UN Aid for Assad - A Daily Kos Controversy Revisited

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Ever since Bob Dylan came out with Highway 61 Revisited, I have tried to work the word

"revisited" into a title when ever possible and this tweet and accompanying photograph give me ample excuse to revisit a dairy I wrote at the Daily Kos that either launched or greatly boasted a movement by Assad supporters, anti-interventionists and Obama defenders that a few days later was successful in having me banned from the Daily Kos.

For them it went beyond the pale of civilized discourse to suggest that the United Nations was giving aid to Syria in a way that would benefit Assad in this conflict.

UN aid ends up in the hands of Hezbollah & Assad thugs in Qusair! Scandalous! twitter.com/THAERSORY/stat… #Syria

— Nuff Silence (@NuffSilence) June 9, 2013

That diary of 21 January 2013 was:
UN reveals its real stand on Syria, giving Assad $500 million

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The very idea that the United Nations was planning to give to the government of Syria, and you know who that means, over $500 million dollars with no real control, meaning really no strings attached, was to me so incredible that at first I didn't believe it.

I have been saying for a long time that that world body, and even the United States, was in reality in Assad's corner, but this bold contribution to his war effort surprised even me. I had to read it for myself in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humantarian Affairs [OCHA] Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan for Syria (1 January - 30 June 2013)

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Here are some of the comments my detractors at the Daily Kos left to his diary:

Are you really that thick? The Syrian government has no control over the money. --InAntalya

This diary is nonsense. Keep your politics out of things you know nothing about.

The OCHA is not allowed to take sides nor make moral judgements in a conflict. Just as the Red Cross and Red Crescent are not. The time honored principles of neutrality in a conflict MUST be adhered to by these agencies. --Claudius Bombarnac

Your ignorance and maliciousness are breathtaking. -- InAntalya

Try to learn at least a little about the subject you are writing about before you write, then you won't look like such a fool. --InAntalya

Crap like this diary of Claiborne's only exacerbates the situation. The humanitarian agencies MUST remain neutral to be effective. --Claudius Bombarnac

The Assad regime [Syrian government] has been conducting a terror campaign to stay in power for 22 months. Civilians aren't collateral damage in its campaign, they are the targets.

Assad is attempting to use "pain compliance" against the Syrian people. He is attempting the kill enough and destroy enough so that the pain will be so great that the opposition will just give up.

Then he will slaughter anyone remaining who opposes him.

He is a gangster and no NGOs operate in Syria without his approval. Once these $500 million enter Syria, in whatever form, or to whatever account, he will have a big say over how they are spent and to that extend, they will spent to further his war effort.

The first and most important humanitarian relief the Syrian people need is and end to all bombs, shells and missiles from jet planes and helicopters. They are doing the most destruction and killing the most children.

The UN certainly shouldn't be giving money to organizations controlled by the government that is doing that.-- Clay Claiborne

Another terrible diary of lies and distortion of facts. --Blue Wind

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