5/6 Open Thread: International No Diet Day

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 5:00am

U.S Embassy Iftar with Rumah Kanak-Kanak Yatim Al-Sagaff

~~ Pizza

One's Diet is what one normally or habitually eats. In another sense, it can be taken to mean what one has voluntarily restricted ones food consumption to, as to quantities, specific foods or specific classes of food. In everyday usage, it means some specified dietary regimen that some person or committee has concocted and proposed that people should adhere to for reasons, vegan, paleo, carnivore, high carb, low carb, south beach, south bend, low residue, BRAT, the legendary "Drinking Man's Diet" and the like. I suspect that "no diet day" is a day upon which one is intended to eschew any and all of the latter, and not the cessation of food consumption.

On 5-6-1536 1536 King Henry VIII ordered English-language Bibles be placed in every church. Heh. This was, no doubt, part of his feud with the Pope, but nonetheless a very levelling action. Regardless of how literate the populace as a whole may have been, English was far more accessible to said populace than Latin. It, to a degree, took control of "the word" away from Il Papa and gave it to the masses, at least in Merrie Engelonde.

I won't mention the events of May 6, 1659 because I was taught to spit after saying the name of a certain Roundhead SOB, and I don't want to get any on my keyboard.

**********

On this day in history:

1536 -- King Henry VIII ordered English-language Bibles be placed in every church

1659 -- Some of the British Army removed Cromwell as Lord Protector and reinstalled the Rump Parliament.

1682 -- Louis XIV of France moved his court to the Palace of Versailles.

1877 -- Crazy Horse surrendered to United States troops

1882 -- The US Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act.

1889 -- The Eiffel Tower officially opened to the public

1935 -- Executive Order 7034 created the WPA, which wasn't market based

1937 -- The zeppelin Hindenburg cought fire and was destroyed

1940 -- John Steinbeck won a Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath.

1945 – The WWII Prague Offensive began.

1949 -- EDSAC, the first practical electronic digital stored-program computer, performed its first operation.

1954 -- Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile

1996 -- The body of former CIA director William Colby washed up on a riverbank

1994 – The opening of the Channel Tunnel.

1997 -- The Bank of England was freed from political control

2023 – The coronation of Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the such other realms as were somehow in need of British Royalty.

“A large drop of sun lingered on the horizon and then dripped over and was gone, and the sky was brilliant over the spot where it had gone, and a torn cloud, like a bloody rag, hung over the spot of its going. And dusk crept over the sky from the eastern horizon, and darkness crept over the land from the east.”

― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

**********

Some people who were born on this day:

The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.

~~ Maximilien Robespierre

And that includes any and all instances and forms of censorship
~~ Enhydra Lutris

1758 -- Maximilien Robespierre, lawyer and politician
1856 -- Sigmund Freud, quack, profoundly ignorant of Occam's razor
1856 -- Robert Peary, explorer, US admiral
1868 –- Gaston Leroux, journalist and author
1872 -- Willem de Sitter, mathematician, physicist, and astronomer
1896 -- Rolf Maximilian Sievert, medical physicist
1902 –- Harry Golden, journalist and author
1913 -- Carmen Cavallaro, pianist
1916 -- Robert H. Dicke, physicist and astronomer
1939 -- Eddie C. Campbell, singer and guitarist
1917 –- Kal Mann, songwriter
1924 –- Denny Wright, guitarist, composer, and producer
1929 –- Rosemary Cramp, archaeologist and academic
1937 –- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, boxer wrongfully convicted of murder

1943 -- Andreas Baader, terrorist, co-founder of the Red Army Faction
1945 -- Bob Seger, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1960 –- John Flansburgh, singer, songwriter, and guitarist (They might be giants
1968 -- Laetitia Sadier, singer and keyboard player
1971 -- Chris Shiflett, singer, songwriter, and guitarist

**********

Some people who died on this day:

“The most dangerous worldviews are the worldviews of those who have never viewed the world.”

~~ Alexander von Humboldt

1859 – Alexander von Humboldt, geographer, naturalist, and explorer
1862 -- Henry David Thoreau, essayist, poet, and philosopher
1902 -- Bret Harte, author and poet
1919 -- L. Frank Baum, novelist
1949 -- Maurice Maeterlinck, poet and playwright
1952 -- Maria Montessori, physician and educator
1963 -- Theodore von Karman, aerodynamicist, mathematician, physicist, and engineer
1963 -- Ted Weems, violinist, trombonist, and bandleader
1983 -- Kai Winding, trombonist and composer
1992 -- Marlene Dietrich, actress and singer
2002 -- Otis Blackwell, singer, songwriter, and pianist
2002 – Bjørn Johansen, saxophonist
2004 -- Barney Kessel, guitarist and composer
2014 -- Farley Mowat, environmentalist and author

**********

Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:

National Nurses Day
National Azulejo Day (Portugal)
National Crêpe Suzette Day
The first day of Hıdırellez (Turkey)
International No Diet Day

**********

Today's Tunes

No Diet Day

Carmen Cavallaro

Eddie C. Campbell

Kal Mann

Denny Wright

Rubin Carter

Bob Seger

John Flansburgh

Chris Shiflett

Ted Weems

Kai Winding

Marlene Dietrich

~~Elvis~~ Otis Blackwell

Bjørn Johansen

Barney Kessel

Bonus Barney Kessel

**********

-Thanks phillybluesfan for the Steinbeck quote and suggestion

**********

Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?

Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com

Open Thread, Versailles, Eiffel Tower, WPA, Steinbeck, Chunnel, Robespierre, Alexander von Humboldt, Rubin Carter, Bob Seger, Otis Blackwell, Marlene Dietrich , Barney Kessel

Tags:

Open Thread

Versailles

Eiffel Tower

WPA

Steinbeck

Chunnel

Robespierre

Alexander von Humboldt

Vote

Comments

Submitted by QMS on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 8:04am

buenas dias peeps

-
-
We have been on a low information mental diet now for a couple generations.
Do our heads get skinnier and fit into designer hats? Way back in the 70's
we included certain mind expanding chemicals in our diets. Our brains became
fat, but it was no problem as bandanas were cool then. Adjustable.

Trying to restrict the intake of poisonous MSM propaganda helps. Except for
the knock-on effects of associative transference. Doesn't matter if the brain
gets fat as long it is on the 'good end' of the information pyramid. Fasting can help
by shutting down inputs. Darn thing about that, the appetite becomes more
insatiable after falling off the wagon. What have we missed?

Thanks for the OT!

—

question everything

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:21pm

Good morning and thanks for the input. In the middle of

@QMS
a plumbing project which turns out to be laden with disinfo. Detailed examination of the device being repaired shows that it is not the device covered in the original installation instructions, highly similar but not exakly same-same. The replacement cartridge specified no es vaguely the same as the one I took out, different brand even. Fun, fun, fun. We may be getting less information, but we are dealing with a ton more variables, not too cool by any measure.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by usefewersyllables on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 8:57am

My wife and I did a

no-tech weekend, and turned off all the various boxes that spew all this trash at us. It was quite pleasant.

I very definitely believe that the "intermittent fasting" approach works for disinformation overload. I think I may have to extend the weekend to, say, mid-November...

Meanwhile, band rehearsals offer a very pleasant respite from all of that, and also allow me to work up a *righteous* sweat. I definitely need more of that in my life.

Best wishes to all!

—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by QMS on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 9:15am

The expression of art is a good antidote to

@usefewersyllables
-
-
trash culture, works for me. Once pulled out of the central orbit
of tech availability, have no problem disconnecting. The wife, on
the other hand, may go into DT's. Too connected. But it may be
a good thought experiment? We have enough disinformation to
digest for a long time without needing to feed the beast.

—

question everything

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:24pm

Good morning UFS. We try to somewhat regularly disconnect,

@usefewersyllables

though we are not as good at it as we were when we had our trailer and could go park it out where we got no signal. It's refreshing to shut down the noise, even if the signal has to go with it sometimes.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by on the cusp on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 9:21am

Good morning, El, et al!

It has been a strange, wet week in these parts.
15 inches of rain in 5 days. The record was 19 inches in that time frame, set during hurricane Harvey.
It is possible to get out of town, if you know the alternate, back woods roads.
Entire subdivisions are underwater, and the evacuees are living in their rvs and cars on the side of the road.
I guess losing their homes and all that is in those homes is just a "thing", as long as you got out with your kids, pets, and boat.
Hope everyone has a great Monday and that it is the beginning of a great week.
Earth is on a liquid diet...hope it has had enough for now.
Thanks El, for the OT.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:25pm

Good morning otc - glad you guys made it through ok.

@on the cusp

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by humphrey on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 12:41pm

Does this throw a monkey wrench into Bibi's planned invasion

of Rafah?

It will be quite interesting to see how the pro Zionist crowd including the US and MSM spin this.

Hamas says it has accepted the ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza.

In a statement Monday, Hamas said the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, told the Qatari prime minister and Egyptian intelligence minister that the militant group had accepted their proposal.

Submitted by on the cusp on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:26pm

Israel has not

@humphrey accepted the deal. The US says it will not support a "full-scale" military incursion into Rafah.
That suggests a few bombs here, a few snipers that, would be okey dokey.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 10:32pm

it also suggests --

@on the cusp more of your standard US lying, although it might also be possible that the weaponry the US would otherwise send to Israel has already been destroyed in Ukraine.

Here's a mind-boggling possibility: the numbers of troops the regime in Ukraine has thrown away in its "counter-offensives" makes the death toll in Gaza look like small potatoes. However, that may change when we get the starvation death tolls.

—

“The loyal Left cannot act decisively. Their devotion to the system is a built-in kill switch limiting dissent.” - Richard Moser

Submitted by on the cusp on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 10:58pm

If

@Cassiodorus we ever do, cass. Truth is kept from us constantly, for days, years, decades.
Who shot Kennedy, just for starters in my mind...

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:29pm

Good morning humphry. I doubt that bibi will accept

@humphrey
anything proposed by Egypt, Qatar, or both. Thanks for the news, though.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by humphrey on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:21pm

FAFO!

After belligerent comments with regards to actions in Ukraine from the UK and France we get this.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-nuclear-drills-b007cffdc4f...

Russia on Monday threatened to strike British military facilities and said it would hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid sharply rising tensions over comments by senior Western officials about possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine.

After summoning the British ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, Moscow warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with U.K.-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory strikes against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere.

The remarks came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration to a fifth term in office and in a week when Moscow on Thursday will celebrate Victory Day, its most important secular holiday, marking its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

The drills are a response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It was the first time Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises. Tactical nuclear weapons include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield. They are less powerful than the strategic weapons — massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to obliterate entire cities.

The Russian announcement was a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies about becoming more deeply engaged in the 2-year-old war, where the Kremlin’s forces have gained an upper hand amid Ukraine’s shortage of manpower and weapons. Some of Ukraine’s Western partners have previously expressed concern that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine into a war between NATO and Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron repeated last week that he doesn’t exclude sending troops to Ukraine, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kyiv’s forces will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Some other NATO countries providing weapons to Kyiv have balked at that possibility.

Submitted by usefewersyllables on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:30pm

And the

@humphrey

clock ticks closer.

After belligerent comments with regards to actions in Ukraine from the UK and France we get this. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-nuclear-drills-b007cffdc4f... Russia on Monday threatened to strike British military facilities and said it would hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid sharply rising tensions over comments by senior Western officials about possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine. After summoning the British ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, Moscow warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with U.K.-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory strikes against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere. The remarks came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration to a fifth term in office and in a week when Moscow on Thursday will celebrate Victory Day, its most important secular holiday, marking its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The drills are a response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It was the first time Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises. Tactical nuclear weapons include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield. They are less powerful than the strategic weapons — massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to obliterate entire cities. The Russian announcement was a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies about becoming more deeply engaged in the 2-year-old war, where the Kremlin’s forces have gained an upper hand amid Ukraine’s shortage of manpower and weapons. Some of Ukraine’s Western partners have previously expressed concern that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine into a war between NATO and Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron repeated last week that he doesn’t exclude sending troops to Ukraine, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kyiv’s forces will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Some other NATO countries providing weapons to Kyiv have balked at that possibility.

—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by humphrey on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:49pm

I have a different opinion on this.

@usefewersyllables

I take it as a Russian warning to the bravado expressed by UK and France to cool it so that things do not spin out of control which really is a good sign.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 1:33pm

Heh, the Rus are already openly targeting the

@humphrey

wunderwaffen deliveries and mercenary training areas. Too bad that dipshits like Macarroni can't get the picture and stfu.

be well and havd a good one

After belligerent comments with regards to actions in Ukraine from the UK and France we get this. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-nuclear-drills-b007cffdc4f... Russia on Monday threatened to strike British military facilities and said it would hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid sharply rising tensions over comments by senior Western officials about possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine. After summoning the British ambassador to the Foreign Ministry, Moscow warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with U.K.-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory strikes against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere. The remarks came on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration to a fifth term in office and in a week when Moscow on Thursday will celebrate Victory Day, its most important secular holiday, marking its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The drills are a response to “provocative statements and threats of certain Western officials regarding the Russian Federation,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. It was the first time Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, although its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises. Tactical nuclear weapons include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield. They are less powerful than the strategic weapons — massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to obliterate entire cities. The Russian announcement was a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies about becoming more deeply engaged in the 2-year-old war, where the Kremlin’s forces have gained an upper hand amid Ukraine’s shortage of manpower and weapons. Some of Ukraine’s Western partners have previously expressed concern that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine into a war between NATO and Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron repeated last week that he doesn’t exclude sending troops to Ukraine, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kyiv’s forces will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Some other NATO countries providing weapons to Kyiv have balked at that possibility.

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by humphrey on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 2:39pm

So it is all TikTok's fault that the genocidal Israel is losing

its propaganda efforts.

"Why has the PR been so awful?… typically the Israelis are good at PR—what’s happened here?"

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Israel has lost the PR war because social media allows people to see images and videos showing reality.

Meanwhile, Senator Mitt… pic.twitter.com/ltHGfkwTHs

— dana (@dana916) May 6, 2024

The rest of the tweet:

Meanwhile, Senator Mitt Romney links the US decision to ban TikTok with the increased awareness about the Palestinian cause on the application.

Submitted by QMS on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 2:47pm

the narrative managers are freaking out

@humphrey
-
-
any platform out of their control will burst the illusions
so carefully scripted. The Israeli lies no longer hold-up
under scrutiny.

—

question everything

Submitted by soryang on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 3:59pm

"Why is the PR so awful"

@humphrey

Why are dead women and children so awful?

These two pampered hereditary elites have no clue.

I suppose they think they are big influencers. Whatever Blinken says is presumptively a calculated deception just based on his track record. Romney and Blinken would be better off if they went into a media blackhole.

Making this pro-slaughter of civilians and protected non-combatants pitch, on a set with John McCain written all over it, shows they are completely oblivious to reality.

—

語必忠信行必正直

Submitted by QMS on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 4:48pm

And why don't people accept our lies

@soryang
-
-
at face value anymore? Blame it on Tic Tok. Their cover is blown so rather
than making an approach to reality, we will be blamed for wrong think.

—

question everything

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 5:03pm

Howdy Soryang. I too noted the McCain Institute

@soryang

logo and found it appropriate and true to form. They're so lost in their own bubbles that they are oblivious to such things.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by Cassiodorus on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 10:37pm

"Why doesn't the rest of humanity love genocide like we do?"

@soryang You really have to wonder about these people.

—

“The loyal Left cannot act decisively. Their devotion to the system is a built-in kill switch limiting dissent.” - Richard Moser

Submitted by usefewersyllables on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 3:12pm

And after rejecting the

Hamas cease-fire acceptance, I see that the Israelis have also decided to bomb the UNWRA building, claiming that it was a Hamas headquarters: https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/israel-bombs-unrwa-building-in-gaza...

That's a pretty good shot from that video, putting one round right through the UN logo on the front of the building. They can take pride in that.

Bomb the hospitals, bomb the rescuers, bomb the refugee assistance headquarters. Anyone who thinks that they won't immediately bomb our magical offshore pier as soon as supplies arrive there clearly has a very high fraction of blue mud in their brain pan.

My apologies if I've offended anybody with blue mud for brains. Times are hard, you know, and I'm getting a bit crotchety in my old age.

—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 5:17pm

Come now, surely you didn't expect anything different, did you?

@usefewersyllables

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by usefewersyllables on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 5:15pm

And then this.

I have no words.

https://twitter.com/nikstankovic_/status/1787517408279744772

Finally, neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC and are therefore outside of your organization's supposed jurisdiction. If you issue a warrant for the arrest of the Israeli leadership, we will interpret this not only as a threat to Israel's sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States. Our country has demonstrated, notably through the American Service-Members' Protection Act, the lengths to which we will go to protect our sovereignty.

The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.

"You have been warned", indeed. We are now *officially* pariahs to the rest of the world. However, looking on the bright side, that does constitute a nice starting point for the list of people to arrest immediately if they leave the US and set foot on the soil of any ICC-signatory nation...

—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 5:18pm

Precisely why we refused o sign it iirc. n/t

@usefewersyllables

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by snoopydawg on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 7:48pm

And yet every one of those creeps

@usefewersyllables

cheered when Putin was handed his arrest warrant even though Russia isn’t a signatory either. And his were on trumped up charges of kidnapping children when he did nothing of the sort. Sure there were some orphans, but the majority had parents who went with their kids to Russia to get out of the war zone.

Bibi is actively murdering children in Gaza and how many kids has he arrested and tortured?

Besides Palestine is a significant and they had every right to ask for the investigation.

—

The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

Submitted by snoopydawg on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 7:58pm

Here’s the whole letter

@usefewersyllables

Dear Mr. Khan,
We write regarding the reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may be considering issuing international arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Such actions are illegitimate and lack legal basis, and if carried out will result in severe sanctions against you and your institution.

The ICC is attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate actions of self-defense against their Iranian-backed aggressors. In fact, in your own words, you witnessed 'scenes of calculated cruelty' conducted by Hamas in Israel following the October 7th attacks. These arrest warrants would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxy. To be clear, there is no moral equivalence between Hamas's terrorism and Israel's justified response.

The ICC is also prohibited by its charter from proceeding in any case unless the relevant government is unwilling or unable to police themselves. You yourself have said that "Israel has trained lawyers who advise commanders and [a] robust system intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law." By issuing warrants, you would be calling into question the legitimacy of Israel's laws, legal system, and democratic form of government.

Issuing arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel would not only be unjustified, it would expose your organization's hypocrisy and double standards. Your office has not issued arrest warrants for, for example, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or any other Iranian official, President Bashar al-Assad or any other Syrian official, or Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh or any other Hamas official. Nor have you issued arrest warrants for the genocidal regime, Secretary of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, or any other Chinese official.

Finally, neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC and are therefore outside of your organization's supposed jurisdiction. If you issue a warrant for the arrest of the Israeli leadership, we will interpret this not only as a threat to Israel's sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States. Our country has demonstrated, notably through the American Service-Members' Protection Act, the lengths to which we will go to protect our sovereignty.

The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.

Lol…Biden asked Israel to investigate the mass graves and they told him no…but then said that they had and found Israeli troops not guilty. And look…more collective punishment.

—