spidermike007

Why the surprise? As I said recently, this was always going to happen. It was planned, and was a quid pro quo with the spectacularly toxic and corrupt army. When his party capitulated, dropped any semblance of morality or ethics, and decided to no longer represent their constituents, by allowing the army continued control, it was a done deal. Thaksin sacrificed the future of the nation, for his own freedom. It would appear to be a good indicator of just who the man is. Yingluck will likely return too. The greedy army can continue feeding at the trough. It is always about money and the power for them. The useless institution known as the Thai army, is a boil on the face of the nation. Let's see what happens with the senators. The army is likely maneuvering now to extend their terms. The moral rot continues. Any moral authority the nation once had, is gone baby gone. Fortunately, little of this affects us directly. For now.

Anyone but Trump. I would not vote for him under any circumstances. If he is the best the GOP can do, no thanks. He is a horrific man, and a terrible choice.

Believe me, if I had a decent Republican alternative, I would switch. Don Don is not that. He is nowhere near decent, and never has been. And he is an awful leader. No thanks. I would pick Vin Diesel over Trump.

Yes, absolutely. But, in a more targeted manner. Not in the callous Netanyahu manner. There has to be a better way, than wiping out most of Gaza.

Not just in Bangkok. This is the worst day so far this season. The problem just keeps getting worse, and is compounded with the fact that we have a Do Nothing PM now. All talk, and no action. DNS. Do nothing Sretta. A huge part of the problem is the incessant burning of sugar. Until they show the will to face up to Big Agra, nothing will change. Just more schemes about reducing the burning of incense, and other ways to deflect the blame in a cowardly manner. The real numbers are reflected in the AQI. It is up near 200 today in Bangkok, and dangerously high in many other areas. If China could address their bad air quality, why can't Thailand? They talk about fires. Most are self created by these delinquent, self serving, callous, mindless, unconscious sugar farmers. If the sugar refiners created a system to confirm the crops were not burned, things could change overnight. NOBODY in a position of power seems to care, and all the moral authority the nation used to have is gone, baby gone.

Honestly we looked everywhere and we just couldn't find the footage, we don't know what happened, it's a very high-end system and it's on 24/7 but that particular point in time just disappeared. Our doormen are very well behaved so we have no idea what could have possibly taken place. In reality bouncers and doormen should be held to a higher standard and penalties should be tripled for any crimes that they commit while on duty, so I say lock them up for a very very long time.

I would say the IDF has about as much credibility as Netanyahu himself at this point. I would not believe a word a single one of their officers or commanders said, they are engaging in genocide and they're just making stuff up as they go along. I guess it's hard to sleep at night knowing that you're slaughtering innocent women and children. Before you even comment know that I am not a sympathizer of Hamas on any level, I despise terrorists. But, I also despise Bibi. He has become an extremist. I hate all extremists.

He was likely the worst president when it came to the environment since Richard Nixon, he literally wanted to demolish the National Park and National Forest system. It is the most astonishing park system on the planet and typical of his nature he had no respect for. Frankly, I doubt if he's ever been to a national park in his lifetime. I think he despises the outdoors if they're not golf courses. That is just who the man is.

Trump was offended by the military. Unlike the coward who got 5 deferrments when his nation asked him to serve, the military men and women consistently put their own lives on the line. Don Don cannot relate to self sacrifice. So, he belittles them, betraying his own lack of dignity. That is just who he is. The ultimate lowlife. McCain was a hero. Don has always been a coward.

Having some sex now and then is so innocent, by today's standards. World leaders and powerful men do it all the time. It hurts nobody. Sure beats tearing the environmental protections to shreds, and selling off the national lands to timber, mining and oil interests. I agree. Nobody but the most toxic and megalomaniacal have any interest in that job.

1. In addition to passing a massive tax cut for wealthy business owners, Trump and Republicans in Congress have rolled back important worker protections, advanced nominees to key administration posts who have a history of exploiting working people, and taken other actions that further rig the system in favor of corporate interests and the wealthiest Americans. 2. President Trump and congressional Republicans have blocked regulations that protect workers’ pay and safety. Two of the blocked regulations are the Workplace Injury and Illness recordkeeping rule, and the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule. By blocking these rules, the president and Congress are raising the risks for workers while rewarding companies that put their employees at risk. 3. The Trump administration was able to fully pack the Fed’s Board of Governors with Quarles-like candidates, who gave Wall Street free rein while prematurely raising interest rates to slow the economic expansion just as it has finally begun to reach many working families. 4. On January 20, 2017—his very first day in office—Trump failed workers when he nominated Andrew Puzder, then-CEO of CKE Restaurants (the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s), to be secretary of the Department of Labor. Puzder has opposed raising the minimum wage and the overtime salary threshold, criticized paid sick time proposals and health and safety regulations, and was CEO of a company with a record of violating worker protection laws and regulations. While his nomination was ultimately withdrawn due in great part to intense pressure from workers’ rights advocates, Trump’s original selection made a powerful statement—the president was prepared to support a labor nominee who is hostile to policies that would benefit the nation’s workers. I could go on, and on and on. The environmental policies he passed were similarly atrocious. https://www.epi.org/publication/ten-actions-that-hurt-workers-during-trumps-first-year/

Not buying the nonsense. Oil prices drop significantly, and sometimes it takes weeks for gas prices to drop. Billions in profit are being earned. This kind of stuff is only for the most naive.

Mr. Do Nothing will continue as a big smile. Nothing more. He will change nothing. He represents backwards motion. The welfare of the people is his last priority. BS is his first.

This was always going to happen. It was a quid pro quo with the spectacularly toxic and corrupt army. When his party capitulated, and allowed the army continued control, it was a done deal. Yingluck will likely return too. The greedy ones can continue feeding at the trough. It is always about money and the power for them. This useless institution is a boil on the face of the nation. Let's see what happens with the senators. The army is likely maneuvering now to extend their terms. The moral rot continues. Any moral authority the nation once had, is gone baby gone. Fortunately, little of this affects us directly. For now.

Interesting point, and something like that is entirely possible. This is a man who is guided by hatred, has an extremely dark heart, and has nothing in the way of a moral compass, so unless the people around him are able to stop him, unless Congress or the Senate are bold enough to stop him, there's no way to know how far he would go. There's no question that he's an extremist imbecile who would attempt insane policy, if given a second term. Anyone but Trump!

Well you are right about the man being considered a lunatic by the vast majority of people around the planet. You're also right about the vast majority of Americans not being able to relate to PC nonsense and the tragic aspect of that, is that millions of democrats are being pushed away from the party by the needs of 0.05% of the population. I am one of them, though I will still most likely vote democrat, over voting for a creep, and I disagree with a lot of the nonsense on the progressive left. I wish the party would gain some common sense and stop pandering to their ridiculous demands.

We are not responsible, it is not our fault, the earth is simply too large, the oceans are simply too vast for us to have any effect on them. Stop blaming us, it is not our fault. I don't want to change my habits, I don't want to be responsible, I don't want to accept blame, I want to continue ignoring the warnings, so stop showing me this stuff.

He is way too old to serve, and he should have stepped aside, to make way for someone younger. Also, keeping Harris on was a big mistake. Having said that, his opponent is too insane to serve, and is also very old, partly senile, incoherent most of the time, and a very dangerous man. So, the US has two bad choices. However, Biden beats Trump in my book. I would take Mylie Cyrus, or Pauly Shore over Trump.

Yes. Personally, I despise PC. And social justice authoritarianism. I think it represents alot of what is wrong with contemporary culture, and especially America today. It is a major form of weakness, when you allow yourself to be easily offended, and take everything personally. Granted, there are things that can be perceived as offensive, but allowing yourself to be offended by tiny little things people say and do is a bit much! But, the people who are offended daily, by things others say, are just weak, and would benefit by growing thicker skin. Life can be rough and caustic at times, and for those of us who have grown thick skin, it is like water off a ducks back. No big deal, at all. Think what you want to think. It just does not mean anything to those with self esteem, and a sense of who and what they are. Granted, these are just my opinions, and some will take offense to them. LOL. The US is by far the most tolerant country in the world when it comes to the whole trans, non-binary, amorosexual, decide whatever you want today, if it fits mentality. No other country is as loose, driftless, and as silly as the US. The notion that political correctness has “gone mad” is familiar to anyone who follows even vaguely any aspect of modern political or cultural life. The phrase, ostensibly referring to language or action that is designed to avoid offence or harm to protected groups, has become a sharp criticism. It is synonymous with a sort of cultural McCarthyism, usually committed by the left. https://www.economist.com/open-future/2018/09/10/has-political-correctness-gone-too-far A Rasmussen poll found that 71 percent of Americans think political correctness is a problem today. When is being politically correct more about civility and politeness? When when does it veer into censorship? When is it justified? When is it not justified? https://www.jacksonville.com/opinion/2016-09-30/has-political-correctness-gone-too-far University of Connecticut officials sent out a campus-wide email advising its students that the school would provide counseling sessions in response to political commentator and Harvard Law alum Ben Shapiro’s slated speaking event at the university. The ironic part is that the counseling sessions were offered before Shapiro even stepped foot on campus. When I was in law school, Bill Clinton came and spoke. While I wasn't traumatized, I wonder whether the administration would have provided counselors for all the women in attendance. https://clclt.com/charlotte/pc-culture-10-times-its-gone-too-far/Content?oid=16059883 Women in sports When a woman devotes her entire youth to a sport, and becomes one of the best in that particular area, and then a man comes along who decides to identify as a woman, and steals all the awards, all the victories, and all the accolades, something is not right in society. Something is broken, society has become morally bankrupt, and there has to be a pause, there has to be an interruption of the nonsense. No woman would survive more than 30 minutes in the NFL. Women will not participate in men's sports because they won't be able to handle the physical endurance required, nor the brutality, nor the talent level. A woman ranked #1 on the WTA could not beat a #758 man on the ATP as John McEnroe so truthfully stated. They could not even return more than one serve. Hopefully all this craziness will pass and we'll return to some form of normalcy.

Many of us really like it here. For a dozen good reasons. The The air is horrific. And nothing is being done about it. The regressive politics are annoying too, but these days I try not to think about politics much, as it tends to be a worldwide sewer. Some of us have been fortunate enough to find an outstanding woman, who is delightful to be around, on a daily basis, always has our back, and is fun, smart, and lovely. For me, that likelihood of finding that back in the US, would be very low. So, that is a big factor for me. The second factor is just the quality of life. Sure, I miss alot of the culture back home. The theatre, independent film (which I can download here with no issues at all, and a super fast 1 gbps fiber optic connection, at under 700 baht per month!), stand up comedy, live jazz, etc. But I have a lovely home that I rent, for about 10% of what I would pay in California, I live very well on an income which is not huge, have access to great health care, at a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, and do not have to put up with alot of the aggravation that I had to when I lived back there. It is a very personal choice. I have friends who seem to be dropping like flies. I could be dead next year. You just don't know. I am not extravagant, but I live very, very well. A nice house, a new car every few years, new motorbikes for my gal and I every few years, a great art collection, plenty of good wine in the wine cooler, a new 77" OLED TV, a world class home theatre, plenty of international travel, etc. For me, it is a great lifestyle, that I could only dream of in the US. Well worth the expense and very easy to justify. Life is way too short. I have never been a person of extreme thrift. To each his own. I used to have more issues than I do now. I worked on my attitude, which was getting in the way of appreciating Thailand for what it is, and was clouding my experience here. Used to stress over stupid stuff, as you can see from some of my past posts. Used to allow the politics to make me angry. Now it is not something I take seriously, just something I comment on, without anger or an emotional investment. Now, I just tend to laugh it off. Spent some real time back in the US recently, and it allowed some clarity and perspective, that I am very grateful for. Now, I just chuckle at most of the nonsense. Water off a duck's back, so to speak.

I travel alot. Though, thankfully I have not been to Russia, or Chechnya. Nor Somalia, or the South Sudan. I would imagine those places might be worse that Patong. But, I see nothing in Patong that even remotely resembles anything appealing. Except the restaurant Napoli. That was excellent Italian food.

Nah. I will continue to explain how I came out of Regina. Always gives them pause. I do not bring up politics. It is these other folks who do. When the large nitwit is in office, and they ask where I am from, mentioning the US seems to be a trigger.

It kind of boggles the mind, to consider the armed forces doing something to actually benefit the people. Such generosity. I always considered the golf course at Don Muang to be bizarre, and a likely hazard for planes, and the public. It should be closed.

When you have a crisis that is not being addressed, by do nothing politicians like the current PM, this is what happens. Real problems need real solutions. I could come up with 10 of them but so far the people in charge have not come up with one, other than discouraging people from burning incense during Chinese New Year.

I have a quick question for my fellow posters. Has anyone on this forum ever met one of these so-called "Hi-So" people who have any redeeming qualities whatsoever? They seem like such a waste, they seem like they're so detached from the rest of society and so caught up in a high level of arrogance based on nothing but their wealth. Do they have any redeeming qualities, do they do anything for society, or do they just take up a lot of space and wander around with an over entitled sense of self?