Nation outraged at a performer flicking off the camera at the superbowl; feels nothing as their military continues to slaughter innocent people

"...a yellow ribbon instead of a swastika." -RATM, Bullet in the Head

I didn't watch the superbowl last night, but apparently some singer called MIA flicked off the camera at the halftime show. The Parents Television Council is just outraged, outraged, I say.

"NBC fumbled and the NFL lied because a performer known as M.I.A. felt it necessary to flip off millions of families,” wrote PTC president Tim Winter. “It is unfortunate that a spectacular sporting event was overshadowed once again by broadcasting the selfish acts of a desperate performer. Last week the NFL formally told the PTC – and the American public – that the Super Bowl halftime show would be ‘appropriate.’ Most families would agree that the middle finger aimed directly at them is not appropriate, especially during the most-watched television event of the year."

Meanwhile, the people around her who were simulating sex were just fine.



If there's one thing America is good at, it's faking outrage over stupid fucking bullshit. How brave of the Parents Television Council to side with the rest of the public, in condemning something so incredibly meaningless. It's not like MIA planned this or anything, and this kind of publicity was exactly what she was looking for.



Oh by the way, a new report show that U.S. drones have been targeting innocent people at funerals. They've been launching follow-up attacks on the civilians who try to help victims of other attacks. We are committing nonstop war crime after war crime. More civilians have died in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2011 than any other year since the wars began. 2011 was the fifth consecutive year that civilian deaths have increased. 90% of the casualties in Iraq were civilians. Barack Obama has murdered as many as 535 civilians via drone strike since he took office. At least 60 of them were children. But. But guys. Guys. A performer made a childish hand gesture. Think. Of. The. Children.



The CIA's response -- or, rather, an "anonymous counterterrorism official's" response -- is to accuse investigative team that uncovered this of supporting Al Qaeda.

"One must wonder why an effort that has so carefully gone after terrorists who plot to kill civilians has been subjected to so much misinformation. Let’s be under no illusions—there are a number of elements who would like nothing more than to malign these efforts and help Al Qaeda succeed."

What he didn't mention: Al Qaeda is no longer operational, and the vast majority of these strikes were meant to kill Taliban insurgents who want us out of their country. Just shut the fuck up, and remember that forming opinions about irrelevant celebrities is much easier than forming opinions about world affairs.