This week President Barack Obama ordered the intervention into yet another war after Syria crossed his “red line” by using chemical weapons against its own people. However, over in Egypt, denying civil liberties and free speech appears no barrier to U.S. aid. In the very same week as using human rights to justify another intervention, the Obama Administration quietly approved $1.3 billion in annual US military aid to Egypt. Both Israel and Egypt continue to receive billions in such aid every year despite the reduction or termination of basic environmental, educational, and other programs in the United States.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that the aid was “carefully considered” but it was viewed as necessary to “preserv[ing] important regional interests.” I almost wish it was not “carefully considered” given Egypt’s denial of basic civil liberties.
The same careful consideration has not prevented a cessation of all aid to Turkey despite that country attacking of hospitals, arrest of doctors for helping protesters, the faking of riots by police, and the use of caustic chemicals in water cannons by the government.
Secretary of State John Kerry notified Congress of the transfer of money shortly before the sentencing of 43 Egyptian and foreign NGO workers in what Kerry has denounced as a “politically-motivated trial.” That certainly showed them.
The government of Islamist President Mohammad Morsi and our other ally, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, show the hypocrisy of the United States in justifying military intervention in the name of human rights. Our credibility on such questions is further reduced by our own refusal to prosecute people responsible for the torture program and the widespread use of warrantless surveillance of our own people.
We are now supporting Islamist governments which are responsible for the greatest rollbacks on secular government in the Middle East. These same countries are responsible for the abuse of citizens seeking to exercise free speech and other basic liberties. We are sending billions to these countries that could be spent on our people who are facing weekly announcements of programs being cancelled for lack of funding.
I’m really laughing now. The really funny part is you’ll never know why.
As I said, I don’t care why you follow the rules so long as you follow them, nick.
Bron, I remember their battles. But the sweet man would sometimes tell me to just pass on some of my barbs. So, I did in that comment. Some may find this hard to believe, but I hold back more than I dish out.
Bron,
I say that as if it were a political reality. The reason Romney got less cash is Big Business isn’t going to just throw away money on a near certain loser although they will hedge their bet. Hairboy was a loser out of the gate. The smart money knew this. The smart money gave to both. Quantity of money isn’t as salient a point as the point “they are buying both sides just in case”. A $20 dollar prostitute and a $200 prostitute are still both prostitutes.
I drive control freaks crazy. Just sayn’.
nick:
“I do so as a homage to the passing of ID.”
If you read some of the go rounds Gene and ID had, you wouldnt be saying that. 🙂
I am sure ID would have relished a good comment or 2.
Gene H:
You say that as if you just figured that out and are passing on superior knowledge.
If you read the article though, Obama got much more than Romney.
Bron,
If you haven’t realized yet that big business plays both sides of the aisle, I’m not sure I can help you with that. Money is an apolitical corrupter. They want favors no matter who wins so they buy both sides.
__________
nick,
I don’t care why you follow the rules so long as you follow them. Keep in mind the case isn’t yours to make or judge though and one piece of evidence is not the whole case. As Bron says, you are free to ignore both me and Mike. You ignore the rules, however, at your own risk. And ultimately that is the issue.
the reason there arent any cures is because the FDA sh1t cans effective drugs because they kill one person in 1,000 so 1,000,000 people die or live miserable lives because of some idiot at the FDA.
I wonder how many people have died because of the length of time it takes to approve a drug? I further wonder why people with no other hope are denied access to those drugs?
Are there bad actors in business? Sure, they are mostly the big money democrats on Wall St.
“Obama retains a core group of supporters on Wall Street who are central to his fundraising efforts. About a third of his top 40 fundraisers, who have helped bundle together $500,000 or more in contributions, hail from the finance sector, including big names such as former New Jersey governor Jon S. Corzine of MF Global, hedge-fund manager Orin Kramer and UBS executive Robert Wolf.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-has-more-cash-from-financial-sector-than-gop-hopefuls-combined-data-show/2011/10/18/gIQAX4rAyL_print.html
Bron, Thanks for wise words. The Flotus thing is trying to get black folk back to gardening and eating right. They used to and not long ago. When I worked in the ‘hood in KC back in the 70’s virtually every black residence had an extensive garden. I had a kid on probation who lived w/ his grandparents. They were wonderful people. Grandpa had a huge garden and grew the best tomatoes I’ve ever eaten to date. We would sit in his back yard and discuss his grandson. He’d have a salt and pepper shaker on a little table. Grandma would bring out homemade lemonade. Once I asked grandpa what his secret was on growing his tomatoes, “Chickenshit I get from my brothers farm.” Now, I had probably eaten a dozen of his tomatoes right off the vine, w/o washing, so I just said, “f@ck it,” and continued.
Paula Deen starts w/ “Soften 2 lbs. of butter. I’ve heard she’s lost weight and “gotten religion” on eating right.
Finally, I’m not a politician or diplomat. To that I plead guilty.
Gene, Not even a prima facie case. I could make a personal comment, but I’m choosing not to. I do so as a homage to the passing of ID.
AY, I did not know ID died. That saddens me. I had his email and he didn’t respond to a couple, but in the times he did respond it was sporadic. I liked the guy even though he was quite different. He was scoffed @ by some here but it’s my personal belief the iconoclastic ID is in a much better world, where nobody scoffs or condescends. It’s a bit disturbing to me more people haven’t spoken of ID’s death. Did this just occur? The last email response I received from him was a couple months ago, maybe.
AY, You are one of the folks I listen to. I will read up on Dr. Ellis andREBT.
nick:
you disagreed that people are starving in America. You are right.
Poor people can be obese and have lousy diets. Blacks have high incidents of diabetes and other things like heart disease and strokes. Most probably from too much fat and sugar. But that is a southern thing, think Paula Dean, not a race thing.
My wife’s grandfather ate “white meat” [read pork fat] in just about everything and he died of a heart attack at 68.
The only thing I agree with the First Lady about is her effort to teach people how to eat properly.
I dont know if you will be banned or not but just ignore Mike S and Gene.
I for one enjoy your anecdotes and your take on things.
I would have said fatuous progressive thought rather than typical dem BS. 🙂
It isnt what you say, its how you say it. 🙂
AY,
Yep. The whole “War on Cash” thing just a scam for banks to take a cut too. And fascism marches on . . .
Nick,
Some folks come out from being anonymous because they believe in equal treatment of all…. If someone attacks you…. Don’t respond in kind…. Just ignore them…. I’m sure you read of the passing of ID707…. He used to frustrate the hell out of me…. Finally…. I just stated don’t talk to me and I won’t talk to you…. Sometimes it’s best to leave copperheads alone…. Or not wise to stick a stick in a hornets nest…. I generally enjoy reading your posts ….
We are neither the teacher or the student…. We are both…. We all can learn…. Sometimes the lessons are hard to understand….
Read about Dr. Albert Ellis and REBT…. It might strike your fancy…..
Gene,
And don’t forget that the vendors of these debit cards for SSI…. SSD..get a cut of the action…. Presently brewing in the Michigan legislature is a bill to force the Medicade reciepients to pay a copayment….. Now explain the logic of that….
*one cast*
Bron,
The War of Poverty is/was a failure because, like the War on Drugs, it address(es, -ed) symptoms and not causations. Like Big Pharma, there is no money in cures, the money is – as Chris Rock observes – “in the medicine”. Private contractors wouldn’t get their big payoff for bribing, er, financing campaigns, if they were properly directed toward and held accountable for results based on causation. Who wants to sell on cast when you can sell a trillion splints? The profit motive is not only amoral, it is often immoral in operation if not intent.
It’s a small reward for the loyalty of a country that supports our wars for Israel.
“The nation’s official poverty rate in 2011 was 15.0 percent,”
that is an interesting statistic. that is about what it was when Johnson started his war on poverty. So in almost 60 years we still have the same percentage of poor? We could have done nothing and had the same number of poor.
All that money spent and their are still poor people. The war on poverty is as ineffectual as the war on terror.
All that money spent and people still get blown up in Boston.
Although there have been many out of camera complaints, there have been public ones as well, nick. Like this one:
http://jonathanturley.org/2013/06/13/nevada-woman-arrested-after-being-reportedly-assaulted-in-courtroom-by-marshal-as-judge-ignores-her-pleas/#comment-589937
“personally i think a ignore button should be put into place so when certain posters begin their attacks on others for no reason accept they want attention. then those of us who DO NOT WANT TO READ what that poster has to say can simply hit the ignore button on them and that way we can all get back to reading those posts which are following the rules, which are debating LEGIT TOPICS. and not being a clown for the simple need of no not receiving any attention at home..
I DO NOT COMMENT ALL OF THE TIME. as sometimes i cant the carpal tunnel makes it difficult but i read here all the time and have been for many years now. I finally got the nerve up a few years back to begin adding a comment every 10 articles or so . with that said i have watched nick go after Mr Spindelli and Mr Gene many, many times for no reason at all. i have watched them ignore him many times but like a infected gnat he will just not stop until they pay him attention. i am not speaking for anyone but myself. and i myself am tired of having to read thru his ignorant attacks on these 2 gentlemen so that he can get the attention he wants from them.”
You have no say in either the rules here or in how this blog is run, nick. Your participation here is voluntary but it is subject to rules – rules which have been explained to you ad nauseum at this point. While you are free to discuss any topic on this blog – including attacking ideas and assertions on a factual and/or logical basis, you are not free to attack anyone just because you feel like it and/or don’t have a substantive counter-argument.
You should really learn to grasp that and follow the rules before it’s too late.