2020 Disunited States of America Election

[timber]

I've been in China and Hong Kong and Taiwan, I've been in Argentina when people who were leftists were disappearing, I've been in South Africa during Apartheid where blacks had limited or no rights, and in Rhodesia where the whites were buying weapons to defend themselves from the armed guerillas from Mozambique, and I've been interrogated by the military in Brazil* and in Turkey. And I'm banned from traveling in that bastion of hypocrisy, Canada, where the customs agents work tirelessly keep out the Pakis but welcome the Chinese if they bring enough money. And yes, the basic divide between people is not just blue vs red.

When I first started visiting other countries (for business), I was amazingly naive. I thought the divide was between Capitalist Democracies and Ant-like Communisms. My first exposure to other countries caused me to think that the divide is rather between places where men are above the law, and places where the law is above men. Argentina is a mafia, and Turkey is not far behind. If you have money or connections, you can kill people. South Africa, in contrast, actually has rule of law.

I've since broadened my definition of the divide to be between Authoritarians who can never live comfortably in a liberal democracy, and those who are more open minded. I think this is the basic divide, and all others are built on it.

I'm a really smart guy. I've been all over the world (the list of countries above is less than half of those I've seen) and I've been doing this for more years than you've been alive, and this is what I've come to believe.

Your mileage may vary.

*

There is nothing quite like having your papers and money taken and being interrogated at 2AM in a concrete cell by the military in the basement of a building in the middle of the jungle. When they don't speak English and you don't speak Portuguese. Fortunately, they were afraid of Americans who weren't afraid of them.
I should add that I wasn't afraid of them because I'm brave, but rather because, at the time, I was stupid.
Mafias respect personal strength, no matter where it comes from.

I'll say one more thing about that trip. When my plane eventually landed in FLA, I wanted to kiss the ground. I didn't, but I wanted to.

I don't know if half of this is true, but sounds reasonably correct.

I personally believe there is something deeper going on. Some pattern and plan.

I'd add more, but I won't in this thread.

[Adam Strange]

I don't know if half of this is true, but sounds reasonably correct.

I personally believe there is something deeper going on. Some pattern and plan.

I'd add more, but I won't in this thread.

FWIW, I never lie, because it's too much work. It's all true. I've talked about this in much greater detail before in chat, but that got pruned a long time ago, and now I don't care. Lol.

If there is something deeper that explains the division, I don't know what it is. But there might be, certainly.