Gecko123

All I can say is thank God you're not in charge of foreign policy for the West. I can tell you think you're some sort of think tank geopolitical strategist worthy of employment at the Heritage Foundation, but your counter-arguments have more in common with Alfred E. Newman than they do with Henry Kissinger. Your 24/7 spewing of rhetoric on this forum makes me highly suspicious that you are secretly a paid propagandist on God-knows-who's payroll. You are discounting the possibility that Russia would likely have allies (North Korea, China, Iran), and that Russia's geographic mass (as Hitler discovered) can serve as a military advantage as well. If you look at Russia's efforts to undermine Western democracies and what they are doing to undermine Western influence around the world but especially in the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel region, it's obvious that Russia has designs on Western Europe and it's foolhardy and disingenuous to pretend that NATO solidarity isn't important because of perceived limits to Russia's military capabilities.

What I find even more astounding is the number of European forum members who so vocally support Trump. Obviously the attraction is to Trump's nativist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. But that they can so blithely ignore his autocratic tendencies, his ambivalent attitude towards NATO, and his admiration for Putin is simply unbelievable. Have they ever stopped to consider who would come to Europe's rescue were Putin to continue his westward incursions beyond Ukraine? Do they not realize that had it not been for America's efforts during WWII, most of them would probably be speaking either German or Russian today? The sad lack of historical perspective is both shocking and saddening.

Michelle Obama perfectly articulates the case in favor of Kamala Harris and against Donald Trump in this speech delivered today in Kalamazoo, MI. Given that Kalamazoo is located in a pretty rural part of Michigan, the enthusiasm levels of the rally crowd should give Trump supporters pause, i.e., send a chill up their spines.

This tepid editorial response by corporate media isn't being done out of a lack of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris. It's being done out of a fear of retribution in the event Trump reclaims the White House. Not only are they afraid of retribution directed at their media interests, but retaliation directed at their other corporate interests as well. Consider how tax, anti-trust law, legal harassment, etc. could be used to punish media and corporate interests by a rogue, unchecked commander in chief. Unlike so many Trump supporters on this forum, these media barons are well-aware of how Hitler cracked down on the media after he attained the Chancellorship in 1933. The thuggery of the SA and SS which Hitler used to accomplish this is the only component which is presently missing, but imagine an environment when the now incarcerated leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are pardoned by Trump, and his no-longer-independent Justice department turns a blind eye towards political street thuggery. As I have said many times on this forum in the past, Trump supporters are going to pay dearly for their blinding ignorance of history.

No, I mean that they will assess the character and capabilities of both candidates, as well as their commitment to democratic ideals and institutions, the constitution, and the truth, and which candidate will work towards unifying the American people rather than dividing them along racial and socio-economic lines.

A lot of talk about the "shy" Trump voter, who won't admit that they plan to secretly vote for Trump, but what about the "shy" Republican voters who detest Trump and fully plan to vote for Harris/Walz, but don't want to broadcast it because they feel they are being disloyal to the Republican Party. You think all the Bush, McCain, Nicky Haley, Liz Cheney non-Maga Republicans still registered as Republicans are going to lock-step vote for Trump? Granted it's just anecdotal evidence, but listen to some of these exit polling comments from Republicans cited in this clip. My gut is telling me that the election is not as close as the polls are saying and Kamala Harris is going to win by a significant margin. I'm basing this on the higher Democratic enthusiasm levels when contrasted with their 2020 election enthusiasm levels. At any rate, I think most expats who are eligible to vote in the election have already cast their absentee ballots, so at this point all the foaming-at-the-mouth vitriol on this forum is probably just wasted breath. For the record, I have already voted, and my ballot has been received and counted, and I have confidence that the American people know the importance of this election, and will make the right choice.

I have had a tookay not far from my bedroom windows for several years now. Shortly after I turn off my bed table lamp, it lets out a croak, as if to wish me a good night's sleep. It does the same whenever I make a noise at night, including muttering to myself or farting. Helps me to fall back to sleep. When it croaks after I fart, I sometimes wonder if it is mimicking me.

Reminds me of an old joke.... Wife takes her husband to the doctor because he is constantly passing gas. While in the examination room, the husband passes gas a few times, and the wife says to the doctor, "see, now you understand the nature of the problem perfectly." Then she adds: "I only thank God that his farts don't smell. Isn't there anything you can do doctor???" The doctor gives her a long look and says, "Well, first thing I think we should do is have your sense of smell checked."

You, sir, are a terrible judge of character.

Are you aware that Polymarket has confirmed that these pro-Trump betting averages may have been heavily skewed by a "Frenchman" who bet $30 MM in four separate bets that Trump will win the election, that betting transactions on this website are strictly in Bitcoin, and it is, at least technically, not open to US citizens? https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/24/polymarket-trump-french-election-bet.html In addition, there appears to be some evidence, that the polling averages are being skewed by Trump-friendly pollsters who are generating poll results which make it appear that the race is much tighter than it is. The below clip, regardless of what side of the fence you're on, sheds some interesting light on the subject of "bad" poll data generated for political purposes. Go to the 12:20 minute mark in the below clip. What makes this much more sinister in the case of Trump generated polls, is that this doesn't seem to be being done simply to generate voter enthusiasm or to keep morale up, but also seems to be being done in order to lay the groundwork for claims that the "election was stolen," i.e., "how could we have lost the election? All the betting markets and polls were saying we won?" Reading some of the "Trump's going to win by a landslide" comments on these threads from the MAGA cult faithful, it needs to be pointed out that the message on the Harris/Walz media sphere side is much more "this is a tight race, but we're cautiously optimistic."

drivel. dribble is something you do with a basketball.

Just while we're on the subject of cultural nuances... On a couple of occasions, I have asked a vendor whether I might have given them a larger bill than they gave me change for. Mind you, I merely asked, uncertain whether the correct change had been given or not, and certainly didn't expressly accuse anyone of shortchanging me. On both occasions, my inquiries were met with absolutely explosive indignation with the vendor broadcasting her outrage to everyone in earshot. On one occasion, having a way to reconcile my expenditures once I got home, I realized that I was mistaken, and I went back the next week and profusely apologized to the vendor. Suffice it to say, that the vendor did not take my apologies very graciously, and one week later was still was acting like I was some sort of a flimflam artist, even though I was a longtime and good customer. I know in the village I live in, if someone accused someone of stealing money like in the article, a lot of people (especially women) would be down at the police station filing defamation complaints, and demanding compensation for their damaged reputations and public apologies.

Calculus is constantly changing. Used to be a number of posters on the forum bragging about how they had the best of both worlds living in Florida. Post hurricanes Ian, Michael and Helene we don't hear too much out of them anymore. Cost of living, climate change, attitudes towards immigrants, social climate, housing cost and availability, and immigration rules can ruin the attractiveness of a destination overnight. You can pour over u-tube videos and top 10 places to retire websites until the end of time, and a bingo moment never seems to arrive. Thailand offers a tolerant and relatively welcoming social climate at a more than reasonable cost which in today's world is nothing to sneeze at.

The absolutely appalling disregard for life safety which the company has displayed demands that the most severe criminal negligence penalties be imposed on those responsible.

The true heart and soul of Jack Smith's filing is Section 3 which begins on page 88 in which he argues that none of the allegations or evidence Is protected by Presidential Immunity. He writes: "At its core, the defendant's scheme was a private one; he extensively used private actors and his Campaign infrastructure to attempt to overturn the election results and operated in a private capacity as a candidate for office. To the limited extent that the superseding indictment and proffered evidence reflect official conduct, however, the Government can rebut the presumption of immunity because relying on that conduct in this prosecution will not pose a danger of intrusion on the authority or functions of the Executive Branch." The masterful arguments he goes on to present in support of the above assertions are truly compelling, and I predict that they will prevail, even if and when they are revisited by the Supreme Court.

Let's get something out of the way first: don't ever tell me I need to be quiet again. Your posts have a thuggish, loud-mouthed, and condescending tone which in all likelihood explains your poor community rating. I suggest you work on this going forward. Talk about drivel. What do any of the above factoids have to do with racial attitudes by Thais towards Indians and Middle-Eastern tourists? Answer: absolutely nothing. If anything, you make the case for how well these communities are integrated into Thai culture. You tell me I need to shut up, and then proceed to pompously "school" me about the cultural and religious ties between India and Thailand? Indo-China. Hello? Thanks for the elementary school geography lesson and for sharing your profound insights on how Buddhism spread from India to Thailand. You're the one who needs to give me a break. I do not believe there are these smoldering animosities between the Indian community and Thais, and all of the examples you cited above about their integration into the Thai business community only serve to support this contention. I never said that all racial or cultural tensions between Thais and Indian and Middle-Eastern tourists in red-light districts could be traced solely back to the white ex-pat community. In fact, I acknowledged that to a certain degree these tensions probably do exist. I said however that these tensions might have to more with them being less affluent, holding less promise of a better life back in India, and being less susceptible to manipulation than a fresh-off-the-boat tourist from the West than it has anything to do with personal hygiene or fear of being gang-raped after being lured back to the hotel. And let's not forget the white ex-pat community's reputation in these areas isn't exactly pristine, now is it? And while we're on the subject of body hygiene, from what I've seen, most of those Indian and Middle-Eastern men are younger and more physically fit and probably more enjoyable in the sack from the standpoint of a working girl than someone with a huge beer belly, toe fungus, and a mouth full of rotting teeth. Can I get an Amen from my brothers in Mumbai? All I was saying is that in my close to 40 years of coming to Thailand, I have observed a great deal of prejudice directed at the Indian and Middle-Eastern communities from the English speaking community and in my opinion, the inculcation and reinforcing of these racial attitudes have at the very least helped legitimize, normalize, and in some cases may have helped create a climate where mistreatment of these tourist groups is subtly more tolerated and condoned than it would otherwise be. Over the years, I have also seen multiple examples of white expats indoctrinating and encouraging their Thai girlfriends and wives and other acquaintances to share their racial prejudices towards other racial groups, whether you're talking about Indians, Middle-Eastern, Chinese, Africans or sharing their resents about being displaced back home and how demographic changes make it unlikely they will ever return home again. When I cited the level of racism you encounter on line on forums such as this one, it wasn't to suggest that Thais are reading Aseannow. I cited this as a stand-in barometer for the racial attitudes towards Indians and Middle-Easterners in red-light expat dense communities such as Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, etc. Do you really think that someone bashing Indians or Middle-Easterners or Africans every time one of them commits a misdeed on line isn't doing the same thing over the dinner table when they're talking to their wife or girlfriend? What I found most ironic and REVEALING is that the same people on this thread who have been most triggered by my comments are (with perhaps one or two exceptions) the very same people who on a regular basis make derogatory comments on this forum about racial minorities, bleat on about the great replacement theory, love Donald Trump, hate BLM, squawk on and on about woke-ism and political correctness, etc. It's like they are desperate to believe that Thais are as racist, if not more so, as they are in order to validate their beliefs and absolve themselves of any responsibility for the role they play in promulgating these prejudices and beliefs.

This song came out when I was just on the cusp of puberty, when romantic and sexual feelings were still inchoate. It seemed to warn about the complexities of romantic relationships, something which I was of course clueless about at the time, and in many ways still am. Brings back many nostalgic memories of childhood innocence.

I think you're in denial. I think you know there's a lot of racism in the expat community, and that there's a lot of truth in what I wrote, but people are trying to fob it off as just long established racial biases held by Thais which have nothing to do with racial attitudes promulgated by Western men. The reason this is particularly amplified in red-light districts is because Western men are very territorial about their sexual playgrounds. Seeing racial minorities indulging in sexual activities alongside them diminishes their sense of sexual conquest, and, historically, white men have felt entitled to dictate who gets to indulge in the sexual pleasures of the women they are indulging in sexual pleasure with. I think over the years a lot of this has become engrained in the red light culture here, as evidenced by the segregation in these establishments. I'm not saying there's racial apartheid here, but there are places which cater to white Westerners, while others cater to middle Easterners, and still others to Indian tourists. Trying to claim Thai racial attitudes are strictly homegrown which have developed over the millennia and to claim that Westerners have absolutely nothing to do with their evolution, is the same as trying to claim that Thailand's prostitution is strictly a homegrown cultural phenomenon which foreign sex tourism has played no part in helping to shape. I don't think there's any question that Western men have played a role in "signal boosting" and reinforcing negative attitudes towards racial minorities amongst Thais, and to claim otherwise is to be less than honest about the part we play. Just look at the racial biases expressed on this forum whenever Indians, Middle-Easterners, Africans or virtually any racial minority is mentioned. @theblether

No and no.

A second attempt puts both candidates at an elevated risk for political violence, which is extremely worrisome from the standpoint of political stability, no matter which party you support.

Perhaps I misunderstood. You came across to me like you were some sort of an expert on Thai attitudes towards Indians. Now you're telling me you only speak "some" Thai, and lack the language skills to have much of a meaningful conversation beyond how spicy do you like your food. Let's not bore readers of this thread any further with our little spat. They seem to be most interested in discussing ladyboys anyway. Hey, before I let you go, thanks to you, I registered on ThaiFriendly half an hour ago for the first time just to see if I was missing anything. My reaction? Yikes! Think I'll take a pass, but thanks for the suggestion.

I think you're making my point that Caucasian men's racial and ethnic prejudices have to a significant degree played a role in inculcating these same prejudices in Thais. The mechanism for this was spelled out in an earlier post. There's no way these biases are as entrenched in the general population as they are in sex tourism centers like Pattaya and Phuket. Here you are legitimizing these prejudices based on anecdotal accounts and hackneyed clichés about body odor, call center scams, 3 way sex negotiations, three straws in a can of pop. You seem to have some very outspoken opinions on this subject, and I can't help but wonder if you have ever voiced these opinions to any of your Thaifriendly "dates."

1. I have never noticed the Indian body odor of which you speak. Ever. 2. I cannot recall reading on this forum about an Indian scam call center being busted in Pattaya. Can anyone? 3. As I said earlier, I think part of the reason why you see Indian men down on Beach Road is not because they are cheap charlies trying to negotiate a gang bang at a discount but because they have been made to feel unwelcome at many of the bar beer establishments, not because they have poor personal hygiene or they are cheapskates. When you see photos and videos of Indian crime victims in Pattaya, most of them appear to enjoy middle class status.

That's a valid point, and cultural differences in the approach to engaging a prostitute probably do play a role.

Not sure if I agree with that assessment. Thirty-forty years ago I would say Thailand seemed to have a childlike naivety about racial differences. You don't think some of the racial animus voiced quite often on this forum has bled through to the local population? A British bar owner (just as an example) explaining to the mama san that 'this is a British bar, most of our customers are British, our customers don't like it when racial minorities come into the bar, so please tell the girls to discourage their patronage.' plays a role? That over time, an attitude that mistreatment of these groups is more likely to be tolerated because many bar owners and clientele are hostile to these groups? I think I've seen that this goes on, and I would also point out that many of those bars are largely racially segregated, meaning they cater exclusively to a given racial clientele. The other factor which might explain these incidents involving racial minorities is that because of the cold reception they often receive in some of the bars, they end up down on Beach Rd where there are more scammers, more people with drug problems, criminal histories, etc. The point I'm really trying to make is that I don't think people should necessarily draw the conclusion that incidents involving racial minority tourists necessarily means those racial minorities are misbehaving and must have done something to instigate the incident. I think we might be in agreement that bias towards racial minorities, setting aside for the moment the question about the root cause, may help explain some of these incidents.