When the arab spring started, I thought that there was a chance it may avoid Syria.

While repressive and the state had a history of cracking down on dissent, I saw some intelligence, and attempts to make Syria not be like all the rest.

However this peace lasted only a few weeks when some elements of the regime cracked down against graffitiing youngsters, which started protests against the regime.

Since then the protests have increased and so has the regimes brutality.

There were words said early on by Bashar al Asad that seemed to suggest he could potentially change the nature of things in Syria and lead to progress that the people could live with.

But cutting a long story short and reading about the actions of the regime, the assault on Homs that the regime had lost control of shows the regime for what it is: brutal and blood thirsty and willing to hold on to power at any cost.

However there are some Muslims who are still sympathetic to the regime, maybe because it used to be good at anti Israel sloganeering, or maybe because they see what is reported from there as western propaganda.

These people need to open their eyes and see the truth of the brutal regime.

A crime is a crime no matter who commits it.

Maybe Bashar al Asad was someone who was better, but now he is following the footsteps of his father who had previously crushed opposition and dissent through murder and massacre either by choice or by letting those around him make the decision. Neither is acceptable.

There was an old joke that when Hafez al Asad walked into a room, the generals quaked in there boots, but now when generals walk into the room, Bashar al Asad quakes in his boots.

Either way, it is his regime committing mass murder and if it is not on his command, he must either stop it or step aside publicly because no leader should accept either option.

Some suggest that while there was some publicity about the retaking of Homs by the Syrian regime, further brutality, murder and depravity in this catastrophe will not be televised - we will not even hear much about how our brothers and sisters in Syria are being mowed down by this depraved regime of Bashar al Asad.