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The U.S. government runs a lottery that gives out an additional 50,000 VISA's per year beyond the level playing field of normal immigration, but people from Mexico arent allowed to win any of them, and you are there claiming its not racist by any stretch of the imagination?

Really?

What fucking distortion field do you live in?

He's probably living in the distortion field perpetuated by both the CIA World Fact Book and Wikipedia, in which it is well known that Mexico isn't comprised of a single race any more than Los Angeles is comprised of a single race, thus making it impossible to discriminate against a particular, single race by discriminating against all of Mexico.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_people#Today

Or maybe it was the one where, under NAFTA, there's already an economic agreement in place for non-professional workers, and professional workers get TN-1 visa rather than H-1B visa?

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1274.html

You know what? Those TN-1 visas discriminate against Europeans, who are require to return to their own countries after a period of time, whereas a TN-1 can be renewed again and again, indefinitely, without ever actually leaving the US. Those bastards! Favoring Mexico and Canada over Germany and New Zealand!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TN_status

Why does the NSA see tigers everywhere?

Because there are tigers to be seen if you are willing and able to look.

National Counterterrorism Center: Annex of Statistical Information

Attacks worldwide : People killed, injured or kidnapped

2007: 14,415 71,803
2008: 11,663 54,290
2009: 10,968 58,720
2010: 11,641 49,928
2011: 10,283 43,990

If you're going to accuse somebody of a criminal act, it's always a good idea to get their side of the story. http://blog.gont.com.ar/

When she was contacted by the Consulate, I'm sure they informed her of this:

If you decide to pursue your case through the Polish judicial system, the initial step is
filing a police report. It is best to do this at the police station (komisariat policji) closest
to where the incident occurred, although a police report can be filed at any police station.

and

In Poland, police stations are required to take your report regardless of your nationality or
resident status. Police stations are also required to provide translators, although this can
take some time to arrange; the U.S. Embassy does not provide translators. If, for any
reason, you have difficulties filing your police report with a Polish official, please let us
know immediately.

Her blog states:

The US Consulate was great though. It was a night and day difference between dealing with them and the Polish police. I’d recommend getting in touch with them to anyone who has an incident in a foreign country. While ultimately they aren’t able to force charges against him, having someone on my side was nice.

So, was a police report filed? This seems pretty straight forward and that the Polish Police have to take a report. According to the blog they were "blah blah" So, according to the blog, no. If she had any discussion with a member of the US Consulate they would have had this discussion. If she felt so violated then why didn't she file a report? It's her right and the consulate would stand behind her. why? Also her comments "Blah blah" regarding the police and not being interested are contrary of the US government's position and own documents. Sorry, this looks like a he said/she said unless there's anything else that wants to put out there.

Speaking of putting this out there, without anybody else coming forward with something, a picture a copy of a police report a criminal court proceeding, maybe Fernando her getting hauled away in cuffs perhaps? No? Why not? There's camera phones, there's other people involved who are still not being named, maybe they don't exist? I'd love to see the video, where is the video that everybody supposedly has seen? Wait, only her word?

I'm sorry she got hurt, bruised... It sounds like she gave as good as she received though (bad choice of words?)

Again, don't put this guy on trial without evidence and statements from witnesses. Also, who here thought DSK was guilty of assault on that maid in NYC from just the press reports? Was he ever on trail for it? No. He was acquitted.

I'm going to now go get some popcorn and watch the twitterscape on this one. IMO, she's an intelligent person, well respected in her field and in terms of handling this episode, as traumatic as it sounds, she really didn't handle the situation well and now she's using the web to try her case. I haven't looked anywhere else but does anybody have something more than a twitter posting about this from somebody else that was there? How about some pictures.. I'm putting on my Don Henley music now.

It is to protect intelligence programs that guard against terrorist attacks on innocent people, Americans as well as people in other nations.

Al Qaida and its associates have repeated demonstrated the willingness and ability to attack innocent civilians around the world. Terrorism is not a trivial problem, but is being kept in check by active measures. There is a long list of arrests and convictions for terrorism and related offenses that can help one differentiate between successful anti-terrorism measures and "magic anti-terrorism rocks."

Major terror attack on scale of 7/7 foiled every year in UK, police reveal NSA director: Surveillance foiled 50 terror plots National Counterterrorism Center: Annex of Statistical Information

Replying because there's no "-1: BAAAAAAAAAAAA" option...

It is to protect intelligence programs that guard against terrorist attacks on innocent people, Americans as well as people in other nations.

Al Qaida and its associates have repeated demonstrated the willingness and ability to attack innocent civilians around the world. Terrorism is not a trivial problem, but is being kept in check by active measures. There is a long list of arrests and convictions for terrorism and related offenses that can help one differentiate between successful anti-terrorism measures and "magic anti-terrorism rocks."

Major terror attack on scale of 7/7 foiled every year in UK, police reveal
NSA director: Surveillance foiled 50 terror plots
National Counterterrorism Center: Annex of Statistical Information

This is the real damage the NSA has done in spying on the American people. Now every other country feels like they need it, because the US does.

Ah, cultural chauvinism.... how on earth could those other people find the way if they didn't have an example to follow? I'll break it to you gently: Neither the terrorism by al Qaida nor the alleged surveillance by the Indian government has much of anything to do with the US. They each have their own independent values, ideals, goals, and work to achieve them. Spying by government and terrorism existed long before the United States, and it wasn't psychic powers anticipating the United States that induced people to engage in those practices then any more than it does today.

Al Qida wants to restore what they believe to be the lost glory of Islamic civilization of a 1,000 years ago, recreate the Islamic Caliphate that was dissolved in 1923 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, conquer the world for Islam, and convert the world's peoples to Islam. They want to overthrow pretty much all of the existing governments in Muslim nations for not following their strict interpretation of Islam. You may think it is unrealistic, but that is their goal, even if it takes 1,000 years. The existence of nonexistence of the United States has little to do with it. If you want to blame anyone, blame Europe for repelling the Muslim invasion at the gates of Vienna in 1683.

And when it comes to India, the largest democracy in the world, as a rapidly modernizing country that is supplier of IT talent to the world, why should they be left out of the surveillance sweepstakes? They might have a reasonable concern or two at home, given they have an active Maoist communist insurgency, which conducted 351 attacks in 2011, and a bit of a terrorism problem arising from both their neighbor Pakistan and a small fraction of the native 100,000,000 Indian citizens that are Muslim. Maybe you've heard of the Mumbai attack? As it happened: Mumbai attacks 29 Nov - 195 people dead and hundreds more injured.

The Indian people and government will have to find their own way, and strike their own balance to match their own conditions, traditions, and laws.

I'm pretty sure the limos are not considered part of the embassy.

The State Department says otherwise (in certain situations). According to their own document:

Diplomatic Agents. Diplomatic agents enjoy the highest degree of privileges and immunities. They enjoy complete personal inviolability, which means that they may not be handcuffed (except in extraordinary circumstances), arrested, or detained; and neither their property (including vehicles) nor residences may be entered or searched. (emphasis mine)

This comes straight from their paper, Diplomatic and Consular Immunity: Guidance for Law Enforcement and Judicial Authorities found at this link.

But there is a separate US-Hong Kong extradition treaty. Yeah. Hong Kong is weird. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/71600.pdf

I feel like I may have started off a little heavy handed so I did some research.

These are the duties of the Department of State as per wikipedia. They jive with whats stated on the website http://careers.state.gov/learn/what-we-do
Protecting and assisting U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad;
Assisting U.S. businesses in the international marketplace;
Coordinating and providing support for international activities of other U.S. agencies (local, state, or federal government), official visits overseas and at home, and other diplomatic efforts.
Keeping the public informed about U.S. foreign policy and relations with other countries and providing feedback from the public to administration officials.
Providing automobile registration for non-diplomatic staff vehicles and the vehicles of diplomats of foreign countries having diplomatic immunity in the United States.[14]

So it is well within their Jurisdiction I suppose. But I figured space tourism wasn't really a foreign or diplomatic issue.

I'm surprised that nobody has brought up an obvious point:

Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations prohibits the arrest or detention of a diplomat.

The US Department of State even issues guidance to law enforcement on how to deal with issues in the USA. Even if the case of driving while intoxicated, the officer may remove the keys or prevent the diplomat from driving, but may not handcuff the diplomat or prevent him/her from leaving.

United States Department of State

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Offense of Defense Trade Controls Compliance

May 08, 2013

In reply letter to DTCC Case: 13-0001444

[Cody Wilson's address redacted]

Dear Mr. Wilson,

The Department of State, Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance, Enforcement Division (DTCC/END) is responsible for compliance with and civil enforcement of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778) (AECA) and the AECA’s implementing regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 C.F.R. Parts 120-130) (ITAR). The AECA and the ITAR impose certain requirements and restrictions on the transfer of, and access to, controlled defense articles and related technical data designated by the United States Munitions List (USML) (22 C.F.R. Part 121).

The DTCC/END is conducting a review of technical data made publicly available by Defense Distributed through its 3D printing website, DEFCAD.org, the majority of which appear to be related to items in Category I of the USML. Defense Distributed may have released ITAR-controlled technical data without the required prior authorization from the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), a violation of the ITAR.

Technical data regulated under the ITAR refers to information required for the design, development, production, manufacture, assembly, operation, repair, testing, maintenance or modification of defense articles, including information in the form of blueprints, drawings, photographs, plans, instructions or documentation. For a complete definition of technical data, see 120.10 of the ITAR. Pursuant to 127.1 of the ITAR, it is unlawful to export any defense article or technical data for which a license or written approval is required without first obtaining the required authorization from the DDTC. Please note that disclosing (including oral or visual disclosure) or tranferring technical data to a foreign person, whether in the United States or abroad, is considered an export under 120.17 of the ITAR.

The Department believes Defense Distributed may not have established the proper jurisdiction of the subject technical data. To resolve this matter officially, we request that Defense Distributed submit Commodity Jurisdiction (CJ) determination requests for the following selection of data files available on DEFCAD.org, and any other technical data for which Defense Distributed is unable to determine proper jurisdiction:

1.Defense Distributed Liberator pistol

2..22 electric

3.125mm BK-14M high-explosive anti-tank warhead

4.5.56/.223 muzzle brake

5.Springfield XD-40 tactical slide assembly

6.Sound Moderator – slip on

7.“The Dirty Diane” 1/2-28 to 3/4-16 STP S3600 oil filter silencer adapter

8.12 gauge to .22 CB sub-caliber insert

9.Voltlock electronic black powder system

10.VZ-58 sight

DTCC/END requests that Defense Distributed submits its CJ requests within three weeks of the receipt of this letter and notify this office of the final CJ determinations. All CJ requests must be submitted electronically through an online application using the DS-4076 Commodity Jurisdiction Request Form. The form, guidance for submitting CJ requests, and other relevant information such as a copy of the ITAR can be found on DDTC’s website at http://www.pmddtc.state.gov./

Until the Department provides Defense Distributed with the final CJ determinations, Defense Distributed should treat the above technical data as ITAR-controlled. This means that all such data shoudl be removed form public access immediately. Defense Distributed should also review the remainder of the data made public on its website to determine whether any additional data may be similarly controlled and proceed according to ITAR requirements.

Additionally, DTCC/END requests information about the procedures Defense Distributed follows to d

Damn straight they did. And every communist lived in peace with their neighbors.

It's nice that people can still believe fairytales, but not so nice when they involve the "peaceful" nature of communism. There is a little history you left out, such as:

The Soviet suppression of the workers strike in East Germany in 1953, the Soviet invasion to put down the Hungarian revolution in 1956, the Soviet led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 to crush the "Prague Spring - Socialism with a Human Face," and the Soviet invasion of communist Afghanistan.

The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

On December 27, 1979, under cover of an ongoing Soviet military buildup, heavily-armed elements of a Soviet airborne brigade were airlifted into Kabul, Afghanistan, to violently overthrow the regime of President Hafizollah Amin. Within hours after the beginning of this Trojan Horse-type operation, Soviet troops had overwhelmed the elite presidential guard, captured Amin, executed him along with several members of his family for crimes against the people and seized control of the capital.

Within days Soviet armor columns were fanning out across Afghani stan to occupy major population centers, airbases and strategic lines of com munication.

Uprising in East Germany, 1953 ; In Eastern Germany, 1953 Uprising Is Remembered
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A History in Documents
Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968

Added bonus: 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état

The Chinese-Soviet border war of 1969 very neary went nuclear:

The Sino-Soviet Border Conflict, 1969: U.S. Reactions and Diplomatic Maneuvers

A State Department memorandum of conversation, published here for the first time, recounts one of the more extraordinary moments in Cold War history--a KGB officer's query about the U.S. reaction to a hypothetical Soviet attack on Chinese nuclear weapons facilities.

USSR planned nuclear attack on China in 1969

The Soviet Union was on the brink of launching a nuclear attack against China in 1969 and only backed down after the US told Moscow such a move would start World War Three, according to a Chinese historian.

The extraordinary assertion, made in a publication sanctioned by China's ruling Communist Party, suggests that the world came perilously close to nuclear war just seven years after the Cuban missile crisis.

Liu Chenshan, the author of a series of articles that chronicle the five times China has faced a nuclear threat since 1949, wrote that the most serious threat came in 1969 at the height of a bitter border dispute between Moscow and Beijing that left more than one thousand people dead on both sides.

He said Soviet diplomats warned Washington of Moscow's plans "to wipe out the Chinese threat and get rid of this modern adventurer," with a nuclear strike, asking the US to remain neutral.

But, he says, Washington told Moscow the United States would not stand idly by but launch its own nuclear attack against the Soviet Union if it attacked China, loosing nuclear missiles at 130 Soviet cities. The threat worked, he added, and made Moscow think twice, while forcing the two countries to regulate their border dispute at the negotiating table

http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ as per http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/may/03touch.htm

A lot of the stuff discouraging tourism isn't from the TSA, but from other agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. For example, Customs and Border Patrol are the ones who run the ridiculous entry process, where non-U.S.-nationals typically have to wait in a line for 1-2 hours before they can be interrogated about their visit and eventually make it out of the airport. And the Office of Biometric Identity Management (formerly US-VISIT), another agency, requires all non-nationals to be biometrically recorded upon entry. And that's only for people in the visa-waiver program: if you're not from a visa-waiver country, there's a whole other set of hassles and delays to get a tourist visa. This process operates poorly enough that a number of academic conferences have started avoiding the U.S., because the delay is so long that speakers from countries like China and Egypt can't get a visa in time to attend and present their paper.

He said immigrate

The H-1B visa is a work permit with Dual intent. This means that a temporary worker is allowed to have immigrant intent.

If that worker has immigrant intentions, he will have to convince his employer to file a petition for a non-immigrant worker where (in most cases), the employer has to prove that it is unable to find American workers for the job (also known as PERM).

Once that is approved, the worker will be placed in a queue, as the number of immigrant visas (or green cards) are limited per fiscal year.

The current system is unfair to everyone. The PERM system is being abused to get cheap labor, and the temporary workers with immigrant intent are put to work for low wages, locked in with their current employer for many years. The only ones benefiting from this are the corporations.

you fucking moron

In a civilized debate, you respect your partners opinion, regardless of whether or not you agree with it.

'Fascist Dictatorship' is verging on hate speech.

Dictatorship of the Proletariat should be no more loved a term than "Fascist Dictatorship," but for some reason it gets a pass. That should be the last thing that happens, given the record - 100,000,000 killed in the last 100 years. (And don't look now - North Korea might just be warming up.)

The 1970s, when many of the communications were written, were probably both the high point of Communist and Soviet Power and the struggle between Communism and freedom. It is unlikely that Communism would have collapsed as soon as it did in Eastern Europe, and most of the world, if freedom hadn't endured in the West to give aid and hope to the oppressed, and some remember that.

So, when will Wikileaks start releasing Soviet and Communist archive material? Thats right, Assange probably doesn't consider them "bastards" to be crushed. Well, he going to Ecuador if he can, isn't he?:

The following human rights problems continued: isolated unlawful killings and use of excessive force by security forces, sometimes with impunity; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; corruption and other abuses by security forces; a high number of pretrial detainees; and corruption and denial of due process within the judicial system. President Correa and his administration continued verbal and legal attacks against the independent media. Societal problems continued, including physical aggression against journalists; violence against women; discrimination against women, indigenous persons, Afro-Ecuadorians, and lesbians and gay men; trafficking in persons and sexual exploitation of minors; and child labor.

Democracy in the middle east is not considered a "good" by the Feds. They much prefer friendly ruthless dictators. Not for example how we've never invaded Saudia Arabia and never have a bad word to say about them.

Your post is largely nonsense. Democracy is considered good, even in the Middle East, although elements of the local culture and religion can make that problematic. Saudi Arabia has never given the US cause to invade it as it is a friendly government to the United States, one which the US spent considerable treasure and blood to defend. (You may recall that it was Saddam Hussain's conquest of Kuwait and direct threat to Saudi Arabia which resulted in the first big step towards his downfall.)

And yes, the US does ciriticize Saudi Arabia, regularly.

2010 Human Rights Report: Saudi Arabia

The following significant human rights problems were reported: no right to change the government peacefully; torture and physical abuse; poor prison and detention center conditions; arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention; denial of fair and public trials and lack of due process in the judicial system; political prisoners; restrictions on civil liberties such as freedoms of speech (including the Internet), assembly, association, movement, and severe restrictions on religious freedom; and corruption and lack of government transparency. Violence against women and a lack of equal rights for women, violations of the rights of children, trafficking in persons, and discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, sect, and ethnicity were common. The lack of workers' rights, including the employment sponsorship system, remained a severe problem.

One more thing, since so many people are confused on this point, the fact that 15 of 19 of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia points to the problem they have with extremists, not to hostile action by the Saudi government. The 9/11 attacks against the US were no more Saudi government policy than the Fenian raids against Canada were US government policy.

As I read the Outer Space Treaty, they would have no legal recourse to usurpers, as long as they weren't actually using the asteroid. The reason is that countries cannot claim property in outer space (Article II), therefore claims recognized by one country need have no weight in another. Now, it is a no-no to interfere with the work of astronauts (Article IX), but this is worded in a very weak and ambiguous fashion, which I think is sure to lead to troubles in the future. Since countries are responsible for what their nationals do in space (Articles VI-VIII), what would really happen is, if country X interfered with your mining claim, you would have to depend on what your country was willing to do about it.

Not that it's especially practical, but one can move to the United States on a permanent or temporary visa and download the Netflix app to a U.S. Wii.

Not that it's especially practical, but one can move to the United States on a permanent or temporary visa and download the Netflix app to a U.S. Wii.

You speak oodles of truth. The American immigration system is so f***d up that it is not even funny. I have been an immigrant for most of my life. Born in Germany and then moved around to various countries. My parent wanted to immigrate and stay in America, but due to the policies not even close to possible. If you are a relative to an American citizen, then by all means you are bound for the glory land. But if you truly are an immigrant meaning you picked up your life and moved by yourself or with your non American spouse then you got no chance in hell in staying.

The problem with the American immigration policy is that it focuses on families and not individuals. Whereas most other countries focus on the individual, and not the family.

Here is the classical example:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1326.html

Look at what has highest priority; family based immigration visas. Below that are employment type visas. Come on, that is so screwy that it is not even funny.

BTW I am like you now, living happily in Switzerland (been here 13 years) am a Swiss citizen, and while I like America, am not even close to tempted anymore to move there. Don't get me wrong I like Americans and pieces of America, but these days there are so many screwy things there I like my simpler Switzerland.

I think I'd rather have unlocking be legal even if it meant the end of subsidized devices.

Why would it mean the end of subsidized devices? You've signed a multi-year contract with the company to get the subsidized device so why should they care whose network you use it on - you will still be paying them their pound of flesh to use their network regardless of whichever other network you sign up for.

In fact it is very probably to their benefit for you to use another network since then they'll get the money and someone else will get the network traffic to deal with! The only possible benefit is that it lets them make huge profits on roaming but for the US only less than 40% (assuming a 300M population) of the US even have a passport so an even smaller fraction will travel abroad in any given year. In fact it probably is this which is driving it - in the EU, which has controlled roaming charges, unlocking a phone seems to be far more common (at least that's my impression without hard evidence to back it up).

That is not how you get a green card! The amount of time is largely dependent on the visa bulletin dates. Presently the wait is up to 10+ years depending on your country of birth. The "line" to get the green cards has been getting longer and longer. http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5856.html

US citizens working abroad can enjoy the comfort of an embassy and US Marines protecting them in times of war and/or crisis. Hell, they'll even evacuate you back to the US if the shit really hits the fan. I'd pay my taxes for that, especially if I was working somewhere that's dangerous.

Are you shitting me? The US military spends its time blowing up goat herders in Afghanistan. If you live in Germany, that is really the least helpful thing they could be doing. And if you live abroad then it's going to be the local army defending you, not a foreign one.

Also FYI the US will not evacuate you for free "if the shit hits the fan" (which for the vast majority of expats it won't) - you get landed with the bill.

Departure assistance is expensive. U.S. law 22 U.S.C. 2671(b) (2) (A) requires that any departure assistance be provided “on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable.” This means that evacuation costs are ultimately your responsibility; you will be asked to sign a form promising to repay the U.S. government. We charge you the equivalent of a full coach fare on commercial air at the time that commercial options cease to be a viable option. You will be taken to a nearby safe location, where the traveler will need to make his or her own onward travel arrangements. If you are destitute, and private resources are not available to cover the cost of onward travel, you may be eligible for emergency financial assistance.

H1B should be abolished entirely. So should the backdoor L class, or really any of the things listed here. If we have people on unemployment that are available and able to do the jobs, none of these visas should be granted. Granted, the current unemployment system should make hiring out of the unemployed ranks simpler, but if the unemployment office finds any matches, there should be no visa granted.

I call bullshit on this article. What this is: Cheer-leading and whitewashing for a U.S. government press release that promises more entanglement and "anti-terror" activity (by way of the UN) in foreign countries. Here is the meat of the article, all the way at the very end of the article, if you have the patience to get there:

At least on the African continent, change is coming. In addition to aid from the U.S. and others, groups like the Cyber Security Africa and the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT) are setting up regional workshops and conventions to address problems like cyber crime in Africa.

Western nations are helping out, also. In December, the U.S. Department of State has granted $250,000 to combat transnational cybercrime in East African nations. That money will be used to train law enforcement, judges and prosecutors on cyber crime prosecution, with cooperation from the US Justice Department. Still, a State Department spokesperson said the money will be spent on "fundamentals" - laying the groundwork for intra-government and international cooperation on cyber crime, as well as 'basic laws that criminalize cybercrime conduct, laws on handling electronic evidence."

It approvingly portrays a Kenyan push to require static IPs on all mobile devices to better permit tracking:

The Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) is pushing for mobile operators to assign static IP addresses to smart phones and tablets to "help track and monitor user activity," according to statements from Bitange Ndemo, the Information and Communication Permanent Secretary there.

It includes delightful broken-window fallacies, basically in support of US-based Microsoft products, like this paragraph:

Pirated software is also used commonly throughout the continent, creating an avenue for malicious software and sapping local economies of money and jobs that would stem from a legal market for business and personal software.

This article is originally based on "State Dept throws $250,000 at UN effort to combat cybercrime in Africa" from the Daily Caller. (link from end).

That article, in turn, is originally based on "U.S. Department of State Funds UN Anti-Cybercrime Training for Africa" from the U.S. State Department website (link from that article).

Actually, the European headquarters of Scientology is in Copenhagen (according to this US report), while the Brussels office is merely a lobbying firm for Scientology to the EU.

. . . it can;t come from the Senate, it can't come from the President . . .So can we please drop this bullshit about how it's Harry Reid's fault for not coming up with a budget. The blame falls clearly on the House and thus on Boehner's lap

If we were to dispense with the bullshit, your post would be blank. How is it that you either don't know this, or expect everyone to be so ignorant as to not call you on it? Well, to your credit, you did suck in 3 moderators.

The Federal Budget Process

Once the president lays out his proposal, the House and Senate budget committees can begin writing their budget resolutions. The budget resolution sets targets for spending and tax revenue and identifies any policies that will need to move through reconciliation. The resolutions are sent to the floor for a vote, and differences are resolved in conference.

More: The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview

The House has produced and passed budgets, the Senate hasn't. The Senate has voted plenty down though.

President Obama proposed a FY2012 budget last year, and the Senate voted it down 97–0. (And that budget was no prize—according to the Congressional Budget Office, that proposal never had an annual deficit of less than $748 billion, would double the national debt in 10 years and would see annual interest payments approach $1 trillion per year.)
-- 1,000 Days Without a Budget: Facts on the Senate’s Failure

'1,200 Days and $5 Trillion in New Debt Since Senate Dems Passed a Budget'

Congress has spent $11.2 trillion since passing its last budget on April 29, 2009, according to the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee. The new debt since that date is $4.8 trillion.

"Since the last budget resolution was passed 1,200 days ago, the government has borrowed 42 cents of every dollar spent," the chart notes. The chart is based on Treasury Department figures.

The Senate obviously has no problem passing bills to spend money - why can't they pass a budget?

If this continues, it can't end well.

'U.S. Per Person Debt Now 35 Percent Higher than that of Greece'

If something cannot go on forever, it will stop. --Stein's Law

>You live in a complex society where the police are obliged to protect your personal property and your life, where food is not full of melamine, where we have a military that enforces our economic interests, where roads improve the flow of goods and services.

I don't want the police being the useless waste of money they are. I want to pay for better police with my own money.

I want to have whatever food I wish rather than the listeria ridden shit the government pedals as just fine until someone finally has a freakout.

And I don't believe in the military.

Can I have a refund? Will you even let me leave the country? Stop holding me prisoner for pay for it.

Here you go: http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_776.html

Now GTFO!

assuming that just because I didn't list them means they don't exist and I'm therefore wrong.

No, I'll assume you are wrong because now that you have listed them, you are, in fact, wrong:

Here's a few items you have gotten incorrect:

1) BWC is currently listed as an active treaty on the US department of state's website here. What makes you think the US withdrew?

2) I can't find any evidence that the US is exempt from the CWC. The US CWC website indicates no such exemption, and neither does wikipedia, nor the UN website on the treaty. Care to provide some evidence?

3) Withdrawing from a treaty is not the same thing as breaking it. The US gave 6 months notice of the intent to withdraw from the ABM treaty as permitted by the terms of the treaty. Saying that's the same as breaking a treaty is the equivalent to saying not paying your car lease is the same as completing the lease and returning the car.

Treaties that the US has not signed have nothing to do with the discussion, but nice attempt at moving the goalposts.

Wow, you really eat this shit up.

Every single point I made (with the possible exception of the Russian government actually having control of their own intelligence agencies - I'd call that one open to debate) amounts to pure documented fact. Not speculation, not even stretching the data to fit an information vacuum.

Though, I suppose you might not remember the Iran Contra affair. You might not have flown in the past 10 years. You might not read Slashd... Oh... No, I guess you do. Huh, funny that.


You can list as many of the negatives as you wish but your argument has no merit if you only include those.

Remind me which branch of the US government controls the GCSB (in case you need a cite for that one, click on the FP link for this very thread) or the KGB? Or hey, we can throw the Mossad in there if you like. I could go on, they pretty much all have a list of publicly known sins a mile long. The US only dominates the list out of sheer volume, not as anything special.


We do have the right to [sue] AT&T et al, actually.

No, we don't, actuallydon't . I am not really sure where the whole travel point is going as it is patently incorrect.

Funny, the US Department of State seems to know what I meant. Perhaps you should re-read it if you didn't get it the first time?

Wow, you really eat this shit up.

Every single point I made (with the possible exception of the Russian government actually having control of their own intelligence agencies - I'd call that one open to debate) amounts to pure documented fact. Not speculation, not even stretching the data to fit an information vacuum.

Though, I suppose you might not remember the Iran Contra affair. You might not have flown in the past 10 years. You might not read Slashd... Oh... No, I guess you do. Huh, funny that.


You can list as many of the negatives as you wish but your argument has no merit if you only include those.

Remind me which branch of the US government controls the GCSB (in case you need a cite for that one, click on the FP link for this very thread) or the KGB? Or hey, we can throw the Mossad in there if you like. I could go on, they pretty much all have a list of publicly known sins a mile long. The US only dominates the list out of sheer volume, not as anything special.


We do have the right to [sue] AT&T et al, actually.

No, we don't, actuallydon't . I am not really sure where the whole travel point is going as it is patently incorrect.

Funny, the US Department of State seems to know what I meant. Perhaps you should re-read it if you didn't get it the first time?

Border Areas: A long-standing border dispute between Belize and Guatemala has not been resolved and many areas of the border area are not adequately patrolled. Smugglers, narcotics traffickers and wildlife poachers enter Belize in the shared border region, and there have been incidents of clashes between some of these individuals and Belize military and law enforcement personnel, some of which included the exchange of gunfire. Visitors should avoid trekking or other activities near the Belize-Guatemala border to ensure that they do not inadvertently cross the border into Guatemala. The Embassy cautions U.S. citizens who choose to travel on cross-border public buses between Guatemala and Belize in response to a spike in armed bus attacks by bandits in January 2011. Illegal cross-border activities increase after nightfall. Visitors to the border areas should travel only during daylight.

Belize

CRIME AND SAFETY TIPS: Guatemala has one of the highest violent crime rates in Central America. Between January and September 2012, an average of 95 murders per week were reported countrywide in Guatemala. The vast majority of murders do not involve foreigners; however, the sheer volume of activity means that local officials, who are often inexperienced and underpaid, are unable to cope with the problem. Rule of law is lacking as the judicial system is weak, overworked, and inefficient. Criminals know there is little chance they will be caught or punished as the rate of convictions/resolution are very low.

The number of violent crimes reported by U.S. citizens and other foreigners has remained high and incidents have included, but are not limited to, assault, theft, armed robbery, carjacking, rape, kidnapping, and murder, even in areas of Guatemala City once considered safe.

Guatemala is a country with many different and firmly held local beliefs and customs. Particularly in small villages, residents are often wary and suspicious of outsiders. In the past, Guatemalan citizens have been lynched for suspicion of child abduction, so we recommend that U.S. citizens keep a distance from local children, and refrain from actions that could fuel such suspicions. In addition, U.S. citizens are advised to be aware of and avoid activities that might unintentionally violate a cultural or religious belief. The following recommendations will help residents and visitors alike to increase their safety:

Avoid gatherings of agitated people. Attempting to intervene may put you at risk of attacks from mobs.

Avoid close contact with local children, including taking photographs, especially in rural areas. Such contact can be viewed with deep suspicion and may provoke panic and violence.

Keep informed of possible demonstrations by following the local news and consulting hotel personnel and tour guides. Avoid areas where demonstrations are occurring.

Guatemala

McAfee seems to have cut pretty close to the line in his pursuit of young women in Belize. Not a pedophile. But not someone to be trusted, either. A bizarre visit to John McAfee's pleasure palace in Belize

Border Areas: A long-standing border dispute between Belize and Guatemala has not been resolved and many areas of the border area are not adequately patrolled. Smugglers, narcotics traffickers and wildlife poachers enter Belize in the shared border region, and there have been incidents of clashes between some of these individuals and Belize military and law enforcement personnel, some of which included the exchange of gunfire. Visitors should avoid trekking or other activities near the Belize-Guatemala border to ensure that they do not inadvertently cross the border into Guatemala. The Embassy cautions U.S. citizens who choose to travel on cross-border public buses between Guatemala and Belize in response to a spike in armed bus attacks by bandits in January 2011. Illegal cross-border activities increase after nightfall. Visitors to the border areas should travel only during daylight.

Belize

CRIME AND SAFETY TIPS: Guatemala has one of the highest violent crime rates in Central America. Between January and September 2012, an average of 95 murders per week were reported countrywide in Guatemala. The vast majority of murders do not involve foreigners; however, the sheer volume of activity means that local officials, who are often inexperienced and underpaid, are unable to cope with the problem. Rule of law is lacking as the judicial system is weak, overworked, and inefficient. Criminals know there is little chance they will be caught or punished as the rate of convictions/resolution are very low.

The number of violent crimes reported by U.S. citizens and other foreigners has remained high and incidents have included, but are not limited to, assault, theft, armed robbery, carjacking, rape, kidnapping, and murder, even in areas of Guatemala City once considered safe.

Guatemala is a country with many different and firmly held local beliefs and customs. Particularly in small villages, residents are often wary and suspicious of outsiders. In the past, Guatemalan citizens have been lynched for suspicion of child abduction, so we recommend that U.S. citizens keep a distance from local children, and refrain from actions that could fuel such suspicions. In addition, U.S. citizens are advised to be aware of and avoid activities that might unintentionally violate a cultural or religious belief. The following recommendations will help residents and visitors alike to increase their safety:

Avoid gatherings of agitated people. Attempting to intervene may put you at risk of attacks from mobs.

Avoid close contact with local children, including taking photographs, especially in rural areas. Such contact can be viewed with deep suspicion and may provoke panic and violence.

Keep informed of possible demonstrations by following the local news and consulting hotel personnel and tour guides. Avoid areas where demonstrations are occurring.

Guatemala

McAfee seems to have cut pretty close to the line in his pursuit of young women in Belize. Not a pedophile. But not someone to be trusted, either. A bizarre visit to John McAfee's pleasure palace in Belize

A large UK based multi-national org that I've worked for has the exact problem of hosting all its data centres in the USA. The big problem is that there are USA laws that apply that there is no equivalent in the UK/EU and there are contradictory laws where a lawyer would just choose the best jurisdiction. With-holding keys would be an offence under UK law (RIPA) but not under USA law.

e.g. in the UK, Freedom of Information only applies to government entities.

So, If a UK consumer (who knew the data was hosted in the USA) wished to find out information that extends further than a DSIR they could get a US Attorney to do a FOI request at the US host and get information that normally they could not get at an EU host.

The FBI does not designate groups as terrorists, the Secretary of State does. Then congress has seven days to reject the designation under the INA. Designated organizations may seek judicisl review of this designation in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit not later than 30 days after the designation is published in the Federal Register.

Legal Criteria for Designation under Section 219 is that:

1. It must be a foreign organization.
2. The organization must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in section 212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)),* or terrorism, as defined in section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. 2656f(d)(2)),** or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism.
3. The organization’s terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.

Several organizations have been delisted, and several have successfully appealed. Hamas did not request any appeal.

The full list of designated groups is here:

http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm

Belize isn't a typical Central American country. It's a member of the Commonwealth with Queen Elizabeth as the Head of State.

"The structure of government is based on the British parliamentary system, and the legal system is modelled on the Common Law of England."

Here's the US Department of State's view.

Surely you don't need to plain make stuff up if you have a valid argument?

160,794 H1-Bs were issued last year (potentially more if there were any that were succesfully appealed after September)., so you are only off by about 250%.

http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY2011NIVWorkloadbyVisaCategory.pdf is my reference for the count, straight from the department of state. Where is your number from? Did you just assume that a limit with a bunch of exemptions to it will only reach the on-exemption limit? Or did you just make it up?

And are you also seriously claiming there are 150 million people working the US in the fields that H1-B visas apply to? Or did you make that up as well.

Trying to explain away Norway's social and economic successes by saying "but they've got oil" does not cut the mustard.

Texas had also had in the past had oil revenues of a similar high level (20% of the state GDP in 1981): http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3739 , which is the same as Norway's today: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3421.htm . Yet Texas never developed the same level of social well-being, short work hours, or even economic development. The per capita GDP of Texas is far behind that of Norway (or California for that matter).

That a massive exaggeration, over 80% do not even had a passport!

and that is a massive lie. Now that a Passport is required to travel to Mexico and Canada, about 1/3 of Americans have a current passport or passport card, although it looks like that number is coming down after initially swelling after 2001.

but think that USA is like 50 different states, when I think of it, I have travelled to many countries, but have never left Europe.

That a massive exaggeration, over 80% do not even had a passport!

and that is a massive lie. Now that a Passport is required to travel to Mexico and Canada, about 1/3 of Americans have a current passport or passport card, although it looks like that number is coming down after initially swelling after 2001.

no, it's not a rule at all. your information is about 45 years out of date.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html
http://www.richw.org/dualcit/faq.html#noway

Or along Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, the countries along the Mediterranean, Australia, etc.

According to the US State Department, places to avoid include the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, Venezuela, and parts of Malaysia.

That leaves a great big world out there that you can visit if you don't insist on bringing along a penis extender.

If you want to argue that the USA won some war in the past that might have helped someone, I'd remind you that the USA did not act alone, and in fact was quite late to the party.

Before WW2 the US was strongly isolationist and had a streak of pacifism. In essence your complaint is that 70 years ago, the US acted the way many Europeans and most leftists want it to act now. When your bacon is in the fire the US should rush to aid, when it is US or other people's bacon in the fire, not so much - slow down - don't be warmongers. When the Soviet Union brought SS20 missiles into Eastern Europe - crickets chirping. When NATO responded with American Pershing missiles - protests - don't be warmongers. When Saddam invaded Kuwait - silence. When the US formed a coalition to drive Saddam's armies out of Kuwait - protests - complaints - human shield volunteers* - don't be war mongers. Yes, we see how that works.

the USA is one of the countries that has routinely shown contempt for the whole concept of rule-or-law or free speech even within it's own borders,

The actual situation is that commentators who show contempt for the US engage in hyperbole and nonsense.

let alone in the rest of the world where they don't even pay lip service to due process.

Not even lip service?

And Contrary to what is shown in Hollywood, the USA didn't win anything by itself.

Do tell. . . . .
A Bridge Too Far
The Longest Day
The Devil's Brigade
The Desert Rats
Sahara

I could go on, but what is the point? You don't know what you are talking about, although you project many negative things on the United States.

*Who received quite an education from Saddam what what a genuine evil tyrant is like, to their sorrow.

You have the wrong treaty. The one you are linking to covers treaties not embassies.

Done at Vienna April 18, 1961;
Ratification advised by the Senate of the United States of America
September 14, 1965;
Ratified by the President of the United States of America November
8, 1972
Ratification of the United States of America deposited with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations November 13, 1972; Proclaimed by the President of the United States of America
November 24, 1972;
Entered into force with respect to the United States of America
December 13, 1972.

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/17843.pdf

The United States and China both support the Vienna convention which holds that the US embassy in China is under US law.

please do your homework.

As it turns out, it was the answer to a question:

Question from press briefing

So some reporter asked a loaded question (implying the US had an OAS commitment to recognize diplomatic asylum), and this is a correction.

The case of Cardinal Mindszenty, which many are bringing up, is one where the Communist Hungarian government did not in fact recognize diplomatic asylum; Mindszenty was stuck in the US embassy for 15 years until the Hungarians relented.

An embassy, by definition, is not on the host's soil, but its homeland's.

That's a very common belief. It's also entirely untrue.

Let me guess, because there's no formal declaration of war, that means that it's just more of the US Government eroding the Constitution and making the founding fathers spin in their graves, right?

Well, I need to ask if you think that John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison were also somehow going against what the founding fathers wanted? They WERE the founding fathers, and used this in each of their administrations.

Congress has authorized the use of military force in the following years, for the countries and reasons listed, without a formal declaration of war:
France (protect shipping in the war we weren't part of) 1798
Tripoli (protect shipping from piracy based in what we call Libya today) 1802
Algeria (beat the crap out of their navy for seizing US shipping vessels during the war of 1812) 1815
Suppression of Piracy (more protection of shipping, but this time in the Caribbean) 1819-1823
Formosa (Eisenhower wanted to make sure the new Communist government in China didn't get too frisky with Taiwan) 1955
MiddleEast (Congressional authorization of US forces to assist countries against communist takeover) 1957
Southeast Asia (Gulf of Tonkin resolution - Vietnam War) 1964
Lebanon (Marine deployment as a part of a multinational force) 1983
Iraq (Desert Shield / Desert Storm) 1991
Terrorist Attacks against the United States (Afghanistan) 2001
Authorization for Use of Force Against Iraq (Second Iraq War) 2002

The statutory authorization of use of force is hardly new - it goes back to when the country was founded. It's a tool that Congress can use to limit the scope of engagement without activating many executive powers that come with a formal declaration of war. Here's a nice big fat PDF from the US Department of State covering all of this.

I'm curious what evidence you have regarding what the framers, and them requiring both parents to be U.S. citizens. It wasn't the case 21 years ago when I went through this with my own kid. Was it previously?

http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_5199.html