An opinion piece from Bermuda about double jeopardy

[Semicolon]

The funny thing is, you have a way of saying that like the US is the only place where power corrupts. Thanks for the pity. If Lit were here,
I'd probably appreciate the distraction.

That isn't my intention. I suppose it's at least partly because the US is, um, rather visible in this regard. *cough* the NSA *cough*

Sweden, for example, is rather boring in that respect. Sure, there's corruption, but there's just not enough power.

You have Wikileaks.

Sweden has a very small population, compared to America.

[Jack]

That isn't my intention. I suppose it's at least partly because the US is, um, rather visible in this regard. *cough* the NSA *cough*

Human rights violations committed by governments are global, and some much worse than the US. The US is rather visible because the world is obsess with looking at the US.

[odeon]

That isn't my intention. I suppose it's at least partly because the US is, um, rather visible in this regard. *cough* the NSA *cough*

Human rights violations committed by governments are global, and some much worse than the US. The US is rather visible because the world is obsess with looking at the US.

Not so, IMHO. The US tends to be in focus because it a) likes to be there, b) is a self-proclaimed guardian of democracy, and c) claims to be one.

Now, the last bit is true, mostly, but there are some fairly visible cracks on the surface, cracks that are rather difficult to ignore.

I should probably add d) it is powerful enough to stay in focus, and e) it doesn't just claim to be a democracy, it claims to be THE democracy.

Yes, there are far worse governments out there, but most of them either don't claim otherwise or their claims are so hollow that nobody gives them a second thought. North Korea and Russia spring to mind.

Something like this whole NSA business requires resources out of the ordinary but still only makes the news because it is so diametrically opposite to what the government in question claims to stand for.

Sweden, for example, does have its very own NSA scandal (yay us!) but nobody cares because they just don't have the power or the resources, and even if they were saying that they were here to guard democratic principles and whatnot, nobody would listen.

[odeon]

The funny thing is, you have a way of saying that like the US is the only place where power corrupts. Thanks for the pity. If Lit were here,
I'd probably appreciate the distraction.

That isn't my intention. I suppose it's at least partly because the US is, um, rather visible in this regard. *cough* the NSA *cough*

Sweden, for example, is rather boring in that respect. Sure, there's corruption, but there's just not enough power.

You have Wikileaks.

Sweden has a very small population, compared to America.

We don't have Wikileaks, no. But yes, the population is next to insignificant. Which, kind of, is my point.

[Jack]

Not so, IMHO. The US tends to be in focus because it a) likes to be there,

The media feeds the people what they want to see. Have heard people question why the news is always negative; that's because people wouldn't otherwise watch the news. It's the same reason people read trashy tabloids. It brings to mind the bible with thorns and eyes. It's a business and foreign media bombards their public with American culture because that what sells.

[Semicolon]

The funny thing is, you have a way of saying that like the US is the only place where power corrupts. Thanks for the pity. If Lit were here,
I'd probably appreciate the distraction.

That isn't my intention. I suppose it's at least partly because the US is, um, rather visible in this regard. *cough* the NSA *cough*

Sweden, for example, is rather boring in that respect. Sure, there's corruption, but there's just not enough power.

You have Wikileaks.

Sweden has a very small population, compared to America.

We don't have Wikileaks, no. But yes, the population is next to insignificant. Which, kind of, is my point.

Indeed not. I must have gotten confused by Julian Assange being wanted in Sweden.

[odeon]

Not so, IMHO. The US tends to be in focus because it a) likes to be there,

The media feeds the people what they want to see. Have heard people question why the news is always negative; that's because people wouldn't otherwise watch the news. It's the same reason people read trashy tabloids. It brings to mind the bible with thorns and eyes. It's a business and foreign media bombards their public with American culture because that what sells.

I notice that you're not addressing my other points.

[odeon]

The funny thing is, you have a way of saying that like the US is the only place where power corrupts. Thanks for the pity. If Lit were here,
I'd probably appreciate the distraction.

That isn't my intention. I suppose it's at least partly because the US is, um, rather visible in this regard. *cough* the NSA *cough*

Sweden, for example, is rather boring in that respect. Sure, there's corruption, but there's just not enough power.

You have Wikileaks.

Sweden has a very small population, compared to America.

We don't have Wikileaks, no. But yes, the population is next to insignificant. Which, kind of, is my point.

Indeed not. I must have gotten confused by Julian Assange being wanted in Sweden.

Which is interesting mostly because of what Assange makes out if it.

[Semicolon]

The funny thing is, you have a way of saying that like the US is the only place where power corrupts. Thanks for the pity. If Lit were here,
I'd probably appreciate the distraction.

That isn't my intention. I suppose it's at least partly because the US is, um, rather visible in this regard. *cough* the NSA *cough*

Sweden, for example, is rather boring in that respect. Sure, there's corruption, but there's just not enough power.

You have Wikileaks.

Sweden has a very small population, compared to America.

We don't have Wikileaks, no. But yes, the population is next to insignificant. Which, kind of, is my point.

Indeed not. I must have gotten confused by Julian Assange being wanted in Sweden.

Which is interesting mostly because of what Assange makes out if it.

He annoyed a lot of American politicians.

[Jack]

Not so, IMHO. The US tends to be in focus because it a) likes to be there,

The media feeds the people what they want to see. Have heard people question why the news is always negative; that's because people wouldn't otherwise watch the news. It's the same reason people read trashy tabloids. It brings to mind the bible with thorns and eyes. It's a business and foreign media bombards their public with American culture because that what sells.

I notice that you're not addressing my other points.

Thought addressing the first point also addressed the second one. Just because someone likes attention doesn't have much to do with if they get it. The news and people in Hollywood don't get my attention because I don't want to see it. Didn't really think the other points have anything to do with foreigners sitting around watching springer and cops, watching every scandal in our own news, eating our burgers and reading the latest on J-lo and beiber, and spending so much time talking about those things. It's because of an obsession, not anything to do with politics. Better now?

[Semicolon]

Not so, IMHO. The US tends to be in focus because it a) likes to be there,

The media feeds the people what they want to see. Have heard people question why the news is always negative; that's because people wouldn't otherwise watch the news. It's the same reason people read trashy tabloids. It brings to mind the bible with thorns and eyes. It's a business and foreign media bombards their public with American culture because that what sells.

I notice that you're not addressing my other points.

Thought addressing the first point also addressed the second one. Just because someone likes attention doesn't have much to do with if they get it. The news and people in Hollywood don't get my attention because I don't want to see it. Didn't really think the other points have anything to do with foreigners sitting around watching springer and cops, watching every scandal in our own news, eating our burgers and reading the latest on J-lo and beiber, and spending so much time talking about those things. It's because of an obsession, not anything to do with politics. Better now?

Justin Bieber is Canadian. Don't lump him in with us.

[Jack]

If he were operating in Canada, the rest of the world wouldn't care.

[Semicolon]

If he were operating in Canada, the rest of the world wouldn't care.

People care about Rob Ford.

[Jack]

Only the Canadians.

[Jack]

Not so, IMHO. The US tends to be in focus because it a) likes to be there,

The media feeds the people what they want to see. Have heard people question why the news is always negative; that's because people wouldn't otherwise watch the news. It's the same reason people read trashy tabloids. It brings to mind the bible with thorns and eyes. It's a business and foreign media bombards their public with American culture because that what sells.

I notice that you're not addressing my other points.

Thought addressing the first point also addressed the second one. Just because someone likes attention doesn't have much to do with if they get it. The news and people in Hollywood don't get my attention because I don't want to see it. Didn't really think the other points have anything to do with foreigners sitting around watching springer and cops, watching every scandal in our own news, eating our burgers and reading the latest on J-lo and beiber, and spending so much time talking about those things. It's because of an obsession, not anything to do with politics. Better now?

Point b actually really annoyed me. Can't imagine why anyone would think Americans actually want to be presented to the world in the most negative light possible. There's no denying the world happily consumes anything and everything negative barfed up by the American media, consuming every aspect of our culture. Can't help but to envision people watching our garbage, eating and drinking our garbage, chatting about what stupid pieces of shit we all are, and all the while convinced it's being somehow shoved down their throats by the American people, and not fed to them by their own media because that's what they want. It probably makes it easier for people to ignore the negative aspects of their own culture, because after all, what's happening in American tabloids is so much more important.