We are directly responsible for the disasters in the Mediterranean. The bombing of Libya into failed state status is now coming back to haunt us. The ludicrous idea, propounded by Blair, Robert Cooper and the Henry Jackson Society, that you could improve dictatorial states by massive bombing campaigns that targeted their basic infrastructure, is now a total bust. Sadly so are Iraq and Libya, to the permanent detriment of many millions of people. We caused both the Islamic State and the Mediterranean boat disasters, and we caused them with bombs.
But the lack of any effective policing is only part of the problem. What makes people so desperate that they are prepared to give all of the small amount they own, to ruthless gangs, in exchange for a dreadful sea crossing with a one in ten chance of drowning? Most of the refugees are sub-Saharan African. We only see the European end of the saga, not the terrible conditions on the cross Saharan journeys that they start with.
There will be no security anywhere if the world does not address the terrible scourge of African poverty and under-development. That is a huge subject on which I have written extensively and worked much of my life, and I do not wish to open it here. But what it does show is the utter stupidity – inhumanity yes, but also stupidity – of UKIP in thinking that cutting development aid will increase the economic security of the UK.
“Predictive text can easily change words in the text.”
There’s a whole website dedicated to it, Mary.
http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/65693/how-to-make-a-midget/
Ba’al; “Which are very much not the interests of my country.”
Coming from an ex-military fag-end of empire cannon fodder, this is quite amusing.
The White House released a statement yesterday acknowledging the deaths of three U.S. citizens and one Italian citizen in recent U.S. counterterrorism operations.
The statement and accompanying remarks by President Barack Obama are consistent with prior administration policy of admitting to the deaths of (most) American citizens by drone strikes, while refusing to provide transparency equal to that provided for almost all others killed.
It kind of puts into perspective,that drone bombing is more of a hit and miss operation,sure you may get your intended target,but then again you may not.
The targets you pick are,only as legitimate as the intel you receive,many innocent women and children have died,due to uncorroborated intel according to ex-drone pilot Brandon Bryant.
In my opinion it’s morally wrong to drone bomb any target,without first having hard evidence that a specific target can be found there,of course many pragmatists will say unfortunately collateral damage is always a danger during drone bombing.
I reluctantly accept this as the case,but surely in certain circumstances the US could do better.
Ba’al should explain to us how this, Putin’s doctrine, is not in the interests of his country:
“The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen nonproliferation, when in reality this is being eroded.
“We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has introduced an ambitious and unpopular intelligence reform agenda in Canada.
Bill C-51 will drive through a whole raft of intelligence reforms that, Canadians are calling “The Canada Patriot Act.”
But its not all going Harper’s way as academics and civil liberty groups are preparing to fight the bill,street protests have blossomed against bill C-51,and the (NDP) the New Democratic party,Harper’s main parliamentary opposition,have claimed they’d block or repeal the bill.
Australia,Canada,and France,have introduced new laws restricting civil rights,under the guise of fighting terrorism,but giving any government a freehand to curb free speech,is detrimental to society as a whole.
We must always hold politicians to account,and free speech,is the way to do it.
I sometime wonder what goes through the minds of the leaders in Moscow and Brussels,as Europe and Russia,have a lot of history together,and its not all violent.
On the otherhand I can see why the USA and Russia don’t see eye to eye,especially when you look at their polarised positions during the Cold War.
So why would Europe take such a onesided postion in this matter,why does Europe wholeheartedly except Greece back the USA, over Russia?
Is US dominance forcing Europe to apply sanctions on Russia,is the US pushing a new Cold War in Europe? and why can’t EU leaders,come out and say what their true position on Russian sanction are.
Surely Europe’s trade restrictions with Russia must be a cause for concern,meanwhile the US pushes its TTIP towards Europe,and our obedient EU leaders look set to capitulate to US policies.
Do we really want a new Cold War,and do we really need TTIP?
Republicofscotland
Let me ask you again.
When you’re posting chunk of other people’s writing could you have the courtesy to at least put said chunks into quotation marks?
Ideally speaking, you should also mention who the sources are, but I can understand why you might be reluctant to do so.
So just quotation marks, OK?
What if someone made a comedy film about the holocaust and gave the Jews funny names.
Just remember the Native Americans were holocausted.
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/23/adam-sandler-ridiculous-six-native-americans-racism
Dave
“What if someone made a comedy film about the holocaust and gave the Jews funny names.
Just remember the Native Americans were holocausted.”
__________________
“La vita è bella” ?
Cameron, looking somewhat drawn and tired, and Clegg, ever the eager puppy, chime together to complain about Miliband’s speech. It’s all hotting up.
Cameron does not like it up him.
Labour Accuses PM Over Migrant Boat Deaths
Ed Miliband says the Mediterranean crisis could have been anticipated, but David Cameron dismisses his remarks as “ill-judged”.
http://news.sky.com/story/1471399/labour-accuses-pm-over-migrant-boat-deaths
Adam Sandler and his oeuvre are repellent.
Sandler’s “Zohan” Confronts the Israel-Palestine Conflict with Humor http://www.jewishpost.com/culture/Sandler-Zohan-Confronts-the-Israel-Palestine-Conflict-with-Humor.html
Yeah. So funny. Not for the Palestinians. It is not a ‘conflict’. It is an Occupation which is resisted by those occupied.
~~~
La vita non è bella per i Palestinesi.
“Of course it did, Mr Goss. Probably MI5 or Mossad changed your text in order to make you look senile.”
And your excuse for appearing infantile?
CounterPunch Weekend Edition April 24-26, 2015
An Accessible Discussion
Talking About Palestine
RON JACOBS
The recent re-election of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel was a resounding blow to the fantasy of a peace process in Palestine. His anti-Arab pronouncements in the last minute of the campaign were an indication of the true sentiments of the Israeli establishment and much of Israel’s Jewish population. Likewise, his easy rejection of those pronouncements after his victory was assured proved once again the meaninglessness of the so-called peace process. In other words, there really is no process working towards peace between Israel and Palestine. Indeed, the only process occurring between the two nations is one that is intended to wipe any fact of Palestine from human memory. If there is no history that mentions Palestine, then there will be no future that includes it. This is the intention of the Zionist project.
/..
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/24/talking-about-palestine/
Mr Goss
““Of course it did, Mr Goss. Probably MI5 or Mossad changed your text in order to make you look senile.”
And your excuse for appearing infantile?”
_____________________
Easy – Putin’s secret services are sabotaging my posts. 🙂
Let me ask you again.
When you’re posting chunk of other people’s writing could you have the courtesy to at least put said chunks into quotation marks?
Ideally speaking, you should also mention who the sources are, but I can understand why you might be reluctant to do so.
So just quotation marks, OK?
—————————–
True I do on occasion,use information from other sites,and combine it with my own thoughts on whatever topic I’m writing about.
You on the otherhand,have no fear whatsoever of being sued or chastised over plagiarism,as no one in their right mind,would ever own up to writing the shit you write.
John Goss, launch a text editor (Notepad if you’re using Windoze), compose your comment in that, and then copy and paste it into the comment form. Then you’ll have a record of what you’d typed before you posted it. You don’t need to clear the text in the editor before starting your next comment; just carry on, but only copy and paste the new bit.
Or, after you’ve posted, try clicking the “Back” button on your browser. Depending on your browser and its settings, that may retrieve your original text – either that or it won’t work at all, but it definitely won’t grab whatever appears in the comment.
Either way, you’ll find out if your original text got altered at all between your browser and this site..
Clark, thanks for that advice. I had thought about it. It just seems a bit of a chore to be opening a text editor. This new version of Windows (8 I think) does all kinds of mischievous things like moving the cursor, scrolling back to where you started to scroll from. It’s weird as a poltergeist. On the cursor pad you have to put a finger of your left hand and tap with your right hand to release it. The bastards are turning us into pigeons. 🙂
“So why would Europe take such a onesided postion in this matter,why does Europe wholeheartedly except Greece back the USA, over Russia?”
It’s all down to dollar-debt. The US has many countries’ gold reserves and won’t give it back. We’re stumped! Nobody can have any love for an arrogant empire of warmongers, racists (religionists now) and control-freaks. They need kicking back to where they came from. Hope that’s not the UK. 🙂
John Goss
24 Apr, 2015 – 12:21 pm
“Talking of drones, a US and Italian hostage, were killed in Pakistan in January, President Clinton, reported this week, yesterday I think.”
Is this a result of predictive text too? If so, should we all run and place our bets on Hillary?
Slow down folks, I think this guy is smoking something.
John Goss, get a decent operating system!
https://defectivebydesign.org/
Mr Goss
““So why would Europe take such a onesided postion in this matter,why does Europe wholeheartedly except Greece back the USA, over Russia?”
It’s all down to dollar-debt. The US has many countries’ gold reserves and won’t give it back.”
____________________
What do you mean “has many countries’ gold reserves”? Do you mean physically? If so, please state which European countries you’re thinking of.
When you say “the US won’t give it (sic) back”, this implies that some or all of the countries concerned have asked for their gold reserves back but the US has refused. Which countries have asked for their gold reserves back and when was this?
Republicofscotland
“Let me ask you again.
When you’re posting chunk of other people’s writing could you have the courtesy to at least put said chunks into quotation marks?
Ideally speaking, you should also mention who the sources are, but I can understand why you might be reluctant to do so.
So just quotation marks, OK?
—————————–
True I do on occasion,use information from other sites,and combine it with my own thoughts on whatever topic I’m writing about.”
_________________
That’s fair enough. But it is not difficult, surely, to put quotation marks around those bits of text you have lifted from somewhere else?
I know that doing so risks making you look a lot less original, a lot more derivative and therefore even less intelligent than you already seem, but you know it would be the right thing to do.
Did anyone else see that picture in The Times (a couple of days ago) of Nicola Sturgeon chatting up a toddler in his pushchair during some campaigning she was engaged in?
It reminded me very much of that picture of David Cameron cuddling a new-born lamb when he was out campaigning, a picture which I believe was even commenbted on on here.
There must be an election round the corner.
To be noted: David Cameron has no new-born lambs of his own and La Sturgeon has no children of her own.
Opinion polls show that public support for Mr Tsipras and the SYRIZA government is down from the high seventies to the mid fourties.
Habbabkuk is not surprised and predicts it will fall even further as Greece drops into GRIMBO ( Greece + limbo).
I should point out that the loss of support I referred to is made up of (1) non-SYRIZA voters who were nevertheless prepared to give him a chance but who are now fed up with his evident lack of competence, and (2) SYRIZA voters who feel that Mr Tsipras has not been “left-wing” enough.
“John Goss
24 Apr, 2015 – 12:21 pm
“Talking of drones, a US and Italian hostage, were killed in Pakistan in January, President Clinton, reported this week, yesterday I think.”
Is this a result of predictive text too? If so, should we all run and place our bets on Hillary?”
Typical of the Toytown Idiot. People have been killed in drone strikes, hundreds, if not thousands of children amongst them, and now a US and Italian hostage, yet all Villager can think about is point-scoring with his woeful attempt at humour. Perhaps a little concern might be in order. But, of course, if you have no conscience you’re unlikely to feel any emotion, especially shame, as you ought now.
Habbabkuk, second all your ‘After 8’ comments, including your questions to the professed economist here on gold, and your observation and very reasonable request of RepublicofPlagiarism.
On a previous post, our Transatlantic Commenter “Lysias” (not sure if that’s Commodore Lysias or Major Lysias, or perhaps both) rather engagingly confessed that
“I’ve always had trouble remembering people’s names, even back when I was doing my university studies.”
_______________
Perhaps that explains why “Lysias” has never told us at which Oxford college he allegedly read Greats – he’s forgotten! 🙂
Thank you, Villager, for those kind words.
As you know – because you are kind enough to do it yourself – it is one’s duty to truth and reason to hold the makers of the wilder statements on here to account, to correct their errors and to make sure that the wider reading public is not deliberately misled by them.
It is sometimes a wearying job but nevertheless a richly rewarding one. I’m sure you agree!
John,
“Talking of drones, a US and Italian hostage, were killed in Pakistan in January, President Clinton reported this week, yesterday I think.”
Btw, Obama also admitted they had no idea what the target of the drone strike was. I read that today.