billsmart

I agree with Thaksin up to a point. I'd say marijuana is closer to alcohol than opium. But in saying that, I'd also say it more addictive than alcohol. Marijuana, IMO, might have some medical benefits in specific instances, but for the everyday person, it's much like getting drunk. It removes a lot of your inhibitions and puts you in a dreamy state that reduces your desire to do anything. It's like it makes you very lazy, but content. I think it should definitely be discouraged.

I agree with the mayor that the best solution is to find homes for these dogs.

This is a good sign, but it's disappointing that there still seems to be around 40% of US citizens that still are acceptive of, even if not fully supportive of, Trump. IMO, he and all his followers are an anathema to the USA. ????

That's strange it looks fine to me and 3 other posters. Maybe that's because I'm not smoking ganja... ???? No, seriously, I couldn't open the .png, so if you have anything important you want me to respond to, please just write it out.

I wasn't able to open the .png, so don't know what it is you wanted to say in reply to my post.

Why ?? Why? So there will be no marijuana availble there.

I reccommend those of you living near Jomtien to organize and protest to get this shop closed down.

No, My main account and card is at Krungsri Bank, but I also have paid Lazada with a card from a US bank account, and from a PayPal account, but I don't think I've ever had Lazada return any money to me from those sources.

I've returned several items I bought on Lazada and have had no problem getting a refund. I usually pay with a Thai bank debit card (ATM card).

I don't object to this sentence, but don't understand why another man was sentenced to 46 years for making a car bomb, but did not actually kill anyone yet.

I don't object to the sentence here, but don't understand the reasoning when a Brit got only 8 years for the actual killing of a woman...

The US Constitution was ratified in 1788, and the 2nd Amendment was ratified in 1791. It is short and the full text is: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Some people, like me, believe the first two phrases were included to define and justify the last phrase, which is the right the amendment grants. This was the way the amendment had been historically interpreted and enforced, and the way the amendment was affirmed in the SCOTUS ruling of 1939. Some people, like you and SCOTUS in 2008, just disregard the first two phrases and only see the last phrase as being important. I and many others disagree with the 2008 ruling. You can read more about these differing opinions at https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment. Also, I wrote a op-ed on this ten years ago suggesting the "right to keep and bear arms" be changed to a "privilege to keep an bear arms," and regulated much the way we now regulate the privilege to have a drivers' license. You can read that at http://www.billsmart.com/writing/opinion/2nd_amendment/2nd_amendment.htm. I don't have much hope that anything much will change about gun ownership as long as our (USA) government is so bitterly divided and conservatives (Republicans) have a stranglehold (filibuster and cloture rules) over the US Senate. And, of course, there is also the fact that our current SCOTUS has a conservative majority. I see a lot of political turmoil probably leading to violence in the US over the next six years or more. This is one of the reasons I'm happy to be living in Thailand.

It matters very little (to me) what our forefathers meant when they wrote the constitution. What matters to me, and should to you, is what types of guarantees and laws we need NOW, not what we needed in 1787.

The actions of law enforcement, in this case, are NOT "part of the problem." The primary problem is guns. The actions of law enforcement, in this case, are subject we can discuss as to how to deal with the problem.

No! I'm a US citizen and I haven't returned there for about 10 years, and I don't intend to anytime in the near future. ???? I'm sure this year's elections, and certainly the presidential elections in about two and an half years, will see a lot of violence in the US. I'd rather just sit here and watch it on CNN than be there and tempted to take part. ????

Just recently, there's been much too much emphasis put on the mistakes of law enforcement and how those contributed to the RESULTS of the horrible outcome . Right now, we (US citizens) need to stay focused on the CAUSE of the problem - the alarming proliferation of military-style guns among the general public. We've got to do something to return our laws to support the intent of the 2nd Amendment, the enabling of a people's militia, which in these days and times I interpret to be our National Guard, not a weapons locker in everyone's home. ????

I don't know about leaving the country, but I do know that most insurance companies won't insure you after you're 76. I'm now 76, and that is why I got the insurance (THB400K + 40K) required by Immigrations a month before before I turned 76. I don't need it now, but I think Immigrations might start requiring this type of insurance for ALL long-stay visas. That's just a suspicion right now. I got mine from TMB Insurance, and made the deductibles so high that I probably could never use it, but it does meet the Immigrations current requirements, and I can renew it until I'm 100. It cost me less than THB20K per year, but the premium will go up every year, I think. If you're 80, you could look around, but I found 76 was the "no-go" age. Check with TMB, they might be able to do something for you. Good luck!

I have a Non-Immigrant O visa, and I don't have to have insurance. I switched from an O-A to this O about three years ago to avoid having to have health insurance.

I stand corrected. I've always assumed a transgender man was a man at birth, but now is a woman, and vice-versa - but I was wrong. Thanks for enlightening me. ????

No, a transgender woman would be a woman who identifies as a man. A woman in with a short haircut dressed in male clothing.

The exact same thing happened to me at Phetchabun Immigrations. I have an O-Visa and had been extending my stay based on marriage, but switched to retirement because that requires a lot less paperwork. I, too, had to show proof of my marriage and show my wife's IDs. I asked about that, and was told (politely) that I would not have to produce those documents associated with my wife in the future if I extended my stay based on retirement. I didn't ask why I had to produce them this time because I've lived in Thailand for almost 20 years and know better than to ever ask for an explanation about anything from Immigration (or most any place else). ????

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG SUGGESTION!! ???? If you want to improve your golf game, choose the least attractive caddy you can find. That way, you'll be better able to keep your mind on the game and your eye on your ball... ????

I wrote: I just got my 4th COVID-19 vaccine shot. No thanks, "Bill Smart" is just fine for me. I've had it for 76 years, and the vaccines will help that name remain on AseanNow for a long time to come. ???? I think my name is a lot better than some juvenile nicknames, like "hughrection." ???? And, unless you start taking this COVID-19 pandemic more seriously and do whatever you can to protect yourself and those around you, you might find that you'll become limp and useless, like your namesake probably often does. ????

I just got my fourth vaccine shot last week....

This is according to the girl's (or her father's) testimony. This can not yet be considered fact.