nigel99

If they go forward with immunity then in the US not all men are equal under the law, secondly it is a tacit admission that the justice system is deeply flawed and that you are not guaranteed a fair trial in the US as there are insufficient checks and balances. I’ve always been irritated by the phrase ‘Leader of the free world’ but it really annoys me a lot now that the US is a Banana Republic.

Interesting listening to the Supreme Court discussion, and the Supreme Court questions the layers of protection offered against corrupt prosecutors and also stating how ‘grand juries’ are easily swayed by prosecutors and therefore a president warrants special treatment. Obviously this is part of oral arguments and challenging as a hypothetical, but if true sucks to be Joe Public and subject to the legal system.

I love it!! Send that in to Jimmy Kimmel!

Agreed. The unintended consequences are huge and people’s lives have definitely been ruined.

Agreed and you are technically savvy. My son is averse to smartphones and had a brick phone until this week (he’s 23). Ironically he was pushed into getting a smartphone because he was unable to do security clearance paperwork without one.

I was busy reading the iPhone analytics terms and conditions. it’s amazing how far data collection has come and what we consent to. If you consent to providing analytics to improve iPhone everything from audio, camera, gyroscope and accelerometer data is harvested. A specific example is handwashing events are monitored and fed back. I don’t disagree with it, we have the option to opt out and as a tech person analytics are valuable. Apple must have a wealth of incredibly interesting data. From toilet and bedroom habits to how frequently you shop and the time and route you take.

The US and many americans see themselves as the model of democracy. I am not taking a shot at the US as they have many positive traits, however I don't see the US as a beacon of best practice. I think big business influences US politics to the detriment of its citizens and recent events challenge the true autonomy of the courts. US healthcare sucks. Australia is pretty good, but we are too much of a nanny state. We also have major human rights issues. The little I know of Switzerland, I like their systems and example to the world.

Interesting perspective that I never considered and makes a lot of sense. It also highlights additional risk of a Trump second term for the same reason.

I wouldn't use the lesser of 2 evils to describe Biden. Rather to me it indicates that the dems have a competence problem in the party if someone over 80 is the best they have to offer. People age and peak, physical and cognitive decline is real not imaginary. It appears that Biden has done a good job, my challenge is "Is he really the best of the dems?" Trumps age is only irrelevant because there is a laundry list of reasons why he is a walking disaster that far outweigh age being a factor.

As an outsider it's interesting to see the polarised debate. I am not sure that I would vote for someone in their 80's. Trump is awful, but I find it hard to believe Biden is the best alternative. Overall it is a really sad indictment of the state of US politics. The US have lost all moral authority on democracy and it's going to be interesting to watch.

The last few years I have been studying psychology as part of a career change. I did a minor in criminal psychology and I have come away with the strong belief that the prison is totally ineffective and a waste of time. Secondly many laws are based on moral judgments and religious beliefs that frankly I disagree with and often miss the point. But punishment makes people feel good and in reality has little to do with deterrence. Jail for the single mom who had an abortion and felt she had no other choice? Good she deserves it and feed her bread and water to really make her see the error of her ways, while I go to church and pat myself on the back and make sure everyone knows what a martyr I am having to foster her kid while she's locked up.

Yes was great to meet you too!

I can definitely see that being true. I don't like discussing politics at the dz anyway, that and religion are best discussed in other forums. Was just very surprised to see more political discussion in California than rural Georgia.

I was only there for an afternoon and during that time I only heard pro trump discussions going on at the bomb shelter (group of people for Fresh meat boogie).

Very interesting experience being in the US recently. Down in Georgia there was no political discussion at the dz, however many of the people that I met and am now connected with on FB are overwhelmingly Trump supporters. It was completely different at Perris DZ where there was alot of political discussion and I don't recall anyone who was not pro Trump. In rural Georgia I saw a single Trump flag on a property and expected to see more. As an outsider I noticed a few big changes since I was last in the US. Food is considerably more expensive and lots of homeless people, both in Georgia and LA