bashar al-assad has had bad moments (such as this very moment, as the people of jisr-al-shughour, where he's shot his own soldiers for refusing to fire on demonstrators, empties into turkey, knowing that they'll all be slaughtered otherwise). but he has many good qualities! he wasn't created by the cia, but rather by the totally awesome kgb. he hasn't endorsed the nato assault on gaddafi. he didn't assassinate that freedom fighter, osama. he hasn't really gotten on glenn greenwald's shitlist. he didn't get paul revere wrong. he hasn't called for vouchercare. as far as i know, he isn't a birther or a skeptic about climate change. so i say: enjoy the spectacle.
if you're wondering what the hell i'm doing: i'm asking: what actually does arouse your outrage, and why? i realize no one is endorsing assad. but i'm asking: how can you shrug this off, or get through it with a disclaimer, while pounding on what are comparative moral trivialities all day every day? how can sarah palin yapyaping get you worked up into a tizzy, while assad shooting demonstrators or torturing children makes you go: that's too bad. if we did take assad out, or try to, would that tick you off? then maybe some of that tickedoffedness is appropriate right now aimed at assad himself. if you have any commitment to - i don't know - opposing inequality or oppression, assad would be a good place to start. put that shit on your list.
