In the Presence of Vultures

In a few days, the United States will be defaulting. Thanks to politicians who do not have an inkling of what economics is all about, the US, the biggest economy in the world would justt be another second rate country. Perhaps they do not realize how the global economy is tied to their economy. Perhaps they do not realize that in a recession, it is impossible to balance the budget. The rabid Republicans are at it again. I believe their only agenda is to destroy Pres.Barrack Obama. Unfortunately, this also would lead to the demise of the world’s biggest economy. Because protecting the interest of their rich contributors, let’s leave the rest of the country in the gutter.

A default would result in an immediate credit downgrade. The dollar’s value will drop. All the economies tied to the dollar will suffer. China holds the biggest share of the US’s debt. They don’t care, they could afford to take the hit. Perhaps the Republicans have forgotten why the US is in such a state. A big chunk of the deficit can be attributed to the bailouts and stimulus package. The smaller businesses unfortunately did not benefit from these. It’s the bigger businesses that benefited from it. And, who are these? These are the ailing comapanies whose CEOs got fat bonuses. And yes, these are the rich who the Republicans do not want to tax. They prefer to see health care and welfare cut so the average Joe who benefits from these would stop receiving his lifeline aid.

The Republicans are not after reforms, their after Obama’s neck. They would love to see his presidency fail. Imagine the political ammunition the GOP’s presidential candidate would have coming into the elections? This is what these teapots are salivating about. A downgrade during Pres. Obama’s watch is a huge advantage for them. Never mind if a downgrade leads to higher interest rates. Never mind if inflation skyrockets. Never mind if Never mind if the smaller businesses close shop. What is important is to win the next elections.

Bin Laden failed to bring the mighty United States down. How ironic it is that those who claim to be the staunchest protectors of the country are the ones who succeeded where the terrorist Bin Laden failed. Of course with the US demise, China will emerge to be the biggest economy in the world. Yes. the Republicans succeeded where the communists failed. Poor citizens of the greatest country in the world. You have a legitimate terrorist organization in the halls of congress. They vowed to protect you yet they are the ones cutting your throats.

Tags: Debt Ceiling

China is a new economic power. Even the mighty United States now owes China billions of dollars. With its rise, China is now flexing its muscles in the South East Asian region. With the acquisition of the shelved Russian aircraft carrier, China is positioning itself as an emerging military power in Asia. China is laying claim to the Spratly islands by virtue of its discovery of the South China Sea. China disregared the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Several countries are also claiming ownership of the islands with the Philippines and Vietnam the nearest to it. Since the discovery of oil and natural gas in the area in the ’70s, China has taken interest to the area.

The Philippines has settlements in the bigger islands. Taiwan has a naval outpost and so does Vietnam. China despite protest from Vietnam and the Philippines had constructed several installations (on stilts) in several reefs. Both countries are now accusing China of intruding in their waters. Despite being militarily weaker, the Philippines and Vietnam are not backing down. Vietnam is conducting nava maneuvers while the Philippines has lodged a formal complaint with the UN and has sought help from its longtime ally, the US. After lecturing (threatening is a better word) the Philippine government, China has softened its stance a bit. It may have thought that to sound like a bully may earn the ire of the rest of its South East Asian neighbors and the international community as well.

China is more than 500 nautical miles from the disputed islands. Their use of the argument that they are the historical discoverers of the area is a very flimsy if not ludicrous justification and will never stand in the International Court. To follow this argument would mean that we have to reshape the geography of the entire world. I find their claim illogical and outright stupid. We do not live in the middle ages anymore. Borders are clearly defined today. The Association of South East Asians Nations (ASEAN) should unite and defy the bullying of China. After all, they do not need China. Without an Asian market, China’s economy would greatly suffer. Should China refuse to use civility and diplomacy, a boycott of its products would lead to its collapse.

China may have the military might but its economy is vulnerable. It relies heavily on exports. Take that away and China is nothing. Calls in the US to bring back its manufacturing back is increasing. The high unemployment and the low quality of Chinese made products is enough reason to pull out of China. China is also heavily dependent on multinational investment while it has very minimal direct investment to other countries. It is a Communist country and can control its own currency. This greatly affects those that do business with it. This is why it can dictate wages and costs.

The Spratly islands is a thorn in China’s side. They cannot simply overrun the other claimants. The cons far outweigh the pros. For now, all it can do is to try an fool the ASEAN into entering bilateral cooperation agreements so China can have a piece of the pie. It needs to look diplomatic and civilized. (We all know how it treats its people). The Chinese people should never forget Tiananmen Square or the riots of Tibet. Its people should realized that owning a car or a long-term lease of a home is not freedom. The Chinese people should realize that only the members of the politburo are the only ones getting rich.

For now, the Spratly islands are safe. For how long, that is the question.

(I intentionally did not refer to China as him or her. I do not think that China deserves respect as it does not respect its people or the laws of civility and humanity)

Tags: Spratlys

Malta recently approved divorce in their small island state through a referendum. That leaves the Philippines the only country in the world that does not have a divorce law. Legal separation and annulment are the only options warring spouses can take to resolve their differences. Legal separation does not allow you to remarry. Annulment on the other hand is lengthy and prohibitively expensive. Unhappy couples simply part ways unofficially with a risk of being charged with adultery or concubinage by a sour-graping spouse in the future.

Our rabidly conservative Catholic church is raising a howl. Our male-dominated legislative branch is against divorce as well. Their main contention is that it goes against the protection of the family.  Another one of their claims is that divorce leads to broken homes which affects the wellbeing of the children. Frankly, I don’t get it. Constant fighting of parents, infidelity and battered wives and kids, these are just some of the reasons why divorce should be allowed.

Our laws have kid glove penalties for husbands while a wife caught having an affair can be charged criminally. I suppose to them “all men are created equal” means that only men have rights and women have less rights. The Catholic church may have also thought that just because Eve was created out of Adam’s rib means that women are second class citizens. Traditional followers of the church also sees divorce as Satan’s weapon.

Women’s rights advocates (that includes men as well) are calling on our legislators to pass our Divorce Bill which has been sitting in congress gathering cobwebs for the past 16 years. While abused wives and children suffer in silence, our lawmakers and clergy sit on their moral high horses thumbing their noses at these suffering “human beings”. Perhaps our legislators are afraid their wives might divorce them. Politicians are known to be pathological womanizers. Priests have taken a vow of celibacy and may just be envious of ordinary men who can enjoy sex. No wonder they would love to see families suffer in abuse and violence with no way out.

Like horses wearing blinders, they close their minds to intelligent discussion and debate. They would not hear of reasons that greatly affect human decency. Are our lawmakers happily married or are they terrified that when divorced by their wives, their political careers would end up in the gutters? God is a loving god and would hate to see his people suffer. There is no scientific proof that children of divorced parents turn out bad. What I know is that kids of emotionally unstable parents turn out bad.

The recent survey shows that 50% of Filipinos approve of divorce, 33% are against it and 17% are undecided. Perhaps our only option is to call for a plebiscite so the real sentiments of the people could be known. How I wish we had more women in congress. Perhaps we would have more logical laws. I am in a blissful marriage, what about those in marital misery? Am I to simply close my eyes and ears to their woes? Every man and woman deserves to be happy.

Tags: Divorce

The political upheavals in the Middle East has long rendered the Al Qaeda insignificant. The ideology of this murderous group goes against the democratic demands of those rallying against their governments. Bin Laden’s death demonstrated two things, justice will find a way to make a criminal accountable and that there are no safe havens for terrorists. The people of the Arab world had long suffered under tyrants and monarchies. What these governments forgot, education can enlighten a suffering people. No amount of force or misuse of religion can prevent democratic change.

The people now know that they hold the power and not the other way around. For decades, extremists have used poverty and ignorance to ignite and foster hate against the West and the rest of the world. They have misused Islam to control Muslims. Education have somehow found a way to discredit the myths these extremists spread. Take the case of how Al Qaeda considers women as inconsequential. During the prophets Mohammed’s time, women played an important role in society and were revered. They were empowered and were not treated like second class citizens. Al Qaeda or their Afghan counterpart, the Taliban does not believe that women deserves to be educated.

In the Philippines, we even have Muslim women legislators and social prime movers. Islam never taught discrimination or persecution. Just like other faiths, people with vested and twisted interests can twist facts and exploit the weakness of its followers. I suppose this is why the rich Muslims contribute and fund these terrorists. The ideology these insane people espouse is advantageous to them. They can contain and control the people through the misuse and abuse of the doctrines of Islam.

Al Qaeda’s indiscriminate killings of even innocent Muslims have alienated it. The realization that these extremists are not actually freedom fighters have turned off much of its Muslim base. Islam never espoused the killing of the innocent. The main focus now of the Muslims and the Arabs is freedom and democracy.Even without the West’s help, people of the Middle East will prevail. It will be up to the West’s policy changes that will bring it closer to these people. We need to change their perception that we are oppressors. Bin Laden in the end sealed Al Qaeda’s fate. Terrorism has no place in places whose people advocate equality and freedom. It was no surprise that absent from the demonstrations were calls for death to the infidels but chants for freedom. It became clear to these people who the real oppressors were. It was their very own.

Tags: Al Qaeda

Education and social disparity has finally touched the Middle East. The youth, the unemployed and the under-employed cry for genuine change. Unlike the students in the Tianamen uprising, the Arab youth understands the essence of true democracy. Dictators and monarchies are being targeted in the name of reform. What is enlightening to see is how fundamentalism and extremism is not in their agenda. It is pure and genuine social upheaval. Arabs of different beliefs have joined together in their clamor for change.

Coming from a country that kicked out a dictator and the pioneer of People Power, I can see the similarities in the actions we took. Keeping these actions peaceful is the convincing factor for more people to join these actions. Peaceful action is also a good tool to show the international community that what we seek is genuine change. We all sought and seek freedom.

Decades of authoritarian rule will all come to an end. Rhetoric by dictators and monarchs will be regarded with disdain and rejection. “You can fool the people sometime but not all the time”. The time for change has dawned on the Middle East. Spearheaded by the informed youth, they now understand what freedom is and what they have to do to achieve it.

What the rest of the world should do now is to show its solidarity to ensure change. We should forget about interests first and make humanity and decency our priority. There are no sides to take when we seek freedom. We should intervene if only to help the helpless achieve their goal. Governments may not realize this now, but a free world is a more peaceful one. No single group will be able to influence the people when the people know what rights they have. No church or sect will be able to control a nation, holding it hostage to a belief.

I longed to see a free Arab world. Perhaps this is the only way for peaceful coexistence.

Tags: People Power

I would love to share with you what I did those fateful days in February 1986, but I was too busy doing milk runs. The Philippines kicked out a dictator back in ’86. Ferdinand Marcos who ruled the country the country with an iron fist for two decades finally stepped down. Those glorious four day were the brightest days for Philippine democracy. The world later called it People Power.

I did not stand in front of a tank nor blocked government troops on their way to the rebel camps. I and a few friends were too busy preparing food to bring to the people on the streets and the soldiers who rebelled against the dictator. We did three trips a day. My experience was uneventful. We just packed food into a car and a van. We were not the only ones doing this. Countless others did the same.

Food came from everywhere and the soldiers and people in the streets never went hungry. It has been 25 years since then. When someone asks me where I was or what I did during those days, I simply tell them I was too busy doing milk runs.

Tags: People Power

Republicans and these insane tea party sure knows how to pull a country down. Now they float scary scenarios about how huge the Health Care would  and is costing the government. Now they are proposing spending cuts and are meticulously screening the budget. Such hypocrisy if you ask me.

Were they this serious about spending when their incompetent Pres. Bush decided to take the US armed forces to a field trip in good old Iraq? This excursion cost billions to fund and is the cost of  USA’s gargantuan deficit. In all these, the only happy people were the weapons contractors who were having a field day at the expense of the American taxpayer. Did any of his republican cohorts rise to question Bush? To this day, no weapon of mass destruction was ever found.

I feel uncomfortable that America would trade lives for bullets. The GOP would rather wage war and spend billions than try and keep healthy its very own people. And who do you think enjoys tax breaks? Of course these wealthy arms manufacturers along with the equally greedy financial institutions. With less tax collection, the deficit would surely increase.

At the end of the day, the poor ordinary taxpayer would have to shoulder the the deficit while these greedy billionaires have tons of money in the bank. I hope the people of the United States would someday wake up and see through what these Republicans and right-wing nuts are doing to their country. It is slowly killing a nation whose democracy is being destroyed by its very own ideology.

Tags: Deficit

I am not surprised if some deranged as****e went on a shooting rampage In Tucson, AZ. The lunatic killed six people and wounded eighteen others. At the center of it all, is Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (a Democrat). When you have criminals given fora to spread hate and disinformation, you’ll have nuts like the one who critically shot Rep. Giffords. Media played a very big role into what led to this insane but tragic incident. When you call every liberal a commie, this is what’s going to happen. You have a bunch of crazy right wingers who will do the most violent things to get their message across.

Look at how the Health Care Bill regressed American politics. Nuts who have television shows are allowed to stoke the flames of hate. This is what caused this tragedy. Now they are trying their best to distance the shooting from the politics of hate they fostered. It saddened me to see the greatest democracy on earth end up like this. US politics has become a monstrosity. Thanks to disinformation and lies, it has been reduced to who shouted the loudest and to who scared the people most.

Who do I blame then? Only the American people can answer this. They have allowed persecution and hypocrisy in the halls of congress. You have allowed insane commentators spread the hate on televison and the airwaves. I held high regards to US politics before. How I admired how civilized its politicians were. With this incident, I can very well say that Philippine politics may not so bad after all. Sure we have political assassinations here. What we don’t have is rabid politics that claims lives of well-serving politicians and innocent 9-year olds.

Oppression is the name of the game in this small strip of land in the Middle East. The incident involving the IDF and the humanitarian aid flotilla best exemplifies how Israel can impose its will and might on the hapless populace of Gaza. The only difference the Israeli armed forces have with the terrorists is that they hold the title of a legal armed force. Very much like the Nazis in WWII, Israel has forced the Palestinians into ghettos, living in squalor and total poverty.

Scared of repercussions from its Jewish lobbyists, the US cannot bring itself to condemn the barbarism displayed by Israel. Israel’s demeanor runs against the advocacy of the United Nations. I tend to now agree with some that the UN is biased. Only the strong countries have a say in the UN. I guess calls for the UN’s abrogation is valid.

After leveling Gaza to the ground, Israel once again showed the world that they can do what they please. After all the US will not lift a finger against them. So where will this latest crime against humanity lead to? My guess is nowhere. As long as the greatest power in the world allows this culture of impunity to rule in that part of the world, extremism will flourish, peace will be unattainable and the Palestinians will be extinguished from the face of the earth.

History always repeats itself. The Jews are doing what the Nazis did, extermination of a race. I wonder how much time the world has before total war erupts in the Middle East. I just hope that Israel doesn’t pull us down with her.

Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

As the campaign season in the Philippines finally reaches it last leg, Dirty tricks, smear campaigns and black propaganda is being employed by the party of Manuel Villar. Probably out of desperation, the Villar camp has resorted to spurious documents, lies and name-calling to try to to put a dent on the support his rival Sen. Noynoy Aquino is getting. Villar’s dramatic campaign ads had failed to increase his popularity. Instead of improving his ratings, the truth about his claims have even decreased his numbers.

His campaign ads tried to solicit sympathy, but after his claims were debunked, surveys show that he continues to lose support. Some quarters have even asked for truth in advertising. He has no one to blame but himself. He was the one who fed the information to his advertising team. All his critics had to do was to research the truth. I’m glad that the Filipino voters are now more discerning. Campaign promises and catchy advertisements do not easily convince them.

Gone were the days when people rely heavily on what the candidates claim in their ads. People now try to find out for themselves the truth behind these claims. Villar’s team still do not realize that peddling lies will do them no good. Simply harping on poverty and corruption does not make a candidate win. Regardless of what stories Villar try to tell, credibility and integrity is what the voters look for. Villar has spent billions to make him look good. But the truth has many ways to expose itself. Too bad for Mr. Villar, what the electorate is looking for is truth in advertising. That is one thing that he failed to see. The Filipino is not as dumb as he thinks they are.

I guess that’s what happens when one thinks that money can buy everything. Sad to say for him, that is not the case when a people wants change.

Tags: Phil. Elections '10