14 August 2011 | The Talented Mr. Assad

Well, if you ever had any doubts about the effectiveness of the Arab League, they should be confirmed by now: their "condemnation" of the murder spree by Bashar al-Assad is about as limp-wristed as you can get.

Add to that list Saudi Arabia, which did recall its ambassador and made it clear that the violence was "unacceptable," but doesn't do anything much. It's just beyond mind-boggling (if you can reach that state) that Assad is shrugging off everybody and killing his people in plain sight. There's no pretense about anything. And coupled with his disgusting offer to hold "free elections" with so much blood on his hands...well, where does one begin?

I hate to say this, but if it was Israel doing this, the world's attention would be riveted and the UN would have already passed at least two resolutions of condemnation. Maybe Arab, Muslim life really is cheap, because everyone's attention has been sapped by a credit rating drop while real drops of blood are being splattered by Syrians against Syrians. And I don't see any protests or vows of revenge by other Arabs to help defend the Syrian people. All I see is a lot of wandering attention.

What the hell does it take? Assad is a murderer, a butcherer! He deserves to be put on trial for crimes against the Syrian people, humanity, whatever fucking charge will stick. The Assad regime deserves to be overthrown and dismantled, gutted and then ground up again. This outrageous killing just brings tears to my eyes, and I feel especially helpless. The Syrian people cannot even bury their dead because they're being shot at during funeral processions: this is how depraved Assad is.

Maybe the Western press has just grown weary of the "Arab Spring," especially since it didn't reach a Hollywood ending fast enough. The problems in the Arab world, and the butchery in Syria, is no longer newsworthy enough. And I could never imagine that I could write something like that.