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I P Knightley
5 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

I don't believe the whole thing but let's say it were true. I would then suspect his children would indeed be involved in any resignation discussion.. I'm more than confident they have been fully aware of and even involved in some of his questionable activity. He would be looking for them to be pardoned as well.

While I don't believe this is true right now I feel there might be moves in that direction if he loses the election. If/when that happens he will have zero interest in the transfer of power in terms of the best interests of the county. Hell he has never had any interest in the best interests of the country.

After losing the election his major interest over the following two months will be how do I extricate myself from as much crooked shit as possible before they remove all power.

If he has even a semblance of a brain he must know that even more information concerning the extreme dysfunction and outright batshit craziness of his tenure will come to light. Some people are predicting a blizzard of pardons across many crimes in the final days.

I still don't know if he can actually pardon himself. And you have to wonder what's in it for Pence to take over during the final days just to pardon Trump?

What sort of legacy would that be when ever more detail of Trumps crooked activities come to light?

Pence will want to run on his own ticket in 2024. Taking the reins for 2 months just so he could dish out pardons would (surely?) scupper any hope of doing that?

 

Is it possible to grant a pardon when there are no convictions or indictments?

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John Gentleman
1 hour ago, I P Knightley said:

Is it possible to grant a pardon when there are no convictions or indictments?

Yep. Section 2 of their constitution. Think Nixon.

".....on September 8, 1974, he [Ford] granted Nixon a "full, free, and absolute pardon" that ended any possibility of an indictment."

Source: Wikipedia

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1 hour ago, John Gentleman said:

Yep. Section 2 of their constitution. Think Nixon.

".....on September 8, 1974, he [Ford] granted Nixon a "full, free, and absolute pardon" that ended any possibility of an indictment."

Source: Wikipedia


Programmes I've watched and listened to about Watergate usually make a point that, although the pardon was a shock, it drew a line under what had, by that time, been an extended and very public examination of Nixon's involvement and guilt. I can't see there being a similar consensus this time around.

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Funny how they say he has developed some mental issues because of the Covid treatment. You only have to go back on JKB as far as before Covid to see that the man was considered mentally challenged then.

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2 hours ago, Ray Gin said:

EkAgt2cWkAAYJ9i.jpg

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Kalamazoo Jambo
12 hours ago, Justin Z said:

 

Jon Cooper is a hack.

 

SDNY stands for the Southern District of New York--the Southern Federal District, that is. So Pence's pardon would cover them, too. Their agreement isn't even required, and this is a completely made up story.

 

Just confirming what Justin posted. The story is complete fiction (and doesn't even make sense). Jon Cooper is a resistance grifter - add him to a list that includes Seth Abrahamson, Louise Mensch, Scott Dworkin, Ed and Brian Krassenstein, and Michael Avenatti.

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14 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

I have been asked "where in England is Scotland?"

 

And I had a chat with someone in Cleveland who didn't know that the United Kingdom existed.

 

In saying that, I once picked up a book in an Ozzie hostel that was a survey of the geographical knowledge of children in the UK, the US and Australia. They were all roughly equally as bad. What I found ironic is that survey questions referred to the UK as England. :)

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10 minutes ago, redjambo said:

 

And I had a chat with someone in Cleveland who didn't know that the United Kingdom existed.

 

In saying that, I once picked up a book in an Ozzie hostel that was a survey of the geographical knowledge of children in the UK, the US and Australia. They were all roughly equally as bad. What I found ironic is that survey questions referred to the UK as England. :)

Much is made of the number of Americans without passports. My take on it is that a country so vast has all the different weathers, and experiences geographically you could ever want. Leaving only experiencing different cultures as the only reason to go abroad, and let’s not even pretend that British people go abroad to experience foreign cultures. Indeed if you go to Spain or Greece a lot of the brits are actively avoiding local food and culture. 

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1 minute ago, Tazio said:

Much is made of the number of Americans without passports. My take on it is that a country so vast has all the different weathers, and experiences geographically you could ever want. Leaving only experiencing different cultures as the only reason to go abroad, and let’s not even pretend that British people go abroad to experience foreign cultures. Indeed if you go to Spain or Greece a lot of the brits are actively avoiding local food and culture. 

I totally agree.

Americans can't afford foreign travel to the extent Europeans can , given that so much is so accessible at such little cost.

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2 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Much is made of the number of Americans without passports. My take on it is that a country so vast has all the different weathers, and experiences geographically you could ever want.

 

Indeed. And they used to not need passports to visit their two nearest large neighbours, Canada and Mexico, either. The percentage is continually rising, now up to 42%. https://www.ntacourier.com/index.php/node/541

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If I was American I wouldn't need a passport either. Greatest country in the world, pity about the people at the helm. 

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Another thing regarding Americans and passports is that the US is often referred to as a "no vacation nation". Unlike in Britain which has a legal minimum 20 days of payed holiday a year the US has no legal requirement for holiday pay.

A full 25% of the working population have zero payed holidays per year. And for those who do have something it's not uncommon for managers to dissuade them from actually taking those days off. And there is no legal requirement to pay them the money if they don't use them.

And for many who do have payed holidays 5 days after a year of employment isn't uncommon. What are you going to do with that 5 days? Spend 2 of them travelling to Europe and back? I think not.

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The Real Maroonblood
1 hour ago, ri Alban said:

If I was American I wouldn't need a passport either. Greatest country in the world, pity about the people at the helm. 

:rofl:

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2 hours ago, ri Alban said:

If I was American I wouldn't need a passport either. Greatest country in the world, pity about the people at the helm. 

You don't half talk codswallop 😂😂😂

If they are that great why did they vote the Bam in to office in the first place. 

Anyway Scotland's the greatest country in the world. 😏

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The Real Maroonblood
39 minutes ago, luckydug said:

You don't half talk codswallop 😂😂😂

If they are that great why did they vote the Bam in to office in the first place. 

Anyway Scotland's the greatest country in the world. 😏

:spoton:

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3 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

Another thing regarding Americans and passports is that the US is often referred to as a "no vacation nation". Unlike in Britain which has a legal minimum 20 days of payed holiday a year the US has no legal requirement for holiday pay.

A full 25% of the working population have zero payed holidays per year. And for those who do have something it's not uncommon for managers to dissuade them from actually taking those days off. And there is no legal requirement to pay them the money if they don't use them.

And for many who do have payed holidays 5 days after a year of employment isn't uncommon. What are you going to do with that 5 days? Spend 2 of them travelling to Europe and back? I think not.

We met a few Americans on our honeymoon and every single one was astounded we had 2 weeks "vacation". And were even more gobsmacked when we said we still had another 3 weeks to take for the rest of the year. Paid. 

 

Half of them only got 2 weeks a year if they were lucky, and they certainly wouldn't be able to take 2 weeks at once. Some got national holidays only, and some of them were unpaid. 

 

It's just such a ****ed up country. From their complete disregard to workers, from minimum wage to employment rights, their insane gun laws, the lack of a decent health system, a messed up prison system, their entire culture to me is like some messed up dystopian novel. Like a Paul Verhoeven movie come to life. 

 

They might speak the same language but they are a far, far, far more foreign culture than anything in Europe in my opinion. 

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54 minutes ago, Normthebarman said:

We met a few Americans on our honeymoon and every single one was astounded we had 2 weeks "vacation". And were even more gobsmacked when we said we still had another 3 weeks to take for the rest of the year. Paid. 

 

Half of them only got 2 weeks a year if they were lucky, and they certainly wouldn't be able to take 2 weeks at once. Some got national holidays only, and some of them were unpaid. 

 

It's just such a ****ed up country. From their complete disregard to workers, from minimum wage to employment rights, their insane gun laws, the lack of a decent health system, a messed up prison system, their entire culture to me is like some messed up dystopian novel. Like a Paul Verhoeven movie come to life. 

 

They might speak the same language but they are a far, far, far more foreign culture than anything in Europe in my opinion. 

"If a lion could speak, we would not understand him"

 

It's the same with Americans. 

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58 minutes ago, Normthebarman said:

We met a few Americans on our honeymoon and every single one was astounded we had 2 weeks "vacation". And were even more gobsmacked when we said we still had another 3 weeks to take for the rest of the year. Paid. 

 

Half of them only got 2 weeks a year if they were lucky, and they certainly wouldn't be able to take 2 weeks at once. Some got national holidays only, and some of them were unpaid. 

 

It's just such a ****ed up country. From their complete disregard to workers, from minimum wage to employment rights, their insane gun laws, the lack of a decent health system, a messed up prison system, their entire culture to me is like some messed up dystopian novel. Like a Paul Verhoeven movie come to life. 

 

They might speak the same language but they are a far, far, far more foreign culture than anything in Europe in my opinion. 

 

Spot on, Norm. That's what I've found in my experience too. I could never live there.

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I got a job offer when I was 21 in Massachusetts, green card was sorted for my girlfriend (now my wife) and I and my boss at the time  was my sponsor. I never went, my Mum had just died and my Dad was on his own, I dearly wish I had. 

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1 hour ago, Normthebarman said:

We met a few Americans on our honeymoon and every single one was astounded we had 2 weeks "vacation". And were even more gobsmacked when we said we still had another 3 weeks to take for the rest of the year. Paid.

 

But, but, that amounts to 'socialism', and that's bad. Right? My last job in Scotland before coming here I had 37 days a year. Took 2 weeks in Summer, another 2 weeks at Xmas and New Year, which left me with 17 days.

For months after the Xmas and new year period I was working 3 day weeks. Taking Fridays and Mondays off using those remaining 17 days. Stinking socialism. Better to work yourself into an early grave with rarely a decent break and no proper health care system.

Greatest country in the world..

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Another Obama v Trump comparison from Jimmy Kimmel, this time it's a 'national prayer breakfast. It's supposed to be a spiritual, non partisan thing.

Check out the difference between Obama and Trump. If you didn't know already could you even guess Trump is supposed to be taking part in a religious non partisan event?
 

 

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That's great, but let's not rehabilitate Barack Obama, please, especially not while we're being sarcastic at the American population generally for hating "socialism".

 


Edit: Just a wee reminder that Clinton lost Michigan in 2016 by 10,704 votes. The population of Flint is almost 100,000. Genesee County, 130,000, and it is solid blue. All well and good to blame Sanders and third party voters for Trump being in the White House right now though.

 

Edited by Justin Z
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J.T.F.Robertson
1 hour ago, Dawnrazor said:

I got a job offer when I was 21 in Massachusetts, green card was sorted for my girlfriend (now my wife) and I and my boss at the time  was my sponsor. I never went, my Mum had just died and my Dad was on his own, I dearly wish I had. 

 

FWIW, I think most of us have regrets over doing, or not doing for that matter, something similar whatever the background to it.

Had a mate donkeys ago who came over, was offered a job, then literally a day or two before he was heading back to finalise things, they (the government) changed job criterias. He was gutted, to put it mildly.

 

 

Edited by J.T.F.Robertson
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23 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

That's great, but let's not rehabilitate Barack Obama, please, especially not while we're being sarcastic at the American population generally for hating "socialism".

 

On my part it's not so much sarcasm as total exasperation. They have politicians who may actually even include Biden who may indeed give them say British style 'socialism' if he could. But the way I see it he can't. He couldn't even say the word without being attacked and perhaps throwing the election.

 

You know as well as I do the reaction if the word is even mentioned. Hell Trump is using that very word, socialism, as a threat to the population of what will happen to them if they elect Biden.

You must know better than I do what's wrong with these people. I don't understand it. Trump is threatening them with scare stories of guaranteed health care? And even more horrors, you might be forced to take weeks of paid holiday per year? And they don't want that?

I don't get it. 

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Rodger Mellie
1 hour ago, JFK-1 said:

 

But, but, that amounts to 'socialism', and that's bad. Right? My last job in Scotland before coming here I had 37 days a year. Took 2 weeks in Summer, another 2 weeks at Xmas and New Year, which left me with 17 days.

For months after the Xmas and new year period I was working 3 day weeks. Taking Fridays and Mondays off using those remaining 17 days. Stinking socialism. Better to work yourself into an early grave with rarely a decent break and no proper health care system.

Greatest country in the world..

I don't think my US coworkers believe me when i tell them how many days holidays I used to get working in Scotland. I currently get 28 days, which is good by US standards. However, that includes the major holidays like July 4th etc and 5 sick days.

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The latest flurry of posts on this thread started with a mention about a high % Americans not having passports.  I understand why that's the case; they don't need them.

 

What type of holiday do you want?  Desert climate? Sub-tropical? Mountain climbing? Skiing? Great seafood?  Mexican food?  Whatever you want, you can drive there, usually within a day or two at most.  You won't need a passport, you won't need a visa, you don't need to worry about Montezuma's revenge.

 

And there is never a problem with language, never a problem with drinking the local water, and always good medical facilities nearby if needed. It's a safe place to travel, and I'm speaking as a person who has travelled extensively in the US.

 

There is a huge disparity between rich and poor to be sure, but that's true of many countries.  There are no-go districts in many cities but that, too, is no different from many countries, and they're easy to avoid. 

 

But a person can live and die in the USA, never set foot outside US borders, and still have a wide range of fulfilling experiences. Why pay for a passport if you don't need to leave the country?

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16 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

The latest flurry of posts on this thread started with a mention about a high % Americans not having passports.  I understand why that's the case; they don't need them.

 

What type of holiday do you want?  Desert climate? Sub-tropical? Mountain climbing? Skiing? Great seafood?  Mexican food?  Whatever you want, you can drive there, usually within a day or two at most.  You won't need a passport, you won't need a visa, you don't need to worry about Montezuma's revenge.

 

And there is never a problem with language, never a problem with drinking the local water, and always good medical facilities nearby if needed. It's a safe place to travel, and I'm speaking as a person who has travelled extensively in the US.

 

There is a huge disparity between rich and poor to be sure, but that's true of many countries.  There are no-go districts in many cities but that, too, is no different from many countries, and they're easy to avoid. 

 

But a person can live and die in the USA, never set foot outside US borders, and still have a wide range of fulfilling experiences. Why pay for a passport if you don't need to leave the country?

 

Many of those I encountered in Scotland were there because in their view standing in a country with a history going back thousands of years to Roman times was something that could not be experienced in the US.

They were fascinated to be standing looking at a building centuries older than their country. Trumps wall doesn't quite compare to Hadrians.

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2 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

Many of those I encountered in Scotland were there because in their view standing in a country with a history going back thousands of years to Roman times was something that could not be experienced in the US.

They were fascinated to be standing looking at a building centuries older than their country. Trumps wall doesn't quite compare to Hadrians.

 

Fair enough.  But, based on my experience, most Americans care less about history than they do about their favourite baseball/football/basketball team.

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1 hour ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

Fair enough.  But, based on my experience, most Americans care less about history than they do about their favourite baseball/football/basketball team.

 

Is there a country where that isn't true?

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1 minute ago, ri Alban said:

I wish we'd care more. 

Yet here we are spending our time on our team's forum and not learning history.

Seems like a normal state of affairs rather than something particularly American if you ask me.

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2 minutes ago, Smithee said:

Yet here we are spending our time on our team's forum and not learning history.

Seems like a normal state of affairs rather than something particularly American if you ask me.

Agree, wholeheartedly. Maybe it's time to change what we teach. Good and bad. 

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10 hours ago, luckydug said:

You don't half talk codswallop 😂😂😂

If they are that great why did they vote the Bam in to office in the first place. 

Anyway Scotland's the greatest country in the world. 😏

VSj.gif

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6 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

The latest flurry of posts on this thread started with a mention about a high % Americans not having passports.  I understand why that's the case; they don't need them.

 

What type of holiday do you want?  Desert climate? Sub-tropical? Mountain climbing? Skiing? Great seafood?  Mexican food?  Whatever you want, you can drive there, usually within a day or two at most.  You won't need a passport, you won't need a visa, you don't need to worry about Montezuma's revenge.

 

And there is never a problem with language, never a problem with drinking the local water, and always good medical facilities nearby if needed. It's a safe place to travel, and I'm speaking as a person who has travelled extensively in the US.

 

There is a huge disparity between rich and poor to be sure, but that's true of many countries.  There are no-go districts in many cities but that, too, is no different from many countries, and they're easy to avoid. 

 

But a person can live and die in the USA, never set foot outside US borders, and still have a wide range of fulfilling experiences. Why pay for a passport if you don't need to leave the country?

Because you get what the passport bearers, and a large percentage of rest of the world do get: an appreciation of peoples and cultures other than your own. In my humble opinion, having lived here for 8 years, that is the fundamental problem with America. They have a singularly insulated way of thinking that there is 'America' and nothing else. For the most part the average US citizen has no idea or care what goes on outside their borders. There is a cruel joke I've learned, "War - God's way of teaching Americans geography.".

It was said in WW1 and for a large part of WW2 that the US lived in 'splendid isolation'. In a modern world that is no longer the case, and I believe the chickens are now coming home to roost. 

 

Other than than ML, I agree with you. There is nothing you can see or do anywhere else in the world that you cannot do in the USA. Geographically it is a magnificent place. 

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The Real Maroonblood
59 minutes ago, trotter said:

Because you get what the passport bearers, and a large percentage of rest of the world do get: an appreciation of peoples and cultures other than your own. In my humble opinion, having lived here for 8 years, that is the fundamental problem with America. They have a singularly insulated way of thinking that there is 'America' and nothing else. For the most part the average US citizen has no idea or care what goes on outside their borders. There is a cruel joke I've learned, "War - God's way of teaching Americans geography.".

It was said in WW1 and for a large part of WW2 that the US lived in 'splendid isolation'. In a modern world that is no longer the case, and I believe the chickens are now coming home to roost. 

 

Other than than ML, I agree with you. There is nothing you can see or do anywhere else in the world that you cannot do in the USA. Geographically it is a magnificent place. 

My mate spent a few tears in Texas in the Diplomatic Section and he said exactly what you’re saying about them.

A basket case country.

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11 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

Many of those I encountered in Scotland were there because in their view standing in a country with a history going back thousands of years to Roman times was something that could not be experienced in the US.

They were fascinated to be standing looking at a building centuries older than their country. Trumps wall doesn't quite compare to Hadrians.

 

Got talking to a guy from Miami couple of years ago, we were standing outside Canongate Kirk, just some random guy that was standing next to me, anyway he said that he was amazed at the history all around us, and when he found out that many of my family had lived in many of the houses up and down the Royal Mile he was in complete awe.

 

He said that for most Americans they can't do that, they can't stand outside a building which is hundreds of years old and say that they had ancestors who lived there, not in America they can't, they'd have to visit the UK or Europe to have any chance of doing that.

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Things must have changed quite a bit in Edinburgh, in my days working say the Lawnmarket, or Tron beats you would have thought because of the accents and clothing, that the United States had taken over Edinburgh. The streets were crowded with atypical loud garish Americans all with questions about the area, now having used many U.S. airports whilst in transit and having to change flights there, it is surprising to read that such a majority do not travel. Everywhere I have been and I have been around, there were many Americans on the same trips or venues.

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6 hours ago, trotter said:

Because you get what the passport bearers, and a large percentage of rest of the world do get: an appreciation of peoples and cultures other than your own. In my humble opinion, having lived here for 8 years, that is the fundamental problem with America. They have a singularly insulated way of thinking that there is 'America' and nothing else. For the most part the average US citizen has no idea or care what goes on outside their borders.

 

This sums up some of the ignorance quite well. I remember being on holiday in Florida and my parents were laughing about the Americans who had engaged them in conversation earlier in the day. They had asked them "what language we speak in Scotland" :rofl: 

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14 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

Fair enough.  But, based on my experience, most Americans care less about history than they do about their favourite baseball/football/basketball team.

 

No doubt true in general. But obviously the ones I was encountering did indeed have an interest in history which is why they were in Scotland. I remember as a child seeing Americans in old local cemeteries which my childish mind thought bizarre.

A holiday to me was hitting the beach and the fairgrounds. These weirdos were in a cemetery. Of course I get it now that they were searching for ancestors. While some had no ancestors there but were simply fascinated by churches and graves centuries old.

There was and still is old church in the town which I myself as a child noticed had graves which contained multiple members of entire families with date of death all around the same time. That puzzled me till a minister who saw me examining the stones told me a plague had taken them.

He also said there were no actual bodies in such graves. Plague victims were burned but still had a stone erected in the churchyard..

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10 hours ago, trotter said:

They have a singularly insulated way of thinking that there is 'America' and nothing else. For the most part the average US citizen has no idea or care what goes on outside their borders.

 

Possibly one answer to something that was puzzling me. There's a guy who insisted covid was a hoax devised by the Democrats to effect Trumps chances in the election.

I thought exactly how stupid are you? You think the entire world is in in the hoax closing down their countries damaging their own economies all to take part in a hoax for the Democrats in the US? Are the news reports of the entire world closing down a hoax too?

Perhaps he's so far gone nothing outside the US registers?

This is the guy. He doesn't think it's a hoax now. It had to kill some of his family before it sunk in. They died because he organised a get together to effectively say I'm not falling for your  hoax. Pure genius.

Tony Green thought COVID was a hoax, until family died
 

 

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Is Trump's Base As Durable As Once Believed?

 

The New York Times' Mark Leibovich joins Morning Joe to discuss if Trump supporters care or not he has called them 'disgusting.'

 

 

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3 minutes ago, DaveyT said:

I was in a pub in New York and a woman asked me where I was from. I said Scotland. She said: Is that near London ?

 

In their scale of things, it is. ;)

 

A different continent, but I once met a friend in the Australian outback for a meal. He worked on an Aboriginal settlement and had to drive 4 hours to get to where I was staying, have the meal, and then drive 4 hours home. Made me appreciate the different approaches they have to distance and time out there.

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  • Kalamazoo Jambo changed the title to U.S. Politics megathread (title updated)
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