Five Reasons to Stay out of Syria‏

It is becoming increasingly clear that the US is going to find itself involved in the conflict in Syria. We're back once again at the same stage about a decade ago when George Bush convinced us all that we had to go to Iraq. And here we are again. The president of the United States is being pressured by war happy senators that the United States must once again serve as the World's policeman and make things right, even though the international community is not so eager to get involved. But for all the reasons that one can suggest we users viable metrics for why the US should get involved, we can also suggest reasons why we should not get involved.

1. Agency

If there is anything that we know about revolutions it is that they often cannot exist without some spilt blood. The people of Syria have decided they want nothing more to do with their government. And that government has decided it intends to continue ruling these people. This is bound to cause a fight. And this fight must be fought. Just as America fought against the British and the North fought the South, the Syrians must fight this out. The people of Syria, if they get out of this conflict alive, will appreciate what they have achieved much more if they did it on their own. It will be an achievement they will talk about for generations, because they will know that at the end of the day the will of the people, even in an oppressive environment, overrules the beliefs of a few powerful people. The Syrians have made the choice to fight, and while the government might have better weapons and trained soldiers, you just have to look at Fidel Castro to see what a focused dedicated leader can achieve with a revolution.

2. Domestic Issues

One of the biggest problems America has right now is that it doesn't seem to be able to prioritize. The American educational system is one of the worst in the world compared to other first world countries. And with all the problems America has with unemployment and children constantly falling behind, and towns dying due to a lack of investment, how can it focus any of its resources towards fighting someone else's war? You cannot pretend you're in a good position to help or even advise someone else when your house is not in order. It I'd nice to feel like you're the big man on campus and the one everyone and their mother turn to, but you have to fix home first. Imagine what America would be like if more resources went towards education rather than war. Imagine what America would be like if instead of giving billions of dollars to other countries where people want to harm Americans, we funneled that money into our system and paid our teachers a good living wage. What if we used that money to provide help for parents with young children who cannot afford the astronomical child care prices? There is a lot that has to be done at home, and it does not make sense that we constantly use taxpayer money to help other people but cannot afford to help our own people.

3. What Happens After Assad?

No one is suggesting that Assad is a good man. No one disputes the fact that what he has put his country through is horrible, but I must question whether the people who are so eager to get rid of him have thought hard about what will happen after him. Sure you can get Assad out of the picture, but what do you replace him with? What is next? Is Assad simply going to be replaced by an over zealous religious nut job? Are the Syrian people going to be better off without Assad? Freedom is a wonderful thing, but what kind. Of freedom are the Syrian people going to have? Getting rid of Assad is not going t make the sectarian violence go away. And America will never be in the position of understanding the complexities of the Sunni versus Shiite debate. Before we even entertain the idea of getting ourselves dragged into something we do not understand or fully grasp, we should be careful to look at the potential aftermath. The Syrian people cannot hate America for not getting involved. After all, it is not the United States's job to fight other people's wars for them, even if they're viewed as underdogs.

4. Increased Strain

If there is one lesson we should have learned from all that we have been through, it should be that American involvement in conflicts throughout the world does nothing but create more strain on its relationships with people around the world. People do not like the Idea of being dictated to, which often happens when mighty militaries get involved in the lives of everyday citizens. You add to the issue America's imperialist behavior throughout history and you get a picture of a country too powerful for its own good walking around with its chest pumped out trying to tell other people how they should live their lives and what sort of democracy they should implement. What America needs is to heal its relationships with the world, not add to the problem. The Syrian conflict is tragic, but it is not a burden the United States has to take on its shoulders.

5. Another Decade of Influence

One clear reason why the US should stay clear is the fact that the international community is not keen on getting involved. He United Nations was created so that the world community can decide how best to deal with crises like the one in Syria. The UN cannot fulfill the terms of its charter if the United States is always present as the alternative. The burden of the Syrian conflict rests squarely on the shoulders of the United Nations, and the international body must be allowed to do its work. I'm a firm believer in the UN, especially given the fact that the Middle East is not a place where America has too many allies. If we do not avoid getting involved in Syria, we're faced with another decade of influencing global politics with the risk of abandoning the hopes of the taxpaying American citizen who has lost faith in his government and who is waiting for the time when politicians will decide they still want to work for the people they are supposed to represent.

What Would The World Be Like Without Religion?

What would life be like without religion?  That is a very important question.  It is a question that more and more people should endeavor to ask themselves.  It is a question which may have the answer to many of what troubles this world of ours.  For many people religion is an essential part of their existence.  Some people cannot go one meal without praying, thankful for the food that they have.  Some people cannot go the entire day without praying at least once.  On the surface, such a pious existence is commendable.  We should all strive to have the type of discipline necessary to live such a blessed life.  But there is another part of religion which I find troubling, and which has reared its head every few centuries.

Religion has been used as a guide and to a greater extent, a reason for committing all types of atrocities around the world.  From the crusades to modern day terrorism, religion has been the rock which has given people the confidence and the justification for their atrocities.  And while we can condemn the perpetrators of these evil acts, we must be careful not to use religion as the scape goat, the same way the perpetrators use religion as reason.  The very fact that people throughout human existence have used religion as a base for violence, is a betrayal of their religious belief itself.  No religion asks that its followers go out and commit mass murder.  No religion gives any man or woman the tool to go out and take from another, the precious life they have been given.  Yet, every few decades, some people around the world, be they Christian, Muslim or otherwise, have taken up arms in the name of defending a religious belief which does not need to be defended.

In light of the events in London recently, it will not take long before Islam is back in the news, being portrayed by the likes of O'Reilly and the Faux News crew as a religion of murder and terrorism.  It will not take long before innocent Muslims walking down the street of any western country will begin to feel the threat of danger, the otherworldly feeling of being tagged "other", the absence of warmth and the unbearable feeling of displacement.  All this is going to happen, but it shouldn't.  People who claim Islam while committing their crime are betraying their religion, but beyond that, they're betraying their fellow Muslims.  So it is important to pose that question, what would the world be like without religion?

Oh Fu*k Off

So this Rev. Jay Scott Newman thinks that Catholics who voted for Barack Obama are putting their souls at risk. Is this guy freaking serious? I’m a catholic, and have been since birth. And I am pro choice. It really gets under my skin that the Catholic Church think that their way is the best way. People have their personal reasons for wanting an abortion and morons like Rev. Newman should not be in a position to tell people what they should do or that their souls are at risk because they chose a politician who happens to think a woman should make up her own mind. Is the Catholic Church trying to tell us that women should shut their mouths and accept what their husbands and their fathers want of them? This is ridiculous. If a woman does not want to have a child or does not feel ready to have a child, then it is her prerogative. You can’t tell a woman or a young girl who has been raped that she has to keep the child because it’s against God’s law to kill a fetus? What a load of crap. The Catholic Church has a lot of in-house cleaning to do before it can pass judgment. As a Roman Catholic, I can honestly say that I’m thoroughly disappointed in the Catholic Church and its attitude. And further more I am disappointed in whoever let this asshole Reverend Newman keep his position. If the church thinks it knows what’s best for women, then it has made a serious mistake in self evaluation. Abortion is not a pretty sight, it’s not something I would ever advice someone to take part in, but I cannot fathom the day when I will make that decision for a woman. The church should know it’s place and serve its people as it is supposed to do. Leave the moral decisions to the parishioners. I don’t go to a priest to help me decide whether I should have a child or not, and I don’t think priests have the F—ing authority to berate people for choosing a candidate who happens to think that the freedom of choice is more important than the opinion of the Catholic Church.