“Hey, you don’t care, Philippines, I don’t care!”

Posted by JoeAm on July 21, 2015 · 93 Comments 

The “I” is not a personal “I”, but a collective “I” representing any outsider who has a decision to make, do I want to have anything to do with the Philippines or not? Do I want to travel there? Invest there? Live there? Send my sons and daughters to fight there? Let me walk a … Continue reading →

Category China, Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Laws and Ethics, USA/Americans

Will Grace Poe deal Philippine sea rights to China?

Posted by JoeAm on July 19, 2015 · 150 Comments 

Politics is a scurrilous business when money causes people to sway from principle. Principle, of course, is all we the people have to protect us from scoundrels and self-dealers. That’s what laws do, translate all the principles into terms that are fair and reasonable and protective of our best interests. Politics in the US is not … Continue reading →

Category China, Citizenship/Patriotism, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics, USA/Americans

Why Torre de Manila should be built all the way to the sky

Posted by JoeAm on July 14, 2015 · 353 Comments 

I’m sorry, I don’t grasp this emotional outrage about a condo high rise. I fail to see the sacrilege. Of course, I also defended President Aquino not attending the arriving of the coffins, so it is for sure me who is out of step with the rallying masses. Beyond the outrage, I also don’t understand the Supreme … Continue reading →

Category Culture and Arts, Economy, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Religion

Madmen on the loose: Binay and Roque

Posted by JoeAm on July 9, 2015 · 127 Comments 

I’m not a psychiatrist, but I’ve watched movies. One of my favorite is “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest“, starring Jack Nicholson as the leader of that particular madhouse gang. It is a comedy, and a tragedy, and it is uplifting. I’ve also worked in downtown Los Angeles and met the babbling bums there and … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Politics

The Philippine Constitution: is it set in cement or is it a living, growing document?

Posted by JoeAm on July 2, 2015 · 44 Comments 

The Supreme Court of the United States last week ruled on two ground-breaking cases, one preserving President Obama’s national health care program, the other permitting same-sex marriages. The rulings were groundbreaking because they were “liberal” findings among a court stacked by former presidents to be conservative. What happened? Why? What does it mean to the … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Education, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government