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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Israel's Worst Nightmare
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Jan. 21, 2009 For the Standard Today, January 22 issue The entire world breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in, and withdrawal of tanks and troops from, Gaza, followed by a declaration the next day by Hamas that their militants will stop firing their rockets into Israel for the next seven days. It is a modest but necessary beginning for some serious negotiations towards a more lasting peace in the Middle East. Will the ceasefire/truce last for more than seven days? That remains to be seen. But based on numerous ceasefires and truces in the past, the future does not look the least bit encouraging. But, still, the effort has to be made. As the Gazans pick up the broken pieces of their homes and their lives, attention will be focused on the fact that of the recorded 1,300+ Palestinians killed, one fourth, one third, one half, or more than one half � depending on who is doing the counting � were civilians, meaning women, children and non-combatant men. On the Israeli side, too, four of the 13 dead � or one third of the total � were civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, when the Hamas' Qassam rockets slammed into their neighborhoods. Civilians always make up many or most of the casualties in all or most wars. Those familiar with the history of World War II know that most of the estimated 20 million people who were killed in that conflict were civilians: women, children and non-combatant men. From 1943 onwards, German cities were pulverized in Thousand Bomber raids, in retaliation for earlier German bombing of British cities, including London and Coventry.. During the day, a thousand American bombers � B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators � dropped tens of thousands of tons of bombs on German cities. At night, a thousand British bombers � Lancasters. Wellingtons and Halifaxes � dropped additional tens of thousands of tons of bombs on the same or other cities. Inevitably, most of the casualties were civilians: women, children and non-combatant men. In the most devastating raid of all, the northern German port city of Hamburg was bombed so severely by British bombers in July 1943, probably with the use of phosphorous incendiary bombs, that a firestorm was generated that consumed all the oxygen in entire neighborhoods, asphyxiating to death thousands of German women, children and non-combatant men who were hiding in their cellars and air-raid shelters. An estimated 50,000 Germans, mostly civilians, were killed in that three-day raid. (Joseph Goebel's propaganda ministry went into over-dive with photos of German civilians clearing the rubble under banners that defiantly proclaimed Unsere Mauern brachen, aber unsere Herzen nicht! [Our walls are broken, but not our hearts!]) And, of course, there is Hiroshima and there is Nagasaki. In one flash, 66,000 Japanese in the first city, and 39,000 in the second, were killed instantly, and additional tens of thousands died weeks, months, years later from their injuries or from radiation sickness. Most of them women, children and non-combatant men. Those liberal moralists who wag their accusing fingers at the Americans for using the Ultimate Weapon should know that the Germans and the Japanese were also trying to build their own atomic bombs. The Americans just beat them to it, ironically with the help of Jewish physicists who had managed to escape extermination by the Nazis in Germany and Occupied Europe. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that if the Germans and/or the Japanese had built their atomic bombs ahead of the Americans, they would not have hesitated to drop them on London, New York and/or Los Angeles, and would have killed hundreds of thousands of American and/or British women, children and non-combatant men.. As early as 1943, or perhaps even earlier, the Japanese were looking for ways to bring the war to the American mainland, in retaliation for the raid by Lt. Col. James Doolittle's carrier-launched B-25 Mitchell bombers on Tokyo in 1942. The Japanese actually launched weather balloons carrying incendiary bombs from surfaced submarines off the US West Coast, with the intention of igniting fires in American cities and forests. But they managed to kill only a party of five civilians who were having a picnic on some park in Oregon, and the plan was abandoned. Five American civilians dead in Oregon, versus 105,000 instantly dead Japanese civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (plus additional thousands of Japanese civilians dead later from injuries and radiation sickness).. The two episodes were not related, but wasn't there a "lack of proportionality" in the casualties inflicted by one side on the other? Paraphrasing Mao Zedung, war � like revolution � is not a picnic. Those who start one by attacking without warning another country's anchored fleet, or by lobbing hundreds of admittedly crude and inaccurate rockets into their neighbors' backyards, should be prepared to accept the consequences of their actions. They, of course, can gamble that they may win. But there would always be the chance that they may lose. In his cover story in Time magazine's January 19 issue, titled Why Israel Can't Win, Tim McGirk correctly argues that the "likelihood that Arabs will vastly outnumber Jews in the land stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean is a catastrophic prospect for a nation that defines itself by its faith�" McGirk cites ominous statistics: in 2008, there are 5.5 million Arabs and 5.4 million Jews in Israel and adjoining territories, meaning Gaza, the Golan Heights and the West Bank. Because most Arabs do not practice birth control (and most Jews do), by 2020, there will be 8.5 million Arabs, compared to 6.4 million Jews. A ticking demographic time bomb, McGirk calls it. In my article of July 23, 2006 titled Hezbollah"s Secret Weapon (archived in www.tapatt.org) I pointed to the presence of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in the pro-Western Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, displaced from the West Bank as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967. . In 2006, northern Israel was pummeled by rockets fired by the Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.. In 2008-09, southern Israel was hit by rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza. But in both conflicts, the Katyusha rockets and Iranian-supplied Fajr missiles could reach only 40-45 kms into Israel, keeping Tel Aviv and Jerusalem out of range. I wrote in my July 2006 article that if the Jordanian monarchy were overthrown and the Hezbollah and Hamas jihadists were suddenly let loose among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, this would be Israel's worst nightmare. Jordan is as few as 46 kms from the Mediterranean Sea. This would put the whole of Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, within range of Katyusha rockets and Fajr missiles, rendering Israel militarily indefensible against a jihadist army massed in Jordan, and making the nuclear option irresistible to the Israelis. And this could happen even before McGirk's 2020 demographic time bomb explodes..***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.com and in acabaya.blogspot.com To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to "Israel's Worst Nightmare" More Reactions to "Why Hamas Can't Win" More Reactions to "President Puno" 'Can GMA see the poverty?' 'Harry Truman after the Presidency' Re: Manny Villar Hi Mang Tony, In my opinion, if the Arab Muslims willed it, Israel should have been obliterated from the world map long ago. Israel is a tiny land in the Muslim or Arab Middle East. But what can the Arabs gain from claiming Israel? I don't think the benefits can cover the costs. But of course we know that US is behind Israel because of its strategic location and as an access point to this part of the world. US will not give up Israel and if Arabs try to invade Israel, it will be World War 3, a nuclear war that will be the end of the world and all humankind will be losers. Most of the people around the world are aware of this that's why whenever there are military exchanges there the world is watching, waiting and praying. I think it will not only be Israel's worst nightmare, it will be our worst nightmare. Edel Anit, (by email), Jan. 23, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, this explains to some extent - apart from the deadly pogroms and the Holocaust that Jews have been subjected to through two millennia - why Israel is paranoid about self-defense and survival. When states and non-state actors vow time and again to wipe Israel from the face of the map, and launch conventional wars, proxy wars and intifadas highlighted by continuous terror attacks, a vicious backlash is inevitable as demonstrated by the Gaza incursion. Unfortunately, it only serves to deepen hatreds and widen the gaps. Is time against Israel given this historical backdrop? One can never tell. As history points out, they have faced threats of extinction many times in the past, but they managed to survive and climb out of it. They are a resilient people. How the MidEast conflict can be finally laid to rest is beyond me because it takes two to tango. This, above all, seems to be the most elusive piece in the puzzle. Best, Raffy Alunan, (by email), Jan. 23, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You forgot to include the bombing of Manila which rivaled Dresden and Hamburg [email protected], Jan. 23, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww What about your own Manila after the Liberation? Loss of life and property as bad as Hiroshima/Nagasaki and Warsaw. So they say who wrote the books. Shelah Hockman, (by email), Owosso, Michigan, Jan. 23, 2009 (Not true. The fiction that Manila was one of the most devastated cities in WW2 can be traced to a statement of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, who was quoted as saying "Of all the cities I have visited, Manila is the most devastated, next only to Warsaw." What is not mentioned is that Gen. Ike had not visited Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Leningrad, Stalingrad, and dozens of other devastated cities in Europe. (Manila north of the Pasig River was almost totally untouched by the fighting in 1945. An American flying column which had landed in Lingayen raced to Manila to liberate the 3,000 American and Allied civilian prisoners interned in the UST campus. Our house on Espana St. was only two blocks away from the UST campus, and I was nine years old when Manila north of the Pasig River was liberated without any significant resistance from the Japanese. (What were destroyed � by American shelling and bombing, and some arson by the Japanese � were parts of the districts of Ermita, Malate and Singalong south of the Pasig River, where the Japanese decided to make a Last Stand in the concrete government buildings and hotels, and had to be rooted out by artillery fire from north of the Pasig River and bombs from US planes. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Thank you very much for your latest article, the above subject. Very informative and educational. No wonder that Israel reacts almost always with exagerrated firepower to make its point and to inflict huge damage in quick successions. I fear for them though about the demographic nightmare that you have drawn. But I also think that there may be some major shifts in the way America supports Israel as Obama warms up his seat in the White House. There should be some changes on how the American government looks at the Israeli-Arab situation. Israel should anticipate a slowdown of aggressive support for them as American attitude towards Arabs could cool down somewhat, as there will be more reason over passion, fairness and diplomacy over more arms support. Victor Manalac, (by email), Jan. 24, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Of course every one of the dead is one too much. But even without to be pro-Israel, they are not the main culprits to blame. First, already long before the stories about Jesus started to go around the world, and long before Mohammed pushed the Muslim religion, Israelites have been there in the region as part of Egypt. No Palestine yet. Second, the now Israel has been created by the United Nations, the place has not been selected and requested by the Jews. Third, if Palestinians would have been living there like they lived before Israel, they could by far not survive just the population of the now Gaza. It have been the Israelis who transformed desert into plantations which can export quality goods, not the Palestinians. Fourth, Gaza is small, anyone there knows that they depend on help and supply from outside, why then they make babies like rabbits, knowing that their kids have not much future out of their own abilities. And most important, why the radicals there resort to terrorism, killing, bombing, also knowing well that this cannot be a basis for any fruitful solution. How Israel can negotiate with an organization which wants Israel eliminated? It is pitiful that so many civilians became victims, no doubt about. But is not one main reason for this, that the radical groups in Gaza use civil and even religious buildings and areas as their safe houses, bomb manufactories etc., using the civilians as shield? It was easy to foresee that Israel will and cannot accept it and will not wait until Hamas has long range rockets and maybe nuclear warheads which for sure Hamas would not hesitate to launch against Israel. Israel is also a small country and no place there would be safe from even just tactical weapons. So, we have to understand their reaction, the more as Hamas always says that their goal is the destruction of Israel, not a peaceful living together. If Hamas would have the power, thousands or ten thousands of Israelis would have died. No matter that it is Israel that gave ten thousands of Gaxa people jobs and income and supplied Gaza with food, fuel, power and other basic needs. It is not the fault of Israel that the population of Gaza became too big for the small place. It seems to be used by the radicals to create pressure on the people to accept the terrorism of the radicals. They claim that they fight for survival and Israel is doing the same. It is a super cheat of the radical Muslims to use their religion for to create suicide bombers. Their religion preaches peace, not killing, unfortunately they misuse their religion as the Catholic Church did, too. Countless people have been tortured and killed in the name of God, during the world wars in every involved country soldiers, arms, bombs have bees blessed in the name of God, blessed for to kill other humans. There is a saying that "Religion is the opium of the poor".(It is from Karl Marx. ACA) Have a nice day. Kurt Setschen, (by email), Tagbilaran City, Jan. 24, 2009 Swiss resident in Bohol wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Again, I'm amazed at your incisive analysis of the unfortunate events and real victims of any war. You are right. The civilian populations always end up, as usual, casualty of any war, civil or global, whatever. Incidentally, I know you are extremely careful in your writings. Am I right, to assume that you intentionally skipped Manila in this particular war article given the fact that it was ranked as the second most devastated city in the world during the 2nd World War in terms of civilian casualties, not counting the destroyed infrastructure and private properties in the said war. Arcy F. Sibal, (by email), Sta. Maria, Bulacan, Jan. 26, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, unfortunately, all that your article does is to legitimize Israel's right to be so terrified of Arabs as to need to arm itself to the teeth and reduce all resistance to its domination to rubble. Here's a perspective that rarely gets mainstream press for you to consider. Israel is not the beleaguered state it claims to be�it is a colonial occupation, has been for the last 40 years and counting. It has been charged with numerous violations of the UN Charter and guilty of countless crimes against the Palestinian people, which any self-respecting people would protest and cry out against, but because it has the backing of the U.S. and has the largest, most well-funded PR machine (google "Israel Lobby") it's yet to be held accountable or even seen for what it really is: a rogue state� 1. "Israel�s government would like the world to believe that Hamas launched its Qassam rockets because that is what terrorists do and Hamas is a generic terrorist group. In fact, Hamas is no more a �terror organisation� (Israel�s preferred term) than the Zionist movement was during its struggle for a Jewish homeland. In the late 1930s and 1940s, parties within the Zionist movement resorted to terrorist activities for strategic reasons. According to Benny Morris, it was the Irgun that first targeted civilians. He writes in Righteous Victims that an upsurge of Arab terrorism in 1937 �triggered a wave of Irgun bombings against Arab crowds and buses, introducing a new dimension to the conflict�. He also documents atrocities committed during the 1948-49 war by the IDF, admitting in a 2004 interview, published in Ha�aretz, that material released by Israel�s Ministry of Defence showed that �there were far more Israeli acts of massacre than I had previously thought . . . In the months of April-May 1948, units of the Haganah were given operational orders that stated explicitly that they were to uproot the villagers, expel them, and destroy the villages themselves.� In a number of Palestinian villages and towns the IDF carried out organised executions of civilians. Asked by Ha�aretz whether he condemned the ethnic cleansing, Morris replied that he did not: A Jewish state would not have come into being without the uprooting of 700,000 Palestinians. Therefore it was necessary to uproot them. There was no choice but to expel that population. It was necessary to cleanse the hinterland and cleanse the border areas and cleanse the main roads. It was necessary to cleanse the villages from which our convoys and our settlements were fired on. In other words, when Jews target and kill innocent civilians to advance their national struggle, they are patriots. When their adversaries do so, they are terrorists. It is too easy to describe Hamas simply as a �terror organisation�. It is a religious nationalist movement that resorts to terrorism, as the Zionist movement did during its struggle for statehood, in the mistaken belief that it is the only way to end an oppressive occupation and bring about a Palestinian state. While Hamas�s ideology formally calls for that state to be established on the ruins of the state of Israel, this doesn�t determine Hamas�s actual policies today any more than the same declaration in the PLO charter determined Fatah�s actions. You can read the complete article here: http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=31553 Lily Mendoza, (by email), Jan. 27, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Re: Manny Villar Tony, What can you tell me about Manny Villar? Thanks for any help. Jay Brundage, (by email), Ridgefield, Connecticut, Jan. 25, 2009 (Manny Villar was a successful real estate developer before he entered politics. He rose from Congressman, to Speaker of the House, to senator, to Senate President. He is one of about eight contenders for the presidency in 2010. For more details, we suggest you Google him. His full name is Manuel Villar.ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you, Tony. I understand he is suspect in some illegal dealings also. I will Google him. When I find out more I will let you know why I am interested in him. Thanks again, Jay (Yes, Jay, he is a suspect in a deal in which the route of a proposed highway was changed so that it would pass near or through a piece of land that he had bought. Tony) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww My problem with him is much smaller but still very important to me. I guess it does not matter who he hurts, rich or poor. It may not be him directly but it is his real estate company that has hurt me. I love the Philippines very much but people like him make me think. I have no use for the current president but I hope The Philippines will be lucky in 2010 and get an honest president. Jay wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to "Why Hamas Can't Win" (Jan. 15, 2009) Tony, Amazing how OBNOXIOUS this Joi Sartar is in his response to your column. Bastos! But what can you expect from a Hamas sympathizer or supporter?. I applaud you for even bothering to reply to his email; but next time, perhaps it is better to ignore such rude responses, which is contrary to common decency. Rick Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa, Laguna, Jan. 20, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, My first was a rhetorical question. However, the other one wasn't. But instead you replied with a series of questions the way dodging brilliant Talmudic scholars famously would. That's another reason why you are my idol! Among the many you asked: "...What do you think, Louie? Who owns or should own Manhattan? Or Texas? Or Arizona? Or California? Or Florida? Or North and South Dakota? Or Mexico? Or Peru? Or Guatemala? Or the Amazon rain forest? Etc etc. The interlopers used "genocide" to dispossess the original inhabitants of their land. Why is no one up in arms to protest these blatant acts of injustice? Could it be because the whole world acknowledges that the descendants of the original inhabitants do not exercise sovereignty over these lands? " Of course, the Americans de facto own Manhattan, Texas, etc., and others who occupy those other regions you mentioned, for these Anglo and Ibero conquistadores have long ago virtually wiped out the original inhabitants, and totally emasculated the few remaining ones. Dead men tell no tale, make no claim, much less be up in arms to carry on the fight to get their land back. The Palestinians, on the other hand, have not been genocided, yet. They also have more than a billion fellow Arabs and co-religionists who in solidarity are up in arms if only figuratively for the time being because of their own present weaknesses and follies. And in addition perhaps the Palestinians have another billion moral supporters worldwide who out of sense of justice and fair play only are routing for the underdog, the dispossessed, the oppressed and other victims of injustice whose sufferings by the way both oft-pogrommed Jews and subjugated and impoverished Pinoys long under imperialists and corrupt leaders only know too well. Louie Fernandez, (by email), New Jersey, Jan. 27, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to "President Puno?" (Jan. 21, 2009) How far from the PUNO family tree is the chief justice going to fall? The same president who appointed him is the boss of the Puno brothers. The Puno brothers are the political chameleons in that they blend in regarrdless of who is in power. Jojo Vicencio, (by email), Jan. 27, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Pinagpipitaganang Ka Tony: Bilang isang simpleng mamamayan, ang inyong abang lingkod ay lubusang natutuwa at nagpapasalamat sa inyong mga pahayag sa lahat na mga aspeto ng kabuhayang-bansa. Tungkol po sa "Rey Puno for President?" ay waring napapanahon at maganda nga pong pag-usapan ito. May nais lamang pong itanong: UNA. Pwede po baga na pagkatapos na lamang magretiro -- compulsory retirement -- ni CJPuno (after May 6, 2010) siya mag-file ng certificate of candidacy? IKALAWA. Kelangan po ba talaga na may partido pulitikal siyang kina-aaniban? Hindi po kaya siya pwedeng wala na lamang partido? IKATLO. Pwede rin po kaya na may mga Partidong mag-angkin na lamang sa kanya? Tulad ni Ramon Magsaysay nung 1953? IKA-APAT. Pwede rin po kaya na huwag na lamang siyang magpaka-abala sa magugol na pangangampanya -- na malaking aksaya sa ating pambansang ekonomiya -- at ang mga mamamayan na lamang ang magkusang bumoto ng walang paghihikayat ng mga pulitiko? Bilang isang simpleng mamamayan, ako po kasi'y napalaking agam-agam nung si CJPuno ay inalok ng mga kaparian ng pamumuno sa isang revolutionary government kaugnay nung "Trillanes-Lim stand-off sa Manila-Penn." Sa simpleng analysis ko po kasi'y waring ang alok na iyon ay isang patibong! at gusto lamang buwagin/patalsikin si CJPuno ng mga hindi nasiyahan sa pagkahirang at pagkaluklok niya sa silya ng SC-Chief Justice. At nagsimula ang mga lihim na maniobra nung natapos siyang nagdiskurso nung Hunyo 12, 2007 sa Balintawak monumento, at kinondena niya ang human rights violations na nagaganap sa ating kapanahunan. Sa ganang akin po ay isang patibong lamang yung pagka-alok sa kanya ng caretaker of a revolutionary government, na waring siya rin ninyong isinusulong. Hindi po kaya higit na mabuting sa pagkaretiro na lamang ni Manong Rey, at saka siya magpasya kung kakandidato siya sa pagka-Pangulo? Kung kaya ako bilang simpleng botante at mamamayan ay salungat sa inyong panukala sa REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT. O kung magkaganun man, pwede rin namang si Manong Rey Puno ay maging isang modernong Theseus na isasakripisyo para wakasan ang pamamayani sa ating pambansang lipunan ng Multinational Minotaur, at matamo ng ating bansa at lahi ang puspusang paglaya at pagpapanibagong tatag ng ating "kulturang wasak!" Kung arusilsilin siya ngayon ay ma-aabala lamang siya sa kanyang mga gawain, at saka makapupusyaw pa rin sa integridad ng kanyang tungkulin sa Korte Suprema. Naninimdim, at nag-iisip lamang po ninyong taga-subaybay. "Kung saan tayo nadapa ay duon din tayo babangon." Irineo Perez Goce, (by email), Lipa City, Jan. 27, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, I would support calls for Chief Justice Puno to be the next President. First, given the growing hopelessness at the quality of our politics and governance greatly perceived to be devoid of moral values I as a citizen who cares for the future of his country in my desperation would thank the high heavens if a man of Chief Justice Puno's caliber would suddenly leave his comfort zone to lead his people to the promised land. I have studied Justice Puno and heard a number of his speeches. More than any other qualification which Justice Puno certainly possesses, his high moral standard stands out like a beacon in the night raising hope for all Filipinos adrift in the raging storm of their own governance like hell premonitioned by Quezon. Second, we have heard it all before that our governance is in need of non-traditional politicians. If Justice Puno does not fit this bill, I don't know who does. Third, the times call not for just any politician who thinks he is destined to be the leader because he is the most popular, moneyed, experienced, or smart. The times call for the MOST MORAL leader among all Filipinos. On his supposed association with Estelito Mendoza and Ferdinand Marcos, I'd still take my chances with CJ Puno. Who is perfect? No one. But in relative terms, Puno will be on top than anyone among the presidentiables or wannabes today. Finally, I believe that the guy who does not aspire to be the leader should be the leader. His reluctance only reveals his selflessness. After all, we are a democracy and we are duty-bound to choose the best from among us to lead us. Nothing less. Regards, Dennis Acop, (by email), Jan. 27, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I am afraid I have to agree with writer Marlow Canello about the pervasiveness of graft in the Philippines. I have witnessed it first hand and it seems it starts from the lowest bureaucrat and public servant right up to your illustrious president. You know from my previous correspondence to you that I love the Philippines and the wonderful people there but each time I go there I become a little more disillusioned. I don't know the answer, Is it CJ Puno? I don't know but I am beginning to think that the devil is a better choice than what is presently in control of the country. Conditions are ripe for a revolution now but I pray not because as usual it will be the common person who will suffer the most. I hate to see the country ripped apart by violence as there will be no real winners . I pray that some how the problems of the Philippines can be solved with out violence. Jay Brundage, (by email), Ridgefield, Connecticut, Jan. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Let CJ Puno finnish his term as CJ, and he can serve us best by protecting our constitution from being tampered with by those in power who want to extend their terms. There is a different or particular role for every person to play. The complexity of our country's political situation requires highly skilled and knowledgeable people in every segment that will influence the outcome in 2010. My opinion is that we should all focus on having the elections in 2010, and choosing the right candidate by a majority vote by making changes in the way we elect -- and not by getting our votes bought by money or by influence or by business favors now and tomorrow. CJ Puno is right that we need a moral force. I believe that there are some within government circles who share the same views and beliefs and who possess the courage to drive such force into the center of the malady that is the current administration and traditional opposition. Let not CJ Puno be distrubed or distracted from his specific role in that moral revival. Victor Manalac, (by email), Jan. 28, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Does GMA see the poverty? Tony, Thank you for adding me to your e-mail list. I had written you a letter just before you went on vacation and I have to guess you read it because I am now on your list. I have just returned from the Philippines this week. It is a country that I fell in love with the first time I was there. I love both the country and the people and have many friends there now. I am happy to see how the country is growing as far as the infrastructure is concerned , especially in Manila, but I think Madame President has her head in the sand and fails to see the poverty around her. I cry when I see how the poor are living. Is she not aware of this? I realize that poverty can not be erased over night but it will never be erased without someone realizing the extent of the problem. In my first email to you I said that Madame President has to open her eyes to what is around her. She has not done so. Fancy press releases and publicity tours do not solve the problem. It only attempts to improve her image. Such a beautiful country with such beautiful people deserve better. A man found naked and dead on the streets of Manila, most likely from starvation and exposure should wake up any sensible person as to the problems that exist with the poor and homeless. Is Madame President even aware of the problems of the poor? I doubt it. Thank you for given me the opportunity to express my feelings about your wonderful country Jay R Brundage, (by email), Ridgefield, Connecticut, Jan. 20, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Harry Truman after the Presidency Harry Truman, from Missouri , was a different kind of President. He probably made as many important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House. Historians have written the only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri .. On top of that, his wife inherited the house from her Mother. When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year. After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There were no Secret Service following them. When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, 'You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale.' Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, 'I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.' He never owned his own home and as president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food. Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjo ying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale. Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, 'My choices early in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.' Fritz Maramba, (by email), Jan. 30, 2009 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected]. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |