By now you know about or have scenes images of the purported chemical attack in Syria. There is still debate about who did it.. how it was done.. when it was done, and all of those things that come with the fog of war–even foggier because of the players in this conflict..
I know this.. What I see in images and on the news is real. Innocent children, beautiful children, are dead from this madness. There are women dead.. there are men dead. But it’s those horrific pictures of children and the videos of them convulsing and foaming at the mouth that strike me..
We also know this today: Experts agree that the evidence so far supports chemical weapons as the culprit: From the AFP:
The convulsions, pinpoint pupils and laboured breathing seen in victims of an alleged chemical attack in Syria could be symptoms of nerve gas, experts said Thursday, but only blood and urine samples can provide proof. Syria’s main opposition group says more than 1,300 people were killed Wednesday in a government attack on rebel areas near Damascus — a charge the government vehemently denies. Footage distributed by activists showed people foaming at the mouth and doctors apparently giving people oxygen to help them breathe and trying to resuscitate unconscious children. Chemical and defence experts said the symptoms appeared consistent with exposure to a nerve agent like sarin or VX. “A large number of symptoms definitely point in that direction,” said chemical weapons expert Jean Pascal Zanders, although he said much more information was needed for a definitive conclusion.
What we don’t know: Who dunit.
The central evidence of the alleged use of chemical weapons is the fact that bodies shown in the footage posted on the Internet do not show any clear signs of external trauma, leading to the conclusion that the cause of death was some form of respiratory trauma or asphyxiation. Some of the casualties showed signs of convulsions and, in at least one case, contracted pupils, which are both symptoms of exposure to nerve agents.
However, Western experts on chemical warfare who have examined at least part of the footage are skeptical that weapons-grade chemical substances were used, although they all emphasize that serious conclusions cannot be reached without thorough on-site examination.
The allegations exist that President Assad struck this area with chemicals and perpetrated the deadliest chemical attack in the world since the 1980s when Saddam Hussein used weapons (that the USA gave him) against Kurds in Iraq.. We also hear that Assad’s state regime is denying they did it..
Recent facts point give us this information: Only weeks ago, the United Nations accused Syrian REBELS of using chemical weapons (you know, those same rebels that now accuse the state of doing it) .. And we finally know this. UN weapons inspectors entered Syria in the past few days–certainly that would force a person to question the timing of this nightmare…
It is now widely believed that the testimony of Nayirah in the 1990s was a hoax. Facts now seem to show that the baby incubator story was bogus and only propaganda to compel the United States to defend Kuwait against Saddam Hussein during Gulf War I.
But regardless of is to blame for this atrocity, we know two more things: 1) That there was a chemical attack and that 2) war is wrong and evil, with this latest action symbolizing that with every child’s frightened tear,
Sadly there’s still much more to know known…
