Goosing Turkey

  

 As Kobani's Kurds - with help from the United States -

Hold off ISIL fighters, Turkish forces shut the gates;

Haven't let the Kurds from Turkey reinforce the town,

And it isn't just their borders Ankara's shut down.

They've been less than useless - even bombing local Kurds.

Were their promises to help with ISIL only words?

Erdogan's demanding more than we're prepared to do;

(He wants us to promise that Assad's a target, too)

Taking on another foe before we've crushed the first.

Assad is a tyrant, true...  But ISIL's still the worst.

Time that Turkey offers us a neighborly assist...

Let's take care of ISIL before adding to our list.

Is Turkey Chicken?

Even though the Turks agreed to help us hunt them down

ISIL fighters are about to seize another town.

Feet across the border into Syria, it sits

But, 'though U.S. airstrikes have been blowing them to bits,

ISIL (with its heavy, hand-held  weapons) will still win

If the town can't get some reinforcements coming in.

U.S. wants the Turks to help...  So far, they've said "No thanks"

Even though the border's lined with Turkish troops and tanks.

Since Kobani's Kurdish there are people who believe

Turkey thinks its residents deserve what they'll receive.

I think it's more complicated - but it's also time

Turkey does its part to help us stop a new war-crime.

Dear Secretary Kerry... Sincere Sympathies on Your Dream Job

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry...  Poor bastard.

Secretary Kerry has his work cut out for him;

Situation in the Middle East is pretty grim.

Civil war in Syria; the circumstances dire.

Innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire.

Plus 2 million refugees have packed their things and fled.

Assad's neighbors have to try and keep those people fed.

War's been dragging on for 2 years now; no end in sight.

The United States stayed on the sidelines of the fight.

Now - so rumor has it - CIA is helping out;

Shipping arms to rebels so the battle's not a rout.

Trying hard to pick and choose who's gonna get the guns

In a region that's known warfare since Attila's Huns.

Egypt's on the brink of a collapse...  They're out of cash.

Thus, their fragile government may hit a wall and smash.

Even with intentions that are pure as driven snow,

Morsi's in a bind if the economy won't grow.

And, of course, there's Israel and Palestine, as well.

You call that the Holy Land?  It's more akin to Hell.

It's no wonder Hillary decided that she'd quit;

Let poor Secretary Kerry try to deal with it.

Across the Pond - Pharaoh Morsi

Figured that Thanksgiving was ideal to take a break.

Thought it would be quiet; that was clearly a mistake.

Egypt has a Pharaoh now; the Muslim Brotherhood

Placed itself beyond the law and that, my friends, ain't good.

Morsi says his actions won't be subject to review...

Neither judges nor the law can tell him what to do.

Says it's only temporary; his intentions pure.

Demonstrators back in Tahrir Square don't seem as sure.

Morsi was elected as the President because

The reformers couldn't choose which candidate theirs was.

Liberal choices split the vote; Conservatives stepped in.

Feels as if the Arab Spring released an evil djinn.

Middle East is frightening with Syria, Iran,

(Not to mention our poor troops still in Afghanistan)

Israel and Palestine and Turkey's bomb request...

Almost every one of them wants something from the West.

Across the Pond - Syria. Stop the Presses!

Syrian President Bashar Assad

Stop the presses! Assad says that Syria's at war.

After 16 months of heavy shelling I'd have swore

Anyone who's paid attention has to recognize

That Assad's announcement isn't much of a surprise.

He insists that terrorists who want him overthrown

Are behind the killings, yet protests have only grown.

Just shot down a Turkish jet...  That sounds like war to me.

Assad's on a pace to top his father's killing spree.

Now the Russians want to meet - including with Iran -

Turkey, the United States; discuss the Annan plan.

Problem is that they insist Assad should get to stay;

Something opposition fighters won't accept.  No way.

There's been too much killing.  There's too many babies dead.

No-one can forgive the way Bashar Assad has led...

Greeted Arab Spring by using bullets and some tanks.

If Assad's a precondition, have to say - "No, thanks."

Across the Pond - Syrian Escalation

excerpted from
Article first published as Syria Fires Into Turkey and Lebanon on Technorati.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad (Photo credit: The Examiner)

I would think that escalation isn't what was meant

After all the time and effort Kofi Annan spent

Hashing out agreements with the Syrian regime

But, that's what he's gotten for his efforts it would seem.

Now, instead of winding down, Assad is ramping up.

Should we have anticipated he would do so? Yup.

But I never dreamed he'd dare to shoot and injure Turks,

Well across the border, doing refuge aid works.

Turkey's not the only country's border that's been crossed;

Lebanese photographer was also shot and lost.

It's not just the Syrians that Assad's people killed.

I would bet his few remaining allies weren't thrilled.

How much longer will it be?  How many more must die

Before Russians and Chinese are tired of the guy?

Very clear his promises to stop to the UN

Are a stalling tactic that will fail. What happens then?