Bomb them back into the Stone Age!

What happened in Syria is awful, an abomination, something I trained to deal with whilst in the Army. And it terrified me. You don't do that to your own people.
But who did it and how does the international community ie the rest of us deal with it?
What lessons have we learned from the past?
Not much apparently because the US President and the UK PM really want to drop bombs on someone and soon, just to show how decisive we are.
After all they have the proof of whom they think did it. Don't they? Well they have Intelligence Best Guesses and can use the same Intelligence Networks that provided incontrovertible proof of Weapons of Mass Destruction - call them WMD it's catchier - in Iraq? Didn't they? No they didn't.
We were flying UN weapons inspectors in Iraq right up to the day of the invasion when our helicopters had to flee to Cyprus.
There were no WMD but the Americans, ok Pres Bush, had unfinished business there that Daddy had left him to sort out.
Oh, and I am convinced that G Bush I did not know that Iran and Iraq are different countries.
"Iran - Iraq what's the diff, still a bunch of A-Rabs with oil that they don't deserve; show me on a map; can anyone show me on a map?"
So they put boots on the ground, planes in the air, bombs in bunkers...and market places and schools, all on a best guess.
And they were wrong and the effects were wide ranging and horrific.
The casualties were horrific.
On both sides.
And it led to Afghanistan.
Do we see a pattern here?
So, we don't want to cause "regime change" like we did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Panama, and a host of others going back over the ages, how did they work out, eh?
We'll just engage in "surgical strikes" that will hurt the regime, oh and innocent people who should not be there anyway. Think of Yugoslavia, Libya...
Oh and we won't get involved in places that really need us (almost anywhere in Africa) but produce no economic benefit. What would we do with the Congo?
Now President Obama, he of the unearned Nobel Peace Prize, and unkept promises and his sing-song gospel mission preacher rhetoric wants his place on the world stage; after all he is not exactly winning over his own people so let's bomb someone who will appreciate him!
I digress, so what's new, best quote I read in a while: "Obama thinks he is King, but he's no Martin Luther". The man should be given a Ph.D in saying nothing of any consequence.
What will happen? Well the Brits voted out any action but there is a small option available to the PM to take action in the nation's interest, whatever that might be. Obama has the same option, he can surgically strike to protect American interests so long as he doesn't put boots on the ground. Unless those boots are advisors. Vietnam?
As we disentangle from Afghanistan and eventually from Iraq it frees us up to entangle in Iran (who keep tweaking the tail of the lion and need to be taught a lesson) we will find ourselves involved in Syria, will enact regime change and get stuck with another fundamental western hating government and annoying Turkey, the Kurds, Israel and a host of peoples most Americans have never heard of.
Then the US can wonder why they are not liked around the world.
So, back to the premise: "Bomb them back into the Stone Age" or those parts of their countries that are not still in it.

My dog died.

You steel yourself; 

you're tough, you've been there, 

done that. 

Active service; hard training. 

Then you take your dog to the vet 

and tell him that you know 

there is nothing to do for her 

so please end her suffering. 

Then you say "goodbye" 

and hold her in your arms 

as she dies. 

And it opens up that other memory 

of 14 years ago. 

And you cry.

Empty house and empty heart

I've always hated coming home

to an empty house

But one constant this past

fourteen years was being greeted

by one who loved me

who was always happy to see me

and would let me know

if I were late.

Who would share my bed

and refuse to move

when I couldn't get my legs in.

Who'd let me know

if someone were outside

or might be

at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Who'd remind me that its time

to go out for a walk

and get my exercise.

When I really didn't want to

go out in the rain.

Who knew my moods 

and understood me

and forgive me if I were sharp.

Who shared my food

and appreciated anything

I cooked.

That all ended yesterday

and now I come home

to an empty house

and I hate it.