HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Should chickens have rights?

End of time

British Pensions

Complaining about pensions

Dog condoms

Check your visa carefully

Should chickens have rights?

Editor;
The letters in Mailbag last week were very interesting. In particular the dissertation on animal rights. I agree with Eric that it is not only unfair, but pointless to abuse animals or any living thing for that matter, but “rights” are stretching it a bit.

One has to ask oneself if animals recognize our rights and try to preserve them. For example, I live in Yasothon which for the most part is a decent little town. The only thing that really bothers me is that neither I nor my kids can walk in our neighborhood without carrying a stick because of the wandering dogs. Couple that with the fact that just last night I spent half the night sticking my head out the window and yelling at the next door neighbor’s dog, who seemed intent on yipping at nothing in particular all night. Are they recognizing our rights?

As for neighbor’s chickens, when they get into my back yard, they have a field day scraping out the rocks and dirt from my garden into the walkways in their search for worms. Again, I must ask if they are recognizing our rights?

Contained within Eric’s writing was the following observation: “I have a rifle and I come across a tiger that has a need to eat me. I wouldn’t hesitate to give higher priority to my need not to be eaten and would shoot the tiger.” Obviously this is a logical statement and leads me to want to ask a question. If chickens don’t want to be boiled alive and eaten, why don’t they arm themselves? Obviously the answer to that question is that like the dogs and chickens in my neighborhood they don’t have the thinking process necessary to arm themselves. They live by instinct rather than thought and therein lies the difference between them and us.

The only right that anyone has is the right to use our thought process to get out of any of the difficulties that life will inevitably throw at us. And if we can’t do that, then we lose. That is the basic law of nature and people conjuring up lists of “rights” won’t change it. The proof of that is that I finally silenced that yipping dog with a little gadget that I bought in Pattaya that emits a high pitch tone and gives the dog a headache. And if I am to be honest, I would have to admit that I enjoyed giving him the headache.

The bottom line here is that if a dog approaches you in a friendly manner, then be friendly. But if he is overly aggressive and threatening then defend yourself with any means at hand. As for chickens, it is fairly obvious that we know nothing about their thought processes or what they feel, but unfortunately for them, like that tiger, we are hungry.

In closing, I would like to thank the Surf Kitchen restaurant for donating those trash cans to Jomtien Beach. One of the biggest problems this country has is a lack of trash cans on the street and ash trays at the front doors of businesses. The only caveat is that I might have complimented their effort in a slightly different manner then the person who did and I quote; “The Surf Kitchen restaurant stood up to the plate”.
John Arnone
Yasothon

End of time

Editor;
When I finished reading the PCEC article on the “End of Time”, I said to myself: That is real terrorism! And I can’t find any justification to scare and alarm the readers knowing that a catastrophic event will never occur, most of all on December 21, 2012! The lecturer, Mr. Casarjian mentions a number of topics to support his gloomy statement.

The Long Term Maya Calendar simply stops on December 2012 because the astronomers of the moment, being sick and old, decided to leave the task to a younger bunch of new astrologers that eventually missed keeping up with the calendar for some unknown reason.

I am giving to Maya all the merits they deserve but how is it possible to trust pseudo-scientific people who made bloody human rituals good for witch doctors and sorcerers? I don’t!

Nostradamus was a smart writer. His prophecies were highlighted always after the event occurred and his books were published in older times. In addition, misinterpretations and false quatrains ascribed to Nostradamus are many and ascertained. The interpretation of the quatrains is very personal.

Antique civilizations as Babylon and Sumeris wrote about a disastrous impact on earth of a comet. Again, this is a matter of interpretation of the manuscripts. There is not a big comet traveling towards earth. If there was, it would have been detected a long time ago. (Ed’s note: type Apophis into your favorite internet search engine)

Yes, in that date the sun will be seen in conjunction with the crossing point of the galactic equator. It shall be a fascinating astronomical occurrence and will delight scientists, that’s all. The galactic alignment with Sun and Earth takes place in the winter solstice. Last one on December 22, 1998. It doesn’t imply any risk for our planet and solar system.

Is the USA underway to setting up a giant refuge in the North Pole to give shelter to millions of people? If so, how are they selected? By age, money, social status, scientist, tall, short, fat, who knows? It’s all nonsense. No serious report on that mysterious underground construction. Just balloons.

Finally, I’d like to ask Mr. Casarjian what he is planning to do? Is he already digging in some place around the Alps or Mount Everest to set up his private refuge? Please let me know.

I could write pages and pages on this subject but, frankly, it isn’t worth while. Therefore I wish you Happy New Year 2012!
Concerned Farang

British Pensions

Sir,
Chuck is correct: the British have been over spending and printing money. So has the USA, yet their currency has remained very stable lately. However, Chuck has missed the point of our complaint which has nothing to do with the decline in our monetary unit but the fact that our pensions are ‘frozen’ when we live in Thailand or in most other parts of the world. Having paid our contributions like everyone else we are entitled to the same benefit but the government effectively ‘steals’ an ever increasing portion of our pensions. This is unjust, unfair and dishonest and it is this disgraceful affair that we are complaining about.

On the bright side, Chuck may have to eat his words as the British Government is now embarking on plans to shore up abuse in the NHS and free welfare benefits, raising the pension age and increasing VAT as well as taking draconian measures to reverse our dismal economic situation.
Michael Nightingale

Complaining about pensions

Editor;
In reply to Chuck’s letter PM 23/07/10 I agree that we Brits have overspent, so I suggest that we Brits scrap the Trident upgrades, pull our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan therefore saving us billions of pounds and help boost our economy which I agree is in tatters. However, I am sure our cousins in the colonies will not be happy about it, well tough. I suppose they will try and blackmail us like they did in the sixty’s when good old President Johnson told our then Prime Minister Harold Wilson that if we did not send troops to Vietnam he would not support the British Pound. Old Harold did not send troops to that particular hell hole and the pound was devalued, but, we bounced back. You see, that’s what we British do best, look adversity straight in face and get on with it. I suppose Chuck will now start babbling on about the oil spill in the Gulf that is owned by BP, built by Americans using American technology with American skilled labour. I would not bother Chuck, that is a lost cause just like our pension woes.
A loyal Brit

Dog condoms

Dear Editor:
I was so inspired by Concerned Farangs’ (Letters, July 9) complaint about stray dogs that I decided to write this letter on how to solve this problem once and for all. First, the health department should distribute condoms to the dogs. But understand that male dogs are under tremendous peer pressure to “perform” and they believe it’s a sign of masculinity to father many puppies. Therefore along with the condoms they should be given leaflets which read: “It doesn’t take a man to make a puppy, it takes a man to raise one”. And: “A moral dog will abstain from sex until he meets that one special bitch dog that he’s willing to commit himself to for the rest of his life.” Finally: “Using a condom will greatly reduce the risk of contracting the dreaded DIV (Dog Immunodeficiency Virus)”.

Do I sound any sillier than people who blame sexually irresponsible dogs for the stray dog problem instead of humans who don’t get their dogs spayed or neutered, buy from breeders and pet stores instead of getting dogs from shelters and then when they’re tired of their pooches they kick them out into the street to fend for themselves? So you tell me, dear readers, who is being ridiculous?
Eric Bahrt

Check your visa carefully

Editor;
I would like to share this recent experience with all expats travelling in and out of Thailand.

My latest trip to Thailand began on January 27th 2010. I received the statutory 30 day visa on arrival. I then had to leave The Kingdom no later than the 26th of February. I duly did this, by taking a mini-bus trip to Cambodia, where I spent 2 nights awaiting my 60 day double entry visa, allowing me back into Thailand.

I returned to Thailand on the 27th of February. As most of you know, I could then stay for 60 days, plus the 30 days extension which can be purchased at Jomtien Immigration Office for 1900 baht. This meant that I could stay in Thailand, using one of my entries, until the 28th of May. I had to pay one day overstay, as I arrived at the Immigration Office at 4.03 pm and they closed at 4.00 pm!

At this point I would like to point out that my visa stated that it had to be used before the 25th of May. Now, Immigration gave me an extension until the 28th of May. I never even considered that my second entry was null and void, as I had passed the 25th of May, and I assumed that the date of usage meant the date of my first entry.

So, if you have followed all of this, please double check any visas which you receive as to their expiry date and usage.
Regards,
Jock Strap

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also published here.