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Stop Calling Them "Laws"

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the topic, "Stop Calling Them Laws". The reason for the title, I was reading through various things and I ended up honing in on this, or pinpointing this reading ASEAN NOW. 

A recent article, ASEAN NOW, aseannow.com, the article is titled: Top Official Describes the Popular "Test and Go" Entry as a Loophole Exposing Thailand to Omicron, which the use of the term “loophole” I thought was rather odd. Quoting directly: "Business leaders within Thailand's foreign tourism industry and wider business community on Friday were apprehensive about the Government's moves to tighten Public Health laws." (I will get to that in a minute). Quoting further: "and in particular to indefinitely suspend the popular "Test and Go" entry regime which had in the previous two months," (I think it was even less than 2 months, side note there) quoting further: "breathed life into the country's dormant  foreign tourism industry spurring hope of economic recovery in 2022." No doubt about that. It was really looking good until the end of December ‘21 and then it wasn't looking so good anymore as we saw the "test and go" scheme end. But the thrust of this video, "tighten Public Health Laws"! 

Let me go to another article here and quoting directly it is again from ASEAN NOW, aseannow.com, the article is called: Thai Police in Omicron Alert - crackdowns nationwide to stop spread of variant after PM's order. I have said this before and I say it again. To me it is the height of hubris to believe the human activity can stop the spread of this. It is like thinking that humans can stop a tornado! I just don't see how that makes any sense but I will leave that where it is at. Quoting directly and to the point of this video: "Now cases are surging in Thailand, the Royal Police have been instructed to ensure that Rule 9," (keep that in mind,) "Rule 9 of the Emergency Decree in particular is followed to the letter." Quoting further: "This will mean that the loophole," (They keep using the term loophole too. There is no loophole. Loophole is a word that means there is a gap if you will in the language of a piece of legislation or differing laws create a conflict which results in an individual being able to avoid, you often hear this term in tax, "there is a tax loophole with respect to taxation where you can avoid tax by doing something a certain way or by doing something under one regime which allows you to avoid tax under another one and thereby you are using a loophole. A disease does not use a loophole. Diseases are not lawyers that are finding exceptions in the code and then use them to their benefit okay. Diseases just spread. I have seen it multiple, I think even Taweesilp was saying "loophole" or at least that is what it was being translated to in the English language press, but this use of the word "loophole" is just strange to me but okay. Quoting further: "This will mean that the loophole that allowed bars and pubs to act as restaurants will be scrutinized and prosecutions for law breaking will follow." Well let's be clear and I have done the analysis on this going back months ago. This isn't a law. As noted right here in this article, "instructed to ensure that Rule 9 of the Emergency Decree", it is an Emergency Decree, not a law, not a promulgated law. As I have discussed in other videos I don't even think the way that they apply the Decree is correct under the enabling Act based on my reading of it but one man's opinion, I will set that aside. But I keep hearing, oh “tightening of laws”. Not laws! Not laws okay? It is part of the Emergency Decree. I would also make a strong argument that I don't think an emergency especially one that has this level of interference in folks day-to-day lives was meant to go on this long and I think truly the circumstances with this latest strain, it really begs the question as to whether the Emergency Decree needs to continue. As we have discussed in other videos, yes it is more transmissible; yes we are going to see more cases; the rest of the world is seeing the same thing but it is far less lethal. Lethality, saving lives was the original pretext for doing this in the first place and yet now it just seems to be almost an ongoing game of numbers versus heightening restrictions. It is just sort of this weird pendulum that keeps going back and forth. 

Long story short, not a law! Again quoting directly, they even say it in this article, "Rule 9 of the Emergency Decree". It is not some law sitting around out there that was promulgated by Parliament okay, so let's just call it what it is.