Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/03/22/charges-dropped-against-turkey.html
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I didn’t see any dark-suited men in handcuffs.
Is anyone really surprised at this shithole anymore?? He idolizes Putin, thinks Dutarte is the shit and yes, this guy is just great. Anyone who is a “strongman leader” is to be admired and emulated. We really should be terrified of this stuff.
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It’s the typical authoritarian response. There’s so much latent fear of the Other that the response is, “we face an existential threat unless our strongman is stronger than their strongman. And just look at how strong he is - he massacres thousands of dissidents!”
If you really believe that the whole world will run you over unless you have a terrifying enough warlord (or in the case of the guy at the top, unless you are a terrifying enough warlord), it’s a rational response.
Which is why authoritarianism is so hard to respond to. It’s a sensible enough belief system given its assumptions. And when you look at the news, the assumptions are at least plausible.
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You know we’re talking about Turkey right now, not the US, right? 
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To be fair, America has a long history of supporting brutal regimes. But previous administrations at least had the decency to try and downplay or cover up such facts, so most of us could blissfully ignore the cognitive dissonance between purported American values and actual practices.
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The key phrase in that comment is “right now.” I think the Dear Orange Leader looks at places like Turkey and the Philippines as models rather than cautionary tales. Given his druthers, that is exactly the direction he would take. He has already endorsed charging those who do not stand and applaud him with treason. OK, maybe NoKo is a better model for that, but nonetheless…
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So that means Trump Tower Istanbul is a ‘go’, right?
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So four of the fifteen thugs are the ones that you can identify on the video and there is probably a good case against them. One of the suits looks like he is carrying a gun. It looks like the cops were only going after those not in suits. Moral of the story is that if you are going to a demonstration, stop by the thrift store first and pick up a nice suit.
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Why?
I can’t find a source that says why the charges were dropped, and I suspect that’s an important question for all of us, not just Kurds.
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Now that Afrin has fallen, Turkey appears to be planning to extend their invasion to the rest of Rojava.
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Is there such a thing as a private prosecution in the USA?
(Idly wondering if any of the victims are minded to try crowdfunding…)
There’s a history of forgiving Erdogan for that.
It also wasn’t the first time Erdogan’s bodyguards had attacked people in the U.S. During his last visit in 2016, his security detail beat and kicked protesters outside the Brookings Institution, where Erdogan was due to give a speech. They also violently attacked journalists covering the event, kicking an American cameraman in the chest to prevent him capturing the president’s arrival.
In 2011, Erdogan’s security detail attacked security guards at the UN headquarters in New York, sending one guard to hospital.
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Okay, why are we letting this thug into the US at all?
If he can’t treat a host country’s people with a modicum of respect, then what diplomacy can we really achieve?
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I think maybe previous administrations also had the resolve to tell brutal foreign regimes that they couldn’t pull that crap on American soil.
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any details on why the other 4 still face charges? (and I’m interested in legal rationale, not just snark)
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And a tie. Regimental, school colours or golf club.
