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I didn't set a red line, the world set a red line. The world set a red line when government's
representing 98% of the world's population said the use of chemical weapons are abhorrent
and passed a treaty forbidding their use even when countries are engaged in war. The use
of chemical weapons in Syria is not only a tragedy but also a violation of international
law that must be addressed. Failing to respond to this outrageous attack would increase the
risk that chemical weapons could be used again. That they would fall into the hands of terrorists
who might use them against us.
The question is what are we? What are we, collectively? What are we in the world going
to do about it? We are the United States of America. We are the country that has tried,
not always successfully, but always tried to honour a set of universal values around
which we have organised our lives and our aspirations.
The plane they use is the provider, or C123. Each one carries a thousand gallons of defoliate,
which is very like ordinary weed-killer in common domestic use in America. It comes in
three main types; Agent Orange, Agent Blue and Agent White.
This crime against conscience, this crime against humanity, this crime against the most
fundamental principles of international community, against the norm of the international community,
this matters to us.
When the United States of America and the world say "never again" we don't mean sometimes,
we don't mean somewhere, never means never.