Syrian President Bashar Assad apparently didn't get the Koran memo about not killing his own people during the Muslim holy month of Ramadam. He's ordered his military to lay siege to the Syrian city of Latakia where his regime's opponents have seized control of the local government and inspired other anti-Assad protests around Syria. For a guy like Assad, that's not the kind of protest a brutal dictator can tolerate. After all, look what happened to Mubarak in Egypt. Mubarak allowed Egyptian protests to take hold and he ended up in jail facing trial and calls for his death. Assad read the tea leaves. He's opted to use violence to quash the rebellion and the Syrian military is only too happy to comply.
Syrian navy vessels have bombarded the city of Latakia from coastal waters with rockets and scores of Syrian tanks have attacked the city from the east with a constant stream of mortar fire. Innocent civilians, whose only crime is their desire for freedom from tyranny and oppression, are caught in the middle of an unmerciful assault intended to level their city.
We've seen this story countless times before, in places like Iran and Libya and Bosnia, where brutal totalitarian regimes resort to senseless violence to hold onto power, and are willing to sacrifice any number of innocent civilians in the course of doing so.
I wish political would come to appreciate that killing is not the answer. Dare I dream?
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