三世情缘

13日，澳大利亚媒体突然曝出一则让许多澳大利亚网民震惊的消息：一名被指控曾在阿富汗屠杀平民的前澳军士兵，竟然受邀要去英国参加英女王伊丽莎白二世的葬礼，而且还是纳税人给他买机票。    With the 2024 presidential race beginning to unfold, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said he believes that President Joe Biden will again earn the Democratic nomination — and the president likely win reelection if he runs on a strong progressive campaign."I think at this moment ... we have got to bring the progressive community together to say, you know what, we're going to fight for a progressive agenda but we cannot have four more years of Donald Trump in the White House," Sanders said Sunday on "Face the Nation." The senator, who identifies as a political independent but sought the Democratic nomination for president during his own progressive campaigns in 2016 and 2020, is a self-described democratic socialist and a vocal advocate for more accessible health care, women's rights and environmental policies to address climate change, among other issues. He urged voters who are dissatisfied with the work the Biden administration has done to recognize that "we are living in an unprecedented moment in American history."

• Transcript: Sen. Bernie Sanders on "Face the Nation," September 3, 2023

"Donald Trump is not only a pathological liar, has not only waged an insurrection, if you like, to prevent President Biden from taking office, not only is denying American democracy, moving against American democracy," Sanders said. Trump surrendered last week at the jail in Fulton County, Georgia, where he and 18 others were indicted for their alleged involvement in a "criminal enterprise" endeavoring to overturn his loss in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election. The former president is charged with 13 felony counts and has pleaded not guilty in the case.       Trump has also been charged with felony counts in three other jursidications, including federal charges related to his alleged attempt to stop the transfer of power in 2020 and his alleged mishandling of classified documents and charges in New York state related to allegedly falsifying business records. Trump is in the running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.             

    

    Mr. Biden officially launched his reelection campaign in April. In the announcement, the president explicitly positioned himself opposite Trump, and some of his other Republican opponents, on key issues like abortion and social security. Mr. Biden's campaign announcement video also included footage of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

             

"Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away," Mr. Biden said in the video. "Cutting social security that you've paid for your entire life while cutting taxes for the very wealthy. Dictating what health care decisions women can make, banning books, and telling people who they can love. All while making it more difficult for you to be able to vote."Sanders endorsed Mr. Biden in April. Sanders referenced several of those issues in underscoring what he believes is the importance of building "a strong progressive agenda" to win the presidency in 2024."I think President Biden is going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party and I think if he runs on a strong progressive agenda he's not only going to win, he's going to win by a strong vote," Sanders said during his "Face the Nation" appearance.                   

    

    "Because when you look at the Republican Party, it's not only that you have a former president who has been impeached twice, indicted four times," Sanders said. "These are people who deny women in this country the right to control their own bodies. Really? In 2023, is that where we are in this country? Not recognizing the reality of climate change, wanting more tax breaks for billionaires... that's what their agenda is. So, I think that in any kind of serious campaign, President Biden and the Democrats will do quite well against that reactionary agenda."Sanders called on Democrats to develop a progressive agenda that prioritizes the needs of seniors and of young people by expanding Medicare and addressing student debt."If we demand that the wealthiest people in this country start paying their fair share of taxes, if we come up with a progressive agenda, I think we're going to win and win big," he said. "And when we win big, we have to make it clear that we stand with the working class of this country, against the kind of corporate greed that we now see."                                 

In:    
• Joe Biden
    
• Donald Trump
    
• Bernie Sanders
    

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B | 虽然此人在服役期间获得过诸多荣誉，包括英国王室授予澳大利亚人的最高荣誉“澳大利亚维多利亚十字勋章”（他当时还得到过英女王的接见，如下图所示），但在2017-2020年间，他却被澳大利亚媒体不断曝出惊天丑闻。

C | 比如，他不仅在阿富汗服役期间屠杀过阿富汗平民，而且被屠杀的平民中还有一名残疾人。更过分的是，罗伯特-史密斯居然还在一场派对上将这名被他杀害的残疾人的假肢，拿给美军士兵用作喝酒的容器。他自己则在一旁兴高采烈地为这一反人类的罪行欢呼着。另一方面，在2016年-2021年间，澳大利亚媒体还曝光了罗伯特-史密斯所属澳大利亚特种空勤团在阿富汗犯下的一系列战争罪行，其中包括屠杀战俘、平民乃至儿童。负责为澳大利亚政府监督澳大利亚军方的澳大利亚国防军督察长在2016年时就澳军过去这些年在阿富汗的一系列违规行为发起的一项独立调查，亦在2020年时给出了令人震惊的结论，确认澳军士兵——尤其是罗伯特-史密斯所在的澳大利亚特种空勤团犯下了包括屠杀39名平民以及掩盖这些罪行在内的多项战争罪行。彼时，就连中国方面都被澳军这一行为所震惊。中国外交部发言人不仅谴责了澳军的行为，中国知名网络插画家“乌合麒麟”还作画一幅，抨击了澳军在阿富汗犯下的战争罪行。然而，从澳大利亚媒体最新的后续报道来看，不论是澳大利亚军方还是当时的澳大利亚莫里森政府，都没有严肃对待媒体曝光乃至澳军督察长那份报告中指出的这些严重侵犯人权的战争罪行，反而想大事化小、小事化了，想以一种“已经吸取教训了”这样的态度，将这事糊弄过去。这里尤其值得一提的是，在报告出台的2020年，面对中国插画家“乌合麒麟”制作的那幅抨击澳军的画作，时任澳大利亚总理莫里森不仅没有认真反思澳军的问题并承诺严惩罪行，反而颠倒黑白地指控中方应该为抨击他的政府而感到“羞耻”。在澳军这种不思悔改、掩盖真相，更视阿富汗人生命如同草芥的可怕氛围下，那个残忍屠杀残疾人、还玩弄对方假肢的罗伯特-史密斯，自然也没有遭到任何惩罚，不仅顺利退伍，而且他在阿富汗服役时获得的那些荣誉，包括那个“澳大利亚维多利亚十字勋章”，都得到了保留。而在离开军队后，他不仅高调地做起了生意，还反过来控告曝光他这些罪行的媒体在“诽谤”他，一边辩称自己杀死的残疾人是武装分子，一边堂而皇之地撒谎，说自己对派对上美军士兵用被杀害的残疾人假肢喝酒的做法感到“厌恶”。有澳媒还曝光说，他以及包庇他的澳大利亚军方，为了掩盖这些罪行，竟给之前向媒体曝光的证人施压，并给一些同样来自军队的证人下了“封口令”。总之，在了解了上述这些情况后，我们就不难理解为何他如今敢大摇大摆地凭借着自己获得的那枚“澳大利亚维多利亚十字勋章”，接受邀请准备去参加英女王的葬礼，并让澳大利亚纳税人给他买单了——即便澳大利亚联邦警察仍然调查着他的战争罪行以及掩盖罪行、破坏证据等犯罪行为。不过，在境外的社交网站上，不少澳大利亚网民还是对这个早已声名狼藉的前澳军士兵仍然能受邀去参加英女王葬礼的一事感到震惊以及羞耻。有网民还希望英国方面或者联合国能直接把他从英国送到海牙国际法庭受审。有澳大利亚网民还吐槽了仍然坚持邀请他的英国方面。一位澳大利亚电影人就发帖讽刺说：“英国王室再次展现了他们对战争犯罪视而不见的传统”。一名澳大利亚作家更是挖苦英方说：“或许罗伯特-史密斯可以把他当时在阿富汗派对上玩弄的那个死者的假肢带上，应该能在王室宴会上派上用场。”