Sunday, September 24
Thailand (Part 2)
Shortly after I posted my last message about Thailand, this article appeared on Boing Boing:
"Saturday, September 23, 2006
Bangkok Coup: Media clampdown in Thailand
Snip from the Bangkok metblog:
Starting [Saturday], all media operators, including Internet media companies, face immediate closure if any news articles or comments, which could be deemed a threat to Thailands national security and monarchy, are published.
The Information Ministry invited all companies and operators to discuss cooperation methods in helping the government "to restrict, control, stop or destroy information deemed to affect the constitutional monarchy".
Chief internet inspector Kritpong Rimcharonepak told reporters: "We seek their cooperation not to present articles, remarks, or information that will infringe the democratic reform under the constitutional monarchy. They can still present political comments on their media, but if anything goes wrong, the caretakers of those media must take responsibility."
"Saturday, September 23, 2006
Bangkok Coup: Media clampdown in Thailand
Snip from the Bangkok metblog:
Starting [Saturday], all media operators, including Internet media companies, face immediate closure if any news articles or comments, which could be deemed a threat to Thailands national security and monarchy, are published.
The Information Ministry invited all companies and operators to discuss cooperation methods in helping the government "to restrict, control, stop or destroy information deemed to affect the constitutional monarchy".
Chief internet inspector Kritpong Rimcharonepak told reporters: "We seek their cooperation not to present articles, remarks, or information that will infringe the democratic reform under the constitutional monarchy. They can still present political comments on their media, but if anything goes wrong, the caretakers of those media must take responsibility."
Saturday, September 23
Thailand
While Kirk and I were on our RTW, we spent a good bit of time in Thailand. Much in the North (up near Chaing Mai), but we also made several trips to Bangkok (we used it as a sort of base while we traveled around Southeast Asia) and one trip to KoLanta in the South. I've tried to keep up with current events in the various countries we visited by periodically reading the newspapers from each country.
I find the recent military coup (it happened on my birthday! ack!) in Thailand rather hard to grasp. There has always been some unrest in the South - it is mostly peopled with Muslims while the majority of the country elsewhere is Buddhist. But when the tsunami hit, attention was turned to rebuilding and, while the tensions never went away, they were at least sidelined for a while. But this coup is quite a different story.
The Thai papers were, of course, rather silent about the changeover. One radio station in the North was shut down after disseminating "inaccurate" information about the coup. In the days leading up to the coup, military leaders spent much time trying to quash rising unrest in the South (including bombings and arson). Now they are discussing the appointment of a new Prime Minister.
Thailand has, in recent years, made many advances. While some particularly odd things (at least things that I, as a US citizen, would never deem to be concerned about in the USA) have happened over the last several years (e.g., the "war on drugs" that had people being shot in the street by police if they tried to run from impending arrest, the treatment of some hilltribes as non-entities), in general, the country has become quite "Western". It certainly has moved from third world status into something more advanced. Does this coup signify a return to dark times? Only time can tell, but certainly anything that usurps the democratic process does not bode well.
I find the recent military coup (it happened on my birthday! ack!) in Thailand rather hard to grasp. There has always been some unrest in the South - it is mostly peopled with Muslims while the majority of the country elsewhere is Buddhist. But when the tsunami hit, attention was turned to rebuilding and, while the tensions never went away, they were at least sidelined for a while. But this coup is quite a different story.
The Thai papers were, of course, rather silent about the changeover. One radio station in the North was shut down after disseminating "inaccurate" information about the coup. In the days leading up to the coup, military leaders spent much time trying to quash rising unrest in the South (including bombings and arson). Now they are discussing the appointment of a new Prime Minister.
Thailand has, in recent years, made many advances. While some particularly odd things (at least things that I, as a US citizen, would never deem to be concerned about in the USA) have happened over the last several years (e.g., the "war on drugs" that had people being shot in the street by police if they tried to run from impending arrest, the treatment of some hilltribes as non-entities), in general, the country has become quite "Western". It certainly has moved from third world status into something more advanced. Does this coup signify a return to dark times? Only time can tell, but certainly anything that usurps the democratic process does not bode well.
Sunday, August 13
Fruits and Nuts...
Boing Boing: Schwarzenegger sends Guard to California's airports:
"Friday, August 11, 2006
Schwarzenegger sends Guard to California's airports
Governor Schwarzenneger has deployed 300 National Guardswomen and men to California's airports to ensure that if liquid/gel/iPod terrorists escape from a British prison and fly to San Diego (without blowing up the plane), and then get off and start hijacking the entire airport, they can be shot.
'I can assure the people of California that we're doing everything to keep them safe and to return our airports to normal operations as quickly as possible,' he said. 'We need the public's help and their patience.'
To make the state's airports more normal, it is necessary to first make them extraordinary and abnormal by filling them with armed, nervous teenagers.
I see."
"Friday, August 11, 2006
Schwarzenegger sends Guard to California's airports
Governor Schwarzenneger has deployed 300 National Guardswomen and men to California's airports to ensure that if liquid/gel/iPod terrorists escape from a British prison and fly to San Diego (without blowing up the plane), and then get off and start hijacking the entire airport, they can be shot.
'I can assure the people of California that we're doing everything to keep them safe and to return our airports to normal operations as quickly as possible,' he said. 'We need the public's help and their patience.'
To make the state's airports more normal, it is necessary to first make them extraordinary and abnormal by filling them with armed, nervous teenagers.
I see."
Sunday, March 13
The Last Vote
On March 8, Redondo Beach went to the polls. Among the various races and ballots is a hotly contested Mayoral race. The outgoing mayor, Greg Hill, was not running. Among the several candidates on the ballot were a one-issue candidate (Michael Gin, running solely on the issue of what to do with the closing plant), city councilman Gerard Bisignano, and Ellen Allen (whose primary notariety was proposing one of the two options placed on the ballot for the land vacated by the closing plant). None of the candidate received a 50% majority, so a run-off is inevitable.
Gerard Bisignano, the city councilman, goes to our church. Until today, I hadn't heard the election was as close as it was (last I heard, it was a .4% difference). As of today, after three re-counts, Gin is in first place, with Bisignano in second....by one vote. No, I didn't say 1% - I said 1 vote. Whoever said "my votes doesn't count" obviously has been paying attention to the Redondo Beach mayoral election.
Today, I heard an interesting story from Angela (Gerard's wife). They have had a stoneworker doing work on their house recently. The day of the election, things were looking pretty close and he said to Gerard & Angela, "I'm going to pray you win by exactly one vote." Later on, he told them "and that one vote is God's vote." Well, the results (as they stand today) tell the tale.
Gerard Bisignano, the city councilman, goes to our church. Until today, I hadn't heard the election was as close as it was (last I heard, it was a .4% difference). As of today, after three re-counts, Gin is in first place, with Bisignano in second....by one vote. No, I didn't say 1% - I said 1 vote. Whoever said "my votes doesn't count" obviously has been paying attention to the Redondo Beach mayoral election.
Today, I heard an interesting story from Angela (Gerard's wife). They have had a stoneworker doing work on their house recently. The day of the election, things were looking pretty close and he said to Gerard & Angela, "I'm going to pray you win by exactly one vote." Later on, he told them "and that one vote is God's vote." Well, the results (as they stand today) tell the tale.
