Kampuchea Crossings

Bump to baby on the beaten expat track

Interests

websites for civic action on US health financing reform

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For those interested in staying abreast of the developments in the US’ health financing reform, here are a few noteworthy sites for civic action:

  • Side-by-side comparisons of the current bills, including Obama’s principles for what meaningful health care reform should include
  • President Obama’s health care reform website
  • Democrats Abroad there are a sprinkling of useful info and sites posted by overseas Americans. Expatriates in the Asia Pacific region have recently decided to open a google group to facilitate communication
  • Change.gov White House updates on health care reform, with discussion forum
  • Health care for America NOW group blog with civic action tools and contributors eg moveon.org and other civic organisations

Good sources of information:

  • Nate Silver‘s blog. He analyses polling and political data. I find his site useful to triangulate with other info online.
  • Kaiser Health News posts opeds and collects news from around the web regarding HCR
  • Bill Moyers not restricted to HCR but very good intelligent discussions on it
  • Health Care Blog group blog on all things health care
  • Change.org group blog by activists, one of the topic areas covered is Universal Health Care

Find your State representatives and write to them (here’s a sample letter):

technology and politics

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using alternate operating systems

This year’s 2-day BarCamp Phnom Penh event was held at Paññāsāstra University (South Campus), Phnom Penh. Increasing interest in all things technology shows in the registration and attendance- over 1000 registered with many more walk-ins, compared to last year’s several hundred in total. In the months leading up to this conference the organising group held weekly mini-barcamps, where different ideas, tools and networks were showcased.

Tharum Bun writes in the KI Media: [it] introduces Cambodians a new way, if not a breakthrough, in which learning, collaboration, sharing and networking can take place here in Cambodia.

Such quick uptake of new technologies, as elsewhere, signals a positive development for the country for the potential means to influence direction of change. Politically, Cambodia’s descent to intolerance has invited much condemnation from the world’s leading human rights and development institutions. After several decades in office, the ruling party consolidated its power base through national elections that severely weakened opposition parties in 2008. This was followed by a worrying rash of crackdowns against detractors both inside parliament as well as in civil society. Even the state institution for Buddhism is implicated in the political squabbles, which bodes poorly for the already fragile social fabric that is recovering from the wars.

So it’s refreshing to see, given these political events, an increase in social networking (among other things tech) among the young people here. It gives critics a chance to be heard, no matter how sparse its peers and audience may be at first..

At least they have a small head start, on the heels of widening censorship of internet use across Southeast Asia. As with its neighbors, Cambodia currently lacks the technical capability to police the internet. Or perhaps that’s the strategy behind the poor communications infrastructure despite donor interest in building it up? :-\

The Socialist-Free Purity Pledge!

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Please print and sign the below pledge from DailyKos. Ask all your teabagger/libertarian friends and family to sign it!

The Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge

I, ________________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following:

I will complain about the destruction of 1st Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 1st Amendment Rights.

I will complain about the destruction of my 2ndAmendment Rights in this country, while I am duly >being allowed to exercise my 2ndAmendment rights by legally but brazenly brandishing unconcealed firearms in public.

I will forswear the time-honored principles of fairness, decency, and respect by screaming unintelligible platitudes regarding tyranny, Nazi-ism, and socialism at public town halls. Also.

I pledge to eliminate all government intervention in my life. I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:

*Social Security
*Medicare/Medicaid
*State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)
*Police, Fire, and Emergency Services
*US Postal Service
*Roads and Highways
*Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)
*The US Railway System
*Public Subways and Metro Systems
*Public Bus and Lightrail Systems
*Rest Areas on Highways
*Sidewalks
*All Government-Funded Local/State Projects (e.g., see Iowa 2009 federal senate appropriations) [Read more…] about The Socialist-Free Purity Pledge!

Letter to congressmen: support Public Option!

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Dear Representative James Moran:
The US health care system is in deplorable state. Upon repatriation for any number of reasons your ~7 million expatriates are the only citizens of OECD member countries with no social health protection mechanism in place to assist in transitioning back home.

As a voting constituent in the 8th Congressional District of VA, I respectfully urge you to vote for a strong and comprehensive public option that guarantees all Americans with the choice of a public health insurance plan, as proposed by President Barack Obama.

This reform package, which aims to provide all Americans with access to affordable health insurance, must include a strong and comprehensive public option that:

  • is available to ALL Americans on DAY ONE. Co-ops or triggers weaken the public health insurance option and make it ineffective. I ask you to oppose these proposals.
  • is national, available everywhere, provides transportability and thus a continuum of benefits.
  • has government-appointed decision-makers and thus are accountable to Congress.
  • provides substantial bargaining leverage against providers and pharmaceutical companies.

I also ask you to put a statement on your web site’s home page supporting these points. As aptly stated by our fellow American expatriates in Canada: health insurance in a civilized society is a collective moral obligation, not a discretionary consumer good.

We voted for Change in 2008 and I ask that you support what voters have overwhelmingly demanded from our representatives. I look forward to reciprocal support for you on the 2010 ticket.

Sincerely,

———————————————————-

Look up your representative(s) in the House here.

Look up your US Senators here.
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how tourists should NOT treat the natives

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D and I were sitting in a restaurant nowhere near the tourist track when some kids were dropped off by a tuk tuk outside. As they wandered a few feet, gawking about with lonely planets and maps in their hands– very comically lost– a rude blog post title popped to mind: “You too can look …..”. We stepped out to snag some quick shots, when these guys turned the tables on us. They waved and smiled really big, the kind you save for retarded people, probably thinking we were natives taking photos of foreigners. We took off before they could start talking really loud English at us.

I have never been looked at by a white person like this. My immersion in Cambodia is complete.
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THIS just in: We interrupt this regularly scheduled rioting for…

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LOL this last entry in Nirmal Ghosh’s live-blogging on 14 Apr 2009 upon the Red Shirt leader’s call for an end to the protests:


The reds are dispersing, to rousing music and dousing each other with water to celebrate Songkran. A potentially disastrous situation has been averted.


The Songkran Festival was extended two days, for “cleanup”. [[Straight face: pelt water not tear gas! Smirk, enter stage right.]]] … Kum.ba.ya.my.lord… kum.BA.YAAA…


Thaksin vs the King?


Ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra

The Yellow Shirts are advocating for a roll-back of “democracy”. From Der Speigel, The King’s Silence (09 Dec 2008):


The airport occupiers and their supporters (Yellow Shirts) are revolting against a democratically elected government whose political base consists of the poor rice farmers of northeastern Thailand. They are leading the fight for a middle-class minority with allegiance to the king and pro-military views, which calls itself the “revolution of the middle class.” If it comes into power, it will do away with democracy and allow only one-third of the representatives of the people to be elected by the people. This comes as no surprise, given the fact the representatives of this segment of society lost the last four elections….

… More and more Thais wonder what the king’s silence means. Could it be a sign of division within the royal family? Queen Sirikit was once spotted at the funeral of a member of the opposition. The Reds, however, hope that the king himself is on their side — that of the poor.


This time Thaksin outright called for the Red Shirts (pro-Thaksin majority rural poor) to dissolve the country into a revolution, and levied accusations against the Privy Council, advisors to the King, for their part in the 2006 coup. Red Shirts rallied behind this call, rushing the parliament house and by the hundreds of thousands incited violent clashes throughout Bangkok and the country. From The Economist, A Right Royal Mess (08 Dec 2008):


The rage of Bangkok’s traditional elite against Mr Thaksin stems partly from embarrassment at having originally supported him…

… Some of Mr Thaksin’s voters must be contemplating the flip-side of the PAD’s (yellow shirts) argument: if the monarchy is against the leader they keep voting for, maybe it is against them. Such feelings may only be encouraged by the PAD’s condescending arguments that the rural poor (Mr Thaksin’s main support base) are too “uneducated” to have political opinions, so their voting power must be reduced.


King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Thailand is experiencing the deep social and ideological divides of a feudal society’s transformation into a modern democracy. The crown’s role as a stabilizing factor in the country’s politics faces its greatest challenge yet. King Bhumibol is widely worshipped as god-like. He facilitated the country’s transition to democracy and has used his considerable influence to arbitrate during periods of political turmoil.


But the crown’s legitimacy may soon see an end, as the King’s health is quickly deteriorating and the next in line for the throne has no command of the hearts of his people. Heir Prince Vajiralongkorn of the patrilineal monarchy lacks the current King’s compassion and devotion to duty, and his suitability for the throne is consistently questioned. One wonders what is in store for Thailand, long the region’s beacon of stability.


Effects on Cambodia?

Regional proverb: When elephants fight, the grass is trampled.

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