No evidence of chemical attack in Douma (Syria)

[ABX]

A British journalist who interviewed a doctor in the Syrian town of Douma claims he told him there was no evidence of a chemical attack.

Dr Assim Rahaibani, 58, said the video showing children gasping for breath - which triggered the weekend bombing campaign by the UK, US and France - is genuine.

But he explained to Robert Fisk, writing for the Independent, that patients were overcome not by gas but by oxygen starvation in the rubbish-filled tunnels and basements in which they lived, on a night of wind and heavy shelling that stirred up a dust storm....

https://www.aol.co.uk/news/2018/04/17/no-evidence-of-chemical-attack-in-douma-doctor/

[ABX]

Flashback to February from the last time...

Now Mattis Admits There Was No Evidence Assad Used Poison Gas on His People

Lost in the hyper-politicized hullabaloo surrounding the Nunes Memorandum and the Steele Dossier was the striking statement by Secretary of Defense James Mattis that the U.S. has “no evidence” that the Syrian government used the banned nerve agent Sarin against its own people.
This assertion flies in the face of the White House (NSC) Memorandum which was rapidly produced and declassified to justify an American Tomahawk missile strike against the Shayrat airbase in Syria.

http://www.newsweek.com/now-mattis-admits-there-was-no-evidence-assad-using-poison-gas-his-people-801542

[Rivergirl]

Chlorine bombs good, Sarin, not so good.
What kind of insanity is this.

[Elderberry]

Of course they were starved for oxygen! Stupid Doctor!

Content Background: How Does Nerve Gas Affect the Body?

If a person is exposed to a high dose of nerve gas1, death ensues within minutes. Death is produced by respiratory arrest. With lower levels of exposure, fatalities can still occur within the first 24 hours. The victim will suffer many effects prior to succumbing by respiratory arrest. These include, intense constriction of the pupils (miosis) and severe eye pain, constriction of the bronchioles producing labored breathing, nausea and vomiting, lacrimation (tearing), salivation, sweating, urination, defecation, (basically everything oozes out!) and muscle twitching leading to muscle paralysis. Signs that the nerve gas gets into the brain include; anxiety, confusion, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures and respiratory depression. Death is usually the result of respiratory failure. This occurs by 2 routes. The nerve gas acts directly on the diaphragm (smooth muscle) to paralyze it and it also inhibits the firing rate of neurons in an area of the brainstem that controls breathing. This area is called the respiratory center and it contains neurons that send their axons to the diaphragm to cause muscle contraction, and thus, breathing. After chronic exposure to low levels of nerve gas, victims suffer from a variety of neurological and mental disorders including; depression, insomnia, loss of memory, mental confusion and cognitive problems. This was typical in US soldiers exposed to nerve gas in Iraq during the dismantling of chemical weapons after the Gulf War.

https://sites.duke.edu/thepepproject/module-4-military-pharmacology-it-takes-nerves/content-background-how-does-nerve-gas-affect-the-body/

[ABX]

Of course they were starved for oxygen! Stupid Doctor!

Content Background: How Does Nerve Gas Affect the Body?

If a person is exposed to a high dose of nerve gas1, death ensues within minutes. Death is produced by respiratory arrest. With lower levels of exposure, fatalities can still occur within the first 24 hours. The victim will suffer many effects prior to succumbing by respiratory arrest. These include, intense constriction of the pupils (miosis) and severe eye pain, constriction of the bronchioles producing labored breathing, nausea and vomiting, lacrimation (tearing), salivation, sweating, urination, defecation, (basically everything oozes out!) and muscle twitching leading to muscle paralysis. Signs that the nerve gas gets into the brain include; anxiety, confusion, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures and respiratory depression. Death is usually the result of respiratory failure. This occurs by 2 routes. The nerve gas acts directly on the diaphragm (smooth muscle) to paralyze it and it also inhibits the firing rate of neurons in an area of the brainstem that controls breathing. This area is called the respiratory center and it contains neurons that send their axons to the diaphragm to cause muscle contraction, and thus, breathing. After chronic exposure to low levels of nerve gas, victims suffer from a variety of neurological and mental disorders including; depression, insomnia, loss of memory, mental confusion and cognitive problems. This was typical in US soldiers exposed to nerve gas in Iraq during the dismantling of chemical weapons after the Gulf War.

https://sites.duke.edu/thepepproject/module-4-military-pharmacology-it-takes-nerves/content-background-how-does-nerve-gas-affect-the-body/

Not saying what the doctor is saying is true (just the spin put out there).. but the claim wasn't they weren't starved for oxygen, but the cause behind it.

[ABX]

Another source is saying the same thing. OAN (One America News- Conservative network) reporters on the ground.

OAN Reporter in Syria ‘Finds No Evidence of Chemical Weapon Attack in Douma’

Pearson Sharp of One America News obtained exclusive access to where the chemical attack was alleged to take place in Douma and is reporting and that after interviewing dozens of people, the consensus by residents is that the incident was staged by the rebels to help them escape.....

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/04/oan-reporter-finds-no-evidence-of-chemical-weapon-attack-in-syria/

[TomSea]

OANN also ran a program on the White Helmets that some see as problematic, as in the kinds of views as Roger Waters of Pink Floyd:

Anti-Israel Rocker Roger Waters Blasted for Citing Russian Propaganda in Defense of Assad

by TheTower.org Staff | 04.16.18 3:33 pm

Pink Floyd founder, Roger Waters, a vocal advocate for boycotts of Israel, came under heavy criticism for promoting “Russian propaganda” after asserting that the rescue organization, White Helmets, that operates in Syria, were “fake” and encouraged terrorists, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

Read more at: http://www.thetower.org/6161-anti-israel-rocker-roger-waters-blasted-for-citing-russian-propaganda-in-defense-of-assad/

Again, why were the inspectors held back from going in until the last 24 hours. Tulsi Gabbards has gone over as well. They've interviewed some of those who survived.

[Sanguine]

OANN has been very pro-Trump from what I've seen.  And, OANN certainly doesn't seem to have a pro-Russia or Syria bias.

[TomSea]

Fisk is the one who wrote the article, note:

Richard Hall
‏Verified account @_RichardHall

Associated Press was on same trip as Fisk and managed to find several victims of apparent chemical attack. "The accounts contradict what the Syrian government and Russia have reported: that there was no gas attack in Douma."

https://twitter.com/_RichardHall/status/986253698161696768

https://apnews.com/5ef71f938d1f457f8a7768b7b6eddfb5

[SirLinksALot]

Personal Comment:

After nearly two weeks of this....

1) There is still dispute as to :

     A) Whether or not there really was a chemical weapons attack on Duoma
     B) And for those who say that there was a chemical attack, whether or not Assad was responsible for it ( some are saying that it was the rebels that the west support who perpetrated it ).

2) Should the USA even be involved in this given the sad results of our involvement in toppling Saddam and Khadaffy?

[TomSea]

Personal Comment:

After nearly two weeks of this....

1) There is still dispute as to :

     A) Whether or not there really was a chemical weapons attack on Duoma
     B) And for those who say that there was a chemical attack, whether or not Assad was responsible for it ( some are saying that it was the rebels that the west support who perpetrated it ).

2) Should the USA even be involved in this given the sad results of our involvement in toppling Saddam and Khadaffy?

Okay, via Gaddafy, unbelievably, some Libyans have said, it hasn't been that bad there, there has been some guerrilla, rebel warfare... we can post more articles on Libya.

Versus Saddam, I can't write much now, but it was shown in the past, some people thinked WMDs were ferreted out of Iraq and could have gone to Syria.

You are correct, an all out war does not seem to be in our interest in Syria.