DocN

Europeans and Americans have very different views on guns in society.

Americans believe firearms are necessary to protect oneself against any agressor. Americans don't care to become a victim.

How would you protect yourself if the next Charles Manson and gang come to your home? If you don't have superior firepower you will be overtaken, or worse.

What group was unharmed during the L.A. riots ? It was those Koreans in Koreatown. They patrolled the tops of the buildings with AK-47s and no riot spread to their neighborhood because everyone knew they were armed to the hilt.

Americans cannot agree with sitting and waiting to be shot by someone who takes over a building or tries to enter your home. Americans will take up arms and fight.

If more responsible adults had a concealed weapon permit we would stop more assauts before they occur.

A criminal does not need a gun to kill. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. And there will always be outlaws.

Lets's see: I wasn't there, when the Manson- gang went on a killing spree...but I think it is a save guess, it didn't happen like this:

"Good evening, ma'am...my name is Charles Manson and this is my gang. Would you mind us, coming inside have some alcohol and drugs and sex and little satan- worshipping...and after that...may we kill you?" And Sharon Tate went to look for here gun, but unfortunately she forgot to buy one earlier...and the rest is history!

And this is where the whole "waht would you do, if you wake up at night and there is a killer in your house"- thing blows up!

"Dear Mr. Killer /Rapist/ black drug-gang ...can you please wait until I get my gun, load it and take aim at you?"

When I sleep, my gun in under my pillow, it is loaded and it is cocked and locked.

When I am out and about, my gun is in my belly pouch, it is loaded and it is cocked and locked.

There is no point in owning a gun, for self-defence, if it isn't loaded and within your reach.

Let's just hope, your judgement is always good, no one ever comes to your house, when you are drowsy from sleeping or having a drink...otherwise, we may have a good chance to read about you in this very forum!

So he was fighting with her over custody...and like in every other civilized countries...he took a gun and shot 5 people.

First: RIP the victims...

...and now: I guess, he was one of those evil gangsters, we hear so much about, that a good American family could easily fight off, with a cabinet full of fire- arms?!

Or was he send by President Obama, to take some civil rights away?

Anyways: people need more guns!

signs and wonders

Poor (literally) woman.

I am just waiting for the "this happens everywhere"- guys to crawl out of the woodworks!

No it very well doesn't!

You need to be in a position of power.

You must have no respect for women.

You must have no respect for LAOTIAN women.

...and for all the above reasons feel "untouchable".

I guess, he doesn't even know, what all the fuss is about!

Despicable!

it does happen everywhere, remember oliver straus kahn

Domenique...and as far as I recall, he was no police- officer...

So, okay...first of all: is that really a thing to criticize? Developement as in "jobs", "income", "money" and keeping the place nice and tidy and a sight to see?

Second: I have been to Angkor and I can only tip my hat to the Cambodians. This area is clean, there are signs that tell you where you have to go...and still, the whole area makes a very "natural" impression.

Now take Ayuttaya...basically not nice at all....

So honestly: if I would favor a nation to "develope" the place, it would be Cambodia!

I didn't know, where to put this: "street" or "food"...

Plastic bags are an issue when littering. I really do not understand why this "war on shopping plastic bags" by some of you which are very useful to me as bin liners.

Sorry guys but where do you all collect your rubbish in your room/house/apartment ? Or am I missing something here ??

Goin to Tesco for weekly shopping leaves you with approx. 32 plastic bags in 1 month.

I don't know, how much garbage you produce, but...

I like Silly Fools, Klear, Da Endorphine, some Hangman, a little Bodyslam, a bit of Clash...some really good bands out there!

I have nothing more to say!

You would apologize for every piece of crap in this country, as long as you are not personally affected.

There is nothing illegal about a policeman, publishing pictures of suspects on facebook!

Aha!

Just a bit of creative law- enforcement, isn't it!?

Thank you and goodnight!

I am not sure how reporting the arrest of somebody in the media (Facebook) could be illegal. Also not sure why it matter that it is posted on Facebook as opposed to a Newspaper or Twitter or other form of mass communication. In some more modern countries you lose your license if you get arrested for Drunk Driving even before you are convicted and in many places get your car impounded ... this would seem illegal as your being punished without conviction but reporting on an arrest doesn't really seem illegal regardless of where the news is being published. The have TV shows such as cops showing people getting arrested and various internet sites showing mug shots of non-convicted people.

As for being an effective tool to discourage drunk driving, I'm guessing it must help but just not sure it is appropriate but I have never had a family member killed or crippled by a drunk driver and bet most who have would think this an appropriate deterrent.

Here is a little help, why I think it makes a hell of a difference;

one side: media, often pixelating faces, reporting on news.

the other side: a rouge deputy- chief, posting pictures on Facebook.

Get it?

I don't get your point at all since I am not aware of newspapers pixelating pictures of people arrested (except in rare circumstances such as being underage) and the information the newspapers get about the person arrested is generally from the police. Nor would I get too worried about somebody having a Facebook account who already has a hell of a lot of of power and legally carries a gun and can take away your freedoms --- especially when every posts on Facebook can be tracked.

Let me just put it simple, okay?!

You see no difference between a reporter of a newspaper, issuing a story about a crime/ alleged crime and a police- officer, who takes the law into his own hand and issuing pictures of alleged lawbreakers on his Facebook- page?

And it is okay for you, that the sentence (if any) of these alleged criminals says nothing about having their picture published by said officeron a social- network?!

That is totally fine with you?

Nisa...I could tell you what you are, but I like posting here too much!

Very poor reporting - doesn't take into account the French invasion, or French subterfuge with the treaty of 1909.

The biggest problem is that the ICJ is a European court which will find in favor of whaever the French thought reasonable.

End result - Once again Thailand is cheated by Europeans.

Seems it is not that great, they never have been "occupied" or "colonized"....except for the Khmer, the Burmese, the Japanese....

This is a true democracy, don't pretend our beloved west is any different. It's just in Thailand they are less intelligent at lying.

Examples to back up your claim please.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_films

Not so difficult, huh?

Did you even read that list? If so I can only find it comical that you present that as supportive of the premise - were you joking, perchance?

I also must have missed the memo, that said Argentina, Nigeria, China, Buthan and Nazi- Germany joined "our beloved West"...

And because they are so proud and Thai- movies are so great, they just banned a documentary on the Thai/Cambodian- border conflict!

Way to go!

Nothing but hot air!

Sorry, but Thais never learn anything. They don't learn in classrooms, they learn nothing from repeated political violence and carnage, and they will never learn anything from road toll figures.

Nothing like damning a while nation with scorn and judgement !.... Are you sure 'They all' don't learn anything ?... My Wife learns, Oh, wrong thread for the 'she's different comment'...

Thailand is developing and as it develops issues such as road safety will improve. If we were to look back at our own history we can see the drink driving, seat belt and helmet laws all coming into effect and meeting resistance. Thai's are learning, they are probably learning at the same pace we did, but it takes a generation or two for it to really sink in as it did in the West.

i.e. I never had a child seat or rear seat belts in the 70's when I was a child. My father probably had a few glasses of wine when driving home from a friends after dinner etc... it was the norm, we were simply not as aware of safety back then as we are now.

In a few generations time (20 years perhaps) many of these issues will / might be nailed out if the government chooses to educate the public and correctly enforce regulations... change is slow but it will happen.

Thailand in many cases appears to be 30 years or so behind the West regarding many issues. Hopefully, while society develops it can also avoid many of the negative aspects we have pick up in the West (such as loss of community, riots, random violence, confrontationalsim etc)...

As true as this is (I guess, I grew up around the same era as you did), there is one difference though: here, almost everybody is on some kind of motored vehicle, from cars to scooters.

That just simply wasn't the way in the 70's ...at least not in Germany.

The likelihood of being in an accident was much smaller, simply because there were less cars...

I am not sure how reporting the arrest of somebody in the media (Facebook) could be illegal. Also not sure why it matter that it is posted on Facebook as opposed to a Newspaper or Twitter or other form of mass communication. In some more modern countries you lose your license if you get arrested for Drunk Driving even before you are convicted and in many places get your car impounded ... this would seem illegal as your being punished without conviction but reporting on an arrest doesn't really seem illegal regardless of where the news is being published. The have TV shows such as cops showing people getting arrested and various internet sites showing mug shots of non-convicted people.

As for being an effective tool to discourage drunk driving, I'm guessing it must help but just not sure it is appropriate but I have never had a family member killed or crippled by a drunk driver and bet most who have would think this an appropriate deterrent.

Here is a little help, why I think it makes a hell of a difference;

one side: media, often pixelating faces, reporting on news.

the other side: a rouge deputy- chief, posting pictures on Facebook.

Get it?

So let me get this straight...

Some of you are okay with this?

So...just imagine for one moment,it is the old country, you had a weak moment...had one or two to many and got in the car.

An officer stops you, you have your license taken away...you are in high- up position in your company...your boss sees you picture on facebook and tells you, you just lost your job, because your company can not afford to have someone "like you" in a position like this...

Yeah...putting people on Facebook...great idea!

That's where thinking before doing comes into play . . . actions have consequences . . . if you don't drink and drive, you won't have a problem. If you choose to break the law, and then get caught, you face the consequences, same as with everything here in the LoS.

Right, you face the consequences. That would be, having your license taken away, pay a hefty fine, go to jail...so where exactly does Facebook come in here?

So let me get this straight...

Some of you are okay with this?

So...just imagine for one moment,it is the old country, you had a weak moment...had one or two to many and got in the car.

An officer stops you, you have your license taken away...you are in high- up position in your company...your boss sees you picture on facebook and tells you, you just lost your job, because your company can not afford to have someone "like you" in a position like this...

Yeah...putting people on Facebook...great idea!

So what do you want:

- Drunk driver hits your car and kills your kids. But I guess your going to say 'never mind', because in a weak moment he/she had one or two too many, let's just forget it.

So what do you want?

What about "enforcing existing laws"?

^Neversure, very interesting and illuminating statistic. More importantly, Thailand has quite strict guns laws. I'd venture that the overwhelming majority of gun crimes in Thailand are committed using illegal weapons, though don't have the numbers to back it up.

Thailand has many laws. They are not enforced mostly!...as we ALL know...

Well DAL could not drive by this, without stopping..... Beer Depot, Tongsala KP.....

...so...there is a heaven?!