Songlaw

He was clearly a sweetheart of a guy in many respects. I didn’t know about the particulars of his treatment of Muslims. But if he were to look at global standards for their treatment, especially in China, he might have been convinced it was all in good fun.

Why don’t you ask him? I’d certainly like to see how he’d answer. Conversely, you could ask how many he supposedly saved? Either way, I would expect a convoluted answer.

In the most archaic, draconian, and unnecessary manner possible, he took the idiocy of the Americans’ so-called war on drugs and pumped it full of steroids - before turning it against his own brethren. Countless individuals suffered, and families went decades without mercy or any hope for their loved ones ever coming home - over marijuana no less, more often than amphetamines. They didn’t randomly P-test for yaba before extracting every last baht from tourists/foreigners either. A bit of suffering would seem fitting for a remorseless individual who, given the opportunity, would probably reinstate the same measures immediately. Small-minded vindictiveness and extreme cruelty are the only aspects of his reign that actually move the needle for me. Totally overshadowing what were, for the time, some seemingly progressive and societally beneficial measures undertaken by his administration, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Same here, my friend.

The prolific use of these iron plates on Bangkok construction sites causes no end of needless disruption and potential catastrophic damage to vehicles and injury to persons. Seems they are routinely spuriously placed in roadways causing all sorts of havoc ranging from extreme amounts of impossible-to-mitigate noise (as they are always warped, for some reason) to the pummeling of vehicle undercarriages and tires - for no justifiable reason whatsoever. When people complain to city officials, they are often removed with absolutely zero impact to the goings-on of the construction site. They simply move them “around the corner” for others to enjoy and continue on with whatever tasks are scheduled for that day. Maddening, really.

Finally, someone willing to put their character flaws AND ignorance of educational mores on full display without regard for either dignity or consequences. Well played, “teacher.” I’ve no doubt my teachers dreamed of scenarios like this almost daily. But they were too invested in the educational process to even think of acting on the impulse. So much for agreeing to disagree, l guess. Besides, do teachers really need students to justify their existences? In some cases, attempts to justify their titles and salariy (such as it is) constitute the quintessential fool’s errand. As written, I couldn’t sack this f*kkstick quickly enough.

If Thailand is willing to suffer you “Hunter Biden” types - which some of us traveled to the literal ends of the earth to escape - I doubt that general Halfwit has much to worry about. Neither has boded particularly well for the Kingdom, in any event. Thanks for the memories.

So, you claim to know of a 24-hour Villa that makes alcohol available both day and night? Let’s just say l’m skeptical concerning every aspect of your claim. It’s right up there with the dude claiming he’s not been refused a liquor sale in twelve years - though if all he drinks is Leo at the local pad krapao shop, that would at least be plausible.????

Do you even know what planet you’re on?

I expected the hand-wringers, but for this site, that was fast. You may have even set a new record. Fifteen years and three separate banking apps later, l think l will stand by what I have personally observed. All banks attempt to save the stupid from themselves. As usual, this site often demonstrates the futility of that endeavor. Best of luck to you.

There’s no doubt that Thailand has one of the more convenient and secure banking-app systems in the world. There is no way l would exchange it for any other. Glitches, commonly referenced as Murphy’s Law, are universal and always in full effect, lest we forget. I trust that Bangkok Bank will eventually find the 1000 baht l transferred to my son on Saturday. So much so, that I haven’t even contacted them about it yet. FYI, initial reports attributed the snafu to a KBank switching system, which as a component in a larger network, affected many of the major banks. Cheers.

I agree, if your hope is for a better existence for the Thai. They are continuing to suffer in ways that are immeasurable and would be intolerable for most foreigners. When their lot has been improved, perhaps then our hemming and hawing will not seem quite so absurd. We had a choice as to our whereabouts; it’s quite another matter for those who have had none.

The Language, you say? Which one might that be? Better examples of the often insurmountable challenges that most non-western women face here would be: Lazy, obtuse, unimaginative, uninteresting, apathetic and sickeningly entitled western males (and females), with (to be generous) often less than optimal approaches to both matters of hygiene and basic civility - admittedly, l could probably do better with the latter. But, by all means, let’s focus on “The Language.” Rotsa ruck, Thai ladies. I am certain there are grudgingly attached western women and countless children elsewhere whom could be persuaded to pay living wages just to keep your potential catches here in Thailand. Your good self exempted, of course, OP, as l am sure yours have mastered “the language,” among countless other things in your absence and are hoping against hope for your magnanimous return one day. (Sarcasm alert)

Funny, I don’t recall “the Thai People” being assaulted alongside her receiving mention in her report. The whack-a-mole apparently had his hands full. Luckily, the all-encompassing bow is universally recognized as providing bulletproof evidence of sincere contrition. All’s well that ends well, l guess.

Like the USA, and the rest of the world for that matter, doesn’t already have enough on its plate. I suspect that the true protesters would welcome most legitimate support cum intervention, especially any proffered by the West, as it tends to be backed by something tangible and with teeth. This was one of the more misleading headlines of late. In this day and age a handful of “inconvenienced” royalists doth not a protest make.

I think we have a syntax problem. What l think the man was trying to say was that it’s harder to get addicted to ganja than alcohol or cigarettes, but l could be wrong. Regardless, I am with you. Having pledged in 1970 to never pass a tox screen willingly, l could still do without the random pee tests and consequent and sometimes life-long consequences. Conveniently, Anutin could be proffered by the junta as a potentially mutually acceptable alternative, as they seek and “find” reasons to preclude K’Pita & Co. from taking office. I support whom ever the Thai people duly elect, but we could do worse than K’Anutin, with little to no difficulty. For example, a certain fat man who wears a plethora of fine watches, yet still seems to have no clear idea of what time it actually is, in the big-picture sense. No matter the outcome, l am sure it will be clear sailing from here on out.

Who thought (and still thinks) that the death penalty for marijuana use and/or possession was perfectly reasonable. He may be a bit out of sync with modern day Thailand. Certainly with Bangkok. Trying to shoehorn him back into Thailand went so smoothly the last time. I’ll make the popcorn.

Well, that certainly cleared things up, I guess. As much as anything ever has. The price has jumped, the where-to’s and why-for’s are, shall we say, elusive, and therefore onward and upward with a stiff upper lip - how are my translation skills holding up?

Or anywhere else for that matter. As freedom is a concept, an unreachable goal, it’s all kind of pointless. Sorry, I was just stumbling about in a futile attempt to locate my vodka and saw this on my Line. Hope l won’t need to file another missing libations report with the moo ban. I suspect they’re growing tired of me - unlike all my pals here.

Well, don’t keep us in suspense. What have you come up with? It’s a puzzle we’ve all been working on, for sure. ????

There certainly will never be another like her. Godspeed, Her Majesty. May god (small “G,” and meaning fate) protect the Kingdom (along with the rest of us) from its/our baser instincts and inclinations.

I am not sure where exactly the boundaries of reason would be for something that can’t be an overly popular subject in a country with such a largely conservative cultural base. But flamboyant displays of any kind that can and will be perceived as rubbing the already angst-ridden public’s nose in what for them is viewed as yet another Pandora’s box will have predictable but unfortunate consequences for the nation’s, as well as ganja’s long-term, progressive success. I agree with two schools of thought: If something works, don’t draw unnecessary attention to it, and secondly, don’t bite the duplicitous hand that is responsible for whatever sudden and “inexplicable” good fortune has befallen you - that which appears without documentable public support, or at least some semblance of due process, can evaporate just as abruptly. I am generally supportive of societies’ sometimes I’ll-fated attempts to mitigate the consequences of the human predilection for control over how they’re forced to perceive their nonsensical surroundings, but l also recognize that the species will forever require guard rails due ingrained short-sightedness. If we don’t impose them on ourselves through a blend of self-governance, peer pressure, and vigilance, they will inevitably be imposed by some unwanted individual at the point of a gun. It should however be pointed out that without a civilian government of some sort, none of this matters. So, there’s that.

I’ve often thought the birth canal far too perilous for most to undertake without a helmet; I am now convinced of it.

I appreciate that and of course agree. Not matter which way we turn, it promises to be an uphill battle from here on out. Just don’t give in. Ever. There’s no payoff.

Gee, with all your salient points (like all Thais are Thais) and the accompanying detailed memories in support of your contention that all Thais are corrupt, well, there’s just nothing left to say now, is there? Needless to say, my point still stands and will stand as long as your disdain for the entire citizenry is the only thing you actually bring to the table. You sound suspiciously like someone who has a troubling past and resultant outlook on their host-culture. Regardless, the only response l can muster is, unsurprisingly - bullocks to your position, your superficial approach to the subject matter, and whatever donkey you road in on. I mean, the entire culture is corrupt? Are you even aware of what culture entails for Dog’s sake?