Empire - America and the future

[sidd]

Rumblings of discontent in satrapy of Empire:

Limit movement of diplomats, now they block exit of one accused of traffic death. Reminds me of the CIA agent Raymond Davis case, where Kerry had to show up with sacks of gold to get him out. That was more egregious, Davis had blown  away a couple guys who he accused of trying to kill him. In rescuing Davis, an embassy vehicle killed someone then too in traffic.


http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/pakistan-limits-movement-of-us-diplomats/news-story/e298a4a24ac5ca66f5807b01c791445e

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44094872

sidd

[sidd]

An article and an interview with David Swanson on the danger of American Exceptionalism:

" a collection of beliefs or attitudes, whether or not articulated, that hold the US government, military and nation to be central to one's identity and to be superior to and not even to be judged on the same plane with anyone else. This is a way of thinking that is not dependent on any empirical facts"

" this attitude damages everyone it touches. It deprives people of identifying with 96 percent of humanity"

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/44458-making-america-great-again-assumes-that-it-once-was

In the article he goes on:

"What we're dealing with is not just valuing the United States, but also devaluing the rest of the world -- and not just as observers, but as people who believe they have the right, if not the duty, to impose their will on the rest of the world"

"the US public has largely sat by for the past 17 years of wars in which the nations attacked have suffered tens and hundreds of times more deaths than the US military. Americans overwhelmingly tell pollsters that it is fine to kill non-Americans with US drones, but illegal to kill US citizens. "

Scratch that last part. Obama was fine with killing citizens.

"This is where exceptionalism looks like a form of bigotry. One type of person is much more valuable. The other 96 percent of humanity is just not worth very much."

"US exceptionalism does not just devalue the individual lives of others. It also devalues the earth as a whole. US policy is generally not shaped by concern for its impact on the planet's environment. And the attitude of constant competition for the most growth on a finite planet is destructive and ultimately self-defeating. As an exceptionalist -- or, as the US government would call the same attitude in someone else, a rogue -- the United States keeps itself out of more international treaties than do its peers. It also keeps itself out of the jurisdiction of courts of international law and arbitration. This position hurts the US public, by denying it new developments in human rights. And it deals a severe blow to the rule of law elsewhere, because of the prominence and power of the world's leading rogue nation."

"What are human lives in comparison with national pride?"

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/44431-the-hubris-of-american-exceptionalism-devalues-the-rest-of-the-world

sidd

[TerryM]

Happy MOVE day Philadelphia!
On this day in 1985 the Afro-American group MOVE - originally known as "The Christian Movement for Life", who practiced a "radical form of Green Politics", met their masters.



Attention MOVE - This is America
Was the opening line of a long proclamation read by the leader of the 500 armed cops as they turned off the water and power to MOVE's communal row house.


After 10,000 rounds of ammunition and many rounds of tear gas had failed to remove the Afro-Americans, two "barrel bombs' were dropped by helicopter on the roof.
The ensuing fire destroyed 65 homes, in part because the fire department, who had earlier used a water cannon to try to effect the removal of the group, was ordered to let the fire burn (with the people still inside) by the same police commissioner who had earlier read the proclamation.


6 adults and 5 children died in the conflagration, and in excess of 250 people were left homeless.
No one from the city was ever charged.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOVE

Terry

[SteveMDFP]

Well, here's an interesting turn of events in Iraq:

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr takes surprise lead in Iraq’s election as prime minister falters
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/boycotters-shake-up-iraqs-election-which-was-marked-by-historically-low-turnout/2018/05/13/1a415710-5535-11e8-a6d4-ca1d035642ce_story.html?utm_term=.c741b8cbabb3

al-Sadr's militia fought US forces there.  And ISIS.  I wasn't aware he was an opponent of Iran's increasing influence in Iraq.  That's interesting.

Many external players may be perturbed by this result, not least the US.  Possibly this outcome might be better for the people of Iraq, though.  Very hard to say.  Time will tell.

[sidd]

I wouldn't be too sure of Sadr being anti Irani yet. He has history. After leading spirited resistance to occupation troops after the fall of Hussein, he spent three years in Qom, Iran under the  tutelage of the Irani ayatollahs in religion and jurisprudence.

https://www.voanews.com/a/iraqi-cleric-moqtada-al-sadr-returns-to-iran----114413719/133882.html

Al Sadr comes from a very distinguished lineage. His father was a highly repected shia cleric. He is related to others. The story goes that in Qom, Sadr was instructed that he was not yet worthy of his father's respect, and that he must subordinate to Ayatollah Sistani (who, i may add, seems to be one of the finest men in Iraq.) He was further instructed that must work to earn the respect his father had. He took that advice, and he seems to be doing well.

sidd

[Human Habitat Index]

The wealthiest families on this planet have erected a parasitic and absolutely inhuman system for the exploitation and subjugation of mankind. As the Dutch banker whistle blower Ronald Bernard, who had worked closely with the Global Financial Elite, recently stated: “The misery of the world is a business model.” This system is based on usury, and employs deliberately provoked and manipulated wars, providing loans with heavy interest to both warring sides, ensuring that both the victor and the vanquished come under their iron control through debt bondage. This brutal strategy is supplemented by purchasing and corrupting important individuals and groups, and converting them secretively to a Satanic philosophy through prolonged membership of secret societies, through recruitment at a raw age, through mind control and through terror.

The end goal of this state of perpetual war is to have a global slave state with a much reduced global population, with its riches concentrated in the hands of a few families permanently, with the enslaved mankind doing menial labor for the pleasure and power of the ruling Elite.  There will be no such thing as freedom of movement and freedom of thought in this global slave state known euphemistically as the One World Government or the New World Order.

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2018/05/06/kamran-aliens/

[TerryM]

Many Google employees resign, and 4,000 sign a petition to end Google's work with the DOD.


https://gizmodo.com/google-employees-resign-in-protest-against-pentagon-con-1825729300

"some employees believe humans, not algorithms, should be responsible for this sensitive and potentially lethal work—and that Google shouldn’t be involved in military work at all."

more links within the link explaining that the job involves using AI to process drone footage.
Terry

[sidd]

Zawahiri used to be against Osama's policy of striking the "far enemy," i.e. the USA, which supported local despots. After 2001 he sorta won that fight, but then over the last few years, the USA has got him to change his mind.

"he urged Muslims carry out jihad against the United States."

"He added that Bin Laden had declared the US "the first enemy of the Muslims, and swore that it will not dream of security until it is lived in reality in Palestine, and until all the armies of disbelief leave the land of Muhammad." "

Terror inflicted abroad becoming terror at home. Who coulda thunk it ?

http://www.france24.com/en/20180514-zawahiri-calls-jihad-eve-us-embassy-move-jerusalem

sidd

[CDN_dude]

A potential conflict is brewing in the Red Sea region over water, specifically that of the Nile. One of several potential areas of tension that are not getting much mainstream attention, as this article argues:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/05/15/and-now-for-some-crises-that-are-completely-different/

Thought it was interesting to see this as a climate change impact as well. Countries are getting concerned about Egypt getting all the water now that increased droughts are projected. A sign of worse to come, no doubt.

[sidd]

USA meddling in Syria described by a Lebanese historian:

"The myth of moderate Syrian rebels was almost an inside joke: no one really believed that the rebels were largely moderate nor that they were all controlled either by two woman from Damascus or by men in suits in Istanbul. This fiction was necessary to keep the war going and to win the sympathy of Western public opinion, an effort that was largely successful with the help of heavily funded Western public relations and lobbying firms paid for by Gulf monarchies. "

"Obama, typically, had it both ways: he would express doubts about the value of arming the Syrian rebels and would question their moderation, while authorizing shipments of money and arms and allowing the CIA and the Pentagon to train those same rebels "

"the plan changed when the U.S. realized that the fall of the regime was more difficult than expected. Instead, the U.S. did what it has done before: allow various parties to engage in prolonged bloodletting for the benefit of its ally Israel. The U.S. had let the Iran-Iraq war drag on for eight years because it enjoyed watching two countries that it did not favor suffer and be distracted, while it did something similar in Lebanon: allowing the war to drag on for many years. "

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/29/the-us-unrecognized-contribution-to-bloodshed-in-syria/

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/05/15/the-unrecognized-us-contribution-to-bloodshed-in-syria-part-two/

sidd

[sidd]

Pakistan backs down: wonder what the bribe was this time.

"the American diplomat who was involved in a tragic car accident on April 7 in Islamabad has departed Pakistan"

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-pakistan-usa/u-s-diplomat-involved-in-accident-allowed-to-leave-pakistan-idUKKCN1IF2Q7

sidd

[sidd]

Paul Street on US hegemony:

"“implied promise of unacceptable consequences” for those who defy U.S. wishes. "

"The underlying premise is that Uncle Sam owns the world and reserves the right to bomb the hell out of anyone who doesn’t agree"

" From the start, the “American Century” had nothing to do with advancing democracy. As numerous key U.S. planning documents reveal over and over, the goal of that policy was to maintain and, if necessary, install governments that “favor[ed] private investment of domestic and foreign capital, production for export, and the right to bring profits out of the country,”  "

He quotes Kennan who was prescient in hi 1948 letter:

"We have about 50% of the world’s wealth, but only 6.3% of its population. … In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity. … To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming; and our attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives. … We should cease to talk about vague and … unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better."

Kissinger: "“I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go Communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people.”"

" “the U.S. has overthrown 50 governments, including democracies, crushed some 30 liberation movements and supported tyrannies from Egypt to Guatemala (see William Blum’s histories). Bombing is apple pie.” Along the way, Washington has crassly interfered in elections in dozens of “sovereign” nations, something curious to note in light of current liberal U.S. outrage over real or alleged Russian interference in “our” supposedly democratic electoral process in 2016. Uncle Sam also has bombed civilians in 30 countries, attempted to assassinate foreign leaders and deployed chemical and biological weapons."

Latin America: "United States has used direct military invasion or has supported military coups to overthrow elected governments in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Haiti, Grenada, and Panama. In addition, the United States has intervened with military action to suppress revolutionary movements in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Bolivia. More recently … the United States has spent tax dollars to finance and help organize opposition groups and media in Honduras, Paraguay, and Brazil, leading to congressional impeachments of democratically elected presidents. Hillary Clinton presided over these efforts as Secretary of State in the Obama administration, which pursued the same pattern of destabilization in Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia"

Chomsky: "“No degree of cruelty is too great for Washington sadists.” "

Vincent Emanuele, US Marine:

"I think about the hundreds of prisoners we took captive and tortured in makeshift detention facilities. … I vividly remember the marines telling me about punching, slapping, kicking, elbowing, kneeing and head-butting Iraqis. I remember the tales of sexual torture: forcing Iraqi men to perform sexual acts on each other while marines held knives against their testicles, sometimes sodomizing them with batons "

Semper fucking Fidelis.

Hersh: " Seymour Hersh told the ACLU about the existence of classified Pentagon evidence files containing films of U.S-“global policeman” soldiers sodomizing Iraqi boys in front of their mothers behind the walls of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. “You haven’t begun to see [all the] … evil, horrible things done [by U.S. soldiers] to children of women prisoners, as the cameras run,”  "

"Frightening New Yorkers led to a full presidential apology and the discharge of a White House staffer. Killing more than 100 Afghan civilians did not require any apology."

"It is better for empire to be exposed in its full and ugly nakedness"

"The biggest costs have fallen on the many millions killed and maimed by the U.S. military and allied and proxy forces in the last seven decades and before. The victims include the many U.S. military veterans who have killed themselves, many of them haunted by their own participation in sadistic attacks and torture on defenseless people at the distant command of sociopathic imperial masters determined to enforce U.S. hegemony by any and all means deemed necessary."

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/05/14/the-world-will-not-mourn-the-decline-of-u-s-hegemony/

sidd

[TerryM]

Another American Ambassador makes news by telling the UK's Theresa May to cut back on health care, education and transportation so that she can afford more F-35 fighters.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/put-defence-spending-before-nhs-says-american-envoy-7wp0nd6p8

Priorities!
Terry

[sidd]

Engelhardt on bellum sine fine:

"President Trump should be considered part of the costs of those wars come home. Without the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and what followed, I doubt he would have been imaginable"

"never, it could be argued, has a great power still in its imperial prime proven quite so incapable of applying its military and political might in a way that would advance its aims. It’s a strange fact of this century that the U.S. military has been deployed across vast swaths of the planet and somehow, again and again, has found itself overmatched by underwhelming enemy forces and incapable of producing any results other than destruction and further fragmentation."

"Americans have generally ignored their country’s wars, even as the blowback began. Someday, they will have no choice but to pay attention."

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176423/tomgram%3A_engelhardt%2C_a_staggeringly_well-funded_blowback_machine/

sidd

[Susan Anderson]

I apologize for my country. The New York Times is with me.

An Indecent Disrespect

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.

President Trump’s rejection of the Iran nuclear deal has unleashed a rare fury in Europe. Following his withdrawal from the Paris climate accords, his tariffs on imported steel, the move of the American Embassy to Jerusalem, the rewriting of international trade agreements and all the other signs of disdain for the priorities of America’s traditional allies, many Europeans are furiously proclaiming the trans-Atlantic relationship dead. However palpable the frustration, the question once again is whether Europeans are prepared to, or even able to, stand up to the bully across the sea.

Certainly this is what many Europeans would dearly love to do. Europe must not accept being the “vassals” of the United States, declared the French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, whose boss, President Emmanuel Macron, so recently kissed and hugged Mr. Trump in a futile effort to influence him. “We have to stop being wimps,” said Nathalie Tocci, a senior adviser to the European Union.

The cover of the German weekly newsmagazine Der Spiegel reflected a common sentiment in its depiction of Mr. Trump as a middle finger proclaiming, “Goodbye, Europe!” The fiery editorial inside called for “resistance against America.”

“The West as we once knew it no longer exists,” Der Spiegel’s editors wrote. “Our relationship to the United States cannot currently be called a friendship and can hardly be referred to as a partnership. President Trump has adopted a tone that ignores 70 years of trust.”

Then there are the hard facts. Europe’s trade with the United States is incomparably larger than its trade with Iran, and even if Britain, France and Germany — co-signers of the Iran accord, along with China, the European Union, Russia and the United States — try to maintain the Iran deal and support their companies against so-called secondary sanctions by Washington, many European banks and industries would be wary of defying America’s enormous economic clout, and especially the reach of its banking system.

Mr. Trump, who has long complained about Germany’s trade surplus and Europe’s low military spending, is not overly sympathetic to Europe’s economic or security concerns, and even less so with the überhawkish John Bolton now as his national security adviser. In a phone call to British, French and German officials last Wednesday, Mr. Bolton said there would be no sanctions exemptions for European companies.

The anger in Europe, however, is not so much about the cost of renewed sanctions as about the total, humiliating disdain for the Europeans’ arguments, and, by extension, for the trans-Atlantic alliance and all it has stood for since World War II. If Europeans allowed other powers, including allies, to make security decisions for them, “then we are no more sovereign and we cannot be more credible to public opinion,” Mr. Macron said in a statement that echoed the sentiments of many of his European neighbors.

There have been bitter differences before, notably over the war in Iraq, but to Europeans, Mr. Trump’s contempt is of a higher order, an arrogant mind-set that even on matters of paramount global importance, America will do what it wants without giving a damn for the interests of its closest allies.

That was made stunningly clear by a tweet from the new ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, shortly after he presented his credentials last Tuesday, declaring that German companies doing business in Iran “should wind down operations immediately.” To the Germans, that was an unacceptable order to fall in line, and Mr. Grenell’s subsequent assurances that there would be no trade war did little to temper the outrage.

Roiled by its own internal crises and divisions, Europe lacks the big stick that would compel Mr. Trump to listen to reason. The sweet talk attempted by Mr. Macron has proved equally futile. But that does not excuse Europe, and especially Germany, Britain and France, from standing firm against Washington’s bullying and making every effort to keep the Iran deal — and all the other aspects of the international order Mr. Trump has tried to destroy — from collapse.

tps://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/opinion/europe-allies-iran-deal-trump.html

[Martin Gisser]

The cover of the German weekly newsmagazine Der Spiegel

Edel Rodriguez has made a few more graphic depictions
https://twitter.com/edelstudio/status/994980489890058241

[sidd]

"If Europeans allowed other powers, including allies, to make security decisions for them, “then we are no more sovereign and we cannot be more credible to public opinion,” Mr. Macron said "

Took him awhile to figure it out.

sidd

[etienne]

Well, it's not so easy. I'm not sure that Puttin is better than Trump. All things have to be kept in balance. I always thought that non violence would bring fast results in Palestinia, but we have just seen that it's not the case. It works but it takes time. Here it is the same. If the US continue the same way, separation will be the only possibility, but it's not so easy and the US are still more democratic than many other countries, just like Europe is more democratic that others when you are on the US side.  I read somewhere that the US can't afford the role of world leader anymore and this would be why Europe would not be a priority anymore. After the little show with the North Korean leader, maybe the Pacific side of Asia will also be left not alone, but with China.

[sidd]

"The New York Times like all the rest have their own blood on their hands from 2003. "

Long before then.

sidd

[sidd]

Empire must propagandize: China is the enemy. Mouthpieces of Empire beat the war drums

"US State Department report that accuses Beijing of using a combination of loans and economic coercion to take control of the Indo-Pacific region."

"bemoans the loss of control over the region by the US and its imperialist allies,"

"states that US and allied dominance is essential to waging a war against China."

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/05/16/usch-m16.html

And lookee here, another dicredited warmonger slithers out of her lair:

"in Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney last week, failed US Democratic Party presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted that the governments of Australia and New Zealand must “stand up” against “Chinese interference.” "

"the US must remain a Pacific power to counter China."

"came amid an escalating two-year media campaign in both Australia and New Zealand against alleged Chinese interference, "

Hilary speech was in coordination with another Obama appointee:

"In the same night that she appeared in Melbourne, the Obama administration’s last ambassador to Australia, John Berry, told an audience of Australian military chiefs and diplomats at the Australian Naval Institute in Canberra that China was becoming more aggressive and authoritarian."

"Clinton’s warning also came a week after another purveyor of the anti-China campaign, Australian Greens member Professor Clive Hamilton testified before a US Congressional committee. He said China had “scaled up its threats of economic harm” against Australia and “this psychological warfare is only stage one, with real punishment to follow if needed.” "

"Hamilton’s recent book, Silent Invasion, accuses Beijing of planning to take over Australia, a plight that could be averted by Australia joining a US-led war against China."

Hilary can't let it go, gets a dig in at the Russians.

"Clinton made an amalgam between the Democratic Party accusations of a Russian plot to install Trump and claims that Beijing is seeking to take control of the entire world. "

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/05/14/clin-m14.html

War with China ? Unlikely. More like fearmongering, keep the colonies in line, coz there's  big bad China out there. That won't work for too much longer.

sidd

[sidd]

Empire's alliances crumble: EU resists Iran sanctions:

" EU leaders decided Wednesday night to activate the so-called blocking statute, which bans European companies from complying with the U.S. sanctions against Iran."

"Juncker also said that leaders had decided “to allow the European Investment Bank to facilitate European companies’ investment in Iran.” This means that the investment bank could potentially issue loans for companies that might no longer be covered by European banks, which are expected to withdraw their operations from Iran out of fear of consequences for their business with the United States."

https://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-to-launch-law-for-blocking-iran-sanctions-on-friday/

sidd

[sidd]

China, Russia do soy deal: Grassley will be mad.

"China has nearly tripled its imports from Russia,"

"China has already canceled several shipments from the U.S"

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-17/china-buys-record-amount-of-russian-soy-as-it-shuns-u-s-growers

sidd

[sidd]

2.8 trillion for the war on terror:

"since 9/11, counterterrorism funding has averaged $186.6 billion per year"

"In the 15 years after 9/11, “Muslim extremists or jihadis have killed 100 people in the United States, or about six per year."

Getting expensive. An unkind person might argue that the war on terror has less to do with terror than profits for warmongers.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/387979-new-report-finds-us-spent-28-trillion-on-counterterrorism-since-9-11

sidd

[sidd]

European Union chafes under Empire yoke:

" "With friends like that who needs enemies," tweeted Donald Tusk, the president of the EU's European Council. "

"But frankly, EU should be grateful. Thanks to him we got rid of all illusions "

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/387920-top-eu-official-slams-trump-with-friends-like-that-who-needs-enemies

sidd

[magnamentis]

"But frankly, EU should be grateful. Thanks to him we got rid of all illusions "
sidd

yep, that's somehow my line of thinking as well, since things are and mostly have been as they are, it's time to at least face truth/facts and for this task it is indeed helpful to deal with such extreme conditions that a critical mass of people is going to loose their illusions.

only thing we should all be aware that promoting this process is not that easy because the effects in transition phase will cost us dearly, lifes as well as live standard and after the old guard has finally been sent to the desert where they belong, the first successeros are usually as bad, in the past, at times, have been even worse.

i on purpose try to avoid all the usual buzzwords but i think those who know something about human history can easily predict the future.

[sidd]

Holy. Shit. Germany muscles up. That didn't work so good the last couple times.

"That would amount to an increase from the current total of 37 billion to between 70 and 75 billion euros, and would far exceed the increase of 5.5 billion euros previously set in the budget over the next four years. This is the biggest expansion of German military spending since the end of World War II. "

"The civil war in Syria has developed into a “conflict over spheres of influence in a strategically extremely important region,” from which Germany cannot disengage, "

Aieee!

"Germany can be proud of its involvement in that [Afghanistani]  conflict"

Aieeeeeee!

"She advocates not only training but also arming soldiers in Mali, Iraq and Afghanistan. Germany must also ensure that they get “decent pay.” Such involvement of local militias is a “very important aspect” of German foreign policy ... "

INA/Bose in WWII to a tee.

"suggesting that it could be funded through development aid rather than the military budget."

Hide the money.

"the Bundeswehr will use its own forces and such mercenaries around the world"

Outsource.

Way to go, Deutschland ! I can see ThyssenKrupp( remember them?) and Rheinmetall shares will be a good investment.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/05/17/germ-m17.html

sidd

[litesong]

“The misery of the world is a business model.” .......

 There will be no such thing as freedom of movement and freedom of thought in this global slave state known euphemistically as the One World Government or the New World Order.

Western hemisphere, African & global tribes around the world agree with your quote.
However, your last statement of fears , directly lead from religionist re-pubic-lick-uns.

[sidd]

The global minotaur, in Varoufakis' expressive term, relies on free movement of capital and no movement of labour. That regime, of course, is breaking down, as impoverished populations make mockeries of borders. And for other reasons.

Wait, did anyone expect anything else ?

sidd

[JimD]

sidd

in post 818 you had this.

" “the U.S. has overthrown 50 governments, including democracies, crushed some 30 liberation movements and supported tyrannies from Egypt to Guatemala (see William Blum’s histories). Bombing is apple pie.” Along the way, Washington has crassly interfered in elections in dozens of “sovereign” nations, something curious to note in light of current liberal U.S. outrage over real or alleged Russian interference in “our” supposedly democratic electoral process in 2016. Uncle Sam also has bombed civilians in 30 countries, attempted to assassinate foreign leaders and deployed chemical and biological weapons."

but you left out the date of all that.  It was after 1945 we did the above.

Between 1900 and 1925 we also did the following... just in Latin America.

The US militarily intervened in
Honduras in 1903, 1907, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1924, 1925
Cuba in 1906, 1912, 1917 thru 1922
Nicaragua in 1907, 1910, 1912 thru 1933
Dominican Republic 1903, 1914, 1916 thru 1924
Haiti in 1914
Panama in 1908, 1912, 1918 thru 1920, 1921, 1925
Mexico 1914
Guatemala 1920

Such lists open ones eyes.

US troops in the Philippines in the late 1890's and early 1900's routinely used rape and mass murder as a pacification method and this was reported on in US newspapers and no one seemed to think it wrong.  I have books with photos showing US troops waterboarding Philippine prisoners (about 40% of whom died during the procedure back then).  When a US marine unit lost a battle on the island of Samar the US commander ordered US troops to kill every man on the island over the age of ten - and they did (estimates of the dead run towards 100,000 men and boys).  US newspapers of the time reported on the raping as if it were standard when dealing with such rebels (who after all were the same rebels who had fought the Spanish for independence for 20 years and were our allies against the Spanish - until we took over and wanted it for a colony). 

Empires have no conscience. American exceptionalism.

[Susan Anderson]

I wrote this last night (in another context in response to a note about our latest school shooting) and thought I'd share it here. But don't forget that despite the awfulness, the majority of humans - not just in the US, but everywhere - are people of simple good will. When we give in to tyranny, we let ourselves down, but it's not always easy. I get that you hate the US, and by connection me as a US citizen, but this is not helping. The endless listing of our crimes over the last century: do you know any Germans? They blame me too!

If you want change, please support in all places (Europe is not immune to demagoguery) and every chance you get, the humanitarian movements that need to resist, for example, the fascists coming back into power. Dividing good people from each other and ignoring outright evil will give victory to the evil.

Just to be clear, I am not taking this personally. I am putting it in the "I" voice because I want people to deal with a real person who is suffering and wants to do her possible to overcome the evil. Using "they" or "those people" makes it easier to excuse oneself.

Bullseye:

"Why do Americans not take better care of their democracy?"

Depressing. Day by day, I feel degraded by the hatred and lies. I cannot defend it. It is indefensible.

[Alexander555]

Susan, for some people, your way of live is tyranny. And these globalist humanitarian organisations you are talking about. These so called good people. Are they not just a bunch of human trafficers ? And some people with 2 left hands , to lazy to do something usefull, so they prey on taxpayers money their entire live . And some perverts, between these poor people they really feel good. Like you have all these situations of sexual abuse with these NGO's .And some woman that want to make the world a better place. But the same time they turned Europe in a African colony, with a mosque on every corner of the street.

[JimD]

I wrote this last night (in another context in response to a note about our latest school shooting) and thought I'd share it here. But don't forget that despite the awfulness, the majority of humans - not just in the US, but everywhere - are people of simple good will. When we give in to tyranny, we let ourselves down, but it's not always easy. I get that you hate the US, and by connection me as a US citizen, but this is not helping. The endless listing of our crimes over the last century: do you know any Germans? They blame me too!

If you want change, please support in all places (Europe is not immune to demagoguery) and every chance you get, the humanitarian movements that need to resist, for example, the fascists coming back into power. Dividing good people from each other and ignoring outright evil will give victory to the evil.

Just to be clear, I am not taking this personally. I am putting it in the "I" voice because I want people to deal with a real person who is suffering and wants to do her possible to overcome the evil. Using "they" or "those people" makes it easier to excuse oneself.

Bullseye:

"Why do Americans not take better care of their democracy?"

Depressing. Day by day, I feel degraded by the hatred and lies. I cannot defend it. It is indefensible.

After you accused me of misogyny for disagreeing with you I generally don't bother to read your posts - I should have skipped this one and will be more careful in the future.  However...

Your assumption is incorrect in every possible way. To wit:

I am an American who served it for my adult life and I love my country deeply.

And you completely misunderstand the conversation.

Many Americans spend a lot of energy denying (deliberately ignoring) the ugly realities of what our country has done and is doing (see many of Rob Deckers posts) and by these actions are roadblocks to fixing our faults and becoming the kind of 'good' people we are always trying to claim we actually are.  And this is the point of the conversation.

America is an empire.  Period. Full stop.  We have in the past brutally acted like one and on most occasions we still do.  We cannot become what we want to be unless we openly recognize and accept our past and present (this is what Germany did and what we need to do now). Then we resolve to do better. thus the pointing out of crimes which every American bears responsibility for - if you are a member of a gang then you are responsible for what it does. We have to accept responsibility.

This is the road to becoming a better place.

[Susan Anderson]

JimD:

My comment was NOT addressed to you.

However, your visceral condemnation of me personally indicates that you are indeed eager to blame me. This IS what I was talking about. I know about the US and British history of empire and the harm we have done. I wrote what I wrote, but your extended and insulting response indicates that as far as you are concerned you do want to identify me as "the enemy". That is in general what I was complaining about, the way a small group here appear to be working each other into a frenzy of condemnation of those of us (which I assume includes you) who wish to work together to solve problems rather than indulge in fighting with each other.

[magnamentis]

just something to consider:

- how can we love a country and then especially big countries where one part is so different form another, mentality wise as well as nature wise?

- love a sports club

- love a company

- love whatever brands

all the same dangerous thing, we should love people as a whole and help those who are ignorant, totally independent on what nationality (passport) they hold, independently of what brands they prefer, where they work and which sports club they prefer etc. etc. etc.

all those we are we and you are different are in some way (not so indirectly) roots for war, combat, competition or however one's gonna name it and that, in the past, has always ultimately lead to wars once one or several trigger events ignited the fuses.

patriotism is evil because it excludes other human beings from belonging to a group while we humans should be "one" group when it comes to basic needs and rights.

so many good people are exclude, prohibited access to geographic places due to political differences while in fact many of them are so much better people than those who natively live in the place they ware not able to set foot on.

of course there is much more to it than just that but it would fill libraries, simply TLTR here.

and then susan is right and i myself mentioned it a few times. it's a pity how inside a small group of people who have a similar goal, Self-tearing grips around like an ulcer which weakens the small group further while the really evil groups like the entire money-hungry society remains united in their goal to avoid living an ethical life and doing the right (sustainable and fair) things.

[zizek]

Susan, for some people, your way of live is tyranny. And these globalist humanitarian organisations you are talking about. These so called good people. Are they not just a bunch of human trafficers ? And some people with 2 left hands , to lazy to do something usefull, so they prey on taxpayers money their entire live . And some perverts, between these poor people they really feel good. Like you have all these situations of sexual abuse with these NGO's .And some woman that want to make the world a better place. But the same time they turned Europe in a African colony, with a mosque on every corner of the street.

<Please, don't do that; N.>

[Alexander555]

Susan, for some people, your way of live is tyranny. And these globalist humanitarian organisations you are talking about. These so called good people. Are they not just a bunch of human trafficers ? And some people with 2 left hands , to lazy to do something usefull, so they prey on taxpayers money their entire live . And some perverts, between these poor people they really feel good. Like you have all these situations of sexual abuse with these NGO's .And some woman that want to make the world a better place. But the same time they turned Europe in a African colony, with a mosque on every corner of the street.

Please don't do what ? Can you explain yourself . Or are we only allowed to agree with all that madness.

<Please, don't do that; N.>

<It was addressed to zizek, not to you; N.>

[zizek]

Susan, for some people, your way of live is tyranny. And these globalist humanitarian organisations you are talking about. These so called good people. Are they not just a bunch of human trafficers ? And some people with 2 left hands , to lazy to do something usefull, so they prey on taxpayers money their entire live . And some perverts, between these poor people they really feel good. Like you have all these situations of sexual abuse with these NGO's .And some woman that want to make the world a better place. But the same time they turned Europe in a African colony, with a mosque on every corner of the street.

I didn't like what you said. so I said something about your character that wasn't very nice

[Alexander555]

You can explain to me what you did'nt liked.

[zizek]

...... But the same time they turned Europe in a African colony, with a mosque on every corner of the street.

You're using the language of a fascist. And I responded appropriately.

[Alexander555]

So maybe that makes you a fascist yourself.

[Alexander555]

An illegal fascist.

[zizek]

*looks into mirror*
"am I the fascist?"
*rubs eyes*
"AN ILLEGAL FASCIST!?!"

[TerryM]

just something to consider:

- how can we love a country and then especially big countries where one part is so different form another, mentality wise as well as nature wise?

all the same dangerous thing, we should love people as a whole and help those who are ignorant, totally independent on what nationality (passport) they hold, independently of what brands they prefer, where they work and which sports club they prefer etc. etc. etc.

patriotism is evil because it excludes other human beings from belonging to a group while we humans should be "one" group when it comes to basic needs and rights.

Unfortunately we are our father's sons, and those fathers spent tens of thousands of years looking out from the entrance of their caves assured that everyone in his valley was a rational human who could be reasoned with, but everyone in the hills, or in the next valley(s) was a howling monster interested only in stealing his food and his women.


When he could gather a few of his neighbors together they'd hike out of their valley to see how many others they could kill and how many exotic women and foods they could steal.
It's our heritage.


We didn't cooperate and build better ant hills.
We didn't share our loot with foreign looters.
We built carts to haul off our plunder.
We built ships to enable us to plunder further from home, and we built walled cities, moated castles, and hired mercenaries to guard our women and our goods.


It didn't work out too well, primarily because those evil foreigners were doing exactly the same as we were doing - the bastards.


Then we built THE BOMB, so they built THEIR BOMB, then we had to sit down and talk for awhile. Can't have everybody killing everybody!
So we talked for a while and decided to leave the OTHER alone. Iron curtains, Bamboo curtains, anything to keep them out of sight, out of mind.


Now we've collectively screwed up the atmosphere so badly that we need to collectively fix things - fast!!


We're not used to talking, so we threaten, we demand, we obstruct.
We pull out of agreements that might somehow save us all.
We vilify their leaders, their businessmen, their partners. - but it only makes our status more tenuous.


No city walls, no moats, no mercenary armies can save us.
Bigger Bombs, bombastic speeches and electing bumbling fools won't help.


The dam is breaking and there are no high places.
Perhaps the intelligent marsupials that follow will do better than our mammalian species did.
Terry

[sidd]

EU, India, Japan not happy:

Swing state Wisconsin makes the most cranberries ...

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/18/india-and-eu-give-wto-lists-of-us-goods-for-potential-tariff-retaliation.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/18/japan-reserves-right-to-take-counter-measures-against-us-steel-tariffs.html

sidd

[sidd]

This is interesting. From our pal Al (jazeera) :

"The Taliban says it will not target Afghan police and military in the country if they leave their ranks"

"the main target of its recently launched spring offensive in the country are the US and its allies"

I posted earlier that Zawahari was now espousing Osama's call for war against the "far enemy." I took that to mean attacks against western powers in their own homes, but the Taliban have a different spin. "Slay them where ye find them."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/taliban-pledge-target-afghan-army-police-180518095456444.html

sidd

[Susan Anderson]

I recently dropped in a generalist comment from another context, and several people took it personally. I'm sorry I was so reactive. I am capable of taking the long view, and what I'm seeing about power and wealth and its tendency to take over is not pretty. I'm not condoning empire, in fact some months ago I was the one who brought up the history of Mossadegh.

Living in the US is very painful now, it's like being subjected to serial abuse. I don't condone our history, but I am concerned about what we can do, not what we can condemn that is in the past, and that we had hoped was firmly buried in the past. Apparently not ...

We who think progress is possible should look at history. I'm afraid, as an atheist, I'm beginning to think there isn't much hope for us humans, the earth's apex predator. Even the best of us are not able to live as gently on our lovely hospitable earth as we would like (and I am far from the best).

I only ask that you all consider supporting the many good people in the US who are working towards overcoming the rise of outright evil. I cannot excuse it, I can only say some of us are trying our best by whatever means possible to vote it out. We need allies, not encouragement to fight with each other and ignore the real enemies, who are legion.

[Susan Anderson]

@ASILurker

My gut feel? You'd be lucky to have 10% who'd fit that description, or agreed with you what's wrong. Most have no clue and even more don't care in the least (typically some of those have no capacity to do anything because they are barely surviving day to day as it is and can't Vote anyway.) 

Where I live the percentage of decent people is at least 70%. My senators are Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and we normally vote for Democrats by nearly 30% margin. The Democratic party is a broad group that includes some who lean over too far to "work across the aisle", sometimes because they are in red states and have won over much worse villains (Manchin, Heitkamp, who will never get another donation from me though it may end up they lose to those worst people), some very progressive (Bernie Sanders, Warren and many of Neven's favorites) and many public servants who have done the hard slog of dealing with real hard-line opposition to achieve the possible. All your demons and bugaboos are coming from Republicans, not from Democrats. Democrats are not getting much chance, as they are in the minority, and the rules of "loyal opposition" no longer apply with these kleptocratic traitors. They're bound and determined to lie, cheat, and steal their way to a Hitlerian state where poverty is criminalized and "those people" and women are returned to the status of chattels. They're hyper-militaristic, and prefer Netanyahu to Obama (who, despite the calumnies, did his best with an impossible situation, having only had a free hand for 5 months in 2009). Trump is the obvious case of a wannabe godkingemperor who will start a war to distract from his crimes.

Jill Stein is power-hungry and dangerous (Green).

We of the left-center left are the national majority. Vote cheating (suppression, intimidation, gerrymandering, and active hacking) is a big problem.

I grant you that most are too busy surviving day to day to pay much attention, but even they are getting the message.

You seem ill informed about what is going on here. Could it be because you dismiss anyone who disagrees with you?

[magnamentis]

Where I live the percentage of decent people is at least 70%.

many years i promoted that number as 2% only to find out that at the end it's 1% if one puts all aspects into account.

of course none of us can ever proof because many criteria are subject to different points of view and not enough things are absolute enough to fix such numbers but then 70%, and that's what i'm totally convinced about, is way too high IMO. that would for example that only 30% in your place voted for donald trump at max, basically less because among the rest are different poeple as well.

dunno, it's just one example of many examples i could use.

are 70% of your people driving no car or an electric vehicle?

are 70% of your people doing anything to change important grievances?

this list could be continued and at the end still not serve well because what exactly is decent?

[zizek]

Susan, your platitudes about allying together to fight evils doesn't hold much weight for me, and many other (especially young) leftists.
Many people on this forum are old beneficiaries of the empire. And it is rare to find any meaningful critique of a system from people that have greatly reaped its rewards. And it is only now, that due to climate change & deteriorating economic conditions, that liberals find themselves advocating for change.

It's so convenient. That for years your generation has accumulated wealth stolen from minorities, foreigners, and future generations. That only now, as the problems of nationalism and environmental destruction creep into your daily lives, you decide to speak up. And what do you have to say? That we must change within the system.

The only change that can solve our problems is a radical transformation of our society, anything else will continue to perpetuate the suffering & environmental destruction caused by the inherently exploitative economic system that permeates throughout the globe.

So many of the problems discussed on these forums, from climate change to violent imperialism to the rise of fascism, have been warned about by leftists for decades. And rather than learning from those people, you retreat to the same 'ol strategy: how can we fix these problems while maintaining the system that benefits me? It reeks of selfishness, arrogance, and ignorance.  Your attitude towards the problem isn’t the attitude I want in an ally.

What sacrifice is your generation doing to solve our problems?

Are you finding homes for the homeless? Or do you keep collecting rent on your properties?

Are you protesting when a cop murders another minority? Or do you thank them for their service as they walk by?

Do you confront your friends at dinner parties? The businesspeople, bankers, lawyers, engineers speculators? Or would you rather avoid uncomfortable conversations?

Do you provide reparations to indigenous people? Or do you quietly enjoy the warmth and comfort of your home built on their stolen land?

How do you show solidarity to the working people of this world? Do you fight tooth and nail for equal pay? Or do suggest we soften their suffering with minimum wage, basic income and Medicare?

How do you suggest we put a stop to decades of violent imperialism inflicted to so much of the world? Are you willing to pay reparations? How much sacrifice are you willing to make to the families of murdered Palestinians? Do you think voting democrat will do much healing for the dismembered limbs shot by American allies using American Weapons?


What sort of sacrifice are you actually willing to make in your life to end the suffering and exploitation caused by your country? Because if it’s something a long the lines of: "I’m willing to pay our friendly capitalist Elon Musk for one of his fancy toys, and I’ll vote for one of the good democrats". Then you aren’t making a sacrifice. You're just saving yourself embarrassment at dinner parties.

[Alexander555]

Good Question, what is decent. It's the same for what somebody called me yesterday. They called me a fascist. Not that it keeps me up at night, because i understand why they say it . But my reaction was to something that happened, a real action about something that is going on for dozens of years, and in general it's just money that's behind it, personal profits . But it were only words. There was no action connected to my words. So in these days words make somebody a fascist. It makes them all  hollow and meaningless.