spidermike007

In the US, the quota system is hugely outdated, and it should be expanded to accommodate any and every foreigner who's highly qualified for a top end position in engineering, physics, top management, medicine, the sciences, etc. The US needs more talent, not less, It needs more brain surgeons and less landscapers and dishwashers. These details seem to get lost in the rhetorical morass that is currently the rage in the US, it's not about immigrants, it's about the quality of immigrants. Immigrants built America, period But, something must be done to keep out the extremist super freaks. Their religion may work for them in Saudi, Kuwait, Yemen, Sudan or Somalia. That same ultra conservative fanatislcism, is not wanted, needed, nor desirable in Western nations. Only moderates need apply should be the policy. And there should be a standard of willingness to assimilate, and the burden should be on the family to prove the burden is met. I believe immigration policy should be reformed to the point where it should be staged, and all Muslim families should show a willingness to assimilate. I also believe that families with Muslim daughters who are teenagers can start by proving that they have participated in a bikini contest, and for teenage boys they must show a burden of proof that they're not affiliated with any of the local madrasas. Are we serious about keeping our nation's safe from extremists, or not? This will probably be interpreted as a racist statement but for a long time I've been saying that immigration criteria for Saudis, Yemenis, and the nations that embrace an extremist form of Islam should be unique and singular and far stricter then normal immigration for other people from other parts of the world. It must never be forgotten that but Saudi's practice the most extreme form of Islam, a hateful and horrific interpretation that is completely intolerant of other religions and is the exact opposite of what most of us would regard as any kind of positive faith or spirituality. Huge and very strict restrictions should be put on their ability to immigrate, essentially they are not wanted and they are not needed, and for the most part they are not of any benefit to a society that let them in, as it is very unlikely they will ever integrate. Why am I anti Wahhabi? Why do I think all Saudis should be barred worldwide from immigrating to any nation? Why do I consider the Saudis so dangerous to mankind? But it is an ideology that divides the world into the realm of Islam and the realm of the infidel, or the realm of war. So it trains the readers that they live behind enemy lines – they must be passing through, they cannot take abode here. You only have two reasons for being in the land of the infidel. One is to convert people to Islam. The second is to acquire either money or skill which you can bring back with you to help you and others engage in jihad, and in this context, it is quite clear that they mean that in a military sense, because they go on to talk about tanks and bullets, and things of this kind. One of the things you certainly cannot do is become an American citizen, because no Muslim can be ruled an infidel. That is the particular ideology which is being taught. You must not have any good contacts, warm relations with anybody – not only with unbelievers, but with any Muslim who is not of the Wahhabi type; they are also often denounced as apostates. That is the major theme of concern in that report. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2005/05/03/the-global-spread-of-wahhabi-islam-how-great-a-threat/

A common sense reply simply cannot be expected of you as you seem to despise all Democrats, which means you despise half of Americans. Very sad.

The Japanese have never colonized Thailand, they gave Thailand the choice and asked them if they would prefer to be colonized or occupied, in an effort to assist them in logistical support for the Burmese campaign. They reminded the Thais that colonization would no doubt result in making sex slaves out of the local women, and it was a fairly easy decision at that point.

I will watch the 3-day war with a great deal of amusement, likely eating more pizza than usual, and will watch the super talented, very experienced Thai army go to town on the Cambodians.

You're exactly right, it's a slogan and a really bad and arrogant one at that, and it is alienating the entire planet and making America seem even more of a bully than they've appeared to be for the last few decades. Trump is doing the opposite of making America great again, he's driving away manufacturing, he's sabotaging the economy, he's losing jobs, and he will drive up inflation. More than likely he will go down in history as being either the worst, or the second worst president ever. He is such an ignorant moron.

One rifle for hunting, one pistol and one shotgun. American gun laws are so liberal and so pathetically lax, no family needs 20 guns, as so many have. America is simply a caricature for the vast majority of the world when it comes to violence and gun ownership. No matter what anybody says as an American, I can say that Americans seem to adore violence.

Very true. No reason for any family to have more than three guns. If three.

Sounds about right. Anyone who bought into that nonsense was quite a sucker. The more misery that rains down upon Thaksin and his terrible family the better for humanity. He stopped being relevant a long time ago.

He could use some of those billions he has made from his corrupt crypto schemes to try to buy the prize. He sure won't get it based on any merit.

I totally agree, two decades here and I've had less problems with the local people then I've had in America or elsewhere. I find most Thais to be absolutely lovely, and I find most Thai men to be indifferent, but not hostile in any manner. Like you say if you do something stupid or if you're disrespectful, all bets are off. But as long as you behave in a respectful manner, if you walk around with a light heart and a pleasant look on your face, Thais are absolutely delightful. Perhaps living in Pattaya is the issue here. It's a nasty town from Soi Bukkhao west.

That is such a lump of nonsense. I guess you've never spent any time in the Muslim world, there are hundreds upon hundreds of millions of Muslims who are either moderate or totally secular, and do not in any way shape or form support Sharia nonsense, nor extremism, nor death to the West. If you don't believe that you need to get out more and do some traveling.

President Trump who fashions himself to be a great negotiator promised months ago that he would have trade deals done in weeks, yet so far we have one trade deal with the UK, and the framework for another one with China. Is it possible he is not as good a negotiator as he claims he is, is it possible he has the wrong team working for him, or is it yet again possible that these tariffs were a really, really bad idea? With just a week and a half remaining of a 90-day pause on President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, the White House is running out of time to negotiate its long-promised trade deals that could bring some certainty to an increasingly uneasy economy. For months, the Trump administration has said deals are imminent, working with 18 key partners to lower trade barriers while hundreds of other countries wait in line to get out from under the burden of higher tariffs. But the timeframe continues to shift. “I’ve made all the deals,” Trump said in a Time interview in late April, saying trade negotiations with foreign partners were nearly complete. “I’ve made 200 deals.” “The idea that uncertainty will be resolved early this summer appears to be completely dead,” Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, told CNN. “This means tariff aggression is not dead. That’s probably not super surprising but some of us allowed ourselves moments of optimism.” Inflation is ticking higher, job growth is slowing and retail sales are sinking. That’s a concern, because consumer spending makes up two-thirds of America’s economy. I was recently back in the US I have a business back there and I can say with absolute certainty consumer confidence is the lowest I've seen it in the 30 years that I've had this business. So, where is all this heading? Is Trump simply going to continue to make America and far less relevant version of the nation that it used to be?

Sharia laws are a completely ridiculous set of rules created by men that are highly insecure, and have no emotional development whatsoever, and are misogynistic to an extreme degree. They are utter failures in the game of life. They're still living in the 14th century. This will never take hold in the US, there's absolutely no possibility of this happening on any level whatsoever. A lot of conservative white men are in a panic over a Muslim man winning the primary in New York City, but the guys is as moderate as they come, and the fact that he's Muslim doesn't mean much at all.

Pattaya has truly become a city of tears and is likely the most desolate and desperate city in all of Thailand. To compound that a single and lonely friend of mine who is in Pattaya strictly for the action is telling me the prices have doubled in the past 2 years and the vast majority are fat, old and ugly. And the young and pretty ones are asking stupid money. What can one even say? The one thing that made the place appealing to those in the market, is now pretty much off the charts. Unless you like fat, old or unattractive.

True. But he is ratcheting it up to newfound levels. The most corrupt man in history to ever occupy that office, by miles.

The government betrays the good, hard working people of Thailand once again. They made the mistake of trusting them, and invested billions. Whipsaw policy. Regressive lawmakers.

Imagine this? I bet she is sweating the loss of 15 book sales with her 9 figure fortune. I like the fact that she's so outspoken, this is such a politically correct culture these days, and it's so refreshing to hear somebody speak out and state how they really feel. So what, she offends a few people here and there, like it means anything. Just say no to PC, snowflake and victim culture.

Trump's election and his behavior during the first 5 months of his administration has been an absolute wet dream for China, Trump is increasing China's influence by the day, he is driving many nations towards China and away from the US, he's diminishing American influence, diminishing the dollar, diminishing trade and he will likely cause a great deal of inflation and economic destruction while China builds and moves forward in their advancements. Donald Trump. Making America less relevant.

In case you hadn't realized the topic is about land disputes.

Unfortunately over the years I've had a few encounters with women were in desperate need of psychiatric help, and regardless of how good the sex was, and regardless of how hot they were, it wasn't worth it, and if I knew what I know now back then, I would have also politely declined!

Well if you really want to talk about legitimate land claims we should address the Sultanate of Pattani, and some of the reasons why the land disputes with Malaysia have been going on for 150 years.

How about 127th and Lennox? Ever been there? I was. No idea how I made it out alive, but I was there. And that was back in the 1980s, way before gentrification went north of 110th Street.

But the real shame of it all is that we need them desperately, when the law doesn't take serious crime seriously, the people should.

Hello! Based on the promises that the government gave, billions upon billions have been invested in the industry and these mostly young entrepreneurs are now being betrayed in a spectacular manner. So the least you can do for them is give them a head start and a heads up. Don't you think that is fair?

Brings to mind the movie The Brave One, with Jodie Foster. Watched it again last night it's a brilliant film, one of Neil Jordan's great films, and it's an incredibly satisfying film for those of us who love vigilante justice. So where are the vigilantes when we need them?