KURTENBACH: The Use of Chemical Weapons

[Oscar]

The Use of Chemical Weapons

Sent for publication on September 7, 2013

To the Editor,

Our planet is on the brink of being subjected to the waging of another American military attack in the Middle East. This time it is Syria.

Very few human beings on this Earth can accept or understand the egregious crime of killing or maiming people, especially children, by using a poisonous chemical.

There has been no disagreement about the fact that Sarin gas has been used. However, to date, it has not been definitely established who actually launched the gas attacks. Apparently, Russia has submitted to U.N. investigators specimens of the canisters that were used to deliver the poisonous gas.

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his supporters are professing outrage in their "holier than thou" attitude that Bashar-al-Assad is solely responsible for the gas attacks. It's like saying, it`s okay to use bullets, bombs, depleted uranium shells, cluster bombs. But, when someone uses chemicals, America must go to war.

Bashard-al-Assad probably was too harsh in trying to prevent an "Arab Spring" uprising in Syria. But, "Lest we Forget" - some of us will remember that the US military shot and killed four Kent university students for protesting the war in Vietnam.

In the bloody Iraq-Iran war from 1980 to 1988, the US supported Iraq who used Sarin nerve gas and burning mustard on Iranian soldiers. Thousands were killed, horribly burned or blinded. These weapons were supplied to Saddam Hussien by western-based industries.

The American military sprayed Agent Orange on North Vietnam. The Vietnamese are still suffering the after-effects of this chemical.

In April and November of 2004, the American military declared the city of Fallujah in Iraq a free-fire zone. This was done to avenge the killing of four Blackwater operatives. [Blackwater is a private US military corporation.] Many thousands of Fallujahian civilians were killed. The US Marines targeted ambulances, hospitals and mosques. They used white phosphorus, cluster bombs and depleted uranium[DU]. The high level of radioactive poisoning created an epidemic of cancer, leukemia, infant mortality and birth defects.

Making war to create peace is counter-productive. Canada should not become involved in US wars. We should and could do better . . . by helping Syrian people who wish to escape the violence in their country.

Leo Kurtenbach,
Saskatoon
Phone 306 652 5129.