It appears that Israel conducted airstrikes inside Syria near the capital, Damascus.

   Beyond what should be "baseline" troubling questions---the widening of any military conflict, with a premise that war results in killing and therefore is bad, but, in limited instances, justified---I have to ask, what do we know and from whom do we know it?

   There are reports that Israel struck shipments of rockets and other arms meant for guerillas who would use those items against Israel. That inserts a factor of Israel's self-preservation into the equation. Was that the reason for the airstrikes? If the source of the information was the Israeli government, I would be more inclined to believe the information, bellicose though Israel has been for a long time, over a source in the United States government.

   One point I want to make as clearly as I can. I am not impugning the integrity of U.S. government information on military action because I oppose President Obama. Unfortunately, this administration carries out much of the same action as did its predecessor. Also, I voted for Obama---twice. Given the choice we had last November, I would vote the same way.

   I have to question information from the United States government on foreign matters because our government has become more militarist and, as a result, seeks to justify incursions on foreign soil in the most insidious of ways. We now take for granted that Air Force personnel in a windowless computer center on this side of the globe can play computer games and kill someone on the other side of the globe, just like those Air Force personnel did when they were on their PS3 a few years back in junior high. The exception is the targets they shoot now are real, and upward of 98 Percent are "collateral---i.e., innocent.

   On Saturday we shall discuss Syria as our focal topic. One guest panelist will be Jeff Cox, Indianapolis attorney and an imperialist.