Back Page Surprise

“Syria likely crossed line on nerve agents, U. S. says” is the headline of an article on page one of today’s Seattle Times. The stampede has begun to get involved militarily as the “red line” has obviously been crossed. Leaders from both parties in congress have called for action…

But, not so fast. On the back page near the end of the article is a huge caveat. “A person familiar with the issue, who asked not to be further identified, said that only a miniscule trace of a “byproduct” – a toxic residue left behind after use of a nerve agent, and which he did not identify – had been found in a soil sample.

“The found trace amounts of a byproduct in soil, but there are also fertilizers that give out the same byproduct,” the person said, “It’s far from conclusive.”

This the same kind of misgivings that, if heeded, could have kept us out of the Iraq debacle.

At this point let’s pause and look at who wrote this and for which news agency it comes. The byline is “By Anne Gearan and Craig Whitlock The Washington Post”. Is this a unique source? Let’s google the phrase “miniscule amount of sarin”… Whoa! This is going to take awhile…

The very first (top of the page) link is Sarin bomb – Car Forums and Automotive Chat. Even though its from a post dated, 05 – 25 – 2004, it is by Scott Ritter. Hmm. That’s a familiar name. Oh, THAT Scott Ritter

• Scott Ritter was a UN weapons inspector in Iraq (1991-1998) and is author of ‘Frontier Justice: Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Bushwhacking of America.’

And it does have some relevant information… and there is a link to none other than The Christian Science Monitor. That’s a pretty reliable publication, in case anybody asks you.
One can get a wealth of information via Google, so do so before you jump on the bandwagon. I would offer this precaution to congressmen who are quick to urge the administration to make bold military steps… as long as other peoples’ family members go into the valley of death and destruction.