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Boston Globe reports:
For three years, violent militants have run Aleppo. Their rule began with a wave of repression. They posted notices warning residents: “Don’t send your children to school. If you do, we will get the backpack and you will get the coffin.” Then they destroyed factories, hoping that unemployed workers would have no recourse other than to become fighters. They trucked looted machinery to Turkey and sold it.
[...] This does not fit with Washington’s narrative. As a result, much of the American press is reporting the opposite of what is actually happening. Many news reports suggest that Aleppo has been a “liberated zone” for three years but is now being pulled back into misery.
Americans are being told that the virtuous course in Syria is to fight the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian partners. We are supposed to hope that a righteous coalition of Americans, Turks, Saudis, Kurds, and the “moderate opposition” will win. This is convoluted nonsense, but Americans cannot be blamed for believing it. We have almost no real information about the combatants, their goals, or their tactics. Much blame for this lies with our media.
[...] Americans are said to be ignorant of the world. We are, but so are people in other countries. If people in Bhutan or Bolivia misunderstand Syria, however, that has no real effect. Our ignorance is more dangerous, because we act on it. The United States has the power to decree the death of nations. It can do so with popular support because many Americans — and many journalists — are content with the official story. In Syria, it is: “Fight Assad, Russia, and Iran! Join with our Turkish, Saudi, and Kurdish friends to support peace!” This is appallingly distant from reality.
(Score: 5, Informative) by inertnet on Sunday February 28 2016, @01:31AM
All Alawites face genocide when Assad loses power, just watch this jaw dropping video in which apparently civilized people discuss a poll for killing them all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWchMZfUkMQ [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Sunday February 28 2016, @02:19AM
Wow. That's some well dressed ugly.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Sunday February 28 2016, @02:30AM
Parent highly informative (even more so as it's rather hard to stomach... "civilized people" my ass).
Reading the wikipedia's page on Alawites [wikipedia.org] is also an eye-opener.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by anubi on Sunday February 28 2016, @06:25AM
Sounds like right out of the Old Testament to me.
Brutal.
Definitely hard to stomach.
But thankful it was brought to my attention.
Stuff like this has to be seen to be believed.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Zz9zZ on Sunday February 28 2016, @02:54AM
From the linked info on wikipedia they don't seem like one of the overly insane religions, so the very fact that a possible genocide exists should be the ONLY determining factor in who supports who. Political and economic power struggles by major world powers should take a back seat! But hey, even the holocaust wasn't enough for the US to wade into the war so all of our pride on that point is just hot air; which shows the world really doesn't give a shit about mass murder except when it's politically convenient.
We need a global bill of rights, and then we need to give the UN the power to smack down offenders of said rights. Simple stuff, like don't murder your own people, freedom of religion, etc.
Sidenote: I was surprised to read that Assad led to more religious tolerance (though less tolerance for political dissidents).
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 28 2016, @03:19AM
Me too. Now I wonder how much of those dissidents were political and how much they were religious.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 28 2016, @08:39AM
You're about 66 years behind the curve.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights [wikipedia.org]
then we need to give the UN the power to smack down offenders of said rights
I like your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Specifically, I'd like to know who is going to pay for it.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Sunday February 28 2016, @02:41PM
Well, if the UN had the power to smack down anyone violating human rights, their power would certainly also great enough that no sane government would even consider not paying them. ;-)
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by fnj on Sunday February 28 2016, @06:52PM
The problem with having a global bill of rights is that, if you can have a global bill of rights, you can just as easily get saddled with a global bill of wrongs. It was hard and costly enough kicking the evilness of the British Empire out of the American Colonies and out of India, and taking down the Third Reich, war-worshiping Imperial Japan, and staggeringly repressive Soviet Communism. Can you even imagine trying to take apart a world government gone evil?
There wouldn't just be a serious problem trying to find a better place to retreat to. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to flee it or hide from it.
No, I don't have all the answers. I can't readily come up with something at once both practical, and better than a global bill of rights. I just know I can see some soul-shattering downsides to globalism that evidently a lot of people seem to be blind to.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 28 2016, @08:02PM
You've mentioned several historical oppressors while tap dancing around the major point I was trying to make regarding the world that exists today:
The greatest aggressor nation that ever existed is the USA since September 2, 1945.
Some might even specify the date August 6, 1945.
...and these outrageous levels of overt militarism don't even address the covert Imperialist activities of USA.
So, if this cleansing activity is to be done, wouldn't it make sense to go after the greatest threat to global peace first?
Who among the mice will bell the cat?
Additionally, regarding UN funding, the bulk of which typically falls to the USA, there was a time when USA had a vibrant manufacturing economy and was the top lender nation.
For many many years, USA has had a financialized economy and has been the leading debtor nation.
One more point is that USA has been lax in paying its dues to the UN as a matter of policy--while other nations have also been lax for whatever reasons.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday February 28 2016, @03:52AM
Speaking of genocides - Turkey, a supposed ally of the United States, is busily exterminating all the Kurds possible. Turkey has invaded Iraq, but instead of going head to head with Daesh forces, they are attacking the Kurds who were fighting Daesh.
And, the world stands by and watches.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 28 2016, @07:23AM
Muslims killing muslims is only good news which leads to far less of them to kill to end islam.
End islam? Why? Read the koran. Choose a side.
(Score: 1) by kurenai.tsubasa on Sunday February 28 2016, @06:03PM
Relevant link [sacred-texts.com]. There are four English translations there. Rodwell also includes extensive footnotes, not unlike a copy of either the NIV or ASV I used to have. I've forgotten its name and can't seem to find a reference. (As a side note, I just happened upon another interesting translation of the Bible called The Voice. Example of screenplay format used in John 3 [biblegateway.com].)
At any rate, here is Sūra 1 from each English translation. Yusuf Ali English:
Fātiḥa, or the Opening Chapter.
1. In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.
2. Praise be to God,
The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
4. Master of the Day of Judgment.
5. Thee do we worship,
And Thine aid we seek.
6. Show us the straight way,
7. The way of those on whom
Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
Those whose (portion)
Is not wrath,
And who go not astray.
Pickthall:
1. al-Fatihah: The Opening
1 In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
2 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
3 The Beneficent, the Merciful.
4 Master of the Day of Judgment,
5 Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.
6 Show us the straight path,
7 The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.
Palmer:
THE OPENING CHAPTER.
(I. Mecca.)
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, the merciful, the compassionate, the ruler of the day of judgment! Thee we serve and Thee we ask for aid. [5] Guide us in the right path, the path of those Thou art gracious to; not of those Thou art wroth with; nor of those who err.
Rodwell:
MECCA.--7 Verses
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
PRAISE be to God, Lord of the worlds!
The compassionate, the merciful!
King on the day of reckoning!
Thee only do we worship, and to Thee do we cry for help.
Guide Thou us on the straight path,
The path of those to whom Thou hast been gracious;--with whom thou art not angry, and who go not astray.
Rodwell's first footnote:
This Sura, which Nöldeke places last, and Muir sixth, in the earliest class of Meccan Suras, must at least have been composed prior to Sura xxxvii. 182,where it is quoted, and to Sura xv. 87, which refers to it. And it can scarcely be an accidental circumstance that the words of the first, second, and fifth verses do not occur in any other Suras of the first Meccan period as given by Nöldeke, but frequently in those of the second, which it therefore, in Nöldeke, opinion, immediately precedes. But this may be accounted for by its having been recast for the purposes of private and public devotion by Muhammad himself, which is the meaning probably of the Muhammadan tradition that it was revealed twice. It should also be observed that, including the auspicatory formula, there are the same number of petitions in this Sura as in the Lord's Prayer. It is recited several times in each of the five daily prayers, and on many other occassions, as in concluding a bargain, etc. It is termed "the Opening of the Book," "the Completion," "the Sufficing Sura," the Sura of Praise, Thanks, and Prayer," "the Healer," "the Remedy," "the Basis," "the Treasure," "the Mother of the Book," "the Seven Verses of Repetition." The Muhammadans always say "Amen" after this prayer, Muhammad having been instructed, says the Sonna, to do so by the Angel Gabriel.