Sometimes it gets to be too much, too much death, too much destruction, too many destroyed lives, and too much self-serving dishonest politics.
So from time to time I have to do something to decompress, to distract myself.
For me, spending time on the farm is a great relief, and snark is another. Maybe I watch too much BBC. It's probably all Mock the Week's fault.
This is snark, and only snark.
These are excerpts (with snarky additions) from US SOS Kerry's press conference in Cairo, Egypt yesterday.
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... the United States is not engaged in picking or choosing or advocating for any one individual, or series of individuals, to assume the leadership of Iraq. (We've already done that.) That is up to the Iraqi people and we have made that clear since day one. It is up to the people of Iraq to choose their future leadership. (And it's up to us to impose the leadeship we've chosen if the Iraqis choose someone else. Why do you think I'm here?) ...
... The United States would like to see the Iraqi people find leadership that is prepared to represent all of the people of Iraq, that is prepared (Come on Iraq, you can do it, you can find the leardership we've spent so much time and money on to prepare!) to be inclusive and share power in a way that will maximize the ability of Iraq to focus on the real danger (It damn well better be real considering all the money and weapons we've given them.) at this moment from an external source, which is ISIL. ...
... No country is safe from that kind of spread of terror (And that's the way we want it to be.), and none of us can afford to leave that entity with a safe haven (We should know, considering how much we've spent on them, damn they're expensive.) which would become a base for terror against anyone and all, not only in the region but outside of the region as well (We're watching you, all of you.).
... The message to any country from anywhere or any individual from anywhere is that there is no safety margin whatsoever in funding a group like ISIL (They're sneaky little bastards, and you have to be very careful with them. We have to pay them to be terrorists and we have to pay them to keep quiet about it, too.). And we particularly discourage individuals in the region (They're jacking up the cost. Competition.) who may have been sending money through some innocent charity or through various backchannel initiatives under the guise that it’s for the general welfare and benefit of people who’ve been displaced, but then that money finds its way into the hands of terrorists. So we are obviously discouraging (We've got it covered, butt out!) any kind of support to entities where it is unsure where the money is going or where it is specifically going to an entity like ISIL. And that goes to any government, any charity, any individual. We must not allow that kind of funding to be made part of the – part of this equation (When will you get it through your thick heads! They're ours, damn it! And we don't share!).
... The United States of America was not responsible for what happened in Libya, and nor is it responsible for what is happening in Iraq today (Please, please, no one ask me about anything that happend before today!).
... What’s happening in Iraq is not happening because of the United States, in terms of this current crisis (It's really hard sometimes to get everyone to agree about whether we shaould have white wine or red wine with dinner. Some people are just so picky.). The United States shed blood (mostly Iraqi) and worked hard for years to provide Iraqis the opportunity to have their own governance and have their own government. (And some people still don't get it that we never intended for them to actually use that opportunity. Idiots!) ...
... we will help Iraqis to complete this transition if they choose it (But only if they choose to do it the way we want it to be done of course.). If they want, they have an opportunity to choose leadership that could (Well ... it could, technically, but ...) represent all of Iraq, a unity government that brings people together (They'll all agree that we are a bunch of self-serving assholes.), and focus on ISIL ('Focus on' I said, not 'do something about.'). And I am convinced that they will do so, not just with our help (Especially not with our help. Help is not what we do.), but with the help of almost every country in the region as well as others in the world who will always stand up against the tyranny of this kind of terrorist activity (And while they're standing maybe we can get them to do a little comedy.). That’s what’s happening in Iraq (I can't believe people actually buy this shit!), and nobody should lose sight of it (Your eyes are getting heavy. Getting heavier and heavier, ...).
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Remarks With Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry After Their Meeting
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Cairo, Egypt
June 22, 2014
http://www.state.gov/...