Atlantans Talk Syria Before President’s Speech
It’s noon at Centennial Olympic Park, and taxi driver Andrew Burke is sitting in his car outside the Georgia Aquarium. He said he’s been following the conflict in Syria closely, and hopes the United States stays out of it.As heard on the radio
“I think that we’ve done enough to create enough enemies by bombing places that has basically affected civilians,” Burke said. “I know Saddam Hussein used [civilians] as human shields, but that’s what those tyrannical dictators to do.”
But Eva Claire Jordan, who works for a hotel chain in the city, said the casualties in Syria are the reason why she hopes the president will announce plans to intervene in Syria.
“I think we should come to the rescue of those people, and that it’s important to our state interest, important for our national interest and important for the world to stay peaceful,” Jordan said. “For us to intervene when something goes horribly wrong, even if it’s not in our country it’s really important.”
She said the president shouldn’t limit himself to airstrikes if he decides to intervene and likened the scenario to Clinton’s action in Kosovo in the 1990s.
“I think similar action should be taken,” Jordan said. “I don’t think any limits should be imposed on the front end because you don’t know what you’re going to get into in that kind of situation.”
Gloria Brown, an attorney, echoed hopes for some kind of intervention, though not boots on the ground.
“Every time something happens we say we’re going to stay out, then after we see the results we say never again, and yet it continues to happen,” she said.
But Renard Moss, a furniture mover, said the United States has enough problems here. He hopes the United Nations can work out a peaceful solution.
“We don’t need no more war. The economy is already in a mess at is, no lack of jobs, everything,” he said.
Moss and the others WABE spoke with said they would be tuning into the address.
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