Heather pointed out in a comment to my last post that itinerant "teacher" John Mark Karr told his colleagues at one point that he "couldn't" return to the States. (She also kindly shared the info that I've been too jetlagged and preoccupied to track down, that Karr was working at Bangkok Christian College until authorities nabbed him.)
Well, that was then; this is now. "Couldn't" return morphed into not only "could", but also "Would you like some Champagne before take-off, sir?" According to the 20th Aug. Bangkok Post, an un-handcuffed Karr flew back to the States in the business class section of a Thai Airways jet; he even clinked his Champagne glass with that of his companion, an investigator with the Boulder, Colo., District Attorney's office. (The investigator's glass contained orange juice.)
Which taxpayers covered the cost of Karr's VIP treatment -- Thai or American? Either way, somebody got shafted (not on the scale of how much of U.S. taxpayers' hard-earned cash goes down the toilet every week in Iraq, but still...). Or perhaps the airline offered to foot the bill in return for the free international press coverage of their fantastic services. Like: Hey, look, even arrested suspected paedophiles can fly the friendly skies in luxury when they choose Thai Airways!
One thing for sure is, had the arrested suspect been one of many other nationalities, he probably would have traveled in handcuffs and not been offered the full range of business class amenities. Authorities still might have arranged for business class seats, in order to preserve peace in the jam-packed economy section, but I doubt anyone would have been offering him Champagne, hot towels, D.I.Y. hot fudge sundaes, etc. But in this case Karr's Yankness apparently trumped the fact that Thailand was voluntarily expelling him as an "undesirable" person.
If that's how an "undesirable" person gets treated, then they should reward all of us decent schmucks out here with first class tickets, live in-flight entertainment by music stars of our choice (I'll request Sting, U2, and Khaled); the entire new season's collection of D&G, Prada, and Lamb; personal chefs for each passenger; an original-cast presentation of Broadway's "Wicked"; and genuine Julian McMahon or Heidi Klum clones for whoever wants either. Then, Karr's treatment would seem fair. (But not really. It would still seem bizarre and inappropriate.)
I write about predators like Karr and others of his ilk in two of my several books. What Karr and other predators need is described in "Let No Man Be My Albatross" and "FATA! The Act of the Avengeance." In both cases the predator gets to meet up with the fathers of the victims.
Nick Borelli
www.nicholasborelli.com
Posted by: Nicholas Borelli | August 25, 2006 at 03:22 AM
the champagne made me sick too.....
Posted by: lillian | August 25, 2006 at 07:33 AM