacation, so yeah, there’s really no family problem with their relationship. Anyways , Cee stayed with us for 2 days, his partner flew over from Seattle on Thursday, we picked him up at the airport, had lunch somewhere, then they left for San Francisco. We wished he had told us beforehand, though. We could have attended their wedding.
Below is Cee , yours truly and my sister. ( I have to distort their faces , sorry )
Guys, I wrote before that I didn’t like the US to intervene in Syria. I feel that we don’t belong there, we’ll never belong there, ever, but I’m starting to change my mind. At this very moment, I’m listening to Sec. of State John Kerry. I believe everything that he’s saying in his speech.. Sec. Kerry is an anti-war Vietnam hero. He’s not trigger-happy. He’s not some lying Neo-Con chicken warriors of former Pres. Bush. He’s not then Sec. of State Condoleeza Rice who scared Americans with mushroom cloud cr*p and lied about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. John Kerry ‘s speech is very compelling. So, if he says Assad did it , I believe him. I’ve been watching what’s been going on in Syria, watching rows and rows of dead bodies, mass – killed by chemical and biological weapons. That’s enough for me.
That said, I hope other nations will help too. It’s not enough that the Arab League just condemns it. It’s unfortunate that England had chosen to say No. I don’t blame them, though. Without the image of these children dropping off like dead insects, I wouldn’t go there, either. I will just close my eyes, change channel, and pretend nothing like that is happening in that part of the world. To me, they should solve their own problem. We have problems over here in the US, too. And though we’re slowly coming out of deep recession and our economy is improving , we’re not off the hook yet, so seriously, we need Syria like we need a hole in our heads.
It’s unfortunate too that Pres. Obama had declared this RED LINE conundrum.. I know I’m not political savvy, but when I heard Pres. Obama say that, I groaned and facepalmed. I thought that was quite a dumb thing to say. So , now that Assad had actually used chemical weapons on his own people, what is Pres. Obama to do now? He had painted himself into a corner. More than half of Americans do not want the US to get involved, the US Congress want him to get an authorization first, the UN will never approve this ( why? Russia and China have veto power ) England is not on the same page as the US, and though they condemn Assad’s actions, the Arab League do not want the US to get involved, either. That’s a good thing, though. This could very well be Obama’s escape route, his saving grace, so to speak.
It is sad that Syrians killing each other have become mere fodder for news headlines. No country wants to help. Only France and Turkey are willing to join the US. As the English PM put it, ” the well had been poisoned “, and no one will dare drink from it. The US’s interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan were started from lies, so that the US now has been likened to the boy who cried wolf. Americans themselves are unwilling and wary and not sure of the outcome. Besides, as Chris Matthews of Hardball said it, ” in some countries, Liberation from tyrrany means never having to say Thank You.”
Also, we need to know, who exactly is the US helping? The Syrian rebels ? Which one ? Free Syrian Army? There are so many. The US helped the Libyan rebels, and yet, Benghazi happened. Iraq is now lovey dovey with the country the US considers an enemy. When the US leaves Afghanistan, there’s no doubt the Taliban will make a comeback. It’s back to square one, maybe even worse than before.
One more thing, I hope Pres. Obama will intervene not because he doesn’t want to renege on his declaration on Red Line, but because it is the right thing to do….. What will happen if he reneges on this promise? Lose his credibility ? Pres. Obama should not worry about losing credibility. The US has lost that a long time ago, anyway. As long as we know who we are, what we are , and what we are capable of, who cares what other countries think of us? Google us, facebook us, youtube us, twitter us, they’re all US. Hollywood will make stupid movies, and people all over the world will still watch them.
Alright, here’s the thing. I’m sure Ms. Pollyanna ‘s going to lose so many subscribers again with this post. And I’m as sure as the sun is up there, Obama’s gonna do it. God bless America.
That’s it for now, folks. My Paris tour is up next.
And sorry for the rant coz war sucks.
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko
renxkyoko's space 
Posted by Green Embers on August 31, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Welcome back! August has been a rather busy month, so I understand completely. I honestly don’t have enough information to form an opinion on the Syria issue. I hate thinking how horrible people can be to each other. So depressing. 😦
Posted by renxkyoko on August 31, 2013 at 3:50 pm
I’m going back to school on Sept. 3. * sigh * back to the saltmines.
I cannot imagine what it’s going to do to our economy again.
Posted by pflead73 on August 31, 2013 at 2:42 pm
US is going to intervene there under the disguise of ‘Right to Protect’. Ironically, US is going to implement its ‘right to rape’ in Syria, just like it did with Iraq and Libya too!
Posted by renxkyoko on August 31, 2013 at 3:52 pm
I don’t know about Iraq and Libya, they did have some less than stellar heads of state. We were wrong to go to Iraq, and in the process, also had so many US soldiers killed, and almost bankrupted the US… Libya was a proxy war, and correct me if I’m wrong, Libyans are doing so much better now without Khadaffi
Posted by pflead73 on August 31, 2013 at 4:21 pm
I agree that Libyans are doing much better, but a protocol has to be followed. If you start bending rules and exert your hegemony then the world starts losing respect for such leaders.
Posted by Desperado316 on February 18, 2014 at 3:13 pm
I believe the world has been duped into believing that Libya would be and is doing better without Gaddafi. He might have have had some flaws but the guy wanted nothing but the best for Africa and Lybia. He was a proud man and nationalism seemed very important to him. I heard that there was a lot of conflict between his ideologies and he was planning on causing some trouble to the U.S. by uniting the Arab and African nations in demanding a fixed price for Oil. I’ve read and seen a lot of documentaries about this. I suggest you do the same. Don’t take the word of some guy telling you on television. You don’t know that man personally… you’ve only heard stories. The media can be very deceiving and people cannot be trusted.
Once upon a time, Gaddafi was seen as a hero… Heroes don’t die… They’re made to fall by evil. That’s how I see it.
I think the guy was setup. Maybe it was by own his people, or by a higher power… I don’t know. But there is more to it than him being some evil dictator who killed his own people without reason and was destroying his country.
Posted by renxkyoko on August 31, 2013 at 3:45 pm
I don’t know about Iraq and Libya, they did have some less than stellar heads of state. We were wrong to go to Iraq, and in the process, also had so many US soldiers killed, and almost bankrupted the US… Libya was a proxy war, and correct me if I’m wrong, Libyans are doing so much better now without Khadaffi.
Posted by Jueseppi B. on August 31, 2013 at 5:42 pm
No, we don’t belong there.
http://theobamacrat.com/2013/08/30/why-amerikkka-must-not-interfere-in-syrian-civil-war/
Posted by renxkyoko on September 1, 2013 at 1:13 am
That’s an excellent post, JueseppiB. It’s true . AmeriKKKa is a scary place too. We can be killed because we have the wrong color of skin.
Posted by Jueseppi B. on September 1, 2013 at 2:52 am
Or wear the wrong shirt with that wrong color skin.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 6:08 pm
I’ve already checked out all my sweaters that have hoodies. =_= “
Posted by Jueseppi B. on September 5, 2013 at 11:50 pm
I’m curious, how many have a hoodie attached?
Posted by renxkyoko on September 6, 2013 at 12:09 am
+_+ “
Posted by Jueseppi B. on September 6, 2013 at 1:19 am
Posted by Tatsat on August 31, 2013 at 8:09 pm
I quite like it when you talk about issues of the day- I think I have told you that already. Kind of gives a fresh perspective at times.
I believe there is a lot that we don’t know about the things happening there. That said, it would be prudent to wait for submission of report of UN inspectors. Would save the blame games later.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 1, 2013 at 3:48 am
My thoughts are simplistic, so do take them with a grain of salt, ha ha.\
All the UN inspectors can do is affirm if they are indeed chemica/biological. They will not say who dunit.
US info are more extensive. They have also intercepted communications… ~_~ the US know how the weapons were launched, where they were launched, WHAT TIME they were launched. These are unclassified info. There are tons more that are classified. there’s no doubt it was done by the Syrian gov’t.
Posted by Tatsat on September 1, 2013 at 4:31 am
Well… I agree with the interceptions part 🙂 But I think we need to be a bit cautious this time. Taking UN on board would be a better idea. Intelligence information can be cooked up to reaffirm what the political executive says- experience in Libya shows that.
I take your perception of Mr. Kerry on face value, because I don’t know him. But things need to be double checked this time, just to be ultra sure…
Posted by renxkyoko on September 1, 2013 at 4:54 am
The UN will never give the go signal. China and Russia have veto power.
The Bush gov’t cooked it up. But not the intellegence agency. Bush and Co. misused the info. It’s now part of US history. It’s not Libya… it’s Iraq .
The life of John kerry during the Vietnam war has made me believe in him.
Posted by Tatsat on September 1, 2013 at 5:21 am
Ohh yes. Sorry. Iraq it is. I agree its the executive which manipulates information. And maybe Kerry is the hero is true sense. But you are going to hedge everything on the credibility of one man ? Before the Iraq mishap, even the British PM was supposed to be a good man.
I am not doubting anybody’s credentials but just that… don’t you think there is a reason to double check things that rely on the testimony of one single man?
As for the UN not giving signals, I believe it is fully justified.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 3:56 pm
John Kerry did not get his info out of thin air.No matter what people think of our ” spy” agencies, they can be pretty accurate, too.
I don’t know how else we can double check rows of supposedly dead people , whether they are actually dead or not?
I don’t like the US to go to Syria, but not because I don’t trust Obama and John kerry, because I do, but because I believe we have no business to be there. If they want to kill each other over there, it’s their own look-out. harsh, but that’s reality .
Posted by Tatsat on September 5, 2013 at 4:45 pm
I am humbled by your faith in political leaders. What I do wish, and pray, is that they are worth it. Only time would testify things.
Please do not take my skepticism as anything against anyone. It is a general caution that I have learnt to put up after my past working experiences. Maybe I shouldn’t be so, but I really do believe that we should never trust a man. He is corruptible. It is the idea and his actions which should be taken on face value. Faith starts where knowledge ends my dear young friend…
It is heartening to see you being so passionate about things Renx. Keep it up
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 6:16 pm
Ugh, I’m young and fancy-free. I should be crushing, no, clubbing and having fun, instead of hyperventilating about what’s going on thousnads of miles away. LOL
We should give our trust at some point. No man is an island.
Posted by apollo on September 1, 2013 at 12:33 am
i really think that US will do something. even the congress wont give their approval, there will still be some sort of black ops that will commence (IF they haven’t commenced).
i read from your comments, you’re going back to the saltmines? my client happens to be in the business of saltmines. 😀
Posted by renxkyoko on September 1, 2013 at 3:53 am
I don’t know, apollo . Pres. Obama is a “Reluctant Warrior “. ( The tritle of the TIME Magazine’s article).
LOL Black ops ! Tom Clancy would love that !
Going back to the saltmines= back to work/school, or anything that entails a lot of work.
saltmines? Where? What is it?
Posted by Manu Kurup on September 1, 2013 at 2:43 am
My honest opinion is that the U.S should stay out of this. It doesn’t look like Iraq. Iraq did not have any friends in the region. Syria does. Russia and Iran has massive investments in Syria and at the minutest mistake this could errupt into an all-out war. Iraq was war-torn. Syria is only a bit shaken and is much more powerful militarily than Iraq. Contrary to popular beliefs, Assad has supporters there and the army is a pet of his. At this point of time, as an outsider, I believe the U.S and the allies is not looking for more boys and girls to go home in boxes.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 1, 2013 at 3:55 am
More than half of the country is of the same opinion, manu Kurup. It’s war fatigue.
Yes, that’s true, we don’t wanna see soldiers going home in bodybags.
Posted by WordsFallFromMyEyes on September 1, 2013 at 10:35 am
Wow, 3 weeks went quick!
Oh Renx, together for 13 years is JUST BEAUTIFUL.
I loathe these world events centred on war. I loathe how we constantly destroy our own lives, villages, world. It’s really painful to see every single day on this Earth.
Good write-up, Renx.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 2, 2013 at 3:21 am
13 years is amazing. They’ve been trying to adopt a baby for 2 years now, but sis tells me that’s almost impossible, not for a gay couple. They’ll wait 6 more months, after that, they might have to try surrogacy… $120,000, Noeleen ! !
* sigh * War ! I don’t understand it.
Posted by Lafemmeroar on September 1, 2013 at 4:00 pm
You have a wonderful mind and heart … never stop writing your thoughts.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 2, 2013 at 3:22 am
Thank you for the kind words, LaFemme ! !
I hope they don’t come out as harsh, just honest and direct.
Posted by Lafemmeroar on September 2, 2013 at 4:16 am
Honest and direct … 🙂
Posted by ~REBECCA DAWN~ on September 1, 2013 at 8:21 pm
i think the US should mind its own business. maybe they can send a sniper team and take out the head of state, but thats all they should do. if Syrians want to kill themselves into extinction thats their problem but the neighboring countries should try to help the refugees if they flee into their countries. not give them any trauma. obama has his own problems and should solve them first, before trying to solve anybody’s elses. thats cold huh?
Posted by renxkyoko on September 2, 2013 at 3:29 am
The truth will always sound cold, but that’s reality.
the US is just coming out of the quagmire. We don’t need another aggravation.
If the US really wants to intervene, it should not do it alone. We’re not the policeman of the world.
ugh ! I’m so conflicted. I see those dead kids, and I just want to bomb out the perpetrators. Hate, hate, hate.
Posted by ~REBECCA DAWN~ on September 3, 2013 at 1:30 pm
they never think of the children do they? of what their hatred can do? they just think of themselves!
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 5:13 pm
I have become an isolationist.
each to his/ her own, we’ll take care of our own business here in the US, take care of our own people.
We have enough food, we have enough oil. california alone can feed the world…. so much food here.
Ditto with canada.
Cheers !
Posted by Nortehanon on September 2, 2013 at 12:51 am
War sucks, indeed. In the early 80s, my small town used to be raided both by the military and rebel forces. And we, civilians, couldn’t do anything but run for safety. I hope this thing will be resolved soon, peacefully.
It is nice to read about your relative’s 13-year relationship with his partner. Congratulations to them and may they be blessed with more beautiful years.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 2, 2013 at 3:30 am
Whwre is your small town, Nortehanon? What part of the Philippines?
Posted by Kavita Joshi on September 2, 2013 at 6:26 am
as always good post Ren…when I think sometime that what is that I can write about..your posts are a refreshing window to the writing world…love to read these posts and feel part of your world through them 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 4:01 pm
I can write about tons of issues, but they are American issues. I’m sure a big chunk of my readers won’t be able to relate much.
But this current issue will affect the world. Everyone , even non-Americans, should be concerned.
Posted by sa saliw ng awit on September 2, 2013 at 10:17 am
hello, Ren… thanks for the visit. war sucks, indeed. nakakatuwa, you are very open with your political views. 🙂 i’ll comment longer on the issue next time, ha… hope you are well.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 2, 2013 at 10:29 am
Oh, my, he he. I’ve always been open about my political views. I really try not to sound harsh and cold, well, I hope I do. I’ve already lost so many subscribers, ha ha. That’s fine.
I’m well, and very busy. I can’t cope with my email subscriptions anymore. 22,500 , Ate. Ahahaha !
Posted by Nia Simone on September 2, 2013 at 6:10 pm
Hi Ren!! I love it when you post your thoughts on current events. You are so honest and articulate. I am opposed to intervention. Instead I think we should work with other countries to offer evacuation to and resettlement with sufficient support to let families make a new life elsewhere. And while we are doing the right thing in that way, not creating more casualties, perhaps we can build the kind of coalition needed to continue to isolate and not reward Assad.
You won my drawing! Please shoot me an email with your mailing address so I can ship you some cookies. Also your email so I can send you the e-book.
Thanks for your support of my blog!
Nia
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Thanks, Nia Simone ! I don’t know about being articulate, but I hope readers see it as honest.
I’m really conflicted because I support this administration. They are not war hawks, and I assume they don’t like this , either.
the Democrats just want to crawl under the bed, I’m sure, like me…. * raising hands in defeat*
Posted by Nia Simone on September 2, 2013 at 6:10 pm
P.S. You can get to my email via the link ate niasimone.intuitwebsites.com
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 4:18 pm
Nia, I have a problem… I don’t have Kindle…. and my ‘puter cannot take in ebooks, anymore. ( I have tons of etextbooks in it ).. My computer is soooooooo slow now.
Posted by Tails from Paris on September 2, 2013 at 7:15 pm
Thanks for your interest in “Tails from Paris”. We’re now following your blog.
If you want to sharpen your international sense of humor, we do also have a French version called “Sous nos Couettes” : http://sousnoscouettes.com/.
Thanks for sharing if you enjoy it too …
Best from Paris, France
Alix, Roxane & their bald, bold & funny (at least he pretends to …) Dad
Posted by Koopa on September 3, 2013 at 2:47 am
I’m hoping that something will be done. We cannot tolerate these acts. However, an all out war is a scary thought. Plus, as you have mentioned, the US has not recovered yet, and has to tread lightly and carefully.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 4:53 pm
It’s intolerable, Koopa , but Americans are war-weary.
But pray we don’t become total isolationists, my kabayan. We’re aware what’s going on with China and the Philippines. You;d need the US to intervene when push comes to shove. My Dad is freaking out.
Posted by Koopa on September 8, 2013 at 10:06 am
The world is getting scarier by the minute.
Posted by Jessica on September 3, 2013 at 4:33 am
Hey, we’re always glad to hear from you. Just glad you didn’t decide to close shop! And I totally agree on Syria. The whole thing is just sad, and while I don’t like to see the US trying to be the world police, I like Kerry, too. *Something’s* gotta give….
Posted by renxkyoko on September 4, 2013 at 3:01 am
Something’s gotta give, indeed.
Why would Assad use chemical weapons when he knew it would provoke actions from other countries, like the US ? Well, people have to read Assad’s handbook. Despots and dictators are a different breed. No conscience. Crazy too.
Posted by Jessica on September 5, 2013 at 5:28 am
Yup.
Posted by Jessica on September 5, 2013 at 5:28 am
Ain’t that the truth.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 6:11 pm
You betcha . *_*
Posted by allenjambalaya on September 3, 2013 at 6:01 am
Condemning isn’t enough. Something must be done. Is waging war a solution? What options do we still have? But other nations must act and not just the United States.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 4, 2013 at 2:54 am
It’s so uncomfortable to find myself thinking of siding with intervention when I know for sure it’s gonna be nasty.
Another option is to stay away, and as one commenter here said, just watch them kill themselves to extinction.
Posted by allenjambalaya on September 5, 2013 at 9:58 pm
I just read the Pope’s announcement and I’ll try to be in solidarity with the victims through prayers this September 7. That’s my action.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 6, 2013 at 1:35 am
We all need prayers. But I hope he condemns it too.
Here’s the thing though. When the Jews were being gassed and murdered by the Nazis, the Pope then was silent, and he knew what was happening. Good thing Pope Paul apologized for that tragic silence.
Posted by Seyi sandra on September 3, 2013 at 11:34 pm
That Syria thing is a bomb waiting to explode, Russia supports Assad, and if the US should attack Syria, I hope the world would not be thrown into another needless war.. I’m glad you’re back! 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on September 4, 2013 at 2:43 am
Ah, I never left, Seyi sandra.
this crisis is so conflicting, at least, to me. I see the dead kids lined up in rows, and I just feel anger for the persons who did this, I want justice for them… on the other hand, if the US interferes , I don’t know what will happen. maybe we just close our eyes and not think about them anymore? * shakes head*
Posted by Seyi sandra on September 4, 2013 at 11:02 am
Wished we could…
Posted by Charron's Chatter on September 4, 2013 at 2:01 am
I worry about the ramifications. What will the surrounding countries do? And in light of the Snowden thing, Russia seems on board with Iran–feverishly working overtime on nuclear weapons. And who really knows who else over there has upped their nuclear programs…we have to rely on intel, and that isn’t infallible. Who is America to police global halls? a global hall monitor? And how will it benefit–as you say: the well’s been poisoned.
It’s a horrible situation–but I am sick of war as an answer to end violence. It doesn’t work. I honestly don’t know what to think, but do know you wrote an informed article that is equally thought provoking.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 4, 2013 at 2:37 am
It’s a horrible situation. It’s a damn if we do, damn if we don’t conundrum. Classic.
The ramifications are so serious that I feel the US shouldn’t intervene. Who knows what Syria’s allies will do? conflagration will definitely ensue. I highly doubt Syrias allies will sit this one out .
Posted by Mike on September 4, 2013 at 9:17 am
I love you comment about the US not having to worry about a credibility that it has already lost – such banal acceptance (: I’m weighing it up but your view of Kerry has bolstered me somewhat. I’m not too worried about Putin et al but Iran is watching for Obama to turn tail. If he does, they’ll think they get a free pass on similar behavior.
This is an informative and articulate article that I’ve drawn new information from. Thank you and well done.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 5:04 pm
thanks, Mike, though I don’t know about being articulate. 0_0″ I write down my thoughts ” in the moment”, and don’t even edit. I close my eyes , click Publish, and hope I don’t screw up.
Iran and Hezbollah together is what people are worried about. ” Unintended results” are what they are afraid of, too.
we don’t even trust ” the Syrian rebels”. Even Obamas people don’t know who they are.
Posted by dilipnaidu on September 5, 2013 at 5:19 am
Thanks for a thought provoking post! Hope The US does not intervene.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 5, 2013 at 5:06 pm
We all hope too, and we who support the President can exit gracefully out of this quagmire.
Posted by Smaktakula on September 5, 2013 at 6:57 pm
I imagine Cee is much more handsome without his face distorted like that!
Do you really lose subscribers over your politics? That seems silly, considering that you typically express yourself in a non-confrontational way. Even when I don’t agree with you (as now, regarding US intervention in Syria), I don’t find your views off-putting. The only time politics really get in the way of me reading somebody’s stuff is if the play the “People who disagree with me on this issue are evil or stupid.” I don’t need to read THAT crap.
But you don’t do that, which is good.
Having said that, I think you’re far too trusting of the US government. Remember, it was only a few years ago that Colin Powell, an ethical, trustworthy man by most people’s standards, went before the UN with information he believed to be true (but which we now know to be false) regarding Iraq’s alleged WMD as a justification for invading Iraq (which was also an oppressive regime that used chemical weapons against its own citizens). People–and politicians are no different–believe what they want to believe.
Having said that, I don’t have much faith in John Kerry’s credibility. And even if I did, I’d be worried by your statement that “I believe everything he’s saying.” That’s dangerous. Even if he’s being completely honest (which he’s not; Putin caught him lying about Al Qaeda and called him on it), he can only present the information he’s given.
So many times we’ve been led into war based on “evidence’ that later turned out to be faulty. The Gulf War was only the most recent example. There was the Gulf of Tonkin incident that precipitated the escalation in Vietnam. And then, of course, there was the explosion on the Maine which led us to war against Spain (and began US involvement in the Philippines).
Always be skeptical. Of EVERY politician. Be more skeptical of the ones you’re inclined to support.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 7, 2013 at 4:35 am
I’m sure they unsubscribe due to my politics. I could see the # of subscriptions going down after a political post. But I understand that. It’s okay. The most # of cancellations I got was not even political. Well, a bit. I posted a photo of a Certificate given to me by Southern law Poverty Center, stating that my name is now on the wall at their headquarters in Atlanta. Now, that’s a hardcore. LOL
I happen to trust John Kerry. If I cannot trust him, who else is there to trust.
Of course, you can tell I’m conflicted. My bleeding heart goes to Syrian people, but we can’t be the sole policeman of the world.
I just hope Congress doesn’t authorize Pres. Obama to go to Syria. And I hope he will respect the will of the people.
Posted by Bagotilyo on September 6, 2013 at 6:35 am
hindi ako amsyadong makarelate sa mga america-america ” thingy”
But it is really nice to hear your thoughts about this matter 🙂
I see the other side of the story.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 6, 2013 at 7:10 am
bagotilyo, you might want to pay attention to China. I assume you know what’s going on , right? the Philippines is being bullied, not only that, they’re getting Philippine territories, just like what’s happening in India, Vietnam and Japan… not to mention Tibet.
Posted by TWWK on September 6, 2013 at 3:42 pm
It’s definitely not an easy situation – war is complicated, and our position in this Civil War would be more complicated than most. If anything, this trial has sparked my thoughts about what a country’s self-interest should be and what kind of people we (and other countries) want our citizens to be.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 7, 2013 at 4:45 am
Obama can solve this by respecting whatever Congress decides. If NO, then he can just tell the Syrian people who are suffering ,I’m sorry, we’re a democracy, and this is their decision . All is not lost , though. The US can do more by helping the refugees.
If I were a Syrian, I’d want the US to help.
Posted by The Hook on September 6, 2013 at 5:55 pm
Rant on, my lovely friend.
Well done.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 7, 2013 at 4:47 am
I have a feeling I’ll do a lot of ranting from hereon. o_o”
Posted by readinpleasure on September 6, 2013 at 6:45 pm
I shall be back to read this 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on September 7, 2013 at 4:49 am
Come baaaaaack ! !
Posted by Ste J on September 6, 2013 at 7:06 pm
The UK public feels we were burnt not only by lies about WMD’s and also our leaders didn’t listen when the two largest anti-war demonstrations were not heeded by the people we elected to represent what we want and is best for us.
You make good points as ever, not least asking just who the US would be helping. I think it gets to the state that whatever the US does with or without other countries, the news media will be there to damn them with 24 hour news coverage of any loss of life. Life just seems to be like that these days.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 7, 2013 at 4:53 am
Oh, the media ! !
Reminds me of what one political pundit said… ” I’d rather see Syrians killing each other on TV , than Americans killing Syrians. “
Posted by Mario Savioni on September 7, 2013 at 9:41 am
I think the sad thing is that we, as Americans, don’t have a firm belief either way because we don’t know what’s really going on. I heard a story that Americans/Saudis did the gassing to garner American sympathy, because Syria is the friend of Iran, who is the real enemy but Syria also has oil. The act of war benefits those who support the war effort with arms and supplies and American taxpayers pay for it, which is good because the poorer the American citizens are, the less they will complain about working menial jobs and those are the only ones being created. Here is the cited source: http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/08/obama-caves-seeks-congressional-approval-military-action-syria/#ixzz2dceGgDNY
Here is my favorite source: http://www.democracynow.org/topics/syria
Posted by renxkyoko on September 7, 2013 at 10:43 am
I do watch Democracy Now on cable,( Channel 9415 on our cable ) and more often than not, I agree with them, but sometimes they say pretty stupid negative , outrageous stuff,….. and they are too biased. I don’t know exact;y what the far Left is trying to espouse, or what type of government they actually approve of.
And I don’t believe that Obama’s government will do such outrageous thing as allowing the gassing of people to further their plan of intervention. As I said, Obama and his government need that like they need a hole in their heads, not this government , anyway. You may think I’m too naive , but there comes a time when we need to give our trust and to believe that good people in the government still exist.
Anyway, I’m glad to read from readers like you. I really appreciate this. Thank you.
Posted by Mario Savioni on September 7, 2013 at 8:33 pm
I might agree with you, but the lack of reporting of the far-left’s view in the main-stream, which always seems to come out as true in the long-term may undermine the perspective that it is negative, which if you listen to it over and over you do get blue.
Obama’s choices, as with the banking scandal Geithner (Wall Street), Monsanto and so forth seem to speak of a capitalistic/Republican point of view, but then I believe that underneath it all is this policy perspective and so while it is capitalistic and the left is probably espousing a more egalitarian view, see forefather statements about life, liberty, and fraternity, all men are created equal, etc., we seem to be heading toward greater hierarchical stratification and economic inequality, which supports the view that Americans will be either rich or barely making it, if the trend continues. Good jobs are not being created, but menial ones. Actually, I am not sure Obama is truly in charge. He is sat down upon being asked if he wants to run and told within the parameters he may act, where the true power is outside of the office, as with the military-industrial complex and other monied power players, like the Israeli lobby and those people would gas, if it protected their interests, see: http://www.ae911truth.org/, and I am sure you will find this to be outrageous, but just think of the concept of cost/benefit analysis, where Ford, for example, will base their recall decision on how much the repair of a dangerous part will cost vs. the cost of the lawsuits if they actually get to court of people, who have died in automobile accidents due to the flaw part. And activating an entire country to support a war effort that might further the need to consume and control requires such catastrophic examples, but I am just asserting this as possibility, because as Americans we don’t know the truth and those who expose it in fraction are put in jail or seen as criminals: Snowden, Manning, Assange. But, as I said, I do not know what the truth is and that to me is where our country needs to go, not in the direction, where our rights to protest, habeous corpus, etc. are taken away and anyone can be seen as a terrorist for questioning what seems to be wrong.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 11, 2013 at 6:54 pm
The far Left ‘s views are being heard. MSNBC alone has 3 out of 9 political talk show hosts… rachel maddow, Chris hayes, and Ed Schultz. Democracy Now and Free Speech TV are there, just click your remote control… and now there’ s Al Jazeera, though not Left, is subtly biased and negative towards the US. Oh, not to mention Russian Channel. (RT)
I’m nuetral towards Monsanto. I posted something about Monsanto earlier. the Philippines, where i came from, is a pioneer in genetic engineering . they’ve been doing that since the early ’60s with rice varieties. ( IRRI , International Rice Institute based at the University of the Philippines). Their researche made Asia ‘s rice agriculture sustainable. 60% of world’s land planted to rice are planted with GMO grains from IRRI, which are free and distributed to farmers all over the world.Did we, Asian rice eaters , grow 2 heads?
Egalitarian society is ideal, but not possible. We cannot be all equal. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks.Some have more intellect, talent and physical strength than the others. Though we need to level the playing field and give others who are deserving a fighting chance, I also believe in merit system. It doesn’t make sense that we give the same salary to the person trying to find the cure for cancer and the guy flipping hamburgers at Burger King.
I don’t know about Snowden and manning and assange. But have you ever stopped to think why after a few months of work at NSA , Snowden went to hide in China, then Russia? manning maybe legit in his concerns, but the fact that he got 750,000 documents, unread, and put them all out without even knowing what’s in there is outrageous. Shhesh, if the NSA didn’t even bother to check out who had gone to that website on How to make a bomb using your Mom’s stuff in the kitchen, I’m sure Boston would likely not happen. when Russia alerted the FBI about the two brothers, did NSA check them out, their emails, their phone calls? i would have the NSA degraded for their incompetence, not for what they are doing. perverts can still go to porn sites. NSA will not stop them.
Thank you for the good discussion. I’m loving it.
Posted by Mario Savioni on September 11, 2013 at 8:22 pm
The far left is still not the mainstream, but I actually do not know the truth. I miss Keith Olbermann; he was the man. I love TruthOut.org. and Guns and Butter. It’s good to have Al Jazeera.
I like your position towards Monsanto. Two heads are apparently better than one. I believe that equality is demonstrated in terms of the purpose of people being secured. And no people don’t need that much to survive. I am learning this by staying at home and doing what I love to do, which is to write.
I don’t like people who are smarter taking advantage of those who are not. The strong are supposed to help the weak.
I care about the person flipping burgers. Some of them could be doctors. I don’t want people flipping burgers if that’s not what they are capable of doing or have as their purpose. I want more purposes found and supported.
I think government should be open or else how are we supposed to be a democracy where informed decisions are secured?
I understand the break in security as the government’s own fault.
I don’t agree that people will build bombs if they think the world is OK.
And I find your comment funny about porn sites and those who view them as perverts who should be locked up.
Posted by Mitzie Mee on September 9, 2013 at 7:27 pm
Exactly! I think the biggest challenge regarding Syria is that there are no good guys. Though, just watching from the sideline while civilians are getting killed (by chemical weapons) also feels very wrong. Dubai is very close to Syria, so personally I hope for a peaceful solution, even though I know the odds are tiny at this point.
Posted by renxkyoko on September 11, 2013 at 6:57 pm
Catch 22, Mitzee mee. damn if we do, damn if we don’t.
Be safe in Dubai.
Posted by countingducks on September 12, 2013 at 4:18 pm
Hello. I’m from England, as you know, so quite caught up in the whole thing myself. I have grave doubts about bombing Syria because I do not think it is easy to do accurately and I think ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people exist on both sides, government and rebels. Its a very complicated situation and the whole region is a tinder box which largely hates the US with the UK not very far behind. I am very keen on a greater humanitarian effort. I have family connections living there and within 2 kilometres of the shelling so its quite a personal matter to me. “Fools rush in etc”
Posted by soullfire on September 13, 2013 at 3:15 am
Those distorted faces look scary – I would have preferred to see the classic black bars or squares, haha.
Being the worlds civic leader can be a heavy load to carry. It’s a shame we spent so much political and national capital on the nebulous Iraq war.
Posted by DeadAnarchistPhil on September 14, 2013 at 3:00 pm
Hi Renxkyoko,
I find the whole damn situation sad and depressing. I don’t just mean Syria, but the wider world, other nations that are in a similar situations and the UN being so fractured.
I mean, why is the West so interested in Syria? Because thousands have died and some died because of chemical weapons? And they’re morally opposed to this? I find that laughable, There’s been a civil war in the Congo since the early 2000s and over 4 million people have died there in the most horrific ways. Why is the West not threatening military action there?
Millions have starved in North Korea, many are being killed in South America and else where, where is the West’s and for that matter, other world nation’s sense of moral outrage for that?
It’s almost non-existant because the West, just like Assad and other tyrants, don’t really care if innocent human beings are killed by chemical weapons, bullets or stravation, as long as they get what they want ecnomically and politically from those countries, the people are and allways will be secondary and not of much importance.
The only reason the U.S. and the West wanted to get involved was because Obama had little choice after he set his ‘red line’ and because they have to come in the side of Israel, their ally in the region, to stablise their back yard.
The U.S., the UK and other western powers have supported some of the most disgusting regimes in history, for example, the U.S. supported death squads in central america, supported General Suharto in Indonesia and still today supports one of the most corrupt, theocratic, authoritarian and backward nations on Earth, Saudi-Arabia.
What’s the difference bewteen Saudi-Arabia and Syria? Saudi will play ball and be the U.S.s bitch and vice verca, Syria will not because they have nothing the U.S. really wants. The point is, the West will abandon what it supposedly holds so dear in a heart beat if it means they get what they want out of it.
The case may be the same with the Syria situation. Right now the U.S. and Russia have a deal for Assad to give up his chemical weapons, even if he does, he will carry on killing his own people. And the U.S. wont care because they’ve got rid of the chemical weapons. Those bullets, bombs and illnsesses will still kill people, the difference is there’s no chemical weapons involved so the U.S. can back off and call it an internal conflict and contune supporting the rebels rom the side-lines.
My point is what our leaders say they want to do is not always for the ‘right’ thing, in fact they will confuse and mislead us and abandon their ideals and morals in a heart beat if it means they get what they want from the situation. Oh, and the same goes for every other country on Earth, no matter what Ideology they may foster. And because of this Humanity will continue to suffer horribly.
On a lighter note, I hope Cee is able to adopt a child with his partner and hope you’re having a good weekend. 🙂
– Phil
Posted by renxkyoko on September 15, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Busy weekend, as usual, but it’s all good. Thanks.
The UN Security Council has to change their rules. It shouldn;t be all or nothing. They make themselves hostage to vested interests. The decision of the majority should be the rule, not the decision of one or two. In this case, China and Russia. And the US, too.
I know very little about the civil war in Congo and Rwanda. It was a war of revenge and incomprehensible animosties between the same group of people . Who do we bomb ?
One of Pres. Clinton’s many regrets is he didn’t do anything when massacres of groups of people were happening in Rwanda. ( not to mention Darfur). But seriously, do we expect the West to police every damn thing in the world? The US will only move when it perceives it will 1. upset the balance of power 2. threaten its economic and national interest
Most Amwricans, including myself , have become , almost unintentionally, an isolationist. I would want the West ( or East) to do something only when ecology or nature itself is threatened, For example, poachers are killing thousands of elephants for their tusks ( ivory) and selling them off to Chinese merchants. Can you imagine killing elephants for some freaking mahjong sets and chopsticks made of ivory?
Much as I want the killings to stop in Syria, I don’t want the US to intervene, especially now that the world have seen who some of the rebels are… they belong to Al-Queada. They say it’s better to deal with the devil you know, Assad, than the devil you don;t know, Al-Queada posers.
And most importantly, I cannot understand why dying from chemical weapons is more evil than being bombed out to smithireens.
hey, thanks for the beautiful interaction.
Posted by DeadAnarchistPhil on September 15, 2013 at 5:56 pm
Hello again Renx,
The UN was created so things like WW2 would not happen again, so the world could act together instead of the U.S., being the world’s strongest power, having to Police the world. But the U.S. and other nations have made this impossible now by fracturing and bogging down the UN with ideologies and their own agendas.
If the UN was what it was supposed to be the Congo situation would have been stopped a while back. And the answer to your question is both sides would’ve been relieved of their wepons and then forced around a table to talk aboout the issues. And if they were incapable of doing that then the UN itself will do what’s best for the nation/area. But as we both now, it’s doesn’t work this way,
No country can afford to be isolationist, especially not the USA, the last time that happened the Japanese bombed Pearl habour. But in this world, as you said, the U.S. and other nations will do and support what’s in its best interests, which isn’t always its peoples best interest, humanities or for their ‘ideals’ and what they supposedly stand for.
The ecology of the world is threatend, but just like with Humanity, it will always come secondary to political and economic interests. There’s not just the Elephants, there’s the other plants and animals that keep the ecosystem stable, and we’re destroying it, despite how resiliant and adaptable it can be it can’t stand the onslaught.
All in all I dont want us to get involved again because I know what’s going to happen. We’ll spend lots of money, make the problem worse and kill many people in the process. So we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. So I’m back to square one again, being depressed about it all.
So I completely understand your position, but there may be a point where we get dragged in whether we like it or not. I also agree with you about chemical weapons and bullets, not much difference is there?
Anyway, thank you for the stimulating read and discussion, it’s been lovely! Looking forwrd to your latest piece, when you have the time!
Have a good week. 🙂
– Phil
Posted by renxkyoko on September 16, 2013 at 9:35 am
It started with the League of nations, if I’m not mistaken.
humanitarian efforts are good. But I say, charity begins ar home. Our public school system is so broken. At my middle school, music course had been scrapped. No more band, no orchestra. It’s so unChristian , I know. But I’ve been having discussion with a fellow blogger from another country who seems to be anti-American, as if all the damn things that go wrong in their country are the American imperialists ‘ faults, when , in fact, they are all due to their people’s unbridled corruption. Over here, powerful politicians can go to jail . Over there, they laugh all the way to the bank, and people still vote for them.
Now is not the right time to help a country militarily. we cannot expect this present Congress to make a wise decision. More than 1/2 of our politicians are clowns.
Posted by DeadAnarchistPhil on September 17, 2013 at 3:08 pm
Yeh it did start with the League of Nations, though the USA was never part of it. With economic conditions and fearful of another war the League of Nations became obsoloete, especially when Italy invaded north Afrcia and they did nothing. The same sort of situation is happening again, the UN has become useless to stop war because of the ideological and political games played there by all sides.
You are right, there are many domestic problems at home that need fixing in the US and the UK. Underfunding of schools, other public services and pensions etc. This is why I thought if the UK got involved it would be air support only. But they (MPs) voted completely to stay out of it.
The USA isn’t to blame for all the world’s troubles, but it hasn’t helped since the end of WW2 and neither has the UK. In fact, I’ve been accused of causing those problems. It’s funny, I was accused of invading and casuing problems in Egypt and Palestine, despite the fact I was born in 1983. Everytime they say: “You did it!” It just makes me laugh, as if I’m responsible for British foreign policy for the last 300 years! The same applies to you, it aint your fault, you didn’t vore for it.
I also agree with you, other parts of the world where the U.S. and the West has been involved already had existing problems, sectarian, religious, economic and other. They just like to blame the latest superpower to stick its nose in. As I said, I’m still getting blamed for British foreign policy for the last 300 years and Britian hasn’t been a superpower since 1945! lol
I believe all politicians are clowns. I know the UK’s are. We had a scandal a few years back where Politicians were claiming expenses for travel, food and even mortgage payments when they didn’t need to. All the MPs knew about it, even the ones that weren’t claiming, but they said nothing. And when it got into the media they all blamed eachother. The ones who knew but didn’t say anything are just as corrupt as the ones who were claiming because they put their own jobs and payments before their morals and ideals. Again, money comes first to them.
I know from what I’ve read the U.S. is even more corrupt than the UK. Don’t let them decieve you that some of them are ‘good’, none of them are. They’re all taking donations and backhanders for one thing or another. If they were serious about politics and people then they’s reform the system so Politicians do what they’re supposed to do.
This is from a blog of mine I wrote a while ago on what system I’d like to see implamented so corruption can’t exist within the political and economic system:
“All bankers and politicians should be held directly accountable for what they do in government or as leaders in the financial sector or businesses. If they have found to have lost peoples’ money and jobs through negligence they are striped of any earnings made while in office, be it bank or politics, and banned from entering politics or any level of a business or banking ever again. Politicians and leaders of business and banks pay should be connected with their progress in their jobs, if they’re found to be lacking or not delivering what they said they would at the time of their election or appointment at the end of their term – or because of a vote of no confidence by the people – then they are removed.”
Full blog if you want to read: http://deadanarchistphil.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/expenses-are-only-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-you-have-the-powers-to-bring-change/
They above doesn’t happen properly, even when Politicians do get sent to prison they don’t get the right sentence to fit the crime.
I’m going to stop now, I think I wrote a comment longer than your original blog! 😛 Sorry about that, Ren! lol I hope you don’t mind?
I hope your week is going great for you! 🙂
– Phil
Posted by Eddie Two Hawks on September 17, 2013 at 3:38 pm
to keep it brief…I agree totally! “war sucks”
great post…
Posted by LuLuBeLLe7537 on September 22, 2013 at 9:54 pm
I am Libertarian and do not agree with anything regarding the current administration (out of respect, however, I will not say any more than that) but I too agree we have no business being in Syria. Why is it that America thinks everyone else’s problems are ours…America is one arrogant country. We need to stay out of everyone’s business…shit, look at the problems of our own that need to be dealt with, example, this frickin economy?!?!
Posted by artclubblog on September 24, 2013 at 1:43 pm
Good luck with your studies! It’s not uncommon for very bright highschool students to feel a little blown away by their first year of college/university, and what it takes to maintain the marks they are used to. Based on what you write here, I’m sure you’ll succeed beautifully!
Posted by Generation Passport on September 25, 2013 at 3:14 am
It’s all about money on either side. The U.S. has to keep fighting wars or the economy will implode. Assad is still allowed in power by the Russians for some financial reason. Meanwhile, The U.S. Federal Reserve (private corporation) is paying the war brigade in printed paper. One day, this clown show will end.
Posted by munchow on September 27, 2013 at 9:36 am
As sad as it is, there is no easy solution to the situation in Syria. History has shown again and again that it is almost impossible to change a country from the outside. Changes needs to come from the inside. Just recall what happened to Iraq. Thus I am very sceptical to any kind of intervention. It is never going to solve the problem. Beside I am very much against USA playing world police. People of each country need to find their way themselves.
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Posted by jakesprinter on August 13, 2014 at 2:45 am
I`m going to like your recent post one by one ,I missed your new post Ren 🙂
Posted by orples on October 23, 2014 at 1:32 pm
Back in the 1960’s—70’s when the Vietnam war littered the headlines, patches to be sewn on clothing, bumper stickers, and window icons delivering clever little messages were extremely popular. One particular message read: “What if they gave a war and nobody came?”. I’ve thought about that question on and off for almost fifty years. Think of the lives and money that would be saved if people could simply get along. Mankind does love to kill each other. Very sad.
On a brighter note, I’ve been browsing your blog. You’ve done a wonderful job, and have obviously spent quite a bit of time displaying your thoughts. Good job! I’ve enjoyed my visit today.
Posted by dougstuber on October 7, 2015 at 2:41 pm
Are you gonna write a blog about the pinch in Davao? The one between the NPA and the Islamic resettlement coming at each other? Hope so, I wanna learn more
Posted by renxkyoko on October 7, 2015 at 5:58 pm
Whoah…. let me think….. I don’t now what’s going on, and I suppose, neither do my parents. If they did, we would have talked about it over dinner. I’ll check this out.
But I’mgoing to guess…. there’s conflict between these two. Their ideologies areon opposite sides of the spectrum…. Islamic and communist and never the twain shall meet.