Gabbard’s Assad defense indefensible
As someone who has twice voted for Tulsi Gabbard for the U.S. House of Representatives, it has lately become apparent to me that I will not vote for her a third time.
I understand that Gabbard has very strong beliefs about the conflict in Syria. That is something I can respect, especially when so many others would prefer to turn a blind eye to the horrific war going on there. But it seems like every time I see Ms. Gabbard on TV discussing the situation she is always speaking in seemingly reflexive defense of Syrian President Assad.
What is going on here? Does she not know Assad is well-known to be a mass murderer of his own people? Does she not know about the relentless barrel bombing of Syrian civilian populations for years? Does she not know that the only thing new about last week’s sarin gassing of his people, including little babies, is that we thought the chemical weapons had been removed years ago?
Apparently, either that was a lie, or worse, he may have been supplied more by his friend and puppet master Vladamir Putin, another murdering dictator. Look, I don’t pretend to know what the answer is for Syria. But when the representative from my district to the U.S. House of Representatives has nothing better to do than speak in defense of mass murdering dictators, then I’m looking for a new candidate next time out.
Rebecca Wright
Kailua-Kona
Middle East must solve own problems
I was a cultural adviser to an Army combat brigade in Iraq in 2008-09 to help the brigade understand and deal with the Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish populations. The U.S. cannot fix the ethnic/cultural problems in the Middle East.
Those divides have existed since before 600 AD. We need to stay out of that area and leave it alone. Only the people there can solve their problems and build peaceful and prosperous nations. We have lost too many young soldiers there in wars we should never have entered. I feel badly for the people who live there, but we cannot save them. They must save themselves. This includes the Israeli/Muslim conflict.
Wayne Rees
Kailua-Kona