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A "State of Emergency" or "Civil War" in Thailand

 

 

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's army chief has warned a state of emergency will be declared if post-election violence degenerates into "civil war".

 

The military-led government is meanwhile trying to imprison a new, wildly popular, anti-army politician for "sedition" while the junta enjoys legal immunity for their 2014 coup and subsequent acts.

 

Officials are also deciding how to count the votes from last month's election amid allegations of manipulated ballots, "ghost voters," and a baffling, complex system invented by the regime. Critics say it is biased against pro-democracy candidates. 

 

The junta filed the sedition charge -- punishable by nine years in jail -- plus other cases against Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, 40, on April 6. 

 

The case dates back to 2015 when Mr. Thanathorn allegedly "provided assistance" to an anti-coup protest leader. Mr. Thanathorn reportedly gave a walking protester a ride in his car.

 

Mr. Thanathorn's party came in third place in the election. His sudden rise is portrayed partly as a young vs. old generation gap. 

 

A Corporate Coup: Coming to a Theater Near You

A new film, Corporate Coup, (trailer at link https://vimeo.com/292721963 ) is premiering in the coming days in Washington, D.C., (April 26-27 at Filmfest DC) and Toronto (April 29, 30, and May 3 at Hot Docs Festival).

The film is vague about when the corporate takeover of the U.S. government began, probably because it actually predates the U.S. government and wasn’t entirely new in the 1970s or the 1980s but did see, at that time, a major acceleration that in some ways was a leap backward and in other ways a leap into something unseen before.

Mr. Gotcha takes on Bernie Sanders

Fugitive Lovers Fear Execution For Hexagonal Pod

BANGKOK, Thailand -- A U.S. retired defense contractor with wartime
experience in Iraq and Afghanistan was on the run April 19 with his
bitcoin-savvy girlfriend, fearing Bangkok's military government will
execute them for living on a floating platform off Thailand's Phuket
island.

"The Bangkok Post reported that Nadia and I were being accused of
breaking a Thai law that carries a life sentence or the death
penalty," Chad Elwartowski said in an interview conducted online.

"What is reported in the press in Thailand is usually what the
military wants reported. Even though the allegations are far off base,
we have to take seriously their intention to kill us."

The Thai navy reportedly demolished their floating residential pod
"without following any legal process," Mr. Elwartowski said.

"We have no reason to believe we would face any sort of fair trial."

He denied violating Thai laws including its territorial rights in the
Andaman Sea or "commercially extracting natural resources."

THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE Film Review

Monty Python collaborator Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote falls into an interesting motion picture category. Cinematic lore includes a sort of subgenre of “difficult” films often made by powerful directors seeking to impose their exacting, iconic, auteurish visions on studios, audiences, critics, etc. During the silent screen era the original uncut versions of D.W. Griffith’s 1916 Intolerance and Erich von Stroheim’s 1924 Greed reportedly unspooled with hours of endless footage. Sometimes these demanding directors’ dreamt-of masterpieces went unfulfilled - von Stroheim never completed his 1932 Queen Kelly starring Gloria Swanson (although, strangely, scenes from it are glimpsed in Billy Wilder’s 1950 Sunset Boulevard, where a washed up von Stroheim portrays the chauffeur Max, ex-star Swanson’s onetime helmer).

 

Earth Day Celebration

Drawing of Earth with a face smiling

Saturday April 20, 2019, Noon-8pm
Genoa Park near the river by COSI) downtown
A day-long celebration at Genoa Park featuring great local bands, family-friendly activities, eco-friendly artisans, an electric vehicle ride & drive, and Columbus' best food trucks. Register to have a booth for your organization ($80). Free and open to all, rain or shine. Organized by Green Columbus. Go to www.earthdaycolumbus.org for more information on both events. Come visit our WGRN 94.1 radio booth!

Bernie Is Not a Wind Sock

Bernie Sanders wrapped up a weekend campaign swing through California with a Sunday afternoon speech to 16,000 of us a few miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. News coverage seemed unlikely to convey much about the event. The multiracial crowd reflected the latest polling that shows great diversity of support for Bernie, contrary to corporate media spin. High energy for basic social change was in the air.

Speaking from the podium, Bernie 2020 co-chair Nina Turner asked and answered a question about the campaign: “What’s love got to do with it? Everything.”

The 20 Surest Paths to Impeachment

Letting a ruler get away with power grabs and abuses guarantees that worse will come, from him or from his successors. This is the lesson of the failure to impeach recent U.S. presidents. For those who haven’t understood this yet, here’s a helpful FAQ.

Now, here are the 20 surest ways to impeach Trump:

1. Violation of Constitution on Domestic Emoluments
In his conduct while President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty under Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution “to take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” has illegally received emoluments from the United States government and from individual state governments.

Congress’ NO BAN Act is Vital Civil Rights Legislation

People marching outside with sign saying No Muslim Ban Even

Cleveland, OH – Ohio Immigrant Alliance welcomes the introduction of the NO BAN Act in Congress. The legislation, authored by Senator Christopher Coons and Representative Judy Chu, would put an end to President Trump’s discriminatory Muslim Ban, and make it impossible for future leaders to enact similar, prejudiced policies. The NO BAN Act also ends restrictions on asylum and refugees that the Trump administration put in place despite the generosity of Americans, who believe we should be an open nation that welcomes people fleeing violence and persecution. Read a summary of the legislation here.

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