Pic Of The Moment: A Comprehensive List Of Positive Outcomes In The Syria Situation

[EarlG]

[wandy]

1. Trouble is, that space will not remain blank...............

It will rapidly fill with a list of negative outcomes.

[Enthusiast]

14. I agree, wandy.

Bad outcomes, just like in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[valerief]

2. Positive outcomes for whom? nt

[rhett o rick]

28. What outcomes do you see occurring? nm

[valerief]

30. I'm just thinking the war drums wouldn't be beating if there weren't positive outcomes

for some people, and those outcomes would, of course, be $$$$$.

[OnyxCollie]

33. US lawmakers have as much as $196 million invested in defense companies

US lawmakers have as much as $196 million invested in defense companies
From AP via The International Herald Tribune

WASHINGTON: Members of the U.S.Congress have as much as $196 million (€126.2 million) collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the start of the Iraq war, according to a new study by a nonpartisan research group.

The review of lawmakers' 2006 financial disclosure statements, by the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, suggests that members' holdings could pose a conflict of interest as they decide the fate of Iraq war spending. Several members who earned the most from defense contractors have plum committee or leadership assignments, including Democratic Sen. John Kerry, independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman and House Republican Whip Roy Blunt.

The study found that more Republicans than Democrats hold stock in defense companies, but that the Democrats who are invested had significantly more money at stake. In 2006, for example, Democrats held at least $3.7 million (€2.3 million) in military-related investments, compared to Republican investments of $577,500 (€372,000).

Overall, 151 members hold investments worth $78.7 million (€50.6 million) to $195.5 million (€125.9 million) in companies that receive defense contracts that are worth at least $5 million (€3.2 million). These investments earned them anywhere between $15.8 million (€10.1 million) and $62 million (€39.9 million) between 2004 and 2006, the center concludes.

More Here: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/03/america/NA-GE...

[Doctor_J]

38. See, EarlG forgot about that part

you peace purists are so....pure

[Divernan]

3. Increased salaries, bonuses, stock options for the blood-soaked profiteers in MIC!

[idwiyo]

7. You have a point there! We do have to remember poor MIC! :)

[Dawgs]

11. Uh, "positive outcome" for the United States. n/t

[n2doc]

4. Profits for Raytheon et all should shoot up! So will oil co profits!

And if CONgress approves then Obama will have shown "bipartisanship", the holy grail of DC punditocracy. Plus each member of CONgress that votes for war will get a nice thank-you check from AIPAC and the MIC.

You also forgot- "Takes attention off of the NSA"

[Melissa G]

12. Exactly!

n/t

[rhett o rick]

29. .

[Iggo]

5. Perfect.

[idwiyo]

6. K&R None. NADA. ZERO.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. From 2 years ago...

If only THOSE people had a seat at the table.

[TBF]

9. K&R

[irisblue]

10. totally true sigh n/t

[blkmusclmachine]

13. Billions of your tax dollars down another toilet ...

And another Catfood Commission right around the corner, too. You betcha!

[Initech]

15. $$$$ for oil companies and military contractors! There's always that.

[oberliner]

16. Syria is a relatively small oil producer

Not sure that's the biggest factor here.

[merrily]

40. Iran is a pretty good producer, though. They're allies.

[backscatter712]

17. K&R for truth!

There's so much demand to Do Something (which coincidentally feeds the war profiteers in the MIC), but there's little discussion on exactly how the proposed actions such as cruise missile strikes will actually result in positive outcomes.

[oldandhappy]

18. excellent!

[washnwmn]

19. Blank page says it all.

There can be no positive outcome. There will be more killing, more death. More issues that could potentially unite arab countries toward a larger, longer conflict. Yes the fat cats of the war machine, the NSA, the oil companies and God knows who else, see it as a profit making venture, inroads to Iranian oil or some such thing.
Who the heck are we to decide to "punish" another country??!! Any psychologist will tell you punishment does not work. Many will tell you there is enough strife in this world already, why add to it?
The whole situation looks very ugly.
JUST SAY "NO" TO WAR.

[Ash_F]

20. That's the first time I ever saw a DU front page pic contrary to Obama. /nt

[Bjorn Against]

26. There was at least one other time

EarlG aims most his fire at Republicans, but he will go after Obama and other Democrats on occasion when they really deserve it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017126428

[Ash_F]

27. That one was pretty funny. /nt

[caraher]

21. I have a friend who co-authored a RAND report on the possible use of airpower in Syria

He said he considered plugging the report online before saying,

"... this one is shorter and funnier, and more to the point"

[briggavell]

22. It's clear as day.

Oil. We need it. They got. We take it. We might not like it but it's the truth.

[dreamnightwind]

35. Not so clear

They don't have much oil. There is some CT (I believe plenty of CT, maybe this too) out there about a pipeline, and about Prince Bandar and various Sunni-Shia dynamics involving the Saudis, Iranians, etc.

This thread has some good info, much of it downthread if you're into reading:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023569060

I honestly don't know what to think, but I've seen TPTB wag the dog too many times not to know when I'm seeing it again. They're making Obama be a good company man and go along with the program, in my opinion.

[DhhD]

37. In March 2012, Kerry says that Obama was being swiftboated. Peace interventions with Syria

were ongoing.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/03/john-kerry-theyre-swiftboating-obama-119104.html

[dreamnightwind]

41. ??? explain please

I don't see the relevance. Your link just goes to an article about Bob Perry donating $3 million to a pro-Romney SuperPAC. We all know about the campaign funding issues and the rich people attempting to determine winners and losers, is there any actual relevance here to the Syria question? If so, it isn't in the article you linked and you haven't made the case.

[DhhD]

23. Bombing of Baghdad March 2003 - Target - innocent civilians.

[DhhD]

24. This is an 8 minute segment of the bombing of Baghdad by German Media. Who is the target?

How will the innocent people of Syria be effected by another American Bombing?

[Little Star]

25. Exactly!

[GAPP]

31. No More Wars!

There's always money for war
but never money for the needs of the people. The MIC must be fed.
Notice how the cost for this isn't even being debated? It doesn't matter if this costs $10 million, $100 million, $1 billion or $100 billion, the money will be found. But the money for our dilapidated infrastructure is nowhere to be found. The money for head start is nowhere to be found. Our priorities are fucked up. I guess we need to blow shit up to make it a priority.
The GOP wants a wider war to take out Assad. They want the MIC to gorge on the budget with a new war and starve the programs for the people like Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, etc.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

32. President Obama, if you support bombing Syria and sacrificing other's children,

I know two little girls (one is pretty close to enlistment age) that would make good cannon fodder for your mindless, faulty and completely unnecessary attempt to input us into another country's civil war.

Until you require those two to enlist and fight, you have no right to demand others fight for someone else's cause!

Hopefully, you will have a moment of clarity and stop this nonsense, but i know the MIC wants more blood on their bottom line and lives mean money.

[Ocelot]

34. Jimmy Carter's Syrian Peace Initiative is the only idea that makes sense (n/t)

[ctsnowman]

36. K & R

[merrily]

39. Why does this smilie keep hitting his head against a brick wall?

'Cause it feels so good when he stops.

rimshot

Moral: If there is no payoff whatever to a behavior, the behavior stops.

Wars bring positive outcomes to people with the power and money to make sure we go to war, or the behavior would have stopped.