So, this is a thing

[tyrannosaurus vex]

We're all grown ups. Sometimes life is shitty. I don't believe in demanding or requiring warnings.

The kid didn't get a warning.

Sure he did. Anybody knows a Good Guy would never choose to be born among such Smudgy People. And even if the system fucked up and "accidentally" put him there, well, surely death is preferable to any reasonable toddler than to grow up and become and extremist. Besides, the signs were around him all the time. He lived in a poor nation, where people had the audacity to be in the line of fire. Only two things are ever in the line of fire: the enemy, and someone who might as well be your enemy. The kid surely knew he had it coming. He was probably knocking over towers of blocks just a day or so prior to this, just practicing for the REAL EVENT.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

We're all grown ups. Sometimes life is shitty. I don't believe in demanding or requiring warnings.

The kid didn't get a warning.

Sure he did. Anybody knows a Good Guy would never choose to be born among such Smudgy People. And even if the system fucked up and "accidentally" put him there, well, surely death is preferable to any reasonable toddler than to grow up and become and extremist. Besides, the signs were around him all the time. He lived in a poor nation, where people had the audacity to be in the line of fire. Only two things are ever in the line of fire: the enemy, and someone who might as well be your enemy. The kid surely knew he had it coming. He was probably knocking over towers of blocks just a day or so prior to this, just practicing for the REAL EVENT.

[trippinprincezz13]

http://90days90reasons.com/06.php

There is a now iconic picture of Obama and a young boy in the Oval Office. The president of the United States is bowing, bent at the waist so the young boy can touch his hair, so the young boy can feel that he and the president have something in common. When I first saw the photograph I knew I had finally voted for someone who would affirm my faith, who would live up to the audacity of promising hope.

Sometimes, all hope requires is one moment and that moment, that photograph of the president and a young boy is what I most needed to believe my hope in Obama was well placed, to believe that while the president is just one man, the presidency is so much more when held in the hands and heart of the right man.

Not that I need to state the obvious, but it appears publicity stunts are a foreign concept to this person

And even more, Obama cured that little boy of scrofula!

Of course, this becomes a lot more horrormirthy if you juxtapose the above paragraph with a picture of the latest mosque a CIA drone bombed.

This I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around. I know it happens, but FFS, a church (mosque)?! I don't care how many "terrorists" they thought were in there, more than likely of course there were going to be "regular" civilians in there. They're not even pretending anymore. Or I suppose they haven't been for a while. It's kept out of the public eye for the most part. Half the people don't care, the other half are happy about it since it's those Horrible Brown People Over There. None of this is new and shocking, I know, but it instills a weird sense of hopelessness. Not that sitting around wringing our hands, or closing our eyes to it will help anything, but...what?

[The Wizard Joseph]

hm.. Dead kid at a mosque that got blown up by the U.S. you say? President that seems to know a good photo op when he has a live kid in his office, what?
What kind of crap we digging at here?

This is just ONE kid out of probably millions in the modern history of blowing shit sky high. I think trying to get people to react to this is an interesting, if extra ruthless, conversational hook. 
It's got me on the line. 

Cain were you trying to demonstrate some point in this juxtaposition?

None of this is new and shocking, I know, but it instills a weird sense of hopelessness. Not that sitting around wringing our hands, or closing our eyes to it will help anything, but...what?

Cultivate a sense of patience.  If these things disturb you then act against them. Do not feel shame in yourself for the actions of others. Do good things so that you can say that your life was not lived to amplify the horror.  If you feel powerless against these things, then seek out means to power.  Never forget why you sought it out once you find it.  Never forget that the price you will pay to cause change may be your entire life's efforts.

Also, remember to breathe. It helps.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

hm.. Dead kid at a mosque that got blown up by the U.S. you say? President that seems to know a good photo op when he has a live kid in his office, what?
What kind of crap we digging at here?

This is just ONE kid out of probably millions in the modern history of blowing shit sky high. I think trying to get people to react to this is an interesting, if extra ruthless, conversational hook. 
It's got me on the line. 

Cain were you trying to demonstrate some point in this juxtaposition?

None of this is new and shocking, I know, but it instills a weird sense of hopelessness. Not that sitting around wringing our hands, or closing our eyes to it will help anything, but...what?

Cultivate a sense of patience.  If these things disturb you then act against them. Do not feel shame in yourself for the actions of others. Do good things so that you can say that your life was not lived to amplify the horror.  If you feel powerless against these things, then seek out means to power.  Never forget why you sought it out once you find it.  Never forget that the price you will pay to cause change may be your entire life's efforts.

Also, remember to breathe. It helps.

There's no air in Tucson.  What do?

Oh, yeah, and it's just another dead kid, right?  Nothing to see here.

[Cain]

Sure, here's my point:

Shoot up a Sikh temple, and you're a Neo-Nazi murdering bastard.

Order a covert intelligence agency to use a drone to fire a missile into a mosque and you're a God-Emperor whose benevolent rule makes the poor minority children happy.  Well, the poor minority children not incinerated by Predator missile fire, at least.

[Xooxe]

It's been like 6 years since I saw it, but CNN were once bemoaning the fact that militants were filling their religious schools with children.

OMFG, cowards! You made us bomb teh childrens too!

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Wait.... Let me get this straight. We didnt expect children in a school (or a mosque)?

[Cain]

No, just didn't care.  Over 160 children have died as a result of drone attacks in Pakistan alone.  Remember, drone attacks are also ongoing in Yemen, and Somalia has been put on the list too.  No doubt when US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, drones will be used there as well.

Drone attacks are predicated on intelligence briefings but, as we know, these are notoriously unreliable, and when coupled with the CIA's lack of Arabic speakers and the dearth of human intelligence in the Arab world, that people are being killed on the basis of having a name resembling that of a terrorist is quite likely.

Jihadists do have poor operational security when it comes to electronic communications, and of course that is the kind of intelligence gathering America does well, but joining up an online identity to an IRL person isn't always so easy.

Sometimes the targets are the sites themselves, and so anyone there is automatically a target.  Suspected training camps in the Pakistan NWFP, for example.

And of course, let us recall, any male between the ages of 14-60 in a strike zone is already officially classed as a "militant" anyway, according to the White House.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Note to self. Do not visit middle east until  2041

[The Wizard Joseph]

Sure, here's my point:

Shoot up a Sikh temple, and you're a Neo-Nazi murdering bastard.

Order a covert intelligence agency to use a drone to fire a missile into a mosque and you're a God-Emperor whose benevolent rule makes the poor minority children happy.  Well, the poor minority children not incinerated by Predator missile fire, at least.

I think I see what you're getting at.

This reminds me of Toynbee. I once got my hands on a condensation of his historical work focusing on warfare. The part that stuck best was a rant on the "Military Virtues." The essence was that things like valor, honor, and discipline are self evident virtues all their own that have been draped over the nature of warfare to glamorize it.

Things like this sort of missile strike dispense with even these cover virtues in favor of expedience.

There's no air in Tucson.  What do?¹

Oh, yeah, and it's just another dead kid, right?  Nothing to see here.²

1. Drive north until you find air, then breathe.

2. Just because I'm not shocked and have some sense that the bigger picture is far worse is no reason to imply that I don't care Roger.
Wait a minute.. did I just fall into some kind of clever snare?  Is this where I'm supposed to freak out with teh butthurtz cuz you obviously didn't, and could never, understand me?  Maybe afterwards I could backtrack a little, then you can lay in with a little argumentum ad hominem and I'll be ready to freak out again. That could be fun!

Wait.... Let me get this straight. We didnt expect children in a school (or a mosque)?

Oh, sure we did, but they weren't the target you see. The morality of targeting kids is much different than the morality of targeting a building. It's all in the paperwork, you see. Right there in sub section 23 line 5 where you fill in the blank for TARGET.
Never mind that other section where we tally COLLATERAL DAMAGE. That is for your superiors to deal with, carry on citizen.

[inode_buddha]

How on *earth* can you worry about stuff like that when we have bird porn to deal with!!?? Won't somebody thibnk of the children!!??

http://stopbirdporn.wordpress.com/tag/stop-bird-porn/

[The Wizard Joseph]

Sure, here's my point:

Shoot up a Sikh temple, and you're a Neo-Nazi murdering bastard.

Order a covert intelligence agency to use a drone to fire a missile into a mosque and you're a God-Emperor whose benevolent rule makes the poor minority children happy.  Well, the poor minority children not incinerated by Predator missile fire, at least.

It would appear that it's worse than that Cain.  Appearantly a man named Dave Mustaine, allegedly connected to a subversive group calling it's self MEGADEATH  has come to believe that there's every chance that these things are both part of the same super-secret "New World Order."
Shocking interview

They are after teh gunnz man!  Seems that it's all somthing called a psy-op.   

[Junkenstein]

No, just didn't care.  Over 160 children have died as a result of drone attacks in Pakistan alone.  Remember, drone attacks are also ongoing in Yemen, and Somalia has been put on the list too.  No doubt when US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, drones will be used there as well.

Somewhat related to this, I've been wondering about the potential political impact of shock adverts such as the OP for example (it isn't, just imagine it's a 30 second TV spot from Amnesty or somesuch)

Several powers have had very dubious policies towards many impoverished countries over the years. I would suggest that the main reason this happens is the populace is largely unaware and/or uncaring.

Looking at what the RSPCA spends on TV ads per year, I honestly can't help but wonder if the political landscape would change with the right adverts, on the "right" issues got more exposure.

I've seen adverts with starving/dying/dead children from many places in the world for a variety of reasons, but never has the reason been attributed to a world power. I find this strange, it often seems to be.

Landmines, for example. SOMEONE made them in the first place, and the UK (remember Diana? She loved them) made a fucking lot.

Consider that. Statistically, UK funds in many cases have gone to Make, export, campaign against and finally disarm and remove the same fucking mine.


Kind of rambling, tl:dr - Cain should make Shock adverts for amnesty or something.