nigel99

But you’re against any form of regulation, so you’re not really an advocate. It’s an optional extra. Well the 2nd amendment argument against the government is simply tripping. If the government truly goes bad the military will either be there against the government or enforcing for the government.

If your argument is to fight a government turned tyrannical you’re off your meds to think an AR15 is going to protect you from an Apache, F22 or F35 and the multitude of other weapons available to the military. It’s amusing to see the fuss about Australia and guns. I’ll admit I don’t like some of the latest laws in my state which is the strictest, but we can still own guns, there are 5 locked in my son’s bedroom down the hall. I don’t think you’re open to facts, but having untrained or poorly trained people out and about with firearms is a recipe for disaster. Telling me that a few hours training is enough without currency and practice is enough to be safe in a high stakes situation , is like expecting an AFT student to land a sub 100 cross brace canopy.

Holy shit that’s a lot of shootings

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-panama-canal-threats-hotel-taxes-court-filing-2005079 I hadn’t realised the real reason Trump has escalated with Panama is that they have seized his property for tax fraud. Seems he doesn’t like an independent judiciary and the rule of law.

I must admit I had originally misread the title of the other threat and thought it was a feel good thread! Being holiday season and time with friends and family, hopefully everyone can appreciate the people in their lives that they love and care for. It’s been a good year, got to tick over to 50. Went back to the US for the first time in years and got to fly in a helicopter for the first time and jump out of it. Even more touching was that someone I didn’t know put in an enormous amount of effort to make that happen after a mix up with aircraft. Not being a Christian I prefer celebrating the Solstice with the kids and we had an amazing day. It has the bonus of never causing conflict with my ex and so today I have the gift of peace and quiet and the home alone for a couple of days! Love my son and his girlfriend, but having them out the house for a couple of days is a good holiday :)

Or he’s trying to copy Putin

You saw the MAGA/BH solution. Make them NGO’s, preferably run by billionaires and give them huge government grants.

It’s always interesting to see the perspectives of people who have real life experience, versus watching tv.

Yes but deaths attributed to drop bears increased by 50%

In March I did a balloon jump, there were 3 of us with over 500 jumps, the others were a group of young instagram models/influencers. It was incredible to see the effort put into makeup and getting the right shots, their gear and skydive safety was WAY down the list of priorities. The scuba gear was possibly just the prop for her instagram.

Thanks for the fact check. Being burned alive is horrific. We had a few lectures from the head of the arson investigation unit and apparently it’s quite common for indigenous women to take their lives by setting themselves on fire (Australia). Some of the most disturbing images I’ve seen and nothing like TV.

Everyone deserves 600 bottles of wine Someone recently mentioned how ‘we’ collectively benefit from the US spending on medical research more than Americans do.

Did you actually read that article? From the article you posted “ Unfortunately, instead of seeing a significant return on this investment, the nation lags significantly behind most of the developed world in a wide range of health outcomes. Among the 38 members of the intergovernmental agency Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States is ranked 34th in infant mortality, 32nd in total life expectancy, 32nd in suicide rates, and 38th in total obesity rates [18]. Additionally, approximately 8% of Americans are not covered by any form of health insurance [10]. For these patients, as well as the underinsured, the anticipated out-of-pocket costs associated with medical treatment can have a profound effect. A recent poll of a representative sample of Americans with and without insurance found that 41% of respondents reported forgoing a necessary visit to their local emergency department in the past year due to concerns about cost [20]. An additional 26% reported delaying or skipping treatment, and 19% reported postponing the purchase of their medications due to cost. Around 12% of Americans required borrowing money to pay for their medical care.” Search for US Health care ranking in wealthy nations and it comes last..https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2024/sep/mirror-mirror-2024

I think a good balance is free public healthcare that provides a minimum safety net and then private medical that provides a higher tier of healthcare for those that can afford it. I realise that is a tricky balance to implement with lots of grey areas. An example is when I shattered my risk snowboarding in Switzerland. The Swiss told me I needed surgery to restore full function but it wasn’t covered by my travel insurance. Back home in the UK the national health service just put me in a cast to heal. Relatively cheap and I never fully recovered the full motion in my wrist. If I had private health I would probably have got a higher standard of care and potentially a better long term outcome. Probably not so black and white if choosing between an expensive cancer treatment that might extend your life and not having it available if you’re on public health.

Yup, jakees spirit animal is a British bulldog

Cool, so some Canadians apparently travel to the US. Well most of us in the west are pretty happy with our medical systems and not going bankrupt to pay medical bills. I’ve yet to meet a non American who admires the US healthcare system. In general it’s held up as a bad example of how to do things.

I’m not offended, I’ve got great respect for the people who have stood by their convictions- even if I vehemently disagree (Ron is probably the person I disagree with the most). My recollection of interactions with you is that you won’t stand by your arguments or answer direct questions, it makes it difficult to take your arguments seriously. Admittedly I don’t keep track and personally won’t keep hammering away to get someone to follow through so that may be an unfair portrayal.

With about a week to go, I’m bumping this up. One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about SC is a space to air controversial views and discussions without ruining friendships. There are lots of online friendships that we’ve probably all shared along the way and SC can’t be replaced and in many ways it has run its course. I’m surprised how quickly the PA’s escalated once Bill and Wendy took a more hands off approach, and I certainly won’t miss trolls and PA’s, but would like to continue having a space to disagree and discuss.

I love the whole America is the only free country delusion. Over the years in SC there have been so many instances of ill informed people claiming that Europe and elsewhere don’t have ‘freedom’ Yet the US has a lousy healthcare system, women are rapidly joining the ranks of other oppressed women in theocracies, but yay freedom because we can elect a felon and illegal immigrant.

Actually there are people who have different views to the majority and are not trolls. They are sincere in their beliefs and disagree strongly while still being able to hold a rational conversation and make a point (people like Bigun etc). The childish trolling adds no value and is frankly not entertaining after you’ve left kindergarten.

It’s a zoo. Crazy to watch

This is as an interesting picture from reddit. The police detail for guy who killed a billionaire versus guy who killed 4 college students

You should have caught up for a drink! It’s not all bad, it’s 7am and already 29C (about 85F) and a high of 42C (107F) so spending the day drinking home brew whisky in the pool.

True that quality of life here is good, doesn’t stop the politicians from sucking though! Thankfullly a good proportion of people ignore the idiotic laws (including most sensible cops)

Australia is a nanny state and WA takes the crown. Our politicians are power hungry arseholes. In the last few years we have had a surge in intrusive laws. 1. Being banned from ALL facilities serving alcohol across the state if you’re deemed to be a trouble causer. A female friend was banned for 6 months because she swore at a policeman who wouldn’t let her get her jacket that had been left in a club. 2. Gun laws have been tightened up. Contrary to popular belief Aussie has pretty reasonable gun laws and quite high ownership for hunting, sport shooting and vermin control. If you live in the city and aren’t a member of a shooting club, you need a letter from a farmer/property owner giving you permission to shoot on their property. Government cancelled the letters earlier this year and made people reapply (apparently they had lost thousands of letters). 3. it’s illegal to own a still over 5l and you’re supposed to get a permit from the tax office to distill your own alcohol. 4. This weeks gift from the government is sweeping powers and what they are proudly presenting as some of the strictest knife laws in the world. Police have been issued portable body scanners and are scanning people at the shops. Bear in mind fishing is a major hobby here, as well as having diving knives for snorkelling etc. it can land you with 3 years in jail. They have literally been stopping and scanning old ladies at the shops and going through their handbags. 5. Last month it was made illegal for anyone under 16 to access social media (of course when it comes to enforcing it, it will probably mean you have to use government issued ID to access websites which is being touted as the proposed solution) That’s just the tip of the iceberg, from e-bikes and scooters being limited to 25km/hour (about 15 miles) through to insanely low speed limits and god knows what else.