Presnock

EXACTLY! but to the amateurs running the agencies in the US government today, they can only understand the ad that SIGNAL is secure. Every day at least one of the newbies shows just how ignorant they are in their new position as head of an agency based on amount of money one has, not loyalty or experience in a particular field. MHO anyway from the bleachers!

if you really think we have so much NEW equipment and stuff that Vlad doesn't know about, then you can only imagine how much he has that we know nothing about. To provide on an "open" line about ANY military activity is a security violation and those responsible for such NORMALLY would no longer have a security clearance and possibly not even a job. I worked in the secure world and know well what happens to folks doing this kind of activity on an open line and to pooh-pooh it is exactly in the world of Donald Trump who truly believes that money trumps knowledge and Life and that is why that was the only requirement for any of the agency heads and their deputies. All act IMHO like a bunch of amateurs being given the keys to the castle. SCARY! what did you feel about Hillalry and her "secure" email system?

I think SIGNAL is an app that anyone can download, that is why "classified" material at any level is forbidden!

yes the penalties when they do catch the one setting the fires is not worthy enough to make them actually stop doing it! That i my opinion of course and hope the govt can make it worthwhile to have them stop doing i!

I, a former US Embassy Thailand assignee (4 tours) wanted to go with wife to take daughter to college (scholarship and acceptance) and yessir they said NO because she was married to a citizen and therefore probably would not return to Thailand so they said had to process for a green card - during the Afghan exidus - over a 500K backup in immigration with maybe 30-35K processable a month! I am not exaggerating at all! It took 13 months for our approval, and then she would still have to go to the Embassy consulate for an interview. Our daughter said what a joke! and opted to go to Chulalongkorn University, #1 in Thailan and 1/10 the cost compared to what i t would have cost in the US. Getting a B of Arts so acceptable paper and then masters in a Seoul Umiversity. We'll see. But anyway, I have seen others express how easy it was for them or how difficult but for me and former employee there and treated as such just made me mad. Now I note that the Trump team is going shutter a lot of consulates throughout the world - seeing that huge CM building, I wonder if that will get a bit of the chopping block. But for any US citizen wanting to take thei Thai wife, good luck - if she is working in Thailand at a good job, owning the house, cars etc - then possibly but I doubt it. Too many people got them and then had problems. I understand that during the VN war when US soldiers were stationed in Thailand and got married and took the wives to the US, there was a "waiting list at the Thai consulates in the US of 5-6 hundred Thai spouses every day " wanting to come back to Thailand and that began the problem for people still today.

Today, someone in Laos remarked that with the change in wind from the south to that from the NE( China, VN) laos is heavily polluted today! Last week NE Thailand was complaining because of Laotian and Maymar burning across the border causing pollution in the Norht and North East of Thailand. One country can cause pollution throughout the region, not stop it except in a very small area.

Did you forget that week of free train rides as the government knew of predicted high pollution levels and advised people to forgo vehicles - trains were packed daily! but pollution still reigned. Until all the nations in S. Asia can stop the burning it will continue! Just saying, I see the govt issuing high pollution alerts daily or as needed in each of the provinces, plus high temperature readings, and possibility of summer storms so at least they are aware of this problem but I think they also realize that unless all of S. Asia agrees to stop all the burning, there is little else the government can do. BUT, masks N95, N99 and others can block out most of the 2.5 micron pollutants but I see very few westerners wearing them while my family does use the air purifiers in all rooms of our house plus whenvever we go outside we wear our masks. I so see a few Thais wearing them but a lot of that is because they are required to wear them at work. Funnuy how many on this forum complain bout this problem but how many actually wear masks when outside and use air purifiers in their abodes?

well, all of S. Asia suffers the same way. One that reads any international news sees countries from Pakistan/India Eastward suffering during different month usually from pollutiiondepending on he air flows. Looking at the satellite pictures of open fires shows daily just how bad certain countries in this region are suffering with some almost entirely RED in color. Trying to get ALL the countries on board in stopping this is basically IMPOSSIBLE IMHO as there are too many, each with different problems that they feel are more important or that they might have a chance to change to the positive as they too recognize that they can't get all to agree to stop the fires!

Looking almost daily at the "Nomad Capitalist" ads about available countries with better (just about anything) I still do not see many places that come close to Thailand overall. Yeah some places have zero tax on residents but the cost is so high that very few could ever reach that, and locations to me don't sound that safe for a westener. I also read the forum for other countries including EU countries, Phil, and others and see the same complaints I see here or different problem areas. After 30+ years total in Thailand and 20 years retired here, I still love it dearly and sure don';t plan to leave it unless as ash.

do you still have very little water? How about the education systems there?

AMEN to that, except for the new administration of course, none of them have any real idea of what they are doing anyway. Just because they have money they think that they are immune to the normal intel operations of those that would like to see the US fail miserably which Trump and Company seem hellbent on doing by putting our agencies in the hands of amateurs! MHO for sure and know a bunch of you will not agree but I fail to understand watching Trump daily, how he could possibly think that we are moving forward in helping the average American citizen - maybe he is only concerned with the super rich.

well, as a resident here, well aware of local air pollution since forever, I see a lot of complaints but iI also see the majority of folks not wearing a suitable mask when outside - one can complain all they want but that to me means that they recognize what is happening but are ignoring the health risks anyway. I for sure hate air pollution and have been told since the 70's to avoid exercising out doors without a mask - used to be not only the burnings each year but the heavy traffic and leaded gasoline together with the diesel burners. None of that pollution has disappeared except for some of the specific sources and I thought people would be used to the masks since the N95 99 etal are also useful in blocking much of the 2.5 micron pollutants. But especially non-thais hardly ever do I see them walking around without masks. I have my own meter to monitor and it seems to be dangerously polluted more often than not so I would think that folks should wear a mask when outside IMO anyway.

Until all of ASIA gets together in efforts to stop the burnings of fields for crops, clearing forest areas, local trash burning, burning of forests to help find mushrooms, then the foul air will continue even with more restrictions on diesel fuel for vehicles. At least the current Thai administration has reported that they have been talking with the neighboring countries about controlling the burnings and air pollution. It is not only Thailand, but if one looks at the daily fires from the satellite pictures, all of S. Asia is red! many different countries so spreading that crap all around depending on wind conditions.

Hey read the news on that SIGNAL it is readily available to anyone that wants to buy it! doesn't have to be hacked at all, just dial in and listen to the discussion as it will be on the airwaves and with the right equipment that less than friendly countries have monitoring local communicatons, can be read by others!

well reading the pay back for tariffs from our friends seems to me that Trump has gone over to the dark side and looks like our used to be friends are now not so friendly. Will Trump blame the idiot that signed the NAFTA agreement? yeah laugh since it was he himself that negotiated and signed that agreement with our friendy neighbors, now not so friendly as Trump today reportedly dropped some of the sanctions on the Russians yet they still claim they want more sanctions lifted before any ceasefire - and this just for the very limited ceasefire - doesn't sound much like a real ceasefire to me unless it would mean killing would stop but since it won', the Russians just keep pounding away and Trump keeps giving up more and more as usual in his negotiating skills.

Yeah headlines indicate today that Trump also lifted some of the sanctions on the Russians/Putin but also notice that Putin want a lot more lifted in order for a ceasefire on energy producing targets - what kind of ceasefire is that, is it a ceasefire in reality - are folks still being killed? war is war and none of it is pretty IMHO. Trump seems to be negotiating like he normally does, keeps giving away benefits for the other side while giving up everything on his (supposedly) side.

this from what I have read is available for anyone that wants it! that is why it is not really considered to be secure in the classified info world. Maybe it is more secure than an open telephone for joe citizen but for anything of importance, the intel of unfriendly countries can read all of that talk!

well who negotiated the taliban back into power? before Biden who was then stuck with the negotiated deal to let the Taliban resume their reign!

actually makes me wonder how often these "less than professional" heads of US govt agencies use personal phones and communications that our intel people advise them that their private comms are probably being monitored by those less friendly folks that have installations around the Washington DC area. To think that this use of personal comms equipment was only revealed because someone inadvertantly added the editor to their chat group! Should all lost their clearances and yet now we hear the fake stories being made up by the bosses who failed to adhere to the proper handling of classified material! And here too on this forum the True Trumpers are already phoo phooing this blatant violation!!

can't even admit that they made a mistake, now tomorrow all the Trump Magaites will be saying the whole story was a fake one done by the Atlantic! In a "normal" govt, heads would roll!

you forgot that in any normal government security breech at this level, heads would roll but you actually know that NOTHING will happen to anyone above a PFC or GS 1.

Yeah that retreat was set up with the world's best negotiator in negotiations with the Taliban and Donald Trump!

don't need to lick any thai boots, didn do and won't do for 10 years any tax return here, and no 90-day reports and I don't go anywhere near nana nor can I remotely sound like stewart! But if I didn't like a country very much, I sure wouldn't move there! Also I am not a favorite of COLD weather and snow so wouldn't go to Canada.

when the US quit verifying the income, I just provided the IO with the bangkok bank statement of 12 monthly deposits. that was in Chiang Mai and it was the only way I did it for 5 years until I got my LTR and just had to get two bank letters of course and then provide a copy of every page in my bank book.

can't foils the locals with logic so why try