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"The Rounds" Thursday,
October 17, 2002
Mekhong Kurt * * * * * * * * * * "The Key Of Desire" This is the 2nd in Richard K. Diran's planned series of 7 paintings, one for each day of the week. "The Key of Desire" is for Wednesdays, and will receive its first public unveiling Saturday, November 2, 2002 between 2:30P.M. and 5:00 P.M. at New Square One Pub in Washington Square on Sukhumvit Soi 22. Richard went through any artist's dilemma with this painting, first settling for this, then deciding he wanted that . . . and on and on it went, until he finally satisfied himself he had expressed his artistic vision in the best possible fashion. Richard's first art exhibition continues to excite comment, sometimes from surprising quarters; one really doesn't expect, for example, our friends who came up the hard side of things in oilfields in the Middle East and elsewhere to offer incisive, insightful commentary into discussion of the rarefied atmosphere of the visual arts -- but some of our friends from just such backgrounds have proven to be amongst the most perspective critics -- "critics" in the positive sense of the word. As Web Master of BangkokAtoZ.com, I'm proud to publicly associate this site with Diran's fine artworks, and to help sponsor his art shows. I invite one and all who are in town at the time of his next exhibition to come by and see his work. As he said of his first work, one can say this one contains plenty to be utterly democratic in offending just about everyone! The first 10 people who approach me and correctly tell me the name of Diran's 2nd painting will receive a drink from me; the first one to name *both* his first and second paintings' names will receive 3 drinks from me. So pay attention -- and drop by! [Please note: you have to approach me personally, immediately upon entering the bar, to receive your drink(s); I won't be buying drinks because the girl told me, or because you talked to Ricvhard 2 hours and got the name from him! And yes, I will be there until all 13 drinks are served!] See -- it *does* pay to go to stuff put on by the liver paté set! . . . * * * * * * * * * * People who know me will be bowled over by this report. I was in Patpong, during the daytime, about a month ago for a quick drink with a friend, my first visit to that world-famous oasis in just over 4 years! That was shocking enough to people who know I long ago gave up on the Twin Streets of Delectable Delights, but now I have to confess to revisiting the venue -- well, Patpong Soi 1 anyway -- this past Sunday night. I've mentioned the excellent singer Khun Venus who appears at Novotel Sukhumvit Soi 22, The Westin Banyan Tree, and The Office Bar & Grill, but it turns out that one night a week -- every Sunday night from 11:00P.M. until 1:00 A.M. -- she performs at Radio City (facing Patpong Soi 1 from the Silom Road Side, go down *behind* the night bazaar on the left a few doors -- maybe 20-25 meters) -- and you'll see the establishment on your left. I didn't explore, but Radio City is a 2-storey bar, the upper floor essentially a loft overlooking the band area on the ground floor. The place was hopping pretty well, especially for a Sunday night. Service was prompt, and prices on my Mekhong-Cokes quite reasonable for the venue at 70 baht a whack. The house band was performing without Venus when I arrived at about 10:40 P.M., and they are very good themselves. Venus took the floor a bit late, and sang to her usual excellent standard, despite being troubled by an upset stomach, something she mentioned to me anxiously after her first set, afraid her singing wasn't up to par. I assured her that sick or not, one sure couldn't tell it by listening to her sing nor by watching her give her regular high-energy performance (regular for radio City and The Office Bar & Grill, that is -- she's considerable more laid back in performance, volume, and song selection in the Novotel and the Banyan Tree). While the place was a bit noisier than I normally prefer, it was not at all too noisy for a lot of people, and I do recommend a visit. Incidentally, here's Venus's current schedule: Sunday:
Radio City, Patpong Soi 1, 11P.M.-1:00A.M. * * * * * * * * * * The rainy season is taking a surprising -- but much-welcomed -- break here in the Bangkok area. There hasn't been anymore flooding since the torrential downpour put half the capital under water Monday-before-last. In fact, the weather has been pretty nice, actually. Until Thursday, when there was a midday downpour. Thankfully, it ended before flooding took place, at least in the Washington Square area. * * * * * * * * * * The Nanapong folks got another Dance Contest organized last Sunday night, this time hosted by Suzie Wong's in Soi Cowboy. I went in for a few minutes shortly after 10:00 P.M. but could get no further than the door -- the place was standing-room only, and packed to the gills. Talked to a friend this morning who was there for the whole thing; he said it was great, and that the girls themselves had the best time of anyone. Very late the police showed up and ordered the girls to cover up; my friend speculates a jealous fellow barkeeper in the soi called in. * * * * * * * * * * Mentioning the Nanapong folks reminds me I want to give them a plug. They unabashedly cover the nightlife scene -- accessing the site by minors maybe should be supervised by a responsible adult. One of their more popular features is their wide-ranging discussion boards. Different "conversations" take place, and be advised that some are frank discussions of bar girls, bar fines, that sort of thing. But not all the threads stray into rauchiness, and many are extremely useful for just about anybody visiting or living in the Kingdom. Participants come from everywhere around the world, and you'll often find a lot of spirited, passionate debate about issues all over the map. Frankly, I'm *jealous* -- the discussion board here never has taken off! But hey, the "Pongers" do a darned good job with theirs. The homepage is at http://www.nanapong.com. You do have to sign up, for free, to read and post on the message boards, and there's a premiere level of membership I've not investigated. But if the premiere level is half as good as the *free* one -- it's well worth it. DO pay them a visit. * * * * * * * * * * As long as I'm plugging, I want to throw in a plug for the tiny "For You" bar stashed away on the backside of Queen's Park Plaza on Sukhumvit Soi 22. Coming along the Soi from Sukhumvit Road, one can turn into either the first or second "soi! -- both really are footpaths -- and walk straight back; the bar is the last one before reaching the row running "horizontally" across the venue's rear, neatly sandwiched in between the 2 sois. The girls who own the place are all local lasses, in the sense they're well-known in the neighborhood, having worked at various bars around, some for a number of years. Their place has a nice little bar that can seat maybe 6-7 people, a couple cocktail tables, and 2 booths. They offer CD music and cable television (all too often, as in many a bar in Thailand, BOTH going at the same time!) and a variety of drinks at reasonable prices. The back wall is solid, but the end walls and the front -- the bar faces towards the rear of QPP -- are glass from about halfway up, so one can watch out on 3 sides. They'll have food from the open-air Thai restaurant fetched over for you, if you like (and it's GREAT food, by the way, very reasonably priced). Open 4:00 P.M.-1:00 A.M., For You Bar is well worth a visit -- and do please let them know you read about them here! They are nice enough to wear BangkokAtoZ.com T-shirts as uniform shirts every Saturday night, though I would plug them anyway -- I'm a long-time regular there. * * * * * * * * * * Read a most interesting letter in the "Letters to the Editor" section of The Bangkok Post ("Postbag") headlined "Culture shapes people's attitudes." I expected the usual drivel that often results when the untutored try to work with the fundamentally sound concept of cultural relativism, but was *most* pleasantly surprised indeed. The writer, a Thai lady married to an Englishman, with whom she lives in England, wrote in expressing her sense of shame that *some* Thai ladies are coldly calculating. She and her husband have an Englishman friend interested in marrying a Thai lady, but the writer wrote that "even I find it difficult to recommend that he marry a Thai lady." Anyone with even a modicum of experience will realize how refreshingly astonishing it is to read a Thai lady so openly castigating her less-than-moral/ethical sisters. Given the recent verbal battering I've taken from some who take exception to my warnings to keep both eyes open and a firm hand on one's wallet, I am especially receptive to such a missive now! Click
here
to read this cogent, thoughtful letter -- it's the lead letter of the day, so is
right there at the top. Come on and sign up to be notified via e-mail whenever we add something to the site -- that way, you don't even have to visit the Updates Page to see if there's anything new -- we'll let you know by e-mail. If you want to sign up, just go to the sign-up page. I'm pleased to say that more and more of you are signing up, and I urge all of you not to hesitate! * * * * * * * * * * I've posted a new "Traveler's Tales," this one from an English acquaintance offering a contrast between girls in Thailand and their sisters down Malaysia way. In this piece, the author writes about the contrasts he has found in his dozen or so journeys to Thailand and Malaysia between the girls in each. Himself married to a Malaysian-Indian, he is well-situated to speak, at least anecdotally. Comforting is that he is open and honest enough to point out the pitfalls with ethnic Malays in Malaysia, especially because of the requirements of the faith of Islam a man must fulfill if he is to have a Malaysian-Malay-Islamic wife. While this isn't a "Traveler's Tale" in the sense of being a specific report of a specific experience, it does offer valuable insights to the Western male enamoured of the idea of marrying an Asian lady. Read it, and enjoy -- just click here. * * * * * * * * * * Last week I mentioned the 26-year-old Thai gal of my acquaintance who called me with the news she has one suspicious lump in each breast. I went on to report my assurances to her that the 20K-baht figure the doctor had named wouldn't be a problem, if it came to it. I also reported that my end of the conversation was audible to a Canadian friend who pointed out that Thais are covered by the 30-baht medical scheme. To date, she hasn't brought me the medical report and a written estimate of the cost I requested. In the meanwhile, I have been told by Thai friends that while they aren't certain about coverage for radiation, chemotherapy, and that sort of thing, Thais are covered in a case such as this gal's, especially given that the doctors don't even know if the growth is a tumor, per se, let alone whether it's benign or malignant. But she did call me daily, with increasing urgency, right through this past Monday, the day I was told Thais are covered. In Monday's call, I passed along the information and told her she needed to go to a public hospital to inquire what the procedures are to enroll in the scheme (it's not automatic). She put a friend of hers on, one who speaks better English than she does, who was practically frantic: "No! No! She can't get THIS operation without the 20,000 baht!" Took about 3 seconds of that rant to drive me to demand the gal hand the phone back to the lady I know. The [supposedly] sick gal tried saying she doesn't know how to register, so I told her again that neither do I -- I'm neither Thai nor involved in the medical field -- and for her to haul herself off to a public hospital pronto to find out the next step. With extreme urgency she said she wants the operation now, and that she doesn't have time to register. Smell the rotting fish yet? I don't know if she's scamming, the hospital is scamming, the two together have cooked up a plot involving dividing the spoils -- nor, indeed, if I have been correctly informed about eligibility. But I *do* know I'm not about to fork over that much money when the beneficiary won't even take the time -- an hour, in her case -- to find out if she can cut the costs WAY down and, if so, how to go about it. She says her legal household registration is in Phuket. Heck, even now I'd spring for a round-trip train ticket for her to get copies of whatever household documents might be required. Might even kick in the certified copying fees. And a few baht for rice along the way. But 20K? Uh-uh. Maybe NEXT lifetime. And to think, a few guys think I'm boorish in my prudence. . . . * * * * * * * * * * Note: the article below is left from last week, but apparently some folks found it informative and directly useful, so I've decided to leave it in place for a second go-around. For resident foreigners needing to make a visa run and needing only another visa for 30 days (extendable to 40 days at the Royal Immigration Bureau upon application and payment of a nonrefundable 500-baht application fee), you can do far worse than to take Thai International's morning flight to Vientiane. It leaves Bangkok at 8:20 A.M. then returns an hour later, landing back in Bangkok about 11:30 A.M. Did this myself (again) 2 days ago, leaving Washington Square right after 6:00 A.M. -- worried about traffic -- only to arrive at the airport in about 20 minutes and then cooling my heels for nearly 2 hours. In the event, all were aboard in Vientiane early, so the pilot announced we were leaving a quarter-hour early, which we did. I got back on the ground here in Bangkok at 11:55 A.M. and was back in the Square about 25 minutes later. At 8,680 baht for a return ticket (plus US$30 for a Laos visa and US$10 for the Wattay International Airport's departure tax), this is most assuredly not the *cheapest* possibility -- a run via public long-distance bus over to the Cambodian border wins that prize, a trip one can do for as little as about 1,500 baht, including a meal and a Cambodian visa. But neither Aranyaprathet or Poi Pet (the Thai and Cambodian border towns, respectively) is anything to get excited about, and I personally greatly resent the Cambodian Immigration officials sorry attitudes. So, if your wallet can stand it, a morning turn-around in Vientiane is the way to go when you're in a hurry with simple visa needs. * * * * * * * * * * If anyone reading this has a website and would like to place a link there for BangkokAtoZ.com, you can just copy-and-paste the banner below into your site; it's a live link to this site's homepage --
-- or, if you prefer a simple text link, use this hyperlink: BangkokAtoZ.com. I'll appreciate an e-mail telling me the URL of where you placed it. If you want me to put a link on BangkokAtoZ.com for your site, do tell me where you have placed our link, and I'll give you a link in a comparable position, of the same nature (i.e., banner-for-banner, text-for-text). * * * * * * * * * * The owner of a bar up for sale has asked me to mention it here. A bit upscale for its Sukhumvit Soi 22 neighborhood, the asking price is remarkably competitive. Three years old -- and completely renovated when opened -- the place has a television plus pool tables and dart boards. Direct any serious enquiries to me at MekhongKurt@BangkokAtoZ.com. * * * * * * * * * * The other bar for sale I've listed here remains unsold; direct any serious enquiries to me at MekhongKurt@BangkokAtoZ.com. It's worth adding that the landlord of the venue is finally doing something to actually promote it, so this could be an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in going into a nice enclosed, air-conditioned bar-restaurant. Drop me a line. * * * * * * * * * * Went to the Westin Banyan Tree Hotel on Sathorn this past Monday night to visit Saffron, the hotel's stunning 59th-floor Thai food restaurant. I didn't go there to eat -- in fact, from the invitation I got to visit, I mistakenly thought the place to be a nightclub -- so I didn't sample any of the delectable food I saw being served around me. The restaurant is far higher than anything in any nearby buildings, so the floor-to-ceiling windows on 2 sides give commanding, panoramic vistas of central Bangkok, basically to both east and west. [To see some photos at the hotel's own website, click here. To go directly to a photo of Saffron, click here. The Bangkok Banyan Tree Hotel's homepage -- there are several Banyan Tree Hotels around the world -- is found here.] Interestingly -- and impressively -- Saffron is completely no-smoking. And this is me, a smoker, saying this. But I'm *not* one of those militant smokers whose attitude is "To heck with you; if you don't like my smoke, get away from it." Further, the hotel has thoughtfully provided a beautiful small lounge just outside the restaurant door in a separate room from which one can easily hear the band, be served drink and food, etc., should one so wish. This lounge itself has a glass wall most of the length of its east side, affording a great view of the city in that direction. There is a door adjacent to that wall marked "Viewing Gallery," but as it was locked and it was getting late so I didn't wish to bother the restaurant staff, I didn't get a chance to check it out; presumably it's a balcony. I had 2 drinks, a draft beer and a Bloody Mary. What can one say about draft beer? But the Bloody Mary was superb, both in taste and looks. If the food is as good to eat as the Bloody Mary is to drink, then it, too, is delicious. Saffron is most assuredly *not* for the budget traveler. The draft beer ran me 170 baht, the Bloody Mary 230 (about US$4.00 and US$5.50 at current exchange rates). But if you can afford it, enjoy a sense of comfortable luxury, and like live music (7:00 P.M.-1:00 A.M.), it's great. With caveats. I arrived alone, just behind a couple, who were chatting with the hostess at the door. She seated them while I waited. When she returned, I said "One, for drinks, please." She looked at me in a clearly disapproving manner, and in perfect North American English asked, "Only one? For drinks . . . only?" I replied, "Yes, just one. I was invited by the singer, and came to listen to her sing, not to eat, thank you," matching the subtle sarcasm in her tone. She came back with, "We really don't have tables even for single diners, and we're quite busy" -- the place was maybe 3/4's full -- "but would you like to sit here?" and gestured to a slightly raised, family-style table for 12, 6 down each side, just inside the door. Well, that was fine with me. That was the main irritant. [Do please keep in mind I taught English in Asian universities for many years, including courses in conversation, business speaking, etc., and am trained to master's level in the language, so feel well qualified to assess tone.] The slowness at checking back with me to see if I wanted another drink was also a bit irritating when I looked and saw hostesses chatting, but the delay wasn't very long, so I let it be. The caveats: In the first place, if a restaurant requires (or strongly prefers) to cater to diners only -- fine. Put a sign at the door. In the second place, if a restaurant requires (or prefers) to serve parties of 2 or more diners only (or drinkers, for that matter) -- fine. Put that requirement/preference on the sign. In the third place, when I'm paying high-end prices for whatever it is I'm buying, I expect high-end service -- including speed of service. To be completely fair, the service did improve dramatically as time passed, and I ended up having a generally marvelous time, so despite the above caveats, I do recommend a visit. Saffron
Restaurant * * * * * * * * * * Don't forget to consider submitting your own "Traveler's Tale" to me. I'm very flexible about what rights you grant me -- I will even accept electronic-publication only one-time (for a limited time, if you like) rights if I really like the piece. I taught prose writing at university level -- including master's level -- for many years, and I assure you that most people can write better stories than they dream themselves capable of producing. Editing is where I come in -- and I'm pretty good at it. Send me a query e-mail, but don't include the story in that first e-mail, either in the text or as an attachment -- in these terrible days of lurking worms and viruses, especially in e-mail attachments, I preview all my e-mail on the server and almost always immediately delete any e-mail with attachments without even opening the e-mail itself, much less any attachment(s). In your query e-mail, *briefly* summarize your story -- in about 50 words or less -- then expressly state what rights you own to the piece AND what rights you are offering BangkokAtoZ.com. (And please don't be coy about this; I *have* to have both to be able to run the piece, or my attorney's ulcer will flare up -- as will MY legal bill!) * * * * * * * * * * I mentioned the so-called "Nigerian scams" appearing to be on the increase in my last column, but since then they're getting heavier -- I had THREE both yesterday and today! So, let me repeat, verbatim, what I said last week: iff you get *any* e-mail asking you for your bank account details and offering you an unbelievable cut of some fabulous sum, remember the "unbelievable" part of it. These e-mails generally introduce the writer as a former member of some African government or a close family member of an African country's government official and "explain" he or she needs your help in getting XXXXX dollars out of the country confidentially. See last week's column for info on contacting various organizations: The Rounds, October 3, 2002. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T RESPOND TO SUCH E-MAILS!!! You'll only let the scum who sent it to you know your e-mail address is valid -- and that's about like stepping out in front of an 18-wheeler barreling down the highway at 120 miles per hour, in spam terms. * * * * * * * * * * I'm still being taken to task for warning about bar girls. Guys, get real. Buy "Hello My Big, Big Honey" here, read it, then come talk to me! * * * * * * * * * * The baht -- the Thai "dollar" -- continues to head south, today going well north of 44 to the Yankee dollar. That makes prices here even more attractive than they were. Holiday-makers -- give it some thought as you consider value for money. [I *still* think the Tourism Authority of Thailand ought to be *paying* me for saying such stuff!] * * * * * * * * * * Thai politics are such a joke that the argument in favour of not even bothering to comment on them is seductive. BUT -- over 60 million Thai nationals are directly affected, and that's waaaaaaaayyyyy too many people simply to forget. The Election Commission has been neutralized, at least to a degree, which is too bad, given that the first set of commissioners appeared to try to drag Thai politics out of the quagmire of corruption that is the most unfortunate hallmark of the local political scene. Now moves are afoot to defang the National Counter Corruption Commission, which had had the unmitigated gall to go after corrupt "dark forces." Also afoot are efforts led by Thai Rak Thai, the main party in the governing coalition, to modify or eliminate the ban on politicos taking elective office until they have been a member of a party for at least 90 days, a ban originally put into effect to stop these folks from shopping about for the best deal right up to election day. And we ain't talking the "best deal" for the electorate, you understand. . . . I overheard someone the other day rhetorically ask his buddy "Wonder when they're going to get around to renaming this country 'THAKland' instead of 'THAIland???'" One can be forgiven for wondering. . . . * * * * * * * * * * [Note to you, Dear Reader: the following -- and last -- story in this week's "The Rounds" is an editorial about the terrorist bombings in Bali last Saturday. If you don't want to read the whole thing, I'll hope you'll at least give some thought to my central urging in the piece: don't let these terrorists cause you to alter your travel plans, beyond mere prudence. Of course you don't want to vacation in Bali, Kabul, or any other high-risk zone. But Bali will almost certainly return to normal -- soon, one hopes.] Last weekend saw another terrible terrorist strike, so far (as I write Tuesday morning) resulting in at least 182 killed --some reports run as high as 187 -- and hundreds injured, even maimed. The idyllic Indonesian resort of Bali was the setting for these latest horrors. I will repeat what I editorialized in the wake of 9/11: we must not give in. We must not let our politicians try to make political gain from these latest tragedies, as we've seen some do in the aftermath of 9/11. Perhaps even more importantly, we must not let entrenched bureaucracies seize the opportunity the resulting emotional shock and disorientation of the people afford to expand or further entrench their power. I'm willing to state as a near-absolute that spreading such seeds of greed and dissension on a wide scale is one of the perpetrators' main goals. And I'm not thinking only -- not even very much -- about Thailand, per se. If anything, I'm thinking of my own homeland, America, as much, maybe more, than of any other nation, where some of the politicians and bureaucrats inside the Washington, D.C. Beltway have demonstrably tried to profit in some way from 9/11's unspeakable events. It's hard to argue with someone whose position is that a single individual has no hope of reining in the politicos and bureaucrats. However, each one of us *can* do something about *ourselves*: we can continue on with our daily lives -- using prudence, to be sure, but without making major alterations as a result of these latest despicable acts in Bali. Of course I'm not going to urge someone who has a package holiday scheduled there starting right now to go ahead -- the situation is reportedly chaotic, the atmosphere one of shock and fear, so even the most swashbuckling person likely wouldn't enjoy it. Instead, I will agree the holiday should be re-set to another destination (if delay isn't an option), or re-scheduled until after appropriate authorities can confidently announce the situation on the ground there has returned to normal, if delay *is* an option -- and in that case, I urge it. Fears are spring up in the Asia-Pacific travel industry; the Bangkok Post has one such report here. Though not all the sector's economic woes are attributable to 9/11 -- implying future woes won't all result from these latest atrocities -- some are, and some will be. To the degree these woes, present and future, can be placed on the doorsteps of terrorists, those self-deluded, cowardly . . . people . . . it's hard to avoid foul language here . . . have won, won a battle, at least. I have travel plans in the not-so-distant future myself. I will not make any alterations. I was *thinking* about delaying, even canceling, those plans, but for entirely personal reasons. Now, barring compelling secondary reasons -- sickness, some sort of unexpected financial crisis, that sort of thing -- there's no way in hell I'm going to change one, single, solitary second of those plans. I recently had a letter-to-the-editor published in the Bangkok Post, a letter fundamentally supporting the position of taking action against Iraq, and doing so sooner rather than later. A respondent took me to task, in part suggesting that if I am all that hot for war, then I ought to lead the charge. Well, I'm middle-aged, out-of-shape, and decades away from what military training I had in university, so I doubt very much that any military anywhere would greet the idea of my joining up with any enthusiasm -- amusement, yes, enthusiasm, no. So, I can't "lead the charge." But we who have occasion to travel can help, albeit indirectly -- precisely by going ahead, unperturbed, other than to avoid obvious clear and present dangers. Perhaps another way is in our choices of holiday destinations. If you feel a certain country in which you have holiday plans has been unsupportive of efforts to eradicate the disease of terrorism, then I would make an exception to my own urgings and say "CANCEL NOW!" In so doing, you're hitting them in their pocketbooks. Get hundreds of thousands -- even millions? -- of holiday-makers switching from such countries to other destinations might cut through all the political, religious, and cultural smokescreens to say "Killing innocent civilians ain't on. Period. Not in Bali. Not in New York. And, yes, not in Northern Ireland, not in Israel -- in this last instance by EITHER side." Not anywhere. Full stop. No "ifs," "ands," or "buts" about it. No qualifiers, no excuses. A rant? -- maybe. But at least I'm using expressions -- not explosions -- to try to make my point. I'm not out looking for innocent Muslims (mounting beliefs are that al-Queda is behind this latest act) to abuse, harm, or kill. Nor, for that matter, am I out looking for the guilty -- that's for the authorities, wherever, to do. (Which isn't to say I wouldn't pass on any information coincidentally coming my way.) Folks, got a holiday set for Ankara? Cairo? Manila? Should I continue? -- GO!!! But maybe not to Saudi Arabia or Iraq or Iran or any of the other nations that would be rightly swift to put to the sword anyone, say, going into Mecca and spraying a crowd of innocent worshippers with machinegun fire. That is, to countries paying lip service, at best, to condemning the Bali's a tiny, tiny handful people who've hijacked the good name of The Prophet to cloak their murderous deeds in the swaddling cloth of Islamic sanctity. Nowhere does Islam advocate, support, justify, or condone such actions. Not unless there's a second version of the Koran more authorotative than the known version is exists, at least according to followers of that great faith I've asked. It's past time for the hundreds of millions of members of one of the world's greatest religions to step forward and both condemn these scum and their actions, people and actions who discredit The Prophet and the Koran, and express active support for the causes of peace and justice. Their continued silence makes it difficult to argue with people such as a good friend of mine who feels compelled, in the face of that silence, to say, "You say there are 'good' Muslims; where are they? I say 'kill them all' if they won't even condemn such actions." My friend's stance both disturbs me and silences me; please, Muslims of good will, speak up. Give me evidence for my contention that the vast, vast majority of you are fine, worthy, decent human beings -- please don't implicitly approve through your silence. And a closing thought: myself American, and a former police officer and security officer, I have considerable qualms about the application of capital punishment, not least as it is applied in the land of my birth. But I'm moving -- or is it "being driven"??? -- almost despite myself to advocating the following position. Perhaps the time has come for a particular event to take place. That is for nations of good intent to band together and create from their respective specialized military/intelligence/police forces (the Americans' Delta Force and intelligence community, the British S.A.S. and foreign intelligence agencies, the Russian Naval Infantry and the formidable array of intelligence assets that nation can bring to bear, etc.) a unit to seek and destroy -- assassinate, execute, whatever verb pleases you -- those intent on visiting acts of terror on the innocent. I don't mean arrest, try, and execute: I mean kill them wherever they're found, on the spot. Why should such vermin be afforded the protection of any nation's justice system? Found a terror cell with written plans to blow up X Building in such-and-such a place? -- put them to the sword, quietly, then slip away into the darkness to eliminate more, another day. In other words, take the battle to them, and bring into their black hearts the same terror they bring into the red hearts of the innocent. * * * * * * * * * * Until next time -- Mekhong Kurt
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Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 by Kurt T. Francis, except as noted otherwise. Materials by Christopher G. Moore, Dean Barrett, Richard K. Diran, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, and Hardy Stockmann are copyrighted © by those respective authors. All rights reserved. Please see the Copyright Notice for further information. Click here for our Privacy Statement Please direct all inquiries to mekhongkurt at bangkokatoz.com |
