Letters: Obama’s case on Syria

Re “Obama puts Syria strike push on hold,” Sept. 11

President Obama hit the nail on the head in his address to the nation Tuesday evening. By giving the American people logical, articulate answers to questions raised about involvement in Syria, he won my vote for limited military strikes on the Bashar Assad regime if necessary.

As a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am the last person who wants to see another drawn-out conflict involving our military. Yet the precedent must not be set that it is acceptable to use chemical weapons, ever, for any reason.

Evan Aitkens

Mission Viejo

Are we to stand by and watch Syrian civilians, including children, be gassed to death just because no Americans are involved in that nation’s civil war? Where is our humanity regarding the mass murder taking place in that country? What kind of world would we live in if each country decided it “should not get involved” even in situations where innocent children are being murdered?

Americans weren’t the victims of Hitler’s purge and genocide of the Jewish populations of the European countries he and his Nazi forces invaded. But the Allies joined together to defeat him.

Christian politicians should know that such isolationist ideology is totally at odds with what the Bible teaches about caring for others.

Gail Marie Noon

San Pedro

It’s time for Congress and Obama to understand this is a war-weary nation that doesn’t want to get involved in Syria.

If we must wage war, let’s do it at home and put the military/industrial complex to work combating poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, infrastructure decay and ignorance.

Anne Proffit

Long Beach

Re “U.S. weighs Russia’s offer on Syria arms,” Sept. 10

Shouldn’t credit for the idea to have Syria hand over its chemical weapons arsenal to avoid a U.S. strike — a proposal often called the “Kerry plan” or the “Russian plan” — be given to Bennett Ramberg, who presented it in his letter to the editor in Saturday’s Times?

Perhaps Ramberg, who was identified as having “served in the State Department’s Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs in the George H. W. Bush administration,” should be invited by Obama to advise him on implementing this idea.

Lee Molho

Los Angeles

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