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On the issue of the law of the lands, I wonder what the lawyers who are members think of capital punishment. I think back to the days in the UK to two trials - before my time, I should add - of two of the last alleged criminals to be hung by the state. Derek Bentley had a reduced mental capacity due to an accident when he was four. Scotish law by this time accepted the defence of diminished responsibility but not yet England. Bentley and his accomplice (aged 16) had killed a policeman with the accomplice having fired the gun. The evidence brought foward at the trial also revealed inconsistencies. Even though convicted of murder, the jury asked the judge not to hand down the death penalty in the case of Bentley. The judge ignored the request and Bentley was hanged in 1953. He was 19 years old.  In 1993 Bentley received a posthumous Royal Pardon. In 1998 the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction. There was also the case of Timothy Evans, a Welsh lorry driver convicted of having murdered his wife and daughter in 1950. The Chief Prosecution witness against him was his downstairs neighbour, John Christie. Aged 25 Evans was hung the same year. Three years after the murder of Evans, John Christie was discovered to be a serial killer who had murdered several other women in his house, including his own wife. While waiting for death, he admitted to having murdered Tomothy Evans wife. In 1966 Evans was granted a posthumous pardon.  But extraordinarily in 2004 the High Court refused to quash Evans conviction on the grounds of the costs and resources that would be required being too high, even though it admitted Evans did not kill his wife. It claimed there would be no "tangilble benefit". So justice in England remains an issue of cash! In my view, this is a national disgrace for the English system of justice. As I suggested earlier, how do you justify the state killing an innocent man? What compensation can possibly make up for the loss of a life, especially a very young life?

Thanks, Folks, for all the thoughtful comments! I guess what's behind my fantasy of a truthful president is a desire to show our kids, our allies and ourselves that lying is not the path to a healthy society.  For me, watching Jack Smith in action is a lesson that honesty and ability belong together.  Conversely, Trump and his cohorts have been spreading the message that dishonesty is the path to greatness and there's no downside to lying your ass off. Replacing a dishonest president with an honest one seemed like a good start to me.  These days, a US president has a giant megaphone and I thought it would be the best way to get the point across that the country has not lost its ability to recognize truth.  In my opinion, Jack Smith could carry that message. But, if we can't elect an honest president, I can think of others who might be able to get the message across.  Pope Leo has the ear of millions across the country and, while he has not yet been as visible as Pope Francis, he's still honing his communication skills.  Gandhi started out as a lawyer until civil inequities in South Africa led him into politics.  Martin Luther King, Junior, began as a Baptist minister before becoming a spokesman for the cause civil rights.  I'm sure others will emerge to speak in support of honesty. In the meantime, I'm not quite done thinking about Jack Smith. 🤔  

Sepp Batter was once a salesman of ladies undergarments. "Knickers" they were known when he was appointed President of FIFA in 1998. The World Cup is a massive money spinner for FIFA. Blatter was to become as corrupt as they come and led an organisation that was just as corrupt considering the number of executives around the world who were indicted for corruption. The marketing organisation for FIFA with its huge sponsorship revenues was handed to his incompetent nephew. It quickly went bankrupt. Not surprising, though, that Blatter was re-elected to the President's position no less than four times! Money spread around voting members talks. Surprisingly, perhaps, he was ejected from his post in 2015 and then had to serve not one but two six-year bans from any activity with the sport. He also loved his position where he could mingle and be courted by the world's elite, including President Putin and Sheik Tahim Bin Hamanal Talmi of Qatar.  So he unilaterally changed the FIFA bidding procedures to favour his cronies. Where in the past only one location for a future World Cup following the next one had been announced, he decided to announce two at once. 2018 would be held in - wait for it - Russia, and 2022 - wait for it - in Qatar. Russia was much less of a surprise since it was already a football mad nation. Qatar though was sheer madness! It was not a footballing nation. It had one stadium when the World Cup needs eight. The World Cup is held at the height of summer when temperatures in Qatar for players and spectators alike would be impossibly high when trying to play 90 minutes of football - or 120 minutes in the event of a drawn match. The possibility of the death of a player rose like a spectre no one in the footballing world could ignore. 90%+ of the footballing world screamed corruption. But FIFA pays no attention to the rest of the world. It is its own profitable little kingdom. In the event, both Russia and Qatar were successful events, even though the dates for Qatar had to be moved to winter months forcing football associations around the world - the very constituents FIFA should be looking after - to change their entire schedules. Now, though, Blatter cannot keep his hands - and his mouth off the organisation he no doubt believes he should still be running. At the age of 89, he has warned soccer fans around the world to boycott the World Cup in the USA this summer. As Blatter's lawyer has just said - “For fans, just one piece of advice: avoid the United States! You’ll get a better view on television anyway. Upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t behave properly with the authorities, they will be immediately sent home. If they’re lucky …” Splitting the 2026 World Cup between Canada, the USA and Mexico was already a lousy idea for fans. Those football fanatics who just have to be there will have to spend a fortune, not only to get to North America, not only for the outrageous price of match tickets, but also for the clearly (to be) increased cost of shuttling by air between countries. It really is time that some organisation tackled the problem of FIFA and its propensity for corruption on a massive scale.

Can you be more specific? Are you making a distinction between the previous format when it had go-go boys on stage + shows? Do you mean to say the stage is now empty until showtime?  Has the format of the shows also changed? It used to be B-Boys and big cock. Has it gone cabaret with drag queens?

Fetterman disgusts me..... He's a Dem liability, and the new Joe Manchin..... His endearing quirky shorts and tennis shoes on the House floor is now an oddity, and sign of anti social behaviors.  He definitely has lingering cognitive issues.    He must NOT be re-elected.