You’re talking about a criminal case, what does a month do for you? At every turn, Trump has consistently tried to delay the process. It has nothing to do with the DOJ or AG, they are working the system to intentionally delay everything until now. Why proceed either, he’s going to be president in two months.

You see, it’s just a coincidence that he is running against someone who is black and Indian and he just happened to pick the two most racist and stereotypical dishes associated with each.

Buried lead:

It’s LEDE, not lead.

It took me 40+ years to learn this, just passing it along.

No, not even a little bit. There is a difference between being an asshole and committing a hate crime.

I’m not sure there is a difference with this law.

Hate crime laws, when properly crafted and enforced, are an important component of a functional society.

I’m not sure that’s true. Freedom of speech is an important component, and sometimes that means tolerating distasteful speech.

They can act as a deterrent, but they are also a way for those materially harmed by a hate crime to get justice.

What constitutes harm though? The UK tends to include offense (or offence) as a harm.

Free speech is never a universal right, anywhere in the world. There are always legitimate restrictions to ensure the public’s overall health and safety.

Absolutely, but being offended by a bigot probably shouldn’t be criminal without some component of advocacy for violence.

A person commits an offence if they communicate material, or behave in a manner, “that a reasonable person would consider to be threatening or abusive,” with the intention of stirring up hatred based on protected characteristics.

Think of a dish made by a world class chef, that food is probably exquisitely crafted using unique and fresh ingredients. There probably aren’t that many people out there who truly appreciate it, and probably a lot who just think it’s weird.

Now think of pizza. It’s relatively cheap and broadly appealing. It wouldn’t be put in the same class as the food prepared by the chef, but a lot more of it gets consumed.

Taylor Swift is talented, pretty, affable, has a superior work ethic, and makes music that’s catchy and easily digestible. Like pizza, her music appeals to the broadest group of people.

What are you talking about? It’s the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea… democracy is right there in the name! /s

Yes, literally everything is easier to say than to do, but that’s also the point. This is an expression that’s used when someone makes a declaration that they’re going to undertake some task. The expression is meant to convey disbelief that the declarant will follow through and actually perform the task.

Counterarguments to “cogito” have been made that remove the “I”, stating that you only know that thought is occurring, but not that you’re doing it. But I have no issue with cogito, but it is an obvious presupposition that others exist or reality exist. The problem of solipsism cannot be solved. But they are assumptions we all make, otherwise we can do nothing. No steps can be taken before we agree that reality is real.

However, from there, I suggest you warm to the notion of “I don’t know”. You’ve somehow decided that reality is made of sine waves, but seemingly without any basis for such a belief. It’s clear that you some wild ideas about the nature of reality, and you may even believe them…but you didn’t give any evidence why that is the case. Have you measured these waves? Can they be detected? From where do they originate? Where do they terminate? How did they begin, how do they perpetuate? These should be a fairly simple questions for a phenomenon that you have sufficient evidence to believe.

As empty as the basis for waves was, your discussion of cosmic consciousness was even less clear. I don’t even understand what you believe, let alone why.

I’m open-minded, I happily heard you out, but at the end of the day it’s the same as every other pseudoscience woo belief. You’re, seemingly, so uncomfortable with not knowing the answers that you’re willing to make up answers. But you don’t have sufficient evidence to believe it, to accept it as true or likely true.

Ready? I’ll help you out. Why is there something rather than nothing? I don’t know. What came before the rapid expansion we call the big bang? I don’t know. If space and time came into existence at that moment, does before even make sense? I don’t know. Does material reality exist? I don’t know, but I think so because every bit of evidence I have indicates that it does, and I have no evidence to the contrary. Are the laws of logic absolutely inviolable? I don’t know for sure, but I think so, again all evidence points to yes, and to demonstrate they are not true, you’d likely have to use the laws of logic to disprove the laws of logic.

It’s been interesting, but also frustrating. Have a good day.

I will believe anything that has sufficient evidence to believe it is true or likely true. I am skeptical of your claim, but not closed minded.

You believe that this is true, why do you believe it?

If I don’t have any reason to believe it, or in other words, I’ve seen no evidence that leads me to believe it is true, how could I tell you what would prove it? It just seems like you’re trying to shift the burden of proof to me, but you’re the one claiming it is true.

If consciousness is the basis of the universe, I would ask you to demonstrate it.

Personally, the only consciousness I’m aware of comes from living, corporeal beings. Science’s best understanding tells me that the universe existed for 10 billion years before the Earth. And the Earth is the only place that I’m aware of consciousness existing. Therefore, in my understanding, consciousness could not possibly be the basis of the universe.

Everything you’ve said sounds like spiritual and religious woo. No thanks, I prefer reality.

What is spiritual ignorance and spiritual corruption? They just sound like meaningless nonsense phrases meant to point to an ethereal, nebulous common link that you assume exists but can’t identify.

Except that the money flowing to the top 1% are the result of politics. The tax cuts which funnel money out of the public coffers and into billionaires’ pockets also require cuts to services, like education. Polarization is what’s required to motivate voters to continue to vote against their own interests. They’re very much connected.