"He's an ess oh bee, but he's OUR S.O.B."

[Boojatta]

The thing about that cold-war attitude is that a dictator client of the USSR was typically actually implementing some soviet-style policies. Why should America give benefits to one-party states without any strings attached? Should the principle of self-determination of nation-states be taken to mean "the nation-state is the one and only legal political party"? That sounds like a minor variation of "the state is me", famously asserted by a French aristocrat.

Typically, if a government either is designated as meriting most favored nation status for trade, or receives a stream of money paid by American taxpayers, then can we be confident that it's a government that at least...

doesn't abridge the freedom of speech of its citizens, doesn't interfere with the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and doesn't prevent or punish the petitioning by citizens to their government for a redress of grievances?

[MineralMan]

1. No. That has never been the case. It should be, but it isn't.

[Boojatta]

2. Kick

[Boojatta]

3. Kick

[Boojatta]

4. Kick

[Boojatta]

5. Kick

[Boojatta]

6. Kick

[Boojatta]

7. Kick

[Boojatta]

8. Kick

[Boojatta]

9. Kick

[Boojatta]

10. Kick

[RandomThoughts]

11. Redefining Bee there heh,

What an ass.

[Boojatta]

12. How about "oh"? I was trying something like phonetic spelling.

[RandomThoughts]

13. The ass part was a joke.

A play on the many meanings of that word :)