Posted on 08/21/2013 10:08:22 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
The men, women and children lying undisturbed in their beds had looked so peaceful they might have been just sleeping, Abu Nidal thought, as he and other rescuers dragged their bodies into the street.
His was one of many accounts of a massive assault on the eastern suburbs of Damascus that activists say killed more than 500 people on Wednesday morning.
"We would go into a house and everything was in its place, every person was in their place. They were lying where they had been. They looked like they were asleep. But they were dead," he told Reuters by Skype from the suburb of Erbin.
Reuters was unable to verify witness accounts. Doctors interviewed in the area describe symptoms they believe point to sarin gas, one of the agents Western powers accuse Damascus of having in an undeclared chemical weapons stockpile.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
In this case, I hope he doesn’t do anything! US should stay out of Syria. As I said before, Muslims killing each other - I fail to see the problem.
The world is full of a lot of ugly stories these days, and this is one of the uglier.
They kill Christians too.
Gee, I wonder where they got that from?
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Sorry, didn’t know that about Syria. However, what exactly can the US do? Send troops? That doesn’t work out so well, as we see in Afghanistan and Egypt. I can guarantee that whatever Obama would do would be wrong.
If we could get the Christians out and bring them here, that would be fine. But, if anything, the current administration would bring in more Muslims. As I like to call them - members of the Future Terrorists of America club.
Oops, I meant Iraq, not Eqypt. Guess I’m having trouble keeping my Middle East countries in turmoil straight.
I agree, we ought to stay out, but it doesn’t help when Obama declars that some action is a Red Line not to be crossed, which is then crossed, and then the US (under Obama) look like weak idiots. Obama ought to speak for himself!
...Muslims killing each other - I fail to see the problem.
If they confined their mass slaughter to one another, I doubt I'd have much of a problem, though they do seem to specialise in slaughtering women and children; most unfortunately, they never slaughter just one another. Anyone who adheres to another religion or sect or is a member of another tribe is fair game to followers of the prophet.
“If we could get the Christians out and bring them here, that would be fine. But, if anything, the current administration would bring in more Muslims. As I like to call them - members of the Future Terrorists of America club.”
Screw that. We should arm the Copts to the hilt. Want to attack my home? Die muzzy slime balls.
In war, truth is the first casualty.
-Aeschylus
Bush’s fault! /s
(Oldie but a goodie)
Could I also believe the jihadists doing it and blaming Assad? Also yes.
And I don't believe that we will have any way of quickly determining who did this and how our involvement would do anything other than getting both sets of murderous thugs shooting at us too.
“The men, women and children lying undisturbed in their beds had looked so peaceful they might have been just sleeping”
Doesn’t sound like Sarin.
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/sarin/basics/facts.asp
Emergency Preparedness & Response
Facts About Sarin
Sarin is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. They are similar to certain kinds of insecticides (insect killers) called organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kind of harmful effects they cause. However, nerve agents are much more potent than organophosphate pesticides.
Sarin originally was developed in 1938 in Germany as a pesticide.
Sarin is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid that has no odor in its pure form. However, sarin can evaporate into a vapor (gas) and spread into the environment.
Sarin is also known as GB.
Where sarin is found and how it is used
Sarin is not found naturally in the environment. It is a man-made toxin.
Sarin was used in two terrorist attacks in Japan in 1994 and 1995.
How people can be exposed to sarin
Following release of sarin into the air, people can be exposed through skin contact or eye contact. They also can be exposed by breathing air that contains sarin.
Sarin mixes easily with water. Following release of sarin into water, people can be exposed by touching or drinking water that contains sarin.
Following contamination of food with sarin, people can be exposed by eating the contaminated food.
A person’s clothing can release sarin after it has come in contact with sarin vapor, which can lead to exposure of other people.
Because sarin vapor is heavier than air, it will sink to low-lying areas and create a greater exposure hazard there.
How sarin works
The extent of poisoning caused by sarin depends on the amount of sarin to which a person was exposed, how the person was exposed, and the length of time of the exposure.
Symptoms likely will appear within a few seconds after exposure to the vapor form of sarin and within a few minutes to hours after exposure to the liquid form.
All nerve agents cause their toxic effects by preventing the proper operation of an enzyme that acts as the body’s “off switch” for glands and muscles. Without an “off switch,” the glands and muscles are constantly being stimulated. Exposed people may become tired and no longer be able to keep breathing.
Sarin is the most volatile of the nerve agents. This means it can easily and quickly evaporate from a liquid into a vapor and spread into the environment. People can be exposed to the vapor even if they do not come in contact with the liquid form of sarin.
Because it evaporates so quickly, sarin presents an immediate but short-lived threat.
Immediate signs and symptoms of sarin exposure
People may not know that they were exposed because sarin has no odor.
People exposed to a low or moderate dose of sarin by breathing contaminated air, eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water, or touching contaminated surfaces may experience some or all of the following symptoms within seconds to hours of exposure:
Runny nose
Watery eyes
Small, pinpoint pupils
Eye pain
Blurred vision
Drooling and excessive sweating
Cough
Chest tightness
Rapid breathing
Diarrhea
Nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal pain
Increased urination
Confusion
Drowsiness
Weakness
Headache
Slow or fast heart rate
Low or high blood pressure
Even a small drop of sarin on the skin can cause sweating and muscle twitching where sarin touched the skin.
Exposure to large doses of sarin by any route may result in the following harmful health effects:
Loss of consciousness
Convulsions
Paralysis
Respiratory failure possibly leading to death
well hell the first 16 symptoms sound like closing time on a friday night. being volatile also means it evaporates quickly and is a non persistent. doesn’t last long in desert environments
Depends on the exposure. The exposed can be dead in one minute in an adult. The symptoms listed are for lower level exposure where the exposed can actually seek treatment, not for those who are killed within moments.
This is the main thin I was referencing:
“Exposure to large doses of sarin by any route may result in the following harmful health effects:
Loss of consciousness
Convulsions
Paralysis
Respiratory failure possibly leading to death”
Convulsions, paralysis & respiratory failure seem inconsistent with “peacefully sleeping”.
36 years ago I was the squadron NBC officer, but have forgotten all the various nerve & toxic agents and their symptoms, rates of fatality, etc. Had to look it up.
Sarin is a nerve gas. Victims would be expected to suffer violent convulsion prior to death. They would not merely fall asleep.
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