Supporting Jihadist Rebels in Syria Depletes Any Justification for Iraq War

In the end, America is just one more violent nation that kills in the name of religion, they practically admit it; Bush called his baseless wars the new crusades, most of us call it mass murder.

This stack of money is going to be handed over to members of the Sons of Iraq. Salem-News.com photos by Tim King

(SACRAMENTO, CA) - First, there was never any justification for attacking Iraq and killing a million and a half people.

Sunni sheik in Iraq

But say there was... imagine the U.S. mission having been a legitimate one, if you can. It is true that the U.S. occupied Iraq and people fought back, that shouldn't be any surprise. The fighters in Iraq were at first, Iraqi people. But over time, jihadists moved in from neighboring countries to fight the American invaders. Today they are in Syria and the Americans are funding their violence.

While occupying Iraq, the United States built walls between Sunni and Shi'ite neighborhoods which had never existed. Then, they had David Petraeus create the Sons of Iraq program to essentially bribe Sunni militants, enticing them with the idea of steady pay, exactly $305 a month, that is when the local sheiks didn't take too big of a cut.

Petraeus isn't stupid, he knew that this temporary program to bribe enemy militants into fighting for the U.S. would backfire like a bad missile on these Sunni's when the U.S. packed its bags and bailed, as it always does, as it did...

But to imagine what the thousands of Americans who gave their lives in this war, fighting President Bush's fake enemy, would think of the U.S. arming those same Sunni's into fighting for the U.S. interests in Syria and Libya before that, let's just say that they are probably rolling in their graves. But then the U.S. alternately ignores human rights violations and turns on its former allies the way some people change their underwear.

Good old John McCain, he is one of the worst Americans to ever serve in office, he is a baboon among men and a scourge on humanity. Being photographed with those rebels who are such a threat to Syrian Christians and Shi'ites and Jews, to say he should be ashamed is not enough of a statement.

Are Americans really this stupid?

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

You can write to Tim at this address: tim@salem-news.com.

Visit Tim's Facebook page (facebook.com/TimKing.Reporter)

With almost 25 years of experience on the west coast and worldwide as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor, Tim King is Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine who follows stories of Marines and Marine Veterans; he's covered British Royal Marines and in Iraq, Tim embedded with the same unit he served with in the 1980's.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from traditional mainstream news agencies like The Associated Press and Electronic Media Association; he also holds awards from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and was presented with a 'Good Neighbor Award' for his reporting, by the The Red Cross.

Tim King reporting from the war in Iraq

Tim's years as a Human Rights reporter have taken on many dimensions; he has rallied for a long list of cultures and populations and continues to every day, with a strong and direct concentration on the 2009 Genocide of Tamil Hindus and Christians in Sri Lanka. As a result of his long list of reports exposing war crimes against Tamil people, Tim was invited to be the keynote speaker at the FeTNA (Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America) Conference in Baltimore, in July 2012. This is the largest annual gathering of North American Tamils; Tim addressed more than 3000 people and was presented with a traditional Sri Lanka ‘blessed garland’ and a shawl as per the tradition and custom of Tamil Nadu

In a personal capacity, Tim has written 2,026 articles as of March 2012 for Salem-News.com since the new format designed by Matt Lintz was launched in December, 2005. Serving readers with news from all over the globe, Tim's life is literally encircled by the endless news flow published by Salem-News.com, where more than 100 writers contribute stories from 23+ countries and regions.

Tim specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide; and maintains that the label 'terrorist' is ill placed in many cases; specifically with the LTTE Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, where it was used as an excuse to slaughter people by the tens of thousands; and in Gaza, where a trapped population lives at the mercy of Israel's destructive military war crime grinder. At the center of all of this, Tim pays extremely close attention to the safety and welfare of journalists worldwide.