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American politics

Finney Is Back said:
To be fair to him, Mohammed bin Salman's views are positively moderate and liberal compared to many of the rulers of places in and around that region!
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But suspect that there are two faces to the man given what I hear from out the region. I urge caution from a man who authorised a journo to be chopped up and disposed with in a suitcase
 
scaramanga said:
That and to try and nip in the bud the burgeoning friendships it has with China and Russia.
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That might be part of it, I read there are a few hundred Russians down there training the military, though he doesn't seem to mind Russians fudging around almost everywhere else. He even lets them write his 'peace' plans.

Needless to say, he has zero justification for any war, nor permission from Congress.
 
Rorschach said:
That might be part of it, I read there are a few hundred Russians down there training the military, though he doesn't seem to mind Russians fudging around almost everywhere else. He even lets them write his 'peace' plans.

Needless to say, he has zero justification for any war, nor permission from Congress.
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I'd say removing dictators should be a moral imperative of any advanced nation - at least those that can be removed. Xi Jingping might be a little tough, but for each one removed, the world is better by one dictator.
 
scaramanga said:
I'd say removing dictators should be a moral imperative of any advanced nation - at least those that can be removed. Xi Jingping might be a little tough, but for each one removed, the world is better by one dictator.
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Of course, you need more than a moral imperative to declare war, but yes, fewer dictators is good. Trump is a wannabe dictator. So is Netanyahoooo. Let's start with them before they go full dictator.
 
Rorschach said:
Of course, you need more than a moral imperative to declare war, but yes, fewer dictators is good. Trump is a wannabe dictator. So is Netanyahoooo. Let's start with them before they go full dictator.
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Neither can become dictators as they have the checks and balances of a democracy to stop them.

Of course you know that, but sometimes it's easier to parrot the screeching lunatics on social media, right?
 
scaramanga said:
Neither can become dictators as they have the checks and balances of a democracy to stop them.

Of course you know that, but sometimes it's easier to parrot the screeching lunatics on social media, right?
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Well it is better than the screeching lunatics that appear to live in your head ;)

Those checks and balances are looking weak as maidens tinkle these days. The Supreme Court has given Trump the power of a monarch, more or less. Congress has abdicated. The consitution is an afterthought. The FBI is a weapon to be used by the executive and masked federal agents are roaming the city streets, hoovering up anyone whose skin is darker than beige. And I expect tons of fudgery in the next few elections, if they even take place. They may come back from this, but I wouldn't bet on it.

So you're not against aspiring dictators, just the entrenched ones? Seems a bit of an inconsistent position.
 
Rorschach said:
Well it is better than the screeching lunatics that appear to live in your head ;)

Those checks and balances are looking weak as maidens tinkle these days. The Supreme Court has given Trump the power of a monarch, more or less. Congress has abdicated. The consitution is an afterthought. The FBI is a weapon to be used by the executive and masked federal agents are roaming the city streets, hoovering up anyone whose skin is darker than beige. And I expect tons of fudgery in the next few elections, if they even take place. They may come back from this, but I wouldn't bet on it.

So you're not against aspiring dictators, just the entrenched ones? Seems a bit of an inconsistent position.
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Even Trump's not dumb enough to think he can become a dictator in the US.

He can't change the constitution without a supermajority and there's no way he's getting that.
 
thfcsteff said:
It's always been that way I think re: tipping.
Interesting to know from a visiting perspective if you feel everything is as it always was.
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Yeah, very little has changed for me at all in the 35 or so years I've been visiting.

But I am fully aware that I'm incredibly unlikely to see any change from hotels, golf courses, fishing boats, nice restaurants etc.

I've always been happy to tip well when served in a restaurant. But I went to a doughnut place to bring some breakfast in and the machine I was paying at offered me a 20% or 30% tip. The woman was perfectly pleasant, but all she did was pick some doughnuts from a shelf and put them in a box. I'd even used an automated machine for my coffee.
 
scaramanga said:
Yeah, very little has changed for me at all in the 35 or so years I've been visiting.

But I am fully aware that I'm incredibly unlikely to see any change from hotels, golf courses, fishing boats, nice restaurants etc.

I've always been happy to tip well when served in a restaurant. But I went to a doughnut place to bring some breakfast in and the machine I was paying at offered me a 20% or 30% tip. The woman was perfectly pleasant, but all she did was pick some doughnuts from a shelf and put them in a box. I'd even used an automated machine for my coffee.
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Was her name Rachel Reeves?
 
scaramanga said:
Yeah, very little has changed for me at all in the 35 or so years I've been visiting.

But I am fully aware that I'm incredibly unlikely to see any change from hotels, golf courses, fishing boats, nice restaurants etc.
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Indeed, that's a very fair perspective...those places have not changed much on the surface, and most certainly not for clientele. Where the true shifts are being felt are with the communities who serve those places, and it's pretty deep and insidious. I certainly hope (and like many cling onto) your assertion that there are enough checks and balances in place to prevent things tipping all the way, but I have to say, the fabric of certain things is down to threads, and the slow coercion of law and order as a tool of agendas is something.


scaramanga said:
I've always been happy to tip well when served in a restaurant. But I went to a doughnut place to bring some breakfast in and the machine I was paying at offered me a 20% or 30% tip. The woman was perfectly pleasant, but all she did was pick some doughnuts from a shelf and put them in a box. I'd even used an automated machine for my coffee.
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Agreed, and I don't tip any less than 20% for restaurant service unless it is poor (which it usually isn't).
What you're talking about re: donut shop is an increasing issue for sure. I am still at the point where I will tip something for people who hand me something from behind a counter, simply because that is one of the classes whose incomes and lives are being fiercely eroded, however I also do get frustrated by such. I wish the living wage was such that tipping was not necessary, but we left that utopia a few decades ago now.
I did laugh when I bought a book recently and the receipt generated left space for a tip!!!!! Bonkers.

Have you spent much time on the West Coast?
 
thfcsteff said:
Indeed, that's a very fair perspective...those places have not changed much on the surface, and most certainly not for clientele. Where the true shifts are being felt are with the communities who serve those places, and it's pretty deep and insidious. I certainly hope (and like many cling onto) your assertion that there are enough checks and balances in place to prevent things tipping all the way, but I have to say, the fabric of certain things is down to threads, and the slow coercion of law and order as a tool of agendas is something.
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It's always been the role of federal agencies to act under the control of the President (with a little from both houses).

This is not a constitutional problem, nor is it (as many would wish) a legal one - it's an electoral issue. This is the normal flow of power through the normal routes. The problem now is that it's being controlled by people those on the Left don't want to control it and they have social media to shout very loudly about it.

Time is already ticking until the next election,. People need to stop focusing on legal challenges that will fail and start to focus on providing an electoral solution to an electoral problem. They need to put forward a candidate and policies that can challenge all these issues they don't like, whilst solving the most pressing issues for the average voter.


thfcsteff said:
Agreed, and I don't tip any less than 20% for restaurant service unless it is poor (which it usually isn't).
What you're talking about re: donut shop is an increasing issue for sure. I am still at the point where I will tip something for people who hand me something from behind a counter, simply because that is one of the classes whose incomes and lives are being fiercely eroded, however I also do get frustrated by such. I wish the living wage was such that tipping was not necessary, but we left that utopia a few decades ago now.
I did laugh when I bought a book recently and the receipt generated left space for a tip!!!!! Bonkers.
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I'm happy to tip when it's earned. But the industry seems to be moving away from actual service at the same time as demanding more in tips.

Americans used to be the best in the world at mid level service (chain restaurants, bar staff, etc) and it was one of the things I always enjoyed when visiting. Now many chain restaurants have you order on an app/tablet and all your server does is carry food to your table.

I tried to put 0% on a restaurant bill so I could give our waitress a tip in cash and neither she nor her manager could work out how to do that! The system wouldn't allow it.

thfcsteff said:
Have you spent much time on the West Coast?
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No, saving that for when the kids are grown. Currently we can convince them to spend a week doing what we want if we can spend a week or two in Florida doing all the theme parks and stuff they want to do. I spent a very short time in Spokane about 20 years ago but was working more than anything else.

Once the kids aren't tagging along I'm going to do some wine tours out there. My parents have been a few times and keep talking it up. Apparently the Napa Valley Wine train is worth the trip by itself. Bodega Bay looks lovely - think that would have to be a road trip for a month or so to see everything.
 
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