ABC11 spoke to Rania Masri, a Lebanese-American and college professor, who has friends in the region and is strongly opposed to a military strike in Syria.
Masri says for weeks now she's been terrified, and plagued by crying spells during the day, and nightmares in the evening over what could end up happening in the region.
During the speech, Masri got emotional at times especially when President Obama mentioned a limited strike.
Masri believes Russia has given the United States a clear path into a diplomatic solution to remove chemical weapons from Syria. However, she's overcome by the tone the president used to lay out the alternative.
"For him to say that it's these images of children that have moved him to then launch strikes that will kill children I just find to be so absurd," said Masri. "It seems that our president has forgotten that we were the ones that used white phosphorus in Iraq. That we were the ones that launched deadly chemical weapons and depleted uranium against Iraqis and that toxic legacy that they're still suffering from."
That passion is precisely why Masri has worked to put together a petition to circulate urging a nonviolent, diplomatic solution.
In fact, this past weekend she met with staff from every congressional delegate in North Carolina to make sure they had a copy of the petition.
Masri says the president has an opportunity to lead the world in this effort, but tonight he left the door open for calamity.
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