The Dutch are considered the world’s foremost experts on keeping land dry. Their system of dikes and pumps serves as models for conquering nature to many low-lying communities around the world. But as the world tries to emulate Dutch water management techniques, a group of innovative Dutch architects are creating radical designs that depart from the old concept of keeping the water out.
Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio, NL, one of the leading proponents of the new approach to dealing with water, explains why climate change makes it necessary to rethink established ways,
“…we are actually trying to move away from fighting against the water. Now we are beginning to let the water in and we are starting to make friends with the water. We have to do that because eventually the dikes won’t be able to keep up and all of this part of Holland will be flooded. So, it’s better just to work with the water instead of fighting against it.”
And so Olthuis and like-minded thinkers are designing floating and amphibious houses, buildings, and even islands.
Floating houses are like houseboats; they float on water all the time. Amphibious houses, on the other hand, are structures that sit on dry land, built on a hollow concrete base for buoyancy, and attached to mooring posts that allow the houses to float upwards, and in place, when there is flooding.
There are structures that are simply built in the wrong places. Lack of urban planning and poor zoning have allowed housing developments like Provident Village to mushroom in flood plains like the Marikina Valley.
It’s too late to flood-proof structures already built, but new buildings and development projects can be constructed with flooding in mind.
Maasbommel, a village about a hundred miles from Amsterdam, is in an area prone to severe flooding. In the 1990s, two floods devastated the area and forced the evacuations of thousands. Prospects for rehabilitating the area looked dim until a Dutch construction company, Dura Vermeer, decided to start a housing project consisting of floating and amphibious houses. Today, a new water-friendly community sits on the banks of the Meuse River in Maasbommel.
The project, although experimental and small—15 floating and 35 amphibious houses plus a floating greenhouse—has attracted international attention. BBC news reported that officials from New Orleans visited Maasbommel to see how these houses worked. But floating and amphibious houses are only the beginning.
Koen Olthuis and his partner Paul van de Camp are building a series of floating islands for the ruler of Dubai.
“Each island is stable. There’s some damping and mooring systems underneath it, so if you’re living on such an island, it feels exactly the same as a normal house. One or two days a year, when there’s a big storm, you may feel a little bit of shaking, but 97 percent of the time it’s absolutely the same as a normal house,” said Olthuis.
Olthuis has also submitted designs for a floating beach, four floating mosques that will be tethered to the islands, a floating terminal for cruise ships, and a 400–foot-tall floating hotel.
The point is, nature cannot be conquered. We just have to learn how to deal creatively with whatever it gives us.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Trouble is, learning and creativity ain’t Da Pinoy’s strongest points.
As I described earlier, what the Filipino stands for are antitheses of the virtues needed to “deal with” stuff:
Bahala na.
Pwede na yan.
Impunity.
Evidence of a refusal to learn is our refusal to take a different approach to regarding our politicians.
One of the obvious next steps is to grill those who presume to aspire to lead our lot on how they envision the next six years will be like — not just with regard to Metro Manila flooding, but with EVERYTHING to do with ensuring not just the survival of Pinoy society but its future prospects to thrive and prosper. How hard can that be? Obviously quite hard — for minds that refuse to learn and lack any faculties for creativity.
The key therefore (having the big picture in mind as bigger minds are inclined to explore) lies in changing the way Filipinos think in general, from one stuck in medieval/feudal belief systems to one befitting a people ready to face the challenges of the 21st Century.
It’s all up to us and it’s all up to our ability to step up. The challenge is not just to survive it is to THRIVE. The challenge is not just to “deal with it”, but to CONQUER, OVERCOME, and SUBDUE.
It’s time we let go of our flaccid take on our future and take a bit of personal accountability in terms of our willingness to SEIZE control of our destinies.
Victimology will predict that there will b e Pinoys who will say this:
“Evidence of a refusal to learn is our refusal to take a different approach to regarding our politicians.
One of the obvious next steps is to grill those who presume to aspire to lead our lot on how they envision the next six years will be like — not just with regard to Metro Manila flooding, but with EVERYTHING to do with ensuring not just the survival of Pinoy society but its future prospects to thrive and prosper. How hard can that be? Obviously quite hard — for minds that refuse to learn and lack any faculties for creativity.”-benignO
Done that: grilled, threatened, flattered, begged, cajoled, everything. Failing those, in exasperation, we “surged the gates”. But failed as well.
Because there were those lazy ones hollering, “Move On!”, or, “Wait for 2010!”.
Bert:
You missed your cue – when your manok lied in public through the teeth – she declared she will not run and then she did – How could you miss that?
Let’s use your buybull for reference:
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
Luke 16:10-11
BongV,
Sounds like a “character” before platform argument to me. You sure Villar is a guy to trust?
Joe
BongV,
You’re arguing by referring to an entity you don’t believe.
Therefore, your argument is not believable to you.
Therefore, you’re not believable. hehehehe.
Joe:
As I previously mentioned, trust is a prerequisite.
However, when the slate is filled with equally untrustworthy candidates, then, you’ll need to look for something else that the candidate possesses which can translate into a win for the country.
The grilling is happening already.
Some of the grillers are not happy with the responses
they heard from Noynoy or from Chiz nor from Gibo.
http://newsbreak.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6910&Itemid=88889051
Benigno,
Bahala na, pwede na yan, and impunity applies to some, not to all Filipinos. So if you believe in survival of the fittest then you need not worry about those with negative traits; they will be sorted out.
The country is becoming urbanised and cosmopolitan whether we like it or not, so those with anti-competitive traits will have to adjust whether they like it or not because transformation is now a matter of survival rather than choice.
But for the sake of argument those traits you cited are not unique to Filipinos. The world’s discoverers must have had a bahala na attitude when they ventured into unknown waters. Men pursued the space program not knowing whether it could be done so a certain amount of bahala na was also needed for that. When the first atomic bomb was tested, scientists did not know if the bomb would set off a chain reaction that would destroy the entire planet. But they did it anyway because they needed a weapon to win the war so bahala na.
Of course, pwede na yan is not a good trait. It is a mark of human weakness, laziness and lack of pride in one’s work if you will. But we don’t own that trait. Look around you and you will see it everywhere among all peoples. Look at all the recalled products and infrastructures that fail. Watch air crash investigations on Nat Geo or discovery and you will see pwede na.
The same goes for ownership of impunity. Pollution, disappearing forests, climate change etc are consequences of pursuing profits with impunity.
But an attitude of impunity is the real danger. It is at the root of the pwede na attitude. It says if you can get away with it doing the minimum then why not?Impunity is also one of those negative traits nourished by a competitive system that rewards winning at any cost.
Do not assign exclusive ownership to all Filipinos those traits that can also be found among certain people in other societies.
MCB:
Still boils down to a matter of proportion – saan mas maraming BUGOK!
BongV
saan nga ba?
MCB:
Aling listahan ang gusto?
Global list of competitiveness index?
Corruption index?
Human Development Index?
You are right manuel precisely because there is a single human nature.
Mr. buencamino:
(1) My assertion is that bahala-na, pwede-na-yan, and impunity characerise Pinoys collectively, which is different from asserting that they characterise “all” Filipinos (which is not what I assert).
(2) I did not assert that the above traits are unique to Pinoys, only that they characterise us as a people. Just because thousands also die from cyclones in, say, Bangladesh does not ameliorate the absolute pathos of our situation. The challenge is to be better than most and not to comfort one’s self in being one among many other losers.
(3) Bahala na refers to putting faith disproportionately (if not entirely) on divine will, intervention, or providence — to the point of gross neglect where human intervention was otherwise possible. The chance element in initiatives like the moon shot (where everything that could potentially be addressed by engineering and planning was taken into account) are evaluated on the basis of a project risk profile — part and parcel of an overall risk management regime. Crossing the street presents a small risk that you will be run over, but it is by no means a bahala-na undertaking.
Cheery-o! :-D
“My assertion is that bahala-na, pwede-na-yan, and impunity characerise Pinoys collectively, which is different from asserting that they characterise “all” Filipinos (which is not what I assert).”
what is the practical difference between “collectively” and “all”?
Gab,
To avoid confusion and headache; just replace collective with majority.
I am glad in a way that Benigs finally gave an explanation about the assertion of all pinoys are blank.
Absent yata ako nung huli nyang inexplain ito.
@karl
yes, coz if he uses arguments like “pinoys are _______”, then thats a racist (nationalist?) generality.
we dont want to go there.
only use the generalization if it makes pinoy look good…
but don’t speak the truth if it makes the pinoy look bad..
Hey Benigno?
Is it me and you?
Is it Mum and Dad?
Is is it a cockatoo?
Is it standing by your mate?
When he’s in a fight?
or is it Vegemite?
Hey Benigno
can you bear the load?
Will you tie it up with wire?
Just to keep the show on the road?
PS: With my dinky di apologies to John Williamson!
“Crossing the street presents a small risk that you will be run over, but it is by no means a bahala-na undertaking.”
Actually it is if you’re doing it in Manila, Kuala Lumpur, New York, and Mexico City to name a few
Benigno
your answers 1 and 2 is racist
“Trouble is, learning and creativity ain’t Da Pinoy’s strongest points.” – benignO
benigno’s statement above put otherwise also conveys the following assumption: “Filipinos are slow to learn and creatively they are hallow.”
How’s such a collective characterization of Filipinos different from: “Blacks are dumb and lazy,” or “Jews are miserly and greedy”?
benignO must end this racist Filipino-bashing (or sweeping race-based ascription of faults or traits) because it is ignorant and it diminishes him every time he does it as it redounds more on his slow learning curve and quite sadly his still gawky creative-thinking process.
well…
you imply “bayanihan” as if all filipinos have it
if we’ll go by collective characterization – that’s racist, too.
and gawky thinking as well…
It wont help bashing ourselves for our own stupidity.
We should learn from the disaster. Learn to cope. Because we cannot jump out from our skins. Nor can we
be all OFWs. Nor can we change our traits; unless we
are all willing to do so.
Another solution — to me, simpler — is that when benign0 is wrong, to ignore him. [Unless, of course, he has given you ten fewer pesos when he made sukli.]
When he is right, and because there is no law and nobody is offering a grant that benig0 ideas be addressed, then you can ignore him again. [Of course, you can also take advantage of what he has said. Free country.]
Now when he gets under your skin, then figure out if he is right or wrong, because you would know what to do after that.
Or don’t even think, just vote your gut. If your gut tells you benign0, go for it.
Sorry, my post above should look and read thus:
“Trouble is, learning and creativity ain’t Da Pinoy’s strongest points.” – benignO
benigno’s statement above put otherwise also conveys the following assumption: “Filipinos are slow to learn and creatively they are hollow.”
How’s such a collective characterization of Filipinos different from: “Blacks are dumb and lazy,” or “Jews are miserly and greedy”?
benignO must end this racist Filipino-bashing (or sweeping race-based ascription of faults or traits) because it is ignorant and it diminishes him every time he does it as it redounds more on his slow learning curve and quite sadly his still gawky creative-thinking process.
Prof. Abe,
Here’s the word: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigotry
bigotry works both ways – the bigotry and arrogance of ignorance vs the bigotry of the learned – guess which bigotry leads to having floods drowning people.
Mr Benign0,
Hinde kaya ang bahala na is brought about by the will to proceed despite difficulties?
Or the “lets try this way and see what will happen” attitude, but not necessarily trusting some imaginary God?
God helps those who help themselves…
There is forward thinking, being pro-active,
and there is backward thinking, being reactive.
I only see one kind of thinking here, I regret to say.
You cannot defeat mother nature, true,
but you can bow to her, build stronger and smarter,
and live to see a sunnier day.
Joe
but why “defeat”?
or why “bow”?
Joma,
Well, to try to defeat Mother Nature is futile, rather like trying to stop rain from pouring, so simply respect her power (“bow”) and build accordingly . . . like not on slipper slopes, in sand, or out of cardboard.
There is no win-lose struggle going on, simple a recurring chess match. Filipinos are about four pawns and a bishop down in the typhoon category . . .
Joe
We dont bow to Mother Nature. We adapt and we cope with
Mother Nature. Like every living things on this Planet Earth.
The point here is: we destroyed the renewable and rejuvenation cycles to this Planet. We are just
suffering for the results on our actions.
We have to take care of Mother Nature. Or she will not
take care of us. It is a give and take symbiotic arrangement.
Bahala-na, pwede-na-yan, and impunity certainly dominate Philippine society. It’s unfortunate that if you go against these, then you’ll be blamed as un-Filipino, when the opposite is actually true. These traits certainly won’t be found in Dutch society. And to think the Netherlands is among the nations Ryan Tani cited as having the highest atheism rates. Shame on the “God-fearing” Filipino. Before conquering nature, the Filipino has to conquer himself.
Hmm, it turns out there is a “Bahala-na, pwede-na-yan, and impunity” guy in the Netherlands. His name is Jose Ma. Sison. hahahaha.
Thanks for the article. We have to learn from the Dutch people. They
have been living in this kind of environment for many centuries. They
can also be of help in Urban Planning and Flood Control Technology. Let us be serious on ourselves. Will we allow People to settle on river banks and esteros? We build without Urban Planning. We build without Municipal and City Zoning. If there are some laws. We dont implement them. People just throw garbage anywhere. They end up in the sewage drains during rainy seasons. Then, we are all flooded. Are we really serious, or this will be another “ningas cogon”, until the next disaster?
And by the way. Will somebody ask the good Old Professor, Jose Maria
Sison what his opinion is ? Or he may give good ideas to help us cope and live with the yearly floodings. I think, he lived in the Neatherlands for many years already… He surely is familiar!
Here is another business-opportunity. Metro-Manila needs a local manufacturer of window-bars that have gated escape hatches. Metro-Manila needs a product better than window-bars that one has to cut down to avoid being trapped inside by a house fire or by rising flood waters.
The Noynoy administration (if Noynoy wins Malacanang-2010) can fund the the Paranaque Spillway. And using manual labor should result in employment opportunities for many of CALABARZON’s unskilled labor. So manual labor is a lot slower, but apparently time is not of the essence for the spillway functionality.
Mr. Buencamino and Mr. Margallo:
(1) The concept of “Filipino” doesn’t refer to a race. It refers to a nationality — one associated with a group of islands named after a Spanish king.
(2) If you consider as “racist” the assertion that pwede na yan characterises Pinoys, then be prepared to consider as supremacist the assertion that “resiliency” or “ingenuity” characterises Pinoys (as people like you guys are wont to do).
(3) I see a lot of footstomping on your guys’ part about what I assert. Why not instead come up with counter arguments to my assertions that are convincing enough as to provide robust bases for sustaining “Filipino pride”. Up to the challenge?
:-D
re (1), nationality doesnt matter. a racist remark is a negative comment about a group defined by biological or cultural ties. from the online dictionary: “A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution”
cmon, B0, this is a canard, you know it.
re (2). racism is about a derogatory remark about races and nationalities. sometimes its OK, like if its a joke. but its derogatory by definition.
having said that, i too would like to step away from all-encompassing remarks like this. it doesnt make sense, and it help no one.
if you wanna praise people, go and say WHO you are praising. if you wanna call a person lazy, go ahead, and call out a specific person/group.
benigs, before you dig a deeper hole, maybe you should first answer these solid counter-arguments in the other thread from blackshama:
And also Primer’s:
I guess what Primer is saying is you have yet to make a clear case that your validity claim is not simply a gratuitous claim to being self-evident.
Anyway, I believe one is a racist if he ascribes fault or negative traits to a supposedly subordinated group while claiming advantage or positive traits for another group he considers superior based on race, skin-color, descent, or national origin.
Abe:
The advantage comes from the behavior exhibited – not the skin color.
What is being singled out is the errant behavior – not the skin color. Nor is it mentioned that the errant behavior is manifested due to the skin color.
We can build cities out of straws from your strawman argument.
Benigno,
read my reply to you again. I told you that the traits you cited are found among all people everywhere.
Ar kung nationality pala at hindi race eh ano ang tinutukoy mo sa sinabi mo? “Trouble is, learning and creativity ain’t Da Pinoy’s strongest points.As I described earlier, what the Filipino stands for are antitheses of the virtues needed to “deal with” stuff:”
Naknampucha naman o!
MB,
We must be ‘waiting’, I guess:
http://atmidfield.com/2009/10/08/the-mmda-flood-control-debacle-are-we-waiting-for-ondoy-ii/
Mr. Margallo:
Point 1: what makes you think I am asserting that the Filipino Trinity is uniquely Filipino?
Recall what I said here:
=======
(2) I did not assert that the above traits are unique to Pinoys, only that they characterise us as a people. Just because thousands also die from cyclones in, say, Bangladesh does not ameliorate the absolute pathos of our situation. The challenge is to be better than most and not to comfort one’s self in being one among many other losers.
=======
And since we seem to be in the lazy business of quoting other people’s counter-arguments (lame as they may be), why don’t I show you this gem which was a response to your pal’s funny:
.
Point 2: There’s something to be said about people who would quote a guy like Primer.
Assertions made in comments in forums like FV (at least in my case) are made on top of an extensive body of work which you can refer to and scrutinise here. For even greater reading pleasure, all that is succinctly articulated in book form even.
Then again, you need a hypothetical counterargument to my assertions that will guide any research you undertake to go up against me, gramps. So what is yours then? That Pinoys are such an excellent people? You can start with that then and start proving it.
Up to the challenge?
:-D
benigs, if you wholeheartedly agree with MB and blackshama that bahala na, puwede na yan and impunity are “not a purely Filipino affair” but “traits that can also be found among certain people in other societies” why even put forth a claim about a “Filipino trinity”?
And what good is an arrogated “extensive body of work” if it easily collapses under the weight of so commonsensical a logic as MB’s and blackshama’s?
On the other hand, if comments like “Blacks are dumb and lazy” are bigoted and racist, would you not consider an assertion to the effect that “Filipinos can be collectively characterized as slow to learn and lacking in creativity” to be similarly bigoted and racist and therefore should be discouraged in rational discourse?
Mr Margallo – I can’t believe someone as educated as you cannot see what is wrong with our society even after Ondoy?! I thought that this tragedy would at least make people realise that our society needs to accept that we are doing something wrong.
Unfortunately, despite the number of homeless people nowadays people like you still think that we are a superior race and there’s nothing we can do but accept our situation?!
Gees, as long as people like you are resistant to change, this country will never move forward.
Good place to slot this in, from Joe’s library of offending opinions, given the discussion of “race” and “nationality”:
The notion of citizenship is one of “intellectual commitment”, it is not the color of one’s skin or where one was born or the language one speaks or the ability to recite Rizal.
The following “Americans” just won Nobel Prizes, Mr. Kao for his work with light over cable, Mr. Boyle and Mr. Smith for developing the basics of digital photography that enable video-guided surgery and our slick cell phone cameras. As reported in the Los Angeles Times:
“Charles Kuen Kao, 74, was born in Shanghai and received his doctorate in electrical engineering at Imperial College London. He has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Britain.
Willard Sterling Boyle, 85, was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and received his doctorate at McGill University. He has dual Canadian and U.S. citizenship. During the 1960s, he joined the NASA program to put men on the moon.
George Elwood Smith, 79, was born in White Plains, N.Y., and was educated at the University of Chicago. Smith retired from Bell in 1986 to pursue his hobby of sailing and has sailed around the world many times.”
The Philippines today does not readily welcome foreign intellectuals, foreign investors, or babies sired by foreign parents. It discriminates against citizen spouses of foreigners. Many of its leaders advocate schooling in the national language of Tagalog rather than the international language of English.
Expansive minds cannot be nurtured in little boxes.
Until the Philippines opens itself up to the riches and brain power of the world, it will remain fundamentally isolated and third world. Until it sees itself as, not the center of the world, like a child, but an adult member of a thriving international community, it will remain left behind, abandoned, wasted . . .
National pride can be a bad thing if used to limit potential, to constrain growth. It is bad if it is used as a substitute for insecurity, or as an excuse not to compete.
If a talented man says, I want to be Filipino, why on God’s great green earth would you say, “Nope. Your talent is too foreign for us.”
Joe
Spot on, joe.
I love where your heart is.
JoeAm: Asians are racists. Thais, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Cambodians, Indians, Indonesians share the same sentiment — if your grandparents were not citizens, then you can’t be a citizen.
Foreigners are okay as tourists, but having thousands of them becoming citizens on a regular basis? Not among Asian countries.
Pinas is just as bad as the French!!!
France outdoes the Philippines with regards accepting new citizens. Canada is most open (6.54thousand new citizens per 1-million population). France is in top-20 with 2.47. Australia is 3.52; USA 3.03; Germany 2.26. Italy 0.200.
The most open Asian country is Japan 0.11 thousand new citizens per 1-million population (the rate is less than half of Spain’s 0.297).
I don’t have statistics to back this up, but I would guess Pinas is average like it were a South American or Central American country.
With extremely few available jobs, Pinas has no economic reason to be liberal with accepting new citizens.
UP:
Pinas is an Asian banana republic.
UP n,
with a side note to J_AG that it is not cool aid,
it is tuba,
wholesaled by my father-in-law and available in 50 gallon drums . . .
Yes, Asian societies are pretty confined. I worked for the Japanese principals of a large Japanese bank in California a while back. The interesting thing about their “racist” mentality, is that they highly respected what Americans did, how they managed things, how their banking instruments were structured, how they protected themselves when lending. But their “racist confidence” led them to believe that, once they had dissected and understood American ways, they could DO IT BETTER. And that was their goal, often accomplished . . .
The Philippine “race” evidently does not share that motivation to do better.
Joe
Can we considered regionalism as a localised form of racism? We are so good at it…the ilocanos, the tagalogs, the bicolanos, kapampangans,the visayas, the illonggos, the maranaos…and 52 dialects…I think this a major factor why we don’t have a sense of Pinoyhood…
Filipino people are not interested in winning any Nobel Prizes. We are so addicted to Politics. That we cannot seem
to live without it. Elections are like addicts’s fixes to get
high. Politicians are the illegal drugs. Their cahoots are
the Drug Pushers. WE ARE REALLY ADDICTED TO POLITICS. Typhoon Ondoy is the wake up call. We withdraw from this addiction or else…
Joe what type of Kool Aid are you drinking. In case you haven’t heard the country is not only a net importer of foreign capital but also a net importer of goods and services. Always have been. The only thing we have a net export value in is in the export of labor. We need to do that to keep up our imports of everything else. We have cut down almost all our trees and have given up already a major portion of our resource base to make you and the other guys rich.
Those numbers belie your thesis. Scientifically proven that children educated in their own language spoken at home in their early formative years will easily learn foreign languages.
Functional literacy most especially in the English language is a learned art as most Americans are functionally illiterate. Do you believe that the Fed actually prints money?
The main stumbling bloc to the development of Philippine society is the lack of community of sense of country.
Nationalism is a tricky subject. There is an absurd lack of it in the Philippines but sometimes you have jingoists that use it to hide their insecurities.
Hey the Chinese control the economy of this country and the European set resent the fact that they can’t play the same game.
You cannot compete unless you have a sense of yourself. Whatever the Chinese and the Japs are doing now the Europeans all have practiced. One of the first official acts of the new Republic led by then George Washington was to erect a tariff wall between the then emerging U.S. and Europe. That remained till the middle of the 20th century.
It is too bad that many more young and brave young men from the U.S. will die in that desolate country Afghanistan for all the wrong reasons.
Remember our BSP subsidizes your consumption here where the Big Mac costs only Php 1.50+ to the cost in the U.S. of over Php 3.50+.
If left alone you could see the peso go down to less than Php 40. I firmly believe in the natural equilibrium process.
i wonder how expensive these amphibious homes are.the homes are made of “light weight wood”. mahal kaya yun?
Gabby: The Netherlands houseboats are $300,000 each, and higher.
Seattle, Washington has similar communities (also Vancouver, Canada). Here is one (Seattle) for $1.3Million. One could describe the Seattle $1.3Million houseboat as a high-end townhouse on top of a concrete hull in a high-end neighborhood — great views — that is always wet.
http://www.duckin.com/listings/10eroanoke12.php
The concrete hulls provide the buoyancy. The upstairs structure uses what one uses for regular houses.
—————-
The concept goes back to Cleopatra and her barge on the River Nile.
—————-
I doubt that the Pasig or Marikina Rivers will see such housing. Highly unlikely that such a business venture will work for metro-Manila, and it is not because the engineering requirements are tough.
Hulls can be made of concrete, steel, aluminum. Also fiberglass and, of course, old-fashioned wood.
UP n,
“Highly unlikely that such a business venture will work for metro-Manila, and it is not because the engineering requirements are tough.”
That expression is herein nominated for “understatement of the year”.
Joe
JoeAm: The first thought that occurred to me is zoning. The way zoning regulations are strictly enforced along the Pasig and Marikina, $300,000-floating houses won’t be allowed ‘cuz they will obstruct the water flow.
There are Filipino talents who can design some HouseBoats. Made of local materials. Built by local
labors. All you do is look at the Models. Then, you have
a concept. Then, the concept to reality in design.
We are not lacking in experienced Architects or Civil
Engineers. If Marine Engineers are needed. We have them.
I think, Urban Planning should be added to the curriculum in the study of Architechture.
UP n,
I think the janitor fish obstruct the water flow.
Joe
wow, mahal tlga.
Benigz would like to believe he is up there on the hill surveying, assessing, commenting on the follies of the Pinoys below.
But his vision, alas, is not exactly 20/20 because apart from the fact that the hill is a little far off from the plains, his vision is severely blocked by his own shadow.
Edit : Sorry for cross-posting. The quote above was from benigz’s other thread, “Day Ten, Post Ondoy”.
Indeed, just as a commodity such as water is not unique to a bottling company such as Evian, dysfunction is not unique to Da Pinoy, honourable Professor. But then my brilliance lies in putting coherent structure around the notion of said dysfunction and associating it with a catchy brand.
Thus, fear not, Mr. Margallo as I have formalised all of what I’ve observed, learned, and crystallised thus far (as well as incorporating the best of commentary that FV has to offer) in my latest magnus opus:
Da Filipino Cultural Trinity
Check it out here!
I include a nice diagram for those who are more, shall we say, visually-inclined. :-D
ah, ayun pala “catchy” branding pala ang contribution mo.
i guess all those guilt-tripping facebookers who updated their status should take notes from your playbook, so they can make a “substantial contribution” via “catchy branding”.
got it.
For a country that has been monetizing nature for a little over a century wthout regard for the fact that nature has an environmental
equilibirum point when it will blow back in a disastrous manner, do you think anyone will now look at the country as an ecological disaster area or continue to monetize what is left to be extracted for the benefit of the very few so they can move to better locales.
My bet is we will savage and exploit these islands till nothing can be sustained.
Then we will make the war against poverty a war against the poor.
We are not like Australia that can survie on the extraction of natures resources since they are settled on a continent and have a very small population.
J_AG,
Yes, indeed, there is a finite-ness to the Philippines that is starkly real. I lived for a time on the edge of Gingoog Bay, a lovely, protected bay off the north coast of Mindanao. The bay has been over-fished to extinction of just about every creature except those that are poisonous (blow fish, snakes, and those spikey creatures that one is advised not to step on). Then the bay was populated with fish cages, the pollution of which is driving down the values of the coastal “beach” property. Lakes that spawned fish have been filled in.
If dear old Gov managed the Bay properly, one would have much more meat to eat (big fish rather than small), clean water, and rich retired folks buying land and hiring local workers.
This notion of eating all the natural fish and then raising them in cages is the stupidest thing since, well, concrete was poured across rice paddies to keep Karabao feet dry. . .
Joe
It is common knowledge for those who are educated like the bloggers and guests of FV that Bahala na, Pwede na yan and Impunity are negative qualities of the majority in economic sense.These are issues that are manageable if one look at it from the very top. Public managers/leaders of this country are expected in a higher degree to be as highly educated than the people here at FV. The negative traits are problems that require solutions. Why is it hard for them to manage reality? Because they can use it as an excuse of their responsibilities.
The duty of Mang Juan is totally different that the duty of a public servant. Mang Juan will be expected to be concerned about his own and his family. With education, Mang Juan is expected to participate. But regardless of what Mang Juan thinks or does, He should not be used as an excuse of not accepting responsibilities in public office. THE DEGREE OF RESPONSIBILITY IS Different.
When public officials don’t accept responsibilities for their actions, then they cannot move the country forward but may put all the people in a dangerous situation.
Poor pinoys don’t have role models….
Same can be said about individual Filipinos.As I previously wrote:
about mbs article of learning to live with it.
now we are learning that there have been studies here in the philippines, plans which went kaput.Aside from that new school of thought from the dutch.(school of thought earning millions from dubai.)
I have read bongvs “The buck stops here” article.maniniawala na sana ako until i read the line “I told you so”.
It is human nature to be annoyed by nagging.
Ilang bwan ko pa lang nabasa si BongV, si Benigz i am learning to live with it 2007 ba o 2006 ko sya unang nakita magcomment.
we do have a problem or problems, the sooner we acknowledge that, the better.
But for positive reinforcement ,maybe can we turn our weaknesses into strengths:
Bahala na can also mean risk taking.
we all know in business if your not a risk taker you are nothing. This resolves benign0′s assertion that pinoys lack resolve and not willing to take risks.
Risk taking is taking the plunge or” Bahala na si Batman”,instead of the literal translation of Bathala na or ipasadiyos na lang natin.
Pwede na yan is not good .no cherry coating can turn this attitude into something good.
It means second rate,next best thing,mediocre,abruptly done,no other choice,finish or not finish pass your paper….
the only way to resolve that pwede na yan is to follow through or immediate improvement or plan B with out waiting for plan A to fail.
you can only do that by knowing your limitations. since knowing is only half the battle the other half would be immediate action but before that after knowing you must accept it as a limitation and not be arrogant that “it would do for now and forever.”
as of impunity :put teeth to laws,since puno na ang mga kulungan why not let minor violators do community service not just sit in seminars and a few days jail time.
this is nothing new as we all know.
we need a lot of tree planting garbage cleaning,etc.
it can be done,demonstrated by what the typhoon victims are doing cleaning up the garbage, but what happens to those garbage is another issue.
About tree planting, we see in CNN how our neighbors just reforested their…forests.
tayo kelan?
saan ang pondo?
nandyan lang sa tabi tabi.
===============================
About the boat homes.
I see this will eventually done by our real estate developers maybe after a few more disasters they would learn to live with it.
oops, no such animal as “cherry coating”
another Freudian slip.
Sugar coating.
“Bahala na can also mean risk taking.we all know in business if your not a risk taker you are nothing. This resolves benign0’s assertion that pinoys lack resolve and not willing to take risks.”
good point on bahala na.
@Gabby
unfortunately gab,
that is only 33 % of the trinity.
there is nothing good about pwede na yan and impunity
but it is not that hopeless as it seems.
again benign0 never asserted that it is hopeless.
me thinks his hammering and constant reminders tells us that there is still something that can be done.
that too is how I understand is the rationale for the antipinoy website of BK.
yun lang sa bahay puro sermon, sa opisina sermon,sa simbahan sermon pati ba naman sa internet.
again, we just have to learn to live with it.
Correction, Karl: Out of respect, it is BongV who is the esteemed founder of AntiPinoy.com.
Benigno, I stand corrected.
bahala na , Puede na yan and impunity are the result from lack of options and opportunity. These traits are an uneducated decision of managing risk. The NATURE of DUTY between Mang Juan and Public Official is crystal clear. One is expected to be an expert of managing risk in an educated way. Too bad, an official cannot set himself apart from majority.
Windows of opportunity may not be widely open for everyone to see. It must be open. “Opening” is a basic job description of every public official.
poor pinoys have no role models…
Good one Karl…
Gabbyd:
In business, risk refers to “calculated risk” – A risk that has been given thoughtful consideration and for which the potential costs and potential benefits have been weighted and considered.
The “bahala na/marka bahala/tira pasagad” isn’t “calculated” at all – it is more akin to gambling – is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period
bong, thats Karl’s point.
the interpretation of bahala na can be good OR bad, depending on your predilections.
@Gabby,
Ok lang and thanks.
@BongV,
Point well taken.
Sorry for mistaking BenK as the founder of Antipinoy.com
I believe the “bahala na” you guys wish to exonerate is the type when you try something. That’s risk taking when you try to do something. This “bahala na” is more like “leave it to God.” But action was done.
What Benign0 condemns is the “bahala na” of inaction. Instead of looking for work, guy says “bahala na” and spends a whole night drinking at the kanto. Mabuti nalang kung mamamatay yung ganun. Another wrong type is the “bahala na” when a person knows something he’ll do is wrong, but even if warned against it, he’ll go on and risk getting caught. “Bahala na” daw kung mahuli. Like that Filipino in Saudi who recently got caught bootlegging liquor. That’s a shame.
“Impunity” in Tagalog is “Lulusot iyan!”, isn’t it?
Which works if “may kilala akong aareglo”.
Which works less if “ang sabi ni Primer, yong kaibigan niyang taga Diliman, may kilala at iyan ang ginawa at nakalusot. Bakit tayo, hindi?”
karl’s point is that bahala na has good and bad interpretations.
if your predeliction is to not to think highly of the many filipinos, then you will tend to believe the bad interpretation, and to discount the importance of the good interpretation altogether.
Mukha ngang pangit ipaghalo ang calculated risk at bahala na.
Ano ba ang tagalog ng calculated risk ?
Tanstadong pakikipagsapalaran?
Indeed, the Philippines is living on borrowed time and resources. Much of what sustains it is foreign in origin:
- Capital is foreign sourced (there very little of it created as a result of domestic activity).
- Household income is sourced from work delivered to overseas customers (i.e. from OFWs and these BPOs and call centres that are proliferating like shawarma stands).
- The national staple – rice – is imported along with many other essential foodstuffs and animal feed. We are now one of the world’s biggest importers.
And as the Ondoy disaster revealed, we are dependent on largely on altruism for relief when disaster strikes.
=================
All together now:
Kahol ng Bayan
Marahil nga na nakakabagot
Ang mga suliranin ng ‘sang Lipunang
Sa kabiguan lamang nauuwi
Mula munting pakitang-taong ambag
Hangga’t sa mula pusong alay na palag.
Makabuluhang resulta’y di inaasam
Sa mga kilusang kinakamkam
Bagama’t punto ng pag-alsa
Kahit pinuno’y di alam
Basta’t “sugod” ang kanyang damdam.
Ngunit saysay ng sigaw di malaan
Pagka’t kailan ma’y walang nakamit
Na pag-unawa sa pinagmulang prinsipyong
Makabuluhan kung mayroon man.
Sa mga susunod na kabanata
Ng kasaysayan ng bansa
Ang paglitis ng madla
Di magtutugma sa iba
Kundi sa malinaw na pangamba:
Pinoy nga naman talaga,
Parang aso umasta
Matangkad lang kapag naka-upo
Sa tawag ng amo lang tatayo.
[Dedicated to the Filipino "Revolutionary"
by benign0, Lyricist Extraordinaire]
Other countries can build “floating houses” at some costs.
Still some built their dams and dikes and water-ponds or impounders at even much greater costs.
No other country in the world build the way we do.
No inhabitants elsewhere in the world feed on garbage, live with stilth, and hang on hillsides or live on creeks – as normal as they seem.
A corrupt government allows just about everything the rural poor does with their lives. Politicians embrace their children, kiss their grandmothers, shell out few coins to their breadwinners, and tap their backs in ‘dignified recognition’.
I wonder… now that I heard it was common knowledge then (my mom’s youth) that Marikina, Rizal and other low-lying areas would be flooded, would we see a massive exodus of people from these areas? Would Antipolo, Taytay and other areas suddenly become ghost towns? Would we see a rash of development in the hills?
ChinoF: Nope, Taytay, Antipolo will not become ghost towns. Provident Village will NOT become a ghost town. When someone moves out, someone will still move into the house.
It is “easy” to see what Pinoys would consider rational behavior. Go through August 1/09 to Sept 15/09 records and find the for-sale-price of 40 houses in Provident Village. Then look at their prices Jan2010-Feb2010. If there is no percent-difference, then Pinoys-in-Marikina are irrational.
No use arguing with the macro-psychologist extraordinaire. Obviously, Benigs has made his conclusion based on years of study and observation. LOL
Instead, I would like to collaborate with his interesting inoy-bashing experiment.
I believe the Pinoys’ nine (9) deadly faults are also traits of other peoples and nationalities. These traits, strengths and weaknesses depending on how they’re applied, contribute to a ‘collective’ attitude prone to abuse by the leaders, the ‘haves’ and other members of Pinoy society.
1. Bahala na (Come what may)
2. Puwede na iyan
3. Ningas cogon (the tendency to start something without successful completion)
4. Utang-na-loob (gratitude)
5. Pakikisama
6. Hiya (face saving)
7. Relihiyoso (religious)
8. Malapit sa pamilya (family-oriented)
9. Sobrang matiisin (patient to a fault)
Sad to say, any good trait carried to extremes, becomes harmful.
Yeah, your last line bears so much credence. But any bad trait carried to extremes is even worse.
Can I add:
- Amor Propio (face saving too, but more focused on egocentrism; pogi points are more important than anything)
- Crab mentality (intolerant of someone being more successful or more affluent, or jealous that one has a lot less problems while you have so many, that you try to harm them pull them down)
- “Tuta mentality,” the kind of mentality that Stanley Milgram exposed, the mentality that one must “obey, obey” even if the order is wrong.
Hey, I experience these kinds of behaviour all the time from fellow Pinoys. It’s cool how you managed to describe it Chino!
Thanks… I agree that not all Pinoys are like this… but I’m sad that those who are outnumber those who are not.
So, can we describe the mob’s reactions against Benigs as crab mentality?
Hmmm, “puede na yan” Danny. hehehe
Danny, I think it’s more of the fact that they are trapped in their own traditionalist wisdom. A lot of the elderly members of our society are like them actually. They grew up with the behavior described above and in their mind think that they have been behaving that way ever since so why change now? Their forefathers were like that so it’s not on to question tradition. They can’t see what’s happening – It is indeed similar to a frog being boiled – it doesn’t realise what is happening until it’s too late.
It’s very hard to convince old folks that things have to be done differently to get different results.
Can’t teach old dogs new tricks :D
Wow, thanks guys. This is all such a handful. :-)
What we need to do is frame The Trinity within an even bigger “grand unifying framework of Pinoy dysfunction” (kind of like how work on String Theory aims to unify General Relativity and Quantum Theory into a ‘Theory of Everything).
All this Filipino bashing sure is getting old. All these traits:
1. Bahala na (Come what may)
2. Puwede na iyan
3. Ningas cogon (the tendency to start something without successful completion)
4. Utang-na-loob (gratitude)
5. Pakikisama
6. Hiya (face saving)
7. Relihiyoso (religious)
8. Malapit sa pamilya (family-oriented)
9. Sobrang matiisin (patient to a fault)
are common in other countries such as: Iraq, Afghanistan, Kenya, Uganda, Haiti etc..
Oh, wait a second…
Yes Ski Tarub, you were about to say – that is why we all belong to the third world.
That has got to be the coolest Coyote-realizes-the-ground-is-gone-so-he-suddenly-falls-back-to-earth moment I have ever seen on FV!
Good one Tarubski and Ilda!
Hmm, I notice one other trait that I demonstrate myself:
- Sarcasm (sense of humor in the face of danger or problems that makes fun of the danger or problems, hehehe). Pinoys have a unique brand of sarcasm, don’t you think? hehehe.
hehehe. I remember my very first post on FV, it was a tirade against Benigs. Back then, I mistook his sarcasm for arrogance. But what can I say, after reading more of his articles, I was converted.
One more hirit.
Damayan – Sharing other people’s condition, being involved in their lives as to be affected by their condition.
Positive side:
- Meant so that people don’t suffer alone.
- A show of care for one’s fellow man.
- Fine if one is affluent or fortunate, and he helps his fellow to share this fortune. “Damay ka sa affluence ko.”
Negative:
- Some people believe that through damayan, they must be the same. For example, if two friends have different tastes or views, one will insist that they should have the same taste or views, causing distress for the other guy. Or they should have the same job or should have the same habit of going to girlie bars every weekend.
- People in the dumps, naghahanap ng karamay. Because of fear of suffering alone, they want to drag others to suffer with them. One guy in troubled waters, after being through a line, would say, “don’t pull me out, you join me here!”
- Say a person is in good condition because he behaves properly (good job, uses his brain and skills). One in self-originated bad condition (he was jailed for crimes, or has many children through several women) may see the first person and say, “Look at you, enjoying yourself in luxury, while I suffer! Damay ka naman sa akin!”
- If the person does sink intentionally into the same bad condition to make makiramay with his friend, he stripped himself of his resources to help his friend in a better way.
- Insistence on damayan, in the sense of being the same, can become a dictatorship on other people.
Not unique to the Philippines, but there’s a unique Pinoy word for it. Pardon me if you feel my understanding of damayan is a bit off to you.
I just don’t like the sense that everyone should be forced to be the same. It’s better to be tolerant of others’ differences, and just accept that life isn’t fair.
This is not the time for cynicism, nor negativity. We
cannot afford these luxuries. We work what we have. To
dust ourselves and get up. Sadder, but wiser now.
Disaster snd tragedy are good teachers. If we can learn
form their lessons to become better people.
Chino F, here’s an example of what you are trying to say:
When Pinoys are eating together, the skinny person is forced to keep eating otherwise she will be labelled as “maarte” or laging nag-da-diet and walang pakiki-sama. There was in fact a study that concluded that a fat friend will make you fatter by forcing/influencing you to keep munching even if you don’t want to anymore.
I’m always amused (and eventually annoyed) when a fellow Pinoy asks me again and again why I don’t want to have another serving of cake or dessert. Not to be rude because she is on the overweight side, I keep telling her that I don’t want to have to buy a new set of clothes if I gain weight but she always responds with “but you are skinny!” and I always answer with “Well, it’s because I try to avoid junk food and exercise regularly.” But she would still insist without fail, “I bet you can eat anything you want and still look skinny not like me…” and I would continue with the line “I think it’s because you like a lot of salty stuff which can result in water retention and you don’t like exercising…” and she would say again “I don’t know why you have to exercise, you are already skinny.” To which I would respond by just slowly moving away while muttering to myself “I have to go because life is too short…”
Ilda,
You look good to me,
and your thinking is pretty straight . . .
well, except for that comment about old people being cement-heads,
the interpretation entirely mine. Only 98% are.
Joe
Joe, I’m not an agist. In fact, it never ceases to shock me when someone older is being arrogant because we expect people who have lived longer than us to be wiser and more open minded. Then again, the older Filipinos were the ones who led this country into decay. Their indifference brought our environment to degradation and our society confused, with no real identity.
Hey Ilda, your friend probably doesn’t want to be obese alone. ;) Maybe she believes that obesity is a sign of prosperity, so she’ll accept it even it it’s bad for her. And she’ll spread the virus. hehehe.
But that is a good case. Some people just tell you, “be like me,” even though it ain’t good to be like them. Must be egocentrism. hehe
BTW, looks like you didn’t catch on Joe’s sense of humor, he’s got the guts to admit his age, although he claims to be not like those old asses, haha. I’ll take your word for it, Joe.
ChinoF,
I strive, I really do, do be a 2 percenter, and appreciate your trust. I am confident that when you find my thinking calcified, you will remind me.
Joe
mas matindi yung aalukin ka na kumain kahit kulang pa sa kanila.
pero nagpapasalamat na lang ako kesa sabihin ko.
wag na kulang pa sayo yan.baka murahin pa ako.
yung ke Ilda: kain ulit o kain ka pa to the nth power ang offer.
sino ba naman ang di maiinis non?
If you want a complete enumeration of these so-called attitudes as written in Filipino-authored sociology books, enrol in Rogelia Pe Pua’s “Sikolohiyang Pilipino” or PSYCH 308, assuming she still teaches at the department and not in some Australian university.
Be that as it may, all these attitudes are not really just Pinoy since every other person in the world exhibits these traits, one way or other.
This so-called Filipino Cultural Trinity is nothing but a haux and I have yet to read any refereed journal where this may have been cited. Although I most suspect that it’s just a literary concept.
Attitudes are universal – difference is in the proportion or epidemiology.
There are idiots all over the planet.
But some countries have more idiots in proportion to the population.
For example, those who voted for Erap – 40% in the Philippines – in the US, Erap will not make it past the primary.
And had Pinas required a run-off, would Erap have gotten 57%?
She is in Australia.
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/cacr/aasp-site/AASP/AASPExecutive/RogeliaPePua.aspx
Isn’t HOAX spelled H-O-A-X? Just wonderin.’
Hehehehe, this is good entertainment, the tseware-warewaps doing their excellent chorus, ****sound of applause****.
To relocate people and decongest Metro Manila. Let us look at the
Tokyo, Japan model. Tokyo is where most of the Japanese people work.
But, they dont live there. They live as far as 200 km or 300 km. away. They commute on mass transit called Bullet Trains.
All you do is: Expand Metro Manila to satellite nearby cities. Then,
provide people with mass transit. Like expanding the Light Railway
Transit (LRT). Be sure to do Urban Planning, Zoning, Sewerage Disposal, and Flood control, as you expand. Sounds acceptable?
There is one good UP anthropology professor who dissected filipino negative traits and tried to make it a positive one. I attended his class when I was an Intel Philppines employee . Actually all Intel engineers are required to attend the class . His name is F. Landa Jocano. I believe it is a good course not mention and enjoyable class to attend but wonder about his sucees rate….
To BongV:
“Personal responsibility is an exhortation to US as individuals, it is about taking OWNERSHIP of the responsibility to do everything we can to make CHANGE happen.” bong
true but that’s you and me. do you really think that Mang Juan understand the complexity of what we have discussed here? He is even undermeployed with no other option. Asking him or demanding from him to take personal responsibility to participate in democracy without providing him the RESOURCES to learn, is wishful thinking. Do you really think that Mang Juan is functioning at his highest ability and capable of participating? Individual responsibility comes from the challenge of finding opportunity and resources available.When governance is bad, the result is unederemployment, ineqaulity and scarcity of recources. If one has no job or if one is paid less, what’s the incentive of being responsible?
Let me go back to “RESOURCES to learn” in order for Mang Juan to take responisbility without hurting his ego… He must know the location of these resources like a training venue. Going back to basic, it will be at the barangay hall presided by the kapitan. Reinforce it with cheap brochure . The banana leaf is good enough. LOL
This type of training is a POLICY and Procedure that individual must follow. Do we have a policy and procedure on how to train Mang Juan? CONSTANT TRAINING AND REINFORCEMENT IS the cheapest thing that a leader can do.
To engage the public to participate, there must be an awareness program. The national government can start ranking cities in the Philippines to faciliate competition and encourage citizen participation… for example.
1. Top 20 cities that lead in going green
2. Top 20 companies that lead in going green
3. Top 20 cities of the Philippines with the highest employment
4. Top 20 congressman or governor with the highest satisfaction rating in terms of employing local people…
5. Top or Lowest city with high or lowest employment.
The result must be published like a singing contest…
The initiative must come from the top…
So who do we demand accountability? from Mang Juan/Pedro
or from our Public servant/ policymaker? who creates employment and advertise the country to attract investors ?
I’m sure Mang Juan is happy watching the guava fruit and drinking tuba…
So we really have to treat this Mang Juan like a moron. Like a dog or a monkey who really does not know better. Mang Juan is so stupid that we should not expect him to understand the “complexities” of what we discuss here.
I guess this Mang Juan should be classified as a lower life form, since he has to be provided with incentives to be responsible. This Mang Juan should definitely be constantly trained, just like a dog in obedience school. And this training has to be reinforced. Like if Mang Juan urinates in the bathroom or throws garbage properly, we should pat him in the head and tell Mang Juan he’s a good boy.
ST,
That brings us to the meat of the siopao. Who do we take to task? The top 10% or the lower 80% of the population?
Some say top, some say bottom. I say both, but with harder whipping at the top.
Because to whom much is given…much is still not enough…
This Mang Juan is you, us, the citizens. Is Mang Juan a moron, a monkey, a dog? Would you rather that the government neglect their duties as employee of the citizens and continue their merry thieving and cheating ways?
The Public Officials who are responsible for the Flood Control are the monkeys, morons and dogs…
If you are talking public officials now, then you should be talking “public officials after May2010″, another reminder to the Pinoys-in-Pinas to be diligent in making choices on the people you vote into office next year.
Will Villar do differently than GMA with regards reducing mid-level and upper-level corruption? He’ll surely say yes, but what is he saying that he will do differently? What about Noynoy? Going after Marcos wealth is well and good, but still the question is what will he do differently from GMA with regards reducing mid-level and upper-level corruption?
What will they do differently with public infrastructure programs? Is anyone saying “move three or four departments to Clark”?
What will Noynoy do… what will Erap-para-sa-mahirap do for rice self-sufficiency? So far, everyone seems to stay with the program to “… buy rice from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia”. Has any candidate say he will reduce VAT and raise corporate taxes, instead?
UP n,
Speaking of constructive governance . . .
Did you catch US Republican Chairman Steele’s latest fundraising letter? It’s a beaut. He insults the president of his country, insults the Nobel committee, insults countries President Obama is working with as “leftist nations trying to control the world”, and insults everyone who is not a Republican. Only Republicans are “truly patriotic”.
Talk about a deconstruction approach to leadership and a low-minded idea of what American principles are about.
I’d like to see that Asshole in a foxhole next to democrats now serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. The A is capitalized so that Nick and his trusty moderators knows this is not a random hotheaded insult, but a thoughtful, intentional consignment of character to a real Class A jerk.
Do such people understand that President Obama is fundamentally a good man, not the Devil arisen from Hell? He is the Commander in Chief, for Crissake, and he earned that role by winning an honorable election. Grant him a little patriotic respect.
Joe
Hey Joe,
You sure got it right with US Republican Chairman Steele. Everybody just needs to realize that only Democrats are truly patriotic. If you oppose socialized healthcare, your unpatriotic and stupid. Obama’s not just a good person, he knows everything and he knows what’s good for you and me. All these insults against the Man are sickening. If it’s President Bush, that’s OK of course, but not my President Obama, No way. Hollywood and Mainstream is for Obama. You hear that Chairman Steele? HOLLYWOOD. If you sit in a foxhole with the men serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, you will come to realize how our service members love the Commander in Chief. The soldiers that are coming home in body bags did not die because of denied close air support, No. It was because of the dont ask dont tell Policy. But never fear, our Nobel Peace Prize winner president will be fixing that.
Ski,
Thanks for the kick in the leg . . .
Nice style to it.
Joe
Benigno,
http://filipinovoices.com/day-ten-post-ondoy/comment-page-1#comment-103285
Ski Tarub,
Can you please show everybody your source material for saying such?
Ilda,
If you know of Ski Tarub’s source; you can show it too.
Filo,
Such a moment is really interesting.