News Dump Tuesday: With Frenemies Like This Edition

Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 11:58am

This brings up all sorts of questions

Kevin Howard, a Marine Corps veteran, and Taylor Hudson, an American citizen and veteran of the French Foreign Legion, allegedly were detained by U.S.-backed Syrian fighters after U.S. Special Forces refused to help them in their attempt to return home.
The two Americans were volunteers fighting with the Syriac Military Council, or MFS, under the larger umbrella group that is the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. The People’s Protection Units, or YPG, is a larger Kurdish-dominated faction within the SDF.
...

“The commander of the YPG foreign volunteers, Çanser, arrested us and charged us with treason for joining MFS despite them being under the same command of SDF. He said we were joining a faction that was ‘worse than ISIS,’” Hudson explained.
Hudson and Howard both originally volunteered to fight with the YPG until switching to the MFS after the liberation of Tabaq city, Hudson said.

This isn't over

The United States has made an urgent call for calm in northern Iraq as Kurdish fighters and Iraqi forces -- two of Washington's key allies in the region -- clash over disputed territory.
...At least 16 Kurdish fighters were killed in the operation, Kurdish Peshmerga commanders said, claiming Iraqi forces used US-supplied weapons against them.

Double standards?

More than 300 people were killed when a powerful bomb blast ripped through Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, on Saturday.
The attack marked the deadliest assault the country has ever witnessed.
But social media users have asked: Where is the collective outrage?
The attack in Somalia came little more than one week after a deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas, but many noted a quieter response to events in Mogadishu.
"The world is unfair; social media can attest to that. 276 died in Somalia and we aren't doing the same thing we did when it was Las Vegas," tweeted Eke van Victor.

NAFTA in trouble?

Mexico and Canada have repeatedly and publicly rejected the U.S. demands on dairy, autos, dispute panels, government procurement and a sunset clause. Officials familiar with the discussions describe two tracks to the negotiations -- an impasse on a few of the most contentious proposals, and progress being made on updating the pact in other areas.

Canada on Monday flatly rejected the most recent proposal to dismantle its system of quotas and trade barriers for dairy.

Tags: 
Open Thread
Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

Submitted by Meteor Man on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 1:20pm
Meteor Man's picture

Is What on second?

up
0 users have voted.
—

"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 mimi on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 1:33pm
mimi's picture

Protesters clash with police outside Ukraine's parliament

It's not over.

up
0 users have voted.
—

https://www.euronews.com/live

Submitted by Meteor Man on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 1:49pm
Meteor Man's picture

@mimi

The EU's European Court of Auditors said last year that "despite reform efforts, Ukraine is still perceived as the most corrupt country in Europe."

up
0 users have voted.
—

"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 Meteor Man on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 2:22pm
Meteor Man's picture

GOP Congressional Candidate Says She Was Abducted By Jesus-Like Aliens

In the interviews, Rodriguez Aguilera claims she was taken at the age of 7 by three tall, blond space people who have communicated with her telepathically at times since.

She said the aliens reminded her of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59e56da1e4b0ca9f483a35c7?section=us_p...

up
0 users have voted.
—

"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 SnappleBC on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 5:25pm
SnappleBC's picture

@Meteor Man

There is ONE GOP candidate that is full-tilt crazy. I won't agree the GOP is until they elect her.

up
0 users have voted.
—

A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

Submitted by thanatokephaloides on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 7:34pm
thanatokephaloides's picture

@SnappleBC

There is ONE GOP candidate that is full-tilt crazy. I won't agree the GOP is until they elect her.

Only one?

Who is it?

up
0 users have voted.
—

"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 Meteor Man on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 2:24pm
Meteor Man's picture

A good article at Consortium news:

The mainstream media’s hysteria over “fake news” is aimed less at the few instances of intentionally fabricated stories than at well-reported articles that challenge the U.S. government’s dubious official narratives, says David P. Hamilton.

https://consortiumnews.com/2017/10/16/understanding-the-fake-news-hysteria/

up
0 users have voted.
—

"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 Ellen North on Thu, 10/19/2017 - 3:56pm

@Meteor Man

Thanks! A little breath of sanity now and then makes a difference to the world.

up
0 users have voted.
—

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 Meteor Man on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 3:21pm
Meteor Man's picture

I'll just dump this here. Yves Smith over at Naked Capitalism recaps an article from Econospeak. The same "they hate the flag" trope is being recycled against football players who are taking a knee.

The trope of “they’re spitting on our veterans” is popular with anti-kneeling fanatics who maintain that athletes who protest during the national anthem are “spitting on the graves” of those who died to defend the flag and the freedom to do as you’re told and stand during the national anthem.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/10/case-spitting-legionnaire.html

When this mile high bullshit urban legend was debunked several years ago, I thought the best argument against it was that the returning Vietnam vet never once shit stomped the spitting hippy. Really? Not even one time?

up
0 users have voted.
—

"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 gjohnsit on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 4:48pm

@Meteor Man

It's curious how the right-wing is able to turn reality on its head time and time again.

I thought the best argument against it was that the returning Vietnam vet never once shit stomped the spitting hippy. Really? Not even one time?

Yep skinny hippies protesting outside of a military base insulting buff GI's that spent time killing people, would allow themselves to be humiliated. Riiight.

up
0 users have voted.
Submitted by dervish on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 3:23pm
dervish's picture

And the feds won't help them exit? This is hilarious, I'd love to see this get a full explanation in court.

It's true that the MFS is somewhat sympathetic to Assad, but their main goal was/is to liberate their own villages from Daesh. These two guys probably thought that Daesh was the enemy all along, and that they are just continuing the fight against Daesh by helping the Xtians.

Being on the ground over there they are probably unaware of the double-dealing that the US is doing, and that the US too considers helping the Syriac Xtians treason.

up
0 users have voted.
—

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

Submitted by Wink on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 6:03pm
Wink's picture

@dervish
and why I gave up giving a damn about the M.E. long long ago. The "mission" appears to be "keep killing people no matter what and, by the way, we're going to be here a long long time."

up
0 users have voted.
—

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 6:11pm
snoopydawg's picture

I can't imagine what their lives would be like if he hadn't stepped in to save them. I bet they are as grateful as Iraqis are.

up
0 users have voted.
—

The Washington Generals should probably sue the Democrats for copyright infringement.

Submitted by jbob on Wed, 10/18/2017 - 9:45am

If you wanna be a "merc" and go fight in foreign countries, you better have your exit plan in place.

up
0 users have voted.
Submitted by Ellen North on Thu, 10/19/2017 - 3:35pm

Mexico and Canada have repeatedly and publicly rejected the U.S. demands on dairy, autos, dispute panels, government procurement and a sunset clause. Officials familiar with the discussions describe two tracks to the negotiations -- an impasse on a few of the most contentious proposals, and progress being made on updating the pact in other areas.

Canada on Monday flatly rejected the most recent proposal to dismantle its system of quotas and trade barriers for dairy.

Thank gawd! Maybe the petitions do have some effect!

up
0 users have voted.
—

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.