Hồ Chí Minh (in warring against the Japanese) asked O.S.S. (Office of Strategic Services, a U.S. undercover operation with which he associated closely) for a copy of U.S. Constitution & Declaration of Independence. Some of the stories tell that he was denied those documents (maybe because he was a communist -?- hated by Chiang Kai-shek and Charles de Gaulle or maybe because he was not leading what those of white privilege recognized as a Western-Educated-Industrialized-Rich-Democracy, a.k.a. "WEIRD" nation, deserving serious and harmonious civility -?- I just wonder). hhmmmmnn?
Anyway, on Sept. 2, 1945 in Ba Đình flower garden (now Ba Đình Square) (Vietnamese: Quảng Trường Ba Đình) of Hanoi then the new president, Hồ Chí Minh, read the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese: 'Tuyên ngôn độc lập Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa'), a world-class historical event to which General Jacques Leclerc responded by landing in Saigon on October 6, 1945, leading a strong armored division that arrived in force days later. By February 1946 Leclerc, de Gaulle & France controlled South Vietnam. Hồ negotiated and also readied the Việt Minh he led for eventual transition to war. And how well did all that reliance on weaponry, the big-dog attitude, work out for France, U.S. and p.o.w. John McCain?
How similar to those 1945-46 meetings between U.S.-OSS, France and the Việt Minh was the way in which Sen. John McCain landed in Syria on May 27, 2013 to "discuss" U.S.-Syria Policy with General Salim Idris, leader of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, and 18 commanders of FSA battalions from all of Syria?
Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), an apparently 501(c)(3) non-profit and non-governmental organization, claimed its staff "organized and facilitated Senator McCain's trip" (see: photo & SETF blog) And see in another blog the same photo with the cast of characters imaged all neatly labeled, here. Or see that same photo appearing in Jim White's emptywheel piece of August 28, 2014 in which he said, "It May Not Have Been ISIS, But McCain Did Pose With Members of a Group That Beheads Opponents".
I wonder: 1. where SETF gets its money; and 2. what dog(s) SETF has in these fights? I "betcha" McCain could pretty well tell all if he had a mind to display his current moral fiber. --- But I digress ... my bad :( SETF may be a genuinely peaceful organization as is Pax Christi, "The International Catholic Peace Movement".
Brussels, 29 July 2014; Pax Christi International Calls to Stop Arms Deliveries to Syria:
CALL FOR ACTION: Stop Arms Deliveries to Syria
Pax Christi International believes that peace is possible and echoes the words of Pope Francis, who has called on Syria and the international community to “boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue.”
STATEMENT June 17, 2014: Pax Christi USA "The national Catholic peace movement" official statement on the crisis in Iraq
In response to the recent unrest in Iraq and the possibility of the crisis continuing to spread, Pax Christi USA is unequivocal in its assertion that U.S. military intervention will not achieve the peace and stability that the people of Iraq deserve. A military solution—whether it include air strikes or ground troops or an increase in the flow of weapons into Iraq—will only serve to increase the suffering of the Iraqi people, not alleviate it. Furthermore, military intervention increases the risk of widening the conflict in the region.
Pax Christi USA calls for a fully inclusive international diplomatic process to address this crisis. The crisis, while centered in Iraq but also including the ongoing tragedy in Syria, is regional in nature and requires a multi-lateral diplomatic response initiated by the United Nations and including regional authorities like the Arab League. The hope for a peaceful solution lies in an effort which addresses the political concerns of all the major factions in the region.
Letter to POTUS, August 13, 2014 from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, should also be seen in comparison and in contrast to the call for fully inclusive international diplomatic process to address this crisis expressed by Pax Christi.
Click here to see the latest editions of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns’ “Middle East Notes”.
Is it true that Wednesday night President Obama addressed our ("Christian") nation and promised to “degrade and destroy” ISIS in Iraq and Syria and anywhere they go (as if claiming an Authorization for Use of Military Force world-wide forever) and then ended his Commander-in-Chief & POTUS speechifying with the words "God Bless America"?? Is it true??
POTUS is the political leader of the United States. Commander-in-Chief is the chief of state of the United States. Maybe we should not have one person filling both roles. Maybe it is time for the United States to institute a leadership model that puts up both a President and a Prime Minister. That way Sen. John McCain could better rally support to his interests in the Middle East by attacking just one or the other: POTUS or Commander-in-Chief.
Letter to POTUS, August 13, 2014, 53 National Religious Groups, Academics, and Ministers Urge Alternatives to U.S. Military Action in Iraq
Cc:
- Secretary of State John Kerry
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power
- Dept. of State, Undersecy. for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall
- USAID, Asst. Admin. for Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg
- Special Adv. to the Secy of State for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Shaun Casey
- Special Asst. to the President for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Melissa Rogers.
2013-11-01 report: Arms Transfers to The Syrian Arab Republic
2014-09-11 Update: UNHCR - Syria Regional Refugee Response - Regional Overview
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