We need to drop high explosives on people who would use chemicals to kill

[cthulu2016]

Deep thought for the day.

Bonus Question: Would you rather meet your death from Napalm or Sarin?


The point is, of course, not to defend chemical weapons, but to note that when you are in the business of burning people alive and avulsing their limbs from their bodies you may have already crossed a line. It appears from the news that 29 students were just killed in the mortar bombing of a school. That is a crime or it is not, independent of the hardware used. I would guess that the students' last thoughts were not, "Thank god I am on fire rather than having my biochemical processes disrupted on some other way."

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Hell, why mess around? Nuke 'em.

That'll show the WMD-using bastards.

[RomneyLies]

2. Chemical weapons are illegal under international law for a reason

The horrors of the weapons during World War I forced the world to ban them, and even Adolph Hitler wasn't going to use them in WWII.

The thing is, one side in a conflict using them forces all sides to use them and it becomes a chemical wasteland.

If Syria uses chem weapons, there will be a global shitstorm descend on their heads.

[hedgehog]

6. Hitler did use chemical weapons during WWII,

he just used them on civilian populations, not opposing armies.

[RomneyLies]

8. Point well taken.

He used them behind closed doors where the world couldn't see them being used.

[cthulu2016]

7. That's why WWII had such a low death toll, and was so civilized

Also, Hitler used a fair amount of poison gas. Just not on the battlefield.

[RomneyLies]

9. See post 8. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

3. Its curious that Israel never ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention.

.

[hedgehog]

11. If you want to discuss the use of tear gas, you should discuss the use of tear gas and pepper spray

by the US before dragging in Israel. Otherwise, unless there is reason to believe that Israel is preparing to use chemical weapons the next few days, I'd leave Israel out of it.

[dipsydoodle]

14. There is no actual reason to suppose

that anyone is preparing to use them within the next few days.

[hedgehog]

15. President Obama and Sec'y of State Clinton disagree

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57556906/u.s-intel-indicates-syria-ramping-up-chemical-weapons-bases/

[dipsydoodle]

16. I'll check back with you on Friday then.

To my mind these differ little from the alleged Iraq stocks which never materialised having been destroyed years before.

[hedgehog]

17. I tend to think that President Obama has made some changes in the intelligence

establishment. Also , there is a significant difference between the Bush administration, which massaged data to justify a war of choice, and the Obama administration, which has been working for months to limit and end the fighting in Syria.

[Arctic Dave]

21. Obama has expanded the war in the ME

and Africa.

Lets not cast stones in our glass house.

[sarisataka]

12. Israel has signed but not ratified the treaty

Syria has yet to sign the CWC.

Israel has fairly poor chemical defenses, it is not likely they would initiate a chemical attack. My bet is if attacked in such manner they would have a nuclear response.

[mike_c]

4. so we'd use chemicals to kill them...

...because otherwise they'd use chemicals to kill someone? Oy.

[hedgehog]

5. I see your point, but on the other hand it's nice to have a consensus that

certain things are considered a war crime. It's a start, at least.

[whatchamacallit]

13. Killing is killing. The method is not as important as the legitimacy of the act.

And in that regard the US is the biggest war criminal.

[Arctic Dave]

22. Killing innocents and other people by remote control

miliatary hardware is not a warcrime?

[Prometheus_unbound]

10. .

Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't stand by and watch when people who rebel to their dictators are gunned down or gassed.

[Carolina]

18. How ironic that

the US -- the biggest purveyor and user of WMDs of all varieties -- wants to dictate to the rest of the world.

Who dropped the atomic bomb?
Who used napalm?
Who sold Saddam the chemical weapons he used on the Kurds in 1988?
Who overthrew Allende, Mossadeq (sp?), and countless others in South America?
Who installed Pinochet, the Shah, Hussein?

Explosives, chemicals, guns... we're #1

What a legacy

[whatchamacallit]

19. "It's different"

Most Americans explain our acts of aggression like Pino explains Magic, Eddie, and Prince.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

20. Actually...

The use of napalm on civilians is banned under international law.

Not that it means anything, really...

[sarisataka]

23. Bonus answer

Sarin, definitely. Quicker, much less painful and with the proper gear you can protect yourself.

And you are completely correct, targeting school children, or any other non-combatant, the weapon is irrelevant, be it NBC, explosives or a rock- it is a crime.