The Middle East and co (*sponsored by Mel Gibson*)

[Lewis]

Shia Twitter was bricking it last night about Damascus being flattened (Iran had supposedly evacuated its diplomats), or their entire air force being taken out, so this seems like a bit of a gimmick 'Don't do that again!' attack at the moment. As for the actual chemical attack, I don't want to get into FALSE FLAG territory, but it seems a bit convenient. The day after the Americans shift policy, and the day before a UN meeting, the government decides to drop some of the chemical stocks it had previously agreed to destroy (and had officially done so) in order to avoid an American intervention on a village of no consequence when it is winning on all fronts and just as the major opposition counter-offensives grind to a halt. Whatever you make of these people, they clearly aren't absolute idiots.

[GS]

Indeed. You have to question if it was government ordered or not. It seems rather stupid if it was.

[Lewis]

It would also be the crappest gas attack in history if it knocks off a few dozen kids. My guess would be some sort of 'incident' occurring as the place was being bombed, probably not involving the chemicals claimed, and everyone just assuming what they wanted to assume. The problem is that once you start to express a degree of scepticism you're thrown in with the 'the Clinton Foundation sold Libya's sarin to ISIS' brigade.

As an aside, I've never quite understood the revulsion that chemical attacks generate. Biological warfare is nasty business, but why are nerve agents worse than being blown to pieces? I suppose there is the slow, agonising death argument; but then why are they worse than the sort of blockade-induced starvation deaths currently being caused by Saudi Arabia?

[Disco]

People in the office looked at me funny when I said that no-one would have cared if they'd just shot those kids with bullets.

[Lewis]

It's a pretty recent thing for everybody to be appalled by it. Idiots like to claim that even Adolf Hitler thought twice about using it, but 1) only because he would have got it back ten times worse; and 2) are you sure about that mate?

[Disco]

Hitler being famously reticent about gassing people.

[Henry]

Not a lot about the chemical attack or the response makes a lot of sense.

Why would Assad bother with this now when he was already winning the war and has Russia and Trump on his side?
Why would Trump do a u-turn on this issue of all issues when he's supposedly in thrall to the Russians?

Oh wait, some fo you have already pointed this out. Bravo.

[Bartholomert]

Nothing about the attack makes sense.

This is about symbolism. There are lines you can't cross because America WILL fuck you. I don't know how I feel about it all, but I appreciate us swinging our dick around on the global stage again, I don't see German cucks coming to the rescue of any Syrians / upholding international law.

[Henry]

Are you banned from saying "cuck"?

[GS]

It's a pretty recent thing for everybody to be appalled by it. Idiots like to claim that even Adolf Hitler thought twice about using it, but 1) only because he would have got it back ten times worse; and 2) are you sure about that mate?

We were preparing to launch chemical weapons at the Germans if they'd attempted to invade in 1940, I believe. Churchill's view was that "we have the right to do what we like with our own territory".

That would have been a moment of supreme national emergency, obviously.

[Bartholomert]

Are you banned from saying "cuck"?

...yes, but this was an emergency

[Henry]

That would have been a moment of supreme national emergency, obviously.

Whether that justifies it or not, a 6 year civil war is probably seen in a similar kind of way by Assad.

[Lewis]

He floated gassing the v-weapon launch sites in January 1944, and there were plans to use it in Japan in the event of an invasion. In the end it all got mothballed until they needed it to poison millions of Vietnamese people.

[Magic]

...yes, but this was an emergency

Supreme national emergency.

[Lewis]

lol he even dressed like him.

[phonics]

Then went on to list every fucked up CIA op they did in Bolivia. I do like when the token Security Council country uses it to lol at the rest of them.

[Lewis]

Heroic effort. The NARRATIVE is already in place for the next one. 'What if they just do it again?' Well then they are the stupidest people alive and the entire region wants doing over.

[Henry]

Stupid people I know were praising Trump today. Shows how the common pleb thinks though. This does him good.

[Bartholomert]

Stupid people I know were praising Trump today. Shows how the common pleb thinks though. This does him good.

His base is furious. So you have that as a consolation.

[John]

View Tweet

Fun.

[Bartholomert]

View Tweet

Fun.

It's not 2013 and being flexible to adopt to changing conditions is the hallmark of a good leader.

But yeah.

[Spikey M]

It's not 2013 and being flexible to adopt to changing conditions is the hallmark of a good leader.

But yeah.

What's changed?

[phonics]

If anything, ISIS were stronger and Assad was weaker, it made more sense then than it does now and it didn't make any sense then.

[Spikey M]

None of this makes sense from any which way.

Assad is doing ok, why authorise a gas attack? Isis are in decline, why give them propaganda? The US and Russia had an agreement (which Russia have paid lip service to) why launch a load of missiles? I mean, at least Russia pretend.

[Bartholomert]

What's changed?

Annexation of Crimea, agitation in Ukraine, greater potential for conflict with China in South China Sea, effects of refugee crisis being felt in Europe, etc.

A lot of things.

[Bartholomert]

None of this makes sense from any which way.

Assad is doing ok, why authorise a gas attack? Isis are in decline, why give them propaganda? The US and Russia had an agreement (which Russia have paid lip service to) why launch a load of missiles? I mean, at least Russia pretend.

To test America and to terrorize the local community and deter them and other local populations from cooperating with Rebel groups. It's flimsy, but people can be stupid. I refuse to believe that there is some "Jewish/Neocon conspiracy" within the intelligence community to fabricate evidence (which it's claimed to be is very strong) or deliberately mislead the President.

[Spikey M]

Annexation of Crimea, agitation in Ukraine, greater potential for conflict with China in South China Sea, effects of refugee crisis being felt in Europe, etc.

A lot of things.

Germany won the World Cup. A Brit went in to space. The Rock returned to WWE.

[Spikey M]

To test America and to terrorize the local community and deter them and other local populations from cooperating with Rebel groups. It's flimsy, but people can be stupid. I refuse to believe that there is some "Jewish/Neocon conspiracy" within the intelligence community to fabricate evidence (which it's claimed to be is very strong) or deliberately mislead the President.

Iraq have WMD's.

[phonics]

Think I just found the best tweet

View Tweet

[John]

You didn't.

[niko_cee]

I can only imagine the horror of what passes for average.

[phonics]

You have to respect the art form.

[Bartholomert]

Iraq have WMD's.

Fair enough. But sometimes people acting in good faith make mistakes, the best you can do is make a rational decision based on the information available.

[phonics]

Fair enough. But sometimes people acting in good faith make mistakes, the best you can do is make a rational decision based on the information available.

incredible. You couldn't make this post with a straight face in 2007 let alone a decade after it.

[Lewis]

I think rationality went out the window years ago.

[Lewis]

The Islamic State have blown the[ir] mosque in Mosul up. The one where they first announced their loser caliphate.

'Going down, going down, going down...'

Which probably means more mentally ill Norwegians kicking off in Europe, but oh well.

[Henry]

Why would they blow that up?

[Lewis]

They only hold the area immediately around/near it, so they're just being wankers.

[Jimmy Floyd]

[phonics]

The White House last night put out a press release saying Assad is about to use chemical weapons again. CENTCOM says they haven't seen any signs of this but that hasn't stopped the UK saying that we're ready to back the US in anyway possible.

We're about to get dragged into the Worlds Dumbest War.

[Lewis]

The Syrian Army is about to completely take back Deir ez-Zor, which could potentially lead to securing the Iraqi border, so they either like making life difficult for themselves or the Americans are worried about that.

[Haystacks Horace]

Nothing about the attack makes sense.

This is about symbolism. There are lines you can't cross because America WILL fuck you. I don't know how I feel about it all, but I appreciate us swinging our dick around on the global stage again, I don't see German cucks coming to the rescue of any Syrians / upholding international law.

Why are you giving it the big 'un? You do realise a fully united and re-armed Europe would stomp the US into the ground militarily.

[Henry]

Why are you giving it the big 'un? You do realise a fully united and re-armed Europe would stomp the US into the ground militarily.

The fuck? How do you know what a fully reunited and re-armed Europe would look like?

[Bernanke]

Why are you giving it the big 'un? You do realise a fully united and re-armed Europe would stomp the US into the ground militarily.

It really wouldn't.

[GS]

It's only a matter of time until we see the Fourth Reich, so we'll find out.

[Jimmy Floyd]

A Europe v America war would be great fun. Let's get it going.

[Lewis]

It would be interesting to see which way the Muslims went.

[GS]

We can be like the Stanley forces at Bosworth. Wait it out, pile in on the winning side and sweep up at the end.

We could reclaim the Angevin Empire, or the whole of France depending on how quickly they surrendered.

[Haystacks Horace]

The fuck? How do you know what a fully reunited and re-armed Europe would look like?

The German war machine has taken most of the rest of the world to stop twice. Crank it up once more then pitch in the military might of a fully mobilised United Kingdom, the French and the burgeoning Polish army and watch the Yanks quake.

[Magic]

Imagine thinking Europe, a section of the globe full of self-entitled, self-proclaimed kingdoms, nationalists and lunatics, could ever be united in a war.