Syria Shells Turkish Border Town

The situation on the Turkish-Syrian border today is dangerously incendiary. Syrian mortar shells fell on a Turkish border town, killing five people, including a mother and three children. Turkey retaliated, shelling Syrian targets. A second Turkish town received mortar fire from Syria, injuring eight. Syria has fired into Turkey before, but this is the first time Turkish citizens have been killed. Syria has apologized and says it is investigating the event, but Turkey and NATO say the Syrian attack was atrocious. General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Commander, said a few minutes ago on CNN that the Syrian shelling is a "deniable event," that is, it is an attack not easily pinpointed for the purpose of blame. General Clark said that if it was done by Syria to warn Turkey to back off its humanitarian efforts or to warn the West not to continue to interfere, it would make no difference if Syria apologized for public consumption because the real message was received. The General also said that becaise Iran is active in Syria and Lebanon and because Syria is "the soft underbelly of Iran,' any confrontation, although minor in itself, could spark a larger conflict. He warned that Russia should pay attention and think seriously about its own role as Syria's supporter. Dear readers, it is much too early to draw any conclusions about this breaking story, but it is not too early to remind the world that the al-Assad regime in Syria is a rogue state following a course that includes torture and murder of its own citizens in an effort to remain in power...it is daily increasing the instability of the Middle East, indoubtedly as the pawn of Iran, which continues to believe it would benefit from greater instability by increasing its presence all over the region. Much of this could have and should have been prevented by firm action by the United States, Europe and the UN. That we are still watching passively as deaths in the Syrian civil war pass 30,000 is shameful. That Turkey should be shelled is, in terms of al-Assad, the red line. Are you able to understand this, Secretary Clinton and President Obama?