Why the Syrian Rebels do not have Chemical Weapons
There is some some sort of Righty argument that it can't be proved that Assad or the Syrian military used chemical weapons. It seems that using chemicals such as nerve agent has a Hollywood like portability and some Rambo type can deploy or employ the use of chemical weapons by use of inexpensive means. I disagree with all of the spin by the Right-wing to discredit our president because I have had training with nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in the U.S. Army.
Chemical weapons are nasty. You cannot just spray someone with a spray bottle like you are exterminating bug. You have have lots of training just to protect yourself from chemical contamination. This isn't pepper spray.
To protect yourself, you need to have a fresh charcoal filter for your gas mask that comes in three sizes that is specifically designed to seal and fit the person's face that is using the mask. The face must be clean & shaved so that the gas mask makes the proper seal on that person's face. If you are in a chemical environment and have to wear your mask, you must close your eyes and hold your breath while you wipe your face down with a special wet-wipe that has an acid to remove the chemical and layers of skin that the chemicals could be on. The mask must be clean and pack in a specific fashion so that someone with contaminated hands are not contaminating the mask before they are putting it on their face.
To avoid shaking to death if you are contaminated with chemical nerve agent, you must poses a chemical (antidote) called atropine (Pam2Chloride.) that gives the soldier a life expectancy of 8 to 16 hours of life once contaminated. Life expectancy after being exposed to nerve gas is most likely non-existent. It's is probably more terminal than the the defoliant Agent Orange used in Vietnam. I'm not for certain, but I'm not aware of ANY survivor who has been contaminated with nerve gas
You use atropine in a stabbing motion into the fleshiest part of your body with a large needle (made to pierce the undergarment, cover/pants, the charcoal chemical suit, and the skin, fat and a bit of muscle. You must do this while protecting you and your outer suit from further chemical contamination by wrapping yourself or suspending plastic or a rain resistant barrier around and above you.
Supposing that the Syrian rebels had the funding to purchase gas masks, atropine, acid swabs, rain gear & bags to carry the equipment in, they still need other gear to protect themselves such as the charcoal air filter, and the charcoal suit that has a shelf life of less than 6th months once opened. They need something to carry the suits around in too. You also need cotton glove liners to absorb the sweat from your hands when you have to wear plastic gloves for hours. Your boots will be covered by rubber/plastic galoshes and the suit must then be taped with duct tape at any open seam. This requires someone else to hopefully be around to help you otherwise you will die from the exposure to the chemical.
Syria is warm this time of year. There's nothing like wearing a non-breathable charcoal suit over the top of the clothing you are wearing in 100 degree temperatures. You have to drink lots of water. A person can perspire out a few quarts of water in a charcoal suit in 100 degree temperatures in an hour if the person is not fit enough to with stand the heat and wait until they can be decontaminated... While you are sweating you think of things like how nice a glass of cool water would taste, but then realize that once you are sealed in your suit that you can't drink anything until you have been decontaminated. (so you lick your burning lips while the sweat burns your face beneath the rubber mask.
Decontamination requires a crew wearing new chemical suits to use a power sprayer to hose you off from head to to so that you can strip nude, so that the chemical suit can be burned. It requires two to three cleaning stations before you can even take all of this protective equipment off. Then you get another spray off that removes more layers of skin... This requires a large truck that carries water, a generator, tents, a supply truck or more for new clothing, a crew to set up the tents that has been trained to recognize what chemicals have been used, a way to dispose of everything that needs to be disposed to prevent further contamination amongst others, a medical unit to issue the right kind of antidote for the chemicals used if they exist...
Chemical warfare is awful and there is big reason that most countries will not fool with the stuff. It is too much of a hassle to protect yourself, and the likelihood that a people survive a chemical attack even with the proper training and gear is very low. You are more likely to contaminate yourself than the target you are wanting to contaminate specifically if you are downwind from the area that you target that day. Lobbing shells or employing chemical warheads on missiles are how the chemicals are used to prevent exposure from your own chemical. This requires an expensive vehicle to seal yourself into while you lob rounds like a tank or artillery vehicle, or you use a missile launcher that requires hours of prep time just to ready the missile.
Your target area is important because chemical shells are more expensive than a traditional mortar shell. Chemical shells have to be stored upright in a climate controlled environment so that the chemicals will not degrade and shorten their shelf life. (Depending on the chemical) It requires trained people handle these materials before they can be issued to be employed.
Let's suppose the Syrian Rebels had the training, and the money to bankroll what it costs to use chemical weapons. If they don't have access to their own chemists, warehouses, and lobbing devices, they would have to be supplied from a manufacturer that creates this sort of thing to import these shells. This would cost more money and still require a vehicle to launch the shells. (Which would mean that the rebels would have to have a place to store and hide the vehicles from the opposing military who have scouts specifically trained to to look for these kinds of weapons, vehicles, warehouses... etc...
Tonight when President Obama addressed the nation and revealed that over eight areas had been shelled with chemical weapons, I knew that rebels were not the diabolical culprits behind the use of chemical weapons. It requires too much money, it kills off more than your intended target, and without protective gear, a way to clean up, and a medical staff to check your vitals and internal organs, you're dead meat.
I just thought I would share this. My NBC (WMD) training was in Fort Knox, KY during my 16 weeks of basic as an Armored Reconnaissance Scout. (This is the stuff I remember anyway.) It's not too technical and does not site sources, but it is valid. Nazis had nerve gas but never used it because the stuff is too much of a mess to use. You pretty much have to have an army to use the stuff.
(How is this for a rant?)
= new reply since forum marked as read
that these CW could fall into the wrong hands, like al-Qaeda, what was he actually saying? Because if they can't use them why should anyone worry that al-Qaeda might get their hands on them?
I'm not trying to be a wise-ass, I'm just confused. 