I think you’re reading too much into that.

They’re either under “Rest of world” like the EU, or the US doesn’t import anything from it, which as it’s under sanctions, it shouldn’t - nor export to.

Of course, that depends on Trump following court orders, which as we know, he’s more than willing to ignore.

I think that’s been one of the biggest surprises to this European spectator - that justice can be ignored if you’re powerful enough in America.

We had glimpses of it with the first end-of-term pardons. Then Biden did the same for his son, and Trump released all those who committed treason in his name on his first day of his second term. All those people were fund guilt after due process, but someone can unilaterally say “let them free” and they’re out. I totally understand the lawyer quitting his career when Trump was “pardoned” for his own crimes after being elected. Biggest case of his career, years invested in training and work and he played a blinder - only for it to be turned to nothing.

So we’ve learned that if you’re rich in the US (because rich == powerful there like nowhere else in the world) then you are untouchable by justice. For a country that was literally born from a civil war, that’s a pretty huge failing of its constitution.

But apart from all that, things are looking good?

“No plan survives first contact” - Helmuth

Elsewhere on Lemmy today;

Germany warns Russia may be preparing attack on NATO

Both of these cannot be true.

Elsewhere on Lemmy today;

Russia has depleted its tank stocks: the industry is not covering combat losses

Both of these cannot be true.

Sadly true. We actively searched for alternatives when we realised other channels were getting too manipulative and full of hate. Those who stayed haven’t even realised it.

Isolationism and tribalism.

Make your people believe the rest of the world are against them and they’ll look to you for leadership. It’s not just the US - Europe and the UK have also had a rise in jingoism, fuelled by inflated reports of immigrants.

You can bet the Five Eyes are already redacting what they share with the USA

And, like every other member, that spending is entirely for self interest. Working together means being strong. Separation means you’re easier to pick off. Global war is a lot like horror films where they go to investigate and split up.

So what’s Google doing? I assume they’re impacted by the same regulation.

The UK government has you that way too - you are legally compelled to reveal any passcodes if ordered by a court, and you’ll stay in prison until you do. (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000)

But it at least does remove them from third party exposure (phone company, their AI, massive breaches etc), you just have to be sure your own security is good.

I think it’s the right move by Apple.

I don’t think it’s the right move by my Government to be ordering this.

Like most governments, the UK’s has a poor record on understanding technical standards (They’re still trying to implement age-restriction on porn sites, something that’s been ongoing for a decade) Backdoor or lack of encryption - both make data security impossible and make the lives of criminals a whole lot easier. We simply cannot have safe data this way.

*European Unity

The US cannot “annex” or “invade” Canada.

Both are key members of NATO. That means that all other members must defend any fellow country if it’s invaded. Almost the entire western world - INCLUDING AMERICA - would have to defend Canada.

It’s just Trump spreading lies and misinformation to distract from him stealing American’s money. Same as always.

The NATO Alliance consists of 30 member states from North America and Europe. Article Five of the treaty states that if an armed attack occurs against one of the member states, it should be considered an attack against all members, and other members shall assist the attacked member, with armed forces if necessary.

If, as most economists agree, tariffs hurt the importing country most - why would Canada do that to its own people?

I get the feeling many of these people are also preppers and actively yearn for a crash to justify spending their lives readying for it.

Democracy isn’t about getting your own way.

True democracy (Direct Democracy) can’t happen - you’d need to vote in every single decision. Without everyone’s decision, nothing could get done. It’s bad enough for a family of four to agree what movie to watch, let alone a whole country. It would be democratic if most people watched what they wanted, but the logistics for a country ain’t gonna work.

That’s why most Western countries in the world have Representative Democracy - we elect people to do that stuff on our behalf, and are aware of affecting factors. And by and large, it works. Sure, there are always failings and scandals and someone can point these out, because human beings like to cheat and have their own agendas, and of course, power corrupts. Sadly, there is no form of government that is safe from subversion.

If you don’t like a decision, vote for a representative that you think will do more of what you want. Or form an effective protest.

I’m certain it’s not - but it doesn’t matter. Trump has proved that he is beyond the law in every way.

Clinton got impeached for lying and it ruined his credibility. Trump lies all the time and gets re-elected, but has no credibility to ruin.

Then I’d have someone else accusing me of ripping off this guy.