Gecko123

I seriously doubt 7-11 clerks think regular customers are wealthy. The truly wealthy have someone do their shopping for them, and their personal assistants aren't running to 7-11. 7-11 isn't exactly a health food store either. They're probably thinking: him shop 7-11 too much, him die soon.

Suggesting a freebie is rarely well received.

That's because this forum is a refuge for the maladjusted.

You gotta study GoogleMaps to find these back roads. Telltale sign that there are few houses (and dogs) on the road is the absence of utility poles. There are several black top roads in my area which have 7 km + stretches without any houses, problem is there's still road traffic. I get up at 2:30 - 3:00 am in order to be able to safely let the dog off the leash. I can usually see cars coming from a kilometer away.

I live out in the countryside and while things are peaceful and generally relaxing, it is still hard to get away from it all and find true peace and quiet. I have recently been taking daily hikes with my new dog, and discovered two possibilities for getting away from it all. There are these temples which are like spiritual retreats, often manned by one or two caretaker monks, with very few visitors which provide a very spiritual and relaxing environment (once the dogs stop barking.) Some have interesting art work as well. In central Thailand there are these rocky hills and small mountains all over the place. The farmers till as far as they can up to the hills and then there's often an access road between the farm land and the mountain. It's very peaceful and quiet in these areas, and you can really get a sense of getting back to nature. Have met many interesting characters on these walks as well. "Buddy"

The points you and @Patong2021 are making about globalization of the supply chain and labor inputs are well taken, but the profits from the sale of the final product accrue to the US corporation.

I'm not buying your "what's the point, it's so interconnected, and its all gonna fizzle out shortly anyway" propagandistic rhetoric. It's undeniable that traumatized and alienated from the government consumers are spending less. The worldwide Tesla sales numbers speak for themselves, and other retailers are reporting a drop in sales as well. Your comments about Canadian consumers still buying American products and travelling to the US flies in the face of numerous news articles reporting that they are deeply upset and aggressively avoiding American products. According to my research, 82% of McDonald Corp's profits come from franchisee licensing fees, with the balance coming from rental income, and company owned outlets.

BTW, I am an American. I view resisting the Trump administration as an act of patriotism, much like the Indian boycotts against British colonial rule were acts of patriotism. I like the description of this grassroots movement as "shadowy," a movement without a figurehead which can be targeted, something you can't put a finger on. Amorphousness seems to be adding to the fear factor. Just ask Elon if you don't think that's true.

I was surprised by your comment which seemed to suggest that you think the motive behind a boycott of American goods is retaliation for the tariffs trump has imposed on various countries, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to clarify this. My motivation for advocating the boycott of American goods and services has little to do with retaliation for the tariffs Trump has imposed. In my view, the boycott is intended to: (1) economically punish the corporations which are explicitly or tacitly supporting the Trump regime, (2) economically punish the MAGA movement for supporting the Trump regime, and (3) protest against a wide range of right-wing social policies which I disagree with: lack of support to Ukraine, lack of support for NATO, hostility towards racial minorities, hostility towards women's rights, hostility towards the LBGTQ community, hostility towards climate and environment related issues, the undermining of democratic institutions (freedom of the press, independence of the Judiciary, independence of separate branches of government, disrespect for the Constitution), his horribly unqualified cabinet choices, the disrespect he has shown towards America's traditional allies, the blatant corruption and self-dealing, the support of Israel's genocide and crimes against humanity in Gaza, his regressive tax policies, etc. The list goes on and on... Against this litany of concerns, the tariffs, while I disagree with them as well, aren't high on my list of motivating issues. The boycott is intended to throw a monkey wrench into the economic machinery in order to thwart the direction which the government is headed, and to economically undermine Trump's base of support.

American products and services most vulnerable to consumer boycott: fast food restaurant chains, junk food brands, beverages, cars and trucks, car parts (i.e., tires), home appliances and electronics, cell phones, watches, hotel chains, airlines, social media, internet retailers, big box retailers, banks, American stocks, bonds, securities. Somewhat shielded from boycott out of necessity, but still vulnerable to consumers curtailing purchases: clothing and footwear manufacturers and retailers. Anyone who can help flesh out this list, is more than welcome to do so.

Trump has managed to single-handedly destroy American exceptionalism and goodwill towards America. Anyone thinking things will quickly get back to normal once things settle down is living in la-la land. Canada is not going to forget the disrespect it has been shown anytime soon. Europe has been completely traumatized by the suddenness of the withdrawal of support for Ukraine and NATO. The abrupt surge in defense spending this has necessitated is going to put further social strains on Western European economies. In giving Israel a carte blanche to commit genocide in the Gaza, Trump has engendered hatred for the US and support for terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East which will last for generations to come. The abrupt cancellation of third world humanitarian and health initiatives has done untold damage to America’s humanitarian image throughout the world. Did you know that Greenland has a more than an 80% indigenous population? What does Donald Trump’s attitude about annexing Greenland say about his respect for indigenous people around the world? And what about racial minorities and other minorities in the US? Trump and his right-wing judiciary and enablers in Congress have destroyed all sense of America being a land of opportunity or of being a melting pot where different cultures competed against one another in a dynamic environment. What is the common thread which will bind all of us together? The damage done to the American social fabric is enormous which will have a devastating affect on US productivity, not to mention the damage to social cohesion were we to ever face a common enemy, or the degradation to the social environment, (think no-go zones) that reduced social mobility will bring. No more D.E.I., no more affirmative action, no more equal opportunity in the workplace or in housing? No more investigations of right-wing militias, white nationalism in the military or police brutality? A DOJ and FBI only interested in protecting Trump and prosecuting his enemies? The harassment of non-compliant members of the judiciary, educational institutions, free speech, and the media ( just to name a few) has put a chill on America’s image as the land of liberty. It would not surprise me were Trump to tell France to come get their Statue of Liberty cause he didn’t want it any more anyway. The fallout from Trump’s second term is only beginning to be felt, the damage will be long-lasting, and in the end only incurable fools will be without terrible regrets.

Every time I see the word “lefties” used on this forum I picture an unshaven, bald-headed, pot-bellied 80 year old codger with a fag (cigarette) hanging out of his mouth. Use of this word makes the poster sound really old and brittle-brained, still clinging to a political paradigm formulated 60 years ago.

I see the resistance emerging as a grass-roots movement marked by consumer activism, street protests, and boycotts. With an enabling justice department and judiciary, Impeachment may be the only way to remove Trump from office, and the only issue which would cause Red state politicians to turn against Trump would be financial hardship in the form of weakness in the economy and weakening of the social safety net in Red states. I think it will be very important for it to be grass-roots and not have a single figurehead who can be targeted. I'm thinking of something along the lines of the economic pressure Mahatma Gandhi put on British colonialists.

The look Amy Coney Barrett gave Trump at the SOTU address gave me a glimmer of hope.

Bob, This suggestion is worthy of consideration.

The time to hit the streets is fast approaching. The people are the only thing which will stop the encroaching tyranny. I don't think we can sit back and wait for the mid-term elections.

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Even before Trump came into office, there have been many articles about how baby boomer retirees are reluctant and cautious about spending out of fear of unknown expenses such as long term care and senior health care. Just think about the layers of uncertainty all this talk about cutting social security, medicare and medicaid is adding to the equation, not just for beneficiaries but for their family and friends, and people they do business with. Is Aunt Betty going to be evicted? Ask me for a loan? Not be able to pay back the money she owes me? Will my benefits arrive on time next month? The price of this psychological torment on consumer sentiment and spending is under appreciated. My social security was interrupted a couple of months ago because I supposedly didn't send in a proof of life form (which I never received), but I can just imagine what impact something like this would have on someone living month-to-month on SS alone, or if it took six months for benefits to be restored after they were suspended. The thing I find so distasteful about Trump, Musk, and DOGE is the contempt they are showing for government workers and people who rely on the government for assistance. If government needs to be trimmed, run more efficiently, or if belts need to be tightened, you can do that in a way that minimizes disruptions to people's lives. Some of the people in the new administration seem to think being cruel is a measure of manhood.

A right of self-defense is virtually universal, and there is most certainly a right to self-defense under Thai law. See page 28 of 35: https://www3.ago.go.th/center/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Criminal-Code-1956.pdf "If the participant in such affray can show that he has acted in order to prevent such affray or in lawful defense, he shall not be punished."

LOL, according to some on this forum, "farang" is a racial slur, reserved exclusively for Caucasians. Used here to describe sub-Saharan Africans, it conveniently morphs back into a xenophobic slur. Speaking of racist and xenophobic, more than half the comments on this thread fall into one or the other or both categories. Do you have no objection to this? Work on building your own "Christian" values, I say.

I was more than a little taken aback by the hog-tied ankles as well, but probably has everything to do with their erratic driving and uncooperative behavior, possible inebriation, and attempt to flee after initial apprehension, and little to do with the color of their skin or nationality. Improvised restraint technique when confronted with large body size uncooperative perpetrators. I'm going to give the Thai police a pass on this one.

I always thought the expression "social security is the third rail" of American politics meant that any politician who messed with it would experience political death. After the killing of the United Healthcare's CEO, it might mean literal death as well. When you recklessly cut staffing and callously try to disrupt the timely payment of benefits, the impact is much the same as cutting actual benefits. There are proposed cuts to Medicaid in the House budget bill which Trump supports, and Musk is openly talking about the need to cut entitlements, so all the posters claiming this is all fear mongering need a reality check.

First reaction was hit and run collision knocked him into a ravine.

I've seen the tactic used before of filing frivolous counter claims in an assault case in an effort to pressure the injured party to drop the charges. If the couple was in the right, I would trust in the court's ability to fairly assess the relative credibility of the two parties. Only caveat is, on the assumption that they are unable to do it themselves, that they have a bi-lingual lawyer who can be trusted to effectively communicate their side of the story to the court.