Five Reasons Why Catholic Vote Philippines Should Be Ignored

Guest Article

By Andrew Lim

Last December 2012, several groups of Catholic laity banded together to form Catholic Vote Philippines, aiming “to advocate that Catholics vote as Catholics.” Alarmed by the passage of the RH law, and presuming that more legislation it deems inimical will be put on the agenda, they will work for the election of legislators and leaders it finds acceptable based on its own standards and criteria. But what is the group all about exactly? How will it operate?

Joe Tale, a lawyer affiliated with the movement, says, “ The Catholic Vote is not a political party. It will scan the horizon among all the parties and support candidates who carry Catholic values in their word and action, in their public as well as private life, regardless of political party, and yes, if called for, regardless of religion.”

Bishop Gabriel Reyes clarifies: “Catholics should not be single -issue voters and should consider a candidate's competence and incorruptibility.” He adds: “One could be anti-RH but he could also be a thief. It will be up to the voters to weigh a candidate's track record and decide.”

Recently, the Bacolod diocese came out with tarpaulins advocating specific names to vote, as well as who not to vote.

While there is nothing illegal with the foregoing, this author believes this will work negatively against the cause of Philippine democracy, will be problematic for most voters to apply, and do more harm than good.

Let's set aside the debate on whether the Catholic vote exists in the first place or not. Dicky Boncan, the spokesperson of the group readily admits it does not exist at the national level, but argues that “the Church can make or break an election at the local level. “ Proceeding from that presumption, I submit five reasons why Catholic Vote Phils will be problematic and ultimately harmful to democracy:

A. Catholic Vote Phils cannot be operationalized without becoming a single-issue voter.

Despite the nuanced pronouncements of its leaders, it will be impossible to “vote as a Catholic” without endorsing a specific candidate, or supporting/not supporting a candidate based solely on his vote on the RH bill, to the exclusion of other important issues like mining, taxes, gun control, etc.

Compounding this problem is the fact that Philippine politics is not really issue-based, but personality-based. Most candidates resort to platitudes.

Joe Tale again: “In the recent US elections, there was an organized Catholic Vote that came out with their own political ads and endorsed the Romney-Ryan tandem for President and Vice-President. The Romney-Ryan team lost, but at least in the US, the Catholics have served notice that they will be active participants in the electoral process.”

Does Mr Tale indicate that had Filipino Catholics been allowed to vote in the last US presidential elections, they should have chosen the Republican ticket? Then that means they would have also endorsed the entire Republican platform, which has been criticized for its inconsistency with the pro-life ideals by being pro-automatic assault rifles ownership, its regressive tax policies, its indifference to minorities, women and the gay communities.

B. Complicated decision making cannot be appreciated by the average voter.

The Catholic faith is notorious for its love of elaborate hierarchies, and this is no exception. In my research for this piece, I encountered the notion of “a hierarchy of truths”. Mentioned in the Unitatis Redintegratio of the Second Vatican Council, it says that “ when comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists a “hierarchy" of truths, since they vary in their relation to the fundamental Christian faith. “

Ratzinger, still a Cardinal then, further enumerates the three levels of truths: 1. those that are divinely revealed; 2. those which are definitively proposed and 3. those which belong to the authentic ordinary Magisterium.

Supposedly, this is to be used in analyzing the candidates' stand on various issues and help the voter decide: will I vote for a candidate who voted no to rh bill but supports the death penalty (Zubiri and Maceda of UNA) or for foreign drug traffickers (like Rufus Rodriguez)? Should I shun a candidate who voted yes to RH bill but is very aggressive in job creation and anti-corruption legislation? How about a candidate who voted no to RH but has logging and mining interests and oppose environmental conservation efforts? Which issue now has more weight? RH? Mining? Tax policies? Job-creation? Gun control?

Is a candidate's vote on the RH bill the primary and only criteria for electing someone, to the exclusion of every issue?

Now tell me- except for Catholic apologists like Dicky Boncan or members of Defensores Fidei, how can you expect this to be understood by the average Catholic voter? Will they hand out laminated guides with decision flowcharts?

C. Catholic Vote Phils will discriminate against non-Catholic candidates.

Even without meaning to do so, following Catholic Vote Phils will inevitably result in discrimination against non-Catholic candidates. Why? Because invariably, Catholic voters will not understand or consider other religious viewpoints. The rationale of Catholic Vote Phils originates from tenets of Roman Catholicism, and it is natural that there will be divergence in beliefs with other faiths. A difference in beliefs will lead to differences in political agendas.

If Catholic Vote Phils existed years ago and managed to gain popular support, then we would not have seen the likes of FVR, Leticia Shahani, Mike Tamano, Santanina Rasul, Juan Flavier, etc in government.

D. Catholic Vote Phils will put its voters in the awkward position of supporting candidates with unsavory political histories, just because they voted no to RH and appear to support their agenda.

E. Catholic Vote Phils may create a moral hazard, by appearing to wash away the past misdeeds of its supported candidates.

Its seal of approval will look like an endorsement of such past reprehensive behavior, and encourage future candidates to engage in further chronic corruption or recklessness, since all they need is to take a stand that the Catholic Vote Phils supports.

Nothing demonstrates this better than the CBCP's praise heaped upon the 104 congressmen who voted no to the RH bill on second reading last December 2012. Included among the 104 are the following political personalities who have been associated with the most corrupt and repressive past regimes:

a. Imelda Marcos – Leyte

b. Mikee Arroyo - party list

c. JV Ejercito- San Juan

d. Dato Arroyo- Camarines Sur

When the number of anti-RH congressmen dwindled to 79 for the third reading, the list was passed around social media amongst would-be Catholic voters for their reference in the 2013 elections.

Based on the above, it is argued that it is best for the Filipino voter to disregard Catholic Vote Philippines.

SOURCES:

1. “The Catholic Vote”, Joe Tale, Catholic Vote Phils. Website. Originally published in Phil Star Opinion section.
2. “Bishop Warns Roxas Church will make him pay in 2016” Phil Daily Inquirer, Dec 19, 2012.
3. “RH and Elections: Pols knew there's no Catholic vote”, online conversation by author with Dicky Boncan in comments section, Rappler, Dec 29, 2012.
4. “Catholic Voting and the Order of Truths”, Joe Heschmeyer, Shameless Popery blog on Catholic defense blogspot.com Sept 27, 2012
5. “Theologian says one-issue voting is foreign to Catholic tradition”, by Catholic News Service, Oct 25, 2004.
6. “How Our Congressmen and Senators Voted for the RH bill” Catholic Vote Phils website.
7. “Solon bares small wrinkle on prolife stand” Inquirer Online News Nov 7, 2012.

Ezekiel: A Warning to Priests of Little Humility

Ezekiel's Vision by Raphael

Good day dear friends of the Church of Man, welcome to the Society of Honor Bible Study Group on this bright Philippine day. 

No attack from China today. The priests are off doing whatever priests do. Manila is a beehive of activity, taxi drivers switching plates so they can keep the income in-coming whether the day is odd or even. Typhoons are tucked in hibernation for later in the year. The politicians are in the back rooms chewing on cigars and smoking gum trying to figure out how to make more money by serving us poorly. The more chaos they can project, the more they can argue that we need them.

I rather think the world would perk along quite nicely if they all just rowed into the cave of the underground river and kept paddling.

Have you read your bible lately? Picked up a word of warning or wisdom?

Pastor Joe is here to lead you through one of the most vibrant and colorful books of the Bible, that of the Prophet Ezekiel, who testified that God is indeed awesome. "Zeke", as I prefer to call him, is the Van Gogh of religious writing. It is hard to determine if what he penned is art work or lunacy, truth or allegory, brilliant expression or the work of a demented soul who deals in visions because he knows not how to deal any other way.

Read this description

• [1.4] And I looked, and, behold, a whirl-wind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Whoa, Bubba, that ain't no typhoon there, that's God come down to visit. Spielberg used this scene in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", but his clouds were gray and his creatures were alien. Zeke's vision is out of this world, for sure:

• [1.5] Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

• [1.6] And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

• [1.7] And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

• [1.8] And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they had their faces and their wings.

• [1.9] Their wings were joined one to another; they turned no when they went; they went every one straight forward.

• [1.10] As for the likeness of their faces, they  four had the face of a man and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Boy howdy, and it gets even wilder. Soon Zeke is attaching wheels and rings to the creatures and there is a "likeness of the firmament" on the heads of the creatures and a voice came from the firmament and fire and loins came on stage and brother, glory hallelujah, even you and I would fall to our knees in awe.

• [1.28] This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Then God sets out to give Zeke his charter. "Zeke, my good man, head forthwith to Israel, which is getting a little unruly, as those middle-easterners are inclined to get, and become My spokesman." I paraphrase, of course. That's rather like President Aquino has press people and administrative aides to front for him. God also delegated, and Zeke was stuck with a nasty job.

What is interesting is that Zeke does not say God physically appeared in that vision, but, rather that a "likeness of the glory" of God appeared. Zeke acknowledges this is his imagination at work and he takes it as meaningful, as a directive from God. He feels compelled to go to Israel and face the unruly tribes and represent God and God's will.

Possibly Martin Luther King or Jose Rizal or Ninoy Aquino had similar imaginative drives. Maybe even powerful visions. Because otherwise their bravery makes no sense. Why walk directly toward hell when you don't have to? What FORCE is it that impels risky good deeds, for the betterment of mankind?

Dep. Press Sec. Abigail Valte

In Chapter 2, God gives Zeke a book and  [2.10]"there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe." In Chapter 3, God feeds Zeke and gives him instructions on how to deal with the Israelites.  Zeke is told to tell the Israelites that God says [3.27]"they are a rebellious house." Hah. And President Aquino's Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Valte thinks SHE has it tough explaining President Aquino's position on FOI!

In Chapter 4, God gives Zeke the power to bring down the walls of Jerusalem by putting his face on an iron pan. But He's only getting warmed up. He instructs Zeke to lay siege to the city by . . . yes . . . by lying down for 390 days. Then, God gives Zeke cow's dung instead of man's dung and instructs him to make bread out of it and feed Jerusalem. You think I make this stuff up?

• [4.15] Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cown's dung for man's dung, and thy shalt prepare thy bread therewith.

In Chapter 5 there are more bizarre acts, and if you ever doubt that the Christian God is a God of vengeance, read on:

• [5.11] Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou has defiled my sanctuary with al thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

• [5.12] A third part of they shall die with the pestilence, and with the famine shall they be consumed in the midst of they; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

• [5.13] Thus  shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted; and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.

Well, you know, this is so powerful, is it not?

So today's priests wield this power. They claim they represent God and whip their wisdom and fear upon our poor innocent souls. We fall to our knees in obedience. The Pope is a prophet is he not? His admonitions strike fear and obedience in millions. And reverence, yes, that too.

Well, the book goes on to recount how God and Zeke work together to raise havoc with Israel. There are more astounding visions, they keep rolling in.

I tell you, if Zeke was smoking dope, it was powerful stuff.

Ahhhh, but read on, dear friends, to get to the meaning of this lesson.

• [13.1] And the word of the Lord came unto me saying,

• [13.2] Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord;

• [13.3] Thus saith the lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

• [13.4] O, Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts

And God rips on the prophets for a few verses.

• [13.23] Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

The Vanities of the prophets. The vanities of the priests.

Today's Catholic Church remains political. Politics is divided, one for this law, one for that. One for this candidate, one for that. When the Church is so stridently AGAINST half the people, and against the President of the Philippines, one must ask how can the priests nurture ALL the people of the land in the ways of the Lord?

To gain acceptance to heaven one must vote against President Aquino?

The  Book of Ezekiel continues, more visions, more anger and punishment, more lessons. After ripping Israel to shreds with disease, war and famine, God puts everything back together again. Chapters 45 through 48 report on the reconstruction of Israel, defining the boundaries of the lands of the various tribes as well as the division of Jerusalem and the establishment of the city's various gates.

• [48.35} It was round about eighteen thousand measures; and the name of the city, from that day shall be, The Lord is there.

No book in the bible portrays "awesome" quite as colorfully or powerfully as the Book of Ezekiel.

And no book in the bible is more clear in holding priests accountable for being obedient themselves to God's demands.

I raise this point in a context that perhaps even priests understand. They will be held to account, as Israel was held to account, when they engage in vile acts, in lies and deceit and the grabbing of power for the sake of the Church, rather than ministering to mankind in the ways of the Lord. Rather than ministering to the Philippines.

I can read the Ten Commandments. And I can tell when Philippine Priests are cheating on it.

I've studied Jesus, and I know when the Priests are consumed with acts other than the healing and teaching of mankind. These are political acts. They divide they do not join. They do harm, they do not heal.

Prophets and priests who go astray are not immune to the wrath of God.

The prophet Zeke makes this awesomely clear.

Church Goons Unleashed on Aquino

I thought about handing this blog to Maude so she could do a good job of ranting, but I decided instead on this more moderate presentation. You know, preferring to at least give the Church some love and kindness, rather than the brutal condemnation they deserve.

So anyway, the priests, these whimpering softies who want Carlos Celdran hoisted by his petard very un-Jesus like above the spires of the Manila Cathedral because he hurt their feelings, are out to undermine the constitutionally elected President of the Philippines.

Frankly, I've come to develop a bad taste in my typewriter when these Catholic politicians cloak themselves in the righteousness of the Lord and then go out to try to destroy good people's work. It bothers me immensely when those who represent the God of Goodness list only criticisms of a duly elected leader, and discount the accomplishments, all for their own doctrinal political gain.

Remember, the Catholic Church is an organization that uses the State's services - it's courtrooms and judges and streets and infrastructure - but pays nothing for them. No taxes. And it makes millions because of this.

I believe the Catholic Church should be more respectful of government's position of not being able to attack back when attacked by a religious organization.

But the Philippine Constitution is interpreted to give them full right of free speech. Okay.

Kindly allow those of us who disagree to shout back, that you do not represent the whole of the Philippines, you represent a shrinking majority of faithful. Shrinking exactly because of this political gamesmanship, lack of humility, and self-serving denigration of the good efforts of others.

You are not entitled to protection FROM free speech. You cannot be entitled to the presumption of reverence and respect when your own voice lacks reverence and respect. And you for sure are not entitled to claim the One and Only God is in your corner but not in the corner of the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

This is political scheming akin to that done in 1896 by Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda of Manila who got a Spanish Governor who would agree to the execution of Jose Rizal  to replace the governor who would not do that execution.

Today's schemers want to undermine a good president.  Go against him in 2013 and get a president in 2016 who will do their bidding.

This is the Rappler headline on the story:

After plenary, CBCP blasts Aquino gov't

Now remember, this is in contrast to President Aquino's low-key signing of the RH Bill, a step taken to specifically avoid putting any untoward embarrassment on the Church.

This is the CBCP example of walking with Jesus? To strike out in angry vengeance? To turn no cheek to the RH loss, but to come charging after those who disagree with Church doctrine like attack dogs, fangs dripping with infuriated humiliation that they LOST the RH legislative battle?

Goon: (noun) Person doing an organization's
thuggish dirty work. [Source: HDNWD]

And the dogs have names. Archbishop Jose Palma and Bishop Gabriel Reyes. And they have official titles: Goons.

And faces, that's them, over there, in a photo taken from Rappler.

Here's the caption Rappler attached to the Photo:

• "CRITICIZING AQUINO. The CBCP, headed by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma (right), hits the Aquino administration after their bi-annual plenary. Beside Palma is Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, also a CBCP official, who blasts pro-RH politicians. File photo courtesy of CBCP"

So at this plenary session, the high priests got together and talked about RH and about all the things President Aquino has not done in three years. Like cure poverty or rain bread from heaven. Rather than acceding to the will of the Philippine people with any kind of grace, they agreed to attack. The stridency of the attack puts to shame the counsel of Cardinal Tagel when he spoke of the need for the Church to temper its righteousness and work on being humble.

The official Church statement  from the plenary session is worth reading. In particular, look for the section on "The Philippines as the Rising Star of Asia".

Hint, you won't find it. The statement instead reads like a laundry-list of complaints compiled by famed anti-blogger benigno. The complaining, whining tenor of the statement conflicts sharply with the reality of the moment, that the Philippines is on the rise. I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry at this elegant, eloquent priestly lament:

• In the midst of the country’s natural and social upheavals, we see ourselves in the boat with the Apostles buffeted by stormy waves. We are tossed about by the waves created by the secularist spirit, which continues to reduce the role and place of religious faith in the public sphere. Our cherished moral and spiritual values are at grave risk. We are overcome with fear and anxiety, perhaps also wondering if the Lord has fallen asleep, or if the Lord does not care that we are drowning (cf. Mk. 4:38).

Good Lord. The rest of us feel we are in a jet hydroplane heading for honesty and economic growth, optimistic as never before.

Why is the Church not on the same boat?

The CBCP has also posted its own interpretive "news release" on the subject on the CBCP web site. Here is their headline:

CBCP chides Aquino for inability to address PH’s problems

Here are some excerpts from that article:

• The CBCP particularly lamented Malacañang’s cold treatment of the Freedom of Information bill, which if enacted will allow the public to scrutinize any government transactions, projects and other documents. “Why are they afraid to entrust the citizens with the truth of their governance?” the CBCP said  . . .
  

• The collegial body of the bishops then lamented the continuing human rights violations and unresolved cases of extrajudicial killings even almost three years of Aquino election into office. Other forms of crimes and kidnappings continue, they said, and the government “is not able or lacks the political will to prosecute the perpetrators and touch powerful people.”

• “The huge gap between the rich and the poor remains. There is little inclusive growth,” the CBCP said.

• The bishops also deplored the recent enactment of the Reproductive Health law, and the promotion of a “culture of death and promiscuity. . . . This is due to the slavishness of our political and business leaders to follow practices in Western countries that promote, in spite of examples that we clearly see in the West, divorce, resulting in more break-up of families and the dysfunctional growth of children, contraceptives, leading to more abortions, the use of condom, aggravating HIV-AIDS infection, and school sex education, bringing more promiscuity and teenage pregnancy,” they said.

• CBCP president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma clarified they have nothing personal against President Benigno Aquino III for approving the RH law. Admitting that they also have shortcomings and do not want to appear self-righteous, he said, “As shepherds, we feel that it is also part of our duty to voice the sentiments of the people.” “It’s not because we want to condemn but we want that all of us will try to take a hard hit over this realities and hopefully be able to come out with solutions,” Palma said. “We don’t want to appear like fighting anybody. Our main intention is for the good of the people,” he said.

• “If the government is doing good, we will always have collaboration. But if the government is doing something bad, we will criticize and we will oppose,” he said.

• “We denounce the non-prosecution of alleged perpetrators of corruption and strongly call upon the government to pursue allegations and signs of corruption of power holders not only of the past but also of the present, even of friends and party mates,” they said.. . . Pabillo criticized Aquino for being “selective” in choosing which corrupt officials to prosecute, even claiming that there had been a double standard of justice under the current administration. “There are reports about corruption under the present administration but nothing happens to them,” he said. (CBCPNews)

What's wrong with that, you ask? There are some important ideas there, FOI and extrajudicial murders.

What is wrong is the failure of the Church to appreciate that the nation is stable, well-governed, and on the rise, and to feel thankful she can join to be a constructive part of the long-sought after rise of the Philippines to a leadership position in Asia. What boat are they on, do you figure, that they cannot find the candor, the honesty, the truth, the positive, the uplift about being an integral part of the Philippines rising?

The Church evidently liked the old, backward boat the Church has been on for 600 years, not the new one. The Church, like China and the anti-bloggers, can only deride and undermine. Lament, decry, deplore.

Is this the attitude of Jesus?

What, I studied the wrong bible, or what?

Never has the real reason for the Philippine's deep poverty, corruption and struggles been so crystal clear as in this strident attack on government by Church leaders.

This is the assignment the Goon Squad has taken on: knock the Philippines back to the rightful path, the backward path.

Set Jesus aside.

Push the nation back to the values that underpin corruption and overpopulation and lousy health care and poverty.

Back to the dark, coup-tinged era of vengeful politics and manipulation for self-interest.

In the name of their God. The God of  Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda. The God of Goons Palma and Reyes.

I have an idea for the Goon Squad, not that they'll listen. They are up to their eyeballs and earholes in political deceits and self-service. But I offer this:

Take some responsibility for the failed moral leadership, the corruption, the poverty. Go with humility for a change. Try mightily and with prayer to grasp where the heart of the problems really rest.  You are bright people. Reach for it, this true understanding. Cardinal Tagle almost got there until this pithy backward statement undermined him and threw his good words into the trash pit of wishful thinking.

The Church that hitches its political wagon to the destructive values of Gloria Arroyo over the honesty and earnest work of Noynoy Aquino makes the bed in which it is destined to rest.

But the Philippines need not rest in that same bed, need not be held back from progress and prosperity and the uplift that comes from treading an earnest, honorable path.

It's called divorce, actually.

It's called leaving the abusive Church and its goons behind - in the dust and echo and irrelevancy of empty cathedrals - where they can continue to weep and wail, lament, decry and deplore, but never quite get what happened, and why.

Word Wars: Drone Blogging

I'd like to thank Angry Maude for taking up the cudgel the other day. [Cudgel:  (noun) a short, thick stick used as a weapon.] I told her to just relax, we've been writing too much about the elections and the campaigns haven't really started yet. But she explained, which is a euphemism for shouting in my ear, that it is wise to get ideas out early so other can run with them. [Euphemism: (noun) the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.]

So I'd like to continue this trend of parsing ideas regarding the election. [Parsing: (verb ) to analyze (something, as a speech or behavior) to discover its implications or uncover a deeper meaning.]

If you pull back and look broadly at the contested Cybercrime Law, you see two forces in action. One, an attempt by people with power to avail themselves of a tool to intimidate or even silence critics. Two, an attempt by people with words to avail themselves of the right to use them freely insofar as they do not threaten or instigate physical or monetary harm.

I belong to the latter group. Proudly. I believe we fairly represent the spirit of Thomas Jefferson and Sam Adams (ahahahaha, the guy who makes beer) when their writings make clear that the human condition is treated best when it is open to ideas and not shut off from them.

A commenter at Raissa's Top Blog described a lot of bloggers as "helicopter bloggers", hovering from afar and shooting off opinions. I wrote back that I considered myself to be a "drone blogger", hovering from afar and shooting off word missiles at deserving targets.

We are heading into the election cycle, which means our environment, defined by what we see on television or read in the papers and internet, is about to become filled with deceitful crap aimed at convincing us to vote for one person or another. It's all nonsense. These words will come at us from every which way, all with the purpose of invading our thoughts and convincing us to take up acts that favor somebody we don't really know.

Word Wars.

Well, frankly, I love it.

Is a foreigner here allowed to opine? Or is it an affront to the sovereignty of Filipinos? Does it smack of colonial intent?

Or is an idea an idea no matter who utters it?

The problem here is that JoeAm says it more directly and with more literary flair than most Filipino blogger offerings. So it seems louder, eh? Snippier. Ruder perhaps.

It takes a Filipino of considerable breadth of understanding, and security of emotions, to deal with some of the stuff you read here. Especially when it is off-base, or wrong. But style is what it is, eh? I don't know any other way. So tough luck ye stalwart Filipinos of rigid bearing and sensitive mien . . .

I prefer the term irreverent to obnoxious. But, hey, people are free not to read. I have asterisked the hell out of the site explaining that there is only one goal here, a healthier, wealthier, wiser Philippines. If the writing is not your style, at least let me have mine, because I can make up a story better than most, and zap snide insults quicker than a hungry cobra on a fat rat.

• So when the Chinese push their arrogance east, I'll jam it back west.

• When the political priests flap their robes and their mouths like any common in-the-dirt conniving politician, I'll will make sure they get plastered with a fine sheen of gooey red Filipino word-mud. There is no "reverence" in politics.

• When the antis go on into their fourth year of denial about the health and condition of the Philippines and its President, I will sit back and laugh. And toss out poison word-darts at those aspects of their physique that is largest, and I'm not talking brain or heart.

• When the chronically corrupt insist on dipping their clammy claws into the public purse, I shall make sure they grab a handful of word-wasps.

And I herein add a fifth party to the above list of institutions that work concertedly against the best interest of the Philippines.

•  It is the old guys, the unbending masters of rigid perspective who have had their day in the sun but insist on promoting family member to carry on . . . wives, daughters, and sons . . . against the letter and spirit of the Constitution . . . because the greed in their hearts exceeds the compassion they have for a nation of substantially poor but honorable citizens.

And I welcome others to join the Society of Words.

What weapons do we have to engage in word wars?

We have keyboards and modems and brains with no agenda but the well-being of the Philippines. We have the Humpty Dumpty New World Dictionary and a  small group of extraordinarily bright and well-centered people, each a personality in his or her own right. We have independence and we have passion.

We have ears and the willingness to listen to opposing views, striving always for respect for dissent and respect for the dissenter.

We have strategy and tactics and the ability to wing it.

More than anything, we have our words, God's gift to us for the pursuit of health and happiness.

It's election season.

Lock and load.

The Revenge of the Mayans

Mayan temple at Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico 

This is a startling revelation. I'd tweet it to the universe but I'm not a twit and have zero followers there. My problem has always been that I can't say anything in 140 characters or less.

So I will release my finding here to the Society of Honor cadre of capable commenters with the understanding that you will do all that is in your power to make the greater world understand what has happened.

I know there are skeptics amongst you, and that is fine. I'm looking for the converts, however, those who have the farsight to grasp new dimensions of existence. Those who are not bound by the past. Those who would accept reincarnation as truth if they somehow met themselves both coming and going.

Here's the deal, in bold headlines.

THE WORLD ENDED ON DECEMBER 21, 2012

Okay, I know, I know you are throwing up your hands and saying, "ach, what's this lunatic American smoking now?"

You are thinking: "The Mayan end-of-the-world prediction has been debunked. We are still here."

Well, straight shot, here's the science that's involved. What we thought was a theory is evidently true. The principle of the Multiverse is true. For those of you who believe science is something like STD, to be avoided at all cost, I provide you with this down and dirty snippet from the famed Astronomy Department of Pomona University:

The Elegance of the Multiverse

• The Multiverse theory for the universe has been a recently accepted theory that describes the continuous formation of universes through the collapse of giant stars and the formation of black holes.  With each of these black holes there is a new point of singularity and a new possible universe.  As Rees describes it, "Our universe may be just one element - one atom, as it were - in an infinite ensemble: a cosmic archipelago.  Each universe starts with its own big bang, acquires a distinctive imprint (and its individual physical laws) as it cools, and traces out its own cosmic cycle.  The big bang that triggered our entire universe is, in this grander perspective, an infinitesimal part of an elaborate structure that extends far beyond the range of any telescopes." 

On the day the Mayans pointed to, the day the world as we know it ended, we encountered a seamless transition to a different universe, to a different place.  Same timeline and history. Same people and events. Same places. Very different godly foundation. Trust me, the devil is indeed in the details.

What the Mayans knew they kept to themselves, that the "end" meant it was time for a new era of existence, a new plane of existence, a world we shall, in our language, call:

THE REVENGE OF THE MAYANS

JoeAm's second favorite cousin (next to Angry Maude), is a hot chick named Sylvia who once danced with Elvis Presley. She is a skilled archeologist of the Indiana Jones school of study, believing field work, or temple climbing and cave creeping, are essential archeological skills.

Her single-minded obsession has been to prove that Elvis, indeed, is still alive. She wants to try that dance again because, you see, she was married the first time she met him at a bar in Lake Charles, Missouri. As the evening played out, and after several romantic slow dances, Elvis asked her if she wanted to leave with him. She said "no".  As the fates of that universe would have it, she soon discovered that her husband was an abusive jerk and they divorced a couple of years later. She has regretted for a lifetime not leaving that bar with Elvis.

(Note to self: advocate for Philippine Divorce Bill, in respect of Sylvia's abuse.)

Mayan Range: Mexico and Guatemala. Click to enlarge.

Cousin Sylvia is now 77 years old and was feisty as hell the last time I spoke with her, 11 weeks ago.

But I digress.

The Mayans predicted the end of the world would arrive at 6:12 am, New York Time, on December 21, 2012. This was worked out through study of carvings on a Mayan stone tablet called "Monument 6", carved by Mayan priests in 700 A.D. In the most delicious of mysterious fates, half of that tablet, until now, has been missing. (Source: CNN)

Mayans divide (intentional use of the present tense) time into periods called "baktuns" which are each 144,000 days in length. The 13th and "final" baktun of the old world ended on December 21, last year. (Source: NPR)

Temple near Parque Nacional Sierra Del Lacandon, Guatemala

HERE'S THE EARTH-SHATTERING NEWS SCOOP; even Rupert Murdoch does not have this one: Sylvia informed me through secret channels that she managed to recover the missing half of the broken tablet. She calls it "Monument 6b".  The journey of her discovery started at the Mayan temple at Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico (refer to Google map, above, and the photo at the top of the blog). Newly excavated carvings led her to a more remote temple in the mountains of Parque Nacional Sierra Del Lacandon in northern Guatemala (refer to map and photo). There she found another ancient map, carved in stone. She declined to provide the route or place of actual discovery but did enclose photos suggesting Monument 6b was found in a cave hidden behind a remote waterfall (photos). She said to keep this in confidence and release it only in the event she should encounter problems with trecherous treasure hunters, or governments.

I have not heard from her in 11 weeks, after considerable effort and expense at trying to locate her. So I have decided to reveal these secrets. I was also influenced by how uplifting this discovery is likely to be to Filipinos.

Unkown Waterfall

Read on.

The translation of the tablet was stunning.

The Mayans knew that the earth was destined to be pulled into a transitional wormhole at the end of the 13th baktun. Life as we knew it would end, but it would begin anew, immediately. Ensuing would be a period  during which Mayan priests would exact their revenge on the heathen faiths and scurrilous souls of our time. The prediction is echoed in stories told by the hill tribes of remote Guatemala whose elders speak of a "período de redención y venganza", a period of redemption and revenge, led by reincarnated Mayan priests.

Cave of Sylvia's Discovery

Long story short: We have gone through a multiverse transition. It was seamless. No one knows, until now.

I asked Sylvia to explain exactly what this meant in terms that Filipinos might understand.

She laughed lustily, for, post Elvis, it seems to me she always laughed lustily. She whispered:

"The internet, Cuz. It is the vehicle of redemption. You figure it out."

Well, boy howdy, two and two instantly added up.

I recalled the visit paid by VP Binay, former President Estrada, and Senate President Enrile to suspended and rebellious Governor Garcia of Cebu. I thought at the time, what a mistake. Binay is killing his election chances.

You see, these guys are still operating by the ground rules of the universe that died on December 21. In the new universe, they are subject to the revenge of the Mayans.

Strange Humanoids of the Dead Multiverse

I'm not sure exactly how this will work out. But I figure the Philippines has suddenly been given a new direction, a new lease on life, and those scurillous politicians and family barons who continue to operate under old world values are on the way out. Severe anxieties and punishments are headed their way. And they are completely oblivious.

It follows from the newfound tablets that Mayan descendants now live in the Philippines, either sailing the Pacific directly or via birth through the Spanish or via some avenue that is not yet clear. If so, the Philippines is blessed with good Mayan fortune.

And as for the Catholic Church, which spent 400 years holding the Philippines in dark age purgatory, I figure the CBCP leaders, too, believe they are still in the old, dead world where what they say matters. A world they ruled badly, judging from the angers and poverty rife in the Philippines for centuries. And the priests are now on a path that is most assuredly headed toward extinction. The only question is how anxious the Mayan priests are to exact their revenge, and whether or not they have any compassion for misguided priests who engage in political deceits and power plays like ordinary man. 

I also surmise that President Aquino is a former high chieftain of the Mayan tribes. His stunning resurrection of Philippine confidence and economic energy most assuredly came from a mysterious power, a religious power. And it is even within the realm of belief that we bloggers and netizens are advocates of the Mayan faith. Is there any other way to explain the amazing blossoming and power of social media and the internet in the Philippines?

Is it coincidence or Mayan will that Joe Am arrived in the Philippines just prior to the end of the 13th baktun? Is Raissa Robles a Mayan priestess?

How are YOU feeling today?

How Can Catholic Rightists Call Themselves Pro-Life?

Guest Article

By Andrew Lim

UNHOLY ALLIANCE

Recent developments point to a forming alliance between the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and far right Filipino politicians who reject the RH bill.

Jose Descallar, staff of Michael Velarde ( Buhay party list representative) said this after the re-election of US President Barack Obama:

• “If we will not hold our ground and make a lot of noise about our protests against anti-life measures specifically the RH bill, Malacanang will push for passage in the next Congress... ”

• “The task at hand, therefore, is to make sure that pro-lifers get elected.”

• “And junk Akbayan,Gabriela, Kabataan, ACT-Teachers, Bayan Muna and other such party-list groups. “

• “[There is also a] need to make pro-life issues an election/political issue, and to emphasize the Christian responsibility to evangelize politics. One way of doing this is by supporting and voting for pro-life candidates. ”

On November 16-17, the CBCP will hold in Cebu a “Philippines for Life” Congress 2012 featuring among others, the following speakers: Kit Tatad, Lito Atienza, Jackie Enrile, Mitos Magsaysay and impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Among the conference topics will be “The State of Philippine Politics Today, “ “Population and Good Governance: Real Keys to Progress”, “RH and MDG: How to Mangle the Filipino Soul” and “The Role of Vigilance in Preserving Faith and Freedom”.

THE INCONSISTENCY OF IT ALL

What is ironic is that the political histories of these invited personalities are striking examples of what is bad about Philippine politics and are incredibly inconsistent with Christian/Catholic doctrines.

By hijacking the term “pro-life” they have framed the debate such that they appear to be pro-life all the way – from conception to birth to adult life. Really?

Mangling the Filipino Soul? Martial law, with all its unspeakeable horrors did that. And both Tatad and Enrile took active roles in it, as spokesperson and administratoir, respectively. Good Governance? Ask Renato Corona about midnight appointments and undeclared mllions. Or ask Lito Atienza about his support for Gloria Arroyo. State of philippine politics? Ask Jackie Enrile how being a son translates into an inherited Senate seat. Or ask his bullying victims in the past. And lastly, what do you make of Cagayan Representative Rufus Rodriguez who has been stonewalling the passage of the RH bill as a “pro-lifer”, but supports the death penalty for foreign drug traffickers?

In my personal view, you cannot call yourself pro-life if you supported martial law and the oppression it created.

You cannot call yourself pro-life if you supported corrupt regimes and electoral cheating.

You cannot call yourself pro-life if you justify midnight appointments and underdeclare substantial assets.

You cannot call yourselves pro-life if you support plagiarism, and indirectly teach our youth that it is okay to cheat and copy as long as you can get away with it.

You cannot call yourself pro-life if you support the subjugation of indigenous cultures, employ violent methods in imposing your religion, take control of another country's resources in the name of “spreading Catholicism.” Which is exactly what happened in the Chamorro Islands during Pedro Calungsod's time. And yet the CBCP honors his “sainthood”.

Respect for life does not end at birth, as Thomas Friedman, op-ed columist at the New York Times writes. To quote him: “ Respect for life has to include respect for how it is lived, enhanced and protected- not only at the moment of conception but afterward, in the course of that life. “

MORAL HAZARD?

In effect, is the CBCP creating a moral hazard by forging alliances with these right wing Catholics?

(A moral hazard is a situation where some can take huge risks without fear of the consequences since somebody else will cover for them. It encourages an escalation of reckless risk taking.)

Are right-wing politicians now shielded from the consequences of their recklessness and abuse by the CBCP, since it tacitly endorses them by enlisting their support for their anti-RH cause?

Do these politicians' “pro-life” stand wash away their transgressions in the political sphere?

Won't this encourage more of their reprehensible behavior in the future?

Viewing the world through the narrow monochromatic lens of its anti-RH stand like the defeated Republicans in the US, the local Church hierarchy are just pushing themselves even more to the sidelines and irrelevancy. Politics, governance and democracy are much larger than religion- the refusal to analyze the issues and insistence on dogma results in the boxing in of these ultra conservatives.

They are placing themselves in difficult situations like what Romney faced- having to associate with extremists who reject abortion in rape cases because "some girls rape easy" or "God wanted it to happen" and because “some rapes are legitimate. “

Which makes me think: what are these so-called “pro-lifer's“ stand on pregnancies due to rape?

To paraphrase Friedman, just call yourselves “pro-conception to birth, to hell with life after that conservative”, not pro-life. Because as I demonstrated above by pointing out the politics they have practiced , they do not really care about life after birth – the quality of life or the integrity and justice required in the course of life.

SOURCES:

1. “Re-election of pro-abortion US President impetus for PH pro-lifers to intensify advocacy”, CBCP for Life website. Nov 7, 2012.

2. “Pro-life leaders to speak at National “Phils for Life” Congress 2012 in Cebu”, CBCP for Life website. Nov 10, 2012.

3. “An Alternative View of Pedro Calungsod” (In the Context of the Spanish Chamorro Wars 1671-1698) Society of Honor by Joe America, blog post by Andrew Lim. Oct 26, 2012.

4. “Why I Am Pro-Life” by Thomas Friedman, New York Times Sunday Review. Oct 27, 2012

5. “Solon bares small wrinkle on prolife stand” Inquirer Online News Nov 7, 2012.