SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Vice President Mike Pence meets Iceland's President Gudni Th Johannesson at Hofdi House in Reykjavik on September 4, 2019. (Photo: Jeremie Richard/AFP/Getty Images)
High-powered military jets. Armed guards. Snipers on rooftops. Bomb-sniffing dogs.
Those were just some of the components of the security arsenal that accompanied U.S. Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday during his official visit to Iceland, a nation the Global Peace Index has ranked as the most peaceful nation in the world for 11 consecutive years.
As such, Pence's heavily militarized security detail was reportedly met with shock in Iceland. The Associated Press reported that "Pence's arrival in Iceland with military jets and armed personnel set eyes popping."
The size and intensity of Pence's security detail drew mockery from satirical Icelandic newspaper Frettirnar, which joked that "Americans intended to give every Reykjavik citizen a paralyzing drug during Pence's visit."
Ahead of Pence's arrival in Iceland, AP reported, U.S. Secret Service agents "spent weeks scouting locations" and "three CV-22B Osprey flew over southwestern Iceland, along with two C-130 Hercules and one Lockheed C-5 Galaxy."
Pence, a notoriously anti-LGBTQ politician, was greeted during his drive to meet Iceland President Gudni Johannesson on Wednesday by a row of rainbow gay pride flags that Advania technology company displayed in anticipation of the vice president's visit.
\u201cSo America's bigot Mike Pence has arrived here in my country, and what does Iceland do? Welcomes him with Pride flags \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude4c\u201d— \ud83c\udf38\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc94\ud835\udc8b\ud835\udc82\ud83c\udf38 (@\ud83c\udf38\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc94\ud835\udc8b\ud835\udc82\ud83c\udf38) 1567604819
It was not the only time Pence drew public scorn and ridicule during his overseas trip.
Pence traveled to Iceland days after his highly controversial trip to Ireland, during which the vice president drew scrutiny for staying at a Trump-owned hotel at the president's request.
In a column for the Irish Times Tuesday, Miriam Lord said the U.S. vice president's visit was "like pulling out all the stops for a much-anticipated visitor to your home and thinking it has been a great success until somebody discovers he shat on the new carpet in the spare room, the one you bought specially for him."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
High-powered military jets. Armed guards. Snipers on rooftops. Bomb-sniffing dogs.
Those were just some of the components of the security arsenal that accompanied U.S. Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday during his official visit to Iceland, a nation the Global Peace Index has ranked as the most peaceful nation in the world for 11 consecutive years.
As such, Pence's heavily militarized security detail was reportedly met with shock in Iceland. The Associated Press reported that "Pence's arrival in Iceland with military jets and armed personnel set eyes popping."
The size and intensity of Pence's security detail drew mockery from satirical Icelandic newspaper Frettirnar, which joked that "Americans intended to give every Reykjavik citizen a paralyzing drug during Pence's visit."
Ahead of Pence's arrival in Iceland, AP reported, U.S. Secret Service agents "spent weeks scouting locations" and "three CV-22B Osprey flew over southwestern Iceland, along with two C-130 Hercules and one Lockheed C-5 Galaxy."
Pence, a notoriously anti-LGBTQ politician, was greeted during his drive to meet Iceland President Gudni Johannesson on Wednesday by a row of rainbow gay pride flags that Advania technology company displayed in anticipation of the vice president's visit.
\u201cSo America's bigot Mike Pence has arrived here in my country, and what does Iceland do? Welcomes him with Pride flags \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude4c\u201d— \ud83c\udf38\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc94\ud835\udc8b\ud835\udc82\ud83c\udf38 (@\ud83c\udf38\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc94\ud835\udc8b\ud835\udc82\ud83c\udf38) 1567604819
It was not the only time Pence drew public scorn and ridicule during his overseas trip.
Pence traveled to Iceland days after his highly controversial trip to Ireland, during which the vice president drew scrutiny for staying at a Trump-owned hotel at the president's request.
In a column for the Irish Times Tuesday, Miriam Lord said the U.S. vice president's visit was "like pulling out all the stops for a much-anticipated visitor to your home and thinking it has been a great success until somebody discovers he shat on the new carpet in the spare room, the one you bought specially for him."
High-powered military jets. Armed guards. Snipers on rooftops. Bomb-sniffing dogs.
Those were just some of the components of the security arsenal that accompanied U.S. Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday during his official visit to Iceland, a nation the Global Peace Index has ranked as the most peaceful nation in the world for 11 consecutive years.
As such, Pence's heavily militarized security detail was reportedly met with shock in Iceland. The Associated Press reported that "Pence's arrival in Iceland with military jets and armed personnel set eyes popping."
The size and intensity of Pence's security detail drew mockery from satirical Icelandic newspaper Frettirnar, which joked that "Americans intended to give every Reykjavik citizen a paralyzing drug during Pence's visit."
Ahead of Pence's arrival in Iceland, AP reported, U.S. Secret Service agents "spent weeks scouting locations" and "three CV-22B Osprey flew over southwestern Iceland, along with two C-130 Hercules and one Lockheed C-5 Galaxy."
Pence, a notoriously anti-LGBTQ politician, was greeted during his drive to meet Iceland President Gudni Johannesson on Wednesday by a row of rainbow gay pride flags that Advania technology company displayed in anticipation of the vice president's visit.
\u201cSo America's bigot Mike Pence has arrived here in my country, and what does Iceland do? Welcomes him with Pride flags \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude4c\u201d— \ud83c\udf38\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc94\ud835\udc8b\ud835\udc82\ud83c\udf38 (@\ud83c\udf38\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc94\ud835\udc8b\ud835\udc82\ud83c\udf38) 1567604819
It was not the only time Pence drew public scorn and ridicule during his overseas trip.
Pence traveled to Iceland days after his highly controversial trip to Ireland, during which the vice president drew scrutiny for staying at a Trump-owned hotel at the president's request.
In a column for the Irish Times Tuesday, Miriam Lord said the U.S. vice president's visit was "like pulling out all the stops for a much-anticipated visitor to your home and thinking it has been a great success until somebody discovers he shat on the new carpet in the spare room, the one you bought specially for him."