Syrian Woman Rips Into McCain At Town Hall For His Support For Bombing Syria

[Catherina]

Published on Sep 5, 2013

At a Town Hall meeting a Syrian woman who lost a member of her family at the hands of the U.S. backed Syrian rebels that would benefit from a U.S. strike against Syria, one that AZ Senator John McCain supports, rips into him about spilling more Syria blood.

[Scootaloo]

1. The moment she says "diplomacy" he smirks and rolls his eyes

I congratulate that woman for having far more self-control than I... I would be in federal prison for beating all the teeth out of his senile fucking mouth with that mic... whether or not i was the person speaking to him. I mean jesus christ, he's becoming Dick Cheney's less-subtle cousin! It's like he's making a real and genuine effort to see how fucking horrible he can be before people finally give up and let him go back to smoking weed wrapped in hundred dollar bills like he wants to do.

"Your impassioned plea and your emotional statement" follows that. Holy shit, how does she not just tear out his throat with her teeth right fucking there? Is it just that she doesn't want to put her mouth on mcCain? I understand but sometimes... sometimes you just gotta let instinct do its thing.

[Autumn]

3. I gotta say, thats pretty vicious.

I like you

[Scootaloo]

4. I also do cannibal jokes

Come on Thursdays, try the veal!

Seriously, I regard hatred to be a useless emotion. But rage? Now... rage has some definite benefits to it.

[Autumn]

6. Not a damn thing wrong with that.

Veal on Thursday sounds great.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

39. I make a fabulous weinerschnitzel!!

[Autumn]

40. Love, love , love the weinerschnitzel!!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

42. It's like chicken fried steak, only better.

I cook breaded veal strips in butter in an electric skillet.

Dip 'em in beaten egg and buttermilk. Drag 'em through bread crumbs.
Cook 7-1/2 minutes on a side in butter at 350 degrees.

I have lots of food allergies and this is one of those simple meat and potato type things I fix.

Got the recipe from Joy of Cooking.

[Autumn]

45. That what I use for my chicken fried steak, except I use tenderized thin sirloin. If I

really want my cholesterol to sky rocket I will switch the meat to another pan after cooking , add a carton of heavy cream and a teaspoon and a half of beef base and simmer it. Yummy stuff. That and mashed potatoes and I'm in heaven.

[sendero]

60. I use..

.... ghee, (clarified butter) which I learned while being a cook at a German restaurant as a teen.

I still cook up some schnitzel now and the, it is wonderful.

[SwampG8r]

15. i wish people

could tell the difference

[Scootaloo]

16. I know, right?

We have a chef in every Friday night to do the barbeque sandwiches, but everyone tells us the pork tastes like... Uh... Like...

So about that local sports team, huh?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

43. So has Anthony Bourdain encountered "long pig" yet?

Insert cannibal joke here.

[Scootaloo]

44. He hasn't dined with the Syrian rebels yet, no

(Hah! Back to topic!)

[Raksha]

24. I agree. There's a lot to be said for rage

in the right situation, of course. Sometimes it's the only proper response...or the only possible one.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

29. I like you, too.

[noiretextatique]

34. i like you too

and I doubt if I could restrain myself with that asshole either. on another note, this woman needs to talk to the president too.

[truebluegreen]

54. That's exactly what I thought when I saw him...

I wanted to slap his face and whack him with the microphone. Unbelievable. And this asshole thought it was appropriate to play video poker during the debate.

Are his constituents ever going to be embarrassed enough to give him the boot?

[ForgoTheConsequence]

2. McCain is evil.

Thank you for posting this.

[Catherina]

5. shockingly so n/t

[Little Star]

51. He defiantly loves him some war, any war, any time, any place.

[eissa]

7. She almost made me teary

Sounds just like the desperate pleas I hear from family in Damascus.

[David__77]

9. I'm so sorry.

We all have to do our best to avert the tragedy the looms.

[King_Klonopin]

18. Hey cousin!

My mom is Syrian. This whole thing is such a pitiful mess.
There doesn't seem to be a "good" or a "right" course of action.
We are in a helpless bind: whatever the U.S. decides to do, the
results will be awful.

Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, anyway ?

Sahah

[eissa]

21. Ya hala, ya hala!

It is most definitely a mess, and if I thought for a second that our intervention would help in any way, I would whole-heartedly support our President. But I'm certain that our involvement will only make a bad situation even worse.

[7962]

69. Obama stepped in it when he went off book and set his "red line"

Amazing how he now denies saying it when its been replayed a thousand times. Now he feels like he has to prove a point to the world.
My gut is that he'll end up backing down.

[Marrah_G]

8. oh man she made me cry

[felix_numinous]

10. OMG McCain is such an embarrassment

to have as a representative. How truly frightening to watch--and interesting he is only in his prime when making the case for war. He seems to have no other purpose in life.

[fujiyama]

11. This is incredibly heartfelt and passionate

and what's with McCain's smirk, when she mentions that Assad's government is secular? She's right. And so was Saddam's. And he just brushes it aside.

[noiretextatique]

35. white men know best

[pkdu]

12. "I've been a supporter since The Keating 5 ".......great start.....! Nt

[questionseverything]

28. it is always about money

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023603683

In an August 2013 article titled “Larry Summers and the Secret ‘End-game’ Memo,” Greg Palast posted evidence of a secret late-1990s plan devised by Wall Street and U.S. Treasury officials to open banking to the lucrative derivatives business. To pull this off required the relaxation of banking regulations not just in the US but globally. The vehicle to be used was the Financial Services Agreement of the World Trade Organization.

The “end-game” would require not just coercing support among WTO members but taking down those countries refusing to join. Some key countries remained holdouts from the WTO, including Iraq, Libya, Iran and Syria. In these Islamic countries, banks are largely state-owned; and “usury” – charging rent for the “use” of money – is viewed as a sin, if not a crime. That puts them at odds with the Western model of rent extraction by private middlemen. Publicly-owned banks are also a threat to the mushrooming derivatives business, since governments with their own banks don’t need interest rate swaps, credit default swaps, or investment-grade ratings by private rating agencies in order to finance their operations.

Bank deregulation proceeded according to plan, and the government-sanctioned and -nurtured derivatives business mushroomed into a $700-plus trillion pyramid scheme. Highly leveraged, completely unregulated, and dangerously unsustainable, it collapsed in 2008 when investment bank Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, taking a large segment of the global economy with it. The countries that managed to escape were those sustained by public banking models outside the international banking net.

These countries were not all Islamic. Forty percent of banks globally are publicly-owned. They are largely in the BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India and China—which house forty percent of the global population. They also escaped the 2008 credit crisis, but they at least made a show of conforming to Western banking rules. This was not true of the “rogue” Islamic nations, where usury was forbidden by Islamic teaching. To make the world safe for usury, these rogue states had to be silenced by other means. Having failed to succumb to economic coercion, they wound up in the crosshairs of the powerful US military.

[SunSeeker]

30. I know. Creepy. She says she's "always been a supporter" of McCain.

So she was fine with him pushing for an invasion of Iraq?

Also, she says she's a Syrian Christian. Right now, Assad has tanks protecting Christian villages from the rebels. Rand Paul has praised him for it and suggested we should only bomb Syria if Assad starts killing Christians (which Assad will never do since the Christians back him).

But it is hard to dispute her point that if Assad is overthrown and Islamists take over, the Christians will be eliminated from the country. That happened in Lebanon, Kosovo, Iraq, and to a large extent in Egypt.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/07/world/la-fg-syria-christians-20120307

[MNBrewer]

66. Yeah, that was great hehe

Mention how slimy he is at the outset.

[pkdu]

68. Yep indeed , and how gullible she is. nt

[pacalo]

13. How awful he is.

The "merciless butcher" rhetoric is so lame.

While McCain & his Republican cronies are working toward a jobless, impoverished, gun-toting, & misinformed U.S. society, he wants us to believe that he cares about the Syrian people?

[quinnox]

14. McCain's reaction when she talked about diplomacy did say it all. He has a raging bloodthirst going

on, and no one will dare deny him his war and violence!

[pacalo]

17. He exaggerated that effect to make it clear to the audience that she was to be dismissed.

He was the expert. Could it be that he is representing his rich & powerful benefactors' interests & their support emboldens him to behave any way he damn pleases without any backlash; he knows he's protected.

Unlike the politicians I've observed throughout my life, he somehow feels free to disrespect a constituent's heartfelt plea, particularly one who grew up in Syria, knew the area well, & had just told him that some of her family members had been killed by the rebels -- the ones with whom McCain & the U.S. share a bloodlust for power. It was after Bush became president that McCain began showing a different side of himself. Which one is the façade -- the level-headed, bi-partisan-friendly senator; or the rude, mean, disrespectful, arrogant senator?

All of the smug & ridiculous new-age Republicans seem to have that same self-assurance that there would be no consequences for smirks, truth-twisting, outright lies, blatant bullshit, having immoral set of priorities, etc. This is an entirely new phenomenon of politicians, & considering how their antisocial behavior has divided the country, it really makes me sad.

[quinnox]

23. Yup, I agree with you

These modern day republicans, most of 'em are absolutely sickening.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

19. Posted this back on Aug 27...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023545277

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

20. Partial Transcript here

Syrian woman's statement (excerpt)

"No one is denying there are a lot of atrocities...for me to listen to you say there are no good options, I refuse to believe that. The good option is to take Saudi Arabia and Iran and force them to stop supporting the two sides in Syria. And YOU could do it. By negotiation, diplomacy, not bombs!.. I have an cousin 18 years old, just was killed 10 days ago by the so called rebels and al Qaeda. and they are not Syrian. They're coming to Syria from all over the world to fight this. We can not afford to do this. We cannot afford to turn Syria into another Iraq or Afghanistan...

My family is there...Thee majority of Syrians people want to save their country. And you also need to listen to the majority of the American people who don't want you to go there.

...We don't want al Qaeda to take over... We don't like Assad either, but at least he has a secular government....we are the minority Christians... We refuse to be considered collateral damage..."

[Douglas Carpenter]

22. knr

[reformist2]

25. So many Americans are so uninformed/misinformed, it's embarrassing - I include myself.

All we hear about is blah blah blah "good guys" and blah blah blah "bad guys" and then we tend to agree with these assessments. Just listening to this woman for 3 minutes, however, and you can hear the truth and how muddled the situation is, and how this facile idea of "bombing to teach them a lesson" actually makes ZERO sense, from a humanitarian point of view.

[Raksha]

26. K & R

[HangOnKids]

27. Ole Johnny Just Hates Strong Women

Loves them just enough for their money but after that....no go. What a reprehensible shitbag.

[L0oniX]

41. Oh you silly thing. He loves women for their beer. Donchaknow?

[liberalhistorian]

52. Unless they "put on makeup like a trollop",

then he'll call them the c-word, even if it's his wife!

Good Gawd, is there NO military action that this warmongering doddering old fool does NOT favor and does NOT lust over with blood in his eyes? You'd think that, given his own horrendous Vietnam experiences, he'd be the last one to be so gung-ho ALL the time for all-war, all-the-time, everywhere and to send others out to endure the same experiences. To me, the only thing worse than a chicken hawk is a veteran who knows what it's like who still sends others off to endure the same experiences and to put other families through hell.

I remember when he was running, before he won the R primary, he boasted about how we'd probably be at war in Iraq for "one hundred years, at least" and how he couldn't wait to be a "war president."

[thelordofhell]

31. John MICcain never learned the 1st lesson of war

Don't start one

[markpkessinger]

32. The hubris of McCain's response . . .

. . . in presuming to "know Syria" better than a native Syrian is truly remarkable!

[harun]

33. Her cousin and family may be fighting for Assad, just say'n.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

36. The Assad's were Soviet clients, just like Che. Just say'n.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

37. And I may own a magical lamp that grants wishes.

Just say'n.

Don't make an "ass" of yourself.

[uhnope]

46. He's right. She COULD be working for Assad & "at the hands of the U.S. backed Syrian rebels"

shows what agitprop this video is

[ForgoTheConsequence]

47. victim blame much?

she's lost people close to her and you're throwing around accusations? shame on you.

[uhnope]

49. after all the staged Tea Bagger townhall events you're swallowing a video with no proof

at all of any of its claims? We don't know if this woman is who she claims. And I call BS on the wording of the "US-backed" rebels thing. This video is pro-Assad BS whether or not the woman is who she claims to be (and we don't know, do we?). Be rational. Do you think the rebels with their limited weapons have (accidentally) killed more civilians than Assad's carpet bombings of his own cities and his gassing of neighborhoods? Please think before you get taken in

[cheapdate]

55. In 2011 hundreds of thousands of Syrian people

participated in nationwide demonstrations against the 40-year rule of the Assad family. The Assad government responded to the protests with lethal force and the political dispute has become an asymmetrical armed conflict that has lasted two years, killed roughly 100,000 people, created an estimated 4 million refugees, and shows no signs of stopping.

The conflict has sharply divided not only the Syrian people, but people across the entire region as well.

This woman is one voice, one perspective, one outlook. Good people can be pro-government in Syria and good people can support the rebels. It's just a hopelessly f$%ed-up situation.

[uhnope]

64. I agree. nt

[John2]

38. This is simply

going to be a killing arena, that would spread. There are many players with different interests involved here. The Assad Government is simply a secular government, because the Alawites do not follow the strict Islamic faith of the Sunni sect. The Shia dosen't either, and they can accept other religions such as Christianity. There is also the Kurds whom the Assad government oppressed because of their Alliance with Turkey in the Past, but that stance changed with the present Turkish Government's betrayal of the Assad regime.

The Egyptian Government was also more secularist with Nasser,Sadat and Mubarak. The factions these secularist governments oppressed, were really the most extremist parts of the Sunni factions. Secularists Governments are also a danger to the British established monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan.

This is very complex. Syria's alliance with the Islamist goverment of Iran is because of its stance to the United States and the zionist government of Israel. It is the same interests driving Hezbullah and formerly the PLO. The Saudis and Gulf States maintain the Oil Interests the U.S., Britain and France has, but Israel is also a main interest of the United States and the Jewish population in this country, which rivals the Miami Cubans. Even though people want to deny this, Jewish Americans do have strong influence in the American Media. Wolf Blitzer of CNN use to work in Israel. One of the biggest reasons present day Israel came into existance is because of the influence of groups withinn the United States after World War II. The Likud Government of Netanyahu controls Israel and that is really a rightwing government. They have strong influence in Congress. Especially politicians from New York and New Jersey. I don't think Americans are really being honest and are scared of being called anti- Semitic, about what is really driving the U.S. War Policies in the Media East. It doesn't just effect one Party either but both Parties. I don't think having another Country's foreign Policy drive or even placed ahead of this country's is good for the United States. In my perspective, what Congress is doing violates the U.S. Constitution. Going to War in Syria for the interests of foreigners, does the exact opposite. It hurts our country and builds up debt also. We heard about Iraq will foot the Bill. Now the same people are claiming Saudi Arabia and Qatar will foot the Bill. Our Armed Forces shouldn't be for sell to anybody.

[davidpdx]

48. It's too bad the camera didn't get a shot of her face while she was speaking

It is strong testimony against going into Syria.

[uhnope]

50. too bad or too convenient?

[davidpdx]

53. Well do we know where the footage came from?

It could be it was a fixed camera location on a tripod.

[uhnope]

65. that's the problem. We don't know anything. It's just being used as propaganda.

[gopiscrap]

56. McCain is such a weasel ass hole

[HangOnKids]

58. Yes Sidney is a punk, jerk, toad, asshole, wanker, destroyer, narcissistic flyboy

I hope he thanks his parents every night for being such a lucky sperm egg combo.

[agentS]

57. Great passion but lack of common sense

She tell McCain that diplomacy will get the Iranians, Russians, and Saudi Arabians/OPEC states are going to suddenly stop funding the war parties because we say so? Really? How incredulous. Those guys are not in the mood to talk, they are locked in to win or go home.
Iran has too much to lose, Russia has something to lose, Hezbollah has too much to lose, Qatar and Saudi can't lose or their guns will come back at them (the "why have you betrayed me, your fighters?" angle).
The US has the least to lose- if Syria falls apart, well we have no troops there, if Assad survives the oil companies will be happy, if Al-Qaeda takes over (least likely option) then we have a ready-made excuse to start attacking and impose democracy. If the FSA somehow wins, then we win. Assad has used chemical weapons- how is that fact going to make the FSA and other rebel groups feel about making a peace treaty with him? Doubtful. We do not have the leverage to make the other funders change their minds.

The Syrian minorities are going to have to realize that they backed the wrong horse here, dispose of him themselves and then try for peace (or total extermination of the Sunnis). Otherwise, their lives will be built on a lake of Sunni blood, and even if Assad wins in the short term, they are doomed in the long term. Assad is not going to live forever and the Sunni terrorist groups will not forget so quickly.

[caraher]

59. How about his, "I, too" line?

As if having visited Syria is remotely comparable to having family there, etc. I found that even more obnoxious than the obvious condescension in thanking her for her "emotional" plea.

Others have suggested she's just on a mission to plant pro-Assad propaganda, which is certainly possible. But why not disarm it by directly critiquing her proposed alternative to military force? He doesn't owe just her that answer, he owes it to all of us. Instead he simply argues that her picture of Assad is too rosy. I don't care about that. Like most of the rest of us, my concern is simply that we seem hell-bent on making a bad situation worse.

[durablend]

61. Clearly she's one of those "unserious people"

Who don't understand the necessity for the US to bomb democracy and freedoms into the Syrians.

[solarhydrocan]

62. Another Syrian speaks

Native Syrian Mimi Al Lashem (Syrian Girl)

She's not imagining things
youtube dot com/watch?v=b1AMYHHAXhI

“the affirmative task we have now..."

[woo me with science]

63. K&R

[denvine]

67. He says he knows the rebels. Bullshit!

What, was he there a couple of days? The war machine is pulling out all the stops. Now they have made the video of people dying, public. How are we supposed to trust them? We've been lied to so often.

Great article from Al Jazeera.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/7/a-history-of-violencewesternempiresinthemiddleeast.html

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

70. Make a similar plea.....

.....to Assad and the rebel groups when they schedule their town hall meetings.

[Curmudgeoness]

71. I just heard a Syrian woman on the radio

who was saying that we are backing the wrong side in this conflict, if we choose to intervene at all (which she opposed). She was explaining that the rebels are a hundred times worse than Assad....and although this started as a civil war with the Arab Spring, the rebellion has been taken over by extremists who hate the US and who would make Saudi Arabia look like a haven for freedom.

I still cannot figure out why this is such a high priority for us. I have no clue.