DogNo1

Don't forget the Spanish Inquisition and France's Terror.  Christians and atheists can be very touchy too!

Well, "Juche" has worked for North Korea very well so far.  Strategic patience is our proper reaction.  As Jim Mattis has observed, any conflict with North Korea could result in horrendous casualties, especially in South Korea.  The South Korean decapitation teams are a good idea but preemptive action by South Korea could have disastrous results.  I'm not sure that taking out Kim Jong Un and his immediate circle would necessarily avoid a costly war.  Strategic patience and a closely motored containment are the least costly option right now.  Words are only damaging to the ego and can be ignored.

Exactly.  That's why the congress should act.

Amnesty has been granted previously to millions of people who were in the country illegally.  Their crime was being in the country illegally.  Making their status legal was called amnesty.   Check your history.

Right. The words came from the Gettysburg Address.

Of course Trump is leaving himself some leeway on whatever bill is passed.  You need to study up on the senators and representatives who are taking various positions concerning what should be done to the "dreamers" and what other elements are being proposed to include in the prospective bill.  Without this knowledge you can't talk about the issue authoritatively.  It's not a simple issue.  Who knows that Trump was about to be taken to court by the attorneys general of some states to challenge the legality of DACA?   Do you?

Trump has already intimated that he would sign a bill that would legitimate the status of the "dreamers."  Despite a presidential veto, the will of the people can prevail if the bill is again passed by the congress with a vote of two-thirds or more of the senators and representatives.  In the case of the "dreamers," the will of the American people should rule via a bill passed or not passed by the congress.  If the "dreamers" are granted a path to permanent residence and citizenship, it will be another of the many amnesties granted to illegal immigrants.  After this instance, the borders of the USA should be strictly controlled and the immigration laws enforced.  All of the countries in Asia do no less.  I could hit the streets and demand that Thailand grant me permanent residence with no requirement to report my whereabouts every ninety days.  What do you think would happen to me?  Do you think that Prayut will issue a decree that all of us presently in Thailand will be granted the right to stay indefinitely?

The power of the president to veto bills does not mean that he has the main responsibility of initiating bills and getting them passed.  That responsibility lies mainly with the people through their elected representatives.  Remember the words from the Bill of Rights " a government of the people, by the people and for the people?"

Where does the responsibility for drafting bills and enacting legislation lie?  The president has clearly said that he wants the congress to act on this issue.  LBJ got the civil rights bill passed but Trump is no LBJ.

10 hours ago, webfact said:

"My challenge to the president," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, is to help Congress get legislation passed within Trump's six-month deadline. "Work the phones, try to find a consensus."

Right.  Immigration laws are the responsibility of the President, not the Congress.  

Spend the money on education?  220,000 college grads currently unemployed in Thailand!

I have tried many progressive lenses but just can't use them.  I can't seem to get the right focus no matter how I move my head up and down.  I have returned to using bifocals and have no trouble getting the right focus by making the distance to the object that I am reading closer or farther away.  I found a place that makes pretty good bifocal lenses with a transitions coating for about $200.  It is Infinity Optical on the 3rd floor of Central World.  There is also a pretty good shop in Emquartier.  I've forgotten the name but they gave me the price that I used to bargain at Infinity Optical.  I have not had good results in California where my optician gave me a prescription that strains my eyes.  My right eye won't maintain focus so it is difficult to determine the right refraction and astigmatism correction for it.  In Bangkok, a lot depends on the technician who determines your prescription.  In the past, I had my cataracts removed and got a prescription at Bumrungrad.  The cataracts were removed successfully but I found the service and attitude of the ophthalmologist to be poor.  The prescription that I got there was totally wrong.  In the future, I will use Rutin.

I wonder if he could continue to serve if he lost his sight.  What recklessness!

Your comment causes me to recall Dwight Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex.  Indeed, a career in the US armed forces these days is a well-paying job with good retirement benefits.  I don't suppose that the generals consider themselves to be motivated by financial gain for themselves and their services but it does seem to be a factor.  The private contractors, who are paid handsomely, probably have little motivation to shorten any conflict.  The American taxpayers lose when wars are extended unnecessarily.  Incidentally, we have solid evidence that Nixon extended the Vietnam War by over a year for political purposes.  War would appear to be a growth business. I look for a long, protracted conflict in South Asia.

Yes,  I think that Pence could actually be worse than Trump.  We will see what the special prosecutor turns up.  Trump gave a very unimpressive speech tonight about increasing the troops in Afghanistan.  All of the old, failed policy objectives were mentioned.  It seems that America has no good options for fighting the wars in South Asia.  It is so clear that these are part of a larger Sunni-Shia conflict but the fights are always put in terms of countries, tribes, etc.  The CIA doesn't want to own the war as a counter-insurgency struggle.  Eric Prince had some good ideas about it on Fox News tonight.  The generals are reluctant to put the war in the hands of private contractors but with the dispatch of regular troops I sense the slope becoming slippery with the US again becoming responsible for nation building and maybe even a permanent presence in Afghanistan.  I guess that we won't be rebuilding our infrastructure any time soon.

I would like to direct your attention to this article in today's New York Times: A Deal Breaker for Trump’s Supporters? Nope. Not This Time, Either.

As one poster commented, Trump may have dememtia.  So did Ronald Reagan whose wife ran his schedule according to the directions of her astrologer.  Did Reagan remember things that he had done such as selling weapons to the Iranians?  No, he didn't.  Accordingly, it's very unlikely that President Trump can be removed due to mental incompetence.  The thing that we should all be thinking about is whether he will pull the trigger on Operation Chain-Kill, a preemptive strike against North Korea.  His presumed bigotry and assumed approval of Neo-Nazis is relatively inconsequential.  Who cares if the captains of industry have deserted his advisory groups - as if they have any real moral fiber.

Is racism in Asia really a surprise to anyone?  There have been books written about colorism in India, Africa and Asia.  Most countries are not like the United States where the slightest micro-agression is a cause for outrage and shrill complaints.  In China, black students staged a protest against the University of Beijing.  Didn't do them much good though.  Does anyone really think that he or she can change centuries of attitude with indignant outbursts.  Save them for America where at least the law is on your side.

Carry cash and spruce up before you stand in front of the IO!  Smile!  Best to have 800,000 in hand.  Better luck to  the disappointed  visitors  next time.

Sounds as though they need to hire more immigration officers.  Budget problems?

It seems that most are urging the most draconian punishment for the teacher.  In my opinion, she should be suspended for a while and counseled about the proper ways to enforce discipline in a Thai classroom, if that is possible.  Her action in no way suggests that she is not qualified to continue teaching so long as she learns the proper ways to control her students.  If I had $100 for every time I was physically punished or humiliated in school back in Pennsylvania, I'd be a rich man.  Those German-American old ladies were tough!

Education is always bandied about as being the easy solution for many things including under-age prostitution.  Education is undoubtedly empowering but decent jobs are often not forthcoming.  Just look at the USA with its hordes of BA and MA holders living in their parents' basements because the can't find well-paying full-time jobs.  Could Thailand really absorb a large number of young, well educated job applicants and pay them a truly living wage?

I find that at my age, I have go back and edit everything that I type.  I find myself misspelling words and omitting words that I think but don't type.  I developed that habit years ago so that I could revise and reinforce my writing.  Some posters are more interested in getting their ideas down and have not been professional writers.  It's OK.  It makes for a little rough reading sometimes but so long as the ideas are understandable it's acceptable.

There are places in the very center of Bangkok where there are no sidewalks.  People are forced to walk on the street in the face of oncoming traffic.  Where there are sidewalks, many have an irregular surface prompting people to walk on the street.  This in the very heart of the city.  Property laws are unlikely to change so unless Bangkok is able to exercise eminent domain, the situation is unlikely to change.  Also, where there are private sidewalks they are often obstructed by tour buses and other vehicles.

Well, I think that those who line up for their own kick or punch at the latest miscreant or feature of Thai society that is upsetting to them have a defensive mindset and probably become consumed with thinking about problems.  I do myself sometimes.  Actually, the very popular Fox News focuses on emotional criticism of everything that they don't like.  Constant criticism is a defensive strategy similar to OCD.  It doesn't make one feel very happy though.  Interestingly, the British National Health Service has recently initiated counseling for an apparently huge number of people who are bothered with constant negative thinking.  For those who are interested, an article about this appeared in the Health section of yesterday's New York Times.  Many people are being helped by cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Posters just lining up to deliver their own punch or kick to Thai people and/or high-society miscreants.  Just perpetuates the anger.

There still doesn't seem to be any thought of promoting anger management.  When all you know is "jai yen," you have no mental resources when your anger gets intense.  The whole society should scrap the idea of "jai yen" and deal with anger realistically.  Of course I know that my pronouncement may make many posters uncontrollably angry.