https://www.oathkeepers.org
oped: I slightly disagree with my Oath Keeper associates Navy Jack and Stewart Rhodes
While I agree that this was a knee jerk reaction and President Trump acted without verifying proof that Syria actually dropped a gas bomb (seriously doubtful) when they took out the weapons warehouse...and the only reason POTUS agreed to make a surgical/concise strike on Syria's suspicious airfield, as a warning shot, and it goes no further...I can live with that limited action...anything more must go before congress!
See my original response on my blog: http://sharlaslabyrinth.blogspot.com/2017/04/attention-potusdont-listen-to-john.html
by:
Navy Jack
I’ve never been a big believer in strategic coincidence. The
announcement that Steve Bannon was being removed from the National
Security Council concerned me. Mr. Bannon has been a voice against
foreign interventionism so loved by the CIA and the NEOCONs. The timing
was suspicious considering recent events in Syria.
Bashar al-Assad is being blamed for a chemical weapons attack against
the forces of Al-Nusra Front in Idlib. Maybe he did it, maybe not. A
warehouse that had been identified as a munitions storage depot for
Al-Nusra Front seems a strange target for use of a sarin gas bomb. That
the warehouse was the target does not appear to be in dispute. The only
thing in dispute is what type of bomb was used. Last I checked, and
those that know my background also know that I am an expert on these
issues; sarin gas delivery mechanisms are not really useful for leveling
buildings. These allegations against Assad are suspicious; eerily
similar to the
2013 chemical weapon used in Ghouta, Syria.
Many are saying this was a false-flag
attack orchestrated by the CIA with the intent of causing a release of
chemical weapons being stockpiled by Al-Nusra to force President Trump
to take military action against Assad. Again, the timing is strange as
Secretary of State Tillerson had announced less than a week earlier that
Assad could remain President of Syria as long as he continued to
support U.S. coalition forces with the destruction of ISIS. But now, all
that has changed. The war drums are beating. Tillerson made statements
today that “
Coalition Steps Are Underway to Remove Assad“. All this was occurring with the backdrop of the National Security Council being packed with NEOCONs like
Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley and Rick Perry. I find this a curious selection of individuals to say the least.
One could make the argument that Bannon was being removed because of
his well-publicized disagreements with Jared Kushner, the President’s
son-in-law. If that were the case, wouldn’t Bannon be the first to admit
it? One could also speculate that he was removed because he was the
only voice on the National Security Council opposed to intervention in
Syria and someone who might be skeptical of Assad’s selection of a sarin
gas bomb to level an Al-Nusra Front warehouse. It is possible that his
opinion would not be welcome in a room of war hawks and NEOCONs
determined to overthrow yet another country that dared to challenge U.S.
domination.
“Zero Chance Assad Behind Chemical Weapons Attack In Syria; Likely A False Flag” –
Ron Paul
Remember as a candidate, Donald Trump was severely critical of US
foreign interventionism. He was also critical of our policies leading to
the destruction of Libya and Syria. I find it remarkable that all that
could change in the blink of an eye over the alleged use of a chemical
weapon by someone that only a week earlier we had publicly announced
could remain President of Syria. You see, it just makes no sense that
Assad would use chemical weapons to level an Al-Nusra Front munitions
building. It makes no sense that Assad would risk his relationship with a
new US administration that was showing support for him.
It’s difficult for me to accept that President Trump could reverse
course on Syria so quickly before the facts of the alleged use of
chemical weapons by Assad are even investigated. Banging the war drums
and threatening to overthrow the Syrian government does not seem to be a
responsible course of action
prior to an investigation that has been demanded by Syria’s major ally; Russia.
I would certainly hate to see these events result in our nation and
Russia engaging in open conflict. Something here just does not add up.
Is President Trump so impetuous as to risk war with Russia over what
could just be a Syrian bomb striking a chemical munition in a known
Al-Nusra Front munition warehouse?
One other theory has also surfaced. It’s a dark theory of blackmail
against the President by the CIA and the NEOCONs that resulted in these
groups regaining control over the National Security Council and U.S.
foreign policy. The theory involves the source of friction between Steve
Bannon and Mr. Kushner. To avoid spreading gossip, I will not repeat
the details because as far as I know this theory is just wild
speculation. I will say that it would be a shame if Steve Bannon knew
the truth about these matters and failed to inform the public before
U.S. servicemen and women risk their lives to overthrow the Syrian
government to satisfy the
appetite of the NEOCONs.
Additional References:
Comment from Stewart Rhodes:
I’ll be a bit more bling than Jack on this. There is a reason the
Founders, in their wisdom, delegated the power to declare war to
CONGRESS on Article I, section 8 of the Constitution. It was so that no
one man or small group of men could decide the fate of millions by
making war on another sovereign nation and sending our sons and
daughters into combat on their say so alone. It was to be the people’s
representatives alone who would make such fateful and momentous
decisions. This is not a case of immediate self defense against attack
on this nation or its armed forces. There was no emergency. Congress has
plenty of time to deliberate and decide. But instead the imperial
presidency had yet again carried out an act of war against another
sovereign nation on its own, outside the bounds of the Constitution on
the “advice” of a small cabal of neocons as foolish as the ones who ran
the Bush Admin foreign policy.
Whether or not Assad did it, it still belongs to Congress to decide
to go to war. And an air strike against the armed forces of another
sovereign nation is an act of war.
Trump has no authority under the Constitution he swore to defend to
make this decision to go to war. It is wrong. And it is especially
wrong and foolish when doing so risks war with Russia, a nuclear
super-power. And as Jack said, this also goes entirely against his own
stated principles which helped him get elected. Whatever happened to
America first? How is this putting the welfare, lives and liberty of
the American people first? It isn’t.
Trump is playing brinkmanship and risking war with Russia for what,
exactly? And before all the facts are in, and in a rush rather than
waiting to take it to Congress. Why?
I believe it is highly likely that Trump has been blackmailed in some
way, and it likely has something to do with his son in law (hence the
friction with Brannon). I’d be shocked if that was not the case.
If so, he is risking nuclear annihilation of millions of Americans to
cover his own rear end and to play “let’s make a deal” with the
neocons.
If not, then he is still playing craps and rolling the dice with
millions of lives just to not look weak on the eyes of the same neocons
who want his head.
Either way, it is precisely what the Founders meant to prevent from
taking place when they gave the power to go to war to Congress.
We have not had a declared war since WW II and look at how they have
all turned out since. And look who has been orchestrating them all.
This is the deep state tail wagging the dog, yet again, and this time it is Trump as the dog.
Brannon needs to spill the beans and blow the whistle on whatever is going on, no matter how ugly it may be.
Otherwise the deep state will run this nation just as they did during
Bush or Obama, with Trump as a figurehead puppet. The election of Trump
will have become a joke and a farce as any kind of reversal of our
descent into an imperial dictatorship of the globalist elite, with a
mere facade of we the people being in charge of jack.
Remember your oaths and hold Trump to his, no matter what.
If he won’t drain the damn swamp, then we will, one way or another.
Stewart
