The Week That Was

**President Obama held a national security meeting on the issue of Syria. Chuck Hagel announced that American forces were en route to Syria. British newspapers reported that President Obama had talked to UK Prime Minister Cameron about aerial attacks on Syria. Syria has rapidly turned around saying that the UN could investigate the use of chemical weapons. The US said that it was too late because Syria's shelling of the territory contaminated the evidence. Congressional leaders from both parties urged "surgical strikes" against the Syrian regime. It was reported this week that there were over 1 million child refugees fleeing Syria.

**Al Qaeda declared war on Hezbollah for this week's bombing in Tripoli. Egypt has expanded its definition of Islamists to go beyond the Moslem Brotherhood to round up others opposed to the military government. The Egyptian government released Hosni Mubarack to house arrest, while rounding up leaders of the Moslem Brotherhood.

**Jack Kelly of the Pittsburgh-Gazette reported that the Americans killed at Benghazi were on a secret mission to buy back surface to air missiles from Al Qaeda when they were attacked. 

**Russia, Iran and Syria have warned the US not to engage in military strikes in Syria because it will ignite a regional war. Both Russia and Iran have steadfastly supported the Syrian regime of Assad. Syria contains the only port facility for Russia outside its country.

**This past week saw the DOJ call for amnesty for Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz,Rice, Rumsfeld in a court case brought before a San Francisco Circuit Court by a Jordanian women on the Iraq War.

++Naturally, after such a move, Dick Cheney attacked President Obama on national security and voiced support of the NSA spying programs.

++Meanwhile, President Obama concluded his tour of New York State and Pennsylvania where he was met by enthusiastic crowds. He outlined his view of reducing student debt and challenged the Congressional Republicans to "defund" Obamacare.

++Republican town halls were a fizzle since there was pushback on Obamacare and little concern about immigration reform. John Boehner said that he was looking for an interim funding agreement to keep the government open past September 30 and Ricky Cantor said that Republicans would look at the debt ceiling debate as a way to have leverage on "defunding Obamacare". Democrats looked at the January session of Congress as an opportunity to end the Sequester. Because of procedural matters,January  begins $100 billion in Defense cuts, which Republicans say they opposed, even though they were the ones who agreed to them.

++Eric Holder initiated a lawsuit against Texas for their new Voting Law and vowed it was the first of many to come. Kudos to Rachel Maddow for covering the deplorable situation in North Carolina by broadcasting live from the Tarheel state.

++The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington brought to DC over 100,000 people who heard John Lewis reprise his role from the first March to attack the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act and vowing to fight further attempts at voter suppression. 

++The end of August brought forth more craziness. Republicans seemed to have abandoned any pretense at reason suggesting now that President Obama should just be impeached since we have no other thing to offer. Maureen Dowd in today's New York Time highlights the delicious lunacy of the GOP in advocating this on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

++Ed Filner resigned as mayor of San Diego after the 19th women complained about sexual harassment. His former Republican rival, who still dreams of being Mayor, seems to share some of Filner's problems. He was caught masturbating in public in a men's room.

++Other crazy items. President Obama may have a cute new Portuguese water-dog but he has no white dogs and the new waterdog is actually called Sunni.World Nut Daily says that Obama's step-brother manages investments for the Moslem Brotherhood and received a non-profit designation from the IRS signed by Mrs. Lerner, the focus of Darryl Issa's investigations. While various religious fundamentalists have called for armed struggle against the American government,the Sovereign Citizens movement was busted in Las Vegas for plotting to kill police officers. If you didn't know, an argument against same sex marriage is that Lesbians will force Gay Males to have their children and enslave them. I don't know whether they will enslave the gay males or the children.

++The House Republicans have scheduled a full-blown hearing on Climate Change when they get back. They have subpoenaed all the agencies involved in implementing the climate change policies of President Obama. Expect a lot of attacks on climate change as a hoax. One of the GOP congressman claims that only radical environmentalists receive grants to study the subject.

++Pvt. Manning wants to be known as Chelsea. This sparked off a whole debate on transsexuals. Manning's lawyer says he will sue for hormone treatment and sex change procedures. The military says they have never done such things in the past. 

++The New York Times has finally teamed up with the Guardian to print Snowden's NSA documents. Glenn Greenwall promises more revelations.