Sage advice for us plodding on in the 21st century

One word that may sum it up: decency

Should the lady whose image appears above be unfamiliar to you, it is quite easy to find out all about her and the things she stands for. Fortunately, in this day and age in which the development of technology happens much faster than the passing on of values such as decency, that technology gives us the opportunity to look up that which we ought to know and live.

If the other name included in the advice above is unheard of, you may look it up as well. Or not.

Maybe bathroom door signs should be "Male DNA" and "Female DNA"

There have been some topics in the past that I'd wanted to blog about but just couldn't, simply because I had nothing else to say beyond one sentence -- maybe two. For example, lately I've noticed a disturbing number of adults who cross the street with a child in tow, and with the little one on the dangerous side. Sometimes it's an adult and a child strolling on a sidewalk, with the child on the dangerous side and whose hand his/her older companion isn't even holding. I had wanted to write about it because to me that's a pretty important matter to point out. But I couldn't think of anything else to say besides "Don't people know the concept of 'the dangerous side'? Why do grown-ups cross the street with kids and let the little ones stay on the dangerous side?" Nothing else comes to mind, because in my opinion, this is something basic.

Another example is littering. You probably see a lot of them, too, specially if Manila is your home -- dudes flicking a cigarette butt just anywhere while walking, tossing a candy wrapper out of a car or jeepney window, and other such sights. Even now that care for the environment has become a concern that's broadcasted and marketed in the mainstream, these things still happen a lot. But I can think of only one thing to say regarding this:

"Don't litter."

That's it. Ah but there's one other thing:

"I am  tempted to make a citizen's arrest each time I see some fellow toss litter just anywhere."

As you can see, elaborating on the point is difficult for me. It's just so basic that more words seem superfluous.

Now lately, there have been instances which demonstrate that something I consider one of the most basic of all basic principles in life is not so basic to some people after all. And that is: boys belong in the men's room, and girls belong in the ladies' room. By that of course I mean males -- biological, natural-born -- and females -- biological, natural-born. The only exceptions I would consider are instances involving toddler and pre-schooler boys (and maybe a year or two more) in which the absence of their dad, uncle or any male relation necessitates their mom, aunt or any female relation bringing them to the ladies' room to do their bathroom business. So, basically, in my mind it's as simple as what I stated above: boys belong in the men's room, and girls belong in the ladies' room. Nothing else to say.

However, even in these times that the basic principle seems to be questionable in some quarters, I couldn't think of anything else to say to drive home the point. And then I saw this on Facebook:

Cute baby huh? The little one made me realize that it's largely about privacy.

And then, recent developments in other parts of the world regarding what have come to be referred to as "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" have helped me see that just because a person says and believes he is something doesn't mean it is so. More specifically, just because a guy says he feels that he's a girl does not mean that he is a girl and that he should expect the environment and everyone else to make adjustments to suit his belief about himself. As a matter of fact, those of us who know better are aware that condoning such a person by affirming his ideas about himself is akin to telling a dude who believes he is a superhero who can fly that he should be proud of himself for being a superhero and to go ahead and launch into flight. It simply is not helping the person any. What he needs is compassion, treatment, and to cultivate a life of faith. What he does not need is other people telling him that his delusions are real and congratulating him for being delusional. That does not sound compassionate to me; if anything, it sounds convenient -- for the people around him, because of course helping the person become grounded in reality can be immensely difficult and will require much effort.

That being said, here is one of the incidents involving the matter of bathroom privacy and the rest of society being forced by institutions to compromise their privacy (not to mention, safety and hygiene) for the sake of individuals who insist on their delusions and therefore demand that rules be adjusted to cater to these delusions. If I may say so, individuals with such a psychological condition need and deserve treatment (psycho-spiritual), not special treatment.

In this situation, a 17 year old boy decided he was actually a girl, and thus should be entitled to use the girls’ locker room and bathroom. The school bent over backwards trying to find a compromise, even offering the guy a private, unisex facility, but that wasn’t good enough. He wanted the girls’ bathroom, and of course, what the girls wanted was entirely irrelevant.

Encouragingly, some of the students in the school didn’t stand for it. They protested this week, insisting it’s not fair to expect girls to use the bathroom or undress around a boy. They’re right, obviously, but it’s worse than that. Let’s be clear: it is ABUSIVE to coerce, intimidate, or otherwise force young girls to share their facilities with a boy. I don’t care if he’s gender confused or not. I don’t care if he wears a wig or not. All I care about, all that matters, all that make a difference, is that he is a boy with boy parts, a boy’s body, a boy’s genetic makeup, a boy’s brain, a boy’s everything. He’s a boy. That’s all. That’s it. That’s the whole story.

Girls (and boys) deserve and are entitled to a safe and private place to change and do their business. It is simply unconscionable and despicable to take that away from them.

Read Forcing girls to share a bathroom with a gender-confused boy is abuse

Here's more food for thought -- involving privacy in locker rooms this time.

"Women and men being naked together in the same locker room, taking showers and doing all this and they're saying that doesn't have any component of a sexual nature to it," [Atty. David] Kallman said.

"You don't have those facts in this case," [Midland County Circuit Court Judge Michael] Beale replied.

Kallman said "we don't have to wait for that to occur" and that the transgender-friendly locker room policy itself is "sexual in nature by allowing men in the women's locker room."

Beale came back to the threshold required for sexual harassment claims several times and Kallman continued to respond by saying the policy itself is sexual in nature and that no actual sexual incidents needed to occur for that to meet the threshold.

"A hearty dose of tough love..." from a Russian sibling

Being cultured has somewhat been likened to being knowledgeable in the arts, being polished in one's manners, in one's demeanor when interacting with others, or being of a certain social class. Well, what does it mean really to be cultured? Below is something one doesn't come across everyday in these times. It starts off with this:

What does it mean to be “cultured”? Is it about being a good reader, or knowing how to talk about books you haven’t read, or having a general disposition of intellectual elegance? That’s precisely the question beloved Russian author Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) considers in a letter to his older brother Nikolai, an artist. The missive, written when Anton was 26 and Nikolai 28 and found in Letters of Anton Chekhov to his Family and Friends (public domain; public library), dispenses a hearty dose of tough love and outlines the eight qualities of cultured people — including honesty,altruism, and good habits:

And here's a part I find quite striking:

They are sincere, and lying like fire. They don’t lie even in small things. A lie is insulting to the listener and puts him in a lower position in the eyes of the speaker. They do not pose, they behave in the street as they do at home, they do not show off before their humbler comrades. They are not given to babbling and forcing their uninvited confidences on others. Out of respect for other people’s ears they more often keep silent than talk.

Read Anton Chekhov on the 8 Qualities of Cultured People

war and PEACE

"You can bomb the world to pieces... but you can't bomb it into peace."

 

Let's get 'graphic'

And some "women's advocates" in my country are stubbornly pushing for a law that ignores all these.

I sure hope my faith -- and that of many others -- in the Supreme Court of the Philippines to do the right thing and uphold the Constitution will be justified. April 8 -- the crucial date.

Online shaming, the 'age of awesome' & other features of our times

What do you do with hundreds of bookmarked links on your computer that have been bookmarked for over a year? Leave them there? That's what I've done... after repeatedly telling myself I will delete some of them because -- let's face it -- most of these just stay there without serving any purpose other than reminding me they're there just in case I'll need them/want to read them again in the future. Well, a while ago I've decided that I'll delete like mad. A lot of the materials make for good reading and do contain substantial points worth remembering or pondering -- even living by.

So, why would I keep such materials to myself? I'm randomly picking several that I'd like to share with you, starting them with an excerpt from each link:

I hadn’t fallen out of love with my husband, not remotely, but the intense self-sacrifice that was being asked of me during our first walk through a valley was enough to make a part of me yearn for my days of singlehood. Having naively expected the honeymoon to last forever, I was caught off-guard by the challenge of caring for someone I wasn’t currently feeling dizzyingly, head-over-heels, madly in love with. What had always come easy—nurturing my man and marriage—was, for the first time, hugely difficult without the consolation of romantic sentiment. In the blink of an eye, a bucket of ice cold water had crashed over my naïve, fanciful visions of what marriage was all about.

Read Refined by Fire

* * * * * * * * * *

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an international playboy. I wasn’t sure what that was, but I liked the sound of it. I imagined yachts would somehow be involved and top models. And planes: lots of planes flying hither and thither over impossibly blue skies. The day would start in New York and end in Martinique, perhaps with a stop-off for lunch in Miami, if I could be bothered. I didn’t really get to live that life (thank God), but I see it up close now and then and it makes me giggle.

Read The Virtues of Fine in the Age of Awesome

* * * * * * * * * * *

Conversations, as they tend to play out in person, are messy—full of pauses and interruptions and topic changes and assorted awkwardness. But the messiness is what allows for true exchange. It gives participants the time—and, just as important, the permission—to think and react and glean insights. “You can’t always tell, in a conversation, when the interesting bit is going to come,” Turkle says. “It’s like dancing: slow, slow, quick-quick, slow. You know? It seems boring, but all of a sudden there’s something, and whoa.”
Occasional dullness, in other words, is to be not only expected, but celebrated. Some of the best parts of conversation are, as Turkle puts it, “the boring bits.” In software terms, they’re features rather than bugs.

Read Saving the Lost Art of Conversation

* * * * * * * * * *

When Mike “Gabe” Krahulik, the artist behind the popular webcomic Penny Arcade, heard that an unprofessional PR rep for a game controller had been insulting and taunting one of his readers, he gleefully posted the damning emails to his website, along with the man’s Twitter name, for the express purpose of unleashing the Internet kraken.
“I have a real problem with bullies,” Krahulik wrote, after the marketer was deluged with hate mail. “I spent my childhood moving from school to school and I got made fun of every place I landed. I feel like he is a bully and maybe that’s why I have no sympathy here. Someday every bully meets an even bigger bully, and maybe that’s me in this case.”

But even if you think your bullying is serving a greater good, the fact remains that you’re still just a bully.

Read Why You Should Think Twice Before Shaming Anyone on Social Media


* Illustration from Creative Educator

3 guide posts

“Arrogance invites ruin; humility receives benefits.”

- Chinese proverb

“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

- Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th U.S. President

“Live so that when your children think of fairness 

and integrity, they think of you.”

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr., writer

Lavish lifestyles, poverty, and Napoles

What's wrong with flaunting one's wealth? 
Janet Lim-Napoles asks.  

Where did all that wealth come from? 
the Filipino people ask.

Janet Napoles' Pork Barrel Scam: Theft from a Nation?

Napoles wealth showcased on Jeane Napoles Instagram
(photos and video)

Contrast

The circumstances and conditions are totally different, but I thought I'd share two things I stumbled on at Facebook in this single post. The first is unfortunate, and I truly hope the problem is addressed soon to let the 18-year-old proceed to Rio for the World Youth Day festivities.

The second is simply a photo, with the act punctuated by a relevant quote worth remembering. Wish I could find the story behind the picture.

KLM's denial of Filipino WYD delegate's flight hit

MANILA, Philippines—An 18-year-old indigenous Filipino woman who was en route to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for World Youth Day was denied boarding on her onward flight on July 20 at the Kuala Lumpur airport, because personnel of KLM Airlines said she appeared “not ready to travel” even if she had a folder with full documentation supporting her trip to Brazil.

The incident involving Arjean Marie Belco of Bukidnon’s Talaandig tribe was posted on the social networking site Facebook in a letter of complaint from Goodxorg, the sponsor of her Brazil trip.

According to the Facebook post, Belco went through immigration in Malaysia without incident but was not allowed to board her connecting flight to Rio de Janeiro by a KLM employee identified as Mr. Shawa who said that Belco appeared “not ready to travel” and “that he was doubtful” about her trip, “even if she had a folder full of documentation.”

Full story 

* * * * *

UPDATE/July 23: Based on a GMA News reported July 23, the Filipino WYD delegate is on her way to Brazil.

Excerpt:

Although GoodXorg has not provided any details as to how Belco’s ordeal with the airline was resolved, the foundation said in its post on Tuesday that Petzhold immediately flew to Malaysia from Manila upon hearing of the teenager’s plight. The filmmaker reportedly talked to KLM officials and visited an attaché at the Embassy of the Philippines in Malaysia in hopes of finding a way to enable Belco to board a flight to Brazil immediately.

Read Talaandig tribal girl heads to World Youth Day in Brazil after 'travel delay' in Malaysia

A word on words

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Spanish -- his native language -- for the first time yesterday since February26 and "it feels good!" he said. In the homily he delivered in his native tongue, he delved on keeping our tongues in check. An excerpt from a news report about it:

Pope Francis continued: “There is no need to go to a psychologist to know that when we denigrates another person it is because we are unable to grow up and need to belittle others, to feel more important." This, he said, is "an ugly mechanism". Jesus, "with all the simplicity says: "Do not speak ill of one another. Do not denigrate one another. Do not belittle one another”. The Pope noted, "in the end we are all travelling on the same road", "we are all travelling on that road that will take us to the very end." Therefore "if we do not choose a fraternal path, it will end badly, for the person who insults and the insulted". The Pope noted that "if we are not able to keep our tongues in check, we lose”.

Read Pope at Mass: The grace not to speak ill of others

Watch a video report

Faking reality

I wonder if any scam artists read my blog. Well, if you happen to be one but refuse to admit it even to yourself, go get help. And think about this:


"People think that a liar gains a victory over his victim. What I’ve learned is that a lie is an act of self-abdication, because one surrenders one’s reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person one’s master, condemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that person’s view requires to be faked…The man who lies to the world, is the world’s slave from then on."


- Ayn Rand (1905-1982), novelist, screenwriter

How much online pollution is one willing to take?

Before leaving the house this morning, I struggled with a bunch of tangled-up necklaces, aiming for the one with the glass beads, which I hadn't worn in quite a while. When pulling it out from the hook holding all the accessories proved unsuccessful, I took down all the necklaces and gingerly tugged at the one I wanted. When that didn't work, I sort of let go of a couple of the chains, hoping they would fall off from the bunch thereby letting loose the glass-beads one that started this whole untangling challenge. No luck.

Okay, just carefully untangle the tangled parts one by one and you'll get there soon enough, I told myself while thinking how much a boost to my self-esteem it would be once I successfully pulled out the blue-silver-and-gray set of chains I was fixated on (this self-confidence issue and tangled chains, cables and other kinds of cords deserves its own blog post!). Then I wondered, do most of the millions of Facebook users type status messages -- even the most mundane ones -- for the sake of their self-esteem? Does it work? Does it make them feel like celebrities? Do they end up feeling loved? I read halfway through someone's blog post about this unfortunate phenomenon of social media junkies proclaiming their opinions about everything, and it made me feel better. One does not have to acquire a bourgeoisie mentality (or to feel territorial about writing) to be disenchanted by the whole thing. I mean, when erroneous statements or really shallow views make it to the public sphere -- and worse, when netizens give their nod to such proclamations... and worst, when the dudes who make lacking-in-substance statements acquire quasi-icon status in the process -- one can swim in the waters of discouragement for some time.

But nothing can get me down and cause me more sorrow than seeing serious condescension toward another -- and by "serious" I don't mean devoid of "LOL," "hehe" or other such devices that may sometimes serve the same purpose as "Just sayin'" at the end of a potentially controversial assertion. I suppose no one is spared from occasions of expressing feelings of superiority toward others in some way. However, social media has been around long enough to make the pattern predictable: someone does something deemed way down below on the intelligence meter (or the integrity index), and all hell breaks loose, verbally speaking. And it's not of the "Oh, crap!" variety. Or maybe "What a stupid rock! It doesn't even grow and reproduce!" Or "My dog has the 'personality' of a paper clip." Or even "No-good avocado tree! Puro asthma attack na nga inaabot ng kapitbahay sa kakapausok ko sa 'yo! Ni isang bunga wala pa rin! Die! Just die!"

No, the words that can fill networking sites with such ire are directed at persons. Who knew uttering words that don't belong in civilized conversation in the real world could one day be hurled at persons by the minute in an alternate plane? And you even get to have an audience while you do so.

Thing is, there's no filter for this kind of online pollution on social media -- unless you want to see your FB friend list (or Twitter "followees") dwindle down to... maybe 30? 20? 5? But if that's the case, why would you still be on Facebook? What purpose would a Twitter account serve then? There are other digital ways of keeping in touch with the people who have a knack for spreading the love and cleaning up the mess made by others without spewing out their own dirt in the process.

The great thing is that one always has a choice on how much to participate in the online world. And that's just what I've been trying to figure out myself. One can always say -- with a tinge of doubt somewhere in there -- "I need to be on Facebook" and for vital reasons. But one can also sometimes fall into thinking that his/her presence in social media is somewhat indispensable, or that keeping away from the wired means of sharing information or drowning evil in an abundance of good -- as St. Josemaria put it -- means one isn't doing his/her part in putting Christ at the summit of all human activity.

There are trade-offs, and -- just like in other aspects of life, be it field of study, this job or that job, parenting style, and the "little" day-to-day decisions -- what will probably determine the choice are one's priorities.

Decisions, decisions. Choice -- the buzzword in some circles for many years now. I'm grateful for choices and for the fact that we in this day and age have the benefit of having more of them. But really, having so many options to choose from can sometimes be confusing. One thing's for sure -- this isn't going to be like one of those decision-making moments involving "glass-beads necklace or vintage velvet choker" choices.


* Graphics from Multilingual BPO and Elexu 

Celebrating the RH bill’s enactment into law: Doing the right thing?

How can it be the right thing when you help promote irresponsible parenthood by transferring to the State the parental duty of forming one’s children? When you needlessly endanger -- seriously in many cases -- the health of women and then even require taxpayers to finance putting women's lives at risk? When you treat poor people like animals and assume they can't learn or discipline themselves or think for themselves if given the correct information and encouragement? When you force people of faith to violate their faith and then call the measure something that promotes freedom of choice? 

How can it be the right thing when your message to people is basically to enjoy sex and make pill-popping or condom use a regular part of their lifestyle, then force others to pay for all that? When you keep insisting that what other people do in their bedroom is none of our business while you expect us to finance their enjoyment of sex – whether extra-marital, pre-marital, sodomitical or criminal?

How can it be the right thing when the basic premise of its sex education program is that satisfying, pleasurable and safe sex is a right – and a human right at that – and a priority in life starting from adolescence? When this message is delivered through six years of the same basic idea? When educators and educational institutions are required to deliver this message to their students?

How can it be the right thing when a massive budget will be devoted to ingraining in the youth such a message, when it’s goal-setting, decision-making, traits such as integrity, honesty, perseverance, self-mastery, diligence, other-centeredness, delicadeza, sincerity, respect for elders, love of family and country, and other life lessons that they need to be equipped with to prepare them for the future?

How can signing an RH measure into law be the right thing when it will clearly destroy the future and the very soul of the nation?

The goal is to build a nation, preserve it, and protect its people’s fundamental rights – not destroy the nation and strip its people of their rights.

Mr. President, you have wronged the Filipino people --

big time.

It's not really a tough choice

 Okay, I was logging out of some sites to get ready to watch Get Smart, a movie I had seen before but which I find really funny. And then I again remembered that election day in the US is only days away. What does that have to do with me since I'm halfway around the world from that country? A lot, since political developments in the West have a way of almost dictating the course of events to take place in the Philippines. In other words, my country is not spared from the ripple effects of what goes on in America.

Let me share some links to relevant materials that deserve consideration, if you'd like to be better informed before casting your vote on November 6.

First, the televised debates -- you can watch the full vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan here while the final presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney is here. 

This one is a pretty new editorial that dwells on the Libya issue which blew up on the anniversary of 9/11. An excerpt:

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans died in a well-planned military assault on their diplomatic mission in Benghazi seven weeks ago, the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So why are details surfacing, piecemeal, only now?

The Obama administration sat by doing nothing for seven hours that night, ignoring calls to dispatch help from our bases in Italy, less than two hours away. It has spent the past seven weeks stretching the story out, engaging in misdirection and deception involving supposed indigenous outrage over an obscure anti-Muslim video, confident that with the aid of a docile press corps this infamous climax to four years of misguided foreign policy can be swept under the rug, at least until after Tuesday's election.

Then related to this development is the following video, uploaded Oct. 24:





Oh, and did I mention that I think the current US president is not presidential at all? I won't even go into his administration's foreign policy, economic programs, or the developments in education because I know very little about that -- more importantly, because even before dwelling on those matters, a nation needs a leader who is first and foremost a decent person. What kind of person believes that only some human beings are entitled to human rights while others do not deserve these at all? Talk about discrimination! I'm referring to a piece of legislation he struck down four times, when the measure was formulated to provide protection to babies who were victims of abortion but managed to survive the procedure. Here's part of a previous piece I posted on that, titled When the future looks bright...:

I think this year's March for Life takes on an even deeper significance because the United States's new leader is one who seems to discriminate against some persons as far as recognizing and respecting their dignity is concerned. It is very saddening.

I find it quite disturbing that the person occupying the highest office in that country advocates allowing a newborn to die instead of being given life-saving medical attention, if the baby happened to survive an abortion. In essence, that's what Pres. Obama said when he -- as a legislator -- repeatedly struck down the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which extends legal protection to an infant born alive after a failed attempt at induced abortion. For him, the law should let a baby who survives an abortion be left alone to die.

You can read the whole thing here.

Now, though the electoral process is not a religious thing, faith does and should figure in the decision-making process of any responsible citizen in electing his government leaders, particularly when religious liberty is clearly being threatened by the current administration's policies. Here's what I mean:

Not only is the incumbent the most pro-abortion president ever to occupy the office, but he has also deliberately picked a fight with the Catholic Church by requiring Catholic employers to participate in the provision of abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization to their employees — all things the Church teaches are intrinsically evil. This divisive and unnecessary infringement on religious liberty by President Obama drew criticism from conservatives and liberals alike, and it prompted bishops, priests, and deacons in nearly every Catholic church in America to take to the pulpit in protest — an unprecedented event in American history.

And all this while the ranks of America’s poor have increased to record levels on Mr. Obama’s watch.

Mitt Romney is the only presidential candidate in this election whom Catholic voters can support while remaining true to their faith. All allegedly Catholic arguments in favor of Mr. Obama rely on gross misconceptions of Catholic doctrine.

You can read the full article here.

Now, if all you have is one minute, I suggest you watch the video below. Really, decency in our times has become underrated. National leaders are meant to lead by example as they go about their duties in office; I don't know anyone in his right mind who would say the current president exemplifies the sound values that the next generation should strive to acquire, making him worthy of emulation.






Then here's something to give you an idea of the situation at a glance. The choice on Nov. 6 is yours.

To all freedom-loving people

The US presidential elections are coming up. This one's for you, Americans! For the rest of us, this is certainly something to ponder on, again and again. Are we headed in the same direction, Filipinos? Many seem to still be infatuated by a piece of legislation that is essentially unnecessary and indicative of a very low regard for poor people.

What's going on here?

 It's been months since the last time I shared a compilation of links to crucial and interesting news and commentaries. So, here's the latest, all dated October. Fresh goings-on!


After winning the right to die, NY woman wants to live
After winning the right to refuse life-sustaining treatment, a woman in New York has decided that she wants to live. Grace Sung Eun Lee, 28, a financial manager working in Manhattan was so healthy that she was training for a marathon when she became paralysed.


Pelosi, Sebelius are not representative of Catholic women, nine Catholic women write
According to some in today’s popular culture, being a “Catholic woman” is practically an oxymoron. In a newly-released book, nine women of faith seek to dispel that myth. 

The book, Breaking Through: Catholic Women Speak for Themselves, is edited by Helen Alvaré, a Witherspoon Institute Senior Fellow in Princeton.


Obama, media, feminists push taxpayer-funded mustard gas for women
I don’t know what it’s going to take to get people to comprehend that hormonal contraceptives – i.e., the birth control pill, implants, and rings – are rated by the United Nations World Health Organization as “Group 1 Carcinogens,” as toxic and in the same class as asbestos, mustard gas, and tobacco.


Pro-lifers in over 100 cities and towns across Spain join 3rd annual March for Life
Hundreds of pro-life groups and thousands of individuals in over 100 towns across Spain mobilized Sunday for the country’s third annual March for Life. Participants called on Spain’s new, more conservative government to close the “psychological risk” loophole in Spain’s abortion legislation that has led to over a million deaths, to stop the eugenic killing of disabled unborn children, and to end abortion altogether in Spain.


Obama okay with child soldiers in Africa
So in a public speech last Wednesday The Big 0 acts like the human rights big shot, then late Friday sneaks an Executive Memo waiving al sanctions against the three worst offenders - Libya, Yemen, and South Sudan. How can people who think themselves progressives swallow these lies? We're talking about the gravest human rights, where little boys are captured, drugged, brutalized and made into killers (see my 2008 post on African autobiographies . 


Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity 2012
Tuesday, October 16 is the ninth annual Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity.

For one day, people all over the world will give up their voices in solidarity with babies who have had their voices silenced by abortion.



* Illustration from tvtropes.org

Bad move by a young public servant

A public servant is seeking to impose a ban on the Creator of all human life.

That's what it all boils down to, but many -- particularly the lawmaker who proposed to legislate a path toward Godlessness -- fail to see it that way. Why? Perhaps for the same reason that it's easy to fall into professing one's faith then forget to live one's day-to-day life according to the teachings of that faith: the connection between faith/religious belief and daily life is overlooked.

When Congressman Raymond Palatino -- who represents Kabataan Party List -- filed a bill prohibiting the conduct of religious ceremonies and the display of religious symbols "within the premises and perimeter of offices, departments and bureaus, including publicly owned spaces and corridors within such offices, departments and bureaus," he obviously failed to consider that he was, in effect, imposing a ban on God. Ceremonies such as the Mass, and religious symbols such as crucifixes, pictures of the Blessed Mother, statues of canonized saints, for instance, are expressions of faith in God. Sure, a small statue of Our Lady of Fatima or a portrait of St. Pio may indicate a special devotion to Mother Mary or the Franciscan stigmatist, but if the person's faith and understanding run deep, the devotion is rooted in a love for the Source of all that's good -- God.

So really, though the solon claims legitimate reasons for the "need" for the bill, what he's doing is violating people's personal freedom. And as mentioned above, banning the Source of all life, the Maker of heaven and earth.

One of the things that occurred to me after considering this piece of legislation was that should it be enacted into law, then it wouldn't be surprising if corruption in government and the incidence of crimes being committed by workers in government offices see an upsurge. Why? Many times it's only simple reminders of right and wrong that keep a person on the right path. In government, which is not spared from situations that pose temptations to the people around, how much more will such temptations be difficult to resist if you take away the bible, the portrait of Mama Mary, the sight of the Savior showing his unconditional love via the cross, and images of heroic people down the centuries who persevered to stay faithful?

Good thing we have some legislators who don't let such things pass. Congressman Roilo Golez of Paranaque spoke up and inadvertently made it clear that the younger solon didn't spend a lot of time thinking things through before filing the bill.

Read all about it here

Church officials also made brilliant points about the matter here and here

* * * * * * * * * *

ABS-CBN came out with a report titled Solon withdraws 'Ban God' bill, says sorry days ago, yet nowhere in the article does it say that Palatino has already withdrawn his bill. The closest to this is:

In a statement, Palatino said he is withdrawing House Bill 6330 “in response to the appeal and clamor of some of our members, constituents and supporters, various groups, institutions and the general public to reconsider the filing of such measure.”

As a friend pointed out, is this merely your usual "press release" meant to appease protesters and vigilant citizens? Is there truly an intention of withdrawing the "Ban God" bill? Wish someone would ask the congressman point blank and get a straight answer.


Addendum: I came across this statement on the Kabataan Party List website just now. Same thing -- no mention of the solon already having officially withdrawn the bill. But there are contact numbers through which the lawmaker's Chief of Staff may be reached. Express your sentiments; clarify whether or not her boss has already done what he said he plans to do about the measure. Get in touch with:

Vanessa Faye Bolibol (Chief-of-Staff Kabataan PL Rep. Palatino)
0926-1703655/ 0933-5660635

(Too) Loud and clear

"Pabayaan mo na. Malapit na naman silang matapos eh." (Just let it be. They'll be done soon anyway.)

Ah, yes, we've been saying that for the past three months, I muttered.

What's there to let be? The auditory assault that results from the boombox-playing right at this moment next door, where a construction has been going on even before we moved to our new home in October last year. I'm not sure if it's only in Manila (or only in the Philippines even), but where there's a residential construction going on, there's bound to be really loud music playing as well.

Let me write from the outset that the issue here may not be a matter of decibels but of musical tastes. But first, a backgrounder...

It was October when we moved to this new neighborhood. It's not a gated community which would normally have strict guidelines regarding loud music or visitors entering-exiting the village. By then, the lot beside ours was well into constructing what looked like a huge two-storey house. And by then, the daily banter of the workers wafted into our living room window; music blasting from some player drifted into our abode as well. But usually we were too preoccupied with housework to notice. After all, we had just moved, and there was unpacking to do, painting jobs to watch, furniture arrangement/disposal to decide on, more unpacking to do, missing things to look for, and still more unpacking to do.

I think it was towards Christmas that the din next door started to be really noticeable. Still, patience was practiced, owing largely to the spirit of the Season of giving.

The new year came and the house next door was still far from complete. Not only that -- we had to contend with more noise on a daily basis: the cement mixer at work, the jackhammer doing its nerve-wracking work, various power tools whirring about, and other things construction workers probably take for granted but which would drive normal people to either whine in exasperation or yell invectives in sheer annoyance.

"Bakit ba kailangan nilang magsigawan pag nag-uusap eh magkakatabi lang naman sila? (Why do they have to yell at each other when they talk when they're just beside each other?)" I asked my mom one day, irritated by the non-existent moderation in the workers' conduct of conversations.

"Sanay sila sa maiingay na makina kaya kahit hindi na naka-on ang makina, linalakasan pa din nila ang boses nila (They're used to noisy machines so even though the machines are turned off, they still talk at the top of their lungs)" she explained, half-amused.



I understood that machinery was a normal part of every construction site. And talking is a normal part of everyday life at work. But what really got to me was the noise blasting from the music player day in and day out. It was fast, usually techno or metal. Sometimes they had some Pinoy ballads playing for some emo moments. But must they up the volume that half the barangay would hear it? Sometimes, it wasn't even 8am yet and the drum beats of some song would already be vibrating over the fence.

So one morning not long ago, when some techno-pop tune pierced the air yet again while I was savoring my breakfast (it was shortly before 7am), I walked to the telephone and gave the barangay hall a call. After describing the situation, even mentioning that I had already talked with the foreman once and kindly requested that they turn down the music because they may not notice that it becomes loud enough to awaken my mother in slumber many times, I was told to wait and that somebody from the barangay accompanied by a policeman would drop in on the rowdy dudes.

Smug, I waited. I savored the moments leading up to the abrupt ceasing of the music, which came around 10 minutes later. Ahhh silence. Everyday since then felt like a normal day. My family and I felt like normal persons.

Until today, when loud music greeted us again at breakfast. What was the occasion? Had they all awakened with amnesia? I'm not sure what the reason was but I'm glad I had to be out of the house till mid-afternoon. Upon coming home, it was reasonably quiet...until a little later when the techno drum beats were at it again, prompting my exasperated query about the resurrected noise and eliciting the "Pabayaan mo na..." reply of our house helper.

Right now, no musical instruments can be heard over speakers. But one of the dudes has taken to singing a capella at the top of his lungs every few minutes. Sigh. Pabayaan na. Well, it is a weekend. And we did have a two-week break or something like that from the auditory assault. Pabayaan na.

Come Monday morning, let's see. In my opinion, a mindset like "pabayaan na" can be a manifestation of mercy and patience. On the other hand, it can also be an excuse for letting things just slide by when the right thing to do is to take a practical measure.

Let's see if the sound of silence prevails come Monday morning.


* Illustration by Royston Robertson

When the future looks bright...

... why don't the pessimists simply wear shades? Why do they work to spread darkness around the world?

This seems to be what leaders of the "free world" have been doing for some time now. It's no secret now that the present US administration is consistently calling for universal access to the procedure in which unborn babies are deliberately killed. Can they not be satisfied with having their own babies killed? Must they now extend their reach to the lives of people living in other parts of the world?

A nation that kills its own children is a nation without hope, said the late Pope John Paul II. I wonder how the current US president and his supporters regard the growing life inside a mother's womb. A blob of tissue or some other similar concept that defies science? But then why am I surprised? The president is known for having a low regard for the lives of others, betraying a hint of discrimination and an ignorance of the principle of equality. Here's an excerpt from an entry I wrote two years ago about the March for Life:

I think this year's March for Life takes on an even deeper significance because the United States's new leader is one who seems to discriminate against some persons as far as recognizing and respecting their dignity is concerned. It is very saddening.

I find it quite disturbing that the person occupying the highest office in that country advocates allowing a newborn to die instead of being given life-saving medical attention, if the baby happened to survive an abortion. In essence, that's what Pres. Obama said when he -- as a legislator -- repeatedly struck down the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which extends legal protection to an infant born alive after a failed attempt at induced abortion. For him, the law should let a baby who survives an abortion be left alone to die. And just now I learned from this 2002 article that Obama also "opposed measures to criminalize those who transport minors across state lines for the purpose of obtaining an abortion." Isn't this tantamount to protecting old men who prey on minors from arrest? I realize this article is six years old, but if it's accurate, and unless Obama has changed his stance on the matter, the time element is irrelevant.

This is the much-celebrated new leader of the "Land of the Free"?

To be sure, I'm not in a ranting mood. So what caused this post that dwells on the American president's anti-human-rights-for-pre-born-babies position? Well, while link-hopping to search for news and pictures of the just-concluded March for Life, I came across a striking statement. From the Jan. 22 article:

"President Barack Obama is marking the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision on abortion by calling the procedure a constitutional right he's committed to protecting."

With a leader like that, the country's citizens had better take to heart that adage which says that what's necessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing. Doing nothing ought not to be an option, and in doing what's right, it pays to look to a civil rights advocate for some guidance:

"The time is always right to do what is right."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Integrity

"To be persuasive we must be believable;
to be believable we must be credible;
to be credible we must be truthful."

-- Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965), American journalist