Dump American Democracy!

The Palace, Waterside This is an exercise aimed at getting outside the box in thinking about government. It is strictly an academic exercise, not a proposal to overthrow the worthy established government of the Philippines. Indeed, it has about a snowball’s chance in Pinatubo of even being useful. So consider it fiction, Joe’s delusional ramblings, … Continue reading →

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Department of Defense Part I: Mission and Goals

While the rest of you opinion mongers are dealing with elections, I’d like to get down and dirty with Philippine defense. How is this animal called the Department of National Defense (“DND”) put together and how ready is it to wage war? With respect to the last question, what is the relationship with the United … Continue reading →

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Parsing Fitch

The critics of the Philippines ate another bite of hat the other day when the Fitch Rating Agency upgraded Philippine debt to investment grade. Discussion threads on the upgrade were again the habitat of the 100 percenters, broken down about 80/20, with 80% offering commendations and full credit to President Aquino, and 20% claiming all … Continue reading →

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A Society Tipping Point

The Underbelly of  a Nation Rising This blog is at a tipping point. It represents almost 600 articles dedicated to Joe’s education and various observations and opinions. It has been a forum for excellent discussion. Rarely negative, generally respectful, often enlightening or entertaining. Knowledge is never complete. But at some point, we have to ask … Continue reading →

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Blueprint for Philippine Defense?

Philippine and American Training Exercise The following news report appeared in Ariraing News last week. It is short and well worth reading. Commentary follows. _______________ S. Korea-U.S. Joint Forces Sign New Defense Plan Arirang News, March 25, 2013   Since North Korea’s torpedo attack on a South Korean warship and its shelling of a South … Continue reading →

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