Syrian forces are using civilians as human shields by placing them on tanks to prevent opposition forces from fighting back (see below).

Although the brutality of the Syrians is not new. Just ask the Israelis (who've had the dubious distinction of fighting Syrian and other Arab armies) which Arab army/country is MOST vicious and barbaric in its treatment of POWs (and when talking about the Arabs' treatment of dissenters or enemies, that bar is pretty high). 

Currently the viciousness is directed at the Syrian people, which begs the question: If and when these protestors win, then what? Most of these protestors have lived their entire lives under authoritarian rule and 7th century laws (i.e., sharia law). Will victory turn them into compassionate, enlightened, freedom-loving human beings?

We know, for example, that people who experience violence or abuse as children, are more likely to become abusers later in life. Well, what we're witnessing today in Syria (indeed throughout the Arab world) is an uprising of the abused against their abusers.

Using romanticized terms like pro-democracy protestors or freedom-fighters is not only inaccurate but dangerous and misleading, especially since we're arming these pro-democracy protestors (who, btw, can be heard from time to time on our TV screens yelling Allahu Akhbar!) with serious weapons.

The problems of the Arab/Muslim world are far more ingrained than any one authoritarian ruler. They stem from a culture of submissiveness, or to borrow James Carville's famous words: It's the sharia (and its culture), stupid!