spidermike007

They already did, when Thaksin returned and surrendered his party and his soul. No need for a junta this time. It is all behind the curtain.

Still no specifics. Yes, he presided over very dumb visa policy and allowed the Bratva and Triads to enter and stay. Perhaps the power brokers don't want the competition?

I really don't see how it could get worse, Srettha was to do nothing PM, he was appointed by the army, he was not elected, so what's going to change now? I'll be curious to know why this really happened.

Overhaul what? He was the opposite of a reformer.

The what you're saying is certainly not out of the realm of possibility, I'd be curious to know just which policies you're referring to that the powers that be were not pleased with. Doesn't seem to me like he's done anything in the way of progress or reform.

Good idea. Then they could start attracting some tourists with wealth.

Rather callous of Disney to dismiss such a relatively low demand of compensation. I always say it is best to avoid their amusement parks. I was in Florida with my woman several years ago and she really wanted to go to Disney, and we were hanging out with my niece who lives in the Orlando area, and I was able to get my niece and her husband to agree to spend the day with her at Disney. I feel like I escaped by the skin of my teeth! I would have gone if somebody could have found me a sponsor that would have paid me $40,000 for the day, flown us in and out of the parking lot by helicopter, and had an usher bring us on to each ride, avoiding each line. Otherwise, life is far too short.

Well there's no doubt that he deserved to be dismissed, he was certainly the do-nothing PM. He talked a good talk, and he walked a good walk, but he accomplished nothing. It's likely that some of the power brokers here were disappointed that he wasn't able to get more done or that he wasn't able to unite Parliament behind him. Or that he simply looked so foolish, though that did not seem to bother them with Prayuth. One never really knows what's going on here or who is making the decisions. The saddest part of this whole thing is the people that they're naming as potential substitutes to replace this fool, the last thing in the world this country needs is Anutin, Prawit or another Shinawatra.

I didn't say that there wasn't good wine available in Thailand, what I said was that wine in Thailand is overpriced. Maybe I'm a little spoiled I divide my time between here and California and the single vineyard Sonoma pinots that I drink back there for $40 or $50 cost 5000-6000 baht here if you can find them. Same applies to excellent Barolo, Barbaresco, Chianti Riserva, Chablis, etc. I buy 15 -year-old barolo at auction in the US for $60, that same wine here would cost 10,000 baht. So, I do drink great wine, but not here. My primary issue is the fact that things are jacked up here to the point where good wine just doesn't make sense. If you're content with very mediocre wine there's a huge selection of that here for 1000 baht or less. Decent wine here starts at 2,000 baht, and goes up from there. And that is from a reasonable source. This is a very subjective and a very relative topic, obviously.

Well I don't doubt what you're saying is true, but there is a big difference between net worth and competence. Someone might be good at selling condos, but does that give them the ability to lead a nation during troubled times? Obviously not.

I don't think the military could get away with isolating them to the point where they would not have any communication with their families, that alone would cause the population to revolt. You're giving the hapless army here far too much credit, and I think that at a given point in time the tolerance of the people is simply going to run out.

For someone who appreciates good wine living in Thailand is a challenge. Drinking Montclair is a penalty that many of us would be hard-pressed to endure. I would rather stick the fruit juice.

In my opinion he started to fade in the last year of his presidency. He may have had a minor stroke. Since then, it has been a steady downhill path. Far less coherent than in the past, very hard for him to continue a sentence for more than 15 seconds, alot of rambling, complaining, playing the victim card, and juvenile name calling as usual. Even most of the CEO's he met with a month ago were shocked at how lacking his message was. He is in the beginning stages of severe cognitive decline and it's a horrific thing to watch, he's an increasingly dangerous man and having him as the oldest elected president in history would not be a good thing. He rambles on and on, and it is easy to discern that he has a very hard time maintaining a thought for more than 15 seconds. He is, and has always been the master of slogans, and memes, but the public is just getting tired of the same game, day in and day out. He does not possess the creative juice to adapt, and that is absolutely killing his campaign, at this point. He is headed for the greatest humiliation of his lifetime.

He revved his motorbike at me, and he looked at me, and the look was not very nice. Nobody can show me disrespect, nobody can rev their motorbike at me, if you do you're going to pay a huge price for your actions. I am a big man and I will punish you.

In my opinion he started to fade in the last year of his presidency. He may have had a minor stroke. Since then, it has been a steady downhill path. Far less coherent than in the past, very hard for him to continue a sentence for more than 15 seconds, alot of rambling, complaining, playing the victim card, and juvenile name calling as usual. Even most of the CEO's he met with a month ago were shocked at how lacking his message was. He is in severe cognitive decline and it's a horrific thing to watch, he's an increasingly dangerous man and having him as the oldest elected president in history would not be a good thing. He rambles on and on, and it is easy to discern that he has a very hard time maintaining a thought for more than 15 seconds. He is, and has always been the master of slogans, and memes, but the public is just getting tired of the same game, day in and day out. He does not possess the creative juice to adapt, and that is absolutely killing his campaign, at this point. He is headed for the greatest humiliation of his lifetime.

I would expect this kind of position and statement from these absolute creeps that are running the country at this point. Cold heartedness Is certainly one of their primary qualities, and obviously an extraordinary lack of compassion. It may be a karma, it may be the role of the dice, or maybe just the randomness of the universe, but being homeless and living on the streets any place in the world, has to be one of the worst fates any human being can endure. We are so fortunate. So if I can do just a little something to help alleviate some of their pain I will. I give money to beggars, especially if It's obvious that they're not professional, and that they have a major handicap or are dirt poor. 20 or 40 baht in their pockets helps me to keep my heart open, and it feels like the right thing to do. When I was living and working in India I realized that many of the beggars were doing this professionally or working for professionals who were collecting a significant amount of money from their work. So I started carrying around a daypack with fruit inside it, and when I would be approached by a beggar I would offer them a banana or an orange. The professionals would look at me with a great deal of disdain, whereas the real beggars would accept the fruit with gratitude as they were truly hungry. It worked!

He will likely lose, and I hope he goes. And decides to stay!

Likely the 43rd worst after only Buchanan. Here is what Trump has done for America!: Only 13 Presidents failed to get re-elected. Only 5 Presidents failed to win the popular vote. Only 4 Presidents have been impeached or resigned. Only 1 President has ever been criminally indicted. And only ONE President has done ALL FOUR. - DJT didn't lower taxes (He deferred them) - He didn't get Americans that healthcare coverage - He did not unite the USA, he divided it - He didn't lower prescription drug prices - He didn't get roads or bridges built He didn't decrease the deficit - He didn't end the opioid crisis - He made over 250 visits to his golf clubs costing us taxpayers $150 million - He didn't revive the coal industry - He didn't make covid-19 'disappear'. America ended up with the highest number of Covid fatalities of all nations. Could he have done better, had he not been in such denial? He didn't make Mexico pay for the wall He is ranked the 43rd worst President in history He added $2 Billion a month in tariff costs to the American consumer He has a net-negative jobs creations for his administration He decreased corporate taxes, passing the tax burden to the workers He added $ 7.8 Trillion to the deficit - a full 25% of the total deficit He incited an insurrection against our government He is the only president to never achieve 50% approval. He didn't put "America first" and he sure didn't "Drain the Swamp... He left office with the worst job numbers of any President since the Great Depression with a net job loss over his term He is the first former president to be a CONVICTED FELON (34 times). The presidency is very much about character. Trump is a lowlife convicted felon.

Your real sobbing will start early in November.

Few seem interested in discussing this, but Trump started the current inflationary cycle with his inane Chinese tariffs. So, his economic policies are likely to lead to more disaster for the economy, not less. Several studies have examined the cost of the Section 301 tariffs on the U.S. economy. For example, economists Mary Amiti, Stephen J. Redding, and David Weinstein showed that by the end of the first year that the tariffs were in place, U.S. real income declined by $1.4 billion per month. More recently, trade analysts Tori Smith and Tom Lee from the American Action Forum found that U.S. consumers largely bore the brunt of the tariffs, paying a total of $48 billion—with half of this figure paid by U.S. firms that rely on intermediate inputs from China. A recent report by the United States International Trade Commission agreed that the cost of the tariffs was passed through to U.S. importers. Back in 2019, President Biden also agreed, stating, “Trump doesn’t get the basics. He thinks his tariffs are paid for by China. Any beginning econ student at Iowa or Iowa State could tell you the American people are paying his tariffs.” The evidence is clear—the Trump tariffs have failed and the costs on the U.S. economy continue to pile up. https://www.cfr.org/blog/cost-trumps-trade-war-china-still-adding Key policies that undergird so-called Trumponomics — a combination of tariffs, tax cuts and a crackdown on immigration — are likely to cause a flare-up in inflation, according to many Wall Street economists. That would be a painful outcome for consumers and businesses sapped by more than two years of surging prices. More broadly, renewed inflationary pressures would also come. If consumers "are upset now, they will be hopping mad a year from now" about inflation if Trump wins and enacts his policies, Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics and co-author of a June report on the macroeconomic impacts of either a Trump or Biden win in November, told CBS MoneyWatch. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-economy-inflation-tariffs-tax-cuts-immigration/

Few seem interested in discussing this, but Trump started the current inflationary cycle with his inane Chinese tariffs. So, his economic policies are likely to lead to more disaster for the economy, not less. Several studies have examined the cost of the Section 301 tariffs on the U.S. economy. For example, economists Mary Amiti, Stephen J. Redding, and David Weinstein showed that by the end of the first year that the tariffs were in place, U.S. real income declined by $1.4 billion per month. More recently, trade analysts Tori Smith and Tom Lee from the American Action Forum found that U.S. consumers largely bore the brunt of the tariffs, paying a total of $48 billion—with half of this figure paid by U.S. firms that rely on intermediate inputs from China. A recent report by the United States International Trade Commission agreed that the cost of the tariffs was passed through to U.S. importers. Back in 2019, President Biden also agreed, stating, “Trump doesn’t get the basics. He thinks his tariffs are paid for by China. Any beginning econ student at Iowa or Iowa State could tell you the American people are paying his tariffs.” The evidence is clear—the Trump tariffs have failed and the costs on the U.S. economy continue to pile up. https://www.cfr.org/blog/cost-trumps-trade-war-china-still-adding Key policies that undergird so-called Trumponomics — a combination of tariffs, tax cuts and a crackdown on immigration — are likely to cause a flare-up in inflation, according to many Wall Street economists. That would be a painful outcome for consumers and businesses sapped by more than two years of surging prices. More broadly, renewed inflationary pressures would also come. If consumers "are upset now, they will be hopping mad a year from now" about inflation if Trump wins and enacts his policies, Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics and co-author of a June report on the macroeconomic impacts of either a Trump or Biden win in November, told CBS MoneyWatch. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-economy-inflation-tariffs-tax-cuts-immigration/

I listened to the interview. Trump is as insincere as ever. He is simply incapable of sincerity, at this point. The delusion is overwhelming.

Hong Kong style pan fried noodles with seafood is about as good as it gets! I have often wondered why it is so hard to find good Chinese food here. What is up with that? For me, it is Thai, Italian and Japanese, in that order. Best food on the planet. Chinese ranks a distant fourth, maybe.

Won't happen here. Thais are too close to their families and once they hear they will be disowned, they will choose mom and dad over a corrupt and immoral officer. And you are missing the part about the missing moral authority.

Utterly untrue. The documentation and paperwork for a marriage visa is infinitely greater than for a retirement visa. I have gotten both. And many others would agree with this.