Was I scammed

[mox 298]

Um...no. TBone isn't an attorney and neither am I.

ROFL, indeed... and RJ & I ain't laughing this hard simply because of the humor of the suggestion itself (si man, RJ?).

Yeah, anyone without the benefit of history is completely missing out.

[rebeccajo 14]

Um...no. TBone isn't an attorney and neither am I.

ROFL, indeed... and RJ & I ain't laughing this hard simply because of the humor of the suggestion itself (si man, RJ?).

Yeah, anyone without the benefit of history is completely missing out.

History is a beautiful thing.

It tends to repeat itself.

And it creates (in many cases) really good partnerships.

So don't 'over-read' my 'laughter' about TBone and I forming a law firm. There was nothing more to that than the fact we aren't lawyers.

Edited April 17, 2009 by rebeccajo

[*Robert* 2]

I don't claim to be an expert on asia. I spent about 15 months traveling south east asia and I saw a few things and drew a few conclusions. I'm marrying a Pinay because one of her coworkers introduced us, she was quiting her sales job which she hated, she was willing to travel with me, and she had a hot @$$. After several months of traveling together and even more months of corresponding I came to the (somewhat grudging) conclusion that she really was a smart, hardworking, humble, fun, cheerful, and a tremendously good caring warm hearted person who is genuinely head over heels in love with me. I didn't really feel ready to be married yet, but I've never been this happy with anyone else, so I'm going with it. That's why I'm marrying a Pinay. I still half think its crazy, and it sure is a pain in the rear marrying a foreigner, but at least I'm satisfied that I've done my due diligence. Maybe I've been scammed...but if I have, I'll take her to Hollywood and with acting skills like that she's sure to be a star.

For that, I wish you the best of luck in your future. Sounds like you and your fiancee both have good heads on your shoulders and are confident in your plans.

It just seemed you were really judging the OP and to an extent, Thailand. I have been both places as well, and had both Pinay and Thai girlfriends, and I must say, I'm much happier with Thailand and my Thai wife. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone met their SO in the same manner, or for the same length of time, yet many relationships work out, if they are meant to be. It's always better, IMHO, to be more supportive, rather than negative.

[B&Gie 0]

It just seemed you were really judging the OP and to an extent, Thailand. I have been both places as well, and had both Pinay and Thai girlfriends, and I must say, I'm much happier with Thailand and my Thai wife. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone met their SO in the same manner, or for the same length of time, yet many relationships work out, if they are meant to be. It's always better, IMHO, to be more supportive, rather than negative.

Well I can certainly see why you thought I was a bit too strident and critical in my original warning, but on the chance that the OP really was clueless I wanted to be quite clear and emphatic. Thailand is just not a good/safe place for those who are particularly naive, impulsive, or lacking in common sense. It's like alcohol, cars, and teenagers. None of them are bad in and of themselves, but put them together and the likelihood of idiocy and disaster goes way up. Man now I sound like someone's grandfather. "You kids ought to stop drinking and partying and carrying on or you'll come to no good end I tell ya!"

I certainly didn't mean to disparage Thailand. It has its problems, but so does every country. I'd much rather live in Thailand than here in New England. Darn frozen wasteland it is here. I do prefer the Philippines by a small margin. The deciding factors for me are lack of tourists, and tons of great shore diving/snorkeling . I just wish I could have visited Thailand 20 or 30 years ago before it got popular. That must have really been incredible. As it is I'm going to have to teach my Pinay how to cook Thai food. Ironic that, but what can you do? Now if only I could have found a half Thai half Indian girl, then I'd be all set.

[TBoneTX 45,089]

There was nothing more to that than the fact we aren't lawyers.

Si, man. Also, impersonating an attorney is a felony, isn't it? If a cat impersonates an attorney, is it a feline-y?

[daboyz 36]

There was nothing more to that than the fact we aren't lawyers.

Si, man. Also, impersonating an attorney is a felony, isn't it? If a cat impersonates an attorney, is it a feline-y?

Laugh. Impersonating an attorney. We'd all be in jail.

[*Robert* 2]

I certainly didn't mean to disparage Thailand. It has its problems, but so does every country. I'd much rather live in Thailand than here in New England. Darn frozen wasteland it is here. I do prefer the Philippines by a small margin. The deciding factors for me are lack of tourists, and tons of great shore diving/snorkeling . I just wish I could have visited Thailand 20 or 30 years ago before it got popular. That must have really been incredible. As it is I'm going to have to teach my Pinay how to cook Thai food. Ironic that, but what can you do? Now if only I could have found a half Thai half Indian girl, then I'd be all set.

Hmm… half Thai half Indian huh?! I likey!

I hear you on the tourist part. My favorite place in Thailand is Chiang Mai, and it is where I bought a couple of Town Houses (through my wife, of course!) and plan on retiring. The number of tourists, especially the Eurotrash, can be a pain in the A$$! I have spent a lot of time in the Philippines, and traveled extensively there as well. The deciding factor for me between PI and Thailand is religion. I am not a Christian, and I have very strong view concerning Catholicism, which as you know, is so dominant in the Philippines. I prefer the Buddhist way of life, and the easy going lifestyle of the Thai people.

Good luck to both of us!

[B&Gie 0]

I hear you on the tourist part. My favorite place in Thailand is Chiang Mai, and it is where I bought a couple of Town Houses (through my wife, of course!) and plan on retiring. The number of tourists, especially the Eurotrash, can be a pain in the A$$! I have spent a lot of time in the Philippines, and traveled extensively there as well. The deciding factor for me between PI and Thailand is religion. I am not a Christian, and I have very strong view concerning Catholicism, which as you know, is so dominant in the Philippines. I prefer the Buddhist way of life, and the easy going lifestyle of the Thai people.

Good luck to both of us!

Man do I hear you on the Christianity thing! It was funny when I told people in the PI that I was atheist and often they would ask "But you still believe in God right?" I'm about as atheist as they come, so the idea of marrying a practicing Catholic had just never occurred to me...and it took some getting used to. However, most of my family are practicing catholics, occasional catholics, or former catholics, so I tolerate it fairly well. I'm also fortunate that my finacee, while steeped in that culture, is really more spiritual than by the book catholic. She's also had some major disappointments with the church recently, as well as some exposure to crazy heathen foreigners...who have treated her better than her own people and posed some enlightening questions and ideas about the church. I just hope her family doesn't realize I'm leading her down the path to eternal damnation. Actually they seem fairly tolerant. Chiang Mai was a nice place....and almost free of Eurotrash compared to the south. If only we could mix and match the best features of 2 or 3 countries. Heck I'd just be happy with a decent job in someplace I'd actually like to live.

[V-G-1 1]

but this is a scam in the sense that they are charging legal fees for not "real" legal work

Attorneys charge for their TIME ("billable hours"), and for their purported or actual knowledge and expertise. This is the way the legal business works. And what is not "real" about working with ANY paper form that involves U.S. (or state, or local) law?

You know very well the difference between Studying Case-law/going to Court/Arguing..........and Filling out a 2-page form. The first is what lawyers go to law school for, and is rightfully..."legal work" deserving of a hefty legal fee and billable hours. The second is a 2-page form that a monkey can fill out--similar to that of a Lowes job application--as Gary so eloquently once put it. Thus, doing the monkey work and charging the same hefty legal fees/billable hours a lawyer would charge for the real legal work is not right.......you can argue with me on the fact that its billable hours and a U.S. form, but you cannot argue with me that its right...based on all the above I just stated. Lawyers are suffering now because they have reduced clients due to the economy. Thus, a straightforward K-1 is like a gold rush to them..for not doing real legal work....and the poor fools that fall for it are the victims.

[TBoneTX 45,089]

...a 2-page form that a monkey can fill out [...] not doing real legal work....

Some attorneys spend their entire careers filling out "2-page forms." Maritime attorneys, for example, ensure that a ship's papers are in order before it can dock. Is this not "real" legal work?

Will/estate/probate attorneys may have bedbug templates for wills, affidavits of heirship, and many other purposes... all guaranteed to conform to the laws of the state in which they apply, whereas you and I may take a wild stab in the dark with a form that we find on the Internet and try to do ourselves, sometimes at our peril. Does that make the attorneys' work not "real"?

Finally, because some VJ members honestly have trouble completing forms for whatever reason, does that make them "monkeys"? How sensitive a conclusion is that? If your comments intimidate an unsure, careless, or detail-unoriented VJer into doing a "2-page form" himself rather than consulting a capable attorney, and the VJer fails to complete the form correctly and the form is delayed for months or denied outright, or costs a double fee in order to resubmit it, of what value then is your conclusion that investing in an attorney would have been unnecessary? How would you feel if you knew that your statement caused grief to another VJ member?