4 ms·

No need to "imagine" it. Just come to Europe. I can recommend either the UK or Slovenia based on personal experience, cops are completely domesticated. Portugal

by tomp 12y ago

No need to "imagine" it. Just come to Europe. I can recommend either the UK or Slovenia based on personal experience, cops are completely domesticated. Portugal, Germany or Netherlands if you want decriminalization. Switzerland for direct democracy. Most EU countries for treating the mentally ill.

tptacek 12y ago
One of two places in the world I've been searched intrusively outside an airport, without warrant or probable cause: Switzerland (my wife used to live there). The other place: also in Europe. I'm sure Europe is much nicer if it's evident that you're from whatever country you're in. (Not exactly on point, but, whatever: the TSA has nothing on Heathrow international terminal for intrusive, pointless, rude searches).
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
  - chc 12y ago
    Washington is forcing Switzerland to intrusively search Americans, who aren't even in an airport, without warrant or probable cause? How on earth do you figure that?
    - deleted 12y ago
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  - tptacek 12y ago
    This was in 1999.
- poulsbohemian 12y ago
  My family came from Switzerland about 200 years ago, and our name is recognizably Swiss. I actually got my passport temporarily confiscated and went through an interrogation about 20 years ago (before 9/11/2001) because they didn't believe I was an American. The fact that I was speaking to them in German was used as evidence against me - because how on earth would an American know German? I giggle at the idea that my ancestral home interrogated me, but the border guards when I went to scary communist China or muslim Turkey barely opened the cover of my passport before they passed me through. But really the worst I've ever been treated was coming back into the US from Canada...
anigbrowl 12y ago
People here in the US are always astonished when I point out that many European police officers don't carry any weapons, eg the typical UK or Irish police officer just carries a baton. Of course guns are available they're not regarded as an everyday necessity. I grew up with the concept that police officers were there as much to help people find their way around as to deal with crime.
- tptacek 12y ago
  On the other hand, the police in Italy openly carry submachine guns. I think there's a lot of post-hoc fallacy in comparisons between US and EU policing. There's certainly a problem in the US, but it's probably nowhere near as simple as "US police carry guns".

by tomp 12y ago

tptacek 12y ago

One of two places in the world I've been searched intrusively outside an airport, without warrant or probable cause: Switzerland (my wife used to live there). The other place: also in Europe. I'm sure Europe is much nicer if it's evident that you're from whatever country you're in. (Not exactly on point, but, whatever: the TSA has nothing on Heathrow international terminal for intrusive, pointless, rude searches).

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
- chc 12y ago
  Washington is forcing Switzerland to intrusively search Americans, who aren't even in an airport, without warrant or probable cause? How on earth do you figure that?
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
- tptacek 12y ago
  This was in 1999.
poulsbohemian 12y ago
My family came from Switzerland about 200 years ago, and our name is recognizably Swiss. I actually got my passport temporarily confiscated and went through an interrogation about 20 years ago (before 9/11/2001) because they didn't believe I was an American. The fact that I was speaking to them in German was used as evidence against me - because how on earth would an American know German? I giggle at the idea that my ancestral home interrogated me, but the border guards when I went to scary communist China or muslim Turkey barely opened the cover of my passport before they passed me through. But really the worst I've ever been treated was coming back into the US from Canada...

anigbrowl 12y ago

People here in the US are always astonished when I point out that many European police officers don't carry any weapons, eg the typical UK or Irish police officer just carries a baton. Of course guns are available they're not regarded as an everyday necessity. I grew up with the concept that police officers were there as much to help people find their way around as to deal with crime.

tptacek 12y ago
On the other hand, the police in Italy openly carry submachine guns. I think there's a lot of post-hoc fallacy in comparisons between US and EU policing. There's certainly a problem in the US, but it's probably nowhere near as simple as "US police carry guns".