Philippine Atheists

The Pope quoted Byzantine Emperor, Manuel II Paleologos, back in the 14th century as saying “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find thing only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” The place that this statement was made was amazingly insensitive because this place in Germany is where there are thousands of Moslem “Guest Workers” who have been subject to ill treatment by local Fascist thugs. The Pope therefore will have fueled this racism.

Was this uttered as a slip of the tongue? Hardly in fact the Pope has form on this because just a few months before he was elected, he spoke out against Muslim Turkey joining the E.U. because he argued “Christian Europe must be defended.” The Popes credentials as anti Islam must now be well established within the Moslems world irrespective of any apologies he may make.

If the Pope really wanted dialogue with Islam leaders as he professes, he could have balanced his remarks with mention of one of his predecessors, Urban II who first summoned a Christian Jihad against Islam. He could have also drawn attention to the born-again Christians who have been at the forefront of support for the invasion of Iraq, the invasion and occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, the threat of the use of nuclear weapons against Iran and the whole “Reorganization” of the Middle East in which many thousand of Muslims have lost their lives.

If the Pope had bothered to read the bible, which it seems the Roman Catholic Church rarely recommends, he would be cognizant of the passage written there to the effect; “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

As far as my opinion goes I quote Shakespeare’s “A Plague on both Their Houses” but the hypocrisy and double standards shown in the Pope’s words make me want to vomit!

Doug Adam
Philippines

Popularity: 36% [?]

Today is the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack in New York. Five years ago today, I turned on the TV for the bi-lingual news braodcast and the first image that I saw was the live footage of the first tower of the World Trade Center burning. Still couldn’t make up what it was all about, I pressed the record button on my VHS recorder, knowing that it’s an event of significance. Not long after, a second jetliner struck the second tower. I almost cried watching them burn and crumble as by this time I was already so angry at the people who could have done it. There are the usual suspects. It could not have been an accident. This is one reason why faith, specially the fanatical type, should be re-examined for its relevance in this rapidly shrinking world where we are neighbors to people of diverse cultural background. Tolerance should be a word the believers should keep to heart. It’s the word that is last on the minds of these religious fanatics. The people who perpetrated this crime seemed to have been peaceful citizens of their communities until that time, except that in their mind, they were blinded by their faith in a phantom god. This is what happens when we blindly believe all things taught us, specially by people with political agenda, with promises of paradise and threats of hell, our belief can lead us to some unimaginable deeds.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Japan and the Philippines signed a free-trade agreement. Its most important feature is the provisions on the movement of labor. Rather than bringing the jobs home, this fake Arroyo administration sees OFWs like myself as export commodity. When I was to leave for Tokyo last June, the immigration officer held me until I produced a POEA permit. I don’t usually get an OCW permit because of lack of time and to avoid the hassles of dealing with the bureaucracy. But if I didn’t get the permit, I had to pay for travel tax and terminal fees for me and my family. Last June, I had to pay for three people, but still I had to go back to the POEA because the immigration officer wouldn’t let me leave, which I could not afford. At the POEA desk, I had to argue with the guy on the desk because he was not very quick in processing my request, my flight was close to boarding and he was not in a hurry at all pausing to listen to his colleagues gossip. After getting my POEA permit, I went back to the desk where I earlier paid for my travel tax then terminal fees if I could get my money back (1,600 + 550 for three people or about 6,500 pesos). They said I can only get my refund from the main POEA office, which I suppose is the one in EDSA corner Ortigas avenue, and which is like saying: good luck dude. We always have to pay dearly for our government’s inefficiencies. After going back to the immigration officer with the permit, she had to give me a lecture about the importance of getting the POEA for my own protection from my employer. I told her I work for a very good company, which is a fact. This company has done me more good than any of our government agencies, save the public school system. (I attended a public elementary school.) She insisted that I was making a mistake by not availing myself of the POEA permit, that if in case problems erupt in the country where I work, I will be helped by OWWA because I am registered. BIG DEAL. The war in Lebanon highlighted what kind of help I shall be expecting if and when that actually happens. The OWWA didn’t have the funds nor the muscle for such a situation. Our govenrment is so weak and ineffective when dealing with events outside our country, and yet, one of the main push of this government is to continue to commoditize its citizen, to deploy to all corners of the world. If penguins hire househelps and nannies, we’d be in Antarctica.

Our government negotiated the free trade agreement with Tokyo which includes the provision for the deployment of nurses and caregivers. The pact is about free trade. We get electronics, in exchange, the Japanese gets our nurses among other commodities. Fair trade?

Popularity: 22% [?]

IDEOLOGIES are not bad in themselves. They are often heroic and ambitious attempts to make a kind of worldview of things, even explaining them “scientifically” and extensively. In a way, they are an unavoidable stage in man’s effort to develop.

Going beyond the merely philosophical and theoretical, ideologies enter into the practical world of action, with programs, strategies and a network of agencies to carry out their ends. They convert doctrine into action.

As such, they can be useful. They can serve legitimate purposes. They can do a lot of good. Today, you cannot be unaware of them, as they are a BIG part of our lives, influencing us in most ways. We need to be wary. Continue Reading »

Popularity: 27% [?]