20161028 (just war)

White Helmets struggle to unearth victims from a Syrian government bombing of a schoolhouse where seven children were among the twenty two dead

The conflict in Syria is horrific

And nobody’s learning from it

It appears. While it seems so 

Obvious to the outside world

That the killing should cease

Immediately (or in the long

View, should never have 

Started), since there are so 

Many parties involved, at least

One always stands to gain

Something in their view from

Keeping the carnage going

Just another day longer. In

Addition, the something that

Is gained might not even be

Crucial to that particular

Scene—which is especially

True for the sponsoring

Nations, the US, Saudi Arabia,

Iran, and Russia. Lost in all

The fighting is the ultimate

Welfare of the Syrian people,

Treated on all sides now as 

Unfortunates on whom the 

Buildings collapse. Although

“Barrel bombs” indicate that

Human life itself is still a 

Target which cannot be allowed

To continue at least horribly

Afflicted. Since they are dropped

From helicopters we can surmise

The bombers have a fairly close

View on those whom they bomb

And know that whole groups

Will be killed without distinction

Of innocent young, disabled, or

Elderly. They will be punished

As a group, collectively for the

Sin of living in their own homes.

Such has been Bashar Al Assad’s

Way, as was his father’s. Arguments

Against killing the innocent have

As little sway with him as they 

Do against our own use of drones

And Hellfire missiles to surgically

Remove al Qaeda directors, Taliban

Warlords—surgically in the sense

Of severing heads, limbs from 

Bodies of both the intended and

Unintended—those young, elderly,

Women, or disabled who wrongly

Choose to associate with al Qaeda

Leadership (who may or may not 

Be properly identified). Assad you

May think a cruel warrior, to 

Barrel bomb his own people but

By comparison he is no more

Bloodthirsty than our own soldiers

Who push buttons in New York 

Or Las Vegas to wipe out wedding

Parties or funeral gatherings. It’s

Very like our thinking since 

World War II: If our bombs cannot

Be trusted to hit munitions factories,

Let them hit munitions workers,

Wives and children of munitions

Workers, milkmen and tailors to 

Munitions workers, hell, to the 

Whole damn batch of Japanese and

Germans whose economic or 

Social activity contributed to their

Making war. Punish them all and

Their friends. Fry those babies!

c. J.S.Manista, 2016