Frankly, The United States Does Not Have A Government — It Is A Regime + US Sanctions Are Pushing Russia to War by Finian Cunningham

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Updated: Aug. 15, 2018

by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
East Africa
Crossposted from Sputnik, Aug. 12, 2018
August 14, 2018

American politicians provoke a slew of emotions, from tears of rage to tears of laughter. But perhaps the uppermost emotion is one of pity.

With a few honorable exceptions, it is such a pity that the American people are misled by such buffoons. It is such a pity that the American and Russian people — who have so much in common as human beings — are nevertheless being driven towards a state of war by these buffoonish politicians.

Ban Tear Gas Entirely! by David Swanson

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by David Swanson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Let’s Try Democracy, July 3, 2018
July 14, 2018

Tear gas is among the least of the problems facing those who care about the murder and destruction of war. But it is a major element in the militarization of local policing. In fact, it is widely deemed illegal in war, but legal in non-war (although what written law actually creates that loophole is unclear).

Sy Hersh Questions the Official Line on Syria

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goingundergroundRT on Jun 30, 2018

In this episode, we are joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sy Hersh who exposed NATO nation war crimes of the military-industrial complex. From Abu Ghraib prison in the Anglo-American war on Iraq to the My Lai Massacre, Sy Hersh has exerted a damning scepticism of the official line. His new book “Reporter – A Memoir” is out now.

Drawing Links Between US Militarism Abroad and Gun Violence at Home + Militarizing US Schools and Society Only Creates More Gun Violence and Police Brutality

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TheRealNews on Jun 18, 2018

Boston teacher Nino Brown, of the ANSWER Coalition, speaks with TRNN’s Ben Norton about the links between US militarism, gun violence, and police brutality. He connects the epidemic of school shootings domestically to the endless wars internationally.

Underestimating The U.S. Military Budget, Altruism and Sadism by David Swanson

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by David Swanson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Let’s Try Democracy
June 25, 2018

There are three things that are almost always underestimated: the U.S. military budget, altruism, and sadism.

First, the military budget.

Chris Hedges: 80% of the Yemen Population Needs Humanitarian Aid + Catastrophic US-Saudi-UAE Attack on Yemen Port City Could Trigger Mass Famine

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with Chris Hedges

RT America on June 18, 2018

The UN envoy for Yemen held emergency talks in the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa on Saturday over the key aid port of Hodeidah, where a Saudi-led coalition battles Houthi rebel fighters. More than 80 percent of Yemeni imports pass through Hodeidah’s docks and the fighting has raised UN concerns of humanitarian catastrophe in a country already teetering on the brink of famine. RT America’s Natasha Sweatte is joined by Pulitzer prize winning journalist and host of ‘On Contact’ Chris Hedges.

John Pilger, et al: Australia’s Guns: Control, Culture, Bias

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with John Pilger

goingundergroundRT on Jun 8, 2018

Co-hosts Tyrel Ventura and Tabetha Wallace venture down under to Australia to interview a number of experts, including Pulitzer Prize winner John Pilger, on gun violence, gun culture, and the differences between gun ownership in the US and Australia.

“Google Should Not Be In The Business of War”: Understanding the Weaponization of Artificial Intelligence by Marc Eliot Stein

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Republished with permission from David Swanson at World Beyond War

by Marc Eliot Stein
World Beyond War
June 9, 2018

In early April, more than 3100 Google employees signed a letter that begins with the words “Google should not be in the business of war”. The letter is a response to the company’s participation in a new US Department of Defense artificial intelligence program called Project Maven, which it describes as a “customized AI surveillance engine” designed to interpret visual images from drones, and concludes with a powerful request from Google employees to their management:

Abby Martin: Used and Betrayed: 100 Years of US Troops as Lab Rats

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Published previously on May 23, 2016

with Abby Martin

teleSUR English on May 23, 2016

On Memorial Day, politicians will speak at ceremonies all over the country and repeat their favorite mantra: “Support the troops.” This pledge is hammered into the American psyche at every turn. But there is a hidden, dark history that shows that the politicians are in fact no friend to service members–but their greatest enemy. An easy way to prove this truth is to look at how they so quickly betray and abandon their soldiers after purposely ruining their lives, and even after using them as literal lab rats.

David Swanson: Debunking the Myth of American Exceptionalism + The Day DC Was Bombed

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by David Swanson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Let’s Try Democracy
April 20, 2018

TheRealNews on Apr 19, 2018

Anti-war writer and activist David Swanson discusses his new book Curing Exceptionalism, and picks apart the chauvinistic idea that the United States of America is the greatest country on the planet.

There Is No Crime Larger Than War + Trump Has Just Committed A Murderous Immoral Criminal Action by David Swanson

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by David Swanson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Let’s Try Democracy, Apr. 11, 2018
April 14, 2018

In the park today I saw a teenager watching two little kids, one of whom apparently stole a piece of candy from the other. The teenager rushed up to the two of them, reprimanded one of them, and stole both of their bicycles. I felt like it was my turn to step in at that point, and I confronted the bicycle thief. “Excuse me,” I said, “what makes you think you can commit a larger crime just because you witnessed a smaller one? Who do you think you are?” He stared at me for a while, and replied: “the U.S. military.”

Draft Dodger in Chief Might Trigger A World War by Felicity Arbuthnot + Trump Threatens to Bomb Syria Without Any Investigation into Alleged Chemical Attack

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by Felicity Arbuthnot
Writer, Dandelion Salad
London, England
April 12, 2018

As all becomes ever more rapidly surreal it seems that, barring a miracle, Draft Dodger in Chief, Donald Trump might trigger a world war, over an incident in Syria which is entirely evidence free.

“Preemptive war could risk millions of casualties. But….” by David Swanson + Drummer Boy of War

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by David Swanson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Let’s Try Democracy
December 14, 2017

According to the Washington Post, “Preemptive war could risk millions of casualties. But . . . .”

Is that a statement that should ever be followed by a “but”? I contend that it isn’t. There isn’t something that can outweigh risking millions of casualties. The Washington Post thinks otherwise. Here’s a fuller quote:

Why Saudi Public Relations Are So Disastrous by Finian Cunningham

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by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
East Africa
Crossposted from Strategic Culture Foundation
November 28, 2017

What a disastrous past week it’s been for Saudi Arabia’s international public relations. It’s hard to imagine how it could possibly become more ignominious or cringe making for the House of Saud.

If Anyone Knows About the “Heavy Toll of War”, It is the Vietnamese by Felicity Arbuthnot

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by Felicity Arbuthnot
Writer, Dandelion Salad
London, England
November 15, 2017

“One day while I was in a bunker in Vietnam, a sniper round went over my head. The person who fired that weapon was not a terrorist, a rebel, an extremist, or a so-called insurgent. The Vietnamese individual who tried to kill me was a citizen of Vietnam, who did not want me in his country. This truth escapes millions.” — Mike Hastie, Former U.S. Army Medic, Vietnam 1970-71