If you don’t believe it’s a great privilege to be an American citizen, please consider the following.
While a lot of us here are starting to plan that springtime home improvement project or thinking about when we might mow our lawn for the first time, people in Syria are fearing how their government might respond to last week’s U.S. military action.
After all, when President Bashar Assad gets angry, he initiates chemical weapons attacks on his people, or drops horrible devices known as barrel bombs.
In case you are wondering what exactly a barrel bomb is, it is described as “a large barrel-shaped metal container that has been filled with high explosives, possibly shrapnel, oil or chemicals as well, and then dropped from a helicopter or airplane.”
And if it happens to land on a small child … well, that’s just a consequence of war.
So, better not get Assad angry and make him believe he’s losing his grip on power. After all, this is a man who’s helped contribute to the deaths of about a half million of his fellow countrymen while waging war through six years of civil strife.
Contrast that to what happens when our president, Donald Trump, gets angry. His outlet for aggression is usually to send a nasty tweet, perhaps directed at the cast of “Saturday Night Live” or some news organization he doesn’t care for.
So again, it’s a privilege to be an American, and it’s really hard for any sane person to argue otherwise.
But — and this is the part a lot of people don’t understand or don’t want to understand because it could involve hard work or sacrifice — with that privilege comes great responsibility.
And specifically, it’s a responsibility to the rest of the world.
Usually, we are the first to stand up and object when the U.S. tries to be some sort of global cop, getting involved in disputes it has no business getting involved in.
However, the recent chemical attack on Syrian civilians, some just small children or babies, involves that responsibility burden we just outlined above.
Trump rightly reasoned “something should happen” and justifiably approved a precision attack.
Remember, candidate Trump was the one saying we should not get involved in Syria’s issues.
But when he saw the unspeakable images coming out of the Middle East, he obviously felt a responsibility to take action. Mr. “America First” knew he had to make room within that mantra to include a subtitle: “Innocent People First, Too.”
Even if it was just a “one-night war” as some of the media pundits were predicting, it should also be considered “a line-in-the-sand war.” In other words, when a government or military does something so atrocious, so beyond the pale, there has to be a consequence imposed to serve as a deterrent if someone dares try it again.
If you’re still not convinced the military strike was justified, consider the effects of sarin, the nerve agent experts believe was dumped by Syrian aircraft on unsuspecting civilians.
Originally developed as a pesticide, exposure to large doses can cause convulsions, paralysis and respiratory failure, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It works by “preventing the proper operation of an enzyme that acts as the body’s ‘off switch’ for glands and muscles. Without an ‘off switch,’ the glands and muscles are constantly being stimulated.”
Bottom line: A horrible, horrible way to die.
Trump’s decision was one that had to be made.
Now, let’s just hope Russia comes to its senses and abandons Assad, leaving him one huge step closer to being removed from power.
