THE HOULA STORY STORY FALLS APART
By Pete Moore On June 14th, 2012As soon as more than 100 people been butchered in Houla, Syria, the West’s governments, their mouthpieces and the UN knew who to blame: Assad. Damascus denied anything to do with it, prompting Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the UN, to retort that this was “another blatant lie”. Everyone knew that Damascus was responsible.
Except that that the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (as reported in the National Review ) didn’t leave it there and now reports that anti-Assad forces were responsible:
It was, in the words of U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, the “tipping point” in the Syria conflict: a savage massacre of over 90 people, predominantly women and children, for which the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was immediately blamed by virtually the entirety of the Western media. Within days of the first reports of the Houla massacre, the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, and several other Western countries announced that they were expelling Syria’s ambassadors in protest.
But according to a new report in Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the Houla massacre was in fact committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants, and the bulk of the victims were member of the Alawi and Shia minorities, which have been largely supportive of Assad. For its account of the massacre, the report cites opponents of Assad, who, however, declined to have their names appear in print out of fear of reprisals from armed opposition groups.
The West immediately and without any evidence blamed Assad for the massacre. Was this a staged massacre? A deliberate provocation to pave the way for another Libya-style venture?
H. Clinton ought to know. The War Street Journal reports: “U.S. intelligence operatives and diplomats have stepped up their contacts with Syrian rebels in part to help organize their burgeoning military operations against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, according to senior U.S. officials.”
Oh but the Russians cannot supply Damascus with helicopters!
The WSJ goes on the report Clinton’s view that “the situation is spiraling toward civil war.” As in Libya, no doubt, fuelled by arms and cash sent by the west and possibly used to commit atrocities like those in Houla which are – without any justification – blamed on Damascus. The conclusion is clear: do not believe anything the government tells you.
Don’t believe anything the government says, and trust conspiracy mongers half as much as you trust the government. That’s a good rule to live by.
Does anyone know what is really going on?
Safe to say that noone here knows what is going on, except that there is a major rebellion and that people are getting killed.
Phantom, I agree, it is terrible, same as in NI for years, and would you believe it, some posters on here still vote for the commanders of the atrocities?
We are all trying to move on for peace for the children, but while seamus et al vote for commanders of the ira, we cannot.
Can you understand my frustation and those of the population of ordinary decent citizens?
Coincidently, about 100 people, mainly Shia pilgrims, were murdered in Iraq the next day, by the sarcastically named ‘sunny muslims’.
Does this mean Kofi Anon will recommend a re-invasion of Iraq to settle their dispute?
I think we should be told.
‘sunni’ you ignoramus.
//posters on here still vote for the commanders of the atrocities?//
You’re right. And I think the closer you look, you’ll see it’s the same bastards doing the killing – there as here.
http://www.whale.to/b/kerr.html
Yes Noel, it is sad…you and others whilst pontificating for all to ‘move on’ you keep harping back.
The same ‘bastards’ keep receiving your votes and the majority of the catholic community.
Who is the impediment…
lol
I saw some sunny Muslims at Coney Island once.
They used plenty of sunblock
LU, I just thought it was funny that the guys who are sent out to disarm terrorists in Iraq were arming them in Northern Ireland.
LOL
Phantom, their coverings would have made them look like ”them ‘uns”…lol
Noel, you are on the wrong angle…go back to the British gov and read Mark Thomas’ book about arming countries we are ‘aggrieved’ – and British Aerospace…
As for your assertion, it is technically wrong. None of our mercenaries were ever involved in arming terrorists, and it is to my regret they come up against the weapons their own government sold. So in a way I agree.
Now, sitting in a little place with wifey and cheering for Spain!
Sea was rough today…
The Houla massacre was probably perpetrated by US-backed ‘rebels’ and the US now ‘predicts’ (how do they know?) new atrocities. US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Monday that the Syrian government “may be organizing another massacre, this time in the village of al-Haffa, in Latakia province, as well as in the towns Deir el-Zour, in Daraa, in Homs, in Hama, and in suburbs of Damascus.”
Can the State Department give me a tip for the European Championships?
Allan, I can tell ya, the Oirish won’t win.
lol
LU
What is your take on the RA Dickey phenomenon?
I am delving as a virgin non-interested observer, and it doesn’t look good, but I am wondering if it is the media slant, or if he deserves the slight…
At present, I think it sounds like (apologies) American psycho babble ‘I am so troubled’ etc…
Couldn’t care less.
Phantom,
It’s like the Wildcat and Tebow in football. He is a gimmick. No one else does it so no one knows how to stop it. If a lot of people started doing it then teams would learn how to stop it pretty quickly.
He’s a very smart guy who has come up to the major leagues at the advanced age of 35 or so.
He has a new slant on what is basically a trick pitch. He throws it harder than the other knuckleballers who have come before him. He could get a good couple of years out of this, and I hope he does.
I like it when the good guys win, esp after a long struggle
Seamy, you not watching the match?..it is a real laugh watching the leps get even dizzier than thee! lol
Phantom, the good guys will win eventually, especially in NI where we are pushing for peace.
Terrorist supporters will be shunned like wee seamy, no matter how hard he stamps his feet…lol
LU -
Do you have to have a punch up with the Irish on every thread?
The thing to keep in mind is not to trust EVERYTHING anyone tells you. One doesn’t have to not trust anything.
It’s hard to tell Phantom. The reason the Knuckler works (outside of it being completely erratic) is that it is hardly ever used as a primary pitch. If a pitcher starts getting longterm success out of it some enterprising manager or assistant coach will work out how to beat it.
Anyone who doesn’t trust anyhing is a complete neurotic.
Noel Cunningham -
Who’s talking about not trusting anything?
There’s much that we can trust, but the word of London, Washington and their media mouthpieces where Syria is concerned are clearly not to be trusted.
Seamus
Before your day, there was a knuckleballer named Wilbur Wood who started,and won, both games of a double header.
Now THAT is a fine days work
http://prestonjg.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/a-thorough-account-of-pitchers-who-have-started-both-games-of-a-doubleheader-in-the-major-leagues/
It’s still a rarity. If someone uses a Knuckler as their primary pitch it is noteworthy for that in a way that almost no other pitch has (except for crazy Japanese people). Dickey could have continued success with it but I’d be surprised if the Knuckleball because a major feature of the Major League in the next few years rather than a novelty.
Actually I got that exactly wrong. He lost two games
It is a quirky thing, but boy some guys have had long careers with the thing -the Neikro brothers, Tim Wakefield, etc. I need Pete Moore’s take on this.
Just to translate for Pete. A knuckleball is like a Zero Rotation Slow Ball in cricket.
Thanks Seamus, but I still have no idea what Phantom wants my take on.
Baseball?
I came across this little nugget and it made me think of one of the contributors here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/14/us-venezuela-iran-drone-idUSBRE85D14N20120614
- (Reuters) – Venezuela is building unmanned drone aircraft as part of military cooperation with Iran and other allies, President Hugo Chavez said, in a move likely to heighten U.S. anxiety over his socialist government’s role in the region.
Chavez said Venezuela would soon receive visits from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who came to Caracas in January, as well as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
He scoffed at what he said would be the likely U.S. reaction to Venezuela building drones.
“Pretty soon someone is probably going to say there’s an atomic bomb on the tip of it,” joked Chavez, dressed in military fatigues, adding that the drone could be used in oil and mining exploration. -
Troll – will you step up to the mark?
Pete
The NY Mets have a pitcher now who ia having the most wonderful start to the 2012 season.
He came to the major leagues at least ten years later than most, and he does not dominate by conventional means. His pitches float on the wind more than they brute force it. He is a soft spoken guy from Tennessee who climbed Mt Kiliminjaro before the season against the wishes of the team to raise money for a charity close to him.
Baseball fan or not , I thought that you may have some interest in thia most unusual story.
Cheers
Alan the Iranians are building missile bases in Chavez land what do you think they’ll be tipped with? I also love the way you and Peter blame us Americans.
Who cares who is killing who amongst the Syrians, the same with the Egyptians. The more they kill each other the less they will be able to put on the battle field.
The whole area could catch fire right now and the U.S. won’t do a thing unless our troops are attacked. It’s election season.
Let’s have a look at what the US has been doing on Russia’s borders:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31311
- In the middle of her three-nation tour of the South Caucasus, on June 5 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with fellow short-term New Yorker Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia. The latter is a premiere, a greatly favored, a nonpareil American satrap, for whom the doors of the White House and the op-ed pages of the major U.S. dailies are always open. For eight and a half years he has been president of his nation after winning 96 percent of the vote on January 6, 2004 in a spurious election following standing head of state Eduard Shevardnadze being manhandled and deposed in the so-called Rose Revolution of the preceding November. The sort of election the State Department is always willing to endorse if the result advances American geostrategic interests.
In the middle of her three-nation tour of the South Caucasus, on June 5 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with fellow short-term New Yorker Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia. The latter is a premiere, a greatly favored, a nonpareil American satrap, for whom the doors of the White House and the op-ed pages of the major U.S. dailies are always open. For eight and a half years he has been president of his nation after winning 96 percent of the vote on January 6, 2004 in a spurious election following standing head of state Eduard Shevardnadze being manhandled and deposed in the so-called Rose Revolution of the preceding November. The sort of election the State Department is always willing to endorse if the result advances American geostrategic interests. -
There is no way that this can be seen as responsible conduct. It is deliberate incitement to conflict.