emanymton
A cat politely sat on the flaming gardener.
The problem with the US is the number of people walking around with guns in their pocket.
Is America heading towards dictatorship?
- Thread starter nightowl
- Start date
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
They’re just pleased to see you
two sheds
Least noticed poster 2007
I have a feeling that without getting my hair cut and wearing a suit I'd get beaten up at customs before I even got into the country.
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
The trouble is that if the US do pull out of NATO, and remove the ‘nuclear umbrella’ , and likewise if they do the same in the Pacific, Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, Japan, Indonesia and Taiwan* aren’t just going to say ‘ok we give in to Putin and or Xi, they are going to follow us and the French in developing their own ‘ minimum credible deterrence’ nukes. That’s not likely to end well for most people…
* Perm at least another 20 states.
* Perm at least another 20 states.
Last edited:
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
If the US pulls out of NATO, NATO will stop buying their weapons, last year that was worth $238bn...
2hats
Dust.
That all depends on your status, activity and your state of health. DPRK is fairly safe for foreign visitors. For some activities, situations, safer than the US.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
No.
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
BAE Systems/ Airbus defence /Thales shareholders might be some of the exceptions to the ‘not good for most people’ in my post…
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
OK sure, but context is everything. A guided tour of Pyongyang is no doubt statistically 'safer' but it's hardly comparing like with like when they confiscate your phone and have you under 24hr surveillance and can have you convicted as an enemy of the state for so much as nicking a poster. Plus forget about any recourse to an embassy right now.
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
I used to know someone who lived there a while back. He was married to someone who worked at an embassy that still had relations with the DPRK, possibly Syria, so got to live there as their partner.
He was still on Twitter somehow while there, mostly tweeting about birds which I always hoped was some sort of code for spy stuff
ska invita
back on the other side
I dont believe a US pull out of NATO will happen, the threat is designed to get NATO countries to spend more...which also means to buy more US weapons. Good business for the arms manufacturers
Last edited:
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
The main problem with going to North Korea is handing over hard currency to actually one of fhe worst most despotic regimes in the world. It’s like going to Saudi Arabia. I’d actually be really interested in going to both those countries.But I won’t.
I know I’m a fucking reformist liberal but to draw equality with the States is just fucking stupid. I’d feel bad about visiting the states but would try to spend my money mostly in areas where the majority hate him more than I do. Mind you, I might well go to China again if I get the chance and they are far worse than Trump’s America is likely to get in four or eight years.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Yep. Also, for all Trump's bluster, NATO is a massively important plank supporting US world power. And aside from anything else, Trump clearly wants to be POWERFUL.
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
Is this book still open?
If so I'll have £500 each on (Joe) Biden and Harris, no way either of those are going to jail.
Fifty apiece on Cheney and Romney.
Let's say within 2 years of January.
Idris2002
Christmas Eve, you know?
It's a no from me too. The only time that democracy has ever been suspended in the US was (arguably) during the civil war, when Lincoln declared a state of emergency. There has certainly been repression in America, and there may well be more to come - but all through (e.g.) the Palmer raids, the Tulsa race massacre, the Bonus Army, the West Virginia mine wars, the sit-down strikes in Detroit, McCarthyism, Kent state, COINTELPRO, etc., democracy continued along on its merry way.
2hats
Dust.
They don't confiscate your phone anymore (foreign SIMs won't work there). Though they will sell visitors local SIM cards. Perhaps to help them to keep you "under 24hr surveillance" as easily as any other nation state. Embassy representation varies widely from state to state - US citizens have to rely on the Swedish embassy (last time I checked) - though the USG officially forbid them from travelling there anyway.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
Take what? That Trump was Putin's preferred winner in 2016/2024? That there's evidence Russia interfered in the 2016 Presidential campaign on Trump's behalf?
'So let's start with the report that came out on January 6, 2017 when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a document-- it was a declassified report-- two weeks before Trump took the oath of office, and the conclusions that were pulled from the CIA, the NSA, the FBI were stunning.
I quote, "We assess that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US Presidential Election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability, and potential presidency. We further assess that Putin and the Russian government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments," end quote.
That Trump is already pissed off with European leaders around their NATO contributions? That he talks about ending the Ukraine war, presumably by cutting the Ukrainians loose? That he keeps praising Putin?
That Putin keeps praising him?
Putin full of praise for ‘intelligent and experienced’ Trump after election victory
Trump has repeatedly promised to end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hourswww.independent.co.uk
And that ^ is from 30 secs goggling on my phone.
Has there been any assessment of the UK Labour Party's intervention in the US elections?
emanymton
A cat politely sat on the flaming gardener.
I have a new theory about why Trump won.
Yossarian
Get thee behind me, Santa
I stand corrected - thought it had to be total crap because it was tweeted by that Ian Miles Cheong clown
Trudeau's probably on his way out soon, he'll probably be relieved that he won't have to deal with four more years of Trump's banter
The reported “51st state” comment was similar in tone to how Mr. Trump and Mr. Trudeau have sometimes spoken to each other in the past.
During a telephone call in the spring of 2018, Mr. Trudeau questioned Mr. Trump’s rationale for imposing steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada: the then-president had deemed Canada, and most other U.S. allies, to be national security threats. Canada, Mr. Trudeau told Mr. Trump, was in fact a stalwart U.S. ally.
“Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?” Mr. Trump replied, The Globe and Mail reported at the time, in an apparent reference to the capture of Washington during the War of 1812.
Last edited:
Nylock
I hate 'these days'...
You underestimate both his utter stupidity and hubris as well as the sheer myopic malevolence of his closest advisors.
two sheds
Least noticed poster 2007
Fair point I could have chosen a better source.
PTK
Paul Kegan
Yeah, I am not sure if they would allow a British leftist with a criminal record to prove their affiliations to obtain a visa. I would be interested to know if anyone knows if anyone with a criminal record as a result of being arrested on a demonstration has been allowed to enter the USA.
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
Very wise bracketing there Mr Master.
hitmouse
music obfuscation technology
I reckon we could make this bet a fair bit more interesting. We've already learned that Bahnhof is going to ignore kebabking's wise advice and go for a family holiday in the Democratic People's Republic of the US next year. If, as a consequence of this fucking dumb idea, Bahnhof or any member of the Strasse family gets gulaged while they're there, I'll gladly donate £100 to the Free Bahnhof Support Committee, and if they all have a nice time on their holidays, I reckon kebab should have to contribute £100 to the server fund. Seems fair.
I wonder if anyone's ever started a thread about any related questions.
Short answer is yes, you can simply lie on the ESTA form and if you're not Richard Reid they're not going to notice you're lying. Not that I would know anything about it, of course.
Cloo
Banana for scale
I did see an article based on the writer's experience of Erdogan's Turkey that expressed it does take quite some time to overturn democracy so there is some hope they can't do it just like that.
Re: DOGE nonsense - saw it pointed out that Federal employees cost c$200m .... however apparently they spend $750m on consultants. Hmmm, what could holder of various government contracts Elon Musk want with cutting Federal employees?!
Re: DOGE nonsense - saw it pointed out that Federal employees cost c$200m .... however apparently they spend $750m on consultants. Hmmm, what could holder of various government contracts Elon Musk want with cutting Federal employees?!
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
Theoretically, given the pardon, junior stands even less chance of doing time than the old man, but given the bizarre state of politics in Yankistan at the moment it’s probably best to rule it out.
PTK
Paul Kegan
Was the USA a democracy when more than half the population was not allowed to vote?
Similar threads
