bassmaster50

I just finished Fieldwork today and I loved it and as you say it is fair in the way it depicts both the missionaries and the anthropologist, and it is just a good story, in my opinion. I love Jake Needham's books and also Christopher Moore's. The Falcon of Siam is a very good historical novel written by a guy named Aylward I believe. I also loved an older novel called The Queen's Messenger, but I cannot remember the author, and I also liked The Hunted which is set in Chiang Mai area. However, I must say that Thai Girl is one of the worst novels I have ever read, about any subject. But I am no literary critic.

Bygoncow, one of the sure symptoms of severe delusional paranoia is believing 911 is an inside job. These are the same people who believe in all this new world order drivel. I am not Thai but probably they will have the same response to the science fiction novel you transmitted as anyone else not currently confined to a mental institution. I believe anyone who actually took the time to read that whole thing probably has to undergo shock therapy by now. I only hope you have access to anti-depressants and not firearms.

If someone wants to live like the Thai rural people and work on a farm or whatever, isn't that their own business? Why does this mean they don't have any pride? A large percentage of farangs living here don't seem to have much pride. They look like they haven't bathed or changed clothes in months, and smell the same. Does someone who sits all day on their fat butt in Pattaya all day getting drunk, buying sex and haggling with poor people over ten baht have more pride than some guy who lives a quiet life in the country and maybe even does something useful once in a while? I don't blame someone for wanting luxuries, but don't look down on others who don't need them. Many expats here not only do not want to live like a farmer, but they would starve to death if they did. And if the current economic conditions get worse, alot more farangs may be living like Thais whether they want to or not.

I went to that Chiang Mai once. Didn't think much of the Four Seasons there

This sounds like a good thing but some things seem strange. it costs 1000 dollars for Thai people who live in Chiang Mai and don't ner

ed accommodation. What about farangs who live in Chiang Mai and don't need accommodations. Do they still pay 1,700 dollars? if so, why?

I have no problem volunteering to help build houses for poor people but then to ask for 1700 dollars on top of that seems ridiculous. Where does all this money go really? As for carter, he was a rotten president and a traitor, so he might as well do something for somebody.

How are the anti-war protesters risking their lives? Are they going to o.d. on drugs or get run over by a bus while lying in the road? The only people risking their lives are fighting the wars, not protesting them.

Why do people assume that anyone who is anti-PC is a racist? I think alot of stuff PC types are worked up about is a load of trivial crap, but I still don't believe I am a racist. Personally, I could care less about the inmates at Guantanamo Bay. I have np problem saying Islamists are responsible for the vast majority of the terrorism in the world, and many who aren't terrorists are still guilty of not speaking out against it.

When someone publishes a cartoon of Mohammed, there are murders and protests and bombings. But when some scumbag puts a statue of Virgin Mary in a jar of piss this is called art and noone has a problem with it. I am not saying all Muslims are bad and I am not saying racism is not bad. I am just saying, why are people so afraid of saying things that pretty much anyone who has ever read a newspaper knows is true? I think personally alot of what is called PC is nothing but cowardice, and if these PC types were in charge in 1039 we would all now be speaking German or Japanese.

Does anyone know if there is a place to make photocopies at Chiang Mai airport?

I grew up in a largely black neighborhood in America. Many if not most of my friends were black. I was on a basketball team and baseball team where I was theo only white kid, and I really had noproblems. Then there was all the racial problems of the sixties and things changed. There were black gangs and white gangs. I joined the white gang, for self preservation mainly. I was interviewed on tv as I was leader of the white gang following a big race riot at my high school which made the national news. I only relate this in order to explain the background in which my character was formed.When I got older and went to work, I met this big black guy who every day said to me, "Hello, Honkie", until I got sick of it and one day said, "Hello, N-----." This led to a big fight, of course. And numerous big fights after that, one being in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel in New York. This guy became my best friend.

One time he saved my life, as there was a crowd of about 200 brothers in a parking lot who wanted to

lynch me, until he showed up and told them, "If you want to kill that white boy, you got to kill this n----- first."

f As he was huge and carried a .45, and was highly respected they left me alone. Years later I saved his wife, who was white, from a gang of punks. The point of this story is that this guy and I became best friends but the PC types would still be all outraged at this relationship. I am not saying the N word is okay,because it isn't. But black people call each other this all the time. The point of this is that my relationship with Jimmy was my business and his and nobody else's. Neither of us wanted or would allow other people to dictate how we dealt with each other, and I love the guy like a brother. And likewise I don't need somebody, PC or otherwise, trying to tell me how to talk, feel or live my life.

I don't know if this is true, but I get the feeling that garo wishes to decide what other people are allowed to say or think. This is I think the whole point of the issue with Nazis. My personal feeling is if someone wished to be politically correct, then that is their right. If someone does not, then this is also their right. I for one have never been politically correct. I never have and I never will. But this is my right.

I know this is not America here, but it is a democracy of sorts and for the most part, people here enjoy the right of free speech, with certain specific limitations. Americans are very protective of the right of free speech. Many people have fought and died to protect this right, among others. I believe, as do most people, that there must be limitations. Child pornography, yelling "fire" in a public building when there is no fire, or threatening the president are justifiably illegal. But for the most part the question is, who gets to decide what you can't say? I cannot say I have never told a lie in my life. I will say I believe in telling the truth, whether you want to hear it or not. I was suspended for a year without pay because I told the truth at a meeting. I don't believe it is right to use certain words, and I believe people who use those words are stupid, ignorant dirtbags. But they should still have the right to say them. The problem is, as I said, who gets to decide what you can or can't say? Garo? I hope not. Hopefully mankind will progress to a point where people will naturally come to see what is right and wrong. Most decent people pretty much agrees the N word is bad, but black people call each other that all the time. Should they go to jail? And it seems to be okay to say the most offensive things about Christians. This offends me as I am Christian, but I still would defend their right to say them.

To be PC, you must be a liar. You cannot speak the truth if it offends someone, or is not fashionable. I believe in telling the truth, and if you don't like it, too bad. When I was watch commander in the prison, I told guards who worked for me I had four rules they had to follow: Give the cons what they are supposed to get. Don't give them things they aren't supposed to get. Never hit a guy in handcuffs. And never use racial insults. However, if a guy was an ass___,whether black, white or green, then you could tell him that. I had to go to superintendent's office numerous times for calling an inmate, or an employee, an ass___,

or a s__tbag, or some such thing. But my answer was always the same. I called him that because that is what he is. If I think someone is a jerk, I will tell him I think he is a jerk. And I have had many people tell me the same thing, and truth is I respect them more than PC types who smile and kiss up and really hate my guts. The world would be a better place if everyone just told the truth. I once had information the Muslim inmates were going to kill an inmate. I investigated this, and was told to cease the investigation because it was profiling and harassing the Muslims. So the Muslims did end up killing the guy. Naturally none of my bosses, who ordered me to stop the investigation, ever said they were wrong. They never mentioned it again, and never changed their policy, as it is more important to them to be PC and advance their careers than to save a man's life.

Horse doctor why do you need to bash the US? Whatever the US is doing on a "daily basis" is nothing compared to what most of the countries in the world are doing on a daily basis. I suppose you have notning to say about atrocities committed here on a "daily basis" against the Hmong and Karen refugees. It seems you hate men, hate the Us, but probably love horses. I like horses too as most men and people from the US do. Now I am ranting like an idiot as usual whenever I hear about this PC crap.

To be clear, I have known some very bad prison guards. For the last 20 years of my carrer I was a supervisor. For 15 years I was watch commander and in charge of the prison. I never tolerated senseless abuse of inmates, and I also had to protect the guards and civilians who worked for me. In NY, prisn guard is a very good paying job, particularly in rural areas upstate,with excellent benefits. Most guys took the job for that reason, and most guys just wanted to do their 8 hours, or more since there was lots of OT, and go home in one piece. I worked in a maximum security prison where it was guaranteed that if you were a guard, you would be assaulted by inmates. All I am saying here is that prison ran alot better before the PC stuff got out of hand. I have letters from inmates thanking me for helping to make the place safer for guys who just wanted to do their time without problems. Ironically, the PC made prison less safe for the inmates, as well as the staff.

I remember reading about some high-ranking woman is Rwanda who loaded pregnant women into a bus and then poured gasoline all over it and burned them alive. Women in Cambodia and Nazi Germany were as sadistic and murderous as the men. many of the female leaders throughout history such as Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great were responsible for numerous atrocities. France commited numerous atrocities in Algeria and Indo-China. I personally don't believe men are superior to women. Nor do I feel women are superior to men. I think there are good people and bad people, period.

After working 25 years in prison, I retired because of this PC crap. Convicts used to be convicts, then they were inmates, now they are residents. I was the watch commander, and someone had posted a wanted poster of Bin Laden near the gate, saying "wanted:dead or alive", which is in fact true. The superintendent, a woman who never did anything in her whole career except order paper clips and stuff and knew less about prison thn most of people on this forum, ordered it taken down as it was "offensive."

To whom, Al Qaeda? I refused, and needlless to say was written up. Then when the Bloods were on a big spree of cutting up the other inmates, I ordered the officers to search any black inmates on the walkway wearing red. The bloods are all black, and they wear red. Supt. ordered this stopped as it was "profiling." So I had to search a bunch of white guys, which was a waste of time and the bloods kept cutting everybody up. Some female civilian employee filed charges against me for using foul language to some convicted felons. The low point was when I went to the mess hall wearing sunglasses and black gloves. It was cold and sunny, but I had to give a written answer to complaint filed by numerous inmates stating that they were "intimidated' by my gloves and sunglasses. There were 300 convicted criminals, who do nothing but pump iron all day, in mess hall, yet they were intimidated by my gloves and glasses. After this an order came out saying guards must wear only blue gloves. Since I couldn't profile some corrupt guards,who happend to be black, I went to lineup sayoing I would bust anybody I caught bringing in crap to convicts, and if anyone didnt like it I would take off my lieutenant's bars and we could settle it man to man in the parking lot, which used to be common practice. These guys however, wrote a big letter and posted it on the wall saying they were offended and intimidated. Young guys did this, as the old guys thought I did the right thing. I ended up suspended for a year without pay. I retired shortly thereafter.

The tourist police were told by labor dept. they do not need work permits as it is a special case in which foreigners are asked by Thai govt. to assist Thai govt. The tourist police volunteer program is a good idea and a successful program. In Chiang Mai, they work at tourist police station explaining to foreigners on treks safety procedures and emergency numbers. It is not dangerous and provides a service for foreigners, so what is wrong with that? It puzzles me that I read here that some people are all in a funk about these volunteers being wannabe cops, and these same people doing the complaining are wannabe immigration police, wanting to get all involved in other people's work permit situation. I think they really want to run around asking farangs to show them their visas and passports.

The novel, Pattaya 24/7, by Christopher Moore is a very believable story, in my opinion, about a terrorist attack against Pattaya. It would be fairly easy for Islamic terrorists to carry out an attack in Thailand. My personal opinion, however, is that it is not high on the al-Qaeda target list, other wise it would already have happened. I think the absence of U.S. military bases here makes it less of a target, and since there will soon be very few western tourists here anyway, it will be even less so.

So they get rid of a smart, corrupt politician (not Somchai) so they can replace him with a bunch of stupid, corrupt politicians. Then they have a group called People's Alliance for Democracy who believe poor people should not be allowed to vote. This same bunch also apparently believes they should not be allowed to work or eat, as they have put a million people or so out of work. It is even better because they choose to do all this during an economic crisis. I have to believe anyone, Thai or farang, who supported this evil bulls--t must be one of the geeks from Bangkok who stand to make money off all this misery, although I can't see how, or perhaps the poor farmers or Isaan people were not going along with their agenda.

I sent email to my old co-workers in NY and they find it hard to believe that some people on this forum are so clueless.

2 things here... a) no you didn't and iii) Utica-Rome doesn't count

2 things here. Yes I did and who said anything about Utica-Rome?

Why should PM resign and give in to a bunch of thugs? If he does, every time there is a PM that someone doesn't like they will take over the airport until they get what they want. What would have happened by now if the PAD or whoever took over the airport in Singapore. Or JFK or Heathrow or anywhere but here? The PAD has practically destroyed this country and even some of them are starting to realize it. There is only one way to deal with this situation and people will probably get hurt. But it won't be the PAD leaders, only the poor ignorant half-wits they got to do their dirty work.

Also regarding the contact lenses, I misspoke myself. The lens will fuse to your eyeball. Whenever there is a riot orm other situation in a public venue, there may be chilldren and seniors present. It is not always possible to segregate the combatants. The point is the agents are non-lethal, and the use of them is more humane and results in less death or injury than storming the place which willresult in gunfire and a good chance of innocents getting killed in crossfire. This is comon sense. I sent email to my old co-workers in NY and they find it hard to believe that some people on this forum are so clueless. Even non-law enforcement types should realize what needs to be done here.

Mr BK this is no joke. And no cake baking. The primciple of crowd control is same in airport or prisons. Anyone with military or police experience will know this. This is how to control a crowd. I did it for many years and you did not so do not pretend to have knowledge you do not possess. I am not security guard and the PAD slingshots will do nothing once the airport is filled with gas. As for guns, if some one shoots the police will return fire as is their job. You obviously have not experienced a riot situation. Guns are useles when you cannot breathe. PAD must breathe too, you know. There will probably be injuries at the very least if police must regain the airport by force but there is much less injury using chemical agents than brute force. I have never seen one death occur from chemical agents in my career, but I have seen many when they were not employed.

I was supervisor of riot control squad in maximum security prison in NY for 15 years and have dealt with many situations involving barricaded people, hostage situations , riots, etc. This is the procedure they should use. First, they must calculate ICT and LCT of chemical agentsGas) to be used. This is a formula based on cubic area of the enclosed area where gas will be deployed. ICT is the concentration of agent which will incapacitate the target subjects so they will either evacuate the area or be physically removed. LCT is the cncentration which will cause death to exposed people within 1 hour. In NY we used CS gas which has more severe effects on the targets than CN(tear Gas) but is also less lethal. Then you must decide which form of dispersal system. Mainly hand grenades or projectile grenades. In enclosed quarters such as airport non-combustibal grenades must be used. Then before deploying the agent you must first announce to the target subjects it will be deployed, and anyone with heart condition or respiratory problems should vacagte the premises as they could die as a result of exposure. All people with contact lenses should take them out as gas will fuse lenses to the retina.

Gas should be deployed in pre-determined location to force targets into desired evacuation area. They must have an escape route or they will turn against the response team in panic. When gas is deployed, response team will wait for agent to take effect before moving in. They should enter in phalanx formation with shields and push any targets still remaining in area into evacuation location. Once outside, target subjects should be restrained with flex-cuffs and placed in open air.They should be told not to rub their eyes prior to this as it makes gas effects worse. After everyone removed they should get imediate medical treatment and decontamination. In this case I feel they should treat innocents(Non-protestors) first. After evacuation, open all window and doors, place fans near exits and turn off air con as heat helps diissipate the agents. Also then they must search for any explosives or booby trapls left as scene,

The PAD and UDD are both armed mobs. This is obvious to anyone. They call them political parties but I see little difference in the way they act from crips and bloods I used to deal with in gang squad.

Is Chiang Mai airport open now?

I live in Chiang Mai and my girlfriend, who talks to all the local Thias, says normally Thais do not care what farangs wear but right now it is so crazy it is not a good idea for even farangs to wear red or yellow.