One of the advantages of a constitutional monarchy is that you get somebody who has been trained since birth for the job ... Pity Bush only got a fraction of the legacy!
Yep - tis true! I like the checks and balances of NOT having everyone elected though - if you do not have to worry all the time about popular opinion I think people are free to make better decisions. Not that the Queen actually has any decision making power, but the house of Lords in the UK used to be in this position (I think they are slowing being phased out unfortunately...)
The founders did not trust the common man. US Senators were elected by the State legislature, women could not vote, had to own land to vote, etc....
And Claire ex-ax, did you have actual examples of that list or were you just making a list? I don't doubt that there are actual examples, I just question your overly broad statement. You can't be arrested for wearing an anti-war t-shirt nor for carrying a sign. Something else was the reason for the arrest. You can travel across the USA, I have done it many times and personally know people who are doing it right now. All free speech isn't limited to certain zones, "unreasonable searches" is in the eye of the searchee, just as "cruel and unusual punshment" is in the eye of the punishee. Americans have a ton of access to due process/counsel/fair trial/public trial/impartial jury There are more lawyers per capita in the US than anywhere else).
No, not a good thing. I have a more "Shakespearan" attitude about lawyers.
Just pointing out that if there was no due process, counsel, trials, etc... there would not be as many lawyers.
Fair enough, but all of the developed democracies seem to me to have sufficient process. The problems arise from the laws which are enacted by some of the political leaders (for example the complete freedom to intercept any and all private communications without any judicial oversight whatsoever, as just enacted in the US).