Thailand Remains Our Friend.

Elections were held Sunday in Thailand, to ratify a new constitution, authored by the military junta, which seized control from the democratically elected government earlier this year. The new constitution calls for a nominally democratic government, while actually leaving it in control of officials appointed by the judiciary, drawn from the same pool of hereditary elite as the military officers who make up the junta. The vote on the new constitution passed with ease, considering that the previously elected majority party has been outlawed and it's leaders muzzled by threats of detention and retaliation against their families.

Thailand is and remains America's staunchest political ally in Southeast Asia. The military coupe transitioned the country into autocracy without a peep from the Bush administration and virtually no coverage in the American media. Thailand has a strong economy and a rapidly developing industrial base, though they still rely on their traditional mainstays, smuggling, piracy and the slave trade for most of their economic strength.

Bangkok, the capital, is where the junta draws its strength from. Bangkok is the shipping point for opium distillates from the fields of the Golden Triangle. It is the clearing house of pirate booty from all over Asia. It is a Mecca for sex tourists and pedophiles, the World over. It is, in short, the preferred recreational destination for American military personnel, corporate executives and especially clergy, now that they cannot rape young American boys and girls with impunity.

It is good to know that Thailand remains our friend.