Are FV Bloggers “Destabilizers and Conspiracy Theorists”?
Written on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 7:22 am | by Ding G. GageloniaHere at Filipino Voices this past week, self appointed entities claiming to be either ranking Malacanang lawyers or communications ’specialists’ have arrogated to themselves the portfolios of Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, presidential spokespersons Anthony Golez and Lorelei Fajardo and even that of Pres. Arroyo’s known and trust communications strategist Conrado Limcaoco Jr. who remains well liked even by journalists critical of the government of the day.
On an equally serious note, FV bloggers, myself included, are being tagged as “agitators, destabilizers. and conspiracy theorists. While some of us may at times severely castigate the administration, the observations are rendered in the context of the constitutionally-protected freedom of speech and the public’s right to information.
This writer for one most strongly abhors, nay, fears any power grab, any extra constitutional change of leadership as it can only result in what is feared: authoritarian rule.
For the record the most pointed warning against the return of one man rule has come not just from FV bloggers but from noted lawyer and former presidential ally, ex-defense secretary: Avelino Cruz, Jr.:
Ex-defense chief warns of Arroyo emergency rule
By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:52:00 09/13/2008
MANILA, Philippines — Former defense secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. has called on Filipinos to be “vigilant and fight any attempt” of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to impose emergency rule if hostilities in the Central Mindanao region escalate and ignite terrorist attacks in other parts of the country.
In an interview on the television news channel ANC Thursday night, Cruz said: “There is always temptation… We should be vigilant, we should fight against any attempt to impose any kind of emergency rule because that’s the last thing we need… It will exacerbate the situation.”
He said that Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Alexander Yano would most likely not allow this to happen.
“Yano, I think, is a very professional soldier who exhibits responsibility and restraint. He knows how to [balance] these operations in order to achieve the correct objectives,” Cruz said.
He added that the officers and men of the AFP would not “go along just in case somebody has the insane idea of trying to do that.”
“I don’t think the AFP will go along with it,” he said.
In the same interview, Cruz expressed pity for the military that was tasked to defend the territory nearly given away by the government in the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) with the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
He also said the Filipino people should be vigilant against any attempt to change the Constitution before the May 2010 presidential elections.
“Any amendment to the Constitution should be done after 2010 in an environment devoid of any suspicion or [without] people in government with a hidden agenda of some sort,” Cruz said. “If you have a new president in 2010 to shepherd these amendments, it will be a transparent, non-suspicious and more auspicious situation than what we have now.”
Cruz is currently a partner in the country’s most influential law firm, CVC Law (Villaraza, Cruz, Marcelo & Angangco), more popularly known as The Firm, which used to be President Arroyo’s private legal counsel.
The Firm is now the legal consultant to opposition Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas, who filed a motion before the Supreme Court, questioning the constitutionality of the MOA-AD as it would supposedly dismember Mindanao from the rest of the country.
Under the Arroyo administration, Cruz served as chief presidential legal counsel and later as defense chief until he and the President had a falling out in 2006 over the issue of Charter change.
Military’s meager resources
Cruz said he pitied the officers and soldiers fighting in Mindanao, making do with meager resources while trying to meet the government’s high expectations – to capture Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar, the renegade commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who led attacks in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Saranggani provinces in protest of the scuttled signing of the MOA-AD.
Cruz said this was one of the reasons he wanted to be interviewed on ANC. He wanted to “call attention” to the fact that the military lacked aircraft, vehicles and radio communication equipment, to mention only a few.
“It’s very clear they need additional funding to purchase essential equipment,” he said.
Cruz, a proponent of the Philippine Defense Reform program, estimated that the defense department would need some P10 billion annually for the next six years to get the military’s readiness rate up to 70 percent and turn them into an effective government security force.
Costly mistake
Cruz described the MOA-AD as a “costly mistake” and a document “riddled with unconstitutionalities.”
He said he had seen “a more benign draft” of the MOA-AD, which to him was already unconstitutional.
“To the best of my recollection, what was talked about then was only about 300 barangays. There were no clear provisions about dismembering the national territory and creating a state within a state. But the present MOA-AD now has self-executing provisions which they are interpreting that they own the Bangsamoro homeland,” Cruz said.
The scuttled Aug. 5 signing of the MOA-AD in Malaysia had prompted some MILF commanders to lead attacks in North Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Saranggani Province that left scores of civilians dead.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the upsurge of violence had left over half a million people without homes or livelihood.
Hands-on President
Cruz said he found it hard to believe Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera’s statement to the high court that President Arroyo was not aware of the details of the MOA-AD, since Ms Arroyo is a “very hands-on President.”
“With something as significant as this, I am sure she would have wanted it cleared with her,” he said.
Cruz said that the MOA-AD would “open them to some legal accountability,” apparently referring to President Arroyo and those involved in the drafting of the document.
Not too long in power
Cruz stressed that “people should not hold on to power too long.”
He said the Constitution should set a six-year term limit to a President and include a provision wherein a Vice President who succeeds a Chief Executive’s shortened term and serves the rest of the term would not be allowed to run in the next presidential elections.
“I’ve seen what happens to people who hold on to power too long. It’s not good for the country. It’s not good for us,” Cruz said. “Most presidents at the beginning of their term are out to serve the national interests. But if you are in power too long, there are so many pressures and effects on you. You run out of ideas. You get tired. You become less patient listening to public opinion.”
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FULL TEXT
YES, we are destabilizers, in the sense that Frederick Douglass the great Civil War-era justice put it:
We are the forerunners of a nation waiting to emerge from the chrysalis of long running autocracies whose end is the beginning of a new and vital country.
Kuya we should eyeball soon. So much more to talk about. Say when
To be fair to incumbent public officials, “listening to [the typically droll and unintelligent, focused on the trivial or the irrelevant] public opinion” of the Pinoy collective is like listening to a flock of clucking chickens — just the din of an abstract entity that at the end of the day all just end up in the slaughterhouse and then on someone’s dinner table.
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DjB,
We are revolutionists, the class that would equip the Filipino People with the right attitude and rev up the necessary engines for change.
We hold no arms. We just have our laptops.
And what’s wrong with destabilization? All civilized societies enter into a phase of turmoil before reaching the apex of development. Change is inevitable. That’s the only constant in the universe. As what Che Guevarra once said ” chaos are the birth pangs of change.”
Those who submit to the pleasures and wiles of the Status Quo are condemned to defeat. Like what Djb said:
” we are the forerunners of a nation waiting to emerge from the chrysalis of long running autocracies whose end is the beginning of a new and vital country”
Let me add to that– a Nation is the end result of our struggles. A nation of free men and women, enjoying the fruits of their liberties and creating exciting things that secure the future.
Pat, DHB,
Tulog pa ata yung sparring mates n’yo and that other guy who’s been owned by Maarck. Go to his blog, pronto.
On the post itself, You are both spot on in nuancing the term ‘destabilizer’ given how threatened authoritarians and their lapdogs use them to connote criminal rather than patriotic reformist intent of the non violent gene. Rev up your Mac, Pat.
so why are you sounding defensive, gagelonia? what we all write here speaks for themselves. i believe most readers of FV are not stupid to discern whether one is just expressing an opinion or “agitating” for violence against the current authorities. no one here has a monopoly on patriotism and love of freedom.
i don’t have much trust and respect for people who, after partaking of a sumptuous dinner with the host, turn around and start badmouthing the latter. oftentimes, it is not without ulterior motives.
benign0,
LOL.
To be fair, there are a lot of good ideas floating around the populace, but more overwhelming is the “that won’t work because…” camp, or the “that’s too expensive! you must be corrupt!” camps, both hindering initiatives from taking off and presenting solutions for existing problems. I’ll expound more on this on a subsequent FV post.
Defensive? If you are familiar with my posts, and my blog, ang my person,then you will know where I am coming from.
Neither do you know the circles I work in?
Read Cruz’s statement, then react.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a writer. That’s the important thing. Destabilizer? Conspiracy theorist? Big whoop.
Atty. Benjamin Cardinez,
Never,for a moment will I hope much less aspire for YOUR ‘most prized’ admiration. Hello???
Marck,
Basang basa mo si HPoS hehehe.
Bencard,
As usual, you fail to grasp the entire thing. I don’t know if your mind has been convoluted by so much real estate problems that you failed to even appreciate the value of my post.
You were referring to my post over at my site about the dinner which we had with Gloria. I admit–I was one of those who worked for her installation to power. Yes, that’s History. And you know why I went to that dinner?
Because we thought that Gloria would make a difference. Every one of those representatives thought that the new Leader would hear the People’s representatives out and do the right thing. What are revolutions for, if not for change?
Leaders who turn a blind eye and act dumb, in my book, are really blind and dumb. That’s the case of your idol, Bencard. You should avoid such people, Bencard. For all you know, you’re slowly turning like them.
Ding,
Ang katapat lang ng mga lapdogs eh ang ating mga laptops.
oh, a rejoinder, Bencard,
what sumptuous dinner are you talking about? maybe yours. we were treated with fish and mashed potatoes. besides, are you envious that people’s representatives like us were given audience with Gloria in 2001? aha, so you’re motive for defending Gloria maybe is to sup with the Queen of Enchanted Kingdom? maybe to ask for the resident Joker’s job? having problems with those real estate deals?
that dinner was actually a way for people’s representatives to present the People’s Agenda. And we gave her a deadline. Now that it’s up, it’s time to reinstitute what is best—the People’s Justice.
Everyone,
JOB ALERT!
The palace just announced that there’s NO VACANCY for the resident Joker position. It has already been filled up by High Priest of Smokes. THOS has been promoted.
There is, however, good news for Bencard. The palace just announced that the resident lapdog has died due to melamine poisoning. Reports say that tons of melamine have been found in a warehouse. Gloria presented the melamine stocks. Due to his assidiousness, the lapdog thought that eating melamine would make Gloria happy.
You can apply for the post, Bencard.
^ pat
that is just the sort of comment that does not warrant a sensible reply.. no wonder FV is having a hard time trying to become a fora for constructive discussion.
“…no wonder FV is having a hard time trying to become a fora for constructive discussion.”
You assume you have the full measure of FV? Puhleeez….. Have you the mental stamina to read through FV’s body of work?
liam,
sometimes, when you want people to wake up from their stupor, you need to use analogies. That’s an essential and elementary tool in writing.
you need to wake people up because that’s the goal of a writer–creative disruption.
ascribing Bencard as “lapdog” and “applying for the resident Joker job” is not, I repeat, not an ad hominem attack. It tries to destroy Bencard’s penchant for “any comment against Gloria is wrong” premise,so that he’ll stand up and re-assess what he said.
Sometimes, it’s necessary to write this way so that the receiver knows that he’s beginning to sound and act like a lapdog.
I don’t treat Bencard as an enemy. My enemy is his thoughts. His enemy is my thoughts. The clash of ideas brings forth that FV goal of distillation of the Idea.
So, Liam, don’t despair. Here at FV, we are not what HPOS describe as “fascists not in barongs” (paraphrasing TPOS, err, HPOS). We welcome lapdogs.
That’s constructive discussion.
mental stamina, yes, but verbal insults, even if its not directed to myself, really discourages anyone to read the work completely.
this, however, says otherwise:
There is, however, good news for Bencard. The palace just announced that the resident lapdog has died due to melamine poisoning. Reports say that tons of melamine have been found in a warehouse. Gloria presented the melamine stocks. Due to his assidiousness, the lapdog thought that eating melamine would make Gloria happy.
i totally understand the need for a creative disruption, a prick, a reminder.. but to make it a recurring practice totally discourages meaningful participation and rather fosters defensive animosity..
you are right my friend, but you should also learn discretion.
Darwinists like our revered Dr Jose Rizal are always destabilizers
“If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.” - Charles Dariwn
Liam,
Finally, an indication of why you were deployed to back staff HPoS in a manner of speaking, and I have to agree that there is a need for “discretion” in “creative disruption.” And out with the name calling when one loses an argument.
You have my respect :).
Liam,
my friend, you’re just wasting your precious time enlightening the malicious and insidious mind of this Mangubat. I’ve read his posts and he’s one hell-of-a destabilizer. He’s being read everywhere and like djb, he resorts to name-calling.
He already challenged me to a debate and I’m ready to make him realize his foolishness.
To be called a destabilizer seems to be a great compliment. LOL!
Let me list some famous destablizers
Jesus Christ
Jose Rizal
Andres Bonifacio
Apolinario Mabini
Joan of Arc
Galileo Galilei
Charles Darwin
Nicolaus Copernicus
Lenin
Mao
Lech Walesa
Rosa Parks
Martin Luther King
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Nelson Mandela
Pope John Paul II
Now FV bloggers are considered part of their company? These people surely jest!
HPos,
FYI marck is still waiting for you over at Jester’s to debate.
Blackshama,
Your presence is comforting to those under intimidation attack as we appear to be.
Permit me to bring back DJB’s earlier notation:
Frederick Douglass the great Civil War-era justice put it:
“Your forefathers were men of peace; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. They were quiet men but they did not shrink from agitating against oppression. They showed forbearance but they knew its limits. They believed in order but not the order of tyranny. With them nothing was “settled” that was not right. With them, justice, liberty and humanity were “final” — but not slavery and oppression. You may well cherish the memory of such men, for they seized upon eternal principles, and set a glorious example in their defense. Mark them.”
Blackshama,
all of these people you pointed out are already dead. and what has happened to all those countries whom they had the misfortune of leading?
as I said in my post today over at my site, they cringe at the sight of the ubermensch.
Time is quickly running out for Gloria. The “plans, longings and desires” of her sycophants and stringers to keep her in power will become increasingly more urgent and their calls for “action” more strident as the Constitutional Clock winds down on the days of her divisive and destructive reign. The most harmless and impotent of these are actually the likes of Liam and HP. They are but the smiling, snarling face of a darker, more practical fascism that realizes the Jig is almost up. But feeding at the Trough of Corruption all this time has become a fierce addiction–for the police, the military brass, and their controllers in the executive departments. They are capable of much more sinister and dastardly operations and will not be bothering to come here as gluttons for punishment at the hands of mere thinkers and writers. Those plans longings and desires expressed by HP reveal a real ambition to establish an autocracy in democratic clothing.
It is they who are the true destabilizers of democracy. It is they who want to change the Law to benefit their benefactress. They are the real conspirators, not just in theory, but in action.
It is they who are fascists IN barongs.
But time is running out boys. You are wasting valuable time here trying to convert the choir to your deviltry. You need to work on the sheep and not the wolves. Awoooooh!
my short answer is, i do hope that FV is disruptive. maybe we can start thinking for a change.
highpriestofsmokes
Lech Walesa ain’t dead yet! Mandela is alive but riding into the sunset. Jesus Christ is believed to have risen from the dead,ask any Christian. JC may be considered a “once dead”.
I apologize for not including Gandhi, who is probably the second biggest destabilizer of the 20th century. He pulled the plug off the British Empire. John Paul II may be the biggest destabilizer of them all, he crushed the Commie Evil Empire to bits and pieces, then went to war against the Capitalist West, “shot” down reproductive pro choicers in Cairo. Of course this may have had the help of Ronnie Reagan,who ain’t in my list anyway.
Here’s a list of the ubermensch that the fleas are referring to:
Cain
Genghis Khan
Vlad the Impaler
Benito Mussolini
Adolf Hitler
Vladimir Lenin
Josef Stalin
Pol Pot
Mao Tse tung
Kim Il Sung
Kim Jong Il
Ferdinand Marcos
Saddam Hussein
Osama bin Laden
Dulmatin
Umar Patek
Virgilio Garcillano
JocJoc Bolante
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
The High Priest tells Blackshama:
For those unfamiliar with the German term invented by Frederick Nietzsche being used by HP to describe their circus of “overmen”, here is an excerpt from The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer:
The Shoe fits on Gloria too, but better not tell the President it’s one of her psychophants calling her and her menschen nasty names here at Filipino Voices.
djb @ 11:26 am. a “gospel” from the book of prophet jorge.
what has become of FV that even the erudite and usually level-headed djb has been reduced to a ranting prophet of doom and gloom? ah, how emotion trumps reason anytime, e.g., a left-leaning inexperienced novato, with questionable personal history and almost zero record of public service, could yet get elected president of the most powerful nation on earth upon sheer emotion of the electorate. just another one of life’s many mysteries.
I like how bencard demands high standards, yet has low standards himself.
Bravo.
Bencard,
Thanks, man. I will actually take that as a compliment (coming from you) though “erudite” is a bit much and few have ever called me “level headed”. That actually applies more to Barack Obama. As Colin Powell remarked when he endorsed him, “Judgment is more impt than experience.” considering the extraordinary nature of the Presidency and the “too interesting” times in which we live.
But I would rather be regarded as emotional and even passionate. Knowledge is cheap in the Age of Google, at least for the perspicacious cut-n-pasters.
Thanks too, for more than once keeping me honest on these threads. Your continued presence speaks of intellectual curiosity on your part, another virtue praised by Colin Powell.
I daresay things will be difficult for you folks in America, and especially New York, what with 401K’s evaporating along with the jobs.
Be well, do good work, you have my best regards.
Hitler and his egomaniacal hordes misinterpreted Nietzsche, as what you can find in NPR.
Djb, I’ve been waiting for that uberbitch, err, ubermensch to appear here or anywhere, instead of finding succor only in his site.
like I always say to those “muscle men”—it’s all muscle and no men. hehehe!
djb,
“Judgment is more impt than experience”
Whatever else it is, this election is a referendum on two very different visions of America. Obama’s vision is of country crippled by sin; McCain’s vision is of a country fired by high ideals and expansive opportunity.
“You’re beautiful, I love you, now change.” That is Team Obama’s message.
“You’re beautiful, I love you as you are”: that is the message of McCain.
It’s the difference between the utopian–who finds himself disgusted with every real-world polity, and who finds himself willing, indeed, eager, to sacrifice real people for the sake of the ideal ones he wishes to create–and the simple patriot who says Yes to the family, community, and country in which he finds himself.”
I don’t believe Obama can deliver CHANGE. With high unemloyment rate, taxing corporations will even cripple the US economy further.It cannot maintain, sustain or even motivated to grow and hire the unemployed. Collin Powell has nothing to do with real issue of unemployment. Judgement and experience goes hand in hand. One cannot sacrifice the other. Poor Collin Powell, motivated by emotion and race. His true color
leytenian, collin powell’s excuses for supporting obama (and shedding his “republican” coat to support oprah’s “the one”) are so absurd and hypocritical they don’t fit a former chief of staff of u.s. armed forces and sec. of state. his “endorsement” diminishes him but hardly helps obama.
his belittling of sarah palin is appalling. she is the only one among all four candidates who has proven executive experience that matters. almost all notable u.s. presidents in the post-civil war era were former state governors, e.g., w. mckinley, t. roosevelt, woodrow wilson, f.d. roosevelt, r. reagan, b. clinton and. of course, george w. bush. in contrast, has nothing (his experience as state senator and u.s. senator for less than 2 years counts for nada)to show except some teleprompter speeches delivered demagogically.
i lost all respect for c.powell. it would have been better if he just voted for obama (which I would understand given what he is) and kept quiet.
edit: in contrast, obama has nothing…
Obama uses CHANGE to promote his career. As Arnold Schwazeger said, been there done that. Obama is full of himself. He can only destroy himself. I wish him alive and well at the WHITE House.: ) what a waste of people’s vote. Promoting Career will only apply when crisis do not extend to the rest of the world. Experience is needed and judgement of choosing Sarah Palin to represent the family and local populace( State level) is a good combination. McCain uses his career to promote CHANGE.
Obama sucks
Bencard,
Could you elaborate on what you mean by the phrase of yours that I have bolded with erudition and level headedness? (I know General Powell to be a great American. U?)
leytenian,
It’s a free country. You guys can vote for whoever you want to. Me, I’ve already cast my ballot for Barack, with folks like Colin Powell, Warren Buffet and most of the American people, black, white, red, yellow, brown as Barack says.
And really, so WHAT if he is black? Are you even voting this year? Did you ever read the Declaration of Independence?
quoted from the duo Laughing Samoans which I’ve extremently enjoyed watching at Herbst Theatre last Sat here in SF they’ve started the show of course about the ongoing US elections
“if Barack wins, he will be the First Barack President”
“if Barack wins, will they paint the white house into black?” bili kayo ng dvd nila para tumawa naman kayo, laughingsamoans.com dvds a little Samoan wedding at off work, ihanda ninyo ang sisig at san miguel beer pag panonoorin ninyo
djb,
i have been a registered republican since 1997.
@ benigno,
i agree with you man. two years is just too short for a senator to claim that he’s the best there is out there. i noticed that barack is more of a media creation than a worthy person for the presidency. the US does’nt need a JFK wanna-be at this point. it needs someone whose grasp of the issues, like the economic crisis, is as solid as a rock.
however, since he’s ranged against a McCain, whose record is somewhat spotty too, there’s no one whom we can honestly say deserve to be the top honcho.
i vote for palin…..err…that would be a spoiled ballot, hehehe!
the nemesis of dreamers is back!
i’ve read these threads and these are the rantings of amateurs. there are more serious issues on US electoral politics that you people don’t understand.
what the US right now needs is a strong man—both intellectually strong and physically able. In this aspect, McCain is the better man since he knows US defense policies and is a recognized authority in foreign relations.
he’s like PGMA, in some respects. in fact, i consider him as the male counterpart of the president–reliable, efficient, trustworthy and a hardworker.
so for those of you who still dream of ousting PGMA from power, dream on!
highpriest,
Can you send my message to Honorable PGMA:
To disqualify political candidates who buy votes. It should be a law that all candidates must abide. It is illegal and yet tolerated by the court. This is very rampant in the provinces. This law should be passed before the next election, please. thank you
high priest,
in addition,
To penalize unlicensed activity in the lending businesses. 5/6 is way too high to charge the borrowers. all lenders must be incorporated thru SEC and licensed to do business at local level. If lending extend from one province to the other, all office’ address must be registered thru SEC with names of employees. there’s plenty of unlicensed activity in the provinces. am sure, political leaders are aware of it but playing deaf.
if Gloria can implement such penalty, our country will be better off. there’s more to follow
since i don’t buy powell’s lame excuses, what else can i think to be the reason for his words and action, huh djb? go figure out.
btw, djb, some 98% of black people voted for obama against hillary clinton in the primaries. with few exceptions, do you think they care what party they are affiliated with?
i take it that you like the idea of a SOCIALIST america. equal opportunity to be POOR, right?
It’s true. We are dreamers. I proudly admit it, because we aren’t cynics or sycophants. Those who do not dream have only nightmares to aggrandize their pathetic lil lives.
It’s true. We are amateurs, not professionals. Those would be the paid hacks and fascists in barongs. Our transaction costs are nil, but beware of the memes that seep inexorably into empty hearts and weak, susceptible minds. One day you will wake up and it is our Voices you will hear in your heart.
Oust GMA from power? Why? And miss the chance to charge, arrest, prosecute and put her in bilibid prison? Or watch the comedy of her fleas jumping off in panic and frustration?
Time is running out for those whose beatific vision is a mole made into a mountain of false pride, false hope and braggadocio?
When they realize the jig is up, they think they can do a Marcos. But not this time I think, for the fleas are already searching for new dogs to ride. They really haven’t got Marcos’ balls.
She’s a dead duck, like John McCain and Sarah Palin.
I bear them no umbrage. Only pity and disdain.
Bloggers indeed are dreamers, but with a capital “D”.
Fleas are professional jumpers, biters, squeakers, with nothing amateurish about them at all. Save the F-minus their minds deserve. That comes free from the Amateurs and the vast audience of History.
Bencard,
General Colin Powell isn’t asking you to buy his “lame excuses” since you’re out of currency, having spent it on the pig with lipstick. As you told Lisa recently, YOU surely cannot hold up a candle to such a great American.
You do not deserve his “lame excuses” because of your brilliant brain and generous heart, your courageous service to the nation, your scintillating insight and erudition.
Oh no, it is we, amateurs and dreamers who deserve you, for not having done even a trillionth of his deeds and accomplishments. I admit it. It is we who want you to come and show us the way, not some genuine hero who puts his country first above party and ideology.
It is we who deserve fleas to jump on us and bite us on our asses and pudenda. That’s my dream today. Bite hard please.
Obama cannot deliver the Dreams that DJB is dreaming. An inferiority complex will result and it is dangerous .this feeling will make Obama whiter than the whites. That’s the real nightmare.
Vote Obama and you will have Gadaffi as your friend.
You are so prescient leytenian. But astrology is not our topic on this thread. What have you got against Whites, though? Even Barack does not have anything against them. Please explain what you mean by “whiter than the whites”. Please explain this “real nightmare” of yours. Really, I’m all ears.
you’re way off again, djb. did i say i can “hold up a candle” on powell, huh, djb? did i compare my “accomplishments” with his at all? all i said is that i don’t believe his lame excuses (i don’t understand why he had to make any) did i not?. are you reading my posts before you respond or you just shoot blindly from the hip?
btw, a socialist, radically-associated, inexperienced president obama with pelosi in a filibuster-proof congess, reid in “supermajority” senate, and a mainstream media gone completely leftist to egg and applaud them at every turn, what happens to check and balance - one of the most effective safeguards of democracy? it’s a perfect storm, a hellish cosmic alignment, that bodes ill for america (and the world) as we know it.
I am voting the ticket of McCain and Palin for one singular issue: “abortion”. An added reason is the liberal underpinnings of the democrats which I detest.. My vote does not mean anything in Michigan as McCain has conceded this State to Obama, but I wish to believe that my vote is a vote of conscience.
Both sides, Republicans and Democrats are guilty of pandering on the gullibility of the American electorate. Both claim they are the savior of the financial meltdown in the U.S. Politicians from my standpoint are parts of the problem and not parts of the solution. But I see in Palin the small town family values that America needs today.
Republicans are pro-life and from a catholic standpoint, that is what matters. I cannot in conscience vote for democrats whose message of change and good life for the poor and middle class is botched by their irreverence towards the sanctity of life. Their position on “gay marriage”, and their support for ACLU lawyers and their extensions, the liberal U.S. Supreme Court judges that are discomforted of seeing pupils recite public prayers, aghast over the creed in the U.S. Bills, “In God We Trust” or the invocation in the Pledge of Allegiance “One Nation Under God, With Liberty and Justice for All” and would interpret the “liberty” principle in the U.S. Constitution inclusive of the right of the woman to pull the fetus out of her womb and hold it up high dripping in blood and announce that today, we have just exercised one of our sacred constitutional rights of liberty and privacy.
America was strong when it believes in the existence of the Supreme Being. When she tried to veer away from that belief because of liberal politics, pandemonium broke loose. Typhoon Katrina devastated New Orleans, the sin city whose Mardi Gras celebration is noted for naked dancing or even sex on the streets. Another catastrophe came, the financial meltdown. See the signs from heaven ladies and gentlemen.
Obama, with megalomanic syndrome represents that liberal thinking in American politics. He prides himself of being addressed as “The One” by Oprah, narcissistically referred himself as having born in “crypton” with “awesome personality”. He decorated his primary acceptance speech with “styrofor greek columns of the Ancient Greek Gods and his 10 year economic plan will redeem the US from this economic meltdown. He consciously or subconsciously appropriated the title and the superhuman feat of the “Messiah” instead of humbling himself before the “Messiah”.
This, ladies and gentlemen is my case against Obama.
it’s one thing to be elected in a manner fair and square. but being elected under palpable evidence of massive irregularities, e.g., fraudulent registration, employment of goons and other low-lifes to perpetrate con-tactics, rejecting (after pledging) public campaign financing that could have leveled the playing field in favor of questionable private contributions that raised the highest political funding in history ($150 million in september alone), what kind of mandate to govern could obama expect? the americans have been through this road before in their over 2-century history and they have endured. the political pendulum will swing back again - if they could survive this one.
JCC, Bencard,
The choice is between two tickets, Obama-Biden vs. McCain-Palin, not between either of them and YOUR ideals. It is, as it always is in our democracy, a choice of the lesser of two evils, since every government is but a necessary evil. Both have charged, tried, and executed the side that is not his choice, though JCC stays within a reasonable personal opinion, whereas Bencard speaks with undeserved omnipotence and omniscience about certain issues that remain murky at best, such as the alleged registration irregularities, which he unreasonably aggrandizes. You both realize, I hope that we have indeed departed from the subject of this post. I am happy to continue the discussion, but I won’t follow into a full blown discussion of the American elections here. It’s really not the right place for it folks.
i guess the republicans are winning in this blog
leytenian,
thanks, I AM a Republican, and more accurately a Conservative. But the GOP has lost its conservative moorings, George Bush having borrowed 3 trillion dollars from future generations (according to the Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz) and spent it foolishly on a notion of victory in Iraq that became incoherent a year or so after the invasion.
I think Barack Obama is gonna change these categories and labels. Corrigibility has always been America’s greatest virtue. So far, I have not been disappointed in this belief.
The war in Iraq was voted by Congress Majority , clinton and biden voted for it. Obama has no chance to vote because he was not a senator yet.google search privatization of Iraq and the role of democracy, globalization and trade. The Iraqi government may have the resources of oil but they lack the financial capabilities to dig- just like Philippines. Iraqi also lacks system implementation and efficient governance due to many tribes fighting against each other.
I don’t believe on inexperience. Management and decision making are skills required to run even in a small business. Obama just have no clue except blah blah blah.
Here’s what the little girl say about Obama:
Barack Obama was seated next to a little girl on an airplane. He turned to her and said, ‘Let’s talk. I’ve heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.’
hahaha
The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to Obama, ‘What would you like to talk about?’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Obama. ‘How about What Changes I Should Make To America?’ and he smiles.
‘OK, ‘ she said. ‘That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass - . Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?’
Obama, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, ‘Hmmm, I have no idea.’
To which the little girl replies, ‘Do you really feel qualified to change America when you don’t know $H!T ?
djb,
the acorn election registration fraud is a reality in Florida and Ohio. The evidence is not murky if only you read other papers or watch tvs other than those controlled by the liberal media.
as regards destabilization campaign, it will remain as a destabilization but is never meant to succeed. others call it political blackmail. i have lost my faith in the GMA but I will be the last person who will support to oust her through the streets because it will send the economy to another tailspin, if we have not yet hit rock bottom, bruise our institutions which have already been battered so many times over, while another 2 years could be a better option.
normally the destablizers are people with undeserved political ambitions whose chance of improving their name-recall during election is to create a political tempest.. noted for this was Senator Honasan, Senator Trillanes, and another Bicolano in line, Jun Lozada.
Avelino Cruz of the Carpio, Villaraza, Cruz fame, had lost its clout on GMA and apparently is now making some political noise and setting his eyes on a senatorial slate in 2010.
djb, in case you haven’t heard, 200,000 early votes in ohio are under scrutiny for fraud. fraudulent registration is under federal investigation in all battleground states (some 15 of them) as well as others. if you think u.s. election is irrelevant here, you’re welcome not to participate in the discussion. this election is important to the whole world, including our dear little philippines. the threat of america turning socialist and poor is real and imminent. and you are a contributor to it. shame on you, “american jihadist”.
bush borrowed 3 trillion from chinese? who approved the authority to borrow? congress which is controlled by democrats agreed to that authority to borrow from the chinese.
same old argument about bush making deficits. bush can only propose the budget. it is congress that approves the budget. he can only spend what congress had authorized.
war expense: it is congress which is controlled by the democrats that approved the budget for the war. incidentally, majority of these money goes to manufacturing boots, uniforms, humvees and other materials which are manufactured in the U.S. and therefore makes money for US industries and employs US workers. Add to this the bonus to soldiers that enlist to serve in the war. this money goes to the family of the soldiers and if you were unmarried, you can use this money for college education after your tour of duty.
the democrats keep on lying to the american electorate and the sad part, the electorate keeps believing it.
leytenian,
Nice “consuelo de bobo” type joke you are welcome to it. Tee hee.
jcc,
I think you might be onto something about Acorn. Heard Garci now lives in Chicago, or cincinnati or miami. Or was that jocjoc?
jcc,
Thanks for going back to the point of the main post. Yes, you are correct. The ex defense chief’s motivations are not without his own political agenda. I hinted at that broadly in my own blog after Cruz first issued that statement. But whatever the narrower motives of Atty. Cruz are, what I am asking myself is whether there is substance in his warning about the return of authoritarian rule. This to me is the core issue. BTW, AM not an admirer of the3 former DND boss.
Obama has no clue. He said, send the troops home? How can US pay Chinese debts without securing leverage. ” Iraq oil contract to china. ”
“Some may ask, What good does it do Americans if Iraqi oil gets shipped to China? The answer is, it is a global market for oil… [P]rice depends on the total quantity produced globally and the total quantity consumed globally. More global production means a lower price, and which country consumes which oil is of little practical significance… But it matters a great deal for the price that American consumers pay for oil whether the Iraqi oil is produced or is not produced.
“You’ve heard it said, “What’s good for General Motors is good for the U.S.” But I say, “what’s good for Iraq and China is good for the U.S.”
http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2008/09/china-iraq-oil.html
jcc,
bencard is right. I also supported the War in Iraq primarily because I saw Saddam Hussein as a fascist dictator who was Ferdinand Marcos’ Big Brown Brother. I would support his overthrow again. But not the war in America now being conducted by McCain Palin. Sorry about the diversion into this topic. Ding
the world needs a stronger America to defend itself against possible military and economic attacks from its avowed enemies.
such is our case too. we need a stronger president to effectively lead us away from these crises.
Who might that “stronger president” be, HP? Maybe Angelo de la Cruz? Or Reghis Romero? Or Gen. Ben Muhammad Dolorfino? Or Fr. Giancarlo Bossi? Or Ces Drilon? (Hint: They all have something in common, you know). And for veep how about Mawanay? or Garci? or Jun Lozada? or jocjoc bolante? or gen. delapaz? norberto gonzalez? Romulo Neri? (again something in common?). Oh here is the senate slate: Raul gonzales; ronnie puno; winston garcia; jesus versoza; palparan? teehankee? romeo jalosjos? and your favorite: devanadera, the most scintillating legal mind to inspire longings, plans and desires, eh?
DJB,
We need to get a clarification. The Philippines’ “needs a stronger president” or ’strongman rule’. A world of a difference there.
strong leader? we have marcos and we did not succeed. basic is the principle that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
our problem is our attitude. we should start imparting in our children the concepts of integrity, honor, honesty, hard work, one nation, one flag, one country. our attitude is divisive and our virtue despicable.
we should let God be the center of our every action and not allow our bestial habit predominates. Surrender ourselves to an authority more powerful than all the powers of man-made institutions and accept our limitations as human beings.
everytime great leaders are confronted with a crisis, they go in isolation to pray and ask for divine guidance. everytime mediocre politicians are confronted with crisis they to the press and pay these media prostitutes masquerading as legit media practitioners large sums of money to repackage their image.
now wonder the world today is in turmoil..
jcc,
attitude? what attitude? we are a weak people with much weaker values. we respect our elders but we don’t respect each other.
Yes, God worship could probably work. BUt, ironies of ironies, we are a Christian nation who serve the Mammon more than the purest of the pure Spirits.
how can we have a singular value system if there’s no one who will enforce it? for eons, we have misinterpreted and abused this thing called democracy that we have become a pure democracy ruled by mob leaders.
it’s time for us to have another strong leader, someone with the vision and the tenacity to do what’s right.
djb,
why are you so sore about McCain and Palin? Palin is the only sane politician in America today. A mother who raises a child with syndrome and a pregnant teen. A democrat mother would abort her syndrome child and abort the child of her teenage daughter so she could avoid the salacious gossips at a time where she is seeking the second most powerful office in the world.
look at is a strenght of character and a firm belief in God who loves every child in this world, may they be endowed or less endowed.
highpriest,
take off from your high horse and stop dreaming.
a stong leader with a vision must seek first congruent attitude with the Supreme Being.
with the present crop of our politicians, i see no one in sight.
DJB,
With their own elections next month, we’re momentarily off the radar screens of the US. The cha-cha resolution is being reported out on November 10 for railroading though one commenter here appends nobler motives but still all pointing to their “desired” (not plotted?) term extension. So are we really looking at the cancellation of the 2010 elections?
I may even concede, for the sake of argument, jcc’s view that there is “no one in sight with the present crop of politicians.”
Then I might as well wait for HPoS himself to take a sabbatical from the Ateneo and throw his hat into the political ring. I particularly share his advocacy for the rights of the child rights you know. Right, Jenny?
Or perhaps when Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera goes to the Supreme Court, HPoS will consider fully crossing over so he’ll have a proper portfolio?