As we get closer to the November 7 election, I am compelled by conscience to make this appeal to all Filipino-Americans in the Metro Washington,DC area and as far as this message could go – to all Filipino-Americans voters. I am in particular making a personal appeal to my fellow Virginians because we need to vindicate macaca whose color of the skin is my (our) semblance.
A former governor and a U.S. senator can
have no excuse to miss the word least if he does not know the meaning, he could
not have use it in public. The way the Senator said it with a sarcastic
footnote (“Welcome to America
and the real world of Virginia”)
only signifies an underlying meaning behind the word. Any hermeneutic
philosopher who may want to do linguistic analysis will ultimately conclude
that there is much more than just mere expression. Lesson number one, don’t
impress people or the public with highfalutin words or idiomatic expressions
without knowing their exact meaning or better still – be simple in the campaign
trail. For Senator George Allen of Virginia
to deny his knowledge of what “macaca” means is a blatant show of his idiocy.
As my classroom philosophy goes, “It is one thing to forgive human mistakes
and errors but mediocrity and idiocy is another”.
The people in the Middle East have lived
a life under dictatorship and extreme theocracy (in some parts) for years and
even decades and the United
States cannot simply force them to adopt a
democratic form of governance. (It is like forcing an old man to change his
lifestyle to something he has not been used to). The principle or policy of
“containment” (I believe) will be more effective in dealing with terrorists.
The aggressive foreign policy of “preemption” and President Bush’s principle on
“stay-the-course” has proven to be ineffective and is becoming unpopular
among American voters in general and moderate Republicans in particular.
Clearly, we cannot continue dragging the American dollars into the Middle East. Our domestic concerns need as much attention
as the violence in Iraq
(Medicare, Social Security, Border Security and Immigration, Job Security and
the economy as a whole). The only way to send this message to President George
Bush is to give the Congressional and Senate leadership to the Democrats. A
Democratic House and/or Senate will no longer be a “rubber stamp”
Congress. Lesson number two, never have one political party in both Congress
and the White House.
Two weeks ago, I was talking to a former
colleague of James Webb when both where still in the United States Navy. I
asked him (whom I shall not name because I still work for him) about his
association and how far does he know the U.S. Senate candidate? When I was told
that they see each other three times a day (almost literally) for job related
discussion and that he was with Mr. Webb on the night he was about to announce
his departure as Secretary of the Navy, I was then assured that my friend will
tell me the “real Webb”. I am not paid to campaign for this candidate
and I don’t intend to do that in my
column but I wanted to share what he told me in one sentence, “He is a good
writer and a decorated Vietnam hero, who was in the battlefield through and
through”. I was also advised to read is books to know him better. And I
encourage you to do the same. Although there were issues about disagreement
with Iraq war as well as
intention and attitude but I shall not deal with them because I myself is
against Iraq
invasion/occupation. Lesson number three, former colleagues at work are the
best character references in politics.
My fellow Virginians, you may not care
about politics but I hope you care about our “kababayans”. A Democratic
congress is the only solution to the half-baked immigration issues hanging
before our lawmakers. The Democrats’ blueprint on immigration reforms will
greatly help thousands of Filipinos living in the United States. Political analysts
and recent surveys clearly indicate a Democratic takeover in the House, that
means a woman Speaker of the House is coming to the podium – Nancy Pelosi of California. The surveys
do not point with certainty when it comes to the Senate race so every single
contested seat in the Senate is crucial – Virginia is one among them. I hope you give
it a shot for James Webb. The Republican Party is on the run again with their
personal attack that Democrats are weak on military and will increase our
taxes. They are so desperate and alarmed by these surveys that the President
and Vice-President themselves are going out of their way to bolster their
candidates.
The 2004 election nasty tactics and “dept.
of name-calling” (as the Washington Post puts it) are back again, the
Republicans “giving a false coloring to” the Democratic ideals in order
to promote their conservative ideology. The American public has had enough of
these dirty tricks; the Democrats are going to increase our taxes - a false
assertion by Sen. George Allen and a party of “cut and run” and “defeatists” a
desperate portrayal by the White House. The Democrats favor rolling back the
tax cuts only for the “rich and wealthy” and a “timetable”
to pull out our troops from Iraq.
These make sense and a good political move of the U.S. if we are to save this county
from economic debts and if we are to save the resources of the military.
This November, you can make the difference.
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