the feds will require all laptops to be registered and have a remote kill switch installed. Can't let the terrorists win!!

I'm not a cop, but I'll go out on a limb here and guess that when the cops try to justify their purchases of these weapons, or when the arms industry sales rep comes calling, they justify the weapons with the (limited) examples of the big gang war or drug cartel bust that occurred recently in the next city.

"Many states in the USA have 'stand your ground' laws which are a recipe for disaster. Shoot someone and then just claim you were afraid, or defending yourself."

I don't literally want to see this, but as a mental exercise (the poor defender would probably end up overwhelmed and not make it to a trial), I'd like to know what would happen if someone used this defense with a menacing cop.

Probably 'cause no one is perfect. Everyone messes up at some point in their life. His reluctance to refuse the vitamin C sham doesn't discredit his other accomplishments. Sure, the reluctance doesn't put him in a good light, but his other accomplishments still stand.

I'll play devils advocate for a moment. In part, the cops have attained these capabilities because of the increased capabilities of organized crime and street-level criminals. Something of an arms race going on.

Add to that the fact that the military conglomerates were looking for a way to expand their markets. Police agencies are the perfect answer.

Done with the advocate thing.

Not only are the cops armed like small armies, they act without regard for law. Here is an egregious example. A court's marshal in Clark County, NV, sexually assaults a woman in family court and then arrests her when she tried to confront him about it, IN FRONT OF A JUDGE. Who then proceeds to act as if nothing happened.

Given the impunity with which these people behave, and the firepower they are enhanced with, people should start to question how the police are a benefit to society.

What is NASA gonna say if another 'Sandy' hits again... in the next 5 years? No, I'm not predicting there will be one within 5 years. I'm just wondering what they'd do if it did occur very soon?

Al Queda's refusal of observing Geneva Conventions doesn't negate the U.S.' responsibility to abide by them in how they handle captives.

Additionally, explain how drones fit into the Geneva Conventions. If you find that they don't and are illegal, then it would appear that the U.S. is contravening Geneva Conventions. Does that mean that U.S. soldiers caught by another party should be mistreated and not afforded humane treatment?

With all this surveillance, it's a wonder there are any large crime rings at all. Yet the rings still seem to thrive.

I don't watch much tv, so I don't know what broadcast news says about him, but given the news I see online, there does seem to be a hostile tone toward him. If the majority of major news sources are toeing the govt. line and portraying him as a spy, then it's a wonder the poll numbers aren't more against him.

Who or what are the government officials who want to prosecute Snowden protecting? Are they protecting the Constitution or themselves?

If the founders were so worried about the people's decisions, why did they bother mentioning things like "we the people" that emphasized a nation made up of free citizens?

I'm not sure who you are saying is being attacked when you say "productive class". Are you saying that only people who own business are productive? How do you explain Dept. of Labor reports that say something like 'productivity increased .3% in the last quarter' then? Workers had nothing to do with that? It's not just the owners of capital who are taxed. The workers are taxed too. And last I heard, corporate exec compensation was more than 100x what the average employee pay was. Doesn't sound like they are suffering to me

Sounds like the adventure still exists to some extent.

Based on recent media, Everest does sound like it's turned into some kind of tourist trap, instead of a remote, arduous frontier. What frontiers remain that haven't turned into prime time television scenery?

Maybe animosity was too strong a word. However, given that E.U. nations such as Spain and France were trying to force Bolivia's Evo Morales to give him up, if he'd had Snowden on a plane, there is no support from nations that should be helping Snowden. Further, several, not all, but several, nations appear to playing along with the U.S. instead of finding another solution for Snowden.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/05/tp-snowden-still-seeking-asylum-offer/

It's great that the E.U. is finally acting outraged about the U.S.'s spying which they probably wouldn't have faced up to without Snowden. I would think they would view Snowden in a positive light for it. Yet they seem to regard Snowden with the same animosity that the U.S. administration does.

I honestly don't know, but I thought it was illegal for the FBI to spy on U.S. citizens as well?

The government's number one tool in the fight against terrorism.