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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Lanao in Africa
By Antonio C. Abaya Written May 30, 2007 For the Standard Today May 31, 2007 Darkest Africa , I hasten to add. There are some countries in Black Africa, such as South Africa and Botswana , that hold peaceful, orderly and honest elections. But for sheer anarchy and blatant fraud and election-related violence, Lanao is somewhere between Sierra Leone and Somalia . Perhaps we should rename Lanao del Sur into Sierra Lanao or Lanao de la Somalia.. Having declared a failure of elections in 13 municipalities in Lanao del Sur, the Comelec proceeded to hold �special elections� last weekend, with armed soldiers acting as poll inspectors and Comelec people form Manila and the Visayas taking the place of some school teachers who were too terrified to report for poll duties. These �special elections� were protected by the presence of 4,000 additional troops and 1,000 additional policemen brought in from other provinces, backed up by armored personnel carriers on the ground and military helicopters hovering in the air.. Still the anarchy and the cheating and the violence persisted. PPCRV chair Tita de Villa, who was in the thick of it, called the exercise �chaotic and rambunctious.� Indeed we saw video clips on ANC of Wild West-type fisticuffs involving about a dozen people just outside a polling place in the town of, I believe, Masiu. And in the town of Kalamansig , a group of what may have been school teachers was screaming their protest, apparently against the transfer of the ballot boxes in their care to another place, ostensibly for tabulation. And in I don�t recall what town, somebody actually fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a polling place, blasting a six-inch hole through the concrete-hollow blocks wall of the schoolhouse. Not quite Iraq or Afghanistan , but symptomatic of our growing lawlessness. And who can forget the video clip taken by the ANC crew under the intrepid Ricky Carandang of men, said to be associated with the infamous Virgilio Garcillano in the 2004 elections, caught in the (illegal) act of transporting from the provincial treasurer�s office and unloading into the elevator of a hotel in Iligan City what was claimed to be a bundle of blank election returns forms?. No less than Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, officer-in-charge of the Lanao �special elections� task force, was in the company of the Garci people when they were videotaped by Carandang�s candid camera. Sarmiento, who is considered the most credible Comelec commissioner, smilingly explained on videotape that the blank election returns forms were safer in the hotel than in the provincial treasurer�s office. As the Americans would say, �Yeah, right!� Sarmiento was supposed to oversee the canvassing of votes in the equally chaotic Maguindanao province, where four schoolteachers have claimed that they were made to fill up ballots with the names of Team Unity candidates even before the elections began. But he has resigned from the Maguindanao post, citing that he was exhausted and was running a fever after overseeing the �special elections� in Lanao de la Somalia. Some observers think Sarmiento became �sick and tired� because of the political pressure on him to produce a 12-0-0 administration victory, in Lanao as well as in Maguindanao. Re-electionist Sen. Panfilo Lacson has suggested that Sarmiento should resign from the Comelec altogether for allowing electoral violations �right under his nose.� I totally agree with Sen. Lacson�s suggestion. If he is a man of honor, as he seems to be, Commissioner Sarmineto should resign from Comelec and tell the public his real reasons for doing so. In the meantime, the tabulation of results has ground to a crawl at both Comelec and Namfrel. With 92 out of 104 (or 88% of) certificates of canvass (CoCs) accounted for, Comelec still shows an 8-2-2 winning list in favor of the opposition. With 179,655 out of 224,748 (or 79% of) precincts accounted for, Namfrel shows a similar 8-2-2 winning list in favor of the opposition. The same 12 names appear in both the Comelec and Namfrel winning lists, in almost the same order, with only slight differences in ranking. This shows that Comelec and Namfrel are validating each other�s results. It is still possible that Juan Miguel Zubiri (TU) or Ralph Recto (TU) will gather enough votes in the remaining CoCs (or precincts, in the case of Namfrel) to dislodge Koko Pimentel (GO) from 12th place, but 7-3-2 is probably the best that TU can reasonably hope for. According to Comelec, they have not yet received the CoCs from Basilan, Shariff Kabunsuan, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Sur and Surigao del Norte provinces. They have also deferred tabulating the CoCs from Maguindanao, Sulu, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Davao del Sur provinces, and Caloocan City and Taguig-Pateros, because of unresolved protests. (Manila Standard Today, May 30, 2007). Note that all six late-reporting provinces are in Mindanao and five of them are predominantly Muslim. Of the seven provinces and cities whose CoCs have not been tabulated because of unresolved protests, five are in Mindanao , of which four are predominantly Muslim. This follows the pattern described in my article The Looong Endgame (May 28, 2007), in which results from the Muslim provinces have been (deliberately) delayed in transmittal to Comelec central command, as far back at least as the 1986 snap presidential elections, to allow �vote wholesalers� in Mindanao to sell their �goods and services� to the highest bidders, almost all of whom come from Manila. I raise this point because there are protests that Muslim provinces are being stereotyped by media as centers for electoral fraud. But what can we do? In order to understand this phenomenon and find ways to correct it in the future, we cannot hide the fact that these problem provinces are predominantly Muslim. In my particular case, I raised the point that the inhabitants of these provinces, as most of us in the rest of the archipelago, are descendants of immigrants who came from the island of Borneo during pre-Hispanic centuries. Borneo has since become part of what are now Indonesia and Malaysia , both of which are also predominantly Muslim. So the inhabitants of these problem provinces not only come from the same racial stock as the inhabitants of Indonesian Borneo (or Kalimantan ) and Malaysian Borneo, they also share the same Muslim culture. The $64,000 question is: why are Malaysia and post-Suharto Indonesia able to hold open, orderly and free elections, more or less according to international standards, while we, who have had a longer tutelage in Anglo-Saxon democracy (since 1905, under the Americans) are increasingly less able to do so? As far as I know, elections in Malaysia and post-Suharto Indonesia are not marked by wholesale or retail cheating, voter intimidation, localized civil wars, and 117 to 289 (in 2004) dead bodies of candidates, supporters, voters and electoral officials killed in election-related violence.. Why so, especially since we are told by our elders that in our pre-World War II elections, there wasn�t anything remotely resembling this endemic chaos and anarchy? If this is so, then we have been witnessing and experiencing a palpable erosion of the Rule of Law ever since the Americans withdrew direct political control in 1946. Someone wrote and pointed out that we are an unruly and undisciplined people. But, I replied, when we live and work abroad � especially in North America, Europe, Japan , South Korea , Taiwan , Australia , Singapore , Hong Kong � we are generally law-abiding. This is so because Filipinos in these countries know there is a consequence for breaking the law there: they either must pay a fine, or go to jail, or are deported, or all three. The Rule of Law prevails in these places. But when they come back, they revert to their anti-social and anarchic habits because they know that there is little or no consequence for breaking the law here. No Rule of Law. Especially if they are, or know someone who is, well-connected politically. This is graphically illustrated by the phenomenal spread of political dynasties in recent years. The henchmen of these dynasties know there is little or no consequence for breaking the law here, so they do not hesitate to commit electoral fraud, multiple voting, voter intimidation, vote-buying, documents-faking, ballot box snatching, political murders and the random firing of rocket-propelled grenades at a polling place. They know that their political masters will always tap the best judges that money can buy to get or keep them out of jail. I think it was Teddyboy Locsin who wrote decades ago that the Philippines was becoming Africanized. Sierra Lanao or Lanao de la Somalia? ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Lanao in Africa � More Reaction �God�s Chosen Doormat� �Wanted: New Leader We Can Follow� �I don�t want to be French� �Only in America � Hi, I believe that the government is also a party in the electoral fraud in Lanao and other Muslim-dominated provinces. I am just wondering if the COMELEC and the national government strictly enforce the electoral laws that will disqualify any candidate found to be buying votes, padding or destroying ballot boxes or his people grossly violating the election process then I am sure the fraud will lessen in Lanao. The Maranaws are not warriors. We are born merchants. You can find us in all malls and mercados in the country. We can follow rules if given a chance. That is the first step. It's easy to find the gross violators, almost all the current politicians. This will usher in a new crop of right-minded Maranaw politicians. The biggest question is, is the government sincere in fixing the electoral process in Muslim areas or does it want the status quo so it can manipulate the outcome of national election in its favor? I have started a blog to remind my people about why we need to change. You are free to post your comments at http://www.aratawata.com. This is not an anti-political establishment. This is more of a social movement, for peaceful social change. I believe the entire country has stakes in Ranao politics becaue if not checked, the social disease will spread and everyone will be infected with what I call "Pilandok Syndrome". It's primary symptom is asking money for one's vote and damn the consequences. I heard that people in Misamis Oriental have started acting like Pilandok. Thanks, Arata Wata, (by email), May 31, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Antonio Abaya: Your description of things are very appropriate. I for one have become cynical. Is Filipinas redeemable? Our electoral process is a Big Joke. We have become the laughing stock of the world. I guess, to the Tongressmen and Senatongs,and the other exploiteers, my opinion does not matter. I pointed out in a post, I saw and read a book titled: "The Honorable Juan Abusado" This before I left the Philippines in 1969. The "abusados" have multiplied. Just like the advise of the old man, in El Filibusterismo, p.25 of Leon Ma Guerrero translation: "make believe the crocodile has grown." Max Fabella, (by email), Florida , May 31, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww What our country need is a complete overhaul of our election system. As the cost of getting elected goes higher, so does the urge to steal from the people rise to recover expenses. A poor, intelligent common man with a desire to serve the people will not stand a chance to get elected. Artistas, news readers and other famous personalities have been elected even without enough knowledge to serve. Elective positions are being handed down generations as if they were a legacy to be passed within the family only. Now, if the system were changed so that the government takes control of the electoral process from beginning to end, better choices will be made. (The government does have control of the electoral process, from beginning to end, through the Comelec. ACA) For starters, campaigns will be restricted to radio/tv outlets paid for by the government. Screened candidates will then be given equal time to present their platform to the people. Debates will be held so that people can make an intelligent choice. To cut the candidate's cost, no political rallies or posters will be allowed. The government will post pictures and platforms from all candidates in designated areas around the city. Funding for such an electoral process can be obtained from savings the government makes as only honest and dedicated politicians will be elected. No more killings as politicking will become non-personal. Vote buying would no longer work when the electorate gets to know the real facts from listening to debates. Trees, posts and walls will be spared the glue and the nails from political posters. Eli C. Perez, (by email), Columbia , Missouri , June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Dear Mr. Abaya, In our place of work, where there are a large group of Pinoy immigrants, some newcomers, some been here for decades, others ex NPAs (so they say) and some ex Military (Marines), we usually discuss the reason of our habits of breaking the laws in the home country. And most of us agree that enough money and power can just buy about anything over there. Whereas, over in our adapted country, money and lots of them, may afford one to hire the best defense lawyer to represent him or her on the court, but it is no guarantee that a jury of 12 men and women of your own peers will get influenced or convinced by that expensive of a lawyer or lawyers. And most of the time it didn�t. That the authorities here, especially the cops, one could be also a Pilipino, would not risk his good paying job and his security and jail time for being bribed, and the shame associated with wrongdoings. Chances are he�ll be caught one way or the other. Pilipinos, Muslims or Christians as we do have all kinds of nationalities and religions, are the same as any nationalities. With strong institutions and functional justice system, where the rule of law reign supreme, they�ll be just as law-abiding as Canadians of any nationalities or Japanese or even Indonesian and Malaysian and others where governance are functional. Victor Sanoy, (by email), Scarborough, Ont. , Canada , June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tell me, sir, WHERE IS THIS COUNTRY GOING? AL Jose Leonidas, (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Lawlessness in parts of Mindanao stems from abuses of dynastic political families and their arrogant disregard for the law that prohibits the bearing of arms during elections. Cesar M. de los Reyes, (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww If I may add, Filipinos who were driving inside the then American-run Clark Air Force Base, obeyed traffic signs like stopping on a 4-way stop, yet once outside the base they show no respect to traffic rules. During the first year or two of Martial Law when there was strict implementation of laws, Filipinos were so obedient, yet when enforcement started to lax, the same law-abiding people became violators. It boils down to ENFORCEMENT/IMPLEMENTATION of laws/rules/regulations. Obviously, the COMMISSION which according to one columnist is " receiving commissions", is not living up to its mandate because Gloria Arroyo has planned it all the while to CHEAT when she appointed ABALOS who is a politician, having been a political party president, and GARCILLANO who was a certified dagdag-bawas operator, to the COMELEC. There are enough electoral laws but the problem is on the IMPLEMENTATION. Take for example the recent act of Commissioner Sarmiento when he had the election returns sent to his hotel room. This is a flagrant violation, yet he was able to get away. He can give all the excuses and reasons for doing so, but the FACT remains that SARMIENTO VIOLATED THE LAW. The problem with this immoral and illegitimate government, GINAGAGO AT LANTARANG NILOLOKO ANG TAONG BAYAN. SOBRA NA ANG PANG ILAD SA KATAWHAN. Narciso Ner, (by email), Davao City , June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi! Let us encourage everyone to boycott next election if the government will not work on electoral reforms and poll automation starting today. God bless! Jegie Pereda, (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for sending me a copy of your piece on "Lanao in Africa ". To me, it is crystal clear that the Comelec is not doing its job. It is not only a matter of dereliction of duty but perhaps, a criminal neglect or even some kind of conspiracy to manipulate the election results. We do not need any proof that can stand up in a court of law or witnesses who would be brave enough to die for principles. What we see right now in media is enough proof for all of us to indict the Comelec Chairman, Benjie Abalos (the flipside of Hello Garci) for mismanagement, failure to plan, organize, supervise and control the electoral process. This is clearly the accountability and responsibility of the CEO in Comelec, Mr. Hello Benjie Abalos. As the CEO in Comelec, Benjie is a total failure. We need not accuse him of cheating or complicity in cheating, we only need to have him account for the failure of elections, violence, violations of electoral laws, failure to act expeditiously on critical protests, even administrative lapses, conflicts of interest, (political dynasty), etc. All this is the responsibility of the CEO. And he failed as CEO. If he has a bit of decency, he should resign as Chairman of Comelec and maybe find a new career as the flipside of Hello Garci. Now we can have a singing duo called Hello Garci, Hi Benjie. We should direct all our comments, complaints about Comelec specifically and directly to the CEO in Comelec. We should all say "Hello Benjie, why have you failed us and why have you not resigned yet. Even your wife and your young girl friend (if you have one) will not be proud of you. " We should lay all the blame and responsibility for this electoral mess on the CEO. When Hello Benjie resigns then the rest of the gang should follow suit More power to you. John Salamat, (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir, The bottom line, I believe, is "easy money" for "monkey businesses" during elections. Rid those pork barrel and I think those horrible savage incidents will be minimized, if not totally eradicated. In fairness to our Muslim brothers, it is not only happening there but also in other parts of the country ( Masbate , Abra, etc.) Regards and God bless! Jun Pulido, (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You wrote: No less than Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, officer-in-charge of the Lanao "special elections" task force, was in the company of the Garci people when they were videotaped by Carandang's candid camera. Sarmiento, who is considered the most credible Comelec commissioner, smilingly explained on videotape that the blank election returns forms were safer in the hotel than in the provincial treasurer's office. As the Americans would say, "Yeah, right!" Beware of enemies with smiling faces' ( Col 2:8 paraphrased)." Eric Manalang, (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You wrote: "The same 12 names appear in both the Comelec and Namfrel winning lists, in almost the same order, with only slight differences in ranking. This shows that Comelec and Namfrel are validating each other's results. " Are we suppose to be jubilant about this???? (You do not have to be jubilant, if you do not want to. Try being a little appreciative of the hard work of hundreds of thousands of volunteers of Namfrel, PPCRV, Halal, LENTE and others who made it happen. At any rate, what do you suggest as an alternative? It is easy to curse and condemn everyone and everything, but what do you offer in its place? ACA) Do this thing mean anything at all? Is Comelec getting better, more honest- doing things right? OR, is Namfrel finally getiing it right? Swaying the "trembling" Comelec to count it the Namfrel way? (You do not seem to understand the process. Comelec bases its tabulations on certificates of canvass at the municipal and provincial levels. Namfrel bases its tabulations on election returns from the individual precincts, from which the certificates of canvass are derived. So if Comelec and Namfrel come out with substantially similar results, as they have so far, some hard-working people are doing their jobs right and should be commended, despite the usual brickbats from the usual bellyachers. Without the presence of Namfrel and other citizens� groups, the professional cheats in Comelec would have had a field day and given TU and Gloria Arroyo the results that they wanted to see. ACA) In the Philippines , I've learned early on that --many things are not what they seems to be. Alexander �Plaridel Joaquin� Po , (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww We have many laws. We need to enforce them. I guess the mother of all laws should be a law to enforce all laws. When will this anarchy last? Will the trio Lacson, Honasan, Trillanes do it? Honestly I don�t trust them, especially Honasan who caused a lot of damage on our economy, but I am willing to give them a chance, specially Trillanes, who also caused damage to our economy. Make us angrier with your write-ups, Mr. Abaya. Maybe, .one of these days, it will move us Pura Flor Isleta, (by email), June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The main reason why we are what we are, compared to other nation like Indonesia being a predominantly Muslim country, is because they have never being subjected to the pain and suffering the whole nation (Philippines) has undergone with in war. We have been in a survivor mode since then and now, for your info we have been the most destroyed country in the world second to Poland in WWII. It is going to take awhile before we got it over with, if at all. Roger Loteyro, (by email), June 02, 2007 (Not true. People often use that quotation about the Philippines being the second most destroyed country in World War II without knowing its source and the context in which it was said. It was Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, who said: �Of all the cities that I have visited, Manila is the second most devastated, next only to Warsaw .� When he said that, he had not yet visited Rotterdam , Hamburg , Dresden , Stalingrad, Leningrad , Nagasaki , Hiroshima and dozens of other devastated cities in Europe and Asia . Our house and neighborhood in Sampaloc, Manila , north of the Pasig River , were completely untouched by the war. The devastation was limited to Intramuros, Ermita, Malate and Singalong, all south of the Pasig River . ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I believe that the reasons you have enumerated as to why there is cheating in an election is just part of the problem. The main purpose of a politician who runs for public office is to win. But nobody really understands why someone wants to run. Service is just secondary, if at all. I am a Filipino-American on vacation here and had experienced first hand one of the reasons why there is cheating, intimidation and even killing during election. Take out the pork barrel, IRA and other perks of these people, from barangay tanods to Congressmen and Senators and let's have election and we will see what happens, Thanks. Bert Celera, (by email), June 02, 2007 (Contrary to popular misconception, congressmen and senators do not touch the funds known as �pork barrel.� They merely identify the projects in their districts that they want to be built or repaired by the DPWH, the DOTC and other departments of the Executive Branch. Those who are corrupt channel the projects to favored companies, from which they extract kickbacks. If you remove the pork barrel from congressmen and senators, the bureaucrats in the Executive Branch will have the sole prerogative to identify the projects to be built or repaired, and they would have the sole prerogative to give the projects to favored companies, from which the corrupt among them will extract kickbacks. Removing the pork barrel will just concentrate the corruption in the Executive Branch. The best way to stop corruption is to swiftly prosecute those found guilty of it. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for emailing me a copy of your article on "Lanao in Africa ." It was a comprehensive and insightful assessment of what you called as "the growing lawlessness in the country." I could not agree more. It is depressing as well as frightening to think that this scenario could only get worse in the near future. It feels hopeless to think that the solutions to solve this malady seem unreachable in my life time. An old man in my town despairingly said that in the same way that you cut a tree down to its roots to get rid of it, the same may have to apply to man. I cannot agree with his fateful and fatal solution and would like to think that as a people we can still rise above our selfish motivation somehow sometime. Visited your blog site and found some of your articles timely and interesting, particularly that on political dynasties. Again, thank you for taking the time to send me your articles. May you continue to enlighten and inspire the public to be more concerned and involved in things that matter in life. God bless you. Teresita Barker, (by email), June 02, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Greetings, Mr. Abaya, Thank you very much for the informative articles and comments from your readers that you send me. I am looking for the statistics regarding the sums spent by the senatorial candidates for TV and press advertisements. Could you please tell me where I could find that data? I searched the web sites of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star but did not find anything. I take this opportunity to congratulate you for your fine informative journalism. Cheers, Antonio M. de Ynchausti , (by email), June 03, 2007 (The data was collated by an NGO called Pera at Politika, but I do not know their web site. Try peraatpolitika.org. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reaction to �God�s Chosen Doormat� (April 10, 2007) Wow. I was cleaning up my inbox only to find out this article you wrote. I really enjoyed reading this article. I don't know if mine was an appropriate response but it just made me laugh. I totally agree with you. Instead of Filipinos being the chosen people, our country is a chosen doormat, not just because of the natural disasters we experience but more on the man-made socio-economic blunders made by our sooooooo corrupt leaders who worst of all, profess to be CHRISTIANS! Norman Tilos, (by email), June 05, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Wanted: New Leaders whom We can Follow! To all of you to whom this letter is addressed - If somehow we can get our act together, I know we, ordinary people with extraordinary vision, mission and challenges, can make a difference, for God and country. Rey Elizar, a fellow Christian Democrat, died last night. Rey was much younger, one of my junior CDs, back in the eighties, he was so full of life. Now he is gone? This means - we really don't have control of how long we shall live here on earth. But how we live? and what we do with our lives? that is what you and I were given in-charge of. The next few months ahead will be a period of great crisis for the Philippines . A time for choices and action. A time to separate the men from the boys. A time for heroes to get ready for their noble sacrifice and that one great challenge in life. I am willing to follow anyone of you (to whom this letter was addressed to) who has a plan, an idea on what to do? how to redeem our country? and therefore embark upon the rebirth of our Filipino Nation. All great ideas usually start with something small. And all great nations were the result of the blood and sweat of noble men and women who were willing to sacrifice and risk it all for their motherland. No individual sacrifice, no great nation.... One great lesson this 2007 election is that we cannot trust nor we cannot rely on our present batch of leaders, our politicians anymore. Ergo we have nobody else to turn to but ourselves. I am looking for a new leader to follow. If you think you are it, please reply Thanks, MD Rebueno, [email protected], June 01, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww 'I don't want to be French, I just want to steal what's best from the French.' By Bill Maher Newsweek International June 4, 2007 issue - New rule: conservatives have to stop rolling their eyes every time they hear the word France . Like just calling something French is the ultimate argument winner. "Aw, you want a health-care system that covers everybody and costs half as much? You mean like they have in France ? What's there to say about a country that was too stupid to get on board with our wonderfully conceived and brilliantly executed war in Iraq ?" Earlier this year, the Boston Globe got hold of an internal campaign document from GOP contender Mitt Romney, and a recurring strategy was to tie Democrats to the hated French. It said, in the Machiavellian code of the election huckster, "Hillary equals France ," and it envisioned bumper stickers that read FIRST, NOT FRANCE . Except for one thing: We're not first. America isn't ranked anywhere near first in anything except military might and snotty billionaires. The country that is ranked No. 1 in health care, for example, is France . The World Health Organization ranks America at 37 in the world�not two, or five�37, in between Costa Rica and Slovenia, which are both years away from discovering dentistry. Yet an American politician could not survive if he or she uttered the simple, true statement, " France has a better health-care system than us, and we should steal it." Because here, simply dismissing an idea as French passes for an argument. John Kerry? Can't vote for him�he looks French. Yeah, as opposed to the other guy, who just looked stupid. I know, if God had wanted us to learn from the Enlightenment, he wouldn't have given us Sean Hannity. And I'm not saying France is better than America . Because I assume you've already figured that out by now. I don't want to be French, I just want to take what's best from the French. Stealing, for your own self-interest. Republicans should love this idea. Taking what's best from the French: You know who else did that? The Founding Fathers. Hate to sink your toy boat, Fox News, but the Founding Fathers, the ones you say you revere, were children of the French Enlightenment, and fans of it, and they turned it into a musical called the Constitution of the United States. And they did a helluva job, so good it has been said that it was written by geniuses so it could be run by idiots. But the current administration is putting that to the test. The Founding Fathers were erudite, well-read, European-thinking aristocrats�they would have had nothing in common with, and no use for, an ill-read xenophobic bumpkin like George W. Bush. The American ideas of individuality, religious tolerance and freedom of speech came directly out of the French Enlightenment�but, shhh, don't tell Alabama . Voltaire wrote "men are born equal" before Jefferson was wise enough to steal it. Countries are like people�they tend to get smarter as they get older. Noted military genius Donald Rumsfeld famously dismissed France as part of Old Europe , but the French are ... what's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah, "mature." We think they're rude and snobby, but maybe that's because they're talking to us. For example, France just had an election, and people over there approach an election differently. They vote. Eighty-five percent turned out. The only thing 85 percent of Americans ever voted on was Sanjaya. Maybe the high turnout has something to do with the fact that the French candidates are never asked where they stand on evolution, prayer in school, abortion, stem-cell research or gay marriage. And if the candidate knows about a character in a book other than Jesus, it's not a drawback. There is no Pierre Six-pack who can be fooled by childish wedge issues. And the electorate doesn't vote for the guy they want to have a croissant with. Nor do they care about the candidate's private lives: In the recent race, S�gol�ne Royal had four kids but never bothered to get married. And she's a socialist. In America , if a Democrat even thinks you're calling him a liberal he immediately grabs an orange vest and a rifle and heads into the woods to kill something. As for the French conservative candidate, he's married but he and his wife live apart and lead separate lives. They aren't asked about it in the media, and the people are OK with it, for the same reason the people are OK with nude beaches: because they're not a nation of 6-year-olds who scream and giggle if they see pee-pee parts. They have weird ideas about privacy. They think it should be private. In France , everyone has a mistress. Even mistresses have mistresses. To not have a lady on the side says to the voters, "I'm no good at multitasking." France has its faults�the country has high unemployment, a nasty immigrant problem and all that ridiculous accordion music. But its health care is the best, it's not dependent on Mideast oil, it has the lowest poverty rate and the lowest income-inequality rate among industrialized nations, and it's the greenest, with the lowest carbon dumping and the lowest electricity bill. France has 20,000 miles of railroads that work. We have the trolley at the mall that takes you from Pottery Barn to the Gap. It has bullet trains. We have bullets. France has public intellectuals. We have Dr. Phil. And France invented sex during the day, the m�nage � trois, lingerie and the tongue. And the French are not fat. Can't we just admit we could learn something from them? Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher." � 2007 Newsweek, Inc. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Only in America I read that the Swiss bank has lifted its freeze on the plundered assets of Disini. What the bank has just said to the Filipino people is, 'if you guys are not interested in getting your stolen assets back into your government coffers, why should we bother?' Someone in government will now be getting a big kickback from the Disinis for not pursuing the repatriation of assets belonging to the Filipino people! Where is the collective outrage of our disenfranchised masses? Are we really that ignorant and clueless? Where is JUSTICE when you need her? Bobby Manasan, (by email), Virginia , June 06, 2007 "Libby sentenced to 30 months in prison� Cheney�s former chief of staff was found guilty of lying, obstructing probe AP Associated Press Updated: 9:46 p.m. ET June 5, 2007 WASHINGTON - Lawyers for I. Lewis �Scooter� Libby wrapped their client in the flag Tuesday, but the tactic didn�t work. In the end, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said Libby�s lies in the Valerie Plame affair outweighed his public service, from the Cold War to the Iraq war. Walton sentenced Vice President Dick Cheney�s former chief of staff to 2� years in prison for lying and obstructing the CIA leak investigation � the probe that showed a White House obsessed with criticism of its decision to go to war. Libby, the highest-ranking White House official sentenced to prison since the Iran-Contra affair, asked for leniency. There were testimonial letters from officials dating back decades. Attorney Theodore Wells told Walton that recognizing exceptional service �is not to give someone a break.� Walton was unpersuaded. Libby was Cheney�s national security adviser, he said, and had an obligation to make sure Plame�s CIA status was in the open before talking about it with reporters. �He surely did not make any effort to find out� whether she was covert and �for whatever reason, he chose to reveal this person�s name to several reporters,� Walton said. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to three years, while Libby had asked for probation and no time in prison. Libby�s supporters noted that he wasn�t charged with the alleged crime Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald set out to investigate, disclosing Plame�s CIA identity. 'Simply irrational' Walton, his voice rising, told Libby�s legal team that the CIA believed disclosure was a serious matter, the Justice Department opened an investigation, Libby lied to investigators �and you seem to be saying� none of that should apply at sentencing. Said Libby attorney William Jeffress: �To have this sentenced as if there was an offense of murder is simply irrational.� Walton�s verdict: �Mr. Libby failed to meet the bar. For whatever reason, he got off course.�No date was set immediately for Libby to report to prison. Reaction from the White House was still supportive of Libby � but somber. President Bush, traveling in Europe , said through a spokesman that he �felt terrible for the family,� especially Libby�s wife and children. Libby and his wife, Harriet Grant, have two school-age children, a son and a daughter. Cheney said he hoped his former top aide would prevail on appeal. Libby did not apologize and has maintained his innocence. �It is respectfully my hope that the court will consider, along with the jury verdict, my whole life,� he said in brief remarks in court before the sentencing, his first public statement about the case since his indictment in 2005. A Republican stalwart, he drew more than 150 letters of support from military commanders and diplomats who praised his government service from the Cold War through the early days of the Iraq war. He was convicted in March of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to investigators about his conversations with reporters about Plame. Fitzgerald questioned Bush and Cheney in a probe that became a symbol of the administration�s deepening problems. Cheney offers words of support �Mr. Libby was the poster child for all that has gone wrong in this terrible war,� defense attorney Wells said. �He has fallen from public grace. It is a tragic fall, a tragic fall.� Cheney, looking to Libby�s appeal, said, �Speaking as friends, we hope that our system will return a final result consistent with what we know of this fine man.� Defense attorneys sought to have the sentence delayed until appeals run out. A delay also would give Bush more time to consider calls from Libby�s allies to pardon the longtime aide. Walton said he saw no reason to put the sentence on hold but agreed to consider it. He scheduled a hearing for a week from Thursday. Libby and Fitzgerald left court without speaking to reporters. Among Libby�s supporting letter writers were former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Libby�s attorneys noted that Fitzgerald never charged anyone with leaking Plame�s identity, including former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage or White House political adviser Karl Rove, the original sources of the leak. Walton, a Bush nominee who served in the White House as deputy drug director under Bush�s father, said public officials in particular had a duty to testify honestly. His voice rising at times, he said the leak investigation was a serious one and obstructing it deserved a serious penalty. He fined Libby $250,000 and placed him on two years probation after his prison sentence expires. There is no parole in the federal system, but Libby would be eligible for release after two years. Ex-CIA agent pleased with sentence Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, applauded the sentence, and, though Fitzgerald has said his investigation is complete, they urged Libby to cooperate with authorities. �As Mr. Fitzgerald has said, a cloud remains over the vice president,� Wilson said. It was Cheney who revealed Plame�s identity to Libby in June 2003 after her husband began questioning the administration�s prewar intelligence. Several other officials testified that they, too, discussed the CIA operative with Libby as Wilson �s criticism mounted. Libby said he forgot those conversations and was surprised to learn about Plame a month later from NBC newsman Tim Russert. Russert, the government�s star witness at trial, testified the two men never discussed Plame. Fitzgerald said Libby concocted the Russert story to shield him from prosecution for improperly handling classified information. Though the trial is over, the legal fight over the leak continues. Plame and Wilson are suing Libby, Cheney and other senior Bush administration officials, accusing them of violating their privacy rights. A judge is considering whether to dismiss the lawsuit. Plame is also suing the CIA for allegedly holding up publication of her memoir, in which she wants to discuss details about her 20-year career at the intelligence agency. CIA officials say the material she wants to publish is classified." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19039377/ OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |