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This agreement was signed by which parties? The US and the Taliban? The US, Taliban, and the Afghan Government which was still in power? I do not ever recall hearing about such a deadline. Also, did this mean the US would not even have an embassy in Kabul? In essence the plan all along was to cutoff all diplomatic relations with Afghanistan?

Who at the Pentagon has publicly blamed the Tramp Administration?

At the time the Taliban was not in power. The Afghan Government was still in power until President Ashraf Ghani did a runner to Dubai. Then all hell broke loose. No one have ever stated a date for the the complete withdrawal of all US Military Personnel. Also, the plan was still to 1) Keep the US Embassy open, 2) Maintain small military force for training, advisory and force protection of the US Embassy and diplomats. But none of this happened. Also, “withdrawal” of all US Personnel and the closure of the Embassy? ”the devil is in the details”?

I would disagree. I have spent time in the following parts of A-Stan: 1) Kabul 2) Bagram,3) Kandahar 4) Gardez 5) Herat 6) Jalabad. Bagram Air Base which at one time had the busiest runway in the world had started retrograde (tearing things down) at least 2 years before Joe Biden came into office. The process of retrograding or withdrawal was in process. It was like most things in the military, slow and at times bureaucratic. For some unknown reason those in the Biden Administration(DOD, DOS and the White House) decided a rapid “Get the hell out” had to be executed before Sep 11, 2021`. Was the 20 year anniversary of 9-11 a factor in the rapid withdrawal? I do not not know the answer to this question because no one with integrity or courage has stated so in public. So why was there such an urgent need to be out and turn out the lights? This question will never be answered because it would take a persons with integrity and courage to answer it. I do not see anyone that fits that description at the Pentagon or the White House. If Gen Miley had advised Biden that this withdraw idea was a good plan and needed to be executed by September 2021 then I can’t put the entire blame on him. If Biden actually took the advice of his military leaders then shame on General Miley and his staff of useless officers who only care about their next promotion and careers.

I knew two men who did not come from Herat and Jalabad. The blame game is not important but accountability is. So far not a single senior military officer has been fired or forced into early retirement. The fact that Gen Miley is still the chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff is in a word disgusting for all us who served in Afghanistan. This includes myself. If Joe wants to blame anyone else he can go back as far 2006 because back then Bush was spending 4 Billion a month in Iraq and 1 Billion a month in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was never a top priority for the Department of Defense or the single most useless governmental agency in modern times: The State Department.

The USD will collapse when the $100 dollar bill is no longer the means to complete other than the legal transactions. I have seen the $100 dollar in some of the most remote places in the world.

False Equivocation? So since Colin Powell and George Bush lied to justify the Iraq War then all Americans are liars? Not a fan of Russians but they are not all the same. Yes I am American and i have encountered people who do not like me because of my nationality. This stereotyping happens to just about everyone.

I no longer ask Why when it comes to anything related to Thai People or Thai Businesses. I just wonder it other Thai. Bank apps have this issue or just Bangkok Bank?

I just got off the phone with Bangkok Bank. The solution for me on my Samsung Phone was to turn off the Norton Anti-Virus app on my phone. So from now on in order to access the Bangkok Bank app on my phone I have first turn off the anti-virus app, access my account on the app, turn the anti-virus app back on. TIT and just another day in LOS.

Do you have Hotspot or tethering option on your package?

In the US I used to go to jail at least 3 to 5 times a week. I was the one taking people to jail. The scariest prison I saw was Poli Charlki Prision just outside of Kabul. Of course every inmate in there is now free and probably has a government job.

Departed BKK in late Jan 2023 on an international flight on ANA. Arrived at the airport at 0420 and checkin was complete at 0600. Got through security and immigration by 0620. Got to the gate at 0630 and boarding had already started. Got my re-entry permit at Immigration two weeks before. It was very crowded at BKK on that morning and things were moving very slowly. Maybe it is different now but I would get the reentry permit before going to the airport. This is just my opinion.

The negative consequences of this will not be realized for years. This is because when children are exposed this horrible air their underdeveloped lungs and respiratory system cannot handle it. Cases of asthma for young people could spike in the coming years. Inhalers will be high demand. Is the Ministry of Health planning for this?

As far as I know this is the first time that a suspect in a mass shooting has been identified as a Transgender Female. All mass shootings tragic but this time the suspect does not fit the typical profile a mass shooter.

Smiles are hit and miss. I seem to notice that some in the service industry are less patient than in the past. Today as I was taking the groceries from the shopping cart to the conveyer belt the cashier said “member card, member card”. I thought does she not see my hands are busy pulling items onto the conveyer belt? So I did the passive response by putting items on the belt even slower. I then slowly pulled out my member card and she scanned it. She definitely was not smiling and looked angry at me. The other time I had to pull the “slow boat” response was at BKK. At the checkin counter as I was putting my 22kg suitcase onto the scale I heard the word “passport” at least 3 times. I thought does she see me pulling the heavy suitcase onto the scale so it could be weighed? After I had slowly put the suitcase onto the scale I then slowly pulled out my passport, slowly opened it to he data page and gently placed it onto to the counter. She completed the checkin, handed me the boarding pass without saying a word to me. These are recent events and I have definitely noticed a change for the worse in the attitudes of service workers. Who knows this could be a global thing but Thailand has marketed itself as the “Land of Smiles” and lately no so much. As they say “it is what it is”. Of course I could be wrong and it has been like this for years and I did not notice until now. In the end I just need to complete the transaction and a smile is not necessary so Thai Tourism might consider another slogan. Possibly “The cheapest holiday you can find on earth”.

What happened to the Rwanda plan?

This is what has me thinking twice before I book a flight on PAL from BKK to LAX. PAL has the lowest airfares but the thought of connecting at NAIA seems a little sketchy. Has onyone recently connected at NAIA?

When I go back to Los Angeles I rent from either Hertz or Enterprise. I have been doing this twice a year and this is what I do. I never purchase Supplemental Insurance from the rental companies. 1) Purchase a separate rental or it also commonly called Non Owner Insurance. I get mine from USAA because I have been with them for 35 years. The premium for this type is generally very low. 2) Check under the benefits section of the credit card you use to book the rental and see if you have LDW(loss Damage Waiver) coverage. My credit cards have LDW for up to 31 days when I rent a vehicle. A word caution on LDW is that it probably does not offer liability coverage in case of an accident if you are at fault. My Non Owner Insurance policy provides liability coverage.

I did not "stick" around. This was just my observation and of course I could wrong. Yes it is just speculation and you speculation about my "sticking" was wrong as well. I just had a brief chat with the Filipinos workers because i too had worked in Kuwait in the past and knew many Filipinos OFW during my time there.

Everything you said is true and will happen in the near future. A few months ago I was in Singapore and was in line to exchange money. The Chinese lady in front of me had a stack of Yuan. The clerk at the exchange counter was not happy to accept all these Yuan. My turn came up and I handed the clerk two $100 dollar bills and she smiled and handed me SIN Dollars. Of course this is just my experiences but there were an also group of Filipino men who were in transit to Manila from Kuwait and they also handed over $100 dollar bills. The clerk was now very happy. So the American Dollar, especially the $100 dollar bill, appears to be still the king. It has not been replaced. At least not yet. About 15 years ago while I was working in Afghanistan and a local kid came up to me and asked “mister you want drink?” I said yes and he showed me two bottles of Grey Goose Vodka. I thought I would never see Grey Goose in the hinterlands of Jalabad but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I offered him two $100 dollars bills and he said ok. As he was putting the money away I noticed he had a large stack of $100 dollar bills. I have been to some off the beaten path places in the world and I have seen many different kinds of people(yes some were probably criminals) with $100 dollar bills. The American $100 dollar bill has had a great run as the de facto global currency but it will probably come to an end sooner and not later. But i do not see the Yuan replacing the dollar anytime soon. The Euro has a better chance than the Yuan will ever have being the new global currency.

I guess 1900 Baht 4x a year is cheaper than leaving the country 4x a year.

So it’s actually 30 years and must leave the country every 90 days. Well I am still planning on the 5 Elite for 600,000. I am certain I will not live another 30 years and I normally leave Thailand 2 to 3 Times a year.

So a "lifetime" membership but 90 days at a time? So one has to leave the country every 89 days? Even someone like me who likes to travel would not find this aspect attractive.

Certainly none of these places are what many called “paradise” but I have learned to always have a backup plan and a backup location. In my case the main concern about life back in the US is the cost of health care and health insurance premiums(I dread the possibility of paying almost $800 per month for health insurance). I prefer San Antonio because of my time in the USAF where I was stationed in Del Rio TX. Del Rio certainly is a place I would prefer to forget.