Can you spot the common theme?

Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 6:30pm

Let's play a game. In this game you must spot what these four news articles from this week have in common. Ready?
Let's begin.

From Iraq:

Amnesty International said on Tuesday tactics used by Iraqi forces and their U.S.-led coalition allies in the battle for Mosul violated international humanitarian law and might amount to war crimes.
..."Even in attacks that seem to have struck their intended military target, the use of unsuitable weapons or failure to take other necessary precautions resulted in needless loss of civilian lives and in some cases appears to have constituted disproportionate attacks," the report said.

From Afghanistan:

A decision on whether to open a formal investigation of potential war crimes committed in Afghanistan since 2003, including possible wrongdoing by U.S. personnel, has been delayed, International Criminal Court prosecutors told Reuters.
...In a preliminary examination, ICC prosecutors identified what it called "potential cases" among three groups of alleged perpetrators: the Taliban and its affiliates, the Afghan authorities and members of the U.S. armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency.

From Syria:

The US-led coalition’s use of white phosphorus munitions on the outskirts of al-Raqqa, Syria is unlawful and may amount to a war crime, Amnesty International can confirm after verifying five videos of the incident.
...“The use of white phosphorus munitions by the US-led coalition gravely endangers the lives of thousands of civilians trapped in and around al-Raqqa city, and may amount to a war crime under these circumstances. It can cause horrific injuries by burning through flesh and bone and can pose a threat even weeks after being deployed by reigniting and burning at extremely high temperatures,” said Samah Hadid, Middle East Director of Campaigns at Amnesty International

From Yemen:

At least 140 people perished here in the Yemeni capital last fall when a Saudi Arabian-led military coalition carried out a pair of airstrikes on a funeral. Human rights groups labeled the attack a possible war crime and said the bombs used were manufactured in the United States.

OK. That's all the clues you get.
Did you spot it? If you did then you are smarter and more objective than our news media, politicians, and most of the American public.

Tags:

war crimes

Vote

Comments

Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 6:40pm

If you guessed

"human rights groups hate America for our freedoms", well, that would be correct too, but it's not the answer I was looking for.

Submitted by jim p on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 6:58pm

If people were serious

about impeaching Trump** they'd go for the continuing illegal wars being waged. It's that 'continuing' part that no Partybot wants brought to notice. "Doom be damned; Party first.

Someday, the whole world's going to meet together and try the leaders of the US.

**Trump impeached gives us Pence, who can coordinate better with Congressional Repubs AND craves Armageddon.

—

Orwell: Where's the omelette?

Submitted by Dr. John Carpenter on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 7:24pm

@jim p I've said it here before, but I agree 100%. This would be the quickest (and least superficial) way to impeach Trump. It will never happen because of a myriad of reasons we already know. And Pence would be worse but to McResistance, he's even more dangerous as he has the ability to look like a serious candidate, even taking the top of the ticket out of the equation.

—

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Submitted by Cant Stop the M... on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 8:47am

@Dr. John Carpenter He also likes to pray

@Dr. John Carpenter He also likes to pray the gay away. Which makes the LGBT community's interest in impeaching Trump look positively nuts.

—

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Submitted by Dr. John Carpenter on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 10:46am

I'm a Hoosier

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal which is why I'm much more concerned about Pence than Trump. I find it rather disconcerting too many of my neighbors are wrapped so tight in McResistance that they seem to have forgotten what a horrorshow he was here. But, then again, that's what makes him so dangerous, that he can come off semi-normal until you listen to what he's actually saying. I may come off like Chicken Little, but people don't realize they're really going to be better off with an incompetent, impulsive egomaniac like Trump than a devoted dominionist who knows how to play the game, both long and short.

—

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Submitted by Cant Stop the M... on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 6:05pm

@Dr. John Carpenter Oh, no, you don't

@Dr. John Carpenter @Dr. John Carpenter Oh, no, you don't come off crazy. I'm from the South; we have similar people here. They're just generally more florid in their expression than Pence.

—

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Submitted by Cant Stop the M... on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 8:47am

@jim p They can't do that

@jim p They can't do that because it would result in they, themselves, also being brought under attack for the same actions.

That's why all this Russia nonsense--although, even there, they've had a bit of trouble with people noticing the Clintons' own dealings with Russia. Though they've had more trouble with the American people's deep understanding that Russian interference is not required to make Hillary lose.

—

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Submitted by Dr. John Carpenter on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 10:53am

But but but...

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal When you point out the Clinton's own similar dealings with Russia, that's just right wing hit job nonsense, even if they concede that it happened. Somehow, the larger point, that if these dealings with Russia are somehow the world's biggest scandal, it goes much deeper than just Trump, sails right over people's heads.

—

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Submitted by CB on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 7:19pm

The US is the one exceptional country in the world.

It is the classic "might makes right".

You Must Follow International Law (Unless You’re America)

“The sovereign is he who decides on the exception,” said conservative thinker Carl Schmitt in 1922, meaning that a nation’s leader can defy the law to serve the greater good. Though Schmitt’s service as Nazi Germany’s chief jurist and his unwavering support for Hitler from the night of the long knives to Kristallnacht and beyond damaged his reputation for decades, today his ideas have achieved unimagined influence. They have, in fact, shaped the neo-conservative view of presidential power that has become broadly bipartisan since 9/11. Indeed, Schmitt has influenced American politics directly through his intellectual protégé Leo Strauss who, as an émigré professor at the University of Chicago, trained Bush administration architects of the Iraq war Paul Wolfowitz and Abram Shulsky.

All that should be impressive enough for a discredited, long dead authoritarian thinker. But Schmitt’s dictum also became a philosophical foundation for the exercise of American global power in the quarter century that followed the end of the Cold War. Washington, more than any other power, created the modern international community of laws and treaties, yet it now reserves the right to defy those same laws with impunity. A sovereign ruler should, said Schmitt, discard laws in times of national emergency. So the United States, as the planet’s last superpower or, in Schmitt’s terms, its global sovereign, has in these years repeatedly ignored international law, following instead its own unwritten rules of the road for the exercise of world power.
...
Can there be any question that, in the decades to come, Washington will continue to violate national sovereignty through old-style covert as well as open interventions, even as it insists on rejecting any international conventions that restrain its use of aerospace or cyberspace for unchecked force projection, anywhere, anytime? Extant laws or conventions that in any way check this power will be violated when the sovereign so decides. These are now the unwritten rules of the road for our planet. They represent the real American exceptionalism.

The uni-polar world of American "exceptionalism" is coming to an end and the world will become a better place. While the rest of the world is rapidly changing, the US continues on its post WWII trajectory of full spectrum dominance of the world. I don't imagine the US will go quietly. The country that was once lauded for bringing peace to the world is now the world's most dangerous nation for destroying peace in the world.

Submitted by dervish on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 7:54pm

Between global warming, explosive population growth,

@CB diminishing resources, etc. I think that we can expect the US to continue its push towards full spectrum dominance, consequences be damned. The coming decades are almost certain to be catastrophic for all concerned.

It is the classic "might makes right". You Must Follow International Law (Unless You’re America) “The sovereign is he who decides on the exception,” said conservative thinker Carl Schmitt in 1922, meaning that a nation’s leader can defy the law to serve the greater good. Though Schmitt’s service as Nazi Germany’s chief jurist and his unwavering support for Hitler from the night of the long knives to Kristallnacht and beyond damaged his reputation for decades, today his ideas have achieved unimagined influence. They have, in fact, shaped the neo-conservative view of presidential power that has become broadly bipartisan since 9/11. Indeed, Schmitt has influenced American politics directly through his intellectual protégé Leo Strauss who, as an émigré professor at the University of Chicago, trained Bush administration architects of the Iraq war Paul Wolfowitz and Abram Shulsky. All that should be impressive enough for a discredited, long dead authoritarian thinker. But Schmitt’s dictum also became a philosophical foundation for the exercise of American global power in the quarter century that followed the end of the Cold War. Washington, more than any other power, created the modern international community of laws and treaties, yet it now reserves the right to defy those same laws with impunity. A sovereign ruler should, said Schmitt, discard laws in times of national emergency. So the United States, as the planet’s last superpower or, in Schmitt’s terms, its global sovereign, has in these years repeatedly ignored international law, following instead its own unwritten rules of the road for the exercise of world power. ... Can there be any question that, in the decades to come, Washington will continue to violate national sovereignty through old-style covert as well as open interventions, even as it insists on rejecting any international conventions that restrain its use of aerospace or cyberspace for unchecked force projection, anywhere, anytime? Extant laws or conventions that in any way check this power will be violated when the sovereign so decides. These are now the unwritten rules of the road for our planet. They represent the real American exceptionalism. The uni-polar world of American "exceptionalism" is coming to an end and the world will become a better place. While the rest of the world is rapidly changing, the US continues on its post WWII trajectory of full spectrum dominance of the world. I don't imagine the US will go quietly. The country that was once lauded for bringing peace to the world is now the world's most dangerous nation for destroying peace in the world.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by riverlover on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:11pm

We (US) are already selective about who we allow in here

@dervish Meanwhile, we have displaced millions and accept way fewer immigrants who are refugeesthan any European country. What happens when internal forced migrations occur? Is anyone gonna accept S Floridians into their communities while already grousing how homeless vets aren't dealt with?

It might get rough out there.

—

Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Submitted by lizzyh7 on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 11:10am

Maybe that's when we really kill

@riverlover each other off. Lots of migrants going into already poor and stressed areas is the perfect breeding ground for violent clashes. Their goal is for us to do the culling all by ourselves and I'm sure we'll oblige them eventually.

—

Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Submitted by dervish on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 8:57pm

I'm reminded of the great migrations

@lizzyh7 around the time of the fall of Rome.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by dervish on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 7:43pm

There's the war crimes and the bombing

but something else that they have in common is the scant attention that these stories typically receive, even from what passes for the Left. Killing people has become business as usual for the denizens of the Empire, and isn't half as interesting as what Trump tweeted about a journalist, or what evils lurk under the bed.

Oddly, Assad is castigated for perceived war crimes, while dumping Willy Pete on civilians is just fine, provided that we're the ones doing it.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by Dr. John Carpenter on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 8:02am

What's really getting me

@dervish Is all the people on the Left who suddenly profess to care about this stuff since Trump came to power. No interest at all in the fact that the Democratic establishment, while McResisting, is representing the same policies with different branding. I've actually had people sputter to me "well, it's different." Yeah? Not to the people who were killed, maimed or had their lives destroyed by this pointless war. It'd be nice if some of these "outrage of the day" people were putting as much energy towards stopping the war as they were to stopping Trump. That right there tells me what it's really about.

—

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Submitted by Cant Stop the M... on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 8:49am

@Dr. John Carpenter Hey, even George W. is

@Dr. John Carpenter Hey, even George W. is now our friend! After all, he has the Clintons up to visit in the summers at Kennebunkport and said something mean about Donald Trump.

—

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Submitted by Dr. John Carpenter on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 10:56am

Absolutely Baffling.

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal As confusing as the reforming of Kissinger is, too many my age who were born in the 70s and later don't understand the history, so I can at least understand why it's happening, even if it makes me want to puke. But W., yeah, that's a real head scratcher. I know ex-presidents tend to be looked back upon with rose tinted glasses by the MSM, but to have the establishment Democrats embracing W. should be a wake-up moment for people.

—

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Submitted by Cant Stop the M... on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 6:04pm

@Dr. John Carpenter No doubt!

@Dr. John Carpenter No doubt!

Kissinger is...horrific. But when Nixon started getting a character makeover in the 80s, his friends couldn't be far behind.

—

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Submitted by Cant Stop the M... on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 8:48am

@dervish Oh, you saw that.

@dervish Oh, you saw that.

—

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Submitted by Big Al on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 7:47pm

They all ignore and perhaps purposely provide cover for the

the primary war crimes committed by the government of the U.S., particularly Obama, Bush, Blair and Trump, and others in using a false flag event on 9/11 to wage illegal wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Focusing on possible individual actions and tactics keeps the attention off the evil perpetrators of the entire criminal enterprise.

Submitted by MrWebster on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 7:47pm

Good (propaganda) use of the subjunctive.

Ah you helped us!! Never really any direct accusation. Maybe. Maybe not. This contrasts with reports about the Russians in Syria, where accusations do not contain the subjunctive. It is not "maybe the Russians were targeting hospitals", but "the Russians are targeting hospitals".

Submitted by thanatokephaloides on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:08pm

ALL war is a war crime!

It doesn't matter who wages it, or when.

"War is not healthy for children and other living things."

That's the bottom line.

Now, what we 99%ers in the USA need to figure out is: how to get a genuine peace government into power!

A thorny problem, I know. But everything depends on us doing just that. We need most of that military budget to make our country a place worth living in.

[video:https://youtu.be/o0VKU7HVH8g]

I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street.

Now did you read the news today
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
There burning into the night.

There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Ooh Superman where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

I remember long ago -
Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago........

I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.

Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.

This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to.

lyrics source

—

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Submitted by dervish on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:11pm

You damned hippy! n/t

@thanatokephaloides

It doesn't matter who wages it, or when.

"War is not healthy for children and other living things."

That's the bottom line.

Now, what we 99%ers in the USA need to figure out is: how to get a genuine peace government into power!

A thorny problem, I know. But everything depends on us doing just that. We need most of that military budget to make our country a place worth living in.

[video:https://youtu.be/o0VKU7HVH8g]

I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street.

Now did you read the news today
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
There burning into the night.

There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Ooh Superman where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

I remember long ago -
Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago........

I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.

Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.

This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to.

lyrics source

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by ghotiphaze on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:20pm

Damn,

@thanatokephaloides wish I could up thumb that 100, 1000 times, thanat!

It doesn't matter who wages it, or when.

"War is not healthy for children and other living things."

That's the bottom line.

Now, what we 99%ers in the USA need to figure out is: how to get a genuine peace government into power!

A thorny problem, I know. But everything depends on us doing just that. We need most of that military budget to make our country a place worth living in.

[video:https://youtu.be/o0VKU7HVH8g]

I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street.

Now did you read the news today
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
There burning into the night.

There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Ooh Superman where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

I remember long ago -
Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago........

I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.

Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.

This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to.

lyrics source

—

There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.

Submitted by thanatokephaloides on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:32pm

land of confusion

@ghotiphaze

Damn, wish I could up thumb that 100, 1000 times, thanat!

Thank you!

I happened to have just bookmarked the Genesis (Phil Collins) video when I saw a very good application for it in this Essay!

(And Phil hit this one right on the head!)

—

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Submitted by mimi on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 3:57am

Damn, now that video is not visible in Germany,

@thanatokephaloides
can you connect the dots for that happening ? ...

Thanks for posting the lyrics.

I don't know, I see so many dots that look like a black blanket of interconnected dots appearing as everying being redacted.

Well, I once supported Amnesty International, then I remember I saw something with the American Amnesty International branch I didn't like and I stopped trusting them, so I stopped supporting them. I have forgotten what reason I had back then. Darn it.

Now a couple of days ago a German Amnesty International recruiter approached me at the local weekly market here in childhood home town. I signed up again. I thought connecting the dots is too complicated for me these days. I outsource that to them.

Sigh, how tired can you get of life?

It doesn't matter who wages it, or when.

"War is not healthy for children and other living things."

That's the bottom line.

Now, what we 99%ers in the USA need to figure out is: how to get a genuine peace government into power!

A thorny problem, I know. But everything depends on us doing just that. We need most of that military budget to make our country a place worth living in.

[video:https://youtu.be/o0VKU7HVH8g]

I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street.

Now did you read the news today
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
There burning into the night.

There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Ooh Superman where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

I remember long ago -
Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago........

I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.

Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.

This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to.

lyrics source

—

https://www.euronews.com/live

Submitted by Meteor Man on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:12pm

Fake News!

I got it! All three stories are fake news, because they were not endorsed by Brietbart News, Sean Hannity or Donald Trump Jr.

Breaking news about fake news!
http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/fake-news

My favorite from May 6, 2017:

Donald Trump team furious after ABC, CBS and NBC refuse to run 'fake news' election campaign ad

Blocking the 30-second clip is an ‘unprecedented act of censorship’ says Lara Trump in

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-furious-cb...

—

"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

Submitted by dervish on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:22pm

Remember though,

@Meteor Man CNN, MSNBC and the NYT are all-in on the fake news too.

The MSM is all about fake news.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:45pm

Correct!

@Meteor Man
You win!
Tell him what he won, Johnny.

For spotting the hidden message you will get a 3 month supply of Acme anti-Roadrunner explosives.
Got a hankering for barbecued Roadrunner? Let Acme help you blow it up.

You will also get absolutely free, this handy-dandy cheese-straightener from Norelco.

For being a contestant on this show you will get both space and time.

Finally, you get A NEW CAR!
You will impress your friends by driving in a luxurious East German Trabant. This two-cylinder thoroughbred will turn the heads of all the girls.

Submitted by dervish on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 9:12pm

The really cool kids

@gjohnsit used to hook up a tiny little camper trailer behind their Trabi, and take it all the way to Bulgaria, or the Carpathians. Good times.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by peachcreek on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 12:36am

like this?

@jim p @dervish

Submitted by dervish on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 1:04am

No doubt!

@peachcreek Rock on!
Great find.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by peachcreek on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 1:32am

Yeah, well. Thank the google.

@dervish I was curious with your comment so I looked quickly and this was the most likely and most pleasing image.
I would like to give the painter of the trailer a good shake though. It would have been simple and soo much better to mirror the car's paint scheme in the trailer. All that work, and sloppy in the final execution. AAAAgh!

Submitted by dervish on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 7:46am

At the time, that trailer was mass produced,

@peachcreek and there was only one model, and one color (white). It was funny, because everyone's was exactly alike.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by Meteor Man on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 10:29pm

Yummy!

@gjohnsit https://goo.gl/images/EKLtwy

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

Submitted by Bollox Ref on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:29pm

They're all written in English

If Americans weren't so monolingual, they might be able to access views from across the globe without an MSM filter.

—

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Submitted by Amanda Matthews on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 8:31pm

"Which Country Is The Greatest Threat to World Peace?"

http://brilliantmaps.com/threat-to-peace/

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 10:31pm

These stories prove, beyond a shadow of doubt

...that world leaders approve of these wars and support what the United States is doing, particularly the G20.

They all know full well they could stop this holocaust, at any time, by rejecting the US dollar in trade. That would be a crippling sanction that would leave the US dead in the water within 48 hours. They all know how this works. Even Russia and China, both burdened by sanctions of their own, are just fine watching the US's global dislocation and extermination program, biding their time while they jockey for position off our west coast. But it will be too late for them. As for the UN, it is an expensive piece of real estate in New York.

But the stories prove something even more important:

Change cannot come from inside the United States colony. Not when it comes to the Great Global Depopulation, the Triumph of Empire, and the rise of the Transnational Overlords, the corporations. Anti-war thoughts are a complete waste of time and energy. They represent long moments of life lived in abject frustration and material failure — long moments that could have been used in productive and immediate improvement and communal happiness. Americans who burrow into their capsules of denial have it right. They are happier in their existence by focusing on smaller domestic joys.

Here's a question: If you had been shown those four stories 16 years ago — what would you think had happened to your country?

Submitted by Centaurea on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 2:53am

Rejecting the US dollar

@Pluto's Republic

They all know full well they could stop this holocaust, at any time, by rejecting the US dollar in trade.

Could be partly because they (and we) all know what happens to leaders of sovereign nations when they reject the US dollar.

"We came, we saw, he died! Hahahaha!"

Hillary Clinton, on the killing of Gaddafi by US forces, shortly after he announced that Libya would be switching to gold instead of the petrodollar.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 11:06am

Were one nation to act alone,

@Centaurea

…that would indeed be a dangerous thing. But when 190 nations act together (which is how sanctions work) to drop the US dollar as a trading currency, that would check the murder and mayhem of the US. The domestic economy would grind to a halt with no way to pay for imports. Its exports might earn it payment in US Dollars, but they would have no purchasing power, globally.

Submitted by Centaurea on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 8:06pm

I wonder what it would take

@Pluto's Republic I wonder what it would (will?) take to get the rest of the world to the point where they'd do that? They'd have to be careful how they did their planning, since the good old US of A has eyes and ears everywhere.

—

"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Submitted by k9disc on Sun, 07/23/2017 - 12:02am

TINA to Corporate Globalization.

This reminds me of how "mature" markets work.

The real goal of established corporations is not to make money, but to grow -- to increase marketshare. More marketshare = more power. More power then leads to more money.

In a mature market, the main players, let's say the top 5 companies, are very reluctant to bring new products to market because the potential disruption threatens their vaunted place in the market rankings: Better to be #3 than to shake up the market and get pushed out by some noob company.

When bad things happen economically, the rubes think,"Wow! They lost a SHIT TON of money. They really paid the price for their radical economic policies."

While they're losing money, everyone is losing money, the difference is that when the super wealthy lose money they more than make up for it by increasing their marketshare.

Seems to me that the reluctance of the big sovereigns to challenge Dollar Hegemony fits quite well with that MO.

@Pluto's Republic

—

“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

Submitted by Raggedy Ann on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 10:30pm

It boggles the mind

that we commit this astounding number of war crimes with no consequence. It only serves to embolden these maniacs, which puts all of us in peril.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Submitted by dervish on Tue, 07/11/2017 - 11:12pm

I've been saying

@Raggedy Ann that Nuremberg has been rendered meaningless. This is why.

—

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Submitted by Ellen North on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 6:26pm

@Raggedy Ann

@Raggedy Ann

That would indeed be why the world's largest military continues to expand and generally stomps on the smallest degree of resistance to US corporate/billionaire self-interests or any sign of an actual public service in countries which cannot be economically captured.

Maintaining freedom takes unity among some of the more powerful and more independent countries better equipped to stand off conventional attacks and invasion attempts, as with Russia, China, Iran and other among what would appear (I hope) to be an increasing group. Especially as some of these have been long-targeted by The Psychopaths That Be.

Enough of TPTB and their political lackeys getting away with murder to the point where it's now blatantly demanded as their right.

—

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Submitted by Fishtroller 02 on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 9:02am

I saw this statement by LT.

I saw this statement by LT. GEN. Stephen Townsend last night on PBS concerning the charges made by Amnesty International, and felt like throwing up.

"LT. GEN. STEPHEN TOWNSEND, U.S. Army: I would challenge the people from Amnesty International or anyone else out there who makes these charges to first research their facts and make sure they're speaking from a position of authority. I would argue that this is, I believe, the most precise campaign in the history of warfare."

Starts on tape at about 15:50 here...http://www.pbs.org/newshour/episode/pbs-newshour-full-episode-july-11-2017/

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

Submitted by lizzyh7 on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 11:23am

Muddy the water, and do it on PBS too.

@Fishtroller 02 All to make your Democratic Hillbots feel just a tiny bit better about all the murder their party has done and will keep doing. And if it should come to pass that even PBS admits there was reckless killing of civilians? Why, it's only since Trump doncha know, Obama would NEVER do such a thing and Trump is fully to blame. See how nicely that works for them? Of course you do, but so many of their viewers will not bother to think this through, its far too uncomfortable to admit that this IS nothing new.

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Submitted by Lenzabi on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 4:07pm

War Crimes,

it still seems that most of our population has yet to have this sink in due to the way the Media spins the stories, they should be asking this question: [video:https://youtu.be/hn1VxaMEjRU]

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So long, and thanks for all the fish