WhatFinger


Either they aren't moderates, or 'moderate' has a frightening new definition...

Obama, Kerry, and McCain have a ‘moderate’ problem in Syria



The Syrian rebels are moderates. That's the message from those who want the US to involve itself in the Syrian civil war. Be it from Obama, John McCain, or John Kerry, the message is the same. Those who seek to portray the Syrian rebellion as a radical movement are just out to hurt the President politically. They've said this over, and over, again.
...But it's not working. No one is buying the myth of the middle-of-the-road Syrian rebellion - and why should they? Two days ago, we saw the video where rebels down a Syrian plane. They immediately start shouting "Alahu Ackbar" in celebration. This, according to John McCain was no different than a Christian saying "thank God, thank God." It's practically a sign of their moderate views. "Of course they're Muslims but they are moderates. I guarantee you they are moderates," McCain said. "I know them, and I've been with them."

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Well, sure. Of course they are. Anyone who thinks otherwise clearly doesn't possess John McCain's extraordinary level of understanding, compassion, and global awareness. Who cares that Armenian news outlets are reporting that the rebels are attacking Christian villages, burning churches, and kidnapping or killing the faithful? These are all clear signs of their moderate positions.
The St. Gevorg church in Aleppo's Armenian-populated district of Nor Kyugh was set ablaze on Monday, reported Tert.am, quoting a representative of the local Armenian prelacy. Speaking to the online paper, the spokesman, Zhirayr Reisian, confirmed that the church had become a target of rebels and that it had almost been reduced to ashes. Reisian also said that the Mesrobian Armenian School adjacent to the church has been seriously damaged, too. Earlier on Monday a blast near an Armenian district of Syrian capital Damascus reportedly killed 10 people and wounded around 50. Armenians were feared to be among both dead and wounded. Later Reisian told state-run agency Armenpress that a group of 10 Christians, including seven Armenians, was kidnapped near Aleppo. About four dozen Syrian Armenians have reportedly been killed since the start of the conflict in Syria in March 2011. Hundreds of an estimated 80,000 Syrian Armenian, mostly concentrated in Aleppo, have taken refuge in Armenia since fighting between government and opposition forces reached the city last July.
Heck, maybe the rebels just despise all religions equally. They're probably secular atheists or something. It's not like they're the favored party of the Muslim Brotherhood. No one is running around the country threatening those who refuse to embrace Sharia Law. We don't have any video of such actions, do we? They're moderates after all. From The Blaze:
The video, originally posted by the nongovernmental watchdog Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, shows 30 members of the Syrian PKK, also known as the Kurdistan Worker's Party being held hostage by the armed gunmen. The group of PKK members is seen sitting on the Persian rugged floor of an empty room, while a member of the Muslim Brotherhood fighters tells them that they must "practice the real Islam and follow Sharia law" or face the "consequences." The men identified themselves as members of the Muslim Brotherhood and they spoke in a distinct classic Arabic with an Egyptian accent, an Arabic translator, who viewed the video, told TheBlaze. Strangely enough, the Kurdish rebels were forced to sign a contract and were told that if they prayed with the Muslim Brotherhood, turned over all their weapons and refrained from fighting for a full year they would not be harmed. "If you don't do this, you know the consequences?" warned a man with a strong Egyptian accent. The Kurdish men sat quietly, listening.
Hmmmm... OK, well Secretary of State Kerry did admit that as many as 20% of the 100,000 Syrian Rebels could be considered radical. But hey, that's no big deal, right? Clearly, the moderates are in the vast majority and - as Kerry points out - the minority isn't really worth our concern. Someone should tell that to the New York Times, because they seem to think "moderate" Syrian forces are carrying out mass executions of Syrian prisoners:
The prisoners, seven in all, were captured Syrian soldiers. Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts. They kept their faces pressed to the dirt as the rebels' commander recited a bitter revolutionary verse. "For fifty years, they are companions to corruption," he said. "We swear to the Lord of the Throne, that this is our oath: We will take revenge." The moment the poem ended, the commander, known as "the Uncle," fired a bullet into the back of the first prisoner's head. His gunmen followed suit, promptly killing all the men at their feet. This scene, documented in a video smuggled out of Syria a few days ago by a former rebel who grew disgusted by the killings, offers a dark insight into how many rebels have adopted some of the same brutal and ruthless tactics as the regime they are trying to overthrow.
We're sure the administration is unfazed because, after all, war is hell. Executing the soldiers of a brutal thug like Assad is just par for the course. Unpleasant maybe, but that's the way it goes. It's not like these moderates are harming civilians who choose to stand against them. They're not a bunch of ruthless baby-killers, are they? From the Centre for Global Research:
Al-Qaeda linked terrorists in Syria have beheaded all 24 Syrian passengers traveling from Tartus to Ras al-Ain in northeast of Syria, among them a mother and a 40-days old infant. Gunmen from the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Levant stopped the bus on the road in Talkalakh and killed everyone before setting the bus on fire. According to media reports, the attack was carried out because the passengers who were from three different villages in Ras al-Ain, supported anti-terrorist Kurdish groups which were formed recently to defend Kurdish population against anti-Syria terrorists. Bodies of a mother and her 40-days infant were also seen among the dead, which were recognized by their relatives.
This simply must be incorrect. This can't be happening. The Obama administration, along with staunch GOP members like McCain, has guaranteed that the people we seek to help in Syria are poor, downtrodden, souls who just seek peace and tolerance. As Kerry puts it:
"The opposition has increasingly become more defined by its moderation, more defined by the breadth of its membership and more defined by its adherence to some, you know, democratic process and to an all-inclusive, minority-protecting constitution, which will be broad-based and secular with respect to the future of Syria."
See? Everything's fine! These are simply peaceful factions who are incapable of self-defense.They've got the John Kerry stamp of approval. Coming to their aid is a moral imperative of the first order. Surely, traditionally left-leaning news outlets like Reuters understand that the "moderate" movement in Syria is growing in power with - as Kerry puts it - "each passing day." Uh-oh. From Reuters:
Secretary of State John Kerry's public assertions that moderate Syrian opposition groups are growing in influence appear to be at odds with estimates by U.S. and European intelligence sources and nongovernmental experts, who say Islamic extremists remain by far the fiercest and best-organized rebel elements. "And the opposition is getting stronger by the day," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday. U.S. and allied intelligence sources and private experts on the Syrian conflict suggest that assessment is optimistic. While the radical Islamists among the rebels may not be numerically superior to more moderate fighters, they say, Islamist groups like the al Qaeda-aligned Nusra Front are better organized, armed and trained.
Hmmmm. ...The administration has even managed to lose Reuters. That's not a good sign. Here's the problem: Obama, Kerry, and McCain's Claims of widespread "moderation" in Syria simply don't pass the smell test. If they're going to sell their war to the American people - not to mention the rest of the world - they're going to have to be able to show that the people who will benefit from US military action are deserving of our involvement. As news from the region continues to pile up, it's becoming clear that they have a long way to go.


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