OPINION

Knee-jerk reactions

Due to some club-frolicking ministers we are exposed to all kind of doubtful anti-Covid measures again.

The Royal Bangkok Sports Club closes their premises for three days for disinfection. As I understand, disinfection is quite useless and mostly only for show (people in spacesuits make good PR). The proper measure would be to ensure thorough and permanent ventilation of all enclosed rooms on the premises.

But Srinakharinwirot University tops it all. They closed a thoroughfare between Soi 31 and Soi 23 "because of Covid". That cars are infected by and transmit the virus when travelling on the road is a scientific insight for me. The dean or rector who signed off this order should be relieved of his teaching duties because he endangers the intellectual development of the students.

In his April 10 letter, Michael Setter tells us, rather conveniently, that there is "scant room for policy analysis here", but finds plenty of room to reveal the real nature of his almost visceral hatred of Democrats and Joe Biden. Very tellingly, he trots out the usual shaky framework of distortions that have been the diet of the obedient Trumpian base for the past five years.

As proof of Democrat "corrupt politics", he trolls through Bill's sexy shenanigans, Hillary's deletion of emails, and the fiction of why Mr Biden was involved in having a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor replaced.

Khun Michael continues to repeat the old chestnuts, created by the Trump election campaign team, relating to Joe's supposed failing cognitive and physical abilities. Last week he told us that the president is ushering in a new dark age of authoritarianism, which prompted a number of incredulous replies to PostBag, including my own.

This week, the rhetoric is that "Joe is failing to competently demonstrate the ordinary functions of a human being", as evidenced apparently by his stumble going up the steps of Air Force One. I stand in admiration of Mr Setter if, unlike most of us, he has never tripped on a set of steps.

Luckily, my tumbles weren't being televised for all to see. His obvious delight at seeing the president stumble will no doubt be added to his mindless, oft-repeated justifications for denigrating a party and president chosen by an overwhelming majority of American voters.

And that is positively the last breath of oxygen I shall give Mr Setter's absurd anti-Dem diatribes.

Re: "Rebranding for post-virus tourism", (BP, April 6).

The experiences of the Royal Rattanakosin Hotel and others remind us that even in times of crises -- perhaps especially in times of crises -- there are opportunities to profit. The report indicating that Royal Rattanakosin is fully booked with customers under the alternative state quarantine (ASQ) programme makes one wonder what other entities are profiting from the pandemic.

In my April 11 letter, "All flagged out", I erroneously wrote a wrong figure: 15,000 baht should have been 1,200 baht. Sometimes these keyboard errors occur. My finger pads are numb due to medication.