Thursday, August 25, 2011

Why the Philippines Should Arm Itself to the Teeth


An essay on patriotism. I start with some esoteric ramblings. Work with me, eh? It sets up my points regarding the US and Philippines.

Infestation of Kelp in 
San Francisco Bay
I rather see our social condition as liquid, not static. Each public utterance is a molecule in search of a companion thought in someone's mind. Upon arrival, it morphs into substance. So our thinking become part of the universe of thought, a sea of social convention.

As a society, we are not constant, but ever evolving, like waters receiving clear or muddy runoff, downpours from the sky, or leakage from glaciers intermixed with boiling volcanic waters. We are infested with original thinking shaped by information and ideas from others. Our knowledge is like a bed of kelp that grows outward in the direction of nutrients and good temperatures. 

Our seas generate waves of opinions and values that lap into neighboring waters. And we receive tidal currents from abroad, generally serene and pacific, but sometime riding on angry storms.

Our nations are collectives, homogeneous of origin. Each is unique, its people influenced by the same history and family ideals and government dictates. But between nations, we differ, one culture from the other. We cannot understand how others could get it so wrong. But the answer is simple. Our historical perspectives, our thought processes, are vastly different, one nation to another.

Infestation of the Asian Snakehead
 Fish in America's Fresh Water Lakes
If you observe the US over the past 200 years, you will see a social condition on the move, and the direction is currently not good. From its origins, the US had continuity of immigrant spirit, people with the courage to leave their homeland because of religious or class (money) discrimination, determined not to emulate the same conditions in the new land. Thus was born the idea of "from many, one". E pluribus unum.

Infestation of Zebra Mussels 
in the Great Lakes
The US waged war with itself to preserve the principle of equality for all. That was the great Civil War. After that, the nation's unrestrained but substantially law abiding competitive zeal led to the mechanization of industry, and the mechanization of defense . . . and war. Following came the modernization of social values that outlawed discrimination for the artificial reasons of race, gender, religion, age or physical condition.

But my how the storms raged. In the Philippines and Cuba against Spain in the late 1800's; then against the Philippines. In Europe, twice. In Asia: Korea and Viet Nam. In the Middle East: Iraq and Afghanistan.

Along the way, mechanization became anchored to technology, on little chips of mineral through which electric decisions pass by the trillions, "one or zero".

And the technology generated a giant new kelp bed. Runaway ideas. Sound bites. Deceits. News that is entertainment, a reach for audience and profits, not unfettered information or honest interpretation. The collective of skewed public utterances became a wild, uncontrollable infestation within a pool of good intent. And the system got clogged in divisive, partisan gridlock. In debates that poison.

Infestation of Manipulative
 Ideologues in the US Congress
Today unthinking people in America, chewing mightily of some narrow-minded ideology, claim a good and earnest President is a "destructive force" in America.

They seek to undermine their own Commander in Chief.

Patriotism in America has diminished. It has morphed into some narrow idea that my way is the only way, and he who is against me is against America. It is one step from treasonous. E unus pluribum, or somesuch.

That's how muddied, how polluted, the American social sea has become.

The Philippines is different.

Isolated within surrounding waters, its social seas have remained constant for centuries. Little pools of behavior, tribal or feudal, walled off from one another by the limits of the land. 114 dialects. Good Lord, it is the land of Babel, literally.

Two great storms brought American social values to the Philippines. The Philippine American War and World War II. The Philippines was forever tainted by imported ideas. And the mix was bad. It created a nation of schools, but little was taught there of free thought or fairness or ambition. Obedience was taught. It became a nation of laws, and a Constitution, where laws were routinely ignored by the powerful or imposed for personal gain. It became a nation of commerce, where bribes were the oil that lubricated production. And that production was for self, not union.

The placid sea of separate social waters, tribes on islands, became a roiling mess of self-interest morphed onto a bastard democratic process, a confused stew of a nation.

You are what you are, and you cannot go back. You cannot push America out of your history. You cannot easily lever Ego and self-interest out of the Filipino psyche.

You can only try to direct where you go from here.

How to create order out of chaos and teamwork out of individual play.

I was interested to see how the Libyan rebels started to move from a haphazard collection of undisciplined rage to an army of strategy and discipline. They knew what they had to do, but struggled to get there. The rebel leaders tried to organize into a government, failed, and started anew. The fighting forces began to collect under respected leaders, and think ahead. But remained fractured.

But some began to organize, think and act strategically rather than transactionally. With a determined focus. How to seal off Tripoli. How to take Tripoli.

Almost two months ago, Tripoli residents, young men with families, who opposed Qaddafi were identified and pulled away from the fighting to organize as a specialized army to be used specifically to conquer Tripoli.  The fighting rebel residents returned the other day to a home that welcomed them, because they were Tripoli, reborn. Thus, Libya tossed off the yoke of a tyrant.

The Philippines is by and large a lawless land that pretends otherwise. But it has a lawful president at the helm now. He reveals the amateur that he is from time to time, yes. What president does not, under the glare of everyday spotlights and automatic condemnation by those rubbed raw by his election victory? Or those sweating under the glare of his anti-corruption push? But President Aquino also reveals that he has principles and insights into how to build a modern nation.

  • Work earnestly to create a peace with Muslim rebels. Negotiate, don't lay down the law. Explain, listen, be sincere.

  • Pass an RH bill and other socially progressive legislation. Modernize national values.

  • Relentlessly pursue the corrupt and re-key the culture as honest and forthright.

  • Build a functioning military. A real navy. A real army. A real air force. Operate within a reasonable budget but move on a determined path. Move forward.

  • Build a constructive bridge to China. Set the contentious Spratleys aside for now and get a framework of cooperation established.

The other day, the Philippine Navy launched a new warship. The crew trained in the US and learned the ways of the ship quickly. Of course it did. This is a seagoing nation. A nation of people who know how to execute if given clear direction.

And in that little kernel of discipline and achievement, we can see a new way forward. Not a war-mongering Philippines, as Proud Pinoy would want. But a disciplined Philippines. A Philippines with forward looking goals and plans, with purposeful actions, not selfish, disorganized reactions. Acts aligned within a strategy. Not transactions conducted because they seemed good at the time.

A nation with an idea that it indeed can be one, and proud of who it is. Not for its boxers or singers, but for its discipline and principles.

20 comments:

  1. My most oft syndicated quote: "What goot is a goot president if 99.999% of Filipinos are not goot" still rings true !

    It took benign0-the-Turd to tell a traffic enforcer to pull over and ticket the television van AND IT BECAME NEWS ! The traffic enforcer was not reported to the oligarchs by the television crew for pulling them over because it was benign0-the-Turd that instructed the traffic enforcer.

    benign0-the-Turd has to direct traffic, do investigation, sell indulgences to those criminals who has witness accounts against his personal nemesis, Gloria Makapal-Arroyo, evidence and forensics not necessary. It takes a President to initiate investigations. Unfortunately, it is not the president doing the investigations because the president does not know importance of evidence and forensics.

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  2. Ticketing a public figure, ticketing a television crew, ticketing influential people IS NEWS ! Because these are still within the purview of "Man bites dogs" principle of news reporting. Meaning, ticketing in the Philippines takes courage. Unfortunately, the courageous ends up in lonely outpost in Spratleys staring at Chinese Armada. To this day not one single figure has been pulled over wang-wanging down the street. Who would? They are the filthy corrupt rich, well-connected and powerful. I wouldn't.

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  3. Before building and modernizing the Philippine military, INTELLIGENCE and DISCIPLINE should be inculcated. DISCIPLINE is easy. INTELLIGENCE is not. The Philippine military is not known for intelligence. There is this retired colonel who is now a scrawny figure in Coca-Cola bottling plant in Central Avenue in Los Angeles. The poor chap is even afraid if pack of young blacks pass by his post.

    The Philippine military is nothing compared to Civilized Nation's military. The Philippine Military competes success thru their beer bellies. They love to flaunt their pistols in their waist band. They have a phalanx of bodyguards picking up their children from private schools. And they are verrry arrrogant.

    I tell foreigners and that goes to you, too, Joe America. If you are kidnapped for ransom or held hostage, please do not call the Philippine Military. Call your mom long-distance for money. And tell your mom to talk directly to kidnappers. because if you do otherwise, you end up like those massacred Chinese tourists rescued by a bunch of yahoos who thought they looked great in their shiny armaments and uniforms.

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  4. If Americans do not and cannot control immigration they are and will be doomed. The white thinkers are diminished and forever will become minorities. In America only the whites are capable of discrimination, the minorities discriminate other minorities but is not called discrimination. The whites are moving to their enclaves. The minorities get the run of the streets of New York and major metropolitan areas. The whites do not want to mix with minorities. The minorities are afraid of whites. Whites are afraid of minorities because they will be potentially accused of discrimination if minorities are rubbed the wrong way.

    Whites lives in the suburbs. The minority rats get the run of metropolitan inner cities. Whites go to work in the cities and leave after work. The rats takes over after the whites leave for home.

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  5. There was in the news of a UCLA white woman that ranted in Youtube on Asians talking loudly on their cellphone in the library. She was accused of discrimination.

    Now Asians can talk freely on the phone in the library. UCLA libraries posted signs were change: "ONLY ASIANS CAN USE THEIR CELLPHONE AND TALK LOUDLY. WHITES, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR PHONES AND SHUT UP"

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  6. Filipinos have deep respect of foreigners. They patronize them. Arrogant, law-breaking first time abroad Filipinos understand and follow "stand behind the yellow line" where here in the Philippines do not have yellow lines to stand behind if ever there was it's ignored. STOP signs are ignored. Policemen are ignored and not respected. Policemen do not respect Filipinos. Military do not respect anyone. They do not know human rights. Human rightists believe Military has no human rights if they cut off their penises and heads. Neighbours are jealous of neighbours whose parents are OFWs. OFWs when they come back wanted to be treated like Kings.

    BUT WHEN THEY GO ABROAD THEY BECOME DOCILE, MEEK AND DOMISTICATED LIKE DOGS. They immigrate abroad to surrender themselves to have their lives run by whites.

    They accused whites of immorality, having sex like dogs, threesomes, foursomes, manysomes. Filipinos get ticked off hearing crucifixes and ten commandments are uprooted from public places, yet, THEY GO TO EVIL AMERICA TO REAP WHAT THE DEVILS HAS SOWN. Once they receive their VISA from American Embassy, they go to church and offer thanksgiving to their god for divinely intervening approval of their VISA to devil America where God is nothing.

    These are the minds of the Filipinos that cannot think logically.

    THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF THE FILIPINOS IS "OUTSOURCE THE GOVERNMENT". The Filipinos has no business running government. They are democratically and religiously irresponsible.

    THEY ARE GOOT IN ENGLSICHTZES, THOUGH.

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  7. They wouldn't even elect a president that cannot speak goot country-club englischtzes. They made fun of ERAP-para-lahat-pantay-hERAP because of his faulty englsichtzes. They made fun of Japanese prime minister, Korean, Chinese, Italian presidents, Sakhozy, Putin of going to the U.N. with a phalanx of interpreter.

    Woooo , Filipinos are so froud that their president go to America without an army of interpreters. So, therefore, my suki fish-vendor is fit to become president in Europe and Asia because my suki fish-vendor speak englischtzes like benign0 and Ilda do.

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  8. Sick Filipinos thought processes in blogs:

    Impeccable spelling, well-crafted englischtzes, content and logic wrong = CONTENT AND LOGIC IS CORRECT

    Wrong spelling, atrocious ennglsichtzes, content and logic correct = CONTENT AND LOGIC IS WRONG

    Content, logic, compelling argument correct = BLOGGER IS BADING, BAKLA, BAYOT, RETARD, MENTAL and GAY

    Content, logic, argument wrong = STUPENDOUSLY CORRECT AND MANY FOLLOWERS

    Prolific Filipino blogging with impeccably goot englsichtzes attack commentators with equally impeccable goot englischtzes. The reason, is "no one should be above me in goot englischtzes and I'll ransack your mind if you are worth speaking goot englsichtzes than I" (after trolling for so many years this is the common sickness among Filipinos)

    Do not mangle englsichtzes language but OK to attack Filipinos.

    Watch spelling and syntaxes or the Filipino englischtzes police will attack instead of content.

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  9. Whoa, Mariano, ease up on that coffee, eh?

    UCLA library must be one loud place these days.

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  10. Word for word, i believe MR's blog is longer than yours.

    Shame on you Joe.

    For a naturalized pinoy, you sure have more faith, respect and confidence in our country than most natural born citizens do. MORE than most "authentic" pinoy bloggers who otherwise speak goot englischtzes from the other side of the blogging world do.

    Shame on them.

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  11. "Build a constructive bridge to China. Set the contentious Spratleys aside for now and get a framework of cooperation established."

    I rather think that is not happening when the President decides to reject a perfectly justified request for an apology from the victims of the Manila Bus Massacre, and, just a kilometer down the road and on the same day they are marking the occasion with a solemn ceremony on its one-year anniversary, visits his "new" "warship" and utters yet another veiled threat against their country.

    Stop being an apologist for the mediocrity. We may be stuck with it, but we don't have to like it, or pretend it's something else. Or as Judge Judy once said, "Don't put frosting on a turd and tell me it's a cupcake."

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  12. Say Hey, Ben, I'm doing a blog to that point, apologizing. I have a principle that it is not necessary to apologize unless I did something intentionally wrong. I think that is where the President is at, unless it is some kind of shame avoidance. In which case I agree with you, because the only way to end the "shame-casting" is to issue an apology. Only because it is the less damaging than letting the sore fester.

    Mediocrity is better than deceit, I think. As I said, I don't apologize much, and certainly would not apologize for President Aquino. I just call it as I see it, and we see it differently.

    Judge Judy, by the way, is a-okay in my book.

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  13. 1DC, Mariano has his perspective and makes his point head-on, so I don't quibble much. He's been around, so has seen a little of the blogging world. Besides, he lives in Los Angeles, so can't be a bad dude. That place is world class, for cross cultural mix.

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  14. Joe:

    Point? Head-on?
    That 'dude' has just generalized Filipinos and talks shit about us like we're the worst there is that ever walked the earth. He has just reduced this race to shit and you just sit there and 'don't quibble'. What's worse is that he takes it all back in the end by saying he was just talking about those pinoys who cannot think logically. What may be true for some may not be entirely true for all. it's a matter of opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love it when you guys go after each other personally, all in your respective blogs. But hell, He can take his opinions and shove it up a black guy's hole in LA. Can't wait to see what 'cultural mix' will come out of that.

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  15. "I rather think that is not happening when the President decides to reject a perfectly justified request for an apology from the victims of the Manila Bus Massacre,"

    Okay Ben. I'll bite. Pretend you were Aquino and write an apology to the victims of the Luneta Bus Massacre.

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  16. 1DC, I think you just did more than quibble, for sure. So consider the scale balanced. I take Mariano with a grain of salt, as I think there is a lot of exaggeration for effect there. Although he would probably say otherwise. He speaks some important truths within a framework of exaggeration. Like why do Filipinos discriminate IN FAVOR of whites? Why do they disobey the law in the Philippines, but fly straight in the US? Important perspectives.

    Plus he thinks Benigno is a blowhard. So I'll side with him on that, too.

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  17. In that case Joe, shame on me.

    I still say his insolence outweighs his perspectives and his cocky exaggeration of ideas is too much for his own good, like benignO's.

    hey, you are what you eat, right?

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  18. 1DC,

    I apologize for what I have said in my comments. If I do not generalize, it would appear that majority of the Filipinos are thinkers. There are just so many bunglers, on my last count there were 15 million. These 15,000,000 elected a President based on Mama Cory's death upon recommendation by your Philippine Media that practice self-censorship and festive ignorance. (I'll enumerate their festive comedic ignorance upon request).

    My being mean to Filipinos is another tack. I tried courtesy and politeness, it did not work. I tried it in Tagalog, goot englsichtzes totally not working. Let's try being mean and make fun of them, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW IT MIGHT WORK. Filipinos are wired to remember only the bad, mean and fun posts than benign0's and Ilda's suave literary pieces.

    OK. I admit, Filipinos are intelligent people. I apologize for what I said. I was mistaken. It's not the Filipinos that made the country in an unfortunate, embarassing circumstance. IT WAS, IS AND WILL BE THE PRESIDENTS THAT THEY ELECTED not the electors.

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  19. 1DC,

    Insolence is a good word. I must use that. We are indeed what we eat.

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  20. Mariano,

    The clunker of a boat, painted pretty, will do fine. It enables a physical presence in contested areas. For the Philippines, it is better than investing in a gazillion dollar aircraft carrier with no planes, and that would sink quickly with one well-aimed Chinese torpedo. I would put some snazzy missiles on my clunker, if I had the money. And had a clunker.

    I'm eyeing outrigger fishing boats.

    ReplyDelete

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