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congressman Alan Grayson is on the line with us representing the night this trip
to Florida
congressman with gots dot com famously although
don't attacked Surat Syria dot com
he has is a a new petition site associated with congressman grace I
believe congressman grace walk back the program
thanks from that petition site is giving people a chance to do something that
many people want to do
which has to weigh in on this and express their dissatisfaction with the
idea that we're going to get sucked into yet another war in the Middle East
yeah I don't recall anyplace
in the in our treaties are in the United Nations treaties
where it says that the United States has the job to enforce
international law in my day miss something
its even worse than that farm and I appreciate
shoe a almost exclusively helping to try to
bring some attention to that important issue I
for UN Charter is very clear on this point I'll
one nation should not the attack in other nation unilaterally
whatever the rationale might be and
the administration has even attempted to argue that
there are trying to build a case International Bar because they're not
instead what's it doing its argue that they're trying to vindicate
international norms I
if shipped in them tell that if you require further what you do to find out
that they're relying on the convention against chemical weapons
and unfortunately Syria never signed back to action
right international or no in forestry
conventions but other countries side so they left with this very
week art that there's this norm that they have to enforce
other course international waters on a farm in force
norms routing force applause I've been to
recently I've been to South Sudan had spent a fair amount to tie myself a cure
the new president there
and up I've been up in the north on the border with there are four
I have watched from the air as a village was burned
a a good friend of mine went along and adopted brought brought back a child who
is who is
mother had been taken the slavery had been hung upside down had um
the red-top paper put in his eyes he's blind
he's a he's a perk in school right now um i've seen
people love who yeah I i just go on and on I mean I
you know what is going on in in South Sudan northern South Sudan and r4
is horrific I've been in Uganda I was there during the war with the Dr mean
on they've got some problems now you could lead that we have terrible
problems down in mister
Mugabe's a Mugabe land in zimbabwe that North Korea is no paragon of
I mean if once we begin once we decide that we're the ones who are going to
protect innocent people from bad governments where does it stop
it doesn't and this is why it's clear at this point whatever the humanitarian
impulses that certain people may have
but Americans stop wanna be the world policemen
and chance for to be the world's policeman
the British government estimated it recommends products also much this will
cost
with the British government Smith discourse America
apiece two billion dollars first being contemplated
and that's just the tip of the iceberg as you point out if we're going to
attack Syria
like us last respect for what Eurotech for bikers for us to attack somalia
for taxable I i gotchu in Africa coach area
to protect that your scraps attack Mexico
wine and and I put the Democratic Republic of Congo in there to make you
what's going on there in a five million people I mean is that this is the
I it just goes on and on and on and and and
and his billion dollars at a time when we're cutting food stamps really
right and twenty million americans are looking for full-time work and friends
as you point out fortify the liver cancer life on the cover to feature
a very funny parts which justify spending a billion car so I think its
commercial
Syria when we know it's not going to which wouldn't dictatorship it's not
even going to take away their ability to
to cast their own population in the future right it would be a at
boasts a slap on the wrist an ineffective wanna
first we have a long history and you know ronald reagan did it with grenada
arm a arguably few other places
on clinton in
in bosnia although you know there was a lot enormous amount to world pressure on
that but do we have a long history presidents wanted to have small
successful wars as george bush junior pointed out that is
if his father's warhead lasted not three days but thirty days or maybe three
three or four months that he probably would've got reelected
and I there's this impulse to do this I
I i'm I'm wondering if you have any interest in speculating about what the
motives behind as my beer if you're simply asserting that they're just
the there's no reason for us to be there well the latter
you know I i'm I'm not going interest the
in doing so kinda park to watch quick seven nation under President small
secretary characters motors racing like them
I don't get to go to the motorcyclist had to go to other plans
and their proposals and I'm Kirk for a concert
it it's not our responsibility
on it won't do any good its expenses
and it's dangerous we attacked them they attacked us
then we're in another war yeah and and the date my
on all make this my final comment in and you can have whatever you like
my biggest concern here is given the fact
that Russia and Iran have very substantial interests in the region
and and treaty interests in the region as do we
in with other countries in the region that this
could have the potential and I realize it's remote but it could have the
potential to be an archduke ferdinand moment
I'm curious your thoughts on that well much more so that a metal chain one
moment for where
secretary carriers right around and suggested a Munich moments
I competitor operation but nothing else
yeah are the yardley is
Kiwi we have plundered into war for
are most benign explanation of the war in Iraq is that we
wandered into it and that's ok four trillion dollars
and four thousand american lives in a quarter of a million Iraqi allies tries
to extricate herself from
that and the same thing could happen all over again I pointed out to people
on several occasions now that the good embassy is a two-minute pics flight from
Syrian border
I don't understand why people think we can fit them but they can't
us and of course pets words get started
if Iran is already involved as follows: already involved
this relates are to some degree already at fault
search for unfortunately involved in being tracked into this
kicking and screaming and the Dragon Emperor involved from the fact that
they're hosting over a billion rescue just right now it's our turn on at all
like betting
where what what we're doing is we're were were tossing
are on this or into a tinderbox yeah
I the I it well I will feature flick: to the arguments that are made
favorite action at what the consequences might be it seems to me just as likely
or more white three but we will see negative consequences instead of
positive once
and I i you know i i I I think it's extraordinarily unfortunate
we felt any innocent people dying anywhere and but for any cause the
courts to the corpse
workers killed by KS reports bombs
but a if subway does not
make us responsible for it which can't afford to be the world's policeman
well the world's judge Centurion executioner any alter
people understand this you know what's interesting is not only
the number of people who work at says the polls reflect
but the intensity of their feeling the fact that
in in almost no time.we have 25,000 people come to the tone attack serious
dark
website and put their name to and these are people are going to be calling
their congressmen are people gonna be email your congressman
their people who realize for the for at a moment there
were turning point %uh it we have to get past this idea
that every time we see something we don't like we partner
rent yeah it's the old Abe as low you know when the only tool you have is a
hammer every problem looks like a nail
we've got a very very good hammer and in our military
and we should be having a hammer in in building schools and bill
you know other things but com well you know we call it
the Department of Defense yeah and I
it suppose to defend Americans and our allies
are no americans have been attacked here the paralyzed have been attacked your
and are whatever we do that's being contemplated now is not going to
really in the end review anyone suffering or avoid anyone suffering
if anything %uh it could extended
and prolong and magnify the agony we have a situation right now where there's
been a civil war going on for several years
it's beyond our ability to and gonna continue regardless
it's becoming a proxy battle between so many crazies and Shiite crazies
on I don't feel any particular need
ok intervene in the battle like I I think most people would say a plague on
both your houses
kasinga but you guys sitting in a basement are standing in a basement need
up to their ankles in gasoline yelling at each other and we walking with a hand
grenade
yeah congressman Alan Grayson don't attack
Syria that common course grace and out how's that govern congressman was got
stuck on
congressman thank you so much for the great work you're doing thank you Tom
thank you for great work through
thanks for being with us we'll be right
you're listening to the Thom Hartmann program
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still a few people who tell if like it is the way the congressman oh in recent
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