how now brownpau
Check out this troll on Pex. This is the first time I’ve heard communism defined as “as being full of hot air, making noise, and carping up crap.” It’s a standard political tactic adopted by Ferdinand Marcos and other despots like him: labelling any political opposition as “communist” and having them executed, imprisoned, or defamed for it.
Man, the Local and Foreign Issues forum is going wild! It always does in times of socio-political turmoil.
We’re under a state of rebellion in Manila right now, with increased powers for the police and military to conduct arrests. I’m pleased to see that President Gloria is using it to the hilt. The pro-Erap conspirators who plotted a coup against her during the rally at Edsa are wanted for rebellion and inciting to sedition, most notably Enrile, Honasan, Santiago, Lacson, and Maceda, among others. Honasan, Lacson, (and I think Miriam) are still at large; the others have been arrested and taken into custody.
Others fear that this might be a precursor to Martial Law, but I seriously doubt it. I trust Gloria’s sense of integrity in a matter like this.
While chaos rages in the streets of Manila, I have been uploading and debugging my new and redesigned site. Everything has been recoded, and most layouts were changed where improvements in functionality and design were called for. Here’s some of what’s new:
* CSS is now used on all pages, rather than HTML tables. This makes the markup process a lot faster and a lot easier, provides more potential for creative design, and makes the site more accessible, both to standards-compliant browsers and lower-end web-browsing devices. My reasons for doing this can be found in Zeldman’s article, A Web Designer’s Journey.
* Frames in a few sections. Being on a banner-free host really helps, and this is the first time I’m able to use frames in a useful and judicious manner.
* New Respond section. I’m using the Megabook script now, heavily tweaked for use on Digitalrice. Old Respond entries are archived.
* My updated resume is now up for your perusal. Some new downloads and a lot of new pictures, too.
* A few new random blog-index pages. The number of blog pages remains the same, but I changed the layouts of those I didn’t like.
By the way, this layout will no longer display properly in Netscape 4.x or earlier browsers; it will instead display linear content. To view the layout, you need a standards-compliant browser, preferably IE5+.
Hope you like the new site! If you find any problems (e.g. broken links, bad CSS), don’t hesitate to leave me a note.
The crowd of pro-Erap rabble attempting to invade Malacañang is now being very effectively dispersed by police forces. Erap has called for peace, claiming that those marching in his support are unarmed. Untrue: one policeman has already been killed, shot in the chest with a cheap shotgun. Other pro-Erap rallyists in the march carry firearms, teargas cans, pipes, rocks, and other material. Right now, they are scattering in the streets, destroying and burning stores, cars, and other public property in their wake. In response, President Gloria has declared a state of rebellion.
The prominent pro-Erap Puwersa ng Masa senators, who earlier goaded the crowd to violence at Edsa with their calls for a class war, are now claiming they did not incite the crowd. I say that they are two-faced liars who should be arrested for their sedition and shameless abuse of the masses’ ignorance.
Another day of waking up to news of violence in the streets. The so-called “masses” are marching on Malacañang, goaded on by their Erap-loyalist leaders. Tear gas, guns, bombs, sticks, stones, and pain aplenty around there right now.
It turns out that events last night may have formed a crucial node in this national drama. Pro-Erap conspirators in high places tried, by bribery, to provoke defections in the Philippine military and start an armed revolt against President Macapagal-Arroyo’s government. They failed; not one general defected, and the military still stands firm with Gloria. She is confident that she will be able to overcome any attempt to unseat her.
The Iglesia ni Cristo sect, after a meeting with President Arroyo, has shifted loyalties. Their previously pro-Erap-biased radio and TV stations have stopped favorable round-the-clock coverage of Edsa 3, and the sect leaders may instruct their members to stop going to the rally.
Inq7 has a live updates page with the latest info on the Philippine situation.
Argh. Digitalrice sure is screwy these days. I personally am okay with the long URL, as long as fast and reliable service is offered. There have been a lot of server timeouts, and my site has to constantly live on two different URL’s. I would use a URL-shortcut service, but that messes up my stats and referrals. Now, DR says they might return the old URL’s if they get enough donations. Which means I might have to change my address again.
Hmph. Never mind the short URL’s, darn it, what I want is consistent quality service!
Well, for now, it seems to be settled at digitalrice.com/members/pau. Please adjust your links accordingly.
A contingent of proErap loyalists has set out for Makati, amid incitements from JV Ejercito to occupy the Paseo-Ayala intersection and “take on the rich.”
This is too much. This deliberate instigation of class war is going to cost our country valuable investment, precious business, and ultimately, jobs for everyone. Good God, it may even cost lives.
I don’t know if I should still go to work tomorrow.
With power-hungry politicians and their crony religious leaders taking full advantage of the poverty and ignorance of the Filipino people and fanning the flames of a brewing class conflict, plus instabilities in our military, and active dissension in the streets, we now face the very real danger of a civil war here in the Philippines.
I believed in the spirit of Edsa in 1986, and I still do today. But now I realize I was dubious about Edsa 2, because I was certain at the time that there were still better ways to resolve the issue before taking to the streets. Yet, we ousted Erap, and things seemed fine. But Edsa 2 had set a dangerous precedent, the fruit of which is this crowd of rabble: Edsa 3.
It is now altogether too easy for any popular politician to simply run down to Ortigas Center and gather a growing crowd. Add to that the blind and misguided fanaticism of El Shaddai and Iglesia ni Kristo, and you have the true spirit of what the pro-Eraps so contemptuously called “mob rule” at Edsa 2.
The situation here in Manila grows more and more worrisome by the day. The crowd of pro-Erap supporters at Edsa wants their beloved idol back in the presidency, and they’re willing to do anything, come up with any legal rationalization, and follow anyone, to see that goal achieved. A class war is in the making, and the instigators are using it to their political advantage. Early this morning, Enrile called on the rallyists to storm the TV networks. Miriam is allegedly plotting a military conspiracy.
And the poor, uneducated masses gathered at Edsa are lapping it up. They love it. They don’t realize that these power-crazed senators are just using them for their own ends. They don’t think of the ramifications. They don’t realize what this is doing to our country; that all this goading is dividing our people further and destroying the political establishments which hold our society together. They don’t consider that when they come home from the rallies and protests against the so-called “elite”, they won’t have jobs. They won’t be able to feed their families and work for their living. They will have nothing. Nothing, but their favorite movie actor, crony to a past dictator, continuing to plunder wealth from right under their noses.
Is this what the Filipino has become?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.