The different faces of disappointment

Not only does this remind me of my nephew Josh-josh, but I also know exactly how this kid feels.

CAT SLAP of the week goes to...

...the so-called Human Security Act of the Philippines for being the most wonderful source of absurdity and comical relief -- if only Filipinos wouldn't literally die laughing about it. I've combined and modified two of my previous posts on it for those who want to learn more about this anti-terror law. SHAME ON YOU GEORGE AND GLORIA! CAT SLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAP!

Scared and insecure
That’s how I feel these days, because George & Gloria have done it again. The amazing tandem has delivered a deadly blow to its opponents. The Human Security Act has finally risen from its murky depths. Hark to their proponents for their steely determination and unrelenting pursuit of power! Woe to opposing ideas and discontent, woe to disquiet and protest! The real terror is upon us.

I am a Martial Law baby, the concept of tyranny a vague one in my youth even if I have lived under its rule 'officially' for nine years and in reality, 15 years. That my father was a victim of this oppressive era only became a clearer concept to me during the EDSA Revolution. But the moment I heard that the anti-terror law was finally enforced, the first words that appeared in my mind were ‘Martial Law’. It was like déjà vu, with memories of my own making, or those inherited from my father or transferred from stories, stirring in the corners of my mind. It has now become crystal-clear: this Martial Law baby is facing the reincarnation of Martial Law.

Orwellian Newspeak
The so-called Human Security Act and Martial Law are one of the same. In this case, the act of renaming has not changed the essence. It has only confirmed the fact that when Orwellian Newspeak starts floating around, tyranny is just around the corner.

For what else would you call the act of giving legal muscle to terrorizing ones own people? The HSA says it aims to combat terrorists, those who create “a condition of widespread and extraordinary fear and panic among the populace, in order to coerce the government to give in to an unlawful demand.” It will empower enforcers …”to crush the terrorist movement in the country ... while at the same time ensuring that civil rights are protected,” said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.

Gee, that sure beats Groucho Marx' famous quote: 'military intelligence is a contradiction in terms´. In these days, my brain just refuses to function when I hear ´fighting terror´ and ´protecting civil liberties´ in one breath.

First of all, who are these terrorists? Those with long hair and beards? Those who like junkies and no good doers? Those wearing red shirts and tubao with arms raised and fists clenched? Those who would rather join NGO’s and work with the urban poor, or teach farmers not only about better farming techniques, but also about fighting for their rights? Those freedom-fighters during Martial Law, who now, even as elected Representatives get thrown into jail? What about artists, writers or bloggers, who merely state in creative ways the obvious failure of the government to protect its own people?

´Fighting terror´ and ´protecting civil liberties´ just doesn’t compute when at the whim of administration officials and the military, anyone and at anytime, can be falsely labelled ‘terrorists’, put under surveillance, their communication wiretapped, their assets seized and their movements limited WITHOUT any judicial proceeding.

Who’s terrorizing who?
´Fighting terror´ and ´protecting civil liberties´ will not work in a country where the notion of military rule over civilian empowerment still holds sway, and the idea of involving the opposition in governance, such as the Progressive Left, still an alien and undesirable option.

Remember, this is a country where terrorists = communists and communists = activists / opposition even before Bush began his war on terror. This is also a country, whose government encouraged the Philippine Left to join the elections - which it topped in the Party-List proportional representation in 2002 - but started putting the same progressive left in the line of fire. Some 800 plus journalists and members of the Progressive Left have been victims of extra judicial killings since Arroyo came into power in 2001.

It's also the same government, which recently has been exposed to have allegedly planned the neutralisation of the Left and, thus, may have begun the wave of extra-judicial killings. The paper, titled “The Bayan Muna Party-list Victory and the Prospects for its Wider National and Local Political Participation", calls for the use of massive “special intelligence operations” to counter the “grassroots clout” of Bayan Muna and its allied organizations.

But what probably is the most glaring reason why ´fighting terror´ and ´protecting civil liberties´ is a paradox in the Philippines is that the military lack genuine awareness of the breadth and depth of human rights. No less than Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, head of the EU Needs Assessment Mission (EU-NAM), which met with various government agencies and civil society organisations during its 10-day mission in June, had this to say about the Philippine Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police:

"...(T)here is a great need for more awareness of human rights laws, of international humanitarian laws, of the law of armed conflict, of how to deal with civilians who are not bearing arms caught up in the conflict or the counterinsurgency campaign."


Human Insecurity Act
The HSA is, contrary to its name, a major source of insecurity and fear amidst these trying times. It would have actually been a source of comic relief if it weren’t for the fact that we could literally die laughing. In a time of extreme makeovers and pimp-ups, changing the name of a vague and redundant law into the liberal-sounding 'Human Security Act' still failed to hide its true colours. To borrow from Conrado de Quiros: how can anything be for the security of the Filipino people if it’s something that was conceived by Juan Ponce Enrile in the Senate, to be executed by Norberto Gonzales, to be interpreted by Raul Gonzalez, and affirmed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?

The HSA hasn’t only given legal muscle to the US-backed Philippine war on terror -- it has given it long claws to strike out at those who are 'against us'. It has been given the sense of sight, but only to distinguish the shape of dissent and quell it. Woe to its creators who think they can control a monster. Courage to the rest of us in these dark, grave times.

Happy birthday Martin!

From the QB's (and Sangga) (and Kitty!)

Special LOLCAT of the week goes to...

My Daddy ;-)

Here he is happily holding onto my brother's arm during his wedding.

Professor Bayani S. Alcala -- or 'Prof' as his friends called him -- passed away three years ago today. I was right there by his side and I got to tell him everything. My dad would've loved lolcats. It was from him that I learned love and respect for cats and other animals. He loved my cats as fiercely as I did. In celebration of his life, here's a LOLCAT for you Daddy!

Mummified slug (a.k.a 'I see dead slugs')

I've just made a major discovery. I've unearthed the mummified remains of a SLUG!
In my computer!!!

Omigod.

This impacts everything we've ever assumed about this medium, how it came to be and what it will evolve into...

It's like the pyramids, Stonehenge, Aztec temples, Bermuda triangle, Roswell.
If the message is the medium, then what's the message in this case?

Death by computer.

The mummified slug and its final resting place (*Dust anyone?)

CAT SLAP of the Week

This week's -- and the rest of last year's -- winner of the Cat Slap of the Week is......................GMA!!!

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo




For not being the president of the victims of political killings and human rights abuses in the Philippines, and for rubbing salt on the wounds of the dead with the infamous Human Security Act.

Read more to see the full text of the letter from 49 members of the US House of Representatives to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urging her “strong and immediate leadership” against the continued political killings and human rights abuses in the Philippines. A LOLCAT AWARD FOR THESE 49 LEADERS!!!


August 1, 2007
Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
The Republic of the Philippines
Manila
Philippines

Dear President Arroyo:

As Members of the House of Representatives, we write to express our great concern with significant human rights violations in the Philippines and the government’s response to these violations. The Philippines has long been a close ally of the United States, and we recognize and appreciate the long-standing friendship between our two nations. Due to this historic friendship, we believe it is necessary to make clear our strong concerns regarding the ongoing human rights crisis in the Philippines. In recent years, there have been a number of well-documented abductions and extrajudicial killings. Most recently, we have received reports of the abduction and imprisonment of Pastor Berlin Guerrero. We respectfully request your attention to and intervention in these cases.

As you may know, there is increasing evidence from well-regarded human rights organizations, including the Melo Commission created by your government, which indicates the involvement of personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). The victims of these unlawful killings represent a cross-section of civil society, including church leaders and workers, journalists, labor leaders, and human rights activists. The killing of civilians who are peacefully exercising their lawful right in a democratic society to express dissent is a gross violation of universally recognized human rights and international law.

In addition, we are deeply concerned that the murders are committed in a growing environment of impunity and that efforts to investigate these killings have been lacking. The response of the AFP and PNP, as well as officials within the civilian ranks of the government, to the human rights abuses fail to hold accountable and prosecute those responsible for these crimes. The leadership of the AFP, PNP, and Cabinet officials, steadfastly deny the involvement of military forces in these killings, despite strong evidence to the contrary.

In one recent example, reports detail that on May 27, 2007, Pastor Berlin Guerrero was abducted by masked men while at a gas station with his family. The abductors beat him until he gave up the names of his family, parishioners, friends, and the password to his computer. They replaced his computer documents with their own incriminating documentation, allegedly belonging to the “underground left.” Pastor Guerrero is currently being held at Camp Pantaloon Garcia, Cavite Provincial Police Office. Accounts suggest that during his time in detention, Pastor Guerrero has been tortured. This is just one of many similar cases.

The AFP and PNP receive a significant amount of aid from the United States to assist in training and professionalizing the Philippine security forces, to combat terrorist groups,and to upgrade military equipment and hardware. We are very concerned that the extrajudicial killings could be a conscious and systematic part of the Philippine government’s counterinsurgency program and that financial assistance from our government is being used to support, directly or indirectly, those within the PNP and AFP who are responsible for the killings. The numerous reports that our and other congressional offices receive indicate the need for our close monitoring of this situation, particularly regarding the alleged use of U.S. assistance to implement the abductions and killings.

Since the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines continue unabated, and given the fact that there are many unanswered questions about the role of the Philippine government and military in these deaths, we respectfully request your strong and immediate leadership in investigating and prosecuting those individuals and/or groups, including those in the AFP and PNP, responsible for these killings, and in eliminating the underlying causes of the violence. The well-documented violence that continues with impunity must be ended.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you to resolve these cases.

Sincerely,

Brian Baird (Democrat-Washington)
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat-Wisconsin)
Howard Berman (Democrat-California)
Dan Burton (Republican-Indiana)
Julia Carson (Democrat-Indiana)
Rosa DeLauro (Democrat-Connecticut)
Keith Ellison (Democrat-Minnesota)
Phil English (Republican-Pennsylvania)
Sam Farr (Democrat-California)
Chaka Fattah (Democrat-Pennsylvania)
Trent Franks (Democrat-Massachusetts)
Raul Grijalva (Democrat-Arizona)
Luis Gutierrez (Democrat-Illinois)
Maurice Hinchey (Democrat-New York)
Mike Honda (Democrat-California)
Jesse Jackson (Democrat-Illinois)
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (Democrat-Michigan)
Mark-Steven Kirk (Republican-Illinois)
Dennis Kucinich (Democrat-Ohio)
Tom Lantos (Democrat-California)
Rick Larsen (Democrat-Washington)
Barbara Lee (Democrat-California)
John Lewis (Democrat-Georgia)
David Loebsack (Democrat-Iowa)
Zoe Lofgren (Democrat-California)
Doris Matsui (Democrat-California)
Betty McCollum (Democrat-Minnesota)
Jim McDermott (Democrat-Washington)
James McGovern (Democrat-Massachusetts)
Jerry McNerney (Democrat-California),
Mike McNulty (Democrat-New York)
Jerry Moran (Republican-Kansas)
James Oberstar (Democrat-Minnesota)
David Obey (Democrat-Wisconsin)
Donald Payne (Democrat-New Jersey)
Collin Peterson (Democrat-Minnesota)
Joe Pitts (Republican-Pennsylvania)
David Price (Democrat-North Carolina)
Jim Ramstad (Republican, Minnesota)
Steven Rothman (Democrat-New Jersey)
Bobby Rush (Democrat-Illinois)
Jan Schakowsky (Democrat-Illinois)
Adam Smith (Democrat-Washington)
Fortney Stark (Democrat-California)
Ellen Tauscher (Democrat-California)
Lee Terry (Republican-Nebraska)
John Tierney (Democrat-Massachusetts)
Tim Walz (Democrat-Minnesota)
Frank Wolf (Republican-Virginia)

Cat Slap Award

So I have LOLCATS of the Week -- my chosen lolcats, or any source that have made me happy for that week. But I think a Cat Slap Award is in order as it ought to be given to those who mess up my week.

Cat slap

One of my YouTube all-time fave: the CAT SLAP.



This is why I - even as a kid - knew that you shouldn't mess around with cats unless you get their permission.

lolcats of the week

This much I know: lolcats = happinezz

So from now on, I'm gonna pick my lolcats for the week in honour of these fehrzbolz who consitute perhaps 10% of my life's happiness.

And the winners are:



Yeah, if only people would do as they're told ;-p




This is how I spend my Friday evenings ;-)