Horrific Child Massacre in Houla - Anyone else having nightmares after reading it???

[catfart]

Words escape me, I've read the article on the BBC website about this and now I cannot get it out of my mind. The part which hits home even more is Leana Hoseas' Analysis on it I've cut and pasted, I've been in tears the last hour. How brutal, those poor babies.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18221461

^Leana Hosea
BBC News
The "massacre" video which has emerged from Houla bears the sound of a man screaming:

"These are all children! Watch, you dogs, you Arabs, you animals - look at these children, watch, just watch!"

On a bedroom floor dozens of little children lie dead, their arms and legs strewn over one another. Many of their eyes are still open, bearing a look of shock and fright. They are all covered with blood and obviously suffered terrible deaths.

A girl, who is perhaps seven years old, wearing a headscarf and pink diamante belt, lies face to face in death with a much younger boy.

Another little boy in a yellow jumper lies with his arms stretched out, almost cradling the head of the girl next to him. Blood covers both their faces and soaks their hair.

People off camera are shouting: "Oh God, oh God, oh God."
Surely its time something needs to be done.....this can't happen again.^

I partially agree with WetAugust. What we need is to find a way to make the UN more effective or to help empower the Arab League more in this particular situation. We need to create a working world police force, but trying to it ourselves is not possible for a multitude of reasons. The world has failed these and many people because of the watering-down of the UN -- but getting in there ourselves creates it own problems, one of many being is how can we move into their without having also moved into North Korea to help the people and children in those concentration camps who are killed, tortured, and forced to watch the killing and torture of others (with the state saying it wants families like theirs gone within 3 generations), or done more work to prevent the deaths of children in mining the minerals we use or in the creation of the drugs mostly consumed by our countries, or...the lists go on.

Like messy, I feel useless, and the more informed I am, the more useless I feel. We are constantly given this information, the information is everywhere, but never any information given in how everyday people can do anything.

It's stories like these that sometimes makes me feel ashamed to be a human. I think it's funny how us humans have the gall to call a person that is particularly vicious, an "animal." If you look throughout our history, we are the true "animals" of this planet. We definitely need military intervention. I've read about the story but I'm yet to see the images. I just can't. I'm sorry but I just don't have it in me to see that.

bronze, I assume you mean condemning. That's a really positive step if so.... Russia are less likely to make any fuss because Syria is a strategic Mediterranean ally for them, but he can hope I guess.

we can hope, that was meant to say.

sorry yes. Blame my fat fingers and phone. Yes you're right.

Maybe Mumsnet can put up the link I posted so people can send a message to ASSAD'S wife.I admit that this will be a drop in the ocean....but the message the wives of 2 UN Ambassadors recorded and petition WE can sign appealing to her might ,possibly trigger something.Mumsnet deleted my post.It was a link,nothing more.

Doobydoo, I don't think contacting Asma Al-Assad will do any good at all. By all accounts her husband is a useless waste of space who is being propped up by his militaristic vicious younger brothers, so unfortunately I don't think anyone in Syria is going to listen to her. Her role is to smile politely and wave at state functions - I am almost 100% confident that she has no influence in politics.

I don't mean to be a wet blanket but I don't want you to waste your energy working for something that just won't happen :(

Deleted because ' it can irritate people' ...not a link asking anyone to vote for the cutest baby in newspaper comp.Quite an important one...I felt.

I know what you are saying.I really do.BUT...AS women and mothers and grandmothers etc we have a power we can unleash...I really believe that.My dp has met Assad many moons ago in London...am shocked .Just look if you haven't already..you can google it.People are asking on here wha they can do...well it is a start/or something

Doobydoo - How about organising some kind of march in towns across the country? Families against the killing of innocent children in Syria, it's raising awareness. Someone who is tech savvy could set up a facebook group.

Bonnie, thats a very good idea. I've spent the afternoon outside playing with my 19 month old DS and those murders haven't left my mind once...

That is a very very good idea.How the heck do we go about it?

Also could take our children.I have a ds who is 12 and one who is 5.How could we explain to them/would we explain to them?
Would understand if people did not take children as I am aware of how things can escalate.I did see that people had taken their children to protest outside Nick Clegg's house.

Surprise surprise the Russians are being slippery over this, Hague meeting didn't go well, saying its partly the Rebels fault, utter utter shite.

Honestly I feel like it should be a protest shaming the Russians and China!!! this is the problem, they need shaming on a worldwide scale for being the his sheild, us and the rest of the world need to protest and shame them- 'Assad, Putin and Hu, you all have the innocents blood on your hands'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18235965

An awareness march is a really good idea! If nothing else it makes the government more aware that we expect a certain level of concern over the situation.

Wrt your link catfart, this part struck me as promising:

[Asked if President Bashar al-Assad could be part of the solution in Syria, he said that ending the violence was more important than who was in power.

"We do not support the Syrian government. We support the plan of Kofi Annan," he said.]

I read that as the Russians growing concerned that they won't be able to use Syria as a safe stopping point for arms if the violence is too widespread. If that's a reason for them to tacitly help with the removal of Assad then I'll take it - it's far better than nothing!

I agree with you that they need to be shamed, though.

Words fail me. Those poor poor little ones. I forced myself to look at the images and I am sick to my core. How could anyone do this? Don't these people have family of their own? I hope each and every one of those beautiful children and babies have found peace

Just watched 'The Real Mr & Mrs Assad' on Dispatches, when the links up I'll add it. Very good 30 miniute doc showing how he and his wife know what's going on, not that we ever doubted that and the good ole Guardian has managed to get its mitts on some damning emails!!!

Herrena, you're right that was more positive.

3littlebadgers, we can only hope those who did this will be accountable. I'm truly sickened, 49 children.....then the men and women. How can they live with themselves and sleep at night.

It is just awful. Am so sad about the badness of the world. What can be done tho?

Houla eyewitness accounts - www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18240460 -

Hopefully the link will be up for the Dispatches doc soon here www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-111/episode-1

Almost all the comments on the Dispatches documentary state that it is propaganda and the people are being killed by the rebels. The UN say that the rebels are not armed with shells so cannot inflict the kind of injuries that are being seen. Why are people defending Assad?

Consumerism can effect change in some countries. Do not but products from companys who make products/take resources from countries where these things occur.

Don't buy computer products, a man/woman/child die for every product with a computer chip in it, and so on.

As for Syria are there any humanitarian groups calling for aid, food, clothes etc that can be taken into the country. Can people ask for awareness assemblies at schools etc.

I'm not on fb but can do so.

Can we lobby the UN to change?

Sorry that should be "don't buy products" and "don't buy new computer products"

Truly horrific. I googled and found a link that highlights the sectarian conflits behind these atrocities ukrainianweek.com/World/46131
Before, I understood that there was an undercurrent of religious sectarianism between sunnis and shia(Assad is Shia Alawite) but didn't realise that Saudi Arabia and Qatar (sunni) are currently allies of the West to remove Assad in order to weaken Iran.
Truly horrific and a real mess. Any intervention has to be planned carefuly to avoid escalation of atrocities.

There seem to be so many interests, power and political scheming, that's difficult to see how we can make a difference. Any demonstration would've to be sizable and across borders.

Save the Children have launched a petition calling upon world leaders to put into place immediately a legally binding resolution to protect children. This is in response to this horrific massacre in Houla.

More information can be found on their FB page:

www.facebook.com/savethechildrenuk

It feels futile, but I'm floundering around trying to figure out what can be done to influence those in power.