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How America Must Respond to the Massacre in Syria (Rubio Op-Ed)
Foreign Policy ^ | APRIL 28, 2011 | Marco Rubio

Posted on 04/28/2011 10:30:24 AM PDT by Pan_Yan

In recent days, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has used its army to murder hundreds of innocent civilians as part of a vicious campaign of violence against unarmed Syrian demonstrators. What we are witnessing in Syria is another tragic outrage in the Middle East that requires immediate condemnation backed by specific measures from the United States and the international community. U.S. President Barack Obama needs to make clear whose side America is on, back up our rhetoric with action, and clearly articulate why Syria matters to the United States.

Clearly, we should be on the side of the Syrian people longing for freedom and challenging the regime's corrupt and repressive rule. Unfortunately, the Obama administration's hesitancy to weigh in has been mistaken for indecision at best and indifference at worst. The president needs to speak directly to the Syrian people to communicate American support for their legitimate demands, condemn Assad's murderous campaign against innocent civilians, and sternly warn Assad and his cohorts that they cannot continue grossly violating human rights, supporting terrorism, and sowing instability among Syria's neighbors.

(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: florida; libya; rubio; syria
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The regime has not only destabilized the region but also directly acted against the national security interests of the United States.

With all due respect, Senator, when was the last time the Middle East was stable?

1 posted on 04/28/2011 10:30:28 AM PDT by Pan_Yan
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To: Pan_Yan

With all due respect, he seems to have written a good article to try and get Syria on the table and show up the bummer admininstration’s leftist partisanship on the issue.


2 posted on 04/28/2011 10:33:08 AM PDT by Christian Engineer Mass (25ish Cambridge MA grad student. Many conservative Christians my age out there? __ Click my name)
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To: Pan_Yan

He really is just an extension of the same old, same old.

He is also like Bush on immigration.


3 posted on 04/28/2011 10:34:14 AM PDT by dforest
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To: Pan_Yan
We should keep our @$$e$ out of there until and unless an government that prints its own postage stamps requests our help. And then we should only consider assisting based upon our national interest and what we might actually be able to accomplish in some reasonable amount of time and cost.

ML/NJ

4 posted on 04/28/2011 10:35:55 AM PDT by ml/nj
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To: Pan_Yan
Hey BARRY! -

John F. Kennedy - "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

5 posted on 04/28/2011 10:36:33 AM PDT by frogjerk (I believe in unicorns, fairies and pro-life Democrats.)
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To: Pan_Yan

And, Senator, when will you come to the realization that Syria is a wholely-owned subsidiary of Iran?


6 posted on 04/28/2011 10:36:50 AM PDT by Pecos (Liberty and Honor will not die on my watch.)
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To: Pan_Yan
You know what, Senator - I think the American people should send our best wishes to the Syrian people regarding the ouster of their current regime and a speedy transformation to a stable representative republic (not a democracy) - but we should end it there.

In case you haven't noticed, we have an unstable and corrupt, illegitimate regime right here, . . plus, we're broke.

Nuff said.

7 posted on 04/28/2011 10:37:09 AM PDT by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority ever.)
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To: Pan_Yan

Mario is not ready for Prime Time. I am FAR more concerned with the burning of over sixty Christian churches and murder of who knows how many Christians than the refusal to allow mobs to take over ala Egypt.


8 posted on 04/28/2011 10:37:31 AM PDT by arrogantsob
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To: Christian Engineer Mass
Oh, he's absolutely right that we should never have sent an ambassador to Syria and we should immediately withdraw him. I'd go so far as to bring charges against Pelosi for going to play kissy in Damascus while she was Speaker and Bush was President. The House does not have the authority to negotiate with foreign powers, especially terrorist sponsors.

As for the ‘destabilize’ comment, I hate political cliches, especially ones that are patently foolish.

9 posted on 04/28/2011 10:37:58 AM PDT by Pan_Yan
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To: Pan_Yan

Maybe we should get a UN Resolution and start enforcing a no-fly zone...


10 posted on 04/28/2011 10:38:02 AM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: WayneS
Maybe we should demand that Syria enforce abortion rights, homosexuals in their military, uncontrolled spending and printing of worthless paper "money"

Yeah, that's the ticket - Be More Like Us!

11 posted on 04/28/2011 10:42:37 AM PDT by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority ever.)
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To: Pan_Yan

Muslims killing Muslims is preferable to Muslims killing Christians or Jews.


12 posted on 04/28/2011 10:43:55 AM PDT by bwc2221
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To: Pan_Yan
As ill-advised as it was to restore diplomatic relations with Syria by sending an American ambassador to Damascus last year, we should now sever ties and recall the ambassador at once

R-i-g-h-t . . .Obama, you must admit your mistake, now, publicly.

I'll wait right here for that to happen...waiting...waiting...

13 posted on 04/28/2011 10:45:19 AM PDT by Aevery_Freeman (Show me the Passport!)
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To: bwc2221

And most everything for that matter.


14 posted on 04/28/2011 10:46:44 AM PDT by Aevery_Freeman (Show me the Passport!)
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To: Pecos
And, Senator, when will you come to the realization that Syria is a wholely-owned subsidiary of Iran?

Now, that is funny! Syria is Sunni, Iran is Shiite.

15 posted on 04/28/2011 10:47:00 AM PDT by Sarajevo (Avoid arguments with your wife about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.)
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To: Pan_Yan

The Brits are apparently responding by dis-inviting the Syrian ambassador to the Royal Wedding. /sarc.


16 posted on 04/28/2011 10:52:36 AM PDT by toothfairy86
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To: Aevery_Freeman

You’re not holding your breath are you?


17 posted on 04/28/2011 10:52:35 AM PDT by WayneS (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: Pan_Yan

IMHO...

The few young people in the mideast who exhibit any acceptance of western civiliation at all are never pro-Israel. No one can produce ANY video evidence of any muslim anywhere taking a pro-Israel stance where they don’t equivocate and speak in “code” that basically means they want Jews and Christians to “understand” and “tolerate” muslims, but NOT the other way around. The only things about Western civilization that mideastern muslims like are modern technology and high standard of living. They all fall back on theocracy, wanting all Jews dead and... athiests and Christians are next in line, since all muslims express a view that converting to islam is the only way a non-muslim can expect to avoid a subjugation “tax” (protection money) or death.

There is no true pro-democracy movement which truly advocates for religious freedom anywhere in any muslim country. And that INCLUDES a right to NOT practice religion. No muslim nation has any concept of accepting anyone’s right to simply be agnostic or atheist. Under islam, atheists and agnostics are all in the same category as Jews or Christians or Buddhists or Hindus or anyone: there are only 3 choices - convert to islam, pay a submission tax or die.

Consequently, every muslim country is an enemy of every free western nation. The free western nations just refuse to admit it. Swarthy men speaking gibberish with their faces hidden behind rags and brandishing knives scare them.

Therefore it makes no sense to involve ourselves in muslim countries other than to destroy them and confiscate their oil.

That kind of power is the ONLY thing they respect.

Either we will subjugate them or they will subjugate us.

The only hope of having them “get” the western idea of living peacefully together - and it’s no guarantee, just a hope - is, like Japan, to have them suffer annihilating defeat.


18 posted on 04/28/2011 10:52:46 AM PDT by PieterCasparzen (Huguenot)
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To: Pan_Yan

Another neocon interventionist who doesn’t understand things.

PASS. No thanks.


19 posted on 04/28/2011 10:53:43 AM PDT by LowTaxesEqualsProsperity
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To: Christian Engineer Mass

With all due respect,.. they don’t respect life of their own and why should we? They’ve been killing themselves for thousands of years and we should let them.


20 posted on 04/28/2011 10:54:46 AM PDT by Safetgiver (I'd rather die under a free American sky than live under a Socialist regime.)
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