On 12/15/2025 at 11:35 PM, mordothailand said:

admit it, Thailand is the only place that feels like home

Until it collapses

On 12/15/2025 at 8:35 AM, mordothailand said:

admit it, Thailand is the only place that feels like home

I love that feel at home attitude as I stand tall every 90 days to report, hand over 30 sheets of paper yearly hoping for another 12 months stay.

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

I went back to the States 13 years ago for my son's wedding. That was the last time I visited. I had planned to stay for a week as I hadn't been back in the previous 7-8 years, but after three days, I would have been more than happy to return to Thailand. 

 

While it was wonderful to see my son again, and visiting friends was great, the feeling of the country was dark. Depressing. Everyone after the buck. Rediculous prices on food, 'tip boxes' on just about every counter, even when no service was rendered. People walking around with scowls on their faces, as if daring the world to attack them. 
... and no one waved.

One of the daily norms in that part of the country was, when driving, you waved when another vehicle came past you or when someone was standing in their yard. You waved even though you had never seen that person before. It was friendly. But there was almost none of that any longer. People seemed to draw into themselves rather than open up to what was around them. 
I might have to make another trip there very soon, and I do NOT want to go! Hopefully, I can avoid it.

If you think it was bad 13 years ago you should see it now, it's a dramatically exaggerated version of the America that you described, and it's worse than it's ever been. Unless you are crazy wealthy.

 

There is no making America great again, it's on a swift decline and that decline will continue throughout our lifetimes. 

 

America is truly a has been country. 

23 hours ago, davb said:

 

I was miserable when I spent a month there last year. Going to a restaurant, even if you can afford to splurge, feels like you just got ripped-off. The everyday expenses chip away at you, day after day.

And on top of all that between tax and tip you are expected to pay an extra 25 to 30%. Even take out places have a tip factored into the iPad that you are using if you scan your payment, and you have to go way out of your way to look for the tablet says no thanks. 

 

No thanks. 

On 12/15/2025 at 9:14 PM, Harrisfan said:

The west

The west what? The west side of your building, west side of town? Or did you mean the West? west West, two different words with two different meanings.

8 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

America is truly a has been country. 

I don't agree, as every western country is the same.

 

Now if you were to post, 'the west is a has been civilisation', we could agree.

What about Eastern Europe?

Never been there, but I am guessing I might like it. 

Sorta like the West, but with more traditional values. 

 

 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

If you think it was bad 13 years ago you should see it now, it's a dramatically exaggerated version of the America that you described, and it's worse than it's ever been. Unless you are crazy wealthy.

 

There is no making America great again, it's on a swift decline and that decline will continue throughout our lifetimes. 

 

America is truly a has been country. 

Thanks, but I prefer to dwell in my childhood memories of the America I love.
Watching the systematic destruction of every American value instilled in me as a child by my parents, teachers, and, of course, Hoppy, Roy, and Gene.  Those values are seen as negatives today. Empathy is gone, compassion is gone, internationalism is gone, religious freedom is gone (Hey, if you need police protection outside your synagogue or mosque, you do NOT have religious freedom.) Masked law enforcement filling city streets, detaining anyone not white...  Truth, justice, and the American Way have disappeared. 
My America is gone.  

5 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

Thanks, but I prefer to dwell in my childhood memories of the America I love.
Watching the systematic destruction of every American value instilled in me as a child by my parents, teachers, and, of course, Hoppy, Roy, and Gene.  Those values are seen as negatives today. Empathy is gone, compassion is gone, internationalism is gone, religious freedom is gone (Hey, if you need police protection outside your synagogue or mosque, you do NOT have religious freedom.) Masked law enforcement filling city streets, detaining anyone not white...  Truth, justice, and the American Way have disappeared. 
My America is gone.  

I totally agree. Perhaps that is why sentimentality is such a big deal these days, as many only have their memories as reference points. One has to go back 30 years or more, to remember an America that still offered a good quality of life. 

 

I still love that speech that Jeff Daniels made in The Newsroom, even though it was over a decade ago it was incredibly accurate, and on the money, and almost a prophetic vision towards America's future, which is now today. 

 

Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paychecks, but he (gesturing to the conservative panelist) gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn't cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so fricking smart, how come they lose so GODDAM ALWAYS! And (to the conservative panelist, with a straight face) you're going to tell students that America's so starspangled awesome, that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom. Two hundred seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom.

 

And you—sorority girl—yeah—just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is that there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies.

 

None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt, a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the fu@@ you're talking about?! Yosemite?

 

We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one—America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

 

 

 

 

41 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

........ and cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy.

I can't think of any 'great artists' from America.

And most of your great scientists were German NAZIs.

28 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I totally agree. Perhaps that is why sentimentality is such a big deal these days, as many only have their memories as reference points. One has to go back 30 years or more, to remember an America that still offered a good quality of life. 

 

I still love that speech that Jeff Daniels made in The Newsroom, even though it was over a decade ago it was incredibly accurate, and on the money, and almost a prophetic vision towards America's future, which is now today. 

 

Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paychecks, but he (gesturing to the conservative panelist) gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn't cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so fricking smart, how come they lose so GODDAM ALWAYS! And (to the conservative panelist, with a straight face) you're going to tell students that America's so starspangled awesome, that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom. Two hundred seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom.

 

And you—sorority girl—yeah—just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is that there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies.

 

None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt, a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the fu@@ you're talking about?! Yosemite?

 

We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one—America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this. We’ve all heard it but reading it real helps internalize the problems, and points out the glaring differences between MAGA  and the rest of the American population. 
It’s not a case of ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ for MAGA. 
For them, it’s become ‘I’ll see it when I believe it. ‘

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I can't think of any 'great artists' from America.

 

Perhaps your education is lacking in the Arts?
Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Norman Rockwell, … and these are just the painters! The musicians, sculptors, designers, etc. would fill the page. 

18 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I can't think of any 'great artists' from America.

And most of your great scientists were German NAZIs.

BB King

Buddy Guy

Jimmy Hendrix

 

24 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I can't think of any 'great artists' from America.

And most of your great scientists were German NAZIs.

 

🤡

 

woke up on the wrong foot today ? American Afro culture have inspired a whole world when it comes to modern music, so at least something good came out of misery and slavery, 

3 minutes ago, Hummin said:

 

🤡

 

woke up on the wrong foot today ? American Afro culture have inspired a whole world when it comes to modern music, so at least something good came out of misery and slavery, 

I think BMT prefers the Russian kinda life, he said so today..........🤡

21 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

BB King

Buddy Guy

Jimmy Hendrix

 

I prefer Prince Royce, Romeo Santos, J Balvin and other Latino music.

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

Perhaps your education is lacking in the Arts?
Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Norman Rockwell, … and these are just the painters! The musicians, sculptors, designers, etc. would fill the page. 

Artists ....... I think of painters and sculptors from Italy, Holland, Spain, England, France.

Nobody from America. (Pierre Auguste Cot - Springtime)

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I prefer Prince Royce, Romeo Santos, J Balvin and other Latino music.

Rolls Royce

14 minutes ago, transam said:

I think BMT prefers the Russian kinda life, he said so today..........🤡

One of the kings of negative emotions. What would life bee without negativity? 

 

To many feeds from Negativity on this forum, it is incredible, and a good reminder what not to become the next decade’s 

11 minutes ago, transam said:

I think BMT prefers the Russian kinda life, he said so today..........🤡

You eat McDonalds weekly 

3 hours ago, Yagoda said:

Until it collapses

You'll likely collapse first. 

6 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

You eat McDonalds weekly 

So does your orange man-child god. 

14 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Artists ....... I think of painters and sculptors from Italy, Holland, Spain, England, maybe France.

Nobody from America.

Your loss. 🙂

Just now, Alpha84 said:

So does your orange man-child god. 

How do you know?

11 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

You eat McDonalds weekly 

Wrong, guessing again, it's once every couple of weeks......🤡

 

Now don't forget to write that down...........🙄

5 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

How do you know?

Just look at his waistline. It's identical to yours. 

4 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I love that feel at home attitude as I stand tall every 90 days to report, hand over 30 sheets of paper yearly hoping for another 12 months stay.

it used to be that you can pay an agent to do the 90 day report

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

Perhaps your education is lacking in the Arts?
Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Norman Rockwell, … and these are just the painters! The musicians, sculptors, designers, etc. would fill the page. 

Very true. Add Rothko as he lived there for decades. And Hassam, Cassatt, Diebenkorn, Stills, Motherwell, De Kooning, and countless others. The jazz greats are too numerous to mention. You could actually make an argument that from the '50s onward America was much richer than Europe in terms of music and fine art. 

On 12/16/2025 at 1:40 PM, JonnyF said:

 

Well, I do have another name for them but I got banned last time I used it. 

Yes, I also got banned for using certain left wing names that might offend the left wing snowflakes. But yet these people are able to use offensive names to describe patriotic, God fearing conservative commentators.  

I love living in Europe but it is becoming prohibitively expensive.