OH NO NOT ANOTHER WAR THREAT AGAINST THE U.S.

(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Reuters, Alexander to Actium)

(Peter Green, Charles Liebman, Frank Cass, Huff Post, Max Rosenthal)

(U.S.News World Report, Brian M. Jenkins, Jocelyn Coulon, Thomas Grant)

(Thomas G. Weiss, Sam Daws, William Manchester, Frank Newport, The Atlantic)

(David Rohde, CIA World Fact Book, Kenneth R. Timmerman, Hurriyet Dailey, Frazer Chronicle)

For a country that seemingly has its military issues “all in a row,” with unending war machines, military, and the funds to make it all work, we sure seem to be  threatened by a whole host of enemies. I kind of thought it strange that we, the United States, could be so challenged by a country that named its largest city after a dog food, Aleppo and was part of a country, Ottoman Empire, that was named after a piece of furniture, a foot-stool.

I will give Syria this, they sure as hell know how to rustle up a bunch of hassle with what must have been perceived as their superiors, after the dissolution of the Ottoman Syrian Empire in 1918, Syria became known as the Arab Kingdom of Syria. Periodically since the 1920’s, Syria has been involved in all sorts of skirmishes with their neighbors.  

To think that Syria would be a soft touch in any kind of military confrontation would be foolhardy indeed, the country has been fighting wars since 274 B.C. However one should quantify here, any military struggle with Syria and the United States would not be with the Syrian armed forces, which number a mere 178,000, rather some of the extremists, like the Al-Nusra Front, Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Abu Musa Organization that operate in the country.

Of course the United States has a foreign policy in Syria just like in a hundred other countries, I’m not exactly sure what that policy is, but critics argue that what is going on in the country, should not come as a surprise. For years detractors of the Obama policy in Syria have predicted that Bashar al – Assad (Syrian President) and his Iranian and Russian backers would fight tenaciously; militants would flock to Syria; and the region would be destabilized by refugee flows, raising sectarianism, and radicalized fighters returning home.

JAMES CLAPPER, THE “OLD BALD EAGLE”

James R. Clapper is the 4^th director of Director of National Security, and is responsible directly to the president’s authority, direction and control. The director of National Security serves as the principle advisor to the president, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council about intelligence matters related to national security.

He, in addition, serves as the head of the sixteen-member Intelligence Community; and directs and oversees the National Intelligence Program. A presidential policy directive signed in October 2012 further gave the Director of National Security the responsibility of whistle blowing and source protection through policy directive 19.

Clapper is a 71 year old graduate of Maryland College, St. Mary’s University, and the National Defense Air University. Clapper is a (1963-1995) retired Lieutenant General from the U.S. Air Force. Clapper was the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence from April 2007 to June 2010, and assumed his current office of Director of National Intelligence August 9, 2010.

In addition, Clapper also served as the Director of the National Geospatial, which is…..an approach to applying statistical analysis and other information techniques to data which has a geographical or geospatial aspect.  Aren’t you happy that I looked the word…..geospatial up, in the case of the U.S.’s use of geospatial information…..defense, and intelligence gathering is what it’s used for…..are you surprised?

Why do I list this information, glad you asked, I think that it is important to understand exactly who is responsible to man certain areas of our government. James R. Clapper ain’t a dog catcher, what he says, and the opinions that he has, and how he presents it to his boss, President Barrack Obama can have a huge impact on how our country proceeds in foreign policies.

A graphic example of how important a person with the authority and the ability to influence key personal in government was illustrated when Clapper gave contradicting and erroneous information in 2013 during a United States Senate Select Committee on intelligence hearings. You’ll recall the issue of whether the National Security Agency was eves dropping on American citizens phone calls and he said, “Absolutely not.” Well that answer was ABSOLUTELY A LIE. Needless to say, the Director of National Intelligence can’t be trusted.

WE NOW NEED TO FACE ANOTHER MILITARY AND TERRORIST THREAT

What is happening in Syria is conjecture pure and simple, with little exception all intelligence information is a study in guesswork. These people that our elected officials appoint to do the job of gathering intelligence information DO have a tough job, and many times it is a thankless job most of the time because…..when they do their jobs, we don’t hear about it, that’s the mark of a successful intelligence department.

However I am not naive enough to understand that those people, who depend on projected altercations for job security, might stir the pot to muddy the waters of clarity which our elected officials need to make the proper rational decisions that best serve the country.

I also know that intelligence personal…key intelligence personal…in every department of the governmental spook agencies aren’t above fabricating the occasional disturbing situation that’ll help to keep the waters muddied.

We now come full circle to Syria…..and the perceived threat that the country posses against the United States. Let’s look at a few facts and figures as to why some Syrian fractions pose such a threat to our country…..this won’t take long:

A. Distance from Damascus, Syria to Green Bay, Wisconsin…..6,019 miles

B. Population, 20,820,311

C. Military size, 178,000

D. Tanks, 4,150

E. Fighting vehicles, (all) 6,300

F. Aircraft, 695

G. Naval Power, (85) total boats

H. Defense budget, $2,500,000,000

The above, according to some in U.S. intelligence, political conservatives, and intelligence and military departments see Syria as a threat, the severity of the threat…..I’m not sure…..but here’s what Syria would be confronted with in a military confrontation with the United States:

A. Population, 313,847,465

B. Military size, (active and reserve) 2,000,000 and more

C. Tanks, 8,325

D. Fighting vehicles, (all) 22,000

E. Aircraft, 15,293

F. Naval power, 473 total ships

G. Defense budget, $611 billion

Now I ask you…..exactly how much of a threat is Syrian freedom fighters, or Syrian military, or President Bashar al-Assad? When our political and military leaders want to sit down and realistically talk about threats to the U.S. in the world today…..let me know.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!