ROBERT REICH: Syria is a Distraction From Our Moral Choices At Home

[kpete]

Syria is a Distraction From Our Moral Choices At Home
By Robert Reich
......................................

The use of chemical weapons against Syrian citizens is abominable, and if Assad’s regime is responsible he should be treated as an international criminal and pariah.

But have we learned nothing from our mistakes in the past? Time and again over the last half century American presidents have justified so-called “surgical strikes” because the nation’s “credibility” is at stake, and because we have to take some action to show our “strength and resolve” — only to learn years later that our credibility suffered more from our brazen bellicosity, that the surgical strikes only intensified hostilities and made us captive to forces beyond our control, and that our resolve eventually disappears in the face of mounting casualties of Americans and innocent civilians — and in the absence of clearly-defined goals or even clear exit strategies. We and others have paid an incalculable price.

We should instead be testing the nation’s resolve to provide good jobs at good wages to all Americans who need them, and measuring our credibility by the yardstick of equal opportunity. And we should strike (and join striking workers) against big employers who won’t provide their employees with minimally-decent wages. We need to commit ourselves to a living wage, and to providing more economic security to the millions of Americans now working harder but getting nowhere.

Mr. President, a lot of Americans do think something should be done — about these mounting problems at our doorstep here in America. We can have more influence on the rest of the world by showing the rest of the world our resolve to live by our ideals here in America, than by using brute force to prove our resolve elsewhere.

http://www.alternet.org/world/syria-distraction-our-moral-choices-home






update to incl:

[Autumn]

1. Recommended

We have a lot of problems here. Maybe it's time to concentrate on those. I think the politicians are using it as a distraction.

[Brainstormy]

2. You can't teach or model peace

by waging war.

[MotherPetrie]

3. K&R

[MH1]

4. I tend to agree.

There had better be a pretty damn convincing case for the impact on this country of ignoring what's going on in Syria, before we take any action there.

[Erose999]

5. Syria and all of these assfuck wars are actually a stark contrast to our domestic policy. Think

about it...

We're giving free healthcare to pretty much all of Iraq and Afghanistan. We're building and improving roads and infrastructure. We're (in theory) improving human rights conditions, women's rights, etc. We're making the political process more democratic (in theory, at least)

Now look at whats happening in our own back yard. Gassing protesters on city streets. Passing restrictions to keep people from voting. Legislating away rights for women and minorities. Our own roads and bridges are crumbling.

It seems like we need to be "nation building" here in America rather than the other side of the world.

[wandy]

7. +1 Glad I'm not the only one thinking like that. nt

[reformist2]

6. I tend to agree - another strike or two ought to show them that we won't be distracted.

[kentuck]

8. Good point.

I think.

[CakeGrrl]

9. Well then, problem solved: GOP quickly says "no" to the President as always,

and gets back to another attempt repeal Obamacare and threats to impeach over Benghazi.

Right?

Why is Reich hectoring the President about what should be done domestically? Tell the do-nothing Congress to get off their ass. The President, undoubtedly unbeknownst to some of the willfully ignorant, hits the road frequently to spread the message about domestic issues the MSM refuses to cover.

[bvar22]

10. Reich said it better than I can.

The use of chemical weapons against Syrian citizens is abominable, and if Assad’s regime is responsible he should be treated as an international criminal and pariah.

But have we learned nothing from our mistakes in the past? [font size=3]Time and again over the last half century American presidents have justified so-called “surgical strikes” because the nation’s “credibility” is at stake, and because we have to take some action to show our “strength and resolve” — only to learn years later that our credibility suffered more from our brazen bellicosity, that the surgical strikes only intensified hostilities and made us captive to forces beyond our control,[/font] and that our resolve eventually disappears in the face of mounting casualties of Americans and innocent civilians — and in the absence of clearly-defined goals or even clear exit strategies. We and others have paid an incalculable price.

We should instead be testing the nation’s resolve to provide good jobs at good wages to all Americans who need them, and measuring our credibility by the yardstick of equal opportunity. And we should strike (and join striking workers) against big employers who won’t provide their employees with minimally-decent wages. We need to commit ourselves to a living wage, and to providing more economic security to the millions of Americans now working harder but getting nowhere.

AMEN!

I stand with Reich
and OPPOSE those cheering for MORE killing.

[leftstreet]

11. DURec

[gulliver]

12. Yup. So is Snowden/Greenwald.

Let Congress work on Syria. Let Snowden fade into obscurity in Russia. Give Greenwald another career as a singing TV evangelist. Get back to real liberal stuff.