ChicagoExpat

Well, they're targeted in the sense that it's exactly what Hamas wants. Israeli is caught in an impossible situation -- not respond to genocidal terror and by doing so not feed Hamas' bloodlust, or respond and necessarily kill the civilians Hamas hides behind. Hamas will fight to the last Gazan. And its billionaire leaders live in luxury in the Gulf. Incredible that this is the cause the Left has taken up.

Putting aside the absurdity of accepting casualty figures from Hamas as believable -- One of the wonderful aspects of Palestinian disinformation is that they can claim EVERY death in Gaza as a "civilian" death, as Hamas members aren't legitimate soldiers and are therefore "civilians." 10,000 Hamas could be exterminated in Gaza and they'd STILL say it was "10,000 civilians." It's a self-licking ice cream cone.

3 out of 3 of the recent drunk driving deaths that killed foreigners here that we are aware of were caused by Russians. I guess I can't get super worked up about this "racism."

In the "courthouse" in "Phuket." Edit: Quotations marks added to mirror Lou's implication that I'm lying.

Uh, nope. I was at the hearing. I'm aware of Thai law. $10,000 for killing two people doesn't count as "doing something." You'd probably agree if it were your son who was killed.

I know firsthand nothing happened to the driver. She has to pay a few thousand bucks compensation to each family.

Actually, if it's like the case from November of the drunk sleeping at the wheel Russian driver who killed an American and a European, there will not be a day of jail time but instead a modest (several thousand dollar) payment of compensation.

There are plenty of people who MIGHT do something -- it's not just jihadists, it's also those who think traditional values need violent defense. And when they do something, they just play into the narrative.

And, June is "Pride Month" so the timing makes sense.

You seem to be completely detached from reality on this issue -- both in general as your assertion that "in the last 20 years third world people don't want to live there -- and specifically when it comes to Thais. Just to take Wikipedia's figures, in 2019 there were 350,000 Thais in the U.S. You REALLY THINK they all arrived and stayed legally?

It's not just the "basic assumption" -- it's the law. Section 214 of the INA.

1) The law assumes that a person will overstay unless they can demonstrate otherwise and 2) wouldn't you err on the side of caution most of the time?

Even the nicest restaurant, resort, or hotel will have piles of garbage laying around in plain sight -- old furniture, sinks, etc. Thai people themselves have such good hygiene, weird that they tolerate so much rubbish where they live and work.

3 years? What an amateur. Not long ago I met a guy who was stationed here during Vietnam, was discharged and visited his Mom briefly, and came here and never left. Literally a 50 year overstay, and never renewed his passport once. He could hardly speak English anymore and would've died out on the street. The Embassy sent him back to Iowa to his sister, who was in her 80s.

Not in the least. The visa officers would have to be mind readers to get it right 100% of the time.

This is all such nonsense. Yes, of course she was discussing strategy and plans. She would have been negligent in her job as a diplomat if she didn't. Again it's the constant references to WW3, and nuclear war, etc -- all right out of the Kremlin's talking points. The only party in this conversation that started the war is the one saying "Allow us to invade whom we please or you'll provoke conflict." @jas007, you and other Russian simps are the only ones who take this seriously, if you actually do. Russia doesn't. They know exactly what they're doing.

One of the most wonderful aspects of the pro-Putin camp is how they continuously claim that the world is in great danger... but NOT from the country who actually has started the biggest war in Europe since 1945 that has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands. That country somehow doesn't even come into the conversation, and in the rare occasions it does, it's to justify their invasion by claiming they had no choice.

Consistency isn't a defect when you're right. And are you any less predictable in your support of Putin?

And yet, somehow this exculpatory knowledge is available only to Russians and the useful idiots who so loyally support them. It's almost as if Russia hadn't invaded it's neighbors over and over again before this latest invasion. The wonderful part of it is simps like you would hate living in the world that Russia is trying to create, and would if they could.

My vote is for your escaping crabs.

It takes an incredible level of dishonesty to blame Russia's war of choice on any other country but Russia.

First visit to this thread. As expected, there are plenty of pro-Putin simps here, or course all arguing that they just want peace in the region. These are the same guys who would be arguing in 1939-1940 that we should just give Adolph what he wants. After all, his victory is inevitable, and the U.S. and UK supporting France, Poland, the SU, etc is terrible, costs lives, and is useless in the face of the unstoppable blonde supermen. Supporters of fascists never change, and they rarely argue honestly.

Well, to be fair, most stuff here IS settled by a cash payment, that's part of the social/legal culture. I wouldn't have called it a "bribe".

Hopefully not off-topic — I heard the U.S. Embassy negotiated successfully with Immigration to no longer need any authentications for U.S. documents, either real authentications or the bogus ones you used to have to do by getting an affidavit at the Embassy promising your document is real.

With a name like that, I guess you'd know. Let's wait for Rawai to add his thoughts.