SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR HER CHARGES

I read with great interest that Deputy Education Minister Kanchana
Silpa-Archa is an avid supporter of a plan to reward non-smoking
graduate students on Thailand's campuses with additional points on
their grade point average.

It matters not that this plan is not rewarding non-smoking students,
but rather is punishing smoking students because it raises the overall
GPA, leaving the smokers behind. Nor does it matter that this lady
obviously has no qualifications whatsoever to hold the post she does,
other than who she is related to.

What does matter is that this is the first attempt to bring Bill
Clinton's interpretation of morality to Thailand.

I quote Minister Kanchana: "GPAs should reflect social merit as well as
academic achievement." I love it.

Whose definition of social merit?

She should be concerned with the amphetamine trade flourishing in
Thailand's schools rather than smoking. Smoking only makes you smell
funny; it doesn't scramble your brains.

Will someone in power please send this lady, along with the morons on
the house committee who conjured up this prejudicial, earth-shaking
proposal, home where they belong.

This will allow them more time to consider how to equate a student's
academic accomplishments with which fork they use to eat their salad.

John Arnone
Yasothon