Blog 332 | The Libertarian Institute

Poll On Americans Attitude To Syria Pull-out

by Steven Woskow | Oct 14, 2019 | Blog

Of course their is a partisan divide among Republicans and Democrats.

Among Democrats, 57 percent say they feel it was wrong to remove U.S. troops from the region. Despite criticism from leading Republicans, only 16 percent of GOP supporters think the withdrawal was the wrong call.

Their is a large percentage of people that are undecided. Independents are fairly split on the issue but even among independents, a large percent were undecided. Of course polls are only a snap-shot in time.

More at Statista

FBI Spied on Anti-War Journalists

by Eric Garris | Oct 13, 2019 | Blog

Naomi Karavani of Redacted Tonight (on Russia Today) gives a humorous account of the FBI spying on Antiwar.com and our vindication in the courts.

The Police Are Not Your Security Force. They Are Your Enemy.

by Scott Horton | Oct 13, 2019 | Blog

They hate you. They’d have fun killing you. They are accountable to no one.

Unclear on the Concept

by Scott Horton | Oct 13, 2019 | Blog

With a nod to the old News of the Weird:

Robber Dies After Pulling Gun on Armed Store Clerk – Crook’s Family Outraged the Clerk Defended Himself

Roosevelt Rappley, 23, died Wednesday evening after allegedly drawing his gun inside a Dollar General and demanding money from employees, WHIO reported. …

In an interview with WHIO, two of Rappley’s relatives spoke out against what they characterize as an unjust killing.

“[You shouldn’t have] took matters in your own hands and brought a gun to work for safety,” Rappley’s sister, Rashell, told the local outlet.

While conceding their younger brother – the second of their ten siblings to be killed by gunfire – shouldn’t have tried to rob the store, Rappley’s relatives say the punishment didn’t fit the crime.

“At the end of the day, that’s not right,” Rashell said.

“He’s got some responsibility, but not all,” she told WHIO in reference to how much blame her brother bears for his own death.

“Yes, he’s robbing y’all. Oh well. Call the police. That’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re not supposed to take matters into your own hands,” Rashell added. “If that’s the case, I’ll take matters into my own hands.”

The Controversy Is Not Really About the Syrian Kurds, But Iran’s Presence There

by Scott Horton | Oct 13, 2019 | Blog

That’s why Obama started this war in the first place, of course.

And the Israelis’ concern now is that since the war backfired and Iran has a greater presence in Syria than ever before, that Trump could follow-up his withdrawal from northeastern Syrian Kurdistan with a pull out from the Al Tanf base in the southeast, leaving Israel to deal with the mess that they helped make.

Jerusalem Post: Can Israel trust the U.S. after Syria withdrawal?

Jerusalem Post/JTA: Two senators reach across the aisle to tackle the Syria nightmare: The pushback Trump got from Democrats and Republicans alike in the wake of his abandonment of the Kurds would be tenfold were he to throw Israel to the wolves.

JTA: Sen. Lindsey Graham calls troop withdrawal from Syria a ‘nightmare for Israel’

Reuters: Israel uneasy over Trump’s refusal to stand by Kurds

New York Times: Israelis Watch U.S. Abandon Kurds, and Worry: Who’s Next?

Andrew McCarthy Warns Trump: Senate Republicans Could Turn On Him Over Syria

by Scott Horton | Oct 13, 2019 | Blog

Turn on him in the impeachment crisis, that is. Writes Andrew McCarthy, former federal prosecutor and prominent defender of Trump during Russiagate, and foreign policy hawk in the National Review:

Bad impeachment news for Trump – GOP senators enraged by Turkey’s invasion of Syria

What is impeachment for? Seems like a simple question. Constitutionally speaking, it also appears to have a simple answer: to cite and remove from power a president guilty of wrongdoing.

Aye, there’s the rub. What sort of wrongdoing warrants removal from power?

I’d wager that the flames of impeachment were stoked more this week by President Trump’s foreign policy than they have been by any purported impeachable offense his opponents have conjured up over the last three years.

By redeploying a few dozen American troops in Syria, the president acceded to a Turkish invasion of territory occupied by the Kurds. Ostensibly, that has nothing to do with the impeachment frenzy over Ukraine, whose government Democrats accuse the president of pressuring to dig up dirt on a political rival. But Turkey’s aggression could crack the president’s impeachment firewall.

Well ain’t that what all the fuss has been about all along?

Read the rest here.