The Society of Honor by Joe America

That Ugly Albatross

2012-02-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

I'mfascinated with the power of the human brain, and its limits. Jerry Lucas,former New York Knickerbockers basketball forward, was a memory expert. Hememorized the entire New York telephone directory, all of the names, addressesand numbers, to prove a point. Our cranial capacity goes largely unused. It islike the whole of Gingoog Bay in northern Mindanao. Huge body of water, fewfish.

Well, thereason there are few fish in that Bay is called over-fishing, or how fishermencut off their noses to spite their faces.

Ourbrains are largely barren because we don't fill them. We take the easy road,like the fishermen, and have done this ever since elementary school when we realized that homework is a drag,versus, say, wading in the creek and hunting for crawdads. Or in later years,blowing the crawdads to smithereens with M-80 firecrackers, the teenager'sversion of dynamite.

One ofthe imponderables I ponder from time to time is the universe. If the big bangis causing the universe to expandoutward, what exactly is it expanding outward INTO? And what are the limits ofthat limitless space it is expanding into? What is on the other side? Nothing?What is that nothing made of, and where does it end?

In about10 seconds, my mind does a big grunt, unable to grasp the notion that there issuch a thing as nothing. I think maybe space wraps about itself like one ofthose one-sided strips of paper where a simple twist of the paper allows you totrace the entire length of both sides without your finger ever leaving thepaper. If we wait long enough, the outer edges of our universe will blast backat us through an inverse black hole and Saturn will hit us squarely in the lefteyeball and plaster a ring in our face.

"e=mc squared," said Albert Einstein

"The biggest mystery in theuniverse is women," saidStephen Hawking.

Well,some things you can figure out and some you can't.

Anotherimponderable that I have spent several years working on is that it appears tobe impossible to convince a Filipino of anything if, in his mind, resides adifferent idea.

It is thestrangest thing. "Gahi ulo," is an expression I learned my first weekin the Philippines. It is like an idea, once set, is anchored and immovable.Any effort to apply logic, shout, question, or prove that idea wrong isuseless. The idea is there already. It is fact. It can't be dislodged.

Even ifit is wrong.

Youcannot get a Filipino to understand that introspection is a good thing, not abad thing. That intellectual flexibility is a strength, not a weakness. Thatpride can be a bad thing, not a good thing. That Manny Pacquiao is not a hero, he is a skilled pugilist. That takingadvantage of others, or being discourteous to them, hurts that other person,and eventually circles back around to bite yourself in the butt.

I don'tknow that I have ever witnessed conscience or guilt in action here. You know,regret. It would be a chip in that immovable block, the place where Ego andintellect are welded together in a big lump of iron.

Like thenothingness into which our universe is being blasted, "gahi ulo" isthe great black insistence on doing the same things the same dysfunctional wayagain and again, and rationalizing the bad outcomes away with blames andexcuses, to preserve the integrity of the wrong idea.

Of coursethere are exceptions.

I'm nottalking about them.

I'mtalking about the great mass of resistance to progress that rests like thebiggest, ugliest albatross in the world smack dab around the neck of thePhilippines, including the failure to see introspection as knowledge, and thefailure to see courtesy as something to be proud of.

Is itchanging? Is the internet influencing the media and opinion leaders? Is itreaching the oligarchs who solder their resistance to change with billions ofmelted peso coins? Is President Aquino's "good intent" spreadingacross the land like Ole syrup on a Pillsbury raisin hotcake?

How manyants does it take to drag a big fat dead albatross?

The Philippines: Cowboys and Indians Ride Again

2012-01-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

Inpenning my last blog, my brain stumbled across a great visual. I said somethinglike: "The Philippines is a lawless land. Those with power are cowboys andthose without power are Indians".

Strivingfor example, I said the Indians were the victims of massacres and the bodiesfloating down the Cagayan de Oro river with all the logs. You know, the peopleat the wrong end of a six-shooter or chain saw.

Weaponsis one area where the Philippines is thoroughly up-to-date. The modernPhilippine equivalent of a six-shooter is a black automatic rifle acquired fromthe military in some slick way or another. The name of the weapon isirrelevant. AK-47, M-16, whatever. They all look alike from the Indianperspective at the front of the barrel. It's a big black ominous circle.

I'm goingto ride with this image for a few blogs, or eternity, which ever pays most.

What isfascinating is that every Filipino is an Indian half the time. You see, everyinterpersonal transaction in the Philippines, under JoeAm's special "can'thide no more" social microscope, can be seen as a binary power play, awinner and a loser. Sometimes the power position is overt, explicit, loud andclear. A teacher is a cowboy, a student is an Indian. A government worker is acowboy, a citizen needing government help is an Indian. A driver of a big blackSUV is a cowboy, the pedaler of a tricycle is an Indian. A Senator is a cowboy,a voter is an Indian. Immigration is a cowboy, a traveler is an Indian. Customsis a cowboy, a trader is an Indian. A guy with a gun is a cowboy, a guy with nogun is an Indian.

Sometimesthe power position is more difficult to see. The friend who ridicules anotherfriend is a cowboy; the person being ridiculed is the Indian. The lady with thepastel white skin is the cowboy of style; the sun-baked rice worker lady is theIndian squaw of style. The shop clerk is the cowboy; the shopper is the Indian,except at Jollibee, which has managed to reverse the pattern in itssingle-minded drive to provide a good customer experience and make a bazillionpesos doing it.

The sceneis rather humorous as people switch hats liberally. The white-skinned lady hasto put away her 10 gallon Stetson and whip on a band of feathers when she goesinto Social Security to stand subserviently in line to make her annual payment.The teacher, who rides to and from school on a motorcycle, must hold onto hisfeathers so they don't blow off when the big black Expedition blasts by. But hekeeps his cowboy had pressed dearly to his chest in case he passes a studentwalking home and needs to whip it on to look authoritative. Everyone in line atthe ATM is an Indian; the guy at the machine is a cowboy.

Thegenerals get to wear their cowboy hats most of the time, except when meeting ageneral with more stars. If they are meeting the President, they wear theircowboy outfit with leather chaps and boots, silver spurs clattering away asthey stride their perfect stride, 30 inches long. They do this to remind thePresident of all the past Army coups. But under the hat is a ring of squashedfeathers.

Yesindeedy. I've watched a lot of cowboy movies in my time. Hopalong Cassaday, RoyRogers, Gene Autry, the Lone Ranger (ahahaha, and his trusty Indian sidekickTonto; "How, Kemo Sabe!"), Zorro (the Mexican Lone Ranger), ButchCassady and the Sundance Kid (God, Redford and Newman are handsome),"Gunsmoke"(with handsome Marshall Matt Dillon and that hot barchickstarring Amanda Blake), Wyatt Earp, Maverick, Brisco County. Oh, "TheRifleman", can't forget that square-jawed dude, whatever his name is."High Noon" on the big screen. Some guy on TV with a sawed offshotgun whose name I forgot, but he starred in "The Great Escape".And that classic, "Shane" with Alan Ladd. I'm sure I missed a CharltonHeston cowboy film in the mix, but for sure he would somewhere along the lineassume the pose of Christ on the Cross. "Ben Hur", "SoyentGreen"," Planet of the Apes" . . . he spreads on all of them.

OMG, andJOHN WAYNE. Juices, how could I miss that 6' 5" brother from theUniversity of Southern California. Or was that John Lucas?

It's alla little fuzzy, you understand. Seen through the very long lens of time.

The onlymovie where Indians star that I recall was written by Mel Brooks: "BlazingSaddles". Ah, and Dustin Hoffman in the one where the Indian rides hishorse backward. You see, Indians are the subject of ridicule everywhere. Thatis my point. They get the wrong end of the rifle, as does the loser in anyinterpersonal engagement between Filipinos. The rifle may be verbal or real.

That'swhy courtesy is not popular in the Philippines. It is a weakness. It makes youan Indian. Your face feels best if you are a cowboy.

And everyengagement, even among friends, is a contest of power. You almost never see twocowboys together at the same time. That would suggest strong self esteem and nohead gear required. Most of the time Filipinos fight mightily over the onecowboy hat available to them all.

It's assurreal as the surfing scene in "Apocalypse Now".

Hi YoSilver, away!

By theway, who rode a horse named Champion? And what baseball team did he own for awhile?

Here Comes de Judge

2012-01-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

"Herecome de Judge!"

That is aline from an old American comedy, offered up by this black kid played by . . .um, who? I forget. I can't even remember who played the Judge. My God, age isstupefying.

"Herecomes de judge" was also the name of my jeep in Viet Nam, dutifullystenciled on the lower panel of the front windshield. Most jeeps were namedthere, a part of the soldier's bizarre rituals of keeping morale up.

As I wasin charge of two units, I was authorized two jeeps. The second was named"No DEROS", which means a lifer stuck in Viet Nam forever, never toreceive orders to return from overseas assignment. A soldier's worst nightmare.

But Idigress early on this blog . . .

ImpeachedChief Justice Corona committed the cardinal sin among judges (in America). Hefailed to avoid the appearance of favoritism. Point one, he was PresidentArroyo's former Chief of Staff. Point two, he accepted her "midnightappointment" just before President Aquino took office. Even a public withno legal training can read that this line of events stinks.

But he isFilipino, so he did what came naturally. He accepted the favor of anappointment and for some reason the Supreme Court acted beneficially to abet astrange Arroyo escape in the dead of night.

So I say,convict the guy for failure in judgment and toss him. Save wear and tear on theSenate. Those old people don't have enough energy for a long, deep trial.

Theproblem with Filipino Judges is that they are expected to issue American-stylejudicial renderings, adhering strictly to the law, when the law in thePhilippines is defined outside what is written. It is defined according to whois powerful, and who owes whom favors. That is why cases languish for years asopposing parties jockey between themselves, between their attorneys, and withthe court, angling for some edge in power. Sometimes justice rides on evidence,sometimes it rides on evidence going stale with the passing of time, sometimesit rides on the Judge getting handsomely paid for letting both parties off thehook if they have worked out some kind of deal. Attorneys aren't experts in thelaw. They are experts at carving out deals.

That islike the American "out of court settlement", only in the US, thejudge doesn't get paid off. Often, he instructs the parties to work harder toagree to settle, so he can keep his case load moving.

Quickrenderings are not a hallmark of Filipino courts. I think there are two reasonsfor the backlog of 300,000 cases that never seems to go away. (1) Filipinocourts obsess about irrelevant details rather than keep their eye focused onthe essence. (2) Attorneys don't work very hard.

Judicialreasoning in America is ordinarily very simple. The law says "x" inthis case. Apply it.

Attorneysare motivated by EARNING the money that comes with a decision, so they don'twaste time getting to a resolution. Unless, of course they are on an hourlyretainer; then things can take a while.

Can ajudge have personality? Or do they have to be so objective that they can't makea joke or snore behind the bench?

Have youever seen Judge Judy? Of course they can have personalities.

I've beena juror on four cases, and each of the four judges was different. An elderlyscholarly type, with no humor but lots of understanding. A handsome young guywho made us jurists feel like we were kings of the land. A young woman who I amsure dyed her hair. A nerd.

But theywere also the same. They followed the law. Nothing else.

Let mesimplify it.

ThePhilippines is ruled by law only on paper. In reality, it is a lawless land,ala the American Wild West, circa 1823. The Indians are anyone withoutpower . . . like a bunch of journaliststraveling with the opposition candidate. Thus, we have the massacre and the bushijacking and logs washing downriver with Indian bodies.

Judgesrule according to their interpretation of power.

ChiefJustice Corona? Let's just say he is the most short-sighted man in thePhilippines. He thought President Arroyo's power was attached to his robe.

No. No.It was not.

Going in Circles

2012-01-27T18:04:00.000-08:00

This bloghas become stuck. I find myself going over the same tracks regarding Philippineculture. It is a limit of my ambition, I suppose, that I don't dig into newtopics. There are several good sites that monitor important subjects such asthe impeachment trial that do a better job of providing information than myfactless opinion-mongering does.

My maininterest is to understand the core Filipino values that generate the verydifferent culture into which I have waded, for good and bad. I'm moreinterested in the framework, the social infrastructure, than the detailed actscarried out within that framework. Although some of those are juicy indeed.

I've gotthat framework sorted out fairly well, I think: poverty, a fundamentalinsecurity that shows up to make almost every interpersonal engagement a powercontest, a lot of thinking that is isolated from context and veers off todysfunction, and what I would term relentlessly inconsiderate and thereforenon-productive actions. Filipinos make choices I would not make, but that istheir prerogative. Like giving the Catholic Church so much power while lettingthe Church deny any responsibility for anything.

If I wereto have a super-human power to impose three changes on Philippine society, Iwould impose the following:

A revamping of public education, making it internet based, to free kids from the constraints of a stale program that is more focused on hollowblocks than generating a globally competitive caliber of students who are smart, psychologically healthy, and ambitious. Today, intelligent kids are dumbed down (45 kids per classroom) and opportunity is ripped from their lives; vibrant thinking and the joys of ambition are suppressed under an unimaginative, authoritarian model of instruction. It's tragic. Kids are precious but are treated here as if they were too much trouble.

A revamping of the Judiciary to make it free to every Filipino, focused on quick action as a condition of being fair; efficient of process; and objective and scholarly in its rendering of law. Judges should be rated and paid according to specific metrics of quantity and quality of judicial output. Class-action lawsuits should be welcomed as a robust and legitimate legal processes. Open, fair and efficient courts would give the people an avenue for progressive action. They would not have to rely on a stuck-in-the-mud Legislature that benefits from keeping things the same.

Actions from the Office of the President and Legislature that show they understand that the Philippines cannot compete globally as long as social mechanisms are hung up on a system of favors instead of competence. This "trade of favors" is the biggest, fattest, ugliest albatross in the world, holding the Philippines back from emergence as a wealthy economy. Favoritism can be broken down by enacting measures such as a fair employment law that bans hiring and promoting on ANY basis but qualification to do the job better than any other person. And continuing the anti-corruption effort.

I'm notsure who is in charge of socialization(personal interactions), so I don't havemany idea about changes in that area. The popular media, I suppose. And schoolscould, but they evidently don't see that as a charter. Filipinos need thecourage to recognize failure when it occurs -- looking earnestly for the reasonWHY rather than whipping a scapegoat and thereby figuring the problem is solved-- and an ability to accomplish things without the kind of gloating that paintstrees bright red. Actions, like trees, should represent themselves. I'm not ashrink, but I am reasonably sure that the psychological underpinnings of toomany behaviors in the Philippines are unhealthy. There are too many blames, toomany excuses, too much snarling and obedience (depending on which side of thepower line you fall), too much associative pride, and too many hidden agendas.

Man, juststand up, and own up . . .

Overall,the nation's laws are good, but enforcement is really shitty. It would be wiseto work purposefully to instill the kind of responsible, disciplined,considerate, modern behavior you see from overseas Filipinos, but not at home.This requires that officials hold people to account when they misbehave.

Fundamentally,I think people in power (old rich people) don't want to change all that much,either because they lack vision and aptitude to build things, or because theyare risk averse. The main hope forimproved social awareness and developmental progress rests with the bloggingand social networking community as it engages in self-discovery and pressuresthe power people into working harder for the betterment of the Philippines.Mainstream media are starting to pick up ideas from the on-line community, soperhaps constructive thinking will percolate up and spread, and all thedysfunctional, nonsensical, inconsiderate, illegal stuff will stop.

I hopeso.

Catch youlater.

Joe

Readers Get a Twofer

2012-01-25T00:34:00.000-08:00

Some daysthe subject matter comes too fast. I could write two or three commentaries aday. Or more on good days like today. But people can only take so much of Joe Am before running screaming forthe hills. I figure that is whathappened to Paster Ernie, Proud Pinoy and Gabby D, who have not commented sincethe beginning of the year. I'm betting they resolved not to put up with so muchs**t in 2012 and to take that notorious slinger JoeAm off the register.

But thatis beside the point. I have two critical observations today, and will jam themboth into this blog.

First ofall, I thought U.S. President Obama's State of the Union Address was about thebiggest bunch of muddled ideas ever put together by a smart man. The speech waspedantic in its delivery, preachy and contrived. It contained so much practicumthat the key points got mixed in the muddle. And I detest when they cartregular citizens into the chamber to give them a moment of glory, and try toattach their own cause to the case of a citizen who undoubtedly deservesnotice, but should not be used as a stepping stone to the President's successat relating to the rest of us denizens. I hated it when Bush did it, and I hateit now. I don't care about Warren Buffet's secretary. I guess we are supposedto feel "associative pride" for these common characters carted intothe peanut gallery for the cameras to pan to on script.

It was acase of the speech trying to do too much, and failing at everything as aresult.

But Iwill still take this good, earnest and intelligent man over any of the fourremaining Republican candidates: (1) a rich, stiff opportunist who can't trustbe trusted in what he says, (2) a radical and inarticulate libertarian who isso far down the correct path that he would jerk the pragmatic system into chaosas he pursues his idealism, (3) a fundamentalist conservative who would sendthe U.S. back to the religious dark ages where the Philippines now resides, and(4) a philandering, amoral snake-oil salesman with the values of worm.

My secondcriticism is local, to Biliran Island. My brother in law has extraordinarybasketball skills, honed on the dirt playgrounds of Zambales and shown offlocally several times a week at the local concrete court. I am sending him tocollege here where he is getting trained up as a seaman. I encouraged him totry out for the college basketball team. He said he had already explored it,but can't try out because he is not six feet tall. The school requires all itsplayers to be at least six feet tall.

Now thatsent my blood pressure on a rampage for sure. It is so consistent with thinkingin the Philippines. The trees are more important than the forest. Capabilitydoesn't matter. Artificial standards are what matters. And the standards arelevied in an authoritarian manner which does not allow appeal.

That isthe Philippines in a nutshell. Hire a cousin, not someone with skill. Recruit atall, slow guy to play guard on the basketball team. Forget concepts like fairopportunity and make sure to block whatever talent DOES exist. Idiots. And thisis a university that is teaching social values to young Filipinos.

ThePhilippine "shortness" problem exists at the positions of center andforward, and there is damn little the Philippines can do about that exceptincrease cross-breeding with African or Nordic giants. A team of five guys between the height of6'0" and 6'4" is rather like Princeton U., which floors (or used to)a team of geniuses of limited height who employ a slick, brilliant offense thatonly they understand . . . but they never make the NCAA finals because thereare no giant geniuses in the U.S..

At leastthey can be proud that their players are smart. My guess is they are also taught values like opening opportunity up forpeople rather than shutting it down.

The Macho Strut

2012-01-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

Men allaround the world do the macho strut. It is not unlike a peacock flaring hisgorgeous tail and strutting his stuff. The grandest flourishes are in the bullrings where matadors spin their brilliant red capes and taunt and stab el toroin the neck with spears until he is dead. Or on the race track wheremotorcyclists and auto drivers speed hell-to-high-leather for a glass of milkand a kiss from some blond bimbo they will try to bed after the victory party.Or those American cowboys who ride bucking broncos with fire in their eyes andgonads of steel. The riders, that is. I personally have a "StayingAlive" saunter that is a subdued version of John Travolta's famous bopdown the sidewalk to the beat of the Bee Gees when they were young. I learnedthat walk when I was a high school jock, firing basketballs at a little hoop inthe face of lesser men. Get 'em down and keep 'em down. It's attitude, man . ..

In thePhilippines, the best saunters are those done by ex-military men and old powerbrokers like Ampatuan Senior who still pack a gun. They may lead with their gutand the strut might be an arthritic, drunken wobble, but you know not to messwith them. Cock-fight chicken-ownersalso have a unique walk, a slight tilt to the right or left, depending on whatside they tuck their cock. I don't knowif it is macho or not; it is outside my cultural grasp, and I have no desire toreach that far.

YoungFilipinos don't know how to strut. I've never seen anyone under 30 walk withauthority. That may give a hint as to why the nation is run by old farts whoseidea of progressive comes with a recollection of what Manila was like when theJaps were in charge.

There areno bull fighters in the Philippines, and no bronc riders. There are lots ofmacho drivers, but they are on the National Highway, not the race track. And,come to think of it, they are more crazy than macho. Some Filipinos try tosaunter to the beat of "Hotel California", but The Eagles are no BeeGees and it comes off as a bunch of drunken ghouls sashaying in drag down themedian strip of Roxas Boulevard. They also do a nice cha-cha to Waray Waray bythe One Man Band, always at the highest decibel the 1950's amp can crank out.But a cha-cha is not macho.

Trust meon that one.

So Idon't hold a lot of hope that much will change in the Philippines. The oldfarts hold the reins of power and right behind them are their sons anddaughters, aging just in time to keep the Philippines locked in the stone ages,or whenever it was that the mountain tribes made the mistake of wandering downto the lowlands to find fatter pigs. Not much has progressed since then.

Mostnations strive for strut. They are a representation of their leaders, afterall. The leaders are mostly men other than that Thatcher battleaxe in GreatBritain. And a few other broads tucked nicely away in lesser nations.

I'm notsure what music North Korea is strutting to, but my vision of Walt Disney's"Fantasia" comes to mind, where Mickey Mouse is doing battle withbrooms that keep cloning themselves and hauling more buckets of water to thecellar. It is surreal slapstick done to a serious symphony, which is ratherlike North Korea.

Iran doesthe "Strut of the Fanatics", where you look into the eyes of theleaders and you see the kind of glassy stare reminiscent of that dead fish mywife likes to eat, the dry smelly ones. Scary, man, scary. The fish, too.

Syria hasstopped strutting and is doing the "Collision of MurderousMalcontents". No one knows who is on first base or if what is on third orfirst. Abbot and Costello could do an good impression of Arab fanatics, Ithink. Arabs can't strut because of the physical deformity of the hips thatcrops up when carrying too many rockets, strap-on bombs and IEDs.

Myanmaruntil this past year did the psychopathic strut, with generals hiding thenation in the closet with hands over their eyes, the people babbling anddrooling and doing what they were told. I don't know who there had the balls toman up to democracy, but that place has changed night to day. Soon,Myanmarinians will be authorized to strut to the Bee Gees, too. Respected onthe streets of New York and Washington D.C.

Russiaand China strut arm in arm to the "March of the Goons", stillchanneling Chairman Mao and that thug Stalin whilst pretending to engageconstructively with the real men of the world, the US and Germany. Britain andFrance are locked into a knock-down drag out fight as to which is more refinedand which still has any influence at all in the world, but they both prancerather than strut. Both Prime Ministers are rather like puffed up peacocks, nowthat I imagine them clearly circling each other at the latest Gang of 20economic dance.

Americaunder Obama has toned down its strut. Bush had the country stomping about likea muscular, mechanical Arnold Schwarzenegger in the days of his steroid use.The mechanics were guns and bombs. Now America is rather like chump boxer FloydMayweather on "Dancing for the Stars", a ship way out of its water.It is a strut where the attendees of Tea Parties and Occupy Camp-Outs areforced to stroll up the aisle together pretending to be from the same country.Not pretty at all. Not pretty.

Meanwhile,my impression of America as an ideal democracy has strutted itself right downthe toilet. President Newt Gingrich?Give me a break. He has the character of a neurotic hyena on meth. Put SarahPalin up as his VP, elect them, and I vow never to return to that land of lostvalues and class. I'd rather visit Myanmar and have a more wholesomeexperience.

Thatparticular tree of poisonous apples will shake out in the next few months.

The machostrut is rather like the egg and chicken, if you think about it. Strut goeshand in hand with confidence, or its best friend bluster. You can developconfidence by strutting properly, and you can strut properly if you haveconfidence. Since we don't know which came first, nothing is ever lost bylearning to strut like a real man.

So go toit, my good fellow . . . go to it. Walkthe confident walk . . . plant your presence with authority . . .

Mormon Extremists

2012-01-22T18:01:00.000-08:00

One of the top U.S. presidential candidates, Mitt Romney, is aMormon. Mormonism is considered by some students of religion to be one of thefour Abrahamic faiths, along withJudaism, Christianity, and Islam. Like Islam, Mormons view the Old and NewTestaments as sacred texts, but not the final divine word. Mormon ProphetJoseph Smith, like Islam's Prophet Muhammad, is considered to be the"authoritative vessel of God's word". (Richard Land, Southern BaptistConvention).

The behind the scenes election debate is whether or not Mormonism isa Christian religion. It is behind the scenes because differences in faiths arehard to explain to kids and hard to discuss with rigid religious adults.

Now I don't know if you have ever had the opportunity to travelthrough Utah, one of the western states in the U.S. If you have, you understandthe beauty of the state, from its snow-capped mountains to its rugged rockycanyons and pristine lakes. And it is clean because Mormons dominate thepopulation. In the 1800's, Joe Smith led about 10,000 people to Utah. Theytravelled on horses and in covered wagons. They settled in the promised landand have been procreating and proselytizing there ever since. I'm surprisedthey did not re-name the state New Israel . . . or Joe.

If I were a Mormon, and I'm glad I'm not, because they are veryhard-nosed about tithing 15% of your income to the Church . . . but if I were,and I saw the abuse being tossed at poor Mitt Romney, I would declare anempanada against the heathen faiths and launch a fat war.

Ahahahahahahaha . . . Oh, my . . . wheee, oo o o!

Fat war, get it? Fatwah?

But back to the point. Utah should go independent because the lawsof Mormon are incompatible with the laws of the United States. I mean, already,the oppressive American infidels have outlawed bigamy, which the Prophet Joehad no problem with. It's like outlawing the 71 virgins, or is it 72, I lostcount, of the Muslim faith. Or making Muslim women wear cowboy hats instead ofsheets.

Sacrilege.

I mean, Mormons could acquire both Utah and Nevada so that theywould have their own physical representations of Hell and Heaven on earth.Adjacent Nevada, with its sin city Las Vegas, would represent Hell. Utah, withits famous Tabernacle Choir is full throaty blaze, would be Heaven.

Seceding would be fine with Nevada, I am confident. It would ridthem of that bastard taxing agency the IRS and they could employ lustier, morewell-oiled strippers without worrying about obscenity charges.

Unfortunately, Mormons are too well educated and too well off tobrainwash teenagers into performing self-demolition bombings. Besides, it wouldreduce the missionary work force. They would have to use other means ofwarfare.

I'm thinking they could cut off water supplies to California. That is like cutting off oil.

Or they could kidnap any Americans or other foreigners risking adrive across Interstate 70 and hold them for ransom, just like the real Muslimson Mindanao do. Their faith would prevent them from beheading the prisoners ifthey didn't get the money, but they could soak them in the Great Salt Lakeuntil they turned into pickles. There is more salt in that lake than in gooseliver.

The problem for me is that, contrary to those untrustworthy,wild-eyed Arab Muslims, I have never met a Mormon I didn't like. For one thing,they work hard, are honest and live clean. They don't even drink coffee, sothey are certainly more pure than JoeAm, whose eyes flutter because of theexcessive caffeine, not to mention the dancing his heart does.

If they asked me if they could do bigamy, I'd say "sure, noproblem". A few years ago, I would have considered converting. But today,I am a one-woman man. . . and it has nothing to do with the fact sheoccasionally looks over my shoulder as I type.

But I digress.

For sure, if Mitt Romney does not get the nomination, it meansAmerica is not right for Mormons.

It will be time to find a spiritual war-monger to lead the flock torevolution, and secession. Just like the real Muslims in Mindanao are doing.Maybe they could recruit and convert Ron Paul, who looks enough like a wizenedwise old fart, and given his attitude about no war and legalized drugs mostcertainly would be for bigamy and free love. Mormons don't do turbans, but straight black ties are popular, and I'mconfident Paul has a few of those in his wardrobe. Or Newt Gingrich is not abad choice, either, as he has already flitted from woman to woman like abumblebee in a rose garden . . . and he has never found a viewpoint he couldnot argue glibly.

Yes, yes. There is real promise here.

Praise the Joe!*

Small Print. (For the unpracticed literary mind, that "Joe" can be read three ways: (1) As coffee, often called "Joe" as in "I'm gonna grab a cuppa Joe!", (2) As Joe Smith, Mormon Prophet extraordinaire, and (2) As Joe America, the blogger you wake up to each morning, exclaiming as you sign on and click to the Society of Honor, "I'm gonna grab a crapper Joe!")

Heroes, Pride and Seamen

2012-01-21T17:47:00.000-08:00

I seePresident Aquino has joined the chorus of praise for Filipino crew members whohelped rescue passengers from a sinking cruise ship. Several hundred crewmembers were Filipino and, unlike the captain of the boat, they apparently didnot abandon ship and leave the 4,000 passengers to their own misery. Theystayed on the job and helped people off the boat.

Famedblogger BenignO, I am confident, would not consider the seamen heroes. Theirjob is to protect and serve passengers, and that is what they did.

And Iwonder of the good and the bad of attaching nationality to the brave work doneby the seamen.

Should I, if I were Filipino, feel pride in what Filipinos did, to work hard to get passengers off a sinking ship?

Should I, if I were Italian, feel embarrassment for what the Italian captain did when he, in cowardly fashion, abandoned ship?

Should I, as an American, conclude that all Italians are cowards on the basis of what this one guy did?

Should I, as an American, conclude that all Filipinos, including the President, are brave and heroic on the basis of what a good many Filipino sailors did?

For whatreason would the answer to any of the questions be "yes"?

What doesnationality have to do with it at all?

The crewmembers worked hard and displayed great strength of character to stay in dangerin order to help others out of danger. They deserve to be honored.

But notas Filipinos.

Theydeserve to be honored as individuals who mastered the weaknesses of ourhumanity, who displayed the discipline and sacrifice needed to put others abovetheir own safety.

To claimsome of the credit for what they did is needy and needless, and distracts fromthe real honor that ought to be bestowed on the seamen. It also insults thebrave seamen from other countries who are not being waved about as flags ofpride for their countrymen. This tragedy should not be leveraged as acompetition between nations to say who is most heroic.

Let thecrew members feel the pride, individually, for what they did, individually.

For eachseaman who stood firm, I say "Nice going, dude! Thanks for representingour human potential better than that chicken-shit captain. Have a drink onme!"

My thanksto AJ for the perspective on this, and for the explanation of "associativepride".

Punishing Kids

2012-01-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

ThePhilippine House of Representatives has passed a bill banning corporalpunishment (striking) of children. The bill is now with the Senate forconsideration.

Physicalabuse of children is reprehensible because kids do not have the strength ormaturity to defend themselves.

But let'sdetail abuse in various forms and consider what is the most prevalent abuse inthe Philippines today:

Physical
Emotional
Deprivation

What isphysical abuse meant to do? Get a child to obey, mostly. It is punishment, likeshouting, only heavier. From that, the child is supposed to learn to follow thelaw, or rules, or commands. Any abuser is likely to argue good intent.

The fearis that physical abuse will cause excessive pain (broken bones) or emotionaldamage causing social dysfunction, aggressive behavior toward others,insecurity, or any number of psychological maladies.

Physicaland emotional pains are commonly understood.

But whatis this thing called "deprivation" abuse?

It is: "punishment caused by withholding stimuli whichare normally needed to assure good physical and mental health".

Forexample, the CIA uses deprivation to encourage enemies to reveal secrets. Theyput the subject in a small white room with no furniture, no noise, and noreference to time. Lights are turned off and on every few hours, simulating thepassing of days. In short order, the prisoner becomes disoriented, loses trackof time, panics and quickly goes mad enough to start blabbing.

It isbenign physical abuse, but extreme mental and emotional abuse.

It isalso deprivation to withhold food, clothing, shelter or education from a child.

Myconcern in this article is withholding educationbecause most people appear blind to it, as abuse.

If achild is denied proper instruction on social values, the fundamentals ofreading, writing and arithmetic, and applied skills or knowledge, he willsuffer. The degree of suffering is measured by the gap between the health hecould have had if properly educated and the health he ends up having (no teethor way too many babies, for example), the opportunities and wealth missing, orthe emotional well-being stolen from him. It will simply take longer than a"white room" to get the dysfunctions to show. Poverty. Joblessness.Sickness and physical pain. Depression. Aggression.

Maybethat is not punishment to the Department of Education, or to the Congress, orto the President. Because the pains don't appear during the school years; theycome later, rather like delayed stress syndrome from combat. But the root causeis lack of education.

I thinkit is abusive in the extreme to withhold education. And stupid to neglect theeffects.

The abusehappens to millions of Filipino kids who attend public schools every day.

ThePhilippines averages 45 kids per classroom, suppressing a student's opportunityto learn to speak well and learn well. Teachers are of modest skills, adeficiency which withholds first-class knowledge from students. Instruction isby rote, withholding from children the ability to think and organizeindependently.

Theemotional damage is deep and long-lasting, reflected in adulthyper-sensitivity, social dysfunction (envy and anger, primarily), andincompetence.

Therationalizations abound.

"We don't have sufficient budget. We do all that we can do."
" It isn't really abuse; no bones are broken."
"The Philippines has an excellent school system compared to some other countries."
"Look at how many Filipinos can speak English."

It's likewalking past an 11 year old girl who is being beaten by an adult man and doingnothing about it.

"I didn't want to interfere."
"He is probably the parent."
"He might have a gun."
"She probably deserved it."

I supposeCongress will ban whacking of kids physically and pretend to walk a moral highground. Politically they have done what they need to do to show they havechildrens' interests at heart.

Meanwhile,the tragedy of so many children deprived of a quality education will remainunspoken. And the children will pay a very steep price, indeed. Deprived ofknowledge. Deprived of skills. Deprived of wealth. Deprived of health.

Adultsare doing that to them. The President, the Congress and the Department ofEducation are complicit in this abuse.

Formyself, I am tired of walking by and doing nothing about it.

Rain and Peace

2012-01-19T01:30:00.000-08:00

It rainedyesterday. You could hear it coming from two opposite directions, one the roarof trillions of drops bearing down from the mountains, crashing into treeleaves like so many bomblets blasting new paths through the forest; the secondthe shriek from my wife caught a block away yakking with one of her friends.

My wifemade like a purple streak, Olympic speed, across the field, through the gateand into shelter. The roar of the train hammering across our tin roof wasdeafening.

Fifteenminutes later the sun was cutting through the billowing grey-white clouds,heating the wet to a heavy blanket of humid suffocation

Everythingis green here, until it reaches the ocean blue.

This isthe Philippines.

The placewhere, if you get wet, you just dry out.

The placewhere green is for some reason missing from the flag.

The placewhere water and land meet to form a way of life different from the normalworld. Where ambition fades like a flower smashed down by sunlight, and laze isthe mood of the day.

I don'teven own a jacket anymore. Dressing warmly means putting on a shirt withsleeves.

I'm downto my last pair of shoes, and when they go, it is flip-flops at the mall, thebank, the church. One half the reason is that they don’t make size 12 shoes inthe Philippines. The other half is that I am not about to pop for Customs feesthat are more than the cost of the shoes. The third half is that I amcomfortable bare of toe. And at this stage of life, I am master of my owndestiny.

We arenonsense, we people. I regret the lack of brown pigment in my skin, protectionfrom the tropical sun that I wish I had whilst dodging the pointy parts of mywife's umbrella as she goes to ridiculous extents to stay pasty pale.

Fortunately,she fails, as the sun is everywhere, and she is a delightful rich brown, thecolor American women would die for, and which she hates.

Nonsense.

Beauty ismore than skin deep.

Fan palmsthat would cost $150 in the U.S. grow like weeds here; I have to take mymachete to them to keep them from overrunning the paths. Spiders like to hangover the paths, too, about face level. Ferns emerge in the shady damp cornersof the yard as if I had planted them there, lush and lovely. At $25 each in the US, I figure I have severalthousand dollars worth of ferns laying about. The huge timber bamboo shimmer inthe breeze, 50 tall feet of gentle rustle that psychologists have discoveredbrings peace and calm to people.

Kawayanan.

The stuffof houses and fences and furniture, and peace.

I wonderwhy the Chinese are so blasted pompous and dogmatic. Their bamboo must bedefective.

I havecome to like the Philippines a lot.

The placehas grown on me.

Checks and Balances and Sludge

2012-01-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

I wrote alengthy blog on the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona, but sent it offinto the cosmos, bits and bytes strewn across the great ionic wasteland. I wasonly saying what everyone else was saying.

If I stepback, I would cite the following observations, those of an outsider, easilydismissed:

Democracy remains healthy when checks and balances keep it steady. Impeachment is a legal process, a check, a balance, against an officeholder who may have placed his well-being, or the well-being of his friends, above that of the people. If the accused did no wrong, the process will bear that out. The process ought to be respected. It is the law. It is healthy.

Judges must at all costs retain an aura of impartiality. Attorneys are advocates. They need not retain an aura of impartiality. Judges who accept midnight appointments ought to know full well how that appointment will register with those who want judges who are better than the rest of us at maintaining balance, objectivity, perspective, and calm. The former chief of staff of the appointing president was made Chief Justice. The APPEARANCE of favor is gross and unsightly. An apolitical appointment would be a professor of law or a well-respected working judge, or any number of people not tainted by appearances.

President Aquino did not make this ill-appearing appointment. President Aquino did not hold a midnight raid on the Constitution or hand out bags of cash to legislators. President Aquino did not try to run from the country on the apparent pretext of medical need. President Aquino is charged with the heavy responsibility of stopping these kinds of shenanigans. Doing nothing would be absolutely irresponsible. Why would anyone argue that he should do nothing?

The Philippine judiciary is fundamentally a poorly run mess of inefficient, ponderous, political, corrupt incompetency that does not even give most people access to its services. It is a disgusting institution masked as righteous by old farts and fartresses of little humility. It is an institution that has no idea about accepting accountability for its condition. It also has some good people within its ranks, but they are overwhelmed by the weight of the sludge that is the system of favoritism and self-dealing.

Many, many Filipinos are inherently defensive and see ill motive in any criticism. They fail to find respect for any person making any criticism. Court workers who march against the legal process of impeachment show themselves to be Filipino in character; they would undermine the very legal process they are charged with protecting and advancing to try diminish the legitimate critics who have hurt their feelings. They should refer back to item one, checks and balances, and acquire the dignity of someone who respects legal processes, which are contentious by design.

Thought Fool

2012-01-15T00:55:00.000-08:00

What is it like, across-cultural marriage of American to Filipino, of old to young?

I exclaimed to mywife the other day that "I may have a large ego, but I amthoughtful".

She exclaimed back,"thought fool?"

That is one of thepluses and minuses of the deal. We regularly misunderstand each other, causinggreat bouts of rolling on the floor in laughter and just as many arguments.

I asked the guy atthe Manila airport where check-in is for Tobaclan. My wife cracked up as theguy's face went blank. "Tacloban, babe, Tacloban".

A few days later shepeeked up from her magazine and asked what are "pork lips?"

Huh? After a minuteof describing these machines that run around on wheels and lift things, Iunderstood what she meant.

"Forklifts."

We have determinedthat our ears are mutually defective.

My wife has thepatience of Job, just like all the rice workers who plop one planting afteranother into a pool of mud all day. Only she has to listen to my relentlesscomplaints about Filipino rude behavior, outta-control dogs and pollution, andillogic. She is my escape valve, the person who listens (or pretends to), andallows me to vent the steam that would otherwise poison my enjoyment of thePhilippines. She accepts that my perspectives are right half the time and wronghalf the time.

Hers, of course, areright all the time. She is Filipino, with face to defend, even if it meansscratching the eyeballs out of mine.

Well, no, that isnot an accurate characterization. She is not physically violent, but her tonguecan carve a husband better than that Chooks for Chicken guy lays waste to abird carcass.

The rest of the timeshe is sweet as a Snickers.

She keeps the floorsspotless, the pantry full, her husband stuffed and the kid in order.

That is anotherdifference, though, come to think about it. I try to explain things to the kid.Give him a little direction and some context. She orders him about like a drillsergeant with a burr in his briefs. Shefigures the only context the kid needs is a shout in the ear and threatenedexcommunication. Or maybe a spanking, I forget which is which. President Aquinoknows.

But it doesn'tmatter. The kid is sneaky smart, and at age three has figured out how tomanipulate both Mom and Dad.

The neighbors andtownsfolk can't figure us out. They try hard enough, staring as if we were justoff the saucer from Mars. Rumor has it, started by the wife of a mason I hired,that my wife is a prostitute and is running around with the electrician. Also,we only have one kid because I can nolonger "get it up".

Now I wonder how itthe world she gets her information, but I think her spy is named Envy. Shecouldn't be further from the truth but you'd never convince her of that.

We are an oddcouple, for sure. I'd stare at us if I saw us. One is 4'9" and the other6'4", one is Filipino and the other American, one is under 30 and theother over 60. We've earned our attention. And it is the enjoyment of thedifference that gives us so much humor and occasionally, ummmm . . . tension.So if others share the moment, too, what should we care?

The way I figure it,no one has the market on the correct way to be, and those who try hardest tohammer others into their singular way of living are far from correct way. Ilike to think our differences are like the elegant spices that turn regularfood into fine cuisine. Sometimes thedish isn't so tasty, but we just wait for the next meal.

The distinctionbetween American and Filipino has eroded within our household. We are just us.The kid certainly has no idea about it as he wanders about blabbing half inVisayan, half in English, and a small percentage in Dad's swear words.

Come to think aboutit, that's one of the things that separates me even from highly patrioticAmericans. I think people around the world stand equal, and nationalisticfervor is rather like the neighbor's envy, artificial and too often built oninsecurity. Yes, it is necessary to bindtogether to defend one's way of life. No, it is not necessary to consider otherpeoples as somehow lacking in authenticity.

That said, I thinkcertain principles are good. Like hard work and responsibility and ingenuityand honor and courtesy and as much dignity as we can conjure up as we mingleamongst those with different standards.

10 Ways to Get Rich

2012-01-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

I had a briefexchange with brianitus a while back about women in the Philippines, and howwomen in the cities have more liberated values than women in rural areas. Inthe cities, many husbands and wives both work, achieving a little betterstability in case one loses a job, and improving their income. If they are bothprofessionals, they can build a very good, modern lifestyle

Indeed, this is aperfect example of the Philippines THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. With people beingresourceful and thoughtful and modern. Women who accept that they need not bebaby factories. Men who accept that the wife is a partner, not a property.

The discussion ledme to ponder exactly how poor Filipinos can climb out of poverty on their owninitiative. Here’s my list:

Pursue a husband/wife partnership with dual income and modern standards of gender equality, family size and education.

Study hard in school and supplement the rote education with mind-bending reading that will modernize the way you introspect and organize the way you act.

Attend church for spiritual and moral enrichment but use birth control to avoid being dragged down by too many kids. Go to confession once the kids are grown: "Father, I have sinned mightily for the past 20 years . . ."

Get a well-to-do foreigner to live next door; the entire neighborhood will somehow step up one rung. Hell, get your daughter to marry one. Or nail an old-timer of your own. He won't live long and he'll give his money to you.

Get an education in something that is needed, like call center management or engineering, not hotel and restaurant management or nursing or computers.

Form or join a cooperative that employs modern methods of production (like, uses equipment). This applies not only to agriculture, but to construction, fishing and retailing. Get bigger than a Mom and Pop enterprise as fast as you can and make real money.

Go to Canada to work. It’s cold but you don’t have to deal with a suppressive culture, and it is a worker’s market, not an employer’s market. That is, you’ll get paid real money. And you will rid yourself of the suppression of the depression of poverty that overlays the Philippines like killer kelp in a warm bay.

Learn how to run a business the way Americans do. Planning. Risk assessment. Efficiency. Marketing. Then find a market, a product and an investor. If you are on Biliran Island and have a crisp business plan, contact Joe America for investment backing.

Rally to get the Philippines to pass a Fair Employment Act that bans the hiring and promoting of friends, family and favorites over capability. That way you can build a career with promotions and salary increases that recognize the value of your work.

Find Yamashita’s treasure or a sunken Spanish galleon.

The Risk of Objectivity

2012-01-13T00:43:00.000-08:00

It struckme (once again) this morning how much we tend to bind our self-esteem to ideasand opinions. Once we have offered a view on something, we defend it. Indeed,we stoke the fires by censoring the information we acquire and receive. We readthe articles that support our take on an issue and wave them about for othersto read. We skip over opposing views or try to trash them, to make themworthless.

Theofficial name for some of those tendencies when they are done without thinkingis "selective perception". Beyond that, we tend to filter out withinour brains the arguments and facts that support our view, and forget aboutthose that oppose it. This is called "selective retention".

What doesthis mean to publishers and bloggers? It means that if they stick to a hardline view, as do the Anti-Pinoy and Get Real blog sites, they can build up aclientele of like-minded readers who enjoy the perspectives there. Because thereader base is fired up and supportive, the publishers increase the stridencyof their views and everyone is happy.

Theproblem is, they are not objective, they harass and drive away opposing views,and they end up wrong about half the time.

Thesenatural bias-building inclinations are not unique to the Philippines. Look atthe fundamentalist religious movements around the globe. Same principle. Orlook at the Tea Party or Occupy movements in the U.S. Same thing. Theuprisings of the Arab Spring. Samething. People are rallying around causes that reinforce their ownpreconceptions. That often include only half the truth.

Publishersand bloggers who try to tread a balanced line risk becoming irrelevant becauseabout 50% of the time they are offending one set of readers or another. If they write a particularly hard-hittingarticle favoring a given perspective, they risk losing readers who believesomething different. And if they write the opposite hard-line article, theyrisk losing the rest. Readers flit off to find views that are better alignedwith their thinking.

Myleanings tend to the liberal, I suppose. But I have also blasted the Occupy movement as being a step closer toanarchy than to freedom. So Occupysupporters may take offense and stop reading. Or as I relentlessly pound on theCatholic Church of the Philippines, Irisk filtering out Catholic readers. And my blog effort seems somehow to becomeless genuine for that.

With thisas background, I find that I particularly admire the articles on the blog site Blog Watch:Citizen Media, an effort of Noemi Dado (and separate from blogwatch.ph) . She is decidedly in favor ofwomen's well-being and supports the HR Bill. But she makes sure to publishopposing views, including those by the Catholic Church. Yesterday, I read anarticle by Gloria Arroyo critical of the lack of energy and single-minded focusof the Aquino Administration. Blog Watchdidn't wrap the statement in editorial commentary condemning Ms. Arroyo's pointof view, although readers are certainly free to add their perspectives in thecomment section. The article was allowed to stand on its own merits. Andremarks or writings by the Aquino Administration are also presented on thesite, and allowed to stand for what they are.

I'vewritten two articles that have been published on Blog Watch: Citizen Media. One is on educationand another on the Philippineclass structure. Both articles had their genesis in dialogue here at The Society of Honor. Not all blog siteswelcome views by non-Filipinos. Indeed, to win some blogging awards in thePhilippines, you have to be Filipino. Ideas of themselves aren't what isimportant, even if they are about the Philippines; nationality is important. Itis a form of selective perception.

In namingmy blog site "The Society of Honor",I was actually stating an ideal, the wisdom and high-mindedness of striving forobjectivity instead of promoting an agenda. That's where the term "Honor" comes in. I've found that isharder than it seems, because, as sole writer and editor, I am fullysusceptible to the forces of selective perception and retention.

I relyupon readers to hold me to a straight line when I wobble. That is the Society I refer to in the blog name. I'd liketo build a readership who can respect opposing views, but have the candor todisagree, as I strive to do the same. By way of example, I appreciate thestance of Mariano who articulately, in his cynical style, criticizes PresidentAquino even as I praise him. He never finds a need to bolster his argument bycalling me a moron. And I appreciate Brianitus giving my chain a yank when Iover-ranted about Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Indeed,it is this striving for balance and a 100% reading of all perspectives thatwill assure that you and I both remain open-eyed, open minded, and as close to100% intelligent as we can get. Rather than limiting ourselves to a 50% levelof intelligence by selectivity in what we observe, remember and say.

Hey, who's in charge here, anyway?

2012-01-12T00:40:00.000-08:00

As I was reading thecomments from a reader the other day, it struck me that I don't know who isresponsible for what in the Philippines. Not entirely, at least.

The federalgovernment has over 20 cabinet positions for trade, customs, foreign affairs,justice, tourism, education and the like. Finance, for sure. So they areengaged everywhere.

It appears that thefederal government has authority to levy income taxes, sales taxes (VAT), andthose service-based poison pills that Customs and Immigration charge. I saypoison pills because, consistent with the logic of reverse brains, they killtrade and tourism instead of foster it.

But I know localgovernments assess property taxes. Who gets to spend them? Is that how localgovernments fund themselves?

In the U.S.,property taxes fund schools and local roads, but in the Philippines, thenational government funds schools. Localities in the U.S. also claim a portionof sales taxes.

Other duties thatconfuse me are the roles of the respective police forces. The PNP seems to beeverywhere, but they aren't doing anything but driving around. I've never seena ticket issued for speeding or an arrest of drunks who now and then fight it outon the highway. There is nothing like PNP in the U.S. It is like a nationalpolice force.

Our town also hasits own police force. The cars are not as nice but the uniforms look the sameas the PNP, blue with white pinstripes. So I'm confused on that point. Who isreally responsible for law and order around here? Or, more correctly, the lackof law and order?

I see traffic guystrying to get the maddening tricycle, motorcycle and car traffic in order, butthey don't wear uniforms, unless you call the day-glo orange vest withfluorescent green stripes a uniform. The way they are lit up, I'd guess maybe afew have been mowed down in the past. But motorcyclists habitually ignore theirwaving arms and whistles to cut a turn in front of dump trucks or my HondaCivic. I've never seen a ticket writtenby these guys, either.

And why are there nowomen police officers? Or soldiers. Are they afraid, afraid of being teased, orare they discriminated against?

But I digress.

The PNP operatesmotorcycle checkpoints that pop up mysteriously now and then, inspecting forhelmets and licensing. The checkpoints are rather useless, though, because theword spreads faster than bird flu in a dank hen house, and the drivers justtake a different road. About 10 percent of the motorcyclists wears helmets ondays when there is no checkpoint. Helmets magically appear when there is acheck-point. They are made of cheap plastic that would splatter on impact,rather like brains.

I'd swearcommunication between motorcyclists is faster than the internet. I've seen themdriving while texting. Maybe that is how they do it. They don't enforce bans ontexting from motorcycles, I guess. It's more fun in the Philippines.

But let's say mytown decided it wanted to become law abiding. Does it have the authority to dothat?

Can it startassessing fines to the idiots who park and load in the middle of the NationalHighway? Or who block driveways, toss trash, or blast loud music until three inthe morning on a school night?

Who is in charge ofENFORCEMENT in this country, anyway? The PNP is after murderers and drugpeddlers and rebels who want the Philippines to be communistic. They don't careabout noise. No macho policeman would perform a prissy, undignified act likesuggest an obnoxious twit tune down his amplifier.

Who has theauthority to put the ORDER in law and order?

If I were a realjournalist (UST says I am not), I would do a survey of the local hospital andfind out exactly why people are dropping into emergency all cut and bleedingand dead. My guess is that safety here is really lousy. My mother in law andher daughter were hurt in a motorcycle crash when a Pepsi truck used a treebranch as a marker declaring the truck stopped on the National Highway(loading), and hid a rock under the tree branch. Not a motorcycle friendlyrock.

My father-in-law canno longer use a chain saw because he got dumped from his cycle by a dog,wrecking his back forever.

When my wife wasgiving birth, I saw a young man coming out of the operating room in tears, andwith only one leg. The neighbor across the road, less than 30 years old, alsoonly has one leg.

You catching mydrift here?

If people have"more fun in the Philippines" are they doing it through death-defyingthrill rides on the public highways? Do Filipinos think THEIR loud music is funfor other people who like peace and quiet?

Who in charge canstep forward and say "I am responsible for this disorder and theserelentlessly unsafe conditions"?

Do mayors ever dreamof a clean, orderly city, and set out to make one?

Frankly, I suspectthat a main reason why I don't know who is in charge is because no one WANTS tobe in charge. That way they avoid any responsibility for anything. The nationalsymbol should be fingers pointing the blame elsewhere.

"That's the waywe do it, Joe", Proud Pinoy would say. "Stop trying to impose yourimperialist American values on the Philippines. If we want to be irresponsibleor slaughter our own, we are proud of it."

No, no. The way todo it is empower people to act and hold them accountable for the results oftheir acts.

Porn, Swearing and Other Obscenities

2012-01-11T00:50:00.000-08:00

Obscene, according to my Humpty Dumpty New World Dictionary, is anadjective describing language, photographs, videos or acts that are sociallydestructive.

Lewd photos shown to children. Obscene. Kids might start behaving lewdly and who knows what kinks that will put into their maturing minds.

Telling another congressman from the floor of the Legislature to do something physically awkward to himself. Obscene. Conservative church-goers might have heart attacks.

Putting a video of George Carlin on ABS-CBN before 10 at night. Obscene. The kids might learn a whole bunch of new swear words, not to mention ribald satire which can stretch the brain over new horizons, not to mention being respectful of those church folks again.

Iconsider Cosmopolitan Magazine,Philippine Edition, grossly obscene and am surprised that the morality policehave not consigned it to the same place they consign Playboy Magazine. I have not seen one of those fine literarymagazines around here since I arrived 7 years ago.

Here arethe front page headlines for the January 2012 edition of Cosmopolitan:

Sexy new You!

Flawless Skin All Year Round
Hot New Wardrobe Essentials
Slim Your Waist in 6 Minutes a Day

Rock the New Year!

Make it Cosmo-Amazing

2021 Bedside Astrologer

Juicy Month-by-Month Predictions Just for You

Bea Alonzo

New Bod
New Man
New Outlook on Life

10 Brilliant Shortcuts to Achieving Your Goals

Are you an Orgasm Virgin?

How to Go from "Um, Not Yet" to "OMG, Yes!"

Why it pays to be a TIGER GIRLFRIEND

Peel Off the Pounds Celebrity Style

Channel the Diet Mantras of Bea Alonzo, Judy Ann Santos and Kate Middleton!

Can You Change a Cheater?

Juicypredictions indeed. OMG, if you don't talk Valley Girl chat lingo, you are notcool. OMG, who the f*** are Bea, Judy Ann and Kate, and what have they donelately to reduce corruption and poverty in the Philippines?

I feel sosorry for pragmatic, socially aware women like Noemi Dado over at blogwatch.tv.She has to swim against the tide of this Ego-stuffing, trivial nonsense to getFilipinos seriously engaged about women's rights.

What isthe Filipina term for macho, applied to brain-dead, sweaty tough-guy Filipinomen who hang out at the cock fights and slip snide remarks to women nearby? Orgrace the ads in Cosmopolitan in theirbriefs or open shirts, jeans tight enough to show a jelly bean in the frontpocket.

Bimbo isthe term used in the U.S. It means a woman who has mainly air in her head andcan natter about movie stars and gossip and hair color as if they reallymattered. OMG!

Christ,the seas are rising, Filipinos are being washed into them every other month,Iran is threatening to wipe out Israel, Filipinos are birthing the nation intoan impending economic disaster, China is strutting across the Pacific in combatboots the size of aircraft carriers, and Cosmopolitanreaders are getting a heady dose of brain-killing, Ego-inflating, breathlesstrash like this. With exclamation points and OMG's for emphasis.

I fear Cosmo readers could not read the Table ofContents of The New Yorker without running headlong into the blank space ofsocial and literary ignorance that sits like a concrete wall inside theircrania.

Cosmopolitan is obscene for the values itrepresents. For the behaviors it inspires.

What weneed around here is a few more self-centered, brain dead, dysfunctional people caring so sincerely, so passionately,about Bea, Judy Ann and Kate. Or their Bods. Or their sex life or hair.

Thesadness . . . the obscenity . . . is found not in the fact that Cosmopolitan publishes this magazine. It is foundin the fact that so many Filipinas buy it or read it.

The factthat a large share of the nation's women holds this material up asinspirational.

"More fun . . ." Joe Am Gives it a "Like"

2012-01-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

Marketing people dotheir business in front of the world. It is a thankless task because it isabsolutely impossible to satisfy everyone.

We see this now withthe carping and ridicule directed at the Department of Tourism for the newmarketing slogan, "It's more fun in the Philippines . . ." I thinkthe objections are always going to be strident in the Philippines whereunder-evolved but amazingly huge Ego's have a strange penchant for trying toraise themselves up by tearing someone else down.

Here's the example Iuse. We were building new home on a large 2,400 sq meter lot, but before doingthat needed to build a small house for my wife's mother, as she had nopermanent living arrangement.

People would visit,see the small house, and invariably ask "Why is your house so small? Youhave lots of money."

Later, as we wereworking on our own home, a two-story place of good but not lavish size,visitors would invariably ask "Why is your house so big? There are onlythree of you?"

You see, thequestions were not really about our house. They were about the person askingthem. The penchant for having a wiser view of things exists everywhere in thePhilippines, for just about every subject. It is the subtle way Filipinos jackthemselves up in a land where power and face ride on every interpersonalmeeting.

Another quirk inmarketing . . . in the Philippines or anywhere else . . . is that peoplegenerally don't see marketing as a skill. It is something anyone can do. And,indeed, you will hear people offering up better slogans, and it is difficult tounderstand how they figure theirs will do any better. ANY slogan has an upsideand a downside, unless you invest in it relentlessly like Nike does to make theslogan mean one thing: shoes that are more prestigious and more fun. Fancythat.

So for the Tourismpeople, I would say you have a sound slogan so let the commentary roll off yourback like so much water off an albatross's back. Or maybe a duck's is a betterback to use.

I don't know if theDepartment of Tourism did focus group research, or any kind of testing ofcompeting slogans. If they did, they should say so. Most slogans are not justthrown out without a great deal of thought. When I was marketing director of amajor bank in the U.S., it was common practice to test different approaches tounderstand better how a creative pitch would strike the people to whomadvertising would be directed. Slogans, logos, advertising creative . . . allpre-tested.

Indeed, I see thenew slogan as having great potential as it is applied to different attractionsthat are unique in the Philippines. "More fun finding underwater caves . .." "More fun climbing volcanoes . . ." "More fun finding girls. . ." More fun scuba diving . . ." "More fun making your dollargo a long way . . ."

You can't do thatwith "Wow, Philippines."

But I also don'tknow to whom the slogan is directed. If it is to Malaysians, it may ring betterthan if it is to Americans. Americans would claim Hong Kong Disneyland is morefun for families than anything the Philippines could put up. Americans are cynicsand can read "smoke" or "sizzle" pretty well. Malls are nota great attraction for Americans, except for local shopping.

I rather think theslogan is partly directed toward Filipinos, making them proud. Making themthink their country is fun. Filipino pride is always lurking behind anythinggoing overseas. I dislike this pride because it is so anchored on showboatboxers and stars, reflecting a kind of complacency with the way things are. Itis not pride in achievement. It is peacock pride, people flaring their featherswith no real substance behind the squawk.

A big problem withtourism under any slogan is that the Philippines is rather dirty and worn out,in the mainstream cities and roads . Some tourist destinations certainly have alot more attraction. But a lot of them are frayed around the edges, too. So theslogan may be jazzy, but the product is not. And those who travel a lot are notfools. They won't take risks or just fly off somewhere because of a slogan.They will do THEIR research.

If the Philippinescan put good product behind the slogan, then I would say give the slogan a lotof play. Work that baby until it is blue in the face. But if the product iswhat I think it is, you can't sell a sow's ear as a purse. Spend your moneyworking on the product, not pushing smoke.

So, in conclusion,I'd say the slogan is largely irrelevant, the product is what counts, and a lotof people are only arguing for the sake of their own Egos. Maybe even people inthe Palace.

It's All Greek to Filipinos

2012-01-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

Did you hate Historyin school as much as I did? I detested it. Despised it. I only got"A's" (the top American grade) because I was a dippy nerd afraid tofail.

My oldest daughter,who has a memory like an HP scanner, loves the stuff, all the way back to theclassics of Greek and Roman mythology. She is fluent in Latin, a dead language,so you know she digs ancient.

It helps if you canautomatically recall dates and related them to things that mattered. Historywas all irrelevant memory work to me. I didn't get it. At age 13, I couldn'trelate to a World War, much less Teddy Roosevelt leading the charge up someSpanish hill on some island in the Caribbean, or one of the other oceans. I wasmore interested in trying to peer down Ms. Perrine's blouse . . .

Speaking of oceans,here's something interesting I read today (bear with me, I'll get to thePhilippines shortly). "Ocean" was one of the early Greek gods. He wasone of the Titans who were later merged into a scheme under 12 great Olympiangods. He must have had a sex change operation, too, because today we refer tothe oceans as "she". The Greek gods all had Roman counterparts.Romans were like the Chinese, I guess, copying everything instead of concoctingtheir own.

Ocean was the god ofthe river that encircled the earth. He had a wife named Tethys, but you don'thave to remember that name if you can't pronounce it.

So now you know thatyou use one Greek word regularly. And you know where the word came from. Itcame from people who were humanizing that which they did not understand. Thiswas 1000 B.C., before Jesus decided the Greek and Roman saviors needed some competition.

I was once accusedof being an "intellectual" during a blog argument on Filipino Voices (speaking of dead languages .. . )

Well, I'm not. Ijust read a lot and can upchuck words in strange and occasionally entertainingways. My eldest daughter is an intellectual. So is Edith Hamilton, who wrotethe book I am now reading, entitled "Mythology".

Greek Gods

Filipinos areneither intellectual nor interested in reading. (Sweeping generality meant todrive GabbyD up the Jackfruit Tree). I've actually met one exception.

That is theconnection of this article to the Philippines. But I would like to think thatmy readership is a cut above the great unread masses. I mean, they have to beto "stick with Joe" and his offbeat perspectives.

So today I shallgive you well-brained Filipinos(and non-Filipinos) a lesson in Greek, courtesyof some excerpts from Ms. Hamilton. Stretch yourself on this . . .

The Greeks did not believe that the gods created theuniverse. It was the other way about: the universe created the gods. Beforethere were gods heaven and earth had been formed. They were the first parents.The Titans were their children and the gods were their grandchildren.

Now that is amind-bender, eh? Who created the universe then? But not to worry. The Greekswere unerringly practical. Their gods were not even religious. They justexplained the undiscovered science that surrounded the Greeks. The sky,lightning, oceans, the sun, fire . . . The actual scientific discoveries wouldcome later.

This recitation byMs. Hamilton puts religion in its proper place by giving the Greek mythologicalview on priests:

The priest is rarely seen and is never of importance.In the Odyssey when a priest and a poet fall on their knees before Odysseus,praying him to spare their lives, the hero kills the priest without a thought,but saves the poet. Homer (who is writing the story) says that he (Odysseus) felt awe to slay a man who had been taught hisdivine art by the gods. Not the priest, but the poet, had influence with heaven. . .

I'm going to becomea Greek mythologist, for sure. It's older than Catholicism, so must be morehistorically accurate than the wild stories the Church would have us believe.Noah on a huge dung-stinkin' boat and Jonah in the belly of a swimming mammalwhose digestive juices must have given him quite a case of acne. Deny thestories, however, and you go to Hell quicker than Ms. Arroyo can say"vindictive".

Here's the list ofTitan gods, your last bit of scholarly knowledge to glean from this reading:

The Titans, often called the Elder Gods, were for untold agessupreme in the universe. They were of enormous size and of incredible strength.There were many of them, but only a few appear in the stories of mythology. Themost important was Cronus, . . . He ruled over the other Titans until his sonZeus dethroned him and seized the power for himself . . .

The other notable Titans were Ocean, the river that wassupposed to encircle the earth; his wife Tethys; Hyperion, the father of thesun, the moon and the dawn; Mnemosyne, which means Memory; Themis, usuallytranslated by Justice; and Iapetus, important because of his sons, Atlas, whobore the world on his shoulders, and Prometheus, who was the savior of mankind. . .

So we can safely sayFilipinos would admire Zeus for his supreme skill at carrying out a coup.

And I wonder whathappened to Themis in the Philippines. Justice here is rather like a thief inthe night . . .

Prometheus and Jesuswere both saviors. Figure that one out for yourself. The Greeks are still here,not running track meets naked like they used to, and financially on the ropes,but definitively here. I'm rooting for them. They are very old and their godshave character . . .

JoeAm's Lonely, Rich Vigil

2012-01-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

I have on a numberof occasions recommended a Fair Employment Act to build more competitive zealand aspiration into the Philippine job market. The idea is to build a conceptof careers so that workers don't get dead-ended by the favorites brought in abovethem. And to energize the entire country by pointing workers toward excellencein work result.

I can't get muchtraction with the idea because hiring favorites is a way of life in thePhilippines. Trying to break through that is virtually impossible. Nogovernment official, legislator, business leader or citizen's group advocatesthis. My readers say simply "good idea, Joe; lots of luck; it will neverhappen".

That is fine by me,as I'm retired. But if I were a young person, I would be frustrated and angrythat my nation doesn't give me the same kind of opportunity to excel thatAmericans have. I can't invest personal equity in a career, grow, and get richwithout some unqualified favorite cutting short my dreams. I have to leave thePhilippines to realize my dreams. To get a straight shot at being rewarded formy skill.

This is the basisfor that vaunted Filipino pride? To make top-skill people leave? To drain thebrains, export the talent, eradicate the foundations of achievement?

Let me share withyou how American employment practices work, and why they motivate workers toexcel.

First of all, awell-run corporation has a written job description for each position in thecompany. The description cites the work to be done and the skills needed toperform it. It is the analytical basis for evaluating prospective hires. It isalso the basis for performance reviews: informal counseling during the year anda formal year-end meeting to convey the merit raise, any bonuses earned anddiscuss the next year's goals.

Almost all employeesget a cost-of-living increase. Added to that is a merit increase to a higherpay scale if they are doing particularly well. And many firms pay out bonuseskeyed to specific achievements. For capable, hard-working people, the ladder upis right in front of them. The company takes care of them because it knows theytake care of the company's future.

The goal inestablishing such discipline is to achieve complete clarity between employeeand supervisor as to what is needed. This forms a contract, a statement ofspecific responsibilities and expectations.

Indeed, well-runcorporations are a tightly woven interlacing of corporate, unit and individualaspirations, all pointed the same direction, all measurable, all rewarded orpunished based on the results. Well, alas, humans are not so perfect, sometimesscrewing up the understanding or the communication or even the results. Sothings are never perfect. The best a CEO can hope for is a strong combinedeffort that drives the company to achieve its goals with a minimum ofhumanesque blow-back.

It is thisstructured drive for success that underpins the generation of profits thatensures investors remain willing to put their money behind the company. It alsosays to employees, "perform well and you will be rewarded." It bindsemployees to performance.

When PresidentAquino seeks to get rating agency upgrades to "investment" status forthe Philippines, he wants investors to put their money into the product he andhis government are producing. Thatproduct is the wealth being created by the economy.

However, I rathersense that he wants the upgrade as a gift to reward effort. But effort isdifferent than result. The Philippines needs to EARN the upgrade, not expect toreceive it as a favor.

That is my point inadvocating a Fair Employment Act. The Philippines only creates value if itsworkers are committed to hard, disciplined work that generates more wealth.

This historicallywhat is missing in the Philippines. Rating agencies understand that output canonly be mediocre, at best, as long as the cultural environment does not promotethe competition that builds quality and productivity into commercial processes.

Play the game offavorites and you get a consistent result. Poor product. In the Philippines,you get it across the economic spectrum, from tourism to management of foreststo Manila traffic to ferries that tip over to mines that rape the landscape andseas that are barren wastelands, bombed to sand. You get a level of povertythat ought to shame someone, but apparently does not.

As long as no oneadvocates a change, I am quite confident the Philippines will shuffle along inmediocrity, reluctant to own up to certain truths. The biggest truth is thatthe trade of favors does not reward excellence. It only rewards the privilegedfew.

As long as themasses understand it, and accept it, I have absolutely no problem with it. Itkeeps the peso cheap and I, too, can realize great personal gain, at theexpense of the complacent.

Is UST a real "university", and what's in a label anyhow?

2012-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

The University ofSanto Tomas (UST) recently got burned by an on-line news publication thatcriticized the University's closeness with impeached Chief Justice Corona. USTcame out with all cylinders whining. Among the complaints was the notion thatbloggers and on-line publication s are not really journalism and do not deservethe same right of access to information as mainstream media.

"Uh, hello,brain-challenged university people", you are trying to define journalismas a box that is the same as when TV joined the fray back in the late 1940's.Journalism in the internet era has shifted to warp speed and the University isstill poking along cranking dials on its RCA Victor cabinet radio. And blamingeveryone else for going too fast.

I rather think USTis trying to gain back the face it lost in this incident, and is doing it byputting down writers it deems as lackingauthority. UST, being an institution of higher learning, pretends to hold a positionof higher authority than obscure writers.

Of course UST holdsno high position. It is just a university, posturing to cover an embarrassment.

Being a blogger andclaiming no journalistic skill except the sound of my typewritten voice, I havea suggestion for UST officials. Accept accountability for what you can controland stop trying to put modern information and opinion makers into YOUR old box.Draw up a list of media outlets who qualify for your information and only issueinformation to them. If Joe America requests information, ask him to identify his purpose, provide credentials and give youa LINK so you can find out first hand what he writes about.

Then, as you expectof your students, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. And make a decision and live with theoutcome, good or bad.

You can add him toyour list or simply decline to give him information (accepting that he mayreport that you declined). But you do not have the right to try to put him intosome "unqualified" box that suggests to others that he doesn'tmeasure up. You don't have the right to declare anyone"non-journalistic", when you are the institution that holds to anoutdated 1940's version of what the word means.

Even back in the1970's when I got my Master's Degree in Radio and Television Arts at theUniversity of Southern California in Los Angeles, we were having a hard timedefining network television "news". It was so shaded by opinion,entertainment or bias that it was hard to find objective reporting. The drifttoward entertainment and opinion as news has continued, and blogging thrives atthe edge of this enormous arena of healthy idea-exchange.

. . . the ideaexchange that UST would like to see constrained by labels.

Most publishersapproach news with a bias. Get Real Post,Joe America, Fox News Channel , Wall Street Journal, Playboy Magazine.

Diversity is thebeauty of the internet age.

Almost everyblogger, online journal, or mainstream news outlet is driven by one commongoal: get audience. They get audience by going after juicy stories, jazzing uptheir presentation, or appealing to a specific subset of audience. Indeed, someblogs I've read are more fact-based than much of the news on ABS-CBN, whichtends toward disasters, blood and gore, or cross-marketing features about thenetwork's drama stars.

Talk about twistingjournalistic integrity. Where is UST on that matter? Or obscene practices likeraising the sound of commercials or running 45 minutes of advertising per hourduring Pacquiao fights. Is UST afraid to attack the wealthy station owners? Soit crabs about bloggers like some cranky grandma with her bloomers hitched uptoo tight? .

My own blog writingis weighted roughly 35% on literary style, 35% on perspective, 25% on opinionand 5% on facts. You can exclude me from your label "journalist".Hell, call me a fiction writer if you want. Go ahead and exclude me from anyinformation you put out. Readers will keep on reading if they are inspired tothink or are entertained, not because they have to go through someintellectually masturbatory exercise of categorizing me to satisfy the whinywhims of a stuck-in-the-mud university.

Give me a break.

The internetinformation age is dynamic because it permits the reader to find anything hewants. He is not limited to the news rag with its need to appeal to 8th gradelevel readers of little intellect or curiosity. The internet news junkie canskim hundreds of publications rather than be held to the two channels deliveredto the boob tube that UST favors. Diversity rules.

So what really isUST's complaint?

The rest of the world is moving too fast, and we can't keep up.

"You hurt my sensitive feelings by criticizing UST, and now I need to get even to regain face."

"I can't pick on important people, so I will show my authority by going after little people."

Okie dokie.

Sherlock America: U.S. War with Iran Is Coming

2012-01-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

The United States isnot an imperialist nation. If the U.S. were imperialist, the Philippines wouldbe states 49, 50 and 51 (preceding Alaska and Hawaii) and American energygiants would be sucking oil out of the Spratleys like a ravished mosquito on abare baby's butt.

The U.S. engages inhegemony, which means self-interest backed by power, and harbors noimperialistic ambitions to claim territory. About the only two imperialist nations left in the world areChina and Iran.

The U.S. is a thug from time to time. One that believes itsprinciples are better than anyone else's. Sometimes the U.S. gets it wrong.

I have been readingBob Woodward's tome "State of Denial", which portrays the confusion,conflicting ideas and incompetence that characterized the U.S. engagement inIraq. The main villain in the book is Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, whois portrayed as an arrogant, devious control freak who emasculated the generalsunder his authority and worked at cross purposes to anyone with a differentview of what was needed. Rumsfeld wanted to push Iraq immediately into thehands of Iraqis and get out. Never mind that the U.S., with Rumsfeld'sconcurrence, had stripped Iraq of its mid-level leadership under a wrong-headedde-Baathification strategy.

The Baath party wasthe party that supported Saddam Hussein. All teachers had to join the party.Military and police leaders were Baathists. The U.S. wanted them unemployed, akind of vengeful attack on people who did nothing but work within the politicalreality they faced. These disenfranchised, angry people went forth and formedthe insurgency that still exists today, divided into the three main sectariancomponents of Shiites (majority), Sunni (former leadership) and Kurds(independent Kurdish population). The U.S., blind in its self-confidence,stoked the passions of an emotional people and made a popular enemy where itcould have had a friend.

What stuns me as Iread the Woodward book is that, indeed, for all the incompetence displayed byU.S. officials in Iraq, and as long as the project took, the strategic aim maybe succeeding. The real aim in Iraq was to impose democracy on a nation to showother Middle Eastern countries why it is the way to go. It was more than nation building; it wasregion-building. The hubbub about weapons of mass destruction was simply abetter marketing message to get Americans to buy into the invasion.

Well, Iraq may stillfall to sectarian conflict, but it spawned the Arab Spring of 2011. That is aseries of Middle Eastern dominoes tipped toward democracy by suppressedreligious groups wanting more power. Dictators are out. Democracy with anIslamic core is in.

Call it a delayedvictory for President Bush, or an accidental outcome . . . and an amusing onewhere the U.S. by its commitment to democracy is now forced to support peoplewho seem easily inclined to shout "Death to America".

But that is justbackdrop to the issue I want to raise.

The U.S. knows thatIran supplied weapons and knowledge to insurgents who killed Americans inIraq. The U.S. had to suppressinformation and fail to act on this knowledge . . . Iran engaging in acts ofwar against American troops . . . because Iraq was such a mess. The militaryand the public were pushed too far with a grossly mismanaged war that failed toconsider how things would be run once the Iraq military was defeated.

The U.S. could nottake on Iran, too.

Now, 10 years later,the U.S. has finally pushed Iraq off onto Iraqis.

Animosity towardIran runs deep among U.S. military chiefs and intelligence agencies. Iranians(the leaders, not the people) are the killers of Americans, left unpunished.

If ever writing wereetched clearly on a wall, it is the statement made over and over again by topAmerican military and civilian leadership: Iran will never be allowed topossess a nuclear weapon. This anger underpins Secretary of State HillaryClinton's direct warnings to Iran. Don't test us.

I suspect thatIranian leaders, following the model of thugs who justify themselves with everycriticism, are out of touch with the reality of the road they are headed down.You see the blindness represented by bluster, the need to take affront, theendless macho posturing. And belligerent acts. They don't care if Iranians arekilled; they possess a warped idea of what security means. They hold to theroyal ignorance of Hussein, Kadafhi, bin Laden and Assad, that they are beyondreach.

If Iran continues topush down the confrontational, meddling, belligerent path, Israel, which ismore sensitive even than a very angry United States, may attack. The U.S. wouldnot hold them back, and would join if joining were necessary to overthrow Iran.

So here is where Iam going with this.

I am guessing . . .no, no; I am deducing . . . that Iran will be a democracy in 2022. Because Irankeeps pushing where it really ought not. It keeps meddling offensively in waysthat it ought not. And by 2032, the bubbling caldron that is the Middle Easttoday will have settled down to a low boil. Most of the Middle East will begenerating wealth and moving on . . . Yes, even Israel and Palestine.

The U.S. is apowerful hegemonistic beast, not unwilling to use its power against nationsdeemed hostile. In an era of missilesand nukes and people crazy enough to use them, the tolerance is low, indeed.

Budget permitting.

Continuing ourmystery-solving prowess displayed in a prior blog, let's line up the clues:

Clue A: the U.S.economy is improving. Clue B: Iran proceeds on an incredibly arrogant path,offending many rational Middle Eastern nations whose leaders don't appreciatethe destabilizing influence on their own populations. Clue C: Americans detestthe Iranian leadership; more than they did Saddam Hussein. Clue D: manyIranians work and thrive in the U.S. and many Iranians in Iran are schooled andaware of Western lifestyles; these are not wild-eyed tribal warriors, they area suppressed modern people and they understand what the Arab Spring is about.

Deductive reasoning:the trend line suggests continued isolation of Iran as a precursor to armedoverthrow, supported by outside and inside Iranian groups who will put togethera democratic government. Not even China or Russia will mind that much. They, too,prefer a stable Middle East.

Ignorance: One Step Short of Lunatic

2012-01-03T00:32:00.000-08:00

I suspect that manypeople consider ignorance to mean unschooled, or uneducated, or uninformed. Asif it were caused by someone else's failure to teach.

But ignorance is acondition that reaches even the educated. It does not mean stupidity or a slowmental capacity. It means intellectually blind.

Indeed, theblindness can be caused by lack of education. Or it can be caused by barriersto awareness. Psychological barriers. Emotional barriers.

Take the case of thepolitician who sets out to win office by crafting himself as the perfectcandidate. In that aim to "show" perfection, he employs spin doctorsand political strategists and advertising wizards and they set out to re-definethe candidate. As perfect. His strengths are embellished, his achievements areglorified, his dedication to high purpose is amplified. His mistakes arereasoned away, his flip-flops excused by changes in circumstances, hisweaknesses re-cast as humility and compassion.

As the campaignwears on, the candidate begins to believe his own bull shit. A creepingarrogance sets in, especially if the candidate finds success in the polls orelections. The people around him seek to please him, putting him at the centerof attention and inflating his sense of importance. They censor out bad newsand elevate the good news. He starts to discount contrary views. He soon isoperating in a bubble of self-surrounded reality.

Now he is ignorant.

When he started, hewas merely ambitious. Now he is flying blind.

This is whathappened to U.S. President George W. Bush. The man who invaded Iraq soon becameignorant of the situation IN Iraq, and the mood of America turning against him.Hubris it was called. Then came hurricane Katrina and an emergency responsethat was delayed, disorganized and callous toward the suffering poor. Thepresident's sense of self had become so distorted that every step he took wasshocking for its lack of sensitivity. The missteps are too embarrassing torecount.

This compassionate,intelligent, well-intended man grew blind to the real world surrounding him. Hebecame ignorant, living in a bubble that separated him from the real world.

That is how I viewmany Filipinos. I have no idea what percentage of the population they comprise.Maybe it is just a few in the legislature, but I doubt it. You who are morefamiliar can let me know. Or tell me I am absolutely wrong if my reading is incorrect.I'm only trying to characterize what I see here and there.

Ignorant Filipinos(just like ignorant Americans) are blind to the real world around them. Theymay not be politicians, but they build artificiality around their view of theouter world.

Some believe theyare Christian but behave in the most un-Christ-like ways imaginable. Rude,inconsiderate, uncompassionate, willing to cheat.

They believe theyare proud, but in truth merely prop up their self-esteem by attaching theirworth to the wins of a boxer or beauty contestant or singer.

They blindly succumbto the surreal emotional drive called "face", a need to win everyperceived interpersonal contest. Putting others down to somehow gain face.Using excuses or blames to justify a mistake or failing. Pasting over truthbecause it may cost face.

They live in abubble of reality formed by their own inability to accept certain facts.Usually those attached to their own humanity, their own natural fallibility. Asif it were a flaw of character to fart, to do that which comes naturally.

Making mistakes iswhat we humans do. We are imperfect sentient beings in a world full of flawedcommunication and unpredictable events.

Mistakes are notfailure. Failure is the inability to grasp the REASON for the mistakes, theinability to identify what could be done differently without assigning blame.Ignorance is a barrier to learning.

Letme say that again. It is important. It is not failure to make a mistake. Thatis humanity. It is failure not to own up to the mistakes, thereby failing tolearn. And improve next time.

Thefailure is in the REPEATED MISTAKES that are not used as lessons. The failureis in the barrier to education.

The Philippines isan amalgam of failures but you will hear no one claim a part in them. Thus theyendure.

There is a grossfailure to recognize that not following rules puts lives at risk. You say you want the proof, I say go look atthe pictures of all those logs floating down the Cagayan de Oro River,alongside of which are the bodies deemed irrelevant to anyone who chooses toturn away and not connect their own cheating to those bodies. It's not thefirst time. It happened last year just up the road at Gingoog City.

Failure toanticipate. You want proof? Look at all the buildings rotting becausemaintenance was not included in the financial pro-forma.

Failure to respect.You want proof? Look at the condescending attitude of bank or governmentofficials toward those ordinary people simply needing a little help.

Failure to think.Count up to 1.7 million. That is the number of babies born in the Philippineslast year. You can't count that high, but the nation has to feed them everyday. School them. Try to give them jobs and houses and health.

And it will fail.

When is the lasttime you heard a Filipino government official say, "yes, it would havebeen better if we had passed the HR Bill in 1990."?

When is the lasttime you heard a legislator say, "Yes, poverty is my responsibility. Ihave power and I have not done enough to fix it."

Whose name will getattached to the logs now floating in the sea off the coast of Cagayan de Oro?

When is the lasttime you heard an authority of the Catholic Church say, "Yes, we play animportant part in what the Philippines is today, both good and bad."

Why is"bad" never associated with the deep engagement the Church has in thePhilippines. Why is poverty the sole fault of government, when the Churchmeddles in that government? Priests live life in a bubble of posture andpretense that ignores the truth of their acts. They might as well bepoliticians, or used car salesmen, or actors. Man, put them on the stage. Act2012 forthcoming.

Surreal. Peopleliving detached from truth. They are deceitful in the slippery way they try toshape reality with their words, the way they abandon responsibility.

Life is a Get Real blog site, eh?

Self discovery andself-improvement are blocked by preservation of "face", the need todefend oneself at every turn.

Ignorance. That'swhat it is. Self delusional self protection.

One step short oflunatic.

Philippine Defense

2012-01-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

I see the U.S. isselling a very modern missile defense system to the United Arab Emirates(UAE)to fend off possible Iranian attacks. This is a sale that benefits both the UAEand the U.S. Saudi Arabia has also put ina huge order for F-16 jets, something like $29 billion worth.

The Philippines hasbeen working in small ways to bolster its armaments, including a couple ofrefurbished ships and a request to the U.S. to be allowed to buy some used F-16jets.

This leads me towonder what the defensive strategy of the Philippines might be. I can onlyguess as I'm not aware that a statement has been made, or even would be madeconsidering the advantage that secrecy has in keeping an enemy off guard.

Which raises thequestion, exactly who are the enemies - or prospective enemies - of thePhilippines? I count four:

China
Extremist Muslims
NPA "Communist" rebels
Odds and Ends: Somali pirates; maybe a testy trade standoff or naval incident here or there

I'm the curious sortand am inclined to muse about all this.

How much can thePhilippines afford to invest in military hardware? Not very much. The proposalto buy jet planes raised a royal outrage from those working to combat poverty.How is it possible to justify spending millions on jets that have little apparentvalue when so many people are starving? And Filipinos birthed 1.7 million newmouths last year, crying already to be fed.

That is the bigquestion, isn't it? What is the value of defensive capability? Ideally, it isnever used. It just exists. Is defense worth more or less than several millionservings of rice in any given year? How in the world do you feed the babies asthey get older?

I suppose muchdepends on how much value you place on the oil in the Spratleys. Or the freedomof Catholics to worship, get educated, live and dress as they wish in Muslimareas of the Philippines. One can only realize the value of investment indefensive hardware and forces if attacked, so the "risk assessment"of any probable action is the key.

If there is only a1% risk that China will move physically into the Spratleys, backed by its airforce, navy and army, should the Philippines spend millions of pesos to be ableto articulate a physical response to stop them? Once China is on the ground, arethere ways to get them out again?

I think it ishelpful to see the national defensive strategy as long term, not politicallytied to this administration's political policy or the next administration'spolitical policy. It should probably have a 25 year horizon. Maybe even 50.

Given a slow NewYear's day as everyone recovers from last night's blow-out, let me concoct howJoeAm would articulate a policy recommendation to the Philippines for itsdefense, considering each of the four enemies:

China

The Philippineswould not be able to go toe-to-toe with China even 50 years from now. China isa beast, and one that is arming up. The possibility that China would moveaggressively to occupy the contested Spratley Islands is much higher than 1%;maybe it is pushing 50%.

The Philippinesneeds a rapid response capability, small but respectable. It also needs to makecertain that the U.S. would stand militarily behind any action it took todefend its territory. This may require re-opening Subic to the American Navy tosecure the commitment, and this is a step that should willingly be taken. Adefensive response by the Philippines would utilize primarily its Navy and AirForce assets, so the Army is free to work in Mindanao or as a standingcontingency force for disasters or police support.

The Philippinesneeds a firm ability to take action on its own. The two recent navy vesselacquisitions are a good start for this. Given the breadth of the seas, moreships are needed to cruise regularly between protected islands and restoccasionally in port. Assume China wants to establish a physical presence onthe Spratleys (or other contested islands). A "certain response"likelihood by the Philippines forces China to make tough, explicit decisionsinstead of using small, irritating incursions that are like a virus on theelephant's behind, barely noticeable, but effective at securing a physicalplace for China on the Spratleys. The jet planes would be a good addition tothis response force, allowing the Philippines to appear on-scene in very shortorder.

Ideally, from thePhilippine perspective, if China were to test the Philippines, it would triggera U.S. response. That is the deterrent. It's more important than nuclear bombsand requires little expense. The Philippines should have America in its arsenalto encourage China to engage in diplomacy rather than move in physically.Confrontation would place China's economic gains at risk.

It also wouldbenefit the Philippines to work with Viet Nam, Indonesia, Malaysia and othercountries facing the West Philippine Sea to form a community of nations . . . adefensive alliance . . . to counter the Chinese effort to divide and conquer.China wants discussions with each nation, separately.

Sorry, no. FormSEATDA, the Southeast Asia Territorial Defense Alliance. This would stand as asecond tier backdrop to the U.S. as an answer to any untoward Chineseterritorial moves.

Lacking the U.S.backing and a weak regional military alliance, the Philippines should developguerrilla warfare capabilities to make China's "investment" in aSpratleys outpost very costly. Get some of those NPA rebels signed up. Theyneed the work.

Muslim Extremists

The goal should beto marginalize the extremists through economic development. If peopleunderstand that attacking the Philippine government puts their roads, bridges,schools, health facilities, and water and electrical resources at risk, theywill be less inclined to support the wild-eyed lunatics that exist in anysociety. The Aquino administration is moving down this path with its recentlyannounced 718 million peso in infrastructure investment in Muslim Mindanao.

The government'smilitary defense needs to be strong-armed and intense, always directed towardrooting out the people who pack guns during the working day. This is a job forthe army, and it should be looked at as a long-term obligation, rather like along-distance run, carrying a back-pack and weapons. To the extent that thearmy can get familiar with modern warfare, using drones for example, thePhilippines should continue to encourage the U.S. to be involved on theperiphery.

This is not aconventional war to be won in some defining moment. It is long term drudge, buthopefully diminishing in scope.

In the meantime,investments in economic infrastructure should work from the outside in,squeezing the land that houses troublemakers into a smaller and smaller space.That is where the big dollars should be spent. Not in large armies and weaponsthat do little but rust.

NPA "Communist" Rebels

These are no longerpolitical ideologues with weapons and a high-minded sense of purpose. They aredisenfranchised extortion racket gangsters. Accordingly, the countering forceshould not be the military, but the NBI in concert with the PNP. Go after the leaders, jail or shoot the armedthugs. Use amnesty, undercover people and other traditional crime-fightingtactics. Certainly, army units can be called in if there are majorconcentrations of warriors to fight. But assign this "enemy" to thedomestic crime-fighters.

Odds and Ends

These are unlikelyto pose great risk to the Philippine peoples or national security. They simplyneed to be anticipated.

The pirate situationis known, and the Philippines should be one of many nations willing to policethe sea lanes. The Philippines might also place military officers randomly onPhilippine flagged ships, serving as a deterrent not unlike sky marshals who flyrandomly on US domestic airline flights.

Because otherdefensive "force" needs are unknown, it is important to retain anemergency response and coordination center that performs: (1) passiveinformation gathering, (2) active engagement (CIA type activities), and (3)coordination routines that can bring any or all military and police forces tobear on a given situation. The natural disaster response effort might besubordinate to this agency, to theextent that military forces are expected to commit to a given incident.

Authorities andresponsibilities need to be clear.

End of New Year'sDay musing . . . now about those New Year resolutions . . .

Good Aquino Work

2012-01-01T00:46:00.000-08:00

The challenge forany unbiased critic is to remain unbiased, not to let a theme develop thatbecomes so consuming that it overwhelms reason and perspective. I confess thatcertain themes creep up on me and emerge as biases. So most of my remarkscriticize the Catholic Church even though I know it does so much good work. AndI rag incessantly about the trade of favors and education that teaches studentsto obey rather than aspire, and the lack of courtesy in the Philippines thatgenerates a variety of pollutions, not to mention mangy dogs. Frankly, Iwouldn’t mind if someone ate the dogs if it suits their palette and it wouldget rid of these threats to motorcyclists and kids.

But these socialtrends make the Philippines what it is, a vibrant sometimes brusque andunhealthy place that has values different than mine. It is the difference thatis also the attraction, so there you go . . .

Today I want torecognize good works being done by the Aquino administration in Mindanao. Idon't believe the solution to the problem there is separatism for Muslims. Ithink it is finding a balance where Muslims can freely exercise their faithwithin an economic and security umbrella that provides a way for individuals toprosper, if they work fairly, thoughtfully and in a disciplined way. It is hardto be disciplined if all you have is spotty day labor for rock-bottom wages.

The administrationhas just announced the signing of a series of Memoranda of Agreements withvarious local governments in Muslim Mindanao. These agreements are outside thepeace negotiations. They allocate 718 million pesos to development of aneconomic infrastructure in several communities: roads, warehouses, bridges,water systems, health centers, and the like. Here's a link to more detailsat gulfnews.com.

I think if localcitizens recognize the government is interested in their well-being, they willbe less inclined to support those who would tear down the pipelines forimprovement.

That's all this blogis about.

Recognizing goodwork done within a strategy that makes sense.

ZTE, a Goon and a Goof

2011-12-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

Charges have beenfiled against ex-President Arroyo for complicity in the ZTE internet scandal.The cost of the project ballooned from an original P 150 million to P 330million as kickbacks were built into the project. The First Goon, Mr. Arroyo,was allegedly in line to receive P 70 million to make the deal happen. Ms.Arroyo blocked investigation into the affair by ordering her staff to refuse togive testimony to investigators.

This is allencouraging, and I hope the hunt for thieves continues deeper into thegovernment employment roster.

For me, being anavid reader of mysteries, I'm inclined to try to put clues together to make anintegrated whole. Sherlock Holmes is able to discover criminals by the mud ontheir shoes, as he can identify 42 different muds and what part of the countrythey occupy. Certainly, we can do something similar.

The clues we areworking with are: (1) the two cases filed so far against Ms. Arroyo, (2) themidnight raid on the Constitution undertaken by the legislature late during Ms.Arroyo's reign, (3) the midnight appointment of the Chief Justice of theSupreme Court, and (3) the Supreme Court abetted run for Singapore by themedically challenged Arroyo family a few weeks ago.

Let's assume thecharges are true, that Mr. Arroyo used his influence to try to steal P 70million from the ordinary Filipino, the taxpayer. Let's assume that Ms. Arroyoknew full well what was taking place.

How did they expectto get away with so blatant a theft? They had witnesses to the left and witnesses to the right.

The only way wouldbe if they controlled the investigators and the judiciary.

With thatunderstanding, the midnight raid on the Constitution and other shenanigansundertaken by Ms. Arroyo to try to stay in power, the midnight appointment ofthe Chief Justice, and the "flight of the fugitives" all fall neatlyinto place. Ms. Arroyo is apparently cut of the same cloth as Marcos.Extraordinarily self-serving and displaying a confidence that is beyond therational. But she proved to be a goof atit, the ignominy (look it up) running ripe in the scamper for the airport.

These conclusionsmay represent nothing particularly stunning, and many news reports will bewritten around these themes as the drama unfolds. Sherlock would probably yawnand mosey over to the easy chair in his library for another dose of cocaine.

Where I want to gowith this is to suggest that it would be good to get a list of all currentgovernment officials who voted for the process of Constitutional revision inthat midnight vote. At the max, their affairs should put under the spotlight(wealth vs. salary, bank account deposits around that time, and other oddities)with charges filed if the evidence supports collusion in overthrow of thegovernment. At a minimum they should be identified so voters or supervisors canget them out of office, where they remain, as foxes in the henhouse, a hugerisk. And an offense to higher sensibilities.

The impeachment ofthe Chief Justice is probably pretty much assured. Chief Justice Corona seems to believe he walks above the law, orcertainly above propriety, rather than being the law's primary defender andupholding the exquisite sense of propriety that ought to be attached tojudgeships. He wears his robe as a wolf's skin.

There is a reasonjudges are called "Your Honor". Or we should be able to call themthat without choking on our words.

I'd argue that theAquino Administration should let the water run downhill on this. The waterbeing Arroyo sweat and tears. Let them fall on others who were complicit inplaying with the Philippines as if it were their own country to manipulate,over the public good. If the evidence is insufficient to file charges, at leastlet their names run prominently on the front page of the Inquirer prior to any election in which they are a candidate.Let voters make their own deductions as to the motives and allegiances of thosewho would redraft the Constitution for personal advantage.

Christmas Fireworks

2011-12-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas to me is amishmash of religious and cultural moment, a great deal of fun piled on top ofan uplifting story that must be taken on faith by those of the faith. Bymishmash, I mean a glorious concoction of memories and traditions and storiesand spiritual awakening.

I've been toBethlehem. It exists. It is a grubby little town in the middle of a pile ofrocks that today people fight and die for, because not all of them believe thesame story. They don't have bamboo in the West Bank of Israel, so most of thehouses are made of stone. They have lots of that. The old and the new areshabby, worn places. But heroes seem seldom to be born in large rich homes.

Jesus is ahistorical figure, rather like Joseph Smith, I suppose, who led 10,000 Mormonsin covered wagons across the Great American Plain to Utah. Clearly, peopletrusted him with their lives, and believe he is close to God. A lot of what isattached to Jesus is mostly allegory, I suspect, or incidents embellished forthe lessons therein. But it is meaningful for the importance people put on it.The first of the gospels was written something like 30 years after his Jesus'death. I've long suspected that maybe the recollections were a bit fuzzy orpatched together "as best as I can recollect". But that does not makethem any less profound.

The birth date ofDecember 25 is pure fiction, as is the way Jesus looks in this glorifiedpainting or that. His dark skin has been sent to Bello's for lightening. I alsoknow that when I go to Hell, the destination Proud Pinoy and Pastor Earnie areconvinced I am heading, I at least know I will have some hearty companionship,for John Clease and the rest of the "Life of Brian" cast will bethere. Clease is among the funniest men on earth, and his "FawlteyTowers" BBC series is among the funniest cheap television shows ever done.A handful of quick-witted people and a set.

"The Life ofBrian" is a parody about the life of Jesus. The wrong Jew . . . Brian . .. is picked as the next Savior, and the cast slapsticks its way all the way tothe cross, upon which Brian and his compatriots break into a delightfully cheeryclosing song. If you can get this movie, buy it or rent it. But I warn you, itis not for those who take their religion seriously. However, the more you knowabout the incidents in Jesus' life, the more meaning is attached to the riot ofsatire that is the life of Brian.

Santa and Jesus. Nowthere is a pair of characters joined at the Christmas tree, along with angelsand elves. What a happy crowd they make.

The Salvation Armydings bells for dollars and the Catholic Church bongs mass for souls. Somewherein the distance, loud Christmas music is spreading the joy.

Red and green arethe official Christmas colors. And white, of course.

Never mind that ourpart of the world never gets snow and the holiday pine trees are made ofplastic.

Orange is forHalloween, the anti-Christmas Holiday. It's for voodoo and magic and why am Iwriting about that? Superstition and fairy tales are where you find them, Iguess.

We had fireworks atmidnight on Christmas Eve. The little lady coughed up P 4,000 to buy some romancandles that were really wimpy, fizzling off two red blobs each, and someoutta-sight rockets that shot up like professional fire-works, exploding abovethe house in reds and purples and whites. I'm amazed at this stuff. The biggesthad 25 mini-rockets packed in a 5 by 5 cluster, like anti-aircraft rockets.Light the fuse and run. Every explosion went off like it was supposed to, withthe finale being a beautiful waterfall of white crackling firecrackers. No onelost any fingers, arms or eyes this year, and the tin roof of the house did notburn.

The fireworks weremade in the Philippines.

We should put thosepeople in charge of the legislature and we might get the HR and Divorce billspassed. Or at least let them defend the Spratleys.

Surrounding thatcelebration was about three days of eating and people visiting in search offood and a gift. Every relative who can imagine a box on the family treecrawled up the National Highway to the rich niece's place. Not to mention thecarolers who seemed to arrive at the most inconvenient time, and sang loudenough, if not always on key . . . and not exactly for the joy of it. Ulteriormotive was behind the caroling . . . caroling for cash.

The Philippines isthe reverse of the U.S., where caroling spreads the joy of the season toothers. Hmmmm, when did I write that Filipino brains were installed in reverse? I guess it takes money to get them turned around. (Or they have to be turnedaround to get money??) Chickens and eggs forever . . .

We also had aChristmas morning gift bonanza for the kid, who doesn't quite understand Santabut welcomes what he brings, mostly toy trucks and books. Anybody trying totouch his goodies is in for a snarl, "leave my stuff alone". He willbe a great consumer as he gets older.

We are"haves" in a land of "have-nots". It is both a blessing anda draw on the heartstrings.

But one gift lightsup a kid's eyes, so it is easy to pass the joy about. The parents are happywith cash.

The Filipino way isa family way with the Church as backdrop. Food is the center of the occasion.It's a rich and joyful holiday, even for people without much money. I thinkthere is not as much depression here as there is in the U.S.

People who don'thave anything don't have high expectations.

Not so far to fall Isuppose.

Time to mosey downto the fireworks store. Gotta restock for New Year's eve.

Killer Floods and Competency Engineering

2011-12-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

Engineers in my timewore slide rules like a six shooter pistols. They were quick draws withintricate calculations that are today flashed out by computer. The moderncomputer was designed by an engineer with a mind for application, comfort,speed, result.

See, that is thething about engineers. They are both creative and applied. They have tounderstand the idea and they have to know how to put it into structure. Thatstructure may be steal beams or large oil pipes or electronic wires orcomposite airplane parts.

The Philippinesneeds three skilled engineers: an Engineer in Chief, a Social Engineer, and aCompetency Engineer. Men or women who understands that the Philippines islimited by shortcomings that most people don't see, or ignore. It needssolutions and structure, not criticisms, not small acts that don't correct theproblem, not more bandaids.

The Congress is afine institution. It is just incompetent at getting the Philippines up to speedin anything that matters. The President is a fine man. He is just incompetentat finding a way to get from desire to reality, where desire is a booming economyand reality is poverty and unnecessary deaths. Government agencies like Customsand Immigration and Foreign Affairs and Tourism and Trade are fineorganizations, but they are incompetent at getting high value production andworld class result.

Some people ingovernment are starting to hone in on the problem. Senator Pimentel III wasclose when he urged President Aquino to appoint the right people to agenciesthat deal with disasters. He said: "We need these men by whose decisionsand actions lives are saved. The worst thing is to have high-level officialsmerely monitoring and reporting the scenario. That's the role of themedia."

Perhaps the goodSenator should be the Engineer in Chief, the guy who understands that problemsare generally systemic, not transactional.

The rain was an actof God. The situation on the ground, the cut trees, the houses on riverbanks,were deeds of mankind, a system built on year after year of ineffectual work.And thievery.

The flood was causedby huge rain, perhaps because of global warming. Maybe we need competency inpreparing for more intense storms and rising seas and changing micro climates.

The flood damage wasintensified because forests had been clear-cut, robbing the hills of theirstaying power. This was done because people in power cheated or were notcompetent. Going even deeper as to "why", one can see that these arechronic problems within a government of poorly paid people, most of whom havelittle opportunity to improve their condition. "Career" is not a wordyou hear much about in the Philippines, especially among young people who knowthe plum jobs go to people with connections.

The job of theEngineer in Chief is to identify when and how problems arise, at the root.

If the problems aresocial, or cultural . . . such as the way "loss of face" gets in theway of objective problem-solving, because people are more interested in winning(saving face) than in good results . . . then the Social Engineer needs to besummoned. He is likely to recommend supplements to the education curriculum orpublic service campaigns to enlighten people.

If the failure iscompetency, then the Competency Engineer needs to be summoned. The DENR can'tseem to stop the clear-cutting of trees. But that is the job. Why are theyfailing?

Define the job.Train or get the best people to do the job. Stop filling jobs with wives andcousins and friends and people owed favors, or who have the power to offerfavors for cash.

President Aquinounderstands part way. He said: “But the problem is many are still violating(the logging ba). So we have a fact-finding team that will determine theviolators and we will file cases and hold them accountable."

Punishment of thenegligent does not fix the problem, though, does it? It is just a part of theexcuse-making and blaming that avoids the real problem.

What is fascinatingto me is knowing that the problem is two-fold but can be moved forward withonly one solution. A solution you never hear about from legislators or theAdministration or government agencies.

Today the culture is steeped in cheating and corruption because it is the only way people can grow richer. People need to see opportunity to get wealthy by playing it straight. That is why a Fair Employment Act is so critically important. To build opportunity into the system. To establish "career" as a real word in the Philippines.

Incompetent people are lodged in important jobs. A Fair Employment law that bans hiring and promoting on any basis but capability can fix this. It will take a little time, but the incompetent people will soon be shown the door.

Define the job precisely and succinctly, including measurable objectives.
Track performance.
Fire the people who are not measuring up.
Train and hire people who can get the job done well.

You won't fix theroot problem by now and then jailing someone who got caught cheating.

The root problem islack of opportunities for enrichment earned honestly. The poor structure is anentire culture built on favor, not competence. One law can change this.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T00:14:00.000-08:00

I'd like to wish my loyal readers the best for the Holiday Season, and beyond. May the good cheer of the Christmas season be bright and warm for you and your loved ones, and may 2012 be such that you look back, a year from now, and say, "my, that was a rich year."

Best wishes.

Joe

President Aquino, Jesus Christ and Richard Nixon

2011-12-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

I know it is their right to speak freely, but I can't figure out those who criticize President Aquino for every breath he takes. The Philippines has a fine President, the best in years. Not corrupt. Earnest. Good thinking. Getting stronger by the day. Improving the economy. Improving the investor climate. Taking the initiative to build non-corrupt industries. Improving the reputation of the Philippines internationally. Building a stronger relationship with the United States and being firm with China. Engaging with other Asian countries. Reducing rice imports. Clamping down on corruption.

What exactly do you seek in a leader?

Jesus Christ is not returning to lead the Philippines to Higher Glory.

Those who criticize President Aquino because he did not fly into an emotional panic and jet to flood-torn Mindanao to wallow in the mud for a photo op want exactly WHAT in your president?

He delegated to his disaster pros. They have been working hard. He stayed on top of things.

He should not have gone South so the media could have a photo-op for an easy ratings-boost. He becomes the center of attention wherever he goes. That would be counter-productive in the frantic turmoil of saving lives. Let the media work on being news reporters rather than sensationalists.

He did not abandon his other responsibilities and even had the kindness to pay his respects to the people who work on his behalf, at their Christmas party. You want him to WHAT exactly, run around like Chicken Little claiming the sky is falling? Or he must become a torn up suffering soul, shrinking back to his house to weep at the tragedy of it all. THAT is what you want for a President?

Give me a break.

Philippine disaster preparedness, warnings and recovery are much better today than they were when Ondoy struck and awakened the Philippines. I think it was the sight of that actress Reyes sitting stranded high on her roof that struck terror in the hearts of star-struck Manila. Or maybe it was the ridiculousness of Teodoro running around panic stricken looking for his rubber boats.

But the weather people mighty quick ran out and got some Dopplers. And warning systems were firmed up. And response protocols were firmed up. It has been a priority of the Aquino administration to do better, and the effort shows.

Filipinos talk about Filipino Pride, but I don't see much of it when it counts. I see emotionalism and irrationalism and the failure to be proud of the President who is not seeking photo ops, but is seeking to improve the Philippines.

The critics are the ones who, to me, look silly. Look weak. Look panicky. Look emotionally lost. Look desperate.

President Aquino looks like a leader, acts like a leader. Gets things done like a leader.

It's an apple in a crate of oranges, but for my own amusement, I ranked him vs. recent U.S. American presidents on overall capability and results. Here's my assessment:

Bill Clinton
Ronald Reagan
Barak Obama
George Bush, Sr.
Gerald Ford
Jack Kennedy
Noynoy Aquino
Jimmy Carter
Lyndon Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gorge Bush, Jr.

He could climb even higher if he pursued new laws that cast the Philippine social framework in more modern terms: (a) HR Bill, (2) Divorce, and (3) Fair Employment. But in terms of the economy, international relations, defense, corruption and other important domestic programs . . . he is moving the country forward nicely.

I'd say toss a little of that usually misguided, overabundant Filipino Pride in his direction and let him get on with good works.

"Death to Americans"

2011-12-20T17:49:00.000-08:00

This article followsfrom a prior article about the Catholic Church that questioned Churchinvolvement in Philippine politics without the Public having any way of holdingthe Church accountable for its acts. The Church is not an elected or appointedagency, but is deeply engaged in influencing elected representatives andconstructing Philippine laws and values for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.It has more clout than your ordinary influence peddler.

Given the Church'saggressive commentary on the HR Bill, I wonder how far priests are allowed togo to threaten citizens who support the Bill.

The question in thisarticle is how to define what speech is allowed under free speech. At one endof the spectrum is complete freedom of speech. Under unrestricted freedom, wewould be allowed to walk into a public theater and shout "fire", oronto the airplane ramp and shout "any bombs on board?" We would beallowed to call other people names, or even lie about them. Accusing them ofbeing prostitutes, for example, if they look at us the wrong way. We would beable to show porn on public television.

Well, no, no. Thatis not what we mean by free speech. That is irresponsible.

Then there is theother extreme. The Syrian end of the spectrum, or the Chinese. If you tweet aremark the State does not like, you could find yourself locked up or torturedor dead. Or take the Iranian model of free speech.

No, no. That is notwhat we want. That is not free at all.

Somewhere along thecontinuum of high restrictions and "anything goes" is a line. Or,rather, a series of lines. The lines are laws that define what is permissiblewithout harming others. Slander, libel, security restrictions (airports),obscenity. These are lines. Obscenity has subordinate lines. What is allowedfor children, for example, and something more liberal for adults.

A lot of laws in theUS define the limits of free speech.

It is trickybusiness.

Should an OccupyWall Street protestor be allowed to shout "Down with Big Business!"?Should he be allowed to shout "Kill all CEO's!"? Should he be allowed to shout "Death toAmerica!"?

Flag burning is notillegal in the United States. It is an accepted expression of opposition. It isillegal in the Philippines. In the U.S, interpretive renditions of the NationalAnthem are allowed; in the Philippines, the song must be sung as a march. Differentnational sensitivities draw lines differently.

The trick is todefine where one person's freedoms or well-being are threatened by another'sexercise of free speech. An insecure nation sees danger everywhere, andsuppresses more expressions.

The U.S. is amongthe most confident and open of nations. Still, questions abound. Is it anexercise in free speech to block access to a port, as the Occupy people aredoing in some U.S. ports? Or is that acceptably benign civic disobedience? Oris it stage 1 of anarchy, with mobs defining what is right and wrong?

In the US, the courtsystem is actively ruling on such matters daily, establishing the "caselaw" that supplements written laws formulated by government agencies.

But in thePhilippines, the courts are tied up with 300,000 backlogged cases. Courts areinefficient and perhaps bound to allegiances other than law. That is, topersonal favor or cash.

Case law is not aselaborate or as rigorous as that found in the U.S.

Can a Muslim in thePhilippines shout "Death to infidels!"? I don't know. I'm sureMuslims have no idea, but could justify shouting it with no conscience abouthow it would impact the lives of good people.

Catholics may beincluded within that definition of "infidel". Or me, as an American.I may be considered a death target. The object of the death threat. Is thatokay, in a land of cheap murder-for-hire?

Are Filipinosallowed to shout "Death to America!"? Are they allowed to shout"Death to Americans", which is specific toward people walking in thePhilippines today. Is the Philippines different than Iran, for instance? Arethey allowed to threaten me with a gun, as did a drunk neighbor a couple ofmonths ago? ("No" is the answer to that question; PNP officers wereon that guy like a flea on a mangy Filipino dog.)

Is it everpermissible to incite violence toward groups of people, or individuals? AreSyrian protestors permitted to defy bans on assembly? To throw rocks at police?To shoot back?

If I say theCatholic Church is wrong on its stance on the HR Bill, are priests allowed toconsign my soul to Hell for eternity?

It is a threat, forsure. Not simply death on this planet, but punishment worse than death for alleternity.

Does the CatholicChurch have to respect people of other faiths, or non-believers? Or can it wavethe threat of Hell beyond death, like a 45 caliber pistol, in my face. Can itwave that particular weapon in the face of the President? Of congressional representativeswho vote on the Nation's well-being?

Am I allowed toconsign a priest to Hell? Or all priests?

Or am I expected tobe a little more sensitive, a little more merciful, a little more respectful?

Why?

Hi Tech, the Real Religion

2011-12-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

No subject is toodeep, too complex, too intricate for JoeAm's lavish opinion mongering. No ideais beyond the grasp of his far-reaching guesswork.

This month I'vewritten about the Bible, about bamboo, about President Aquino and Filipinosocial failures. Before that I dealt with education in the Philippines, theOccupy Movement in the US, and pasted various commentaries about the Filipinocondition onto the Big Internet Clipboard in the Sky. Or wherever it may reside. . .

It's time to dealwith technology.

Hi-Tech is a strangephenomenon. The pace of change is faster than the human mind can comprehend.Faster smaller better. We wake up every morning knowing that this computer weare typing on has become a creaky, decrepit instrument of the past, lacking thepower to process the newest gaming software or grab all the information that isavailable to us in the Cloud.

I can do an imagesearch on Google and get 10 million pictures delivered in .38 seconds, of whichmy brain can only process about 50 looking for one I like. And it takes me waylonger than .38 seconds to pick one. Without question, the electronic processingof information is bigger than any of us. Far bigger. It is alive, expanding aswe sit here. Controlled by no one individual or corporation or government. Evencomputers themselves are doing the creation, filling in the programming code ordrawing the graphics that no man has the speed or power to do.

"Relax,Joe. It is not a sentient being. It has no soul. It is just a lot of processesworking at the same time."

Okay, but as a wholeit is stronger than any sentient being, wiser, and has its own personality. Itgets bugs and viruses and even from time to time blows up. It can be poked inVirginia and a nuclear experiment in Iran dissolves. A young man can sit in acave in Colorado and watch a bomb from the sky pulverize 20 Afghani terroristslike so much red dust thrown to the wind. A brilliant young Chinese hackersitting in a shiny office building in Shanghai can prowl through secret CIAdocuments or copy Boeing airplane plans. You, too, can spy on Iran or the US ofA or Russia using Google Earth's friendly space cam.

What do you callthis power? It is more than "The Internet". That is just a connectionof clunky computers. It is more than "The Cloud". That is just abunch of clunky computers with a lot of memory. It is not limited by wires, but flies unseenthrough the air. It has the five senses, sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste,as well as predictive ability beyond the human mind.

It is closer to Godthan any human has ever become. All seeing. Powerful. It will last until thedeath of the planet. It is beyond human control.

I want to worshipit.

What do I call thiselegant combination of hardware and software, satellites and cameras, sensorsand detectors, and memory large enough to store all human thought?

"YourHighness" comes up flat. This is bigger than a king.

"DivineOne" is nice. I wonder if the good Pastor would approve of that. Probablynot. My typing those words has probably, in his eyes, just condemned me to Helland only his prayers can keep me out.

"Your IntricateBigness".

Ha ha, that isfunny. But it disparages the glorious elegance of the entity.

"Your ExquisiteConnectivity"

"SupremeProcessor"

"MightyIon"

"Oh GrandSilicon Savior"

"YourStupendous Binary Eloquence"

And For sure we needreligious rites to certify that our faith in the processing power is true.Candles are out, for the Catholic Church burns so many that it is a primarysource of global warming. Incense is nice, but India is likewise polluting theglobe with odors and faith.

Our Christmas treeis pretty this year, so I'm rather thinking the LED lights that make it burnand blink so brightly are what we need. But what symbol?

The cross is superb,but taken. Halos are taken. Crowns and jewels and martyrs and fat guys inloincloths are taken.

I tell you, buildinga religion is difficult work.

What about a book? Ithink we could compile all the "Computers for Dummies" tomes and puttogether a pretty good story. We could whip up a little allegory, a psalm ortwo. Put in a forecast of doom at the end as a stern warning that we ought torespect that to which we bow and for sure listen to the preachers. We willrefrain from mentioning the profits. . . oops, I mean prophets.

We're getting closehere.

Praise the Chip andpass the UBS Cable!

Halleluiah Brother!

Why the Philippine Democratic Stool Wobbles

2011-12-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

Any milk-farmerworth his salt knows you make a stool with three legs, because it can't wobble.Even if one comes up a little short, the three-legged stool remains firmlyplanted.

A four-legged stoolis prone to that startling buck and wobble, likely to scare bossy and result inher moving her rump into the face of said milk farmer.

Now the Philippines,in theory, is structured as a three-legged stool, like that of the Americansystem it generally copies.

Executive
Legislative
Judicial

The problem in thePhilippines is that there is a fourth leg:

Catholic Church

This leg is writtenout of government in the Constitution, but Church advocates pulverize theConstitutional dictate by saying the Church is entitled to free speech, likeany other institution.

So priests arguepolitics from the pulpit and threaten the President with ex-communication andreceive free cars from a government agency and threaten their congregation withdoom in Hell if they back the RH Bill. Their speech is active, for sure. It imposesvery heady, life-threatening, responsibility on others.

And the State'sstool wobbles because the People have no means to impose responsibility on theChurch.

They can vote thePresident and the legislators out of office, and pressure the Congress toimpeach wayward judges.

How do they tell theCatholic Church to sit down and shut up? To deal with things spiritual, and notthings political. To render unto Caesar that which is Caesars?

Now somewhere, thereought to be a way to distinguish speech from action. Like, I can be for gunrights, but clearly see it is not appropriate to go out and shoot someone Idisagree with. It is okay for the Catholic Church to advocate for natural birthcontrol methods among its congregation. But when it suppresses the rights ofnon-Catholics to education and prevents them from making informed choices, ithas meddled where it ought not.

The Catholic Churchhas influence, but takes no responsibility for result. There is no way to holdthe Church accountable for its actions. That is the problem with it having somuch influence in the Philippines.

The US model holdschurches accountable for staying out of politics. If they meddle, they losetheir status as tax free organizations.

I'm in favor ofdrawing a clearer line as to what the Catholic Church is allowed to do in thePhilippines.

It is allowed totalk. To teach. To argue.

It is not allowed tothreaten. To bribe. To take gifts from the State. Or to extend favors togovernmental officials. It is certainly not appropriate for a top official ofthe Church to pay a visit to an impeached Chief Justice as a way to insert theChurch into the normal balancing of the three branches of government.

It is not absolutelynot appropriate for the Church to threaten Non-Catholics with consignment toHell. That is a form of emotional slander. It crosses the line.

The punishment wouldbe to summon top Church officials to the Palace for a lecture, to make surethat the Church understands that it is allowed to exist in the Philippines withthe blessing of the State.

But it is not afourth leg of the State's democratic stool and it needs to be more respectfulof the democratic process.

It needs to takeresponsibility for that, at least. Andit needs to stop threatening non-Catholics.

Democracy Is a Verb

2011-12-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

This spat betweenthe Executive Branch of Philippine Government, opposed to the Chief Justice, with the engagement of the House of Representatives, is delightful. Really goodtelevision, excellent for newspaper sales. It is juicy. It stars people weknow. It is knock down drag out. People are seriously bent out of shape. Itdoesn't get much better than this.

Now variousorganizations are choosing side, backing the judiciary or the President,uttering their punditry. Anger and indignation are ripe across the land.

One offical, whosename skipped past me in yesterday's flood of information on the subject, said,essentially, "This is democracy at work".

Bingo, Brother.Indeed, democracy is not the three separate branches of Government. Democracyis what they do. The laws they pass, the leadership they provide, the argumentsthey have.

Democracy is a verb,an action. Not an entity. It is not the President. He is a small player on abig stage. It is not the Senate, they are just a bunch of generally fat oldwell-to-do people from good families seeking to be profound. It is not thehighest judges in the land, they are ponderous, professorial people who dotheir business on a toilet like the rest of us. It is not the House, which is arabble of popular red-nosed clowns in search of a wildly cheering tent; aformer dictator's wife, the son of a former President, a superstar boxer, and abunch of names that are the same as the streets in Manila. The old people inthe House are generally thinner than in the Senate.

My two favoriteverbologists are Senator Santiago and Justice Secretary de Lima. Are theysisters, or what?

I like them becausethey can coin a phrase, and because their thinking usually is profound. Itmeans something. It makes sense. It is refreshing.

Secretaryde Lima is being roasted by many for her characterization of Cheap* JusticeCorona (* blatantlyplagarized from MR) as "a walkingconstitutional violation". Rather than roasting her, they ought to cheerher. Where else do you get the truth unvarnished, as eloquently put as anuclear poem.

I've held SenatorSantiago in high regard since she declined to join President Arroyo's expensiveNew York bash, and later characterized it as probably not the best way to spendtaxpayer money. True, she did get a tad hysterical in describing the AmericanVFA as a "humiliation, a humiliation!", but she made up for it bychastising the priests who bummed free cars off a government agency.

President Aquino isstarting to gain my admiration, too, as being a Man of his own, rather than apuppet for others to yank. His decisions are big-time. Blocking the Arroyosfrom fleeing the country. Giving the nod to impeachment of the Cheap Justice.Building up a military capability to defend Philippine interests in the WestPhilippine sea. (I project that American ships will be back a Subic in fiveyears, a smaller force than before, but a nice kick in the pants for the Subic retail trade. Or panties, as the case maybe.) His democratic actions are decisive and clear. He just needs to get inthe face of the Catholic Church, those pompous robed superiors who never acceptresponsibility for anything.

The Philippines isacting as a big democratic boy now. It is out in public, in our faces, in plainsight. Not behind the scenes or stabbing in the back with armies and coups andoverthrow of the Constitution in the dead of night. It's at the microphone, inthe camera, in print black and white, all spokespersons blazing.

This is democracy atits finest.

Is Marriage Dying as a Useful Social Institution?

2011-12-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

"Times are achangin' . . ."

Who wrote that?Bobby Dylan? I think I hear his nasal twang in the background . . . crooningabout life and girls like a lovesick foghorn.

The factuals amongstyou will be impressed that I have a statistic for you this morning instead ofan opinion. A recent survey in the United States reported that the percentageof married adults has declined to 51%. It was 72% in the 1960's.

That is a fact.

The analysts figurean increase in divorces brought the number down, but it is not the whole story.The divorce rate has held steady recently, but the married rate continues todecline. And it is the youngsters who are establishing the trend, living togetheroutside the confines of official marriage.

Why is that? Why arethey establishing households, maybe even having kids, but choosing to do sooutside the legal instrument of marriage?

Here I must shiftfrom facts to guessing. You can guess along with me, as one man's hunch is asgood as another's, and a woman's hunch is often better.

For one thing, womenin the U.S. are equal to men in every way, under the law. And many have takenup careers on their own. They no longer bind themselves to a man as a housewifewith no basis for "survival" outside that marriage. Women are fullyindependent, and can be assured of doing fine either inside or outside amarriage.

Indeed, in thatframe of thinking, marriage becomes a legal headache. It forces whicheverworker is making more money to give their money to the partner in the case of asplit-up. And it forces attorneys into the household.

Who needs them?

It is that simple.

Kids interject acomplication, and marriage certainly provides a firmer legal foundation forwhichever parent ends up with the kids after a split. But single-parent housesin the US are becoming common. They are no longer looked at as an aberrationcarrying the stigma of failure.

There are two kindsof legal foundation in the US. Written law and case-law established through aniteration of legal decisions.

It does not matterif a paper marriage exists or not. Living together establishes a contract, justas a verbal agreement is an agreement as solid as one stated on paper. Thelegal foundation exists to determine who is responsible for paying for a childin a defunct relationship, whether a marriage rite was performed or not. Awritten "marriage contract" is not required.

So why marry? Tosignify the commitment of one's heart? To sign, seal and deliver it?

I rather suspectthat if the heart is true, a piece of paper will not affect it one way oranother. The marriage ceremony is merely a show, more for the parents andguests than the couple getting hitched.

I know unmarriedcouples who have been together for 30 years as I was cycling through threemarriages. Perhaps their commitment was STRONGER because they knew theirrelationship depended on THEM, and was not just some shared vows said beforethe congregation.

That brings me tothe Philippines.

I think thePhilippines is on this matter more advanced than the U.S., for it is common inthe Philippines for man and woman to take up living together outside theofficial bond of marriage. Why? Poor people don't have the documentation or themoney to execute a marriage according to the terms required by the State.

Indeed, people moveeasily from one "unofficial spouse" to another, and are calledhusband and wife even if unmarried. The children in some families are anabsolute splatter of different parentage, and kids are moved to uncles andaunts as if they were the real parents, without official adoption. The kids arepushed toward such money as may be available.

In a poor family,there is also a certain gender equality. Both husband and wife don't make muchmoney. They are equal as to wealth and means. Ain't got none.

So marriage is notrequired to protect the financial interest of one, over the other.

Marriage in thePhilippines is only required for "show". It is the ritual, thesurreal public fantasy that holds that the married couple is not sinful whenhaving sex because they received God's blessing from the church. In fact . . . no, that's wrong . . . in JoeAm's estimation, if one's heart is in the rightplace, God will understand.

No public show isrequired. No piece of paper is required. No Church is needed to certify God'sblessing.

And attorneys can'thelp at all.

JoeAm's Bible Lesson: Isaiah 1-2

2011-12-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

Now I am guessingthat most readers believe I am an atheist, for I roundly condemn the CatholicChurch for holding the Philippines back. And, indeed, a good Pastor is prayingregularly for my misguided soul, mainly because I believe God and his Son have asense of humor and a depth of perspective that is missing to humorlessby-the-book religious fundamentalists.

I believe in God:the Mystery, the Power, and theInterlinking of Souls. In different terms, that would be the Holy Spirit, theFather and the Son.

I also believe theways of God's religious mankind are sinful and fraught with rules that lackreason and good foundation in scripture. The organized church is an institutionof Man that seeks to provide order for the chaotic masses. It can be either well-intendedor manipulative, depending on what is in the hearts of its leaders. And itrelentlessly declines to credit God with giving us the brainpower to learn, tocreate, and to change.

Finally, I alsobelieve that simply because God consigns us to the ultimate fate of theRevelations, we do not need to speed its occurrence by unrestrained birthingand the ignorant abuse of our planet. We are given the brains to sustain ahealthy life and ought to do a better job of applying them.

But that is justpreface to today's Bible lesson.

IsaiahChapters 1 and 2

How is the Bible tobe read? Literally, as truth? Or figuratively, as allegorical lesson? It isfounded on historical truths but seems detached from logic. Is Godall-powerful? Why, then is he so vengeful?

Isaiah begins inChapter 1 providing the time and geographical settings. It is the time of thekings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, in the land of Judah, which we mightconsider as a "Greater Israel" encompassing Israel and Lebanon, andparts of Syria and Jordon.

Now our Lord ishighly perturbed, for his children have misbehaved. Their cities are corrupt,their land abused (sound familiar?), they have allowed foreigners to rule them,they have offered sacrifices without meaning, and they have lived the sinfullifestyle of Sodom and Gomorrah.

He calls for them tostraighten up and fly right. For the pious Catholics, I would cite verse 1:13.

Bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination untome, the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies. I cannot away with,it is inequity, even the solumn meeting.

And 15:

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyesfrom you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are fullof blood.

The constructiveguidance is in 17:

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judgethe fatherless, plead for the widow.

What does that meanto you? To me, it says consider the troubles of others FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVEand give them relief. It does not mean condemn a woman who does not want to bea baby factory. It does not mean to indenture women to abusive husbands.

And God is ruthless,as we find flash floods ruthless. Consider 19 and 20:

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of theland;

But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with thesword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Whew! That's clearenough! And the rest of the first chapter recites the destruction God willbring to us, the misguided.

Chapter 2 recitesthe prophet Isaiah's vision for Judah and Jerusalem. In 2:2:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountainof the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shallbe exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it.

And God will judgethe people, and there shall be no more wars. He warns of outsiders who bringtheir sinful ways and idol worship to Judah.

Material man isroundly condemned in verses 20 and 21:

In that day a man shall cast his idols of sliver, and hisidols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the molesand to the bats:

To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of theragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when heariseth to shake terribly the earth.

And I don't knowabout you, but verse 22 strikes the fear of God in me. It says (to me) thatmaybe I ought to be responsible to the Truth of God. Not the wayward ideas andideals of mankind:

Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: forwherein is he to be accounted of?

The rest of the Bookof Isaiah continues to recount the punishments and glories that await,respectfully, sinful or obedient man.

I recommend you readat least Chapter 4, which includes the sledge hammers of 20, 21 and 22/23:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that putdarkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, andsweet for bitter!

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent intheir own sight!

Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men ofstrength to mingle strong drink; which justify the wicked for reward, and takeaway the righteousness of the righteous from him!

I frankly don't knowwhat God some Filipino leaders worship, or which Bible they read. I've observed a lot of double-speaking, vain,less than righteous Filipino leaders. Corruption doth not grow in a bed lackingnutrients.

Perhaps they skippedIsaiah, eh?

Or maybe they don'tbelieve God will punish the sinful, or they can trick God with a death's dayappeal for forgiveness?

That suggests an Egobigger than God's . . .

Perhaps they justskipped Isaiah . . .

A Short Blog On Pots Who Accuse Kettles

2011-12-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

I see impeachedChief Justice Corona is accusingPresident Aquino of becoming dictatorial. He says the President wants a courtmade up of Aquino toadies who will bow to his every wish.

That is interesting,that the Chief Justice thinks so many judges would be bound by politicaldirectives instead of the law. He reminds me of the husband who overlays hisown cheating values on his wife, and accuses her of cheating.

I rather suspectthat the Chief knows bowing to political winds, because he has bowed to them.

I wonder what otherjudges will think when they realize he is saying they are so weak they willcertainly bow to political pressure. That is, he is saying that PresidentAquino cannot construct a court of law-bound judges.

The Kid and President Aquino

2011-12-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

Most of us look atkids two ways. Our own are darlings. Those belonging to others are loud, unrulypests.

My latest (I havethree daughters in the U.S. dealing with that place) is three years old. He isa conniver, a manipulator, a person with motives of his own, and he is notafraid to use them.

He takes hisguidance from four adults, mainly. His father (age old), his mother (ageyoung), our housekeeper (age 19) and his lola (age indeterminate), who lives inthe small house on the other side of our lot.

His lola and thehousekeeper don't have a lot of clout with him. They assume this three year oldis an extension of the "boss", the man with the money. So they mostlyjust protect him (the kid, not the father) from disaster as he roams about slammingdoors or throwing toys or insisting on playing when he is supposed to beeating.

My wife is Filipina,so she interacts with the youngster on the standard superior/inferior model,one that is reactive to the kid's shenanigans. She is superior when she shoutsand he is superior when he ignores her. The kid understands that he is in poweruntil his mother hits the volcanic stage, at which point he deploys one of histwo defensive weapons, grovelling or crying. They work in superior fashion, andin a few minutes, he is back in control again.

Now for myself, Ibelieve that a kid needs consistency of message. You listen and obey, goodthings happen. You choose to disobey, you pay the price. The most severe priceis a flick on the wrist with my thumb and index finger which the kid learnedvery young he does not like. In between bad behavior and "the flick"is a warning. I start counting in my most authoritative voice: "One . . .Two . . . Three!"

He moves on one.

Now, my wife countsand he doesn't move. Not at one. Not at three.

That's because sheis a softy and doesn't like to cause him pain. She has not fully understood or bought into the intellectual concept ofconstancy of punishment/reward.

When she is reactiveand makes like Pinatubo, there is hell to pay for anyone in her path. I lay loweven if it was not me misbehaving.

But until she getsto eruption, the kid plays her like a piano. Or air guitar, which he is quiteskilled at.

It is interestinghow the kid has sorted out that his mother and father behave differently. Iattribute it to all the Gain powdered milk that my wife has force-fed him overthe years. The manufacturers, who I am sure are not cows, load that milk upwith all kinds of cranial steroids and healthy chemicals (although I suspectthey are just vitamins with snazzy names).

Side note: I don't believe any of the advertising here,as there is no requirement that advertisers certify that what they are sayingis anywhere near the truth. Why, I can get teas that will keep me virile untilI am 98, some product with an X in it that will cure everything from high bloodto rabies, and juices certified by Manny Pacquiao to allow me to beat to a pulpanyone with a Mexican surname.

Concepts areimportant.

Filipinos do notgrasp them easily, I think. Filipinos are good with the trees but not theforest.

Therein lies theproblem in the Palace. It is reactive, playing the small-time win/lose game,rather than doing the difficult, big-picture things necessary to achieveplanned goals. The HR bill is looked at as a tactical matter: the Churchopposes it, so this objection must be dealt with. The bill is not looked at asan essential way to raise the Philippines up to modern standing in the world,or a way to work on poverty. If the President focused on what he is trying todo - modernize the Philippines and get the place respectable and wealthy - hewouldn't hitch the nation's economic wagon to a 12th century mule driven bymonks in robes.

That's a concept.

If my kid can graspit, how come President Aquino cannot?

The Lessons of Bamboo

2011-12-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

I treated myself toa Christmas gift during my last trip to National Bookstore in Tacloban. It's abook about bamboo and ferns, perfect for my new residence nestled in the bambooon the sloping side of an old volcano where ferns grow naturally, the sporesarriving I suppose from somewhere up the mountain. They are probably as old asthe dinosaurs or whatever creatures were wiped out by the long, 10 kilometer flow of lava upon which we live.

Now I'd share someof the wisdom in this book, but I can't because my efficient wife has alreadywrapped it and plopped in under the Christmas tree along with the toys andbooks that will be my kid's delight in a couple of weeks.

But I've learned alot already just from "interfacing" with the bamboo in our yard.Like, I learned that one variety outside the back of the house is poisonous,infesting unwary people with rashes and tossing its pollen dust into the airwhere it is assured of wracking sensitive people such as myself with wildcoughing fits. We have hired some choppers to rid ourselves of that particularvariety. I don't care about survival of the species.

I've also learnedthat not all bamboo bend in the wind. Young ones break because they are just athin strip of wood 50 feet high. It takes mature wood to bear the stress of agood typhoon.

That's why I thinkthe Philippines ought to do a better job educating its kids, so that they havethe tools to deal in their environment, to compete globally against studentsfrom other nations, to bend to economic trends not always in their favor, to figureout how to manage resources in an era of too many people and too much globalwarming.

I also learned thatwe don't have the kind of bamboo my wife likes to stuff into decorative vases.I complained that she was BUYING bamboo when we have a yard full. She informedme in her authoritative way, "there are THREE kinds of bamboo, and we don'thave this one." I recognized this as a win/loss opportunity that I wouldsurely lose. So I went off to watch "Dora the Explorer" with my son.

Old bamboo getsreally thick and heavy. Rather like old people, when you think about it. Sochock full of life that sometimes the thickness is impenetrable. I'm on theupper side of old, but I blog to remain flexible. It is easier than yoga.

Bamboo doesn't doyoga.

But they do stretch.

How do they do that?Wood is solid, but bamboo bend. Do the molecules pop apart, or are they madepartly of rubber?

That's a lesson Ihaven't learned yet.

Now as for ferns,that is an entirely different story. I once visited a nature park in arainforest in Australia, and they had tagged the line of plants that tracedevolution from ferns to palms to pines. All the plants were right there, fromprehistoric ferns to youthful pines.

Like, we bipeds havemonkeys and humans, but Neanderthal got wiped out along the way. So our line-upis rather incomplete. People kill people. That is a lesson not to be forgotten.

Bamboo are peaceful.

It is true that somecan be really irritating, however.

Rather like Ilda.

Filipinas, Just a Loud Step Away from Liberated

2011-12-11T18:56:00.001-08:00

Most interpersonalengagements in the Philippines are measured by the polar standards of win orlose. Gain face or lose face. Exercise power or be subservient. Act rudely orshrug when someone else is rude.

Indeed, thispolarity applies to women in the Philippines.

They win, serving asmanagers, senators, businesswomen, and even President of the Philippines. Theyhave a firm hand in managing the family. They direct the placement of kids intoschools or with relatives or nanas likea conductor leading a large orchestra. They cook, clean and work the ricefields. They truck off to Dubai to work.

But they also lose,being hounded as sinful if they want a planned family, and being locked toabusive, neglectful husbands without recourse to divorce. And when they lose,most are passive, subservient.

The irony of thefemale condition in the Philippines is that women also anchor the CatholicChurch, the institution that keeps them bound to archaic moral standards andlaws about 50 years outdated.

I think Filipinasare unusually strong and aware, dedicated to the chekka news network andfollowing the drama of political and entertainment shenanigans like a beechasing pollen. They are stylish, a condition jammed down their throats bytelevision commercials and magazines. They have the courage and strength towork in Dubai or marry a foreigner, for the practical gains. They like tolearn, and they cruise through various Philippine dialects and English like aseal through water.

But they hold to thedrawbacks that influence all Filipinos. Subservience . . . to their government,to their Church, to the laws that treat them unkindly. They also possess Ego .. . to a way of doing things that cannot change, for they must defend "theway things are" to the core. Most appear not to grasp the big vision ofFilipina as fully liberated.

Inspired by a bigvision, Filipinas would DEMAND liberation. They would unify, organize and shoutthe loud shout of women offended that they are treated so poorly.

They would stand upto the chekka news network, the place where backbiting and social pressures areapplied, and decide that two kids is quite enough, thanks. They would takeneither advertising nor the opinions of friends as gospel.

Many are doing this,I know. Too many are not.

I can't say there isa lack of courage. Filipinas are plenty courageous.

But there appears tobe a lack of a sense of the wholeness that comes from being independent, fromletting no other person define who this particular "Filipina" is.

There seems to besubservience when there ought to be outrage.

President Aquino'sface should be red with shame that he is doing so little to bring Filipinasinto the modern world. Congress should also be red-faced, especially that Sottoguy.

Filipinas areletting these official men define them. Letting them snort their sexist jokesat the nara-wood tuba table under the Congressional mango tree.

Barriers to a Vibrant Philippines

2011-12-10T14:50:00.001-08:00

The Philippines hasall the required ingredients for success, for wealth, for a modern, vibrantcommunity of proud, free, secure and happy citizens.

It has amazingnatural resources. It has beauty and hard work and a perfect climate and richsoil for growing things. It has a speaking foundation in the global language ofEnglish. It is broadly educated. It engages the modern world with computers andcall centers and internet cafes at every corner. It has a sound transportationinfrastructure of national highways, sea carriers and airports.

It has everything itneeds.

So why is it achronically polluted, underachieving, congested, poverty-stricken place? Whydoes it seem always one rally short of the next coup? Why are so many kidsmalnourished and living in filth? Why do citizens routinely die by the hundredsin mudslides, ferry sinkings and election murders?

What’s with this?

This land is so richin resources and with so many warm, intelligent, dedicated people. Yet it isnot living up to its potential.

It should becompeting with California in the U.S. for global leadership in values, inproductivity, in modern lifestyles, in care for its people and the cherishingand using of its vast natural resources.

Why does it not?

I’ve hammered atthis for a couple of years now, studied, argued, interacted, thought. I’vedigested the writings of Benigno and Cocoy, of BenK, the Cusp, J-ag andmanuelbuencamino, of frick and frack, not to mention Ilda. I’ve read thediscussion threads and participated in the debates. I’ve read the newspapers,mulled over the opinion columns, waded through the gore and the titillatingtelevision “news”. I’ve done a “mind dump” right here on this blog site. I’veinteracted with Filipinos in my daily life.

Can you deal withit?

Here are the threemain reasons the Philippines lags the modern world:

1. The nation is guided by religious rather than rational thought.

TheCatholic Church imposes faith-based rules on the secular public. Faith-basedmeans an assumption, or belief in the truth of the Bible and the dictates ofthe Pope. Faith is essentially a manly guess at why there is so much mysteryabout us. Many of the mysteries have been solved since the Bible came on thescene, but Catholics insist on not updating their interpretations. They areafraid of being accused of flip-flopping I suppose.

Wehave no photos of Noah the day he climbed, slimy and thankful, out of the bellyof the whale. Yet Catholic values hold the firmness of God’s truth in thattale, the same as if it were cement. And the Catholic faith today insists onabundant over-birthing even though modern secular knowledge predicts a headlongdash to destruction of our finite isles. The faith also insists on bondage ofwomen to abusive, deadbeat husbands as if they were chattel signed over to theguy in the pants.

Ina mysterious world, these rules may have made sense. In a modern world, theyare irrational. They are dangerous. They deny us our God given talent topromote our well-being and survival.

Ina secular nation, when damage is being done to citizens, the State should stepin. But the Philippine State does not.

TheState might as well throw its women into dungeons. Laws that should give themthe right to be free of spousal abuse are not passed. Modern information thatshould enable women to make informed birthing choices is withheld from themWITH INTENT. The flood of babies becomes a flood of students that the Statecan’t afford to educate, and the flood of uninspired, unremarkable studentsbecomes a flood of underemployed, hungry, non-productive adults who generateprecious little wealth for the nation.

TheChurch accepts absolutely no responsibility for the conditions in thePhilippines. Zero. None. Indeed, it sets the standard for blaming and makingexcuses (it is ”ineffective government” that makes poverty, not poor familieshaving 10 kids to please the Pope).

1. The nation employs reactive, self-engaged thinking rather than outward care and planning.

WhenGod gave Filipinos minds, he installed them in reverse. Rather than lookingforward, these minds look back. Rather than anticipating, they respond. Ratherthan acting according to the clock, they set the clock according to when theyact. And He gave educators the same minds. They are unable to figure out how toteach aspiration or planning or disciplines of productive living.

TheFilipino is obsessed with his heritage, proud of the jumble of in-fighting,tribal wars, coups and dysfunctional presidents, and a man named Rizal.Foreigners are feared. These strange devils with different values and lots ofmoney are people “we can’t compete with. . .”

“We’drather be stuck where we are than get diluted with productive thinking andwealth and round eyes, and we’ll get our whiteness with creams, thanks.”

TheFilipino reverse mind looks inward at self with vivid obsession and is blind tothe well-being of others. Rudeness is a way of life here as power is determinedtransaction by transaction. The person in power is ruthless. The person out ofpower is subservient. Not many have learned to act forthrightly as a respectfulequal to everyone else. There is precious little calm, objective thinking. Itis win or lose. A binary life. Win or lose.

1. The nation displays pride born of envy rather than accomplishment.

ThePhilippines is an emotional place with simple underlying drives based on envy.Psychologists are needed to explain why, but they have evidently been run outof town on a rail. When’s the last time you saw a psychiatrist or therapistworking to make a Filipino emotionally whole?

Introspectionis not done professionally in the Philippines. It is done by Cosmopolitan Magazine. It is done via gossipand at the manicurist’s salon.

Here’sa secret. Psst! “The Buzz” is not deepintrospection.

Theamount of tearing down in the Philippines is beyond belief, from shrill blogsites that pretend wisdom to the neighbor’s petty envy to clan killings andelection killings and murder of journalists. What do you think the Anti-Pinoy and GetReal sites are doing with their finely honed hatchets?

Psst!Tearing down is not very constructive.

Andshowboat pride based on glamorous winners, a boxer or beauty contestant orsinger, is the opposite, the negation, of the kind of quiet, inward pride thatcomes with achievement. Of a career planned and carried out well. Of modern,productive methods in the workplace. Of a government focused on modernizing. Ofinnovation. Of quality products and kind customer service.

There areexceptions, of course. Most of the people who comprehend this blog areexceptions. Therein lies the pity. There is no core institution that has aprimary mission to build a progressive Philippines. The State does not. TheChurch does not. The schools do not. Or, if they do . . . they are failing.

Until the Stateprotects its people from the indulgences of religion . . . until minds areswitched forward to plan and care about others . . . until pride is based onaspiration, achievement and personal responsibility . . .

. . . thePhilippines will fail to reach its potential.

You can jail all theex-presidents you want, but you won’t get a different result until you get ridof these three barriers to a vibrant Philippines.

Barney Frank

2011-12-09T13:01:00.001-08:00

Barney Frank

The dysfunctional US political system will soon eject another good Congressman from its ranks, as Barney Frank announced his retirement the other day. He decided he could get more done outside of Congress than within the gridlocked chaos of partisan acrimony.

I like Barney Frank because he has character and principle. That does not mean he is always nice. He can be snide, and he is staunchly liberal. But he has courage and intelligence, the former displayed when he openly admitted to being gay, and the second displayed with a wit both biting and profound.

The only congressmen soon to be left are the angry oppositionists, the cement-brained deconstructionists who will not give an inch in any debate, even for the good of the American people. They are a disgusting bunch, these “leaders”. They confuse intellect with obstinate, and principle with unbending devotion to simplistic notions. Most aren’t qualified to shine Barney Frank’s shoes, much less pretend to walk in them.

The Wisdom of Barney Frank

“I’m used to being in the minority. I’m a left-handed gay Jew. I’ve never felt, automatically, a member of any majority.”

“The left and the right live in parallel universes. The right listens to talk radio, the left’s on the Internet and they just reinforce one another. They have no sense of reality. I have now one ambition: to retire before it becomes essential to tweet.”

“They appear to have become so attached to their outrage that they are even more outraged that they won’t be able to be outraged anymore.”

“Befor this learning experience, I had assumed that with regard to programs that sought to help people out of poverty, the political world was essentially divided into two camps: conservatives who opposed these for a variety of reasons, and liberals who supported them.”

“But it is also clear that left entirely untouched by public policy, the capitalist system will produce more inequality than is socially healthy or than is necessary for maximum efficiency.”

President Aquino and the Get Real Critics

2011-12-05T15:25:00.001-08:00

Critics areessential but best taken with a grain of salt. That means don't assign too much credibility to what they opine. Criticsgo to a high-class restaurant, sample the cuisine and write a column in thenewspaper about the meal. Then the next day they spin by "In and OutBurgers" to get a fix of great fatty flavors.

They stand at a barin the wine tasting room sipping the cabernet, allowing it to roll softly onthe palate, inhaling the aromatic flavors on a slow inward breath and spittingthe residue into a pot. They write their findings in a log and give the wine anumerical score. Not bad. 88. But the one time they tried to make wine ittasted like vinegar.

They saunter intothe art show, the unveiling of a young new artist. They write their column inthe "Lifestyle" section of the daily rag, criticize the coldness ofthe artist's stroke and absence of passion and upend the kid's future. Nevermind that they last held an oil brush at age 9 when someone gave them a paintby the numbers kit.

They awaken toPresident Aquino's arrest of former President Arroyo and rush to the computerto write a blog calling him vindictive. When someone comments that Ms. Arroyoabused the public trust and belongs in jail, they call her "emptyheaded", displaying a venom that is worse than "vindictive",personal condemnation of someone they don't even know.

Free speech is aprotected right and even hypocrites, blowhards and incompetents have a role toplay in a democratic society. Until they become a menace to others with theirdemonizing and harassment of people who are working constructively within thesystem.

I used to live inLos Angeles so I've followed the Occupy Movement there. The Mayor tried adifferent approach, non-confrontational. But after a couple of months, thecampout became unseemly. Scruffy homeless people and young idlers took over thetent town and turned downtown Los Angeles, up near City Hall, into a squatter'svillage. The police had to turn a deaf nose to the distinct odor of illegalmarijuana wafting through the air. Not to mention garbage and body odor.

The Mayor eventuallyhad enough. The protestors had been given a chance to articulate their messageand the "temporary residences" were becoming a hazard to the public'sright of passage and well-being. The Mayor issued an order for campers to vacate.The Occupiers defied the order and, as police moved in, the protestors ranaround shouting "we are peaceful, we are peaceful!" . . .as if theirentire ideological message had narrowed to the notion that America is a brutalpolice state.

No. Syria is abrutal police state.

American police,like American soldiers, have a tough job. They deserve our unwavering supportand our ability to look past individual cases of poor judgment to see thehonor, the danger, the valor and the importance of what they do, as a force. Idislike it immensely when the Occupy Movement tries to demean the police inevery city across the land. It’s the same as if they gave the finger tosoldiers who risk their lives in Afghanistan.

Anarchy, for sure,wears a very ugly mask.

In Los Angeles, thepolice expediently swept everyone and everything into its proper container . .. jail or trash bin . . . and the Occupy movement took one more step towardirrelevance for flaunting the values thatframe a decent society.

And if Filipinossuch as Ilda and Benigno and BongV can run a better country than PresidentAquino, I'd suggest they saddle up the electoral horse and ride. Theircandidate didn't even have the capacity to win the election in 2009, whichgives you some idea of the muffball they backed.

So now they arereaching deep down into their strident souls to paint President Aquino asincompetent and vindictive. Belittling the President is their agenda, theirobsession. It is their reason for being.

As with soldiers andpolice, I believe the President deserves our unwavering support and our abilityto look past the decisions we might judge erroneous to see the valor and thedanger (to us if he fails) and the importance of what he does.

I think relentlesscriticism that undermines the leader of the nation, with no intent other thanthat destruction, is shameful. It weakens the nation. I feel that way aboutU.S. Republicans, and I feel that way about theGet Real vendetta.

Vendetta.

It's another V word.

Tell me again,exactly how is that term is to be distinguished from "Vindictive"?

And explain to mewhy I should attach "honor" to a vendetta to undermine the Chief ofState.

An Island Frame of Mind

2011-12-04T15:26:00.001-08:00

Mainlanders whovisit Hawaii for any length of time often develop a condition called"Island Fever". It is rather like claustrophobia. The limits of theisland impose limits on the spirit. The constraints are tangible, that stupidsand and all that stupid water beyond. Sure it is pretty. As are the tropicalmountains draped in mist.

"But I gottaget outta this place!"

Which reminds me ofa surreal experience I once had upon arriving in Viet Nam. We were carted off abig commercial jet and hustled into green buses with chicken wire over thewindows to prevent assorted bombs and grenades from being tossed in as we were shippedto the transition center. In front of each bus was a jeep with loaded 50caliber machine gun. Another 50 caliber gun was in back, bullets trailing likedeadly brass intestines from the guns to a box in the floor.

My buddies and Istayed one night at the transition center. We spent the evening at the barwhich had a stage and a live Vietnamese band. The troops about tore the roofoff when the band struck up a rowdy rendition of "We gotta get out of thisplace!" From day 1, that was the goal.

I suppose islands,to mainlanders, strike up the same sense of a desperate need for exit.

But I don't getisland fever here, even though my island is rather small. Perhaps it is becauseit took two days to drive here, including a queasy trip by ferry to get fromLuzon to Samar. I don't feel at all trapped.

But islands aredifferent, you know? It is not like Colorado is next to Kansas. And Utah. AndWyoming. And Arizona. And the Interstate connects New York to Los Angeles at 80miles per hour. Or you can go from Canada to Mexico by car in two days.

You have to get foodfrom island to island in the Philippines. And electricity. And gasoline.

The cost of so doingis built into the economic framework, stealing a few pesos from each family'sbank account, or peso jug.

It also seals theculture off from social progress that moves so easily across the United States.Gender equality in California soon becomes gender equality in Florida.

But gender equalityin California does not hip hop across the Pacific to infest Luzon.

So many women hereremain indentured servants of deadbeat husbands who won't support the kids theysired in a night of macho glory. The women have no recourse. Indeed, laws encourage them to have babies and preventthem from getting out of a dysfunctional marriage. If they happen to be marriedto an abusive slug, they are stuck with him.

And the kids areforgotten, palmed of to Lola, abandoned by Dad.

No wonder thenation's esteem is so highly bruised.

It's a nation ofabandoned kids. Not nurtured kids.

Now if Luzon wereside by side with California . . . not an island, but attached . . . women ofthe Philippines would not be treated so poorly. Women would be educated aboutbirth control. They could plan their families. They could escape from punitiverelationships. They could be assured that fathers would support their children.They could have meaningful careers and not have to depend on anyone butthemselves.

It always amazes methat the so many ardent Catholics are women. After all, the Catholic Churchdoes not hold that women are equal to men, and it promotes the lack ofeducation and active birthing as good things. I try to connect the dots but cannot.

Maybe thePhilippines needs a sexual revolution like the US went through in the 1960's,with hippies and free love shocking the established morality. But the shockgave American women the realization that they are not bound to others. They candefine their own destiny. If they want to be sexual, without babies, they can.Same as men. If they want to be their own person, or join the army, they can.Same as men.

From that it was aquick leap to equality in the job market. Today, women are for sure equal tomen in America. They are not second class citizens with no right to anindependent lifestyle. They are not sealed to an abusive man by the State'schains.

I personally thinkthe Catholic Church should be made into a moral island in this particularsecular State, the Philippines. Actually, all church groups should be islands apart from the mainlandgovernment.

Too many women inthe Philippines are trapped on an island, sealed from the mainland by 12thcentury morality.

They are marooned.

They should"get outta this place". They should understand they will get preciouslittle help from men. Or the law. Or the Church.

They need to do itthemselves.

Philippine Drug Mules

2011-12-03T14:26:00.001-08:00

China has tried,convicted and sentenced to death a Filipino man. The crime, running drugs.

President Aquinorequested publicly that China grant mercy and withdraw the death penalty. Healso sought to send Vice President Binay to China on a mission of mercy.

China declined toreceive the mission and informed the Philippines that the execution will beconducted as planned.

I find the caseinteresting. I personally think the top officials of government have betterthings to do than try to impose upon China's sovereign rights or gad about theglobe trying to free wayward Filipinos.

First of all, itsmacks of double standard. The Philippines is the place that was so outragedthat Private Smith was held at the US Embassy rather than in a Philippine jailas the Nicole incident unfolded. "The humiliation, the humiliation!"cried Senator Santiago. And most of the nation. The Philippines wanted the USto respect the Philippine legal process.

The consistentapproach would be to respect China's legal process.

The argument likelyto be encountered: "The Philippines does not execute people." TheAmerican response would be, "Does it try them quickly and fairly andaccording to law, rather than ulterior motive (politics, public outcry, mediaglare, bribery)?"

It is confusing tome as to why the Philippine government believe China should curtail its dueprocess simply because the convicted man is Filipino.

Is this a racialstatement? Or a statement of Philippine patriotism? Or a statement of morality,opposed to the death penalty?

I rather see it asthe underbelly of Filipino pride, where pride is related to saving or showing"face". It is hard for Filipinos to see a brother-Filipino"besmirched" by China.

Also, in thePhilippines, justice is fluid, simply a favor or protest or bribe away.Certainly China would be receptive to similar influences.

Ummmm not here, notnow.

And what about thecondition of Philippine jails? Of Philippine justice? Of the Philippinejudiciary?

How many Filipinosare cheated out of their lives by failed due process, left to rot in anovercrowded jail without access to good attorneys, or unable to pay therequired court fees or bribes.

Or how many allegedcriminals are outright murdered by local vigilante death squads? (Cebu, Davao.)

How many women arelocked into an abusive relationship because they cannot get a divorce? Ortreated as indentured servants to deadbeat fathers. How many kids don't getmilk because the father took off, and the government doesn't care?

No, no. ThePhilippines needs to look inward at its own human rights violations and not trysuperficially to raise its moralstanding by pretending to be above China's standards.

I think trying tosend the Vice President to rescue a criminal was foolish. Misguided.Embarrassing, actually.

There are so manyabuses in the Philippines.

Deal with THEM, andthe social dysfunction that allows them to persist.

Establish a strongmoral platform from which to speak and others might listen better.

Philippine Holidays

2011-12-02T14:46:00.001-08:00

My thanks to Cocoyat propinoy.net for the following listing of Philippine holidays:

January 1 (Sunday) – New Year’s Day
January 23 (Monday) - Chinese New Year
February 25 (Saturday) – EDSA Revolution Anniversary
April 5 (Thursday) – Maundy Thursday
April 6 (Friday) – Good Friday
April 9 (Monday) – Araw ng Kagitingan
May 1 (Tuesday) – Labor Day
June 12 (Tuesday) – Independence Day
August 21 (Tuesday) – Ninoy Aquino Day
August 27 (Monday) – National Heroes Day
November 1 (Thursday) - All Saints Day
November 2 (Friday) – Additional special (non-working) day
November 30 (Friday) – Bonifacio Day
December 25 (Tuesday) – Christmas Day
December 30 (Sunday) – Rizal Day
December 31 (Monday) – Last Day of the Year

The listing has beenenlarged by President Aquino's adding of the Chinese New Year to the roster ofofficial national holidays. Not all agree with the decision, especiallybusiness people who can ill afford another day of no profit. But the Presidentremains stoic and stalwart.

The roster ofPhilippine holidays reflects a different set of national celebrations than thatof the US, which makes sense, as holidays generally celebrate key elements ofhistory. The Philippine history, as represented in its holidays, has a morereligious bent than the US. US holidays tend more toward military recognitions.

The US holidays thatare the same, although some are celebrated on different days, are New Year'sDay, Labor Day, Independence Day, National Heroes Day (Veterans Day, I suppose,in the US), and Christmas Day.

The US has aPresident's day, which is a combination of the former separate Lincoln andWashington holidays subsequent to the designation of Martin Luther King day asa holiday. The aim was to not add another day off whilst bringing recognitionto the importance of MLK at substantially ending racism in the US. So theholiday for the two presidents was consolidated. The US also has Memorial Dayto recognize those who died in wars, and Thanksgiving Day, a family day ofthanks originating from the union of American natives and arriving Europeans,in peace.

The peace did notlast long.

The US celebratesEaster Sunday, while the Philippines brackets that day with formal recognitionof three holidays days before and after, part of a week long religious holidaysurrounding the death of Jesus. Similarly, the whole country fundamentally shutsdown from Christmas to New Year's Day.

The Philippines ishigh on revolution, not necessarily with guns, but in spirit: EDSA Day, NinoyAquino Day, Bonifacio Day, and Rizal Day.

Not shown in thePhilippine national schedule is the local fiesta holiday, which generally lastsabout a week. The larger the city, the more active the schedule, from sportsevents to street dancing and parades to beauty contests, and of course, a discoor two with really loud music.

In the US, there isa fundamental law that banks cannot close for more than three days in a row, sothe long national holidays typical of the Philippines are not allowed. GoodFriday is a half-day off by tradition; it is not recognized as a national holiday.Nor is the last day of the year, New Year's Eve, recognized as a nationalholiday. But it is a blow-out nonetheless.

All Saints Day iscelebrated as Halloween in the US. In the US it is not a national holiday nor areligious holiday nor a day of respect for the dead, but a fun day for kids todress in costumes and rampage the neighborhood in search of bags of candy. Valentine'sDay is another fun day in the US, not official, but great for the greeting cardindustry.

I think PresidentAquino's adding the Chinese New Year to the calendar is a brilliant strategicrepositioning of the Philippines into Asia and out of the sphere of priordominance, the US. The Chinese New Year is the center of Asian celebration, andthe Philippines ought to be there.

I'm sure there willbe some who will criticize the substantial number of holidays in thePhilippines. But I find that it reflects the true celebratory spirit ofFilipinos, the enjoyment of mixing faith and family and good times. And, in away, it correctly reflects the laid-back spirit that causes the nation to havepriorities other than productivity.

I can't say thosepriorities are bad. I do wish productivity were a little more robust, to keepup with the overabundant birthing that transpires after such lengthy holidayperiods filled with . . . well . . .fun. And to put a dent in poverty and inject a deeper level of fun into thenation.

My Cave, Your Cave

2011-12-01T14:37:00.001-08:00

I awakened thismorning to find myself in a cave. It is stuffy and airless and smoky in here.Someone was kind enough to leave behind torches jammed into oil jugs abouthead-high along the walls. That's where the smoke is coming from, and a yellow,flickering, unstable light.

The walls are rough.That is the first thing I notice. The walls are not smooth. They are not thestuff of stalactites and stalagmites, not rock oozing from walls smooth asglass. No, they are rough, jagged, irregular.

As I approach, I cansee the composition better.

The walls are madeup of . . . Juices, what's this? Words!

Sentences andparagraphs, line after line. Concepts and stories, facts and figures. Numbershere, poetry there. So thick as to be impenetrable.

Somehow the wordsseem familiar.

I work my way to theright and study a section that eerily takes me back to college. There are wordsin German, which I studied for two thankless years. And jokes about the Germaninstructor being from Thailand. I remember them now. Nearby is a wall of noise,of the clinks of beer glasses and the shouts of drunken students warmingthemselves on Coors deep into a cold Colorado winter night. The Red Garter!That's where we hung out at FAC, Friday Afternoon Club. Guys who were sick ofstudying cut Friday afternoon classes and headed for the raucous darkness ofthe Red Garter's bar. And liquid relief. Oh, 3.2 percent alcohol was all theState would allow, but drink a pitcher instead of a glass, and the numbersdon't matter.

What is this doingon the cave wall?

I work my wayforward the other direction.

Holy shit! That's myfirst wife there, all the conversations we ever had during our tumultuous eightyears of marriage. The laughter, thetears, the insults thrown in anger, the words from the crossword puzzles we wouldwork together in bed at night. The love poems we wrote each other. Right there,as if stone.

Ahh! And my days atthe University of Southern California, studying journalism! Wow. Doctor EdBorgers is here, big belly and small tie, hand on his fat chin reflecting . . .pontificating about how education is backward, going from broad to narrow. To betruly educated, we have to go from narrow to broad.

Ah, Doctor Ed.That's our failure, isn't it? That's what these walls are about, isn't it?

That's what thiscave is about.

We use our knowledgeto limit where we go. We don't use it tospring to greater enlightenment. It is confinement, this place we have built.

We use our knowledge to force others to our way of thinking.To limit them.

We use our knowledge to restrict what we are willing toaccept. A counter opinion must be demolished, not heard and respected.

We use our knowledge to tear down, not build up. Like theAnti-Pinoy and Get Real artists, skilled at launching critical verbal bombs.Skilled at deceits and tearing down in the name of enlightenment.

We use our knowledge to refuse to see.

We can wanderforever through these dark catacombs, building new walls as we engage withothers. We can stay here for alleternity.

Ahh, but, really,can we? Can we now?

We have seen thewalls for what they are. We are nolonger virgins in a cave of dark ignorance. We are no longer counted among the intellectually blind, the emotionallyinsecure.

We see. We see.

What does it take toget out?

To find the light ofa greater world? To use knowledge to rid ourselves of our blindness, ourstubbornness, our weak self esteem? To grow and learn and listen and respect?

To use our words andacts to build platforms to the heavens rather than holes in the dirt?

What does it take toget out?

You do want out,don't you?

The EU and the Philippines

2011-11-30T14:42:00.001-08:00

I read the other daythat the European Union is willing to assist the Philippines in resolving itsdispute with China about territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea. TheEuropean Union holds the same view as the Philippines, that international law shoulddetermine national borders, and development in international waters should becooperative, not exclusive.

But that is not thesubject of this blog.

It simply serves asa jumping off point to discuss federalism. And a new Muslim nation.

The European Unionis a half-baked federalist model. The US is a fully cooked, centralized,federalist model. The Philippines is similar to the US, with capable andpowerful provinces operating under a strong centralized national government.Most regions have little complaint, except Muslim Mindanao and adjacentislands, where extremists demand independence and moderate Muslims advocategreater autonomy than now exists.

The European Unionconsists of states that have not fully committed to a unified"national" or umbrella organization that might dictate how they runtheir civic business. Each "state" remains substantially independent,able to accept or reject EU dictates. Great Britain still deals its owncurrency rather than the Euro, but insists on being a party to the debtdialogue being carried out in by the European Union. Germany does not want toput its tax money behind the Union's bailout of nearly-insolvent countries. Andso the whole house of cards is tottering. Chaos is only a bad day in Italyaway.

Autonomous Muslim Mindanao

The argument inMindanao for an autonomous, nearly independent state within the greaterPhilippine Nation, is a striking echo of the reason the European Union is onthe edge of failure.

You can't serve twomasters. Only one.

The large Europeannations are too proud of their independence. Or perhaps insecure with thenotion that former blood enemies can now tell them what to do. They have a hardtime conceding authority elsewhere. It is too unsettling to think that a Frenchwoman would dictate financial rules to Germans.

Just as in thePhilippines it is too unsettling for fundamentalist Muslims to think that aCatholic educator would dictate curricula to Muslim schools. Or thatlegislators would tell women not to wear full facial coverings, as is done inFrance.

The Philippines hastwo choices, it seems to me. In or out. There is no half-way, no negotiateddefinition of state that allows a Muslim nation to serve two masters.

Choice 1: ThePhilippines remains whole. The center is dominant and the states/provincesconcede to a greater authority when national stability and security so require.The existing conflict would continue forever.

Choice 2: Completeindependence for southwest Mindanao and adjacent islands, as a separatecountry.

There is no suchcondition as half-wet. And half-baked is just that. Unpalatable.

My own readout ischanging. You cannot negotiate or legislate in good faith when the faith youare negotiating with is beyond reason. And, frankly, it is not worth all thedeaths and anguish to try to impose a government on extremists when moderateMuslims will not speak up for the Philippines . . . as a nation. Indeed, when you think about it, it is notextremists who dictate separation. There are only a few hundred of them. It ismoderate Muslims who do not have sufficient loyalty to the Philippines . . . who don't have sufficient allegiance ordedication to the nation's well-being . . . to rein in their murderousbrethren.

I've argued in thepast to invest in building an economy to get rid of the wretched poverty thatdrives most of the animosity in Muslim regions. But that is a long termprospect. And It is difficult to expect those with no food on the table todayto wait 20 years for jobs.

Finally, you can'tlegislate matters of the soul.

If moderate Muslimsreally want an independent state, and believe that will get more food on theplate, give it to them. Define a clear, defensible border. And defend it.

Run the rest of thePhilippines as a vibrant, unified, progressive nation.

The Judicial Bomb that Struck America in 2010

2011-11-29T14:47:00.001-08:00

It is rare that wehave the opportunity to watch the destruction of a nation in slow motion, andknow the reason.

Similar to thePhilippines, the US Supreme Court has been stocked with political ideologues inregal disguise, much as some judges wear no pants under their robes. Most ofthe time, their renderings reflect a clear reading of the law, for the casesare not political. These are intelligent people, after all, the sharpest legalminds on the planet. They rule according to law.

But once in a while,in landmark cases, they define a nation. They overlay an idea, an ideal, apolitical ideology, upon the law. In such cases, judges are not simplyinterpreting the law. They are making a morality, for good and for bad.

In 2010, the USSupreme Court issued such a ruling. The deciding vote was 5 to 4, with the fivein favor being the conservative members of the Court:

For:

Anthony M. Kennedy (author of majority opinion)
John G. Roberts, Jr. (Chief Justice)
Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
Clarence Thomas
Antonin Scalia

Against:

John Paul Stevens (author of dissenting opinion)
Steven G. Bryer
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Sonia Sotomayor

Former PresidentJimmy Carter labeled the decision the "stupidest decision" ever by aSupreme Court.

What was thedecision, and why is it destroying America better than TNT could?

In the words of the NY Times: " . . . a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursdayruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporationsin candidate elections."

Note the term"bitterly". The dissenting opinion was 90 pages long, and labeled"passionate" by the NY Times.No matter. One vote made the difference.

Those backing theruling said they were upholding free speech rights of individuals andassociations of individuals. Those against it said that corporate moneyflooding into elections would corrupt democracy.

Such simplereasoning. Such utter disregard for result.

So if you wonder whythe US Congress is such a bitter, divisive place right now, look to the SupremeCourt. If you wonder why the US cannotfind consensus on how to manage its debt or balance expense cuts with revenueincreases, look to the Supreme Court. If you wonder why the Republicans aretrying to destroy the President of their country, like so many snipers firingfrom the congressional pulpits, look to the Supreme Court.

It is because the minority was correct.

Destruction ofchecks and balances, of fair play, rests squarely with five men who decidedthat unlimited amounts of money could be held out to politicians who said anddid the right things for the VESTED INTERESTS. Not the country.

You want to know whyRepublicans speak with such a loud voice when they refuse to raise taxes onrich Americans?

You want to know whyDemocrats are resigning from the Congress in deep and bitter frustration(Barney Frank the latest casualty)?

The morality ofmoney. The intellectual corruption of a Court, and an entire Congress.

That 2010 judicialbomb was more powerful than megatons. It was the angriest bird of all, theinsertion of powerful vested interests directly into the political machine.

It was the work offive intelligent men with an ideological agenda disguised, not very well, bythe cloaks of justice.

It is rare to beable to identify a point in time when things went horribly wrong.

But there it is. Onevote, one fateful decision.

Boom!

Drones in the USA

2011-11-28T14:54:00.001-08:00

Drones are in thenews again. This time because non-military applications are rushing towardintroduction. Several hundred civilian drones are deployed across the US intest situations. They are serving the police, to hunt down criminals, and foragribusiness, for spewing pesticides.

The possibleapplications boggle the mind. They could be used to fly over highways and nailspeeders, get quickly to disaster situations to assess risk, allow police tocruise over protests, hunt for lost hikers, watch traffic during rush hours,fly into radioactive territory or other dangerous conditions (floods, fire),plant seeds, crop dust, provide silent observation of hostage scenes or replacethe Goodyear Blimp at football games.

The two areas ofsensitivity that will require new regulations are: (1) infringement uponprivacy, and (2) congested air space. With regard for the latter, drones arenot yet able to do quick read-outs of approaching planes in order to takeevasive maneuvers. But that is where the solution rests. And it will soon befound.

My main point ofdiscussion is number (1), infringement upon privacy. The connection to thePhilippines will soon become clear.

Great Britain has ahead start in watching its citizens through thousands of cams mounted here andthere on posts and buildings in main cities. Brits have gotten used to theintrusion, and there have not yet been any explosive abuses such as the cellphone hacking undertaken by the now defunct "News of the World". Manyfeel secure knowing a record is being made of their activities, and theactivities of others, in crowded places.

I suppose I don'thave a lot of sympathy for people who object to being watched. That is becauseI am indoctrinated in being the watchee. After all, I live in the Philippines.

Staring is not rudeby Philippine standards. Given that I am 6" 4", white, and handsomeas hell, I get gawked at from the moment I leave the home gate. Kids through the teen years actually stop intheir tracks to turn and watch until I disappear around a corner or get a blockaway. Old ladies giggle with their friends about my height, oblivious to thefact that they are doing this right in my face. Kids make remarks to theirfriends and laugh as they pass by in the mall. Motorcycle drivers waiting for aride stare from the time I enter their field of vision until I pass out of it,as if I were some kind of leper or movie star. People in restaurants spendtheir whole meal watching me and my family.

Sometimes it isdownright creepy.

I have learned toignore these people in most circumstances, figuring they are largelyirrelevant.

However, I do driveabout with black tinted windows rolled up, fully air conditioned. My wife wearsdark glasses everywhere. It is like being out of sight.

At least the policeare in the business of watching out for the well-being of citizens. I'd in someways find an "eye in the sky" comforting. I fail to get that comfortwith Filipinos because they are quick to anger and quicker on the draw. I'vealso had way too many beggars thrust a hand into my space. Usually they are about 8 to 12 years old. I react physically if they touch me. No one, no matter how ignorant, has the right to put a hand on my person.

I knock their handoff and snarl. They speed away.

I suppose some daythat is how I'll get knocked off. They will speed away and return with Papa'sgun.

If JoeAm suddenlystops writing one of these days, survey the news for an American killed bya beggar boy with his Papa's gun.

I think people whoare educated, and who have strong self-esteem, do not gawk at others.

Most Filipinos gawk.

You put two and twotogether and tell me what number you come up with.

I'll tell youfrankly that I consider it an offshoot of the notorious Filipino inability tocare about others. A refined reading of how to be kind and respectful of otherssimply escapes too many people here.

But that has littleto do with drones, eh?

I'm fine with them.Bring on the drones and robots and move us into the 21st century. Plaster usall on U-Tube. What the hell. Wikileaks and other invaders of privacy can't bestopped. And the slanders and deceits of bloggers and politicians can't be stopped.It is now our environment. We are in the floodwater, washing downhill. Relax,go feet first, and enjoy the ride.

Anyway, the dronesare late. They should have been here about 1984.

Birds of the Philippines

2011-11-27T15:16:00.001-08:00

Now occasionally Istop to smell the roses, or watch the birds.

I see Filipinoswatching the birds, too. Often it is through the sights of a rifle aimed atputting some meat on the rice.

Did you ever watchthose jungle movies on the big screen? You'd hear birds hooting and whoopingand cawing from somewhere over there. And back there. And up there.

Most of those soundtracks, I am convinced, were taken from my back yard.

One of the birdshidden in the upper reaches of bamboo sounds like a deep throated war whoop."Whop whoop whoop whoop!" It is usually answered by a whoop fromtrees in the distance, the female, I suppose, telling her suitor to get lost.Or to get his sexy plumage over here.

One reallyirritating bird screams incessantly in the morning "fire in theboat", "fire in the boat". I want to grab my own rifle but amconstrained by the thought that I would be wasting bullets needed to fend offother animals with two legs. The Philippines is, after all, gunslingerterritory. I know this first hand. I was confronted by a drunk with a pistol acouple of months ago. He wanted to show me his macho courage by taunting me andshooting into the dirt in front of him.

I smiled and walkedaway. Irrelevant people have a way of disappearing from my life. Then I wentand connived a gun from my father-in-law.

I saw an emeralddove skitting about the underbrush in my backyard the other day. Plump andgreen as jade. Some bright yellow orioles, about the size of a pigeon, diveacross the yard to snatch berries from this scruffy tree I'd prefer to cutdown. Except I like the yellow birds. They are like dive-bombing canaries onsteroids.

There are big birdsand little birds and long-tailed crazy birds that play with their image in themirror on my car. They shit all over the car. They also dance and tap at thehouse windows. But fortunately, it is a daytime activity, because at night it wouldbe downright creepy. I've grown rather fond of the crazy pests. And they aregrowing less skittish about having an American about laughing at their antics.

My neighbors aredemonstrating a similar acceptance.

Little swallow-likebirds build nests in the upper reaches of my garage, diving in and out likebats. They rake the air in the evening hours, cleaning the place of bugs. Godhas His hierarchy, eh? I wonder where we humans stand?

I rather thinksomewhere beneath cockroaches and rats.

Here is a wonderfulbird watcher's site on Philippine birds: Birdwatch