US Supreme Court Orders 46,000 criminals released

[Coito ergo sum]

Our culture is the most "invasive" in the world? Codswallop. Nobody forces a culture on you,

Actually you do. US free trade agreements often have a cultural aspect to them in the freeing up of cultural trade (tv shows, movies and music etc). They are vehemently opposed to countries maintaining a significant level of local media content.

That's crap.

The country that the US trades most freely with is Canada, and Canada has extremely high barriers in entertainment, television, etc. They have local content requirements, requirements that certain percentages be made in Canada and employ Canadians, etc. The US, on the other hand, is railed against if even the merest suggestion of such protectionism is raised.

It's not crap, and it's common knowledge amongst those who read even slightly deeply into the subject. The US is vehement about this aspect, as culture is the surest method to promote the profligate consumerist lifestyle that is the American Way to other countries. It is the best way to open up new markets.

So, we've prevented Canada from protecting Canadian content and Canadian artists and Canadian music? They don't have Canadian Content regulation, and MAPL? Please...

What ends up happening is that other countries want the US to be an open market, and want protectionism for themselves. That's what China does, and that's what Japan did for the last 40+ years in the auto industry.

[Hermit]

Also Queensland > Montana. Bigger, better beaches (lol), better Great Barrier Reef, better people (like me fer instance), better everything.

Ah, beautiful Queensland, the erstwhile bailiwick (1968-1987) of Premier Joh Bijelke-Petersen, who turned a blind eye to endemic police corruption in return for the force to be his political thugs. That, and the electoral gerrymander that allowed him to remain Premier with his party only attracting 19% of the vote, in conjunction with a law abolishing the right to association and assembly, made Queensland the only Australian jurisdiction that was once actually a police state. Pretty ironic, given the turn this discussion has taken, don't you think? Link

Can we let that die now? Joh has. And we passed the mantle to Victoria and NSW.

Sure. It's just that your praise of Queensland reminded me of that government's tourism slogan at that time: "Queensland: beautiful one day, perfect the next." From there I thought of the prevailing police state conditions and my mind wandered back to the discussion at hand. I could not help but point out the irony.

Anyway, it seems we have turned to a discussion of the USA's economic, cultural and military hegemony. Perhaps we could deal with that in a separate thread?

[pErvinalia]

Our culture is the most "invasive" in the world? Codswallop. Nobody forces a culture on you,

Actually you do. US free trade agreements often have a cultural aspect to them in the freeing up of cultural trade (tv shows, movies and music etc). They are vehemently opposed to countries maintaining a significant level of local media content.

That's crap.

The country that the US trades most freely with is Canada, and Canada has extremely high barriers in entertainment, television, etc. They have local content requirements, requirements that certain percentages be made in Canada and employ Canadians, etc. The US, on the other hand, is railed against if even the merest suggestion of such protectionism is raised.

It's not crap, and it's common knowledge amongst those who read even slightly deeply into the subject. The US is vehement about this aspect, as culture is the surest method to promote the profligate consumerist lifestyle that is the American Way to other countries. It is the best way to open up new markets.

So, we've prevented Canada from protecting Canadian content and Canadian artists and Canadian music? They don't have Canadian Content regulation, and MAPL? Please...

What ends up happening is that other countries want the US to be an open market, and want protectionism for themselves. That's what China does, and that's what Japan did for the last 40+ years in the auto industry.

Can Canada get US satellite (and in some cases terrestrial) TV and radio? If so, the need isn't as great for the yanks there. In the cases of Australia and others it is.

[Coito ergo sum]

Can Canada get US satellite (and in some cases terrestrial) TV and radio? If so, the need isn't as great for the yanks there. In the cases of Australia and others it is.

Generally no. Canadians get Canadian cable and satellite.

[pErvinalia]

This is getting further off-topic, but by 'terrestrial' I mean non-satellite wireless transmissions. But perhaps that's moot with TV as I think the majority of your television comes down a cable anyway. But in terms of satellite transmissions, can't Canadians subscribe to US services?

[Coito ergo sum]

This is getting further off-topic, but by 'terrestrial' I mean non-satellite wireless transmissions. But perhaps that's moot with TV as I think the majority of your television comes down a cable anyway. But in terms of satellite transmissions, can't Canadians subscribe to US services?

No, they cannot legally do that.

[pErvinalia]

Fairy nuff.

Anyway, so, those 46000 crims. I know for a fact that Seth has some 'interesting' ideas on what should be done with them. Ask him about a concept called "Coventry"....

[Atheist-Lite]

Fairy nuff.

Anyway, so, those 46000 crims. I know for a fact that Seth has some 'interesting' ideas on what should be done with them. Ask him about a concept called "Coventry"....

They'll go into politics or business. There's always room for one more.

[pErvinalia]

Yeah.

I'm not convinced that letting out all the current crims and sending the top execs in most large companies to the boob would be such a bad thing. I fear being taken advantage of by rich pricks more than I fear being murdered or *shock horror* sold marijuana.

[Gallstones]

I said all along that states should have their police. I've also said that I don't get the point of county and town police. Or highway police for that matter. Can't state police drive on the highways? Would having to learn the Highway Code overheat their brains?

I've also never said that Americans are homogeneous. I know you aren't. Christ sake, your culture is the most invasive in the world, I can't fail to know. But how non-homogeneous are you? State to state I get that. But county to county, town to town? Does Bumfuck Montana think sister fucking is okay but the next town over, WeloveJesus Montana think that sex should only be between married couples over thirty years of age, with the lights off and their Minister in the room? Do they both frown on drug use? Murder? Theft?

Wait, stop.
We have city cops which are the same as county cops because a person pays their property taxes to the county.
We have state highway patrol.
We have federal Fish and Game et al.

And then the FBI.

Bumfuck Montana? Now you are being gratuitously insulting.
FYI, there is no We Love Jesus, Montana. People pretty much mind their own business. Read some of my comments about this.

You know nothing about us at all.

No, I'm not being gratuitously insulting, you're being gratuitously humourless. It's obvious you take Montana very seriously so I'll hold the humour.

Okay, so you have just city cops also known as county cops. Good for you. There are other parts of America, LA for instance, that has city and county cops. And of course state cops. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforc ... _of_police If you don't like it you can edit that page to make it more suitable to your lived experience.

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billings_Police_Department

http://ci.billings.mt.us/index.aspx?nid=101

http://www.co.yellowstone.mt.gov/Sheriff/

But then, I know nothing about you at all.

Great, now I have lung cancer.

Crap, included humour. Sorry.

Thank you for that.


I'm not apologizing for taking Montana seriously. This is a great place to live--the last best place.
What is with all the stuff about Billings?

The Billings stuff was proving that you have city and county cops in one place. Billings PD and Yellowstone County cops. That's all. Just my little contribution to the smartass quotient of the universe.

BTW, you ignored this part

FYI, there is no We Love Jesus, Montana. People pretty much mind their own business. Read some of my comments about this.

• 

I didn't think you actually wanted an answer to that. I was pretty sure there was no Welovejesus Montana just as I was pretty sure there is no Bumfuck in Montana (because it's in Idaho dontchaknow?). I picked those names as allegories. I could have easily used Prudeville and Inbredton Montana. They served a purpose. For the rest, I'm happy for you, that you live in an area like that. Not everybody has that privilege.

Can I suggest that you don't take sweeping generalisations about the US to mean your little corner of paradise?

Also Queensland > Montana. Bigger, better beaches (lol), better Great Barrier Reef, better people (like me fer instance), better everything.

Still waiting for evidence of that.

[Svartalf]

Our culture is the most "invasive" in the world? Codswallop. Nobody forces a culture on you,

Actually you do. US free trade agreements often have a cultural aspect to them in the freeing up of cultural trade (tv shows, movies and music etc). They are vehemently opposed to countries maintaining a significant level of local media content.

That's crap.

The country that the US trades most freely with is Canada, and Canada has extremely high barriers in entertainment, television, etc. They have local content requirements, requirements that certain percentages be made in Canada and employ Canadians, etc. The US, on the other hand, is railed against if even the merest suggestion of such protectionism is raised. Canada can freely have ethnocentric protectionism like "Cancon" and "MAPL," but if the US seeks to raise a tariff, it's as if we've reinstituted segregation.

And, the free trade agreements are not "US" free trade agreements. They are "Canada-US" Free Trade or "North American" free trade. These aren't things dictated by the US, and other countries are free to turn them down. Moreover, countries seem to be clamoring for more inclusion in free trade arrangements - like the South American countries - and it's the US body politic that is resisting such expansion.

Is that why Hellyweird employs so many Canadian actors and used to (still does?) have massive studios in Vancouver?
All for making such authentically Canadian shows as X files

[Coito ergo sum]

Our culture is the most "invasive" in the world? Codswallop. Nobody forces a culture on you,

Actually you do. US free trade agreements often have a cultural aspect to them in the freeing up of cultural trade (tv shows, movies and music etc). They are vehemently opposed to countries maintaining a significant level of local media content.

That's crap.

The country that the US trades most freely with is Canada, and Canada has extremely high barriers in entertainment, television, etc. They have local content requirements, requirements that certain percentages be made in Canada and employ Canadians, etc. The US, on the other hand, is railed against if even the merest suggestion of such protectionism is raised. Canada can freely have ethnocentric protectionism like "Cancon" and "MAPL," but if the US seeks to raise a tariff, it's as if we've reinstituted segregation.

And, the free trade agreements are not "US" free trade agreements. They are "Canada-US" Free Trade or "North American" free trade. These aren't things dictated by the US, and other countries are free to turn them down. Moreover, countries seem to be clamoring for more inclusion in free trade arrangements - like the South American countries - and it's the US body politic that is resisting such expansion.

Is that why Hellyweird employs so many Canadian actors and used to (still does?) have massive studios in Vancouver?
All for making such authentically Canadian shows as X files

No. Hollywood has some Canadian actors because the US is a very open country, and it's pretty easy for actors to come to the US under a special visa category (P visas). Hollywood built studios in Canada because they were required to by Canadian law in order to meet Canadian origin requirements.

[Svartalf]

Yep, just what I said.

[Robert_S]

My suggestions:

Pot dealers should just be given a slap on the wrist. Enough to keep them discreet but not so much that they would do much violence to avoid getting busted. There are people out there who are really nice and make great and honest dealers, but I don't want them doing anything else for me, not even cooking my fries. Same with X, shrooms, LSD etc. Some people just flake out on everything that doesn't involve drugs and having a nice little niche for them to make an honest buck is the most persuasive argument for not completely legalizing pot I know of.

We some punishment that doesn't give the offender street cred and we need to make more pathways for the penitent to redeem him or herself. If someone's just been to jail or prison, It is so much easier to move up in the crime world than it is the legitimate world. If we don't want so many career criminals, than we should make non-crime success be and seem to be doable for the person just getting out of our criminal justice system.

Meth and Crack... kill them off if they manufacture or deal in excess of financing their personal use. What I have seen become of people...

[Coito ergo sum]

Yep, just what I said.

If that's what you said, then we are in agreement.