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Reports of protests are overblown. A few incidents around the country, but nothing major.

5 (45.5%)

A few major incidents in capitals, but nothing much in DC.

5 (45.5%)

A major incident in DC, but nothing much around the country.

0 (0%)

More than 10 capitals have major upheavals, but nothing much in DC.

0 (0%)

A major incident in DC plus more than 10 capitals with significant upheavals.

1 (9.1%)

More than half the capitals around the country have problems with protesters, but DC is quiet.

0 (0%)

DC has major problems, while more than half the capitals around the country also have considerable trouble with protesters.

0 (0%)

Huge disruption to the day.

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: January 19, 2021, 10:49:21 PM

[bodiddley]

I'd only be a little wary of going to Iran, because of the ongoing hostility between the US and Iran.  Things had eased up considerably until Trump negated the Nuke deal and applied harsh economic sanctions.  Also, I could tolerate a guide/minder for 3 -5 days but not longer.  And since the US trashed Iran's neighbors, Iraq and Afghanistan, those places are no longer safe to visit, so can't be combined with an Iran trip.  I had thought about combining Iran with Armenia, as they share a small border not too far from Tehran, but Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan was already a full plate.

The US and Israel like to talk about Iran being expansionist and aggressive, but the US came in from half a world away to wage war on the mid-sized countries on either side of Iran, destroying their gov'ts and most social institutions, ushering in decades of instability and corruption.  Not surprisingly, Iran views the US as an aggressor and dangerous.  And naturally they try to stabilize both countries in ways that benefit them.  It was the USofA, not Iran, that routed the Sunni rule of Iraq, kept the Sunnis out of the military, and installed a Shiite gov't.  The US that fostered the ethnic cleansing in the Sunni uprising and sowed the seeds for ISIS.

One of the nice things about world traveling is that you meet people and see how normal most people's lives and dreams are.  I was in the West Bank a few years ago, and folks were plenty nice, it felt very safe, Palestinians were glad to have tourists there spending money and hearing the Palestinian side of the story.  And of course it's only the US Security Council veto that prevents the Palestinians from having a state.  I wish I spent more time/money there.  And it was very interesting to hear how the Israelis react when you mention going to even Bethlehem (just a little outside Jerusalem but walled off).

Traveling all over the world has been very interesting and rewarding.  i think the only two countries I didn't care for too much were Australia and Morocco.  Australia seemed remote and dull, though mainly I was in Tasmania, so maybe that explains it.   Sydney was fine, but more expensive than I expected, and that was 15 years ago.  The women of OZ act like guys, tough, rugged beerswilling outdoors types that .  I preferred the Chinese women there, but you get a fair amount of that in Shanghai as it is.  Australia was allright, nothing held my interest much either.  A place built by convict labor.

Morocco had an undercurrent that maybe safety was a surface thing.  Women were treated as 2nd class citizens, and some folks were proud of that.  It didn't help that I got food poisoning that wiped me out a full day and caused me to largely miss Casablanca.  Most of the vegetables are cold dishes, which is not terribly safe to eat (Turkey was that way too, but I came out unscathed, and people there were real friendly).   And I don't like couscous much.  Lots of travelers really like Morocco, but we found Rabat pleasant and not much else of interest.

Of course some trips work out real well, and others run into logistic or other problems.
On a single trip two years ago, things didn't go too smoothly in Bulgaria -- the Manfred Mann concert in an old Roman theater was cancelled for instance, and we largely skipped an ancient capital due to timing/time constraints -- but once we crossed into Romania our timing was impeccable, both planned events and stumbling upon a day long wine tasting in a beautiful cultural palace in Iasi.  Unusually we skipped the capital, Bucharest, which I doubt we've done before but I think turned out to be a good counter-intuitive move.

I was surprised how many Bulgarians and Romanians had bailed on their homelands for the lure of wealthy Western Europe.  Lots of folks in both countries mentioned how cheap it is to buy a house in Bulgaria, since 1/3 of the populace has emigrated.  A number of Romanians I spoke to had relatives in London or Spain and were considering packing up too.  I don't think the EU was prepared for the scale of migration westward after admitting ex-communist Eastern and Central Euro countries.  There's been a fair amount of political blowback, with Brexit and the rise of rightwing nativist parties being the most glaring.

Otherwise, the US is an odd country, where your neighbor or coworker might speak Amharic or Polish or Benagali, but most Americans don't have a passport and have never been abroad.  A strange sort of provincialism.

[bodiddley]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/14/politics/jeff-van-drew-democrat-switch-parties-republican-trump-impeachment/index.html
Won't be the last

Van Drew was apparently one of only two House Dems who didn't support impeachment.  JVD claimed Trump did some wrong but impeachment was too much and too divisive.

The context is Van Drew was a very conservative Dem brought in to take a conservative rural south Jersey when the long time GOP congressperson retired.  JVD was pro-NRA, pro-life and basically held GOP positions, but the Dems went with him anyway to snag another seat and get a House majority.  So he always was an outlier, unless there are a one or two more scattered instances like that nationwide.

The immediate context is that after van Drew came out against impeachment, his support among Dems cratered and his chances of losing the Dem primary became very real.

Although Van Drew had opposed impeachment, he faced a backlash from Democratic voters in his own district for the decision. And it seems possible a party switch may lift his reelection chances.

According to a poll from Van Drew's campaign obtained by USA TODAY, only 24% of Democratic primary voters in his district thought Van Drew should be reelected. Sixty percent wanted someone new.

Signaling potential electoral trouble for him, 71% of Democratic primary voters said they would be "less likely" to support Van Drew in 2020 if he voted against impeachment.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/14/trump-impeachment-jeff-van-drew-switch-parties-run-republican/2650654001/

So almost exactly opposite of your (and Red's) depiction of impeachment as unpopular, opposing impeachment killed van Drew's support among DEMs and he's fleeing the party to try to stay in office (before being run off). 

[luee]

Iran and NKO would love to have American traveler-hostages. Almost time for the anual "death to America" national celebration.

[Hairy Lime]

And, yes, impeach McConnell.   Not just for violating his oath of office, but for failing to qualify as a human being.  The turtle-aliens from Deneb IV have meddled in our Terran governments long enough!

You cannot impeach a member of the legislature.

[bodiddley]

1,879 American tourists visited Iran from March 21 to November 21.

They are a bit paranoid about CIA folks posing as tourists.  Which possibly occurs.

In many developing countries there are lots of young folks interested in change and the outside world.  Seems somewhere around 65% of Iranians are under age 30.  That combined with the lack of job opportunities spurred the Arab Spring which toppled a few gov'ts and shook up the region. 

Lebanon is currently in the midst of large-scale protests calling for not just reforms, but a clean sweep of the ruling elite.  Iraq currently facing some much more turbulent violent protests.

[bodiddley]

And, yes, impeach McConnell.   Not just for violating his oath of office, but for failing to qualify as a human being.  The turtle-aliens from Deneb IV have meddled in our Terran governments long enough!

You cannot impeach a member of the legislature.

Yeah, I was just being a wise-ass when I suggested that. 
Though they can be censured and/or removed from office. 
Expulsion.

[barton]

And, yes, impeach McConnell.   Not just for violating his oath of office, but for failing to qualify as a human being.  The turtle-aliens from Deneb IV have meddled in our Terran governments long enough!

You cannot impeach a member of the legislature.

Was speaking figuratively.   Bo had posted that sentiment, and I was agreeing.  I know that Article I, sect.5 does allow for expulsion of a Senator by a two-thirds majority.   

[barton]

oops, didn't see last post....

Mazeltov, Larry.  It's 15 F. here.   Think what you're missing!

[oilcan]

Impeach Barr.  Or whatever the Constitutional method would be.  I recommend one of those cannons they shoot clowns out of, in the circus. 

Meanwhile, truth decay continues.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/15/donald-trump-impeachment-defense-republicans-fox-news

[facilitatorn]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-trump-job-approval-ticks-up-views-on-impeachment-steady

Fox finds trump to be removable but not re-electable.

America needs Congress to expose more of trump’s crimes and show how multiple illegal financial arrangements have put republicans in the bag for trump.

In 2020 America has a chance to put down the GOP the way it was put down in California by amplifying their utter contemptible nature and their contempt and malice toward both the American voter and the constitution.

[facilitatorn]

Congrats Larry, on your daughter’s nuptials.

[FlyingVProd]

I have been to France, Italy, and to Mexico. I switched planes once in Switzerland, but I do not consider that a visit to their country, and they strip-searched me, so it was a bad experience, I have no desire to go to Switzerland.

I would like to do business in Italy, I want to make movies there at Cinecitta, and I would like to make Chianti wine in Tuscany, and I would like to own a night club in Rome. Italy is awesome, and imagine a whole country full of Italians, Italy is great. The culture, the food, the people, the beautiful women, the art, the museums, etc, Italy is amazing. I would definitely like to have a home in Italy, maybe two, one home at a vineyard and winery in Tuscany, and a home in Rome.

In France I attended the Cannes Film Festival, which was awesome. I went in 2000, and a film named "Dancer in the Dark" won the festival. I would like to go to the Cannes Film Festival every year, and I want to start entering films in the festival. I would also like to spend some time in Paris.

Some places that I want to go see are Monaco, Spain, and maybe Colombia.

One of the most beautiful women in the world is Mahlagha Jaberi, and she is from Iran, but she lives in California now, and I have no desire to visit Iran. I would like to date Mahlagha, and travel the world, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, etc.



There are many places here in the USA that I want to visit, and there are even places I want to go right here in Anaheim that I have not been to yet, such as to Club 33 at Disneyland.

Mahlagha and I can travel the world, and we can explore the USA, and there are places to visit right here in Anaheim.

And for Christmas time, for some reason I think that the Russian Tea Room at Central Park in New York City would be a good place to go to at Christmas time. We could ride in a horse drawn carriage. There is a lot that I want to see and do in New York. I want to go to the Metropolitan Opera, and I want to go see Broadway, and Little Italy, etc.

I love to travel, and I want to marry a good woman who loves to travel, and we can travel together.

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

Greece would be a cool place to go, and it would be fun to get a group of actors and actresses together and to do a production of "Lysistrata" at a famous ancient theatre in Greece. "Oedipus" would be cool to produce too, but at this point in time "Lysistrata" would be perfect, and we can get Mahlagha Jaberi to star in it.

Salute,

Tony V.

[josh]

I wandered through Kiev, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Munich, Venice, and Rome. Also, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, and Melbourne.

I had more trouble in Ensenada (robbed my tent, then pulled a switchblade on me when I caught him) than all those combined. And about as much on a train out of Philly (punched in the face) plus a parked car (smashed window, radio stolen) in Philly. A

The worst that happened in Europe, Asia, or Australia was an old woman in Moscow who spit at me and my fellow travelers, twice, pausing to get more liquid at the soda water machine.
I would hesitate about going to Iran at the moment - I'm Jewish. There are places I've been to in this country that I would hesitate about going to currently. Some places in Europe, as well. But not for Bambi's generalized fear, for the most part - and I would leap at the chance to go to many places I have not been.

Hey, if Bambi pays for it, I would even give him a video log of then, so he can better see close up aspects, without risking his oh so precious hide!

[bankshot1]

Drunk posting from Cancun, Mexico.

Baby girl jumping the broom this evening and I couldn’t be happier!

Mazel Tov Knicks.

Congraulations to you and your family.

Enjoy

And may their first child be a masculine child.

jk