Syria - Update and Information thread

Start at about 11:00 to hear discussion about the protests and when the army became involved etc. I am going to look for more info on this, to try to get a clear picture on this.

It should be mentioned that same thing happened not long ago in Venezuela, claims of the army firing on innocents, which was later proven to be completely untrue. It was in fact snipers and was manufactured to appear that way to incite public opinion and censure in order to make the coup about to happen 'popular' and justified. I'll post that in a bit, it was covered in a John Pilger film.

Syrian rebels: Route to Iraq now open

DAMASCUS, Syria, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Rebels say they have "liberated" an Army base in northeastern Syria on a key supply route with Iraq.

The artillery base is near the town of Mayadeen in Deir al-Zour province, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported. Gaining control of the area would allow the rebels to bring in weapons and fighters from Iraq.

"The military base was liberated early this morning. It was under siege for 15 days," an activist using the name Mohammed Saleh said Thursday. "This is the last military base in the countryside. Now the territory is liberated all the way to the borders with Iraq."

Right on, thanks for the updates!

I sure don't want our discussions to inhibit you or any one else from contributing.

I'm new here and this is only my second thread, so I'm trying my best!

Thanks again.

Here is the John Pilger film "War on Democracy". The part I'm referring to starts at about 20:00.

Narrator: "In the old Venezuela, the United States played the part of a mafia Godfather. The deal was simple: for supplying endless cheap oil, the Venezuelan rich kept a large slice of the profits. The election of Hugo Chavez ended the deal."

George Tenet, CIA Director 1997-04: "Obviously Venezuela is important because they're the 3rd largest supplier of petroleum. I would say that Mr Chavez, and the State Dept. may say this, probably doesn't have the United States at heart."

Colin Powell: "We have been concerned with some of the actions of Venezuelan President Chavez and his understanding of what a democratic system is all about."
Chavez: "I assure you that we tried to avoid the clash with the empire, but it was inevitable....We were trying to do the impossible. To have a revolution without crashing against the empire - it's impossible."

And now they want us to believe that this same Empire supports revolution across the middle east? The US's doublespeak is unbelievable. The guy is putting his country's/citizens interest ahead of a foreign nations', and they question his democratic qualities/capabilities for this?! It's insane, completely upside down.

"In Washington and Miami, and the country clubs of Caracas, getting rid of Chavez became an obsession. In early 2002, secret plans were laid by the Venezuelan opposition, with the media leading the attack.
Media clips: "Do you think the President is mad?"
"It's time for all of us to start discussing the transition, without Chavez, needless to say"

Sound familiar yet?

Now, this is where the protests start 21:57

Narrator: Anti-Chavez protesters took to the streets, their anger inflamed by the media.
Citizen 1: "There has never been someone so ugly and bad as this"
2: "Hugo Satan Chavez is the Antichrist. Is the demon, the dragon, Lucifer."
1: "He should leave immediately"
Narrator: The campaign to overthrow Chavez came to a head on April 11, 2002. An anti-Chavez protest march was called in the center of Caracas.

Narrator: What they didn't know, was that there were two marches that day. The other one was lead by Chavez supporters outside the Presidential palace known as Miraflores. The two rallies were supposed to be kept apart. But then an extraordinary series of events unfolded. Without warning, the opposition marches were redirected to the Presidential palace by one of the organizers.

23:30 - N: The opposition marchers were suddenly herded towards govt supporters. As they approached the Palace, shots rang out. They were being fired upon by snipers, who shot them one by one, many with a bullet to the head.
24:03 - Soon afterwards, these pictures began appearing on anti-govt TV, blaming the shooting on Chavez supporters on a city bridge.
Voice "They kept shooting-aiming and unloading their automatic weapons. This will go down in history. Thank God there's this evidence.They're shooting at the people marching below.This is an unspeakable act of savagery. Is this what they call a revolution?"
24:36 - N: However, as this camera angle reveals, there were no opposition marches on the street below the bridge. What the TV pictures did not show was this (24:52). The people on the bridge are clearly trying to protect themselves, crouching down to avoid the bullets of unknown snipers above them, and anti-Chavez police units below them. The people on the bridge were actually defending themselves." Witness/Photographer: "It was like a war zone that they had planned and were controlling." N: Within hours these military chiefs appeared on television. They too blamed Chavez and his supporters for the killings.
Military: "Venezuelans, the President of the Republic has betrayed the trust of his people. He is massacring innocent people with snipers. So far, six people have been killed and dozens wounded in Caracas. This is intolerable. We cannot accept a tyrant in the Republic of Venezuela."
N: It was all a set-up. The CNN correspondent in Caracas, Otto Newsteld, later revealed that the Generals had recorded their statement before the shootings..."

This post is all ready quite long, so I will stop now. (P.S, there is a subtitle button at the bottom of the video, but the film is in english.)
The point is, this has been done before many times, they've been caught red-handed and people still continue to give them legitimacy as altruistic 'democracy' seekers, when in fact, it's the opposite of what they do and stand for.

My main point is that this scenario has been played out by the US/NATO etc interests over and over. It just finished up in Libya.

Evil dictator firing on his own people™.

Until this film, I thought Chavez was indeed a monster. I had never heard of the coup, the US involvement, the feelings/will of the Venezuelan citizens, any of the good things he had done...none of it.

There absolutely ARE photoshopped pictures that take a crowd of supporters and turn them into 'protesters', in Libya and elsewhere. If everything is as they say, then WHY are they doing this?!

As Assad says in the interview, the newest one, if he was *really* massacring his people, can anyone imagine that he would STILL have the support of the military, who are after all Syrian people, almost 2 full years later?!?

It just does not add up, does not make sense, when you look at all the facts. I will keep trying to find, and post, actual facts instead of just conjecture.

I've just found 3 threads about Syria disinfo etc, reading thru them now.

Syria: The Real Situation www.abovetopsecret.com...


Syrian Girl Partisan Goes Public:
Mimi Al-Laham, "Syrian Activist" &
Iran Ministry of Info? www.abovetopsecret.com...

NATO Carrying out Vast Syria
Disinformation Campaign www.abovetopsecret.com...

In regard to the posts about the people who appeared to be Kurdish, I realized that it would be helpful to post the flags of each The Free Syrian Army, The Kurds, and the Syrian flag, so that when you see pictures/video of people waving flags you know who they are supposed to be representing.

The Syrian Flag:



The Free Syrian Army Flag:




The Kurdish Flag:



*This has been done many times, the media misrepresenting who the crowds are for/against

Originally posted by DragonFire1024

Proof? sure...


friendsofsyria.wordpress.com...

Don't know how reliable the source is but it claims that more than 23 Million people support Assad. The main report focuses on the FSA and "terrorists" supposedly with chemical agents in their possession which could be or are already being used in weapons.

During its operations in Maarat Noman city, in the highly infested Idleb countryside no thanks to Turkey’s involvement, the Syrian Arab Army units found a factory where Al Qaeda FSA Terrorists were manufacturing explosives and they found Chemical Agents where the terrorists were using it in the cocktails used in the explosives made there, a first discovery of its kind on the Syrian territories yet.

Evidence of Al-Qaeda operating in and around Syria

www.nytimes.com...

The video, posted on YouTube, is one more bit of evidence that Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists are doing their best to hijack the Syrian revolution, with a growing although still limited success that has American intelligence officials publicly concerned, and Iraqi officials next door openly alarmed.

So your government and intelligence agencies already know about the situation. I'm sure the French and the Poms also know..

www.cbsnews.com...

A shadowy jihadi group believed to have ties to al Qaeda fought alongside rebels who seized a government missile defense base in Syria on Friday, activists said. The news raises fears that extremists are taking advantage of the situation to get advanced weapons

Even your propaganda media outlets have been reporting about this situation.


This link is to a short video regarding the influence of terrorist networks in Syria.
video.msnbc.msn.com...

"Even your propaganda media outlets have been reporting about this situation."

Yes. And they're now reporting it as if it's some surprise, and to add insult to injury, Gaddafi and Assad were both saying this from the very beginning, and it was used against them - to ridicule them, make them appear crazy and deluded and absolute liars.

Another example: www.cnn.com...

reply to post by curiouscanadian777


Yeah, the middle east is a joke. Hows Egypt They have elected a new leader who has now pretty much gone and done the exact same thing as the previous leader Murbarak.. Its just a never ending Merry-go-round. Something needs to give... People are dying for nothing at the moment.

reply to post by DarknStormy


Wow. Never thought I would read the word "terrorist" so many times in one posting. If you or anyone else uses that word so much in the context you just used it in, then the word has lost its meaning. Using the word terrorist isn't a ticket for everyone you don't like to be called one.

Last I checked, officially, the FSA doesn't have any chemical weapons. Last I checked, one or two people making a video on YouTube isn't representative of everyone in Syria.

I try not to trust American MSM if I don't have to. Any agency that can use POV words like "shadowy" isn't reporting news. They are reporting opinions. Funny how one source can go as far to call them "jihadists" while another "news agency" in the same country doesn't do any such thing.

Originally posted by DragonFire1024
Wow. Never thought I would read the word "terrorist" so many times in one posting. If you or anyone else uses that word so much in the context you just used it in, then the word has lost its meaning. Using the word terrorist isn't a ticket for everyone you don't like to be called one.

There is enough information there to prove terrorists or foreign militia are assisting the FSA. Deny it all you want, facts are facts even if they are pure barf from the MSM outlets.

Last I checked, officially, the FSA doesn't have any chemical weapons. Last I checked, one person making a video on YouTube isn't representative of everyone in Syria.

Last I checked , Assad did and if Assad falls, the FSA and their militia buddies will have them.

I try not to trust American MSM if I don't have to. Any agency that can use POV words like "shadowy" isn't reporting news. They are reporting opinions. Funny how one source can go as far to call them "jihadists" while another "news agency" in the same country doesn't do any such thing.

I'm not a journalist, I don't know the ins and outs of a media outlet, I actually don't care but if those are reliable or reputable sources, I will use them.. What would you of thought if I just thrown up someones blog or rag-tag webpage? The point is that there is enough evidence through our media and 2-3rd party sources to suggest that Syria has been infiltrated by Militias that are not from Syria and because of that, I would throw my support behind the established government in Syria..

Syria is not the sort of country you want run by people with suspected links to terrorist networks. Chemical and Biological weapons are going to be in Syria whether Assad is there or not. Remember, some of the fighters in Syria have also threatened to turn on Israel.. I can't find the source but when I do, i will throw that up as well. The FSA are not as innocent as you think and they certainly do not represent the majority of Syria.

reply to post by DarknStormy


Hey if you want Syrians to be in a civil war the rest of their lives fine by me. Because until Assad goes, or a new government is formed, that's what is going to happen.

You aren't a journalist, but I am. I am sure not going to accuse the all of the FSA as being terrorists, because it is totally false and misleading. Most of the people of the FSA are defected Syrian soldiers or everyday citizens who decided to join a rebellion. If you think that makes someone a terrorist then so be it. At least in the US we have the constitutional duty to stand up against tyranny in the government.

There is more than enough proof to suggest that Assad and Co. are just as evil. Anyone who kills civilians without a second thought is just the same as a terrorist.


I don't know what you are calling a rag tag web page. If you don't want to believe facts, I am not going to sit here and force you to do so. The Friends of Syria is a legit organization:

The Group of Friends of the Syrian People[1] (sometimes: Friends of Syria Group or Friends of the Syrian People Group or Friends of Democratic Syria or simply Friends of Syria) is an international diplomatic collective of countries and bodies convening periodically on the topic of Syria outside the U.N. Security Council. The collective was created in response to a Russian and Chinese veto on a Security Council resolution condemning Syria; American president Barack Obama has stated that it was organized by the United States.[2]

How and where they choose to set up their website is their decision. I am sorry it's not hosted somewhere else. If you have an issue with how "rag tag" their site is, I am sure you can email them.

Ali علي ‏@_AHA
BREAKING: There are clashes between the FSA & regime forces in Abbasyeen square in the middle of #Damascus #Syria right now. twitter.com...

Well, I don't know what to say Dragon...

Respectfully - You call yourself a journalist, but if you are really choosing to believe this crap that the usual liars are peddling, I can only assume that you are either severely naive, severely deluded, or an outright propagandist yourself.

You seem to have refused to look at or read any of the articles and videos that have been posted, which are presenting a much different story than what we're being sold by our obvious and shameless lying propagandist media, (which has been caught in lies over and over); a story that conforms to their previous actions, and one that actually makes much more sense in regard to who's backing what side etc.

The only people who believe that group 'Friends of Syria' , (what a fine bit of doublespeak there by the way), has anything to do with friendship or the will of the Syrian people, are the people who have either been suckered in by all the lies, or the agents promoting those lies.

I'm going to keep looking for articles and videos to shed light on this whole situation, and hopefully find some actual proof and evidence to back up whichever side's claims. If I'm on the wrong side of this, I will be happy to admit it. Please keep an open mind, as that is what journalism is supposed to be about.

reply to post by curiouscanadian777


I will not condone a leadership killing civilians. Nor will I condone a leadership that accuses those fighting it of being terrorists when the government themselves is doing the same exact thing. All these people want is freedom from their oppressors. I stand my my comments that if that makes you a terrorist, so be it. It is mathematically impossible for all of the FSA to be terrorists.

Call me whatever names you want. I seek the truth, not propaganda. The propaganda would be trying to convince me that this is all a terrorist act and it's clearly not. I don't care if anyone supports the FSA or not.

I support freedom from tyranny and at the moment the FSA, in my opinion, is better than a government that will slaughter it's own people at the blink of an eye. This all started because the government decided that it's leadership was more important than the people and they killed innocent protesters and civilians for that. But lets just forget about that right?

"The Friends of Syria" is a legit organization"

Legit according to who? I've read articles about who they're funded by etc, and it is not what it seems or is being represented to be, and the same goes for the body called "Syrian Council of Human Rights" or something to that effect, which was largely responsible for a lot of the lies being touted by the media, which actually turned out to be one guy with no other documented/document-able, verified/verifiable sources besides himself and his friends. I will post something on that later.

Secondly, this is a few times now you've used Wikipedia as a source, which seems very un-journalistic to me. Anyone can write and edit those articles at any time, as we all know.

reply to post by curiouscanadian777


Ok well if you want, I can post every link to every source in those articles if you like. I quoted Wikipedia twice. Sue me.

"This all started because the government decided that it's leadership was more important than the people and they killed innocent protesters and civilians for that."

Allegedly this is why it started. This is under debate. This is the same thing they said about Libya, by the way, and it was completely untrue. Or do you believe the lies we were told about Libya as well? I'm assuming you must.

Everyone is making China and Russia out to be 'bad guys' in this, and yes, I'm sure that they have their interests, financial and otherwise, but the main point to remember is this:

They are on the side of International Law. Period. It is the UN/US/NATO who are on the wrong side in this, no matter how much they tell convincing stories otherwise that make them seem noble.

reply to post by curiouscanadian777


Are you kidding? How's that even close to being up for debate? The facts are facts and just because you may not like what those facts are, doesn't make them false.