Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Rogue States #1, 2, 3 - This is what a Rogue State looks like

First they came for the "moosies", now they come for their own, next they will come for you and me ... so I thought I'd say something ...

1# The Loss of the Rule of Law

We have unfortunately become pretty used to assassinations, extraordinary rendition, torture, illegal invasions of foreign countries etc. Now they have taken to assassinating their own. The President is apparently judge jury and executioner to their own people.



Check out this attempted explanation -




"... has a judge been shown ... ?"

"I don't understand"

"You said he is responsible ... is any evidence going to be presented?"

"Do you not see at all ... how a President asserting that he has the right to kill an American citizen without due process, and that he is not going to even explain why he thinks he has that right, is troublesome to some people?"

2# Protectionism and the Great Depression


And if starting a war with some "towel-head" country is okay in your book how about starting a trade war with CHINA! CHINA! YES! The country everyone tells us is keeping the global economy (and certainly Australia's) alive. At this time, in this global economy they have just voted in the US Senate to look at ways to penalise China for currency peg. The intention will be to slap tariffs on goods coming from China in magnitude determined by the US's view of the impact of the USD RMB FX rate, something which suited them for years. Are they insane? Have they not read a history book? Have they not heard of the GREAT DEPRESSION?



The most amazing line in this vid is Sen. Chuck Shumer -

"They use the rules of free trade when it benefits them and spurn the rules of free trade when it benefits them, and for years and years and years, Americans have grimaced, shrugged their shoulders, but not done anything effective to in large measure stop the Chinese pursuit of unfair mercantilism"

You are kidding us right?

3# Pariah State

The USA is a Pariah State. Apart from the treaties it breaks on regular occasions here are some more it won't even sign up to. I will classify them in terms of levels of disbelief -

[Greg the Bunny says: point of information Ferretous, some of them they signed but then that have to ratify them in the Senate before it enters the law]

[SockRatEz says: ... which they haven't done, so ...]


1) Really?

- Ottawa Treaty (the land-mine ban)
- Treaty on the Rights of the Child (only holdouts are the U.S. and Somalia)
- United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- Forced Labor Convention (I guess the Civil War was fought for naught)
- Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age to Marriage and Registration of Marriages
- Kyoto Accords (greenhouse gas reductions)
- UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment

Oh and check this out -

- Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties

[SockRatEz says: yeah, no shit!]


2) You have to be kidding!


- Protocol to enforce the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (vote was 178-1, the US the only holdout)
- International Criminal Court
- United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
- Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
- Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty [prohibiting programs like "Stars Wars"]
- Protocol to enforce the Convention Against Torture
- UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
- Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, and Other Related Materials
- Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers (prohibiting sale of arms to human rights violators & aggressors)
- International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries

3) No wait, are you fucking SERIOUS?

- International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings
- International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
- Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes Against Humanity

[SockRatEz says: well if they signed up to them, their entire foreign policy apparatus would have to be dismantled]

Just so that everyone is clear in their minds ...

THIS IS WHAT A ROGUE STATE LOOKS LIKE


[Greg the Bunny says: that looks like the USA]

[SockRatEz says: eh, yes, that's right Bunny]