Five star prisons, Raul Gonzalez, Thomas More and justice

Written on Saturday, October 11th, 2008 at 1:10 pm | by blackshama

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez fits the Thomas Cromwell character like a glove in Robert Bolt’s “A Man for all Seasons”. I presume Mr Gonzales knows who that play (made into an Oscar winning movie) is all about. After all the play is about the patron saint of his profession, much admired by his Royal and Pontifical alma mater.

Anyway in Bolt’s play, Sir Thomas More was already in the Tower and was summoned to Richmond Palace for the nth time, questioned and was again asked to swear by the Act of Supremacy. More’s conscience can’t allow him to sign the act that would make Henry VIII Head of the English Church.

Then Cromwell (who is really Henry’s hatchet man, the man who drafts the death warrants and Justice secretary rolled into one) threatened More with his usual judicial threats. But More retorted

“You threaten like a dockside bully”

and Cromwell, quite taken by surprise said “How should I threaten?”

More replied “With Justice! like a minister of state.”

then Cromwell says “Oh justice is what you’re threatened with!”

More ends the exchange with “Then I am not threatened”.

The Raul Gonzales exchange with the Hultmans about their daughter’s murderer’s release from prison reminds me of Bolt’s Cromwell and Thomas More.

More was ex chancellor of England, a knight and at first was given 5 star treatment. But he wouldn’t bend and so ended up in a damp cell (which can still be visited by prior appointment with the Warden of the Tower of London). More as we all know was innocent of the charges since he never broke his silence on why he should or shouldn’t swear to the Act.

However some inmates at our own Tower are given 5 star treatment. They have been convicted. The photos that are in the blurbs show that the cells have a flat screen TV! The only time I had the luxury of using a flat screen TV in a bedroom is when I found myself booked by my host at the “Hillary Clinton Hotel” in Washington DC a few months ago!

This tony hotel just a few blocks off the White House is where Hillary had planned her campaign; which we all know now is history. However this hotel has immense celebrity appeal. Brangelina, Russel Crowe, Leo di Caprio were once guests. The hotel maid (a Pinay) teased me that I was staying in Crowe’s room! (Honestly, I would have preferred to have stayed in Angelina Jolie’s suite!)

The hotel became a virtual prison for me during an environment conference!

The only thing my hotel room had and I didn’t see in the 5 star Bilibid cell photo is a jacuzzi. Perhaps there is something that the camera didn’t capture!

Now back to Raul Gonzalez. The Inquirer has used strong words today’s editorial. By challenging readers to tell Gonzalez  to jump “into the filthy Pasig River with his foul mouth”, we are convinced that Bolt’s Cromwell character is closest to our own Gonzalez character. After all, the Muelles of the Pasig used to be our docksides!

If Manny Pacquiao is the “pambansang kamao” (national fist)  what is Raul Gonzalez?

But dockside bullies are known to have their own codes of honour and if needed would die for you. What about our own Queen’s ministers?

And for how pardons and commutations are processed, the good Monsignor chaplain of the Bilibid prison says that you must be “qualipaid” before you are released. As for me, my hosts paid the bill at the Hillary Hotel and I was released!

Well the Big Guy upstairs is still the Lord of Justice!

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About The Author: blackshama is an ex-academic OFW, now an academic at home involved in mentoring hardheaded postgraduate students and terrorizing undergrads who think they can have it easy! He blogs at "Blackshama's Blog".

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Comments

3 Responses to “Five star prisons, Raul Gonzalez, Thomas More and justice”

  1. Dean Jorge Bocobo on October 12th, 2008 1:49 am

    Sec. Gonzalez as Cromwell?
    Nah…maybe Rasputin
    …or Smedley the Dog.

  2. thenashman on October 12th, 2008 4:39 am

    You mean like Thomas Cromwell, that cretin Raul Gonzalez will soon be arrested too? Yehey!

  3. blackshama on October 12th, 2008 9:11 am

    Well as the story goes,Cromwell got his head lopped off by an apprentice executioner!

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