ma91c1an

What pisses me off is that they are doing this under a military regime. I remember right after the coup that all the taxi drivers were following their rules closely. 

There was no haggling over whether they would condescend to take you anywhere. 

There was no haggling over whether they would use the meter. They just did it. 

Apparently nobody fears the Army anymore. 

I liked it better when taxi drivers feared the generals. 

Silly rabbits. 

CSPAN. 

Opera VPN also has an iOS app. I use it on both iPhone and iPad. It is stupid simple, it works, and it is free.

It also bundles an ad blocker and a tracker blocker. Evidently it works, as wired.com complains every time that I access their site that they need me to turn off my ad blocker. I ignore them. So far, no problem.

Netflix (Thailand) does not work with the Opera VPN enabled. When I set it to USA settings, the Netflix service offers me USA movies. This worked until last month, when it suddenly complained that I was using a VPN and it refused to continue playing a movie. When I disabled the VPN and tried to resume, Netflix refused to continue playing the movie, as it was apparently not available in Thailand. Grrrrr.....

I am under no illusions that Opera would tell FVEY to take a hike, but then, I engage in no illegality on the net.

ETA: The Opera VPN app is a mobile-only app. There is no standalone app for desktop computers, as Opera wants you to use their browser, which bundles the capability. I wish that they would make a computer app as well, as I am supremely satisfied with its functioning on my iPad and iPhone. 

One more thing: I encountered an incompatibility with the VPN when using a Thai banking service. I had to uninstall the app to get the banking app to work again. I no longer use that bank. Opera VPN won that battle. No need for me to keep money in Thailand, anyway. 

I went to Chiang Wattana yesterday afternoon prepared to fill out that notorious form demanding my social media accounts and bank account number. Never saw it. It was never handed to me.

All was most routine. I signed in at security, filled out the form at the front desk, got a queue number, waited ten minutes, got stamped, and I walked out to get a taxi with no waiting.

Smooth as silk.

I am still astonished.

Those rejoicing that Porntip is a defense witness should be very cautious.

The generals gave her her job back, she was a vociferous supporter of the coup, and the political movement behind the coup, and she is connected to the current junta by a web of patronage. This doesn't require a big conspiracy theory. A single phone call saying " We are very glad we reappointed you to your old job Khun Pornthip. Are you enjoying it? Oh Good! I hope this Kho Tao case does not turn out to be embarrassing for Thailand, don't you? Good. I thought not."

It doesn't take much.

She has demonstrated already that she will deny the principles of basic science if given a pressing outside reason. I do not believe someone with a Ph.D in forensic science, requiring a thorough grounding in basic physics and chemistry, genuinely believes an empty box is a bomb detector, working on a principle as yet unknown to basic physics and chemistry. She is not a technologically ignorant general.

So this is not a matter of differing fields of expertise, but a matter of honesty, of trustworthiness.

Calling her as a defense witness may backfire hugely. The only statement I have read from her on this case was one casting doubt (completely incorrectly and inappropriately) on the whole concept of retesting the DNA, by implying the samples may not be retestable, and that retesting is rarely done.

In all forensic labs the first directive is to divide your sample and store portions in a permanent and stable manner, in reserve, in case retesting becomes necessary for whatever reason. Since the samples were sent to the Forensic Institute in Bangkok, they presumably know how to store DNA stably, in freezers, indefinitely. This is standard. There is no chance that the DNA will not be retestable if stored as every DNA lab in the world stores DNA.

Moreover the innocence project in the US tests DNA from evidence samples collected many decades ago, before DNA fingerprinting existed, and is often successful, even on incorrectly collected and stored samples. So there would be no valid scientific reason not to try a retest even on a degraded sample.

Why is Pornthip reported as casting doubt on the whole concept? Hopefully this is merely a result of the inaccurate reporting that makes all attention to anything said ouside the court room a waste of time...She must know as head of the Forensics institute that properly stored DNA lasts indefinitely, and she must know as Head, that her Institute stores DNA correctly.

Concur.

The Khunying has forever lost all credibility. Her insistence that the bomb detectors were based on scientific principles demolished her credibility for good.

No matter how much the Royal Thai Police hate her, no matter how reviled she is by bent cops who fear her, she ruined her own credibility permanently with her incredible statements insisting that the bomb detectors were legit instruments.

Oh and what kind of burgers do the Japanese have at Mos Burger?

The burgers at Mos Burger are a freak show, only Japanese who know no better can consider them palatable. They are like a delivery system for massive amounts of mayonnaise.

Go ahead. Try one. Small meat patties, way too much mayo, bread that you forget even as you chew it.

Go to a branch of La Franche - there's one in the Ploenchit Centre by Sukhumuvit 2, and in Times Square by Sukhimvit 12 and maybe others. You pick from hundreds of leather belts, choose the buckle you want, they measure you and then put it all together. You can get a great belt for maybe 1200 baht - can't remember as I've had three or four from there and they've lasted years. Booths rather than shops. Excellent service.

I second this recommendation. Many get whiplash from the prices, but the fact is that you are paying a fair price for a premium product that also happens to have a *lifetime guarantee.*

Yes. Belts made by these folks are warranted for life.

They use good leather, you select precisely which leather that you want.

They use good hardware, again, you select precisely which hardware that you prefer.

Then they build the damned thing right in front of you, measuring you on the spot, and the belts that they make last forever and look great.

I have no relationship to this small business. I am just a satisfied customer of many years, and many belts.

Every time that I walk past one of their booths, I take my belt off and I hand it to the attendant. She buffs it up and polishes it for me. For free.

I prefer the one in Ploenchit Center, I suppose that it is the 2d floor. Been patronizing them for years.

A Thai friend of mine brought an iPad from the USA,because he can access sites etc not allowed on one from Thailand. Something to so we the registration,but not sure. Anyone else know?

If you maintain a U.S. address, and a U.S. phone number, and a bank account in the U.S., you will be able to register on the U.S. Apple Store, which gives you access to the U.S. versions of iTunes, iCloud, and now, ApplePay. You have to set up your Apple device as though your actual physical residence is in the U.S. When you are in Thailand, or anywhere else, you are just "visiting."

If you *also* register on the Apple Store in Thailand, you can get wires crossed, as I found when I purchased a MB Air a few months ago. Apple appears to have separate systems, Apple America and Apple Asia are separate, so once I got a human on the phone, she sorted my order, billing and everything else. But there was confusion, because my debit card draws from a U.S. bank. And I was shipping to an address in Bangkok ordering from the Apple Store in Thailand. Apple actually ended up giving birth to my Mac in China, and it then traveled through Hong Kong to my home in Bangkok. I ended up handing cash to my wife and she deposited it in her Thai bank account and Apple charged her card, which worked out great in the end because she qualifies for a student discount. But we had some drama.

So my point is that an Apple device in particular depends on a valid credit card. If your card is issued by a Thai bank in Thailand, then register a Thai billing address. But be advised that you will not be able to access some sites and services in the U.S. due to licensing and other issues, because you will be considered Thai. This has nothing to do with citizenship and everything to do with the location of your bank account. For example, you may not be able to order movies or purchase music or books from the U.S. iTunes or iBooks services.

A VPN can make these complications go away, but some vendors, like HBO, are getting wise to the fact that legions of viewers are watching whatever they want, from wherever they want, when they want, and this obviously threatens the stability of the known universe, so solutions are looming.

I understand your friend registering his iPad to a U.S. bank and a U.S. residence and a U.S. phone number. I do that myself. I maintain a U.S. address for banking purposes under the Patriot Act, and so I can purchase services like NHL GameCenter Live. I spend most of my time in Bangkok. But I am just "visiting."

It can be very annoying when YouTube videos or video clips embedded on web pages refuse to play because of licensing restrictions based on residency or physical location.

Hopes this helps.

The best burger in Bangkok is at Daniel Thaiger's food truck, but as posters indicate you have to stand in line on the street and he only makes them for a few hours in the evening. His chairs and tables leave a lot to be desired, and eating on the street is hot, dusty, and unsanitary. Talking only about the food, his "Steve" burger is his crowning glory, and it is outstanding. Make sure that you order double, even triple cheddar. He uses excellent cheese, but I do not like it when it melts into nonexistence. I want to taste it. So I always order more.

The easy solution for Daniel Thaiger would be to also offer a delivery service for his burgers, as he does for his breakfast burritos. If I could order a "Steve" from Daniel Thaiger customized to taste for delivery, I would probably do it once a week at minimum. Digressing for a moment to talk about his breakfast burritos, I called yesterday morning for a delivery, and no one answered their phones. It was early and I was hungry, so I ended up ordering off the McDelivery website. I like the McDonald's sausage and the hash browns. Having the option to order McDonald's for delivery over the internet at 0300 is glorious.

I ate at that Argentinian restaurant a couple of years ago. I remember paying 8,000+ baht for dinner for myself and three little girls and I never went back. They struck me as arrogant. It takes some balls to charge 8,000 baht for a steak that barely compares to what you can get at the Marriott or the Millennium Hilton. It never occurred to me to order a burger there. I will go back and try it out. I do not mind paying 500 baht for a burger, if the burger is worth 500 baht. I am skeptical, but a good burger is an important thing for me, and I would love to love the burger regardless of cost. So I will give them a try. I do not think that I will ever again be persuaded to order steak there. It is just too pricey. If I want to spend money, I will go to the Millennium Hilton and order prime rib. That is a repast.

A friend of mine insists that the burger at Hard Rock Cafe is the best burger in Thailand. I never get over to that neighborhood, I avoid Siam, so I have not tested his thesis. I will bump it up on my list of things to do. Need to get some Hard Rock swag anyway.

The Roadhouse burger is pretty good. I also like his chili. Not as good as Daniel Thaiger, but you can order a Roadhouse burger via Food by Phone or Panda or ChefsXP. The Roadhouse burger is actually best at the annual Fourth of July Party thrown by the American Embassy. Just a couple months from now. Time sure is flying.

The Sizzler burger is edible. It is not elite. I find Sizzler burger quality inconsistent, sometimes decent, sometimes the beef can be gristly. No faster way to lose me as a customer than to include gristle in my beef patty. The Thai do not appear to realize that gristle is not food. I think that the Sizzler salad bar is ok, I like eating spaghetti there with their chicken bolognese sauce. Like the soups, spaghetti is included in the salad bar. If you are skint, you can load up on rabbit food and fruit and fill up the edges with spaghetti and soups, and it is cheap. I go to the Sizzler at Grand Central PraRam 9.

Doug's burger at Bourbon Street is not a contender for me, mostly because I do not think that he really tried to make the best burger in Bangkok. I wish that he would. His location is inconvenient on Thonglor, but you can order his food via Food by Phone and ChefsXP. If somebody sees him, please ask him to push boundaries a bit and create a new menu item, a gourmet burger. I would love to see him try it. The Bourbon Street burger is ok, but the thing that Doug does that no one else does is he makes sausage gravy, SOS (shit on a shingle), or maybe it is chipped beef, for breakfast. I drown a cheese omelet with it. I used to eat SOS every morning when I was in uniform and I miss the hell out of it. Weirdly, his SOS is not available for delivery on ChefsXP, as I recall, not sure about Food by Phone. To wrap up Bourbon Street, the other thing that Doug does great is he sells awesome turkeys and the trimmings at Christmas time and Thanksgiving. I wish that he would offer it year round. I do not mind spending 8,000 baht for a big turkey and all accoutrements. Yes, I am crazy.

I got to endorse those who mention Burger King. Amazingly, I think that the Double Whopper with Cheese and Bacon is a worthy contender, and at 220 baht (? been awhile) it is priced ok. My beef with Burger King is that they only deliver in a limited area, and they flat refuse to send me a burger up in Huaykwang. If Burger King delivered to Huaykwang, I would probably order from them once a week. I wish that Food by Phone, ChefsXP or Panda would strike a deal with Burger King. When Burger King offers a Swiss burger, it is generally very good.

The Carl's Jr burger is ok. Not the best, it is a step behind the Burger King Double Whopper, but the advantage that Carl's Jr has is they deliver throughout Bangkok via ChefsXP. They also often offer a deal where they send a burger and a chicken sandwich for 200 baht. That is a steal, even though the chicken sandwich is just palatable. The burger purchased separately is 220 baht. So you get it for 20 baht less with the chicken sandwich. Decent. I do not love the chili at Carl's. I will order it drowning french fries when I am cheating on my no carb diet. The Carl's burger is not my favorite by far in Bangkok, but I end up eating them just because I can order delivery online.

The Firehouse burger is ok, but it is pricey. They have several burger options, but I always order the expensive one. It is ok. It is available for delivery via ChefsXP. I have not been in the actual Firehouse restaurant itself in a couple of years, I went there right after they first opened, but I remember that he served all you can eat dill pickles. His pickles were glorious.

Finally, about the gentleman who mentioned Fatty's. Fatty's is *not* "200 meters from the MRT," as he claimed. This is my big gripe with Fatty's: his location. To get there, you have to take a taxi from across the street from Fortune at Grand Central PraRam 9 on Ratchada, then turn right onto PraRam 9, and then take PraRam 9 all the way to Din Daeng. Then you have to u-turn and go back the way that you just came on PraRam 9, and you have to really watch for his small sign on the left. You can easily miss it and overshoot. There is no easy way to get to Fatty's, and this is a problem. It is more like two klicks from the MRT. Saying that it is "200 meters" from the MRT is delusional, and I want some of whatever he is smoking.

Fatty's actual establishment is idiosyncratic. I have not been there in the flesh in some time, so I will cut this aspect short. The last time that I went there the chairs were uncomfortable, it was very small, it was hot, and there was only one couch area. On the plus side, he had John Prine on the jukebox, and his red house wine is good. I am pretty sure that he gets it at 7-11, it has a screw top, but it is a good house red, and it is cheap. It compensated for the rough shophouse.

Now. About the Fatty's burger. It is pretty good. It is not as good as Daniel Thaiger's "Steve," but it is a contender. Matthew, the proprietor of Fatty's, knows his business, and that is making comfort foods. I think what Matthew does better than anyone else in Bangkok is he uses the ingredients that are available here and he puts them together to achieve an American cuisine that has few rivals. His burger is a contender, and as a burger connoisseur I rate it a notch behind the Daniel Thaiger "Steve."

Fatty's makes the best Reuben in Bangkok. This is a bold statement, but I stand by it. i just ate one for breakfast. He makes a decent cheesesteak, but for those who have eaten at Pat's and Geno's in Philly, he will just make you homesick for the real deal. Matthew makes a great sausage platter. My girls devour it. You have to order extra sauerkraut, though, and you have to ensure that you emphasize that you want a *tub* of sauerkraut, not just a couple of extra cups. The serving size of a cup is like a tablespoon. Please. His kraut is superb.

Before I forget. When you order a Fatty's Reuben or a cheesesteak you need to ensure that you order them with extra meat and cheese. The cheesesteak is priced at 175 baht, and extra meat and cheese runs another 70 baht. I do not mind paying more to get more. The Reuben costs 180 baht, and extra meat and cheese another 70 baht. I am looking right at my receipt from last night's order. Some may consider these prices high, but I do not. He makes the best Reuben in Bangkok. End of story.

Matthew also includes tasty dill pickle spears, and I do not know where he gets them, but they have obviously been steeped in a brine that includes Thai chili. They are spicy to the taste, and excellent. I wish that Matthew would sell these dill pickles by the jar. I also wish that Matthew would make a grandma style potato salad, deviled eggs, and an asparagus casserole. It has been years since I at like that at my Nana Jean's. The next time that someone talks to Matthew, please put the bug in his ear.

The Fatty's burger is a contender, but I place it on par with the Roadhouse burger, behind the Daniel Thaiger "Steve." You can get Fatty's food for delivery, but it is not a smooth process. He used to offer online ordering through his page on Facebook, but I tried to order that way last night and it was not available. So I called Matthew. He was not answering his phones, and I do not blame him, because I am a picky customer and I bully him into delivering to me up in Huaykwang. So I spoke to someone else. It took me ten minutes to place the order, and I started to get disgruntled, but in the end analysis I got a Fatty's cheesesteak and a Reuben delivered with a sausage platter and something that they call a WiPi.

The WiPi is a simple slice of hash browns, doused in chili and cheese. It is ok, but the real reason to deal with Fatty's bad location is his Reuben, his cheesesteak, his burger and his sausage platter. Oh. And his wings. His wings can be sublime. You need to exercise care with the hot version, however. His sauce can burn your tongue clean out of your mouth. You need a milkshake or cold milk for sure.

Sorry for the length of this. To make it clear, this is how I rank burgers in Bangkok at this time.

1. The Daniel Thaiger "Steve." No delivery option. Bad location, uncomfortable venue. But the best burger, when ordered with extra cheddar.

2. Burger King Double Whopper with Cheese and bacon. Consistently good, a great burger for the price (220 baht?), widely available at multiple store locations. Poor delivery options.

3. Fatty's house burger. A good burger, a worthy contender. Inconvenient location, somewhat uncomfortable venue, so-so delivery options. As I said, I have to use jedi mind tricks to get Fatty's to deliver to me up in Huaykwang. But they do it, and I am thankful.

4. Roadhouse and Firehouse. Both make a decent burger. Both can readily be ordered via ChefsXP.

5. Sizzler and Bourbon Street. Sizzler is only available in their restaurant locations. Bourbon Street can be ordered via ChefsXP. The Bourbon Street burger is small, compared to the others here.

6. Carl's Jr. Good value for the money, when you can buy a Double Western, I think that they call it, with a chicken sandwich for 200 baht. Widely available for delivery via ChefsXP.

I think that this covers burgers in Bangkok. I will try that Argentinian place's 500 baht burger, and the burger at Hard Rock, and update.

One queue ticket for both the 90 day and the address change at Chaeng Wattana. The official handled both smoothly and efficiently. They were pretty tired. It had been a long day, and they still had a full waiting room after 4PM.

I prefer Major at Suksawat because there has never been a line of people ahead of me. The primary purpose of the facility seems to be focused on laborers. Foreigners are permitted to go there if they choose.

It is closer and faster for me than Chaeng Wattana, and I appreciate the convenience of getting in and out in ten minutes. I usually persuade my taxi drivers to wait for me with the meter running, so the entire transaction is very fast and smooth.

As I mentioned, Chaeng Wattana was a madhouse, when I first received my queue number there were 184 people ahead of me in line.

At Suksawat, I am always the next customer. It is much faster, and far less stressful, than Chaeng Wattana, for me.

I went to Major Hollywood Surasak on Monday. The facility was full of Laotian, Cambodian and Burmese laborers. There were no other farang Westerners.

I told the attendant at the front that I needed to file a 90-day report. He gave me the form, I filled it out, and he gave me a queue number.

I waited a while, I was next in turn, but nothing was happening. I am impatient, so I walked up and asked at the window if there was a problem, and the official smiled and took my paper. As he reviewed it, he was stumped by my addresses.

I moved to a different address, so I entered my new address on the 90 day extension form. This obviously did not correspond to my previous address, so I told him that I had changed my address.

That suddenly made everything make sense, so he handed me another form, an address change form, and then he told me the bad news. I had to go to Chaeng Wattana to file a change of address.

I thanked him and left. I had a doctor's appointment the next day, Tuesday, and Wednesday was Macha Bucha day, a holiday. I was concerned that Immigration might charge me a fine for being late.

Assuming that Thai bureaucracy would be at its worst, I made copies of my medical report and my new lease. I went to Chaeng Wattana on Thursday.

What a madhouse. It was packed, totally packed, and my queue slip helpfully told me that 184 others were ahead of me in the line. We arrived around 1:30PM.

My wife and I went downstairs to a restaurant in the basement called Konichiwa. I find Chester's Grill barely palatable, and the other food venues mostly sell only snacks. This pseudo-Japanese restaurant appears to be the best option. The S&P only had sandwiches in a glass case. They are not famous for their sandwiches.

I ordered a teriyaki pork steak set. When it came, it looked a bit small, so I ordered another. My wife and I enjoyed a quiet, relaxing late lunch. The teriyaki pork steak was very good.

When we went upstairs, there were still 50 folks ahead of me in the queue, so after waiting a few minutes, we went back downstairs to get a drink. We had some tea, 25 baht. No complaints.

When we went back upstairs, it was nearly 4PM, but just a few others were still ahead of me.

I was delighted when I went up to the window. I explained that I had been to Major Hollywood on Monday, and the official expertly scanned my address change paperwork, entered the change in the system, and processed my 90 day extension, emphasizing that I could resume going to Major Hollywood for 90 day extensions henceforth.

No hassles, once I made it to the window.

Lessons learned:

1. If you change your address, you need a change of address form.

2. Change of address forms cannot be processed at Major Hollywood. They must be processed for foreigners in Bangkok at Chaeng Wattana.

3. I was told that I had a 7 day grace period following my 90 day date. This appears to be correct, as I was not charged a late fee.

4. While I was prepared with copies of my new lease, I was not asked for a copy. I am sure that if I failed to make a copy, I would have been asked. You never know.

5. Immigration has vastly improved the taxi queue system outside, making it easy to get a taxi. The line was very long, so my wife and I jumped on a pair of motos, and we went down to the main drag. Fifteen baht.

6. We flagged a taxi down there, and went to the Skytrain station next to JJ Market. From there, we went out to dinner.

It was a long day, but smooth enough.

Hope that this helps.

Went to Immigration today at Major Surasak.

Elapsed time: five minutes.

No lines. Deserted office. Had to walk past a bunch of Lao and Burmese laborers checking out my wife as we walked past, heard the inevitable catcalls.

Walked in, said "90 day" to the clerk at the entrance, he handed me the form. I took it to him completed, he checked it, then directed me to window 1, helpfully designated "90 day reporting."

The clerk there reviewed the form, tapped a couple of times on his keyboard, printed my form, and that was it. I was done.

Smooth as silk. Far better than going to Chaeng Wattana.

I went to Major Hollywood Surasak last week for my 90 day report. We were running late, but they stay open late, and I walked in, and walked out, mission complete, in five minutes.

Utterly painless.

If the Surasak office is closer for you than Chaeng Wattana, I highly recommend using this office.

In the event that anyone from Thai Immigration is reading this: thank you for your professionalism. Greatly appreciated.

Yes, I have seen that, but open the link labeled "notification of staying over 90 days" and under the heading "offices accepting notification" paragraph #3 states -

"Immigration Service Center for 3 National Legalized Labors ( Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia) at Major Hollywood Suksawat or Imperial World Ladprao

Only special Labor of three Nationalities Loas ,Cambodia and Mynmar residing in Bangkok."

The emphasis on Only is mine. That seems to mean that only legal workers from those 3 countries can use those 2 offices.

The only office not qualified in some way to specific groups is Jaeng Wattana I see nothing to suggest that Suksawat is still generally available for 90-day reports as it was during the shutdown of the Government Complex. But perhaps I am missing something...

I asked them the last time that I was there a couple of weeks ago.

90-day reporting can be done at Major Hollywood. You can go to Chaeng Wattana if you prefer.

They will continue offering the service at Major Hollywood.

I hate spam.

I was in and out in ten minutes.

I hate spam.

I did my 90 day check at Major Hollywood Suskawat last week.

The nice lady told me, and she confirmed when I double checked, that 90 day reporting would continue to be available for foreigners.

I hate spam.

This is an utter waste of my time.

Buh bye.

I hate spam.

The topic under discussion in this thread is not the Southern violence.

Stop erecting straw men. Stick to the subject.

Again, for what? The fifth time? I challenge you to respond to my posts with facts. Not ad hominem attacks.

I hate spam.

Block 4.

I speak as one who also was a commissioned officer who appreciates when someone voluntarily and by military service puts his arse on the line for the United States, and I say for the record that IMO these views as held by such an American as yourself are shameful yet shameless.

I do not care.

You are of course entitled to your views. As a former commissioned officer of the armed services of the United States, however, I have the opinion that such views as same dishonor the armed services of the United States, and are a disgrace to its constitution literally and in its spirit. I have rarely seen such attaint from a former commissioned officer veteran of U.S military service, or such contempt of the values he swore to uphold and to defend.

I have to say that I continue to be ever aghast by the nature and character of so many of the people this county attracts from among the native English speaking countries.

Mortified.

I have not yet begun to mortify you. I am glad that my views offend you. Perhaps you will look yourself in the mirror and ask why you feel such dissonance? Maybe you will start to wake up.

It does not matter. Others are reading these words. They are asking questions. Doubts have been sown.

Snap out of your hypnosis!

End block 4. Last chunk of text.

I hate spam.

Block 3.

Michael Yon is a veteran of enlisted service in the U.S. armed forces yet he also supports the military mutiny coup d'état, and you speak well of Yon. As if that weren't enough, I don't see how someone with these views has any claim to quote Pres Eisenhower as if he and you had anything in common that would be consistent with the constitution you swore / affirmed to preserve, protect, defend with you life if need be.

LOL!

In fact, defending the Constitution is increasingly a revolutionary act. Our government is assaulting the First Amendment, waging outright war on the 2d Amendment, and violating the Fourth Amendment in a wholesale, ongoing fashion, collecting billions of digital events, each one a felony.

Maybe you should go back and read our Constitution. Has it been awhile? Go back. Reacquaint yourself with it. Reading the American constitution and the Bill of Rights is a revolutionary act. Maybe you will begin to wake up. The last thing that our government wants, you see, is for you to read the Constitution. So do it.

End block 3.

I hate spam.

Block 2:

I also see in your post above you have the standard line of the fascists in Thailand that the press in the USA are not free.

That did not take long. "Fascist?" Whatever. Enjoy your labeling, your categorizing, your insults. You amuse me.

The press in America is not free. We enjoy the illusion of freedom. Some recent examples will suffice to illustrate. Today, or yesterday, the incoming Managing Editor of the New York Times admitted that it was a bitter pill to swallow, seeing the Guardian and the Washington Post share the Pulitzer this year. The NYT, in fact, suppressed articles about the mass surveillance of Americans by the US government on several occasions, usually at the behest of that same government.

Why did the NYT do this? Because they cherish their position as the "newspaper of record," with their myriad of relationships with government officials, preserving their access to "off the record" briefings, their "anonymous sources" in the White House, the Pentagon and the CIA, the pinnacles of power. Snowden saw how the NYT treated earlier whistleblowers, Binney, Wiebe and Drake, and he deliberately boycotted it as a consequence. Snowden would not permit the NYT to dictate the pace of revelations, and when the Washington Post attempted to do so, Greenwald forced their hand by compelling the Guardian to publish.

Because Greenwald was willing to exercise the ultimate option: he was willing to publish the Snowden documents on his own, on a dedicated website, without editorial comment or bias. This is the miracle of the internet. We are all of us, everyone reading this thread, going off the reservation, talking to one another directly, without the influence or the bias of a nanny editor. Yes, there are moderators. The next time that a moderator on this site arbitrarily purges my words will be the last time that I employ this site for any purpose.

Even here, you see, there is control. I accept the control for convenience. I could just as easily write these words on a separate website, and merely post a link to it. The next time that I am muzzled, I will.

So would you assert that you enjoy "freedom of the press" on this site? Please. Within limits, we are free. Step over the line, which they decide, and you are muzzled. A similar paradigm reigns in the US. There is no question that the legacy press in America is desperately thrashing around, attempting to crack the code on the Internet. It is quite simple, but they cannot accept it. Information wants to be free. Simple as that.

The NYT believes that it has successfully monetized its site. I refuse to pay for information from any source. All that the NYT succeeded in doing with their "paywall" is they pushed a legion of readers out onto the net, where we can access news from an endless variety of sources. I am glad that the NYT went to a paywall model. I cast a far larger net now. With the convenience of alerts, I am able to quickly scan aggregations of topical news stories.

Anyway. No. We do not enjoy a free press in America. Wake up if you dare.

End block 2.

I hate spam.

A character he certainly is. Nobody who lives as long as we have is going to have a past path free of critics. Certainly some criticism is deserved. I lose patience when I see misinformed memes repeated about Yon, as I do know him quite well.

He makes no bones about his personal politics, and he is as entitled to his preferences as any of us. I will say that his personal views derive from a much deeper analysis than many realize. He is also quick to publish a correction or a retraction.

As for his personal finances, he is under no obligation to share that information with anyone. It is between him and the IRS. As for the sniping about Yon's "work permit," or his visa, the Royal Thai Government is acutely aware of his presence and his activities in the kingdom.

I thought it fascinating, in fact, that Yon remained unmolested by the former Puea Thai government, as his coverage of the Whistleblower protests continued. The Reds, who know him well in Chiang Mai, likewise left him be. When Yon visited the Red protest site, he was not abused in any way.

For all those critics of the coup who claim that the media is not free in Thailand, I will agree to the extent that lèse majesté is illegal. Aside from that, it is possible to publish just about anything here. I will add that I think that CNN and BBC both merit their sustained time-out on TrueVisions. I hope that it costs them both a ton of money. If they are smart, they will tighten up their editorial processes and pursue a more balanced and sober reporting from the kingdom.

As an American, I believe in a free press. But this is Thailand. The generals are now in charge. They are loyal to their people and to their King. Bottom line.

I would finally add that the press in America is not free. We believe that it is, but if the recent character assassination directed at Glenn Greenwald and Edward Snowden is any indicator, the mass media in America is outright owned by corporate America, the same malign actors that Ike warned about in his infamous address on the military-industrial complex.

There are efforts afoot, moreover, to bring the wild parts of the internet under control. We are living in historic times, in the infancy, still, of the internet, which only was born for practical purposes around 1995. Next year, the internet as most of us know it will be twenty years old.

I pray that it may never be regulated. The eruption of the net in the past twenty years has been the most momentous development in the history of the human race. Nothing matters more.

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Nonsense.There is no deep analysis from Yon.He is an opportunistic semi educated goon with no credibility at all with other than the gullible.Your remarks about the generals in charge are ridiculous and could have been borrowed from the Yonster.

What's sad is to see Americans who profess patriotism but despise the ideals of Jefferson and Founding Fathers..

And on his snake oil fund raising activities you are simply wrong.He is guilty of defrauding the public.

Save this mindless junk for the the bars where there are many veterans who ruminate endlessly on these US military trivia matters.There used to be places on Washington Square where ex US army drunks, some of them quite amiable wittered on endlessly in this manner.None of them as far as I know had been commissioned officers.

Yon is a fraud and a huckster, and knows nothing about Thailand beyond what he is fed..If you see him as informed or interesting, that's your privilege.

Ok.

I got spanked by a moderator, apparently because I was too direct, or my language stung. I took a timeout to ruminate on my sins. Now I am back.

1. I was a commissioned officer. So what? What does that have to do with anything?

2. You say that "Yon is a fraud and a huckster." Do you understand the definition of the term, "defamation?" Moreover, do you understand the legal definition of this term in Thai jurisprudence? This simple, declarative accusation that you lob like a hand grenade is devoid of factual content. It may end up being the most expensive statement that you ever make.

3. You say, "Yon...knows nothing about Thailand beyond what he is fed."

Another ad hominem attack, empty of factual content or evidence of any kind.

I asked, repeatedly, for factual support for the ad hominem attacks that you waged on Mike Yon. You responded with more ad hominem attacks, more dismissive verbiage, and you failed to answer any of my questions, or to substantiate any of your poisonous remarks.

So, I would like to give you one more shot.

What else you got?

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As to your Point Number 1 immediately above, you state you were a commissioned officer in the armed forces of the United States, yet you appear to support the coup.

And it is bizarre to hear an American say he supports freedom of the press but simultaneously say, hey, "this is Thailand and the generals are in charge," and that such an American should be glad to see CNN and BBC et al "shut out" and that he hopes each "loses a lot of money".

I also see in your post above you have the standard line of the fascists in Thailand that the press in the USA are not free.

Michael Yon is a veteran of enlisted service in the U.S. armed forces yet he also supports the military mutiny coup d'état, and you speak well of Yon. As if that weren't enough, I don't see how someone with these views has any claim to quote Pres Eisenhower as if he and you had anything in common that would be consistent with the constitution you swore / affirmed to preserve, protect, defend with you life if need be.

I speak as one who also was a commissioned officer who appreciates when someone voluntarily and by military service puts his arse on the line for the United States, and I say for the record that IMO these views as held by such an American as yourself are shameful yet shameless.

You are of course entitled to your views. As a former commissioned officer of the armed services of the United States, however, I have the opinion that such views as same dishonor the armed services of the United States, and are a disgrace to its constitution literally and in its spirit. I have rarely seen such attaint from a former commissioned officer veteran of U.S military service, or such contempt of the values he swore to uphold and to defend.

I have to say that I continue to be ever aghast by the nature and character of so many of the people this county attracts from among the native English speaking countries.

Mortified.

Thank you for the courtesy of your reply.

I will sleep on it and respond tomorrow, after morning coffee.

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