And what handsome tank they are!!

Is there nothing this country can’t fuck up? We can only play both sides against the middle for so long.

Makes me sick.

Somewhere, John Bolton and other neocon heads are exploding.

Are you streaming Al Jazeera English? The called out Bolton in particular earlier for being a total hypocrite. It was a beautiful thing : )

Do you think we could keep some of those $$s at home and maybe, I don’t, build highways, pay teachers, get mental health services….Ya think?

Good reason for Rs to fund stem cell research.

Then their nasty dictators can become immortal, and the countries the dictators rule will be “stable” for eternity.

No wonder the protesters are able to tip over the tanks.

Yep. And the drones that slaughter Afghans and Pakistanis and everything used to slaughter Palestinians….the list goes on and on.

Apparently Bolton was on AJ earlier today. I didn’t catch it or the ref to it (in the context of asking another U.S. guest a Q about it). I’ve got AJ open on another window & listening with only half an ear, as they’re mostly covering stuff they played earlier.

let me count the ways

Tanks are not much use in Urban Areas. It’s too easy to drop a building on a tank.

The states and major cities here are facing grevious budget crises, reguring massive layoffs and drastic cutbacks of services. None of this matters. All that matters is having money available to produce killing machines to gratify the bloodlust of the Cabal.

The MIC reigns supreme.

How many snowplows could we have bought for our cities with the money we spent on those tanks?

I exaggerated. It wasn’t really a tank, it was an armored vehicle, and they didn’t really tip it over, but they did manage to rock it.

I think the role of tanks/armored vehicles in urban areas is both to frighten demonstrators (lol on that one in this case) and to get troops safely from one place to another. Still,…

Spewing sawdust and toxic gases over a 10-meter radius.

Here’s a question:

With respect to the US’ relationship with Egypt: What’s the difference between US’ relationship with Egypt and the relationship between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia in 1968?

Both powers appeared supporting unpleasant dictatorial regimes in a client state.

Sickening. We send money to dictators and trouble makers and let out own people die in the streets from hunger and lack of health care (physical and mental.) When do WE take to the streets? I hope Obama is quaking in his boots.

Same problem. Nothing like a ton of two of masonry to spoil your day.

Janet Reno found a novel use for tanks. She used one to make martyrs of the kids at Waco, if anyone can remember that ancient history.

Shame on you.

The difference, which everyone, except apparently you, knows is that the U.S. is the good guy and the Soviets were the bad guys. *g*

Ding!

If the US gov’t is in any way serious about spreading democracy, freedom, etc., then the question is why doesn’t it stop paying for 1/3 of the Egyptian military?

I take you point, but it’s not so easy to get the building to fall at the right time in the right spot.

Or how many teachers, firefighters, police, librarians, park rangers, etc. would not have had been laid off if the money spent for dick taters´ tanks were instead spent here at home?

No experience with this. How does one drop a building on a tank?

The truth is that since the end of WWII, there has been no bigger enemy of freedom in the world than the US government. The vast majority of Americans are extremely ignorant of what their government does in their names. Many of them want to kill anyone (like Julian Assange) who tries to bring it to their attention.

While waiting for the nonobvious answer, the obvious answere is that the US is paying 1/3 of the tab so that Egypt plays nice with Israel.

One U.S. Corporation’s Role in Egypt’s Brutal Crackdown

Timothy Karr

Campaign Director, Free Press and SavetheInternet.com
Posted: January 28, 2011 12:15 PM

…. an American firm, Narus of Sunnyvale, Calif., which has sold Telecom Egypt “real-time traffic intelligence” equipment.

Narus, now owned by Boeing, was founded in 1997 by Israeli security experts to create and sell mass surveillance systems for governments and large corporate clients.

The company is best known for creating NarusInsight, a supercomputer system which is allegedly used by the National Security Agency and other entities to perform mass surveillance and monitoring of public and corporate Internet communications in real time.

And paying the Israelis how much to take down the Palestinians, crush their houses, settle their land?

eggs zactly

Writing from S.A. as one of the lone gringos on the loose. The fact you state is well known outside the closed confines of the US. The countries of S.A. in particular are hip to Uncle Sam´s antics.

That would be Amurican Built Caterpillars destroying those houses…

Got’s to love all our ‘Made in the USA’ tear canisters too…! 8-(

Would it also be Narus that is responsible for cutting off internet and portable telephone communications in Egypt today?

Indeed, it has been a package deal all along.

The footage of people tearing apart some armored vehicle with their bare hands – just damn. I don’t know when I’ve seen anything more beautiful.

Paul Woodward, snarkily observing Obama’s pro-status-quo talk:

In his statement, Obama ducks the core issue: the demand from Egyptians for Mubarak to go. By prioritizing the need for the restoration of civil order — that security forces and protesters refrain from violence — Obama is treating the uprising as not being fully legitimate. Obama asserts that violence will not result in Egyptian citizens’ being met, yet the evidence is completely the contrary: the fearless and often violent resistance of the people in defying the intimidating strength of the security forces is what is driving change. And note: the administration has provided Mubarak with the key talking point with which he is attempting to retain his hold on power — the promise of “reform.” In their conversation, perhaps Mubarak sought Obama’s advice on what “reform” looks like. Perhaps something like “change.”

Too bad the ISM didn’t give Rachel Corrie a pair of pliers instead of an orange vest..

STFU OBIE really you aint helppin

plese dont remind me

Damn!

The truth is that since the end of WWII, there has been no bigger enemy of freedom in the world than the US government. The vast majority of Americans are extremely ignorant of what their government does in their names. Many of them want to kill anyone (like Julian Assange) who tries to bring it to their attention.

Sadly, you are correct. Sadder still, there is many an American citizen who would call you a traitor for saying it.

Do you think we could keep some of those $$s at home and maybe, I don’t, build highways, pay teachers, get mental health services….Ya think?

Ah, but you miss the point. It is spent at home, leastways on multinationals with Defense Department contracts. It’s called corporate welfare. The grift works like this:

1. IRS collects taxes from the marks.
2. State Department gifts Egypt with “foreign aid.”
2a. With a small string attached …
3. Egypt buys military hardware from U.S. “private” enterprise.

So, following the path through the python, you see tax money from Bev Q. Public finding its way into the belly of a defense contractor.

And there you have the congressional-military-industrial welfare complex. It’s too bad the crying “Keep your gubmint hands of my Medicare” can’t figure out the gubmint’s just the fixer in the middle.

Knock out the base of the wall. Sledgehammers work well.

The people in the Tank cannot hear outside of the tank, it’s very noisy in there.

It is surprising how easy it is to demolish masonry. It’s strong in compression, not so in shear (being pushed sideways) or tension (hanging above a hole).

Tanks lurk in urban areas. See my post @44 for the means, and wait for the opportunity.

Sledgehammers, wrenches and chainsaws, the tools of domestic terrorism freedom fighters.

Silly me. My bad :-)

Of course, once they steal it, they aren’t “your tax dollars” anymore. Unless you voted, you aren’t responsible.

***Mod Note: Please use your “inside” voice (all caps is considered yelling and not needed)***

The number of dictators that we have supported during the last 60+ years is insurmountable. This support has usually been in the training and arming of rough regimes which have put down popular support in their own countries and all done for the lowly American dollar which goes to the corporations which we are beholden to.

We were able to decimate most of Central and South America – people who should be our brothers and sisters. But of course when it comes to money, we are so ever adept in our multitasking in taking on the Middle East, Asia, and Africa at the same time.

And all this is done with our money!

I am Indian born Canadian whose parents emigrated to the US 20 years ago. I have never felt as much peace as I do now after having moved back to Canada. I will never, ever pay another tax dollar to back up these thugs so corporations can become rich while the lower and middle class is send to hell in a hand basket. Of course I had a choice which most Americans do not.