Marie's Introspections... marie nell bautista

The Quality of Our Thoughts

2008-12-30T04:55:00.000-08:00

Aaaah! The pursuit of happiness... I wonder what would happen if... Well, never mind. It is never too late to become what you might have been. On this New Year's Eve: May you find peace inside you. May you be able to confide in the Highest Power because you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

Do not forget the infinite possibilities that are born from Faith. May use the gifts that you have received. May you be able to transfer the love given to you to make you feel satisfied that you are a true child of God.

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. Allow the presence of the Divine Power in your bones and give your soul the liberty to sing and dance and be warmed by the sun! It is there for each and everyone of us.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. The heaviest thing you can carry is a grudge. You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself. If you lack the courage to start, you already have finished. One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.

Life is short to wake up with regrets. They say to love the people who treat you right and forget about the one's who don't. Remember friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back.

Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away. Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and wrong.

Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late. Believe everything happens for a reason. And if you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, it is simply promised to be worth it.

2008... In Conclusion

2008-12-30T04:31:00.000-08:00

"if i practice faith
and yet have an attitude
of complaints, i will
destroy my good fortune
in direct proportions.
this type of behavior
does not befit
a worthy person."

with all the upheavals on this earth, remember to reign your horses...

from apostle paul to the philippians:

"have no anxiety in anything, but in every thing by prayer let your requests be known to God." (Philippians 4:5)

Being Close to My Plants

2008-12-29T07:09:00.000-08:00

Being with the plants with my bare hands is a very uplifting activity. It allows me to be within that space where silence exists as I work with the earth. Yet, it is not a state of an absence of sound. I hear my heart beat, and I hear the sound of my breath that keeps me company. They remind me of the gift of life that I enjoy each moment that I am in this scenario of being on Planet Earth.

In a world of consistent and continuous noise and traffic, with airplanes zooming, and the constant bombardment of machines, do we even wonder why most of us are stressed with anxiety levels so high that we don’t even even realize why we are in such a state? In my open veranda that is overlooking the ocean and in the far horizon a gorgeous view of the the central coast mountains of California, I can hear the leaves in the trees rustled with the ocean breeze. Oh, how so beautiful and natural! It is, indeed, a very relaxing moment.

The above scenario is what is relaxing to most people, especially when they are in places that are closer to earth where it is very natural to hear the sounds of nature, with the humming of the birds, and water flowing over stones in a softly flowing stream – a scene that is the exception to the rule in the city life. And sometimes in a bookstore inside the metropolis, the mere thought of water sounds and rustling leaves produces a calming effect on me and induces a consciousness of tranquility. My nerves calm down. I believe the reason for that is that natural sounds are in tune with the Earth. This is contrast to the countless sounds of excitement and agitation of human activity.

Sounds of relaxation grant us to have, even for just a few moments, the most important part of silence, the silence within. Silence inside us that let us be us and just hear our own thoughts and receive insights that can leave us feeling more alive and in step with the universe. When you find yourself feeling anxious without an obvious reason, try to listen to the sounds around you. Find a way to enjoy the sounds that make you feel peaceful. Dig in your own garden, sit on your porch and listen to the wind blow through the trees, take a walk in the park, or listen to a waterfall CD on your player. Enjoy the sound of silence…you will find yourself again.

be good to yourself... learn to love yourself!

2008-12-29T05:22:00.000-08:00

December 29, 2008.... three more days and it will be New Year! 2008 will just be in revery. As we enter a brand new year, let's reflect on what we have accomplished this year. This is one way of being good to ourselves -- pondering on the good that we have done and forgiving ourselves of the flaws of the past. In one way or another we have changed our lives and the lives of those we have come in contact with either with a simple smile, a kind gesture, or even accepting other's flaws without judging them. Somehow we have been instrumental in helping others. We have helped people in our lives and those who came to our path in the countless crossroads of life.

Right now, let's focus on the one closest to you – yourself. When you help yourself you will discover that helping others is more gratifying. By this, I do not mean that you should start to ignore your responsibilities to others. What I mean is to increase your efficiency and to be cheerful and happy when doing things not for your self interest, you need to consider meeting your own needs first. When you do sharing with others what you have will be a joy instead of a chore. You will have emotional surplus like a domino effect, which in turn, you are ready to share again in a productive cycle. Then you will be happy and successful in meeting theirs. It allows them to reflect that it is wonderful to take care of themselves! You will be helping them more to feel and be independent.

The first part of our project is to focus on you. What do you enjoy doing? Perhaps you would want to start spending time starting an exciting hobby or going back to one that you have neglected for quite some time? Do you like to exercise? You can start a daily regimen to walk. You can even begin or go back to doing yoga, or you can meditate. Little things can mean a lot!

Spending twenty minutes a day concentrated on your yourself alone can make you feel so much better about yourself. Just make sure that whatever activity you invest your time with that it is gratifying physically and and spiritually as well. It will be satisfying to your mind and body. Please make sure that you prioritize the important things on your list. You are a priority! Do at least one thing to take better care of yourself. Think about the things you want to bring into your life this year. May the Divine Power abundantly bless you. Peace, Marie Nellie Bautista

Halting Global Warming is Still Possible

2008-06-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

We need a global treaty to solve the climate crisis. The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave the strongest evidence yet that we must take urgent international action in order to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. We need an international agreement on the climate crisis consistent with the IPCC's findings. This agreement must cut global warming pollution sufficiently to ensure our children and their children's children and future generations inherit a healthy planet –– one that is not severely damaged by the effects of climate change caused by our generations. The “We Campaign” is a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit, nonpartisan effort founded by Nobel laureate former Vice President Al Gore. He stated that “our ultimate aim is to halt global warming.” Please visit our website <http://wecansolveit.org/>, and be a part of the solution! Please add your name to our petition today. We are calling on the world's leaders elected with wonderful promises to the people on earth to sign a global treaty that will solve the climate crisis. Peace, Marie Nellie Bautista.

The War on Hunger and Global Warming

2008-06-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Surely there are more important issues than the ones we have always been hearing since the 2008 elections began. It is obvious but we seem to fail to see the the wars that matter the most – the wars against hunger and against planet earth. We must stop these wars! These are very important issues worth our attention. Going in the poorest sections of Asia, especially Far East Asia, hunger will grab your attention when you walk down the streets where children live on the pavements begging for alms! I know this for a fact because I have been there... I have seen first hand. We, Americans, are all very eager to straighten out the White House by putting a new decent face with ethics and morals, which we assume will pretty soon end superiority of the United States' arrogance and hegemony. What are we possibly think -- that we can save the rest of the world from killing each other? Sure, but the true measure of the kindhearted and compassionate successful society, in any society, is how the lowest classes of people are treated. When the poor, the sick, the old people, those without healthcare, the incarcerated members of our population, the tortured children for whatever they are put through will judge the goodness of our society.

It is very clear that the War in Iraq is a very important issue of today, but it is NOT THE ONLY ISSUE worth dwelling on and squeezing our brain cells. There is a long list of issues much worth our energy, time, and money. This global issue about equality surely does require a lot of thinking on our part. Perhaps we can dedicate some of our attention to the needs of others whether they are Jews, Islamic, Christians, straight, transgenders, bisexual, homosexuals, heterosexuals, men, women, children, senior citizens because we all belong to one race, the human race. Let us stop the wars against each other, against hunger, and against Mother Earth. Let us truly care for one another as one race. It is time.

The Global Warming Crisis

2008-05-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Climate change is real, and it is happening this very minute! And the sad part is that we don’t have much time left to find solutions! Our planet is in dire need for urgent solutions! And there are millions of people trying to find solutions to the crisis that every one is aware of -- GLOBAL WARMING! I do believe that together we can all solve the climate crisis. If we take action now with teamwork, we can come up with good results. It is only by working together and pleading to our government leaders to pay attention to this crisis and make it a priority that we can find resolve. The website "We Can Solve It" <http://wecansolveit.org/> has petitions that ordinary citizens can sign to express to govenment leadership that they care about this serious problem and that they want something done about it.

As an ordinary citizen, I was thinking of ways that I could be a part of the solution instead of staying on the problem spectrum. I now use mass transit and have (for the last seven months) have joined organizations for increasing awareness about climate crisis. One of them is the group called “We Can Solve It.org" You can do the same thing, too. It is not only about signing petitions; it is a change of way of life, such as turning off switches in rooms where lights are not needed or where no one is watching television.

With this problem, we can think of its seriousness and convert into total resignation. However, the good news is that the solutions exist. What’s missing is good strong U. S. leadership. We need our leaders to make climate change a priority. We have to let them know that we do care about this calamitous problem! Solutions will not happen if our legislators don’t know that we care.
So kindly take a look at our website. We're a growing number of people who believe we can solve this. Please be a part of the solution. Global warming is real.

It is a hard long journey to get to our destination...

2008-05-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

After losing in West Virginia, I could not have said it better than what most of you have emailed me. I took a short temporary break from all the campaign activities to attend to a very personal matter that happened very recently. But going back to our theme for today, I do feel that Sen. Obama was right in stating that we have the monumental task to continue the long march of those who came before us. He said in his speech that it is a march for a more just, more equal, more free and more caring America.

It seems that it is a long hard march to get to our destination of being one nation in truth and in spirit. I am a living example of his speech that America must strive harder to achieve a more equal and a freer nation. As an immigrant who became a U. S. citizen, equality is something that has been elusive; it is is theoretically beautiful to listen to, but is a hard reality. The Senator is our living example that America has to heal and we all have to be beyond the racial divide. We have to learn forgiveness for the narrow-mindedness of some people who still cannot accept that may be we all belong to one race -- the human race.

Keep the faith. It is a long road to freedom. It is not an easy path, not just for the Senator, but for all of us who still believe in our hearts that change is still possible to happen in this land.

Choosing Peace... Let's Begin Here

2008-05-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

My life's goals revolve around Peace, in whatever form it maybe. The sweetest one is inner peace within. Many universities offer programs like peace studies and security or conflict resolution and sometimes, it is called non violent communication. Another aspect of peace is nuclear disarmament and also non-proliferation, which has something to do with stopping the annihilation of the human race by humans with the use of nuclear arsenal. I would like to share with you a new consciousness that was only there as a figment in my state of revery when I first began this journey. Now I have a new appreciation for myself and all beings on the planet, including animals. I also have discovered my capabilities as well as my limits. To be free from fear, I must seek ways to stop what we are all accustomed to -- help to end nuclear proliferation that could put an end to the intelligent civilization of al human beings on this planet.

To think that Iran is not an Arabic-speaking nation-state, there must a way to solve this major conflict with them as they become very adamant and powerful in their endeavour to be one of the world's nuclear power! Is it still possible to prevent another war? Wars are very wasteful in terms of the thousands of lives that are killed in any engagement. Before we got into the War in Iraq, I am absolutely positive that there could have been another alternative sensible enough to solve the issues. Diplomacy was not used. The Bush leadership did allow diplomacy to be fast asleep. This time with Iran, let us help our govenment leaders make sure that it wakes up just in time to prevent another war, the US-Iran War. Since we have not even gotten out of the deep quagmire we are in Iraq, it will make logical sense to not start a new one. Let us stop any possible new war. We can be free from fear. Is rest still far away? I want peace! Can we find peace?

Responsibility

2008-05-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

Responsibility and Independence – Responsibility is not a quality instinctually instilled in all human beings. Some of us have to work really hard at leading a responsible life. The key is to realize that it is okay to assist someone, but the full burden of a responsibility should never be taken away from the originator. If it is, the owner will never learn, thus becoming forever dependent on others. Cause and effect is the ultimate guide to responsibility. “If I don’t do my laundry, my clothes will stink up.” Or, something like "if I don't put gas in my car, I will be stranded on the road." Our success with responsibility will eventually lead to complete independence.

Last blog for Hcom310... but not last for my site :)

2008-05-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

I believed in free speech before hcom310 began. When we all reached the end of it, the more I believe in it. I think Free Speech is great! But we have to realize that with it goes our responsibility that is very important... the thing that seriously comes with free speech. It isn't hard at all, in my opinion. We just have to be responsible for whatever it is that we say. I believe that we have to sincerely and honestly speak to our audience. If I become silent on salient issues, what would be the cost of my silence? I say something because I have something to say, and I believe that you will listen to me. I hope that we all can continue with free speech in a responsible manner. This is my last blog for class purposes, but I will keep this blogsite for my own personal blog use... until I find something else that is more free in the abstract sense.

My Dear Seminar Group: You guys are awesome! I like the way we agreed to disagree. Please remember to laugh, have fun, and enjoy life no matter what comes your way... Have a wonderful summer!!!

You Need to Settle Immediately? Oh, No!

2008-05-05T02:52:00.000-07:00

Maybe I should title this blog post as "How would you feel if you receive a letter like this?"

"The reason we are sending this letter to you in advance of filing suit is to give you the opportunity to settle these claims as early as possible. If you contact us within the next twenty (20) calendar days, we will offer to settle the claims for a significantly reduced amount compared to what we will offer to settle them for after we file suit or compared to the judgment amount a court may enter against you. If you are interested in resolving this matter now, please contact our Settlement Information Line at 913-234-8181 or, alternatively, you may settle this matter immediately online at www.p2plawsuits.com, using the Case ID# that appears at the top of this letter."

Imagine receiving the same kind of letter from a law firm warning you that you need to settle immediately due to copyright law violation! And imagine the letter further states that if you want to significantly reduce the judgment, you only have so many days to do the settlement? Good grief! What's happening here?

Perhaps you might react with consternation and outrage. Music that you have downloaded from LimeWire or some other music source in the internet were supposed to serve the broad public with the so-called "instant gratification type of entertainment" and it is supposed to be free as far as you know. So, how could this happen that you are now in possession of such a letter? How are you going to fight it? You feel a massive sense of betrayal with respect to the modernities of computer technology and your freedom to download. Was it your right to obtain those pieces of music that you now have in your tiny mp3 music carrying equipment. You are the one who downloaded those songs in the first place. So they must be yours!

Dilemma-causing situations like this have arisen lately due to thousands of letters received by a great many students who downloaded music at home or in their dorms. They are now facing a possibility of suits against them in the Federal court. Should our freedom to download music be restrained? What are you going to do in case you are this situation?

http://fire.csumb.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=%2Fbin%2Fcommon%2Fcourse.pl%3Fcourse_id%3D_7922_1

Teaching Our Children Lessons About Downloading Music

2008-05-05T02:14:00.000-07:00

Our children’s behavior can be developed through having good role models as their values and good behaviors are reinforced. Serving as good role models as parent is an important way of helping them to become responsible users of technology, such as Lime Wire, mp3, etc. They learn by example, so if we tell them one thing, but do the opposite of what we tell them, children are more likely to follow our examples. "Do as I say and not as I do" doesn’t work anymore nowadays because children are smarter and have more sense. Aside from giving them reinforcements for good behavior, we should also correct and educate them when violations of rights and values occur either in school or at home.

Parents can post a sign near the computer area that can serve as a reminder whenever kids use the computers or when they listen to their music or download anything from the internet. By being responsible adults and role models children start to develop important values. It is a nice thought that it is someday possible to achieve responsible adults in society by us being good role models and good parents now.

Is It Freedom to Do What You Want? Or, Is This a Crime?

2008-05-01T03:38:00.000-07:00

Perhaps most of us do not think twice before we download music and the consequences of our actions. Without realizing it we could be breaking the law! And because we break the law, we could be held liable for huge amounts of money in the thousands of dollars for serious damages. Music must really be a very important commodity for people to be breaking the law, don't you think?

Here is a scenario: Someone you don't know sends you an e-mail message with a copy of a song or a musical piece, and you turn around and you e-mail it to someone who e-mails that same copy that you sent to all of his or her friends. This downloading business easily spreads like a wildfire! Suddenly you receive a notice of infringement from a law firm that is representing a recording company! The above scenario is considered a crime. It is stealing somebody else's property. Also another one could be like this --although you don't offer musical recordings to others but you join a network of people who share files, which download music that are unauthorized copies of all the musical work that have been copyrighted. That is still considered theft of somebody else's musical creativity without his or her permission. Is it just an act of downloading or copying music, or is it an act of stealing? I ask this question to all of us in this bloggers' group because it seems to me that technology has made this act of stealing or digital copying much easier than before. So if it's really possible for us to copy music for our own benefit with paying for them, is it legal? Is it ethical? We want to enjoy music, but then we also want to be fair to the music creators.

Going to college can be very tough...

2008-05-01T02:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already May! The semester is almost over... just two more weeks, and it seems to me that it just flew by faster than I had expected it. In spite of the fast speed of this semester's pace, I feel that this time going to college is a very tough thing to do. There were just too many things that happened this semester that were not in my original plan, the deaths in my family for one. Trying to catch up with school work, naturally my getting too little sleep became the norm of my daily life instead of being the exception to the rule. I'm sure a lot of you can relate to what I am going through. I just wish that I am younger to deal with this sleeplessness. Since my lack of sleep is linked to gaining unwanted weight and other conditions, such as memory problems and heart conditions, I really have to do something about this frequent insomnia attacks. Just like right now, It's past 3:00 a. m., and I'm still up.

If you would ask me and know about my schedule, nothing should be so worrisome anymore since my group just presented our class discussion yesterday. I should be more relaxed, right? Well, supposed to be, but it just so happens that sleep won't let me. I did everything that I could to remedy this problem, including cleaning up my resting area, turning off my television, my little radio / alarm clock next to my bed and actually eliminating all possible forms of distractions out of my sleeping area, hoping that that would help. All of these remedies I have done, but sleep is still elusive. So right now I'm just doing my early morning blogging. Maybe sleep will grant me my wish.

I guess, I have to let all these thoughts settle and maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to stop the chatter jabber in my head and and would finally be able to get some rest. I was feeling so overwhelmed yesterday with all the school work and various assignments from all my classes coupled with rearranging the plans to my trip back home after my last finals next week, a global studies class. Now it's more of a relief that my group finished presenting our class discussion. Yesterday my group dealt with intellectual property rights and discussed some points in front of the class where the main focus was on downloading music and how "available" it has become in this day and age on the internet.

Not sure if it helped the cause when I mentioned that recently a great many students received pre-litigation letters demanding outrageous sums of money for payment for downloaded music. Guess what? It was odd that the butterflies in my stomach didn't stop even after the first two minutes of speaking (as I've heard that they would) right there in front of my classmates. Whew! What a relief when it ended!

My Take in Solving Global Warming

2008-04-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

For today's blog, I guess, I am deviating from the normal classroom topics. We are now on the last leg of our free speech course, and I just want to share my little piece of advocacy, if I may call it as such, to every member in my group called the Movement for Free Speech group. I am an active member of the Sierra Club. I am also present in the SC Online Community, an action that I am doing as my small contribution to the world's global warming problem. I have decided to take on this action in order to leave our children a living legacy — clean air, clean water, and natural grandeur.

I would like to share with you that the Sierra Club has been instrumental in preserving wilderness, wildlife and nature's most splendid wild places. We also have the Sierra Student Coalition for those of you who might be interested. It is the student arm of the Sierra Club, which is a broad network of students from around the country working to protect the environment. It is my strong belief that students can be a big part of the grassroots action movement in fighting global warming!

Let’s help preserve irreplaceable wildlands and wildlife. There's just too many of us in the world today! Did you know that during the 20th century, human population multiplied from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion people, and that heat trapping carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions grew twelve fold?

So you might say, "So what does population have to do with global warming?" Plenty! Population growth, global warming and consumption patterns are linked in the collective global environmental impact. The Summer Program of the Sierra Club, which is the Student Environmental Leadership Training Program, trains students every summer since its formation in 1991 as the Sierra Student Coalition. We have held week long training programs to give students skills and knowledge to successfully become agents of change in their communities. One will learn planning and running campaigns. Students also receive training on how to communicate effectively and build campus environmental groups.

This is something to think about as the Climate Challenge is heating up. There has has never been a better time when student organizers are more needed than now. The Student Coalition trains students during the summer break, so if you haven't been to one of these programs before, please give it a try -- we owe it to our planet. Please sign up immediately at http://www.ssc.org

Journalists Traveling with U. S. Troops

2008-04-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

"Journalists are experiencing unprecedented access to the battlefield thanks to a partnership between the military and the media that has embedded journalists within specific military units. The embedded reporters have to follow several agreed upon rules as they live with the soldiers and report on their actions." (From the "Pros and Cons of Embedded Journalism, " PBS.org)

An "embedded journalist" is a reporter attached to a military unit that is involved in an armed conflict. This term was first used in the media coverage of the 2003 invastion of Iraq. The U. S. military responded to pressure from the news media who were disappointed by the level of access granted during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the invasion of Afghanistan. Some 775 reporters and photographers were traveling in the early part of 2003 as embedded journalists who signed contracts with the military that limited what they were allowed to report on.

Why were there embedded journalists with our military troops? I think that these journalists are being used by our military to get its own story told. Their presence is aimed at winning the war -- control of the information environment according to the strategy of our defense.

As an illustration of the control exerted over embedded reporters, the U.S. Coalition Forces Land Component Command in Kuwait pulled the credentials of two embedded journalists from the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia, reportedly for publishing a picture of a bullet-ridden Humvee parked in a Kuwaiti camp. Torie Clarke, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs between April, 2001 and September, 2003, oversaw the Pentagon propaganda scheme that signed up more than 75 retired military officers. These officers, according to New York Times reporter David Barstow, are shown as military analysts in newspaper columns. The news correspondents driving around in military tanks, spoon-fed by the military, serving as mascots for them, seem to be deliver "factual information" to us, news consumers. How should we take these journalists' reporting when they present them as true and unbiased, fair and balanced? Just wondering...

Embedded journalism...

2008-04-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

When journalists take their watch-dog role so seriously that they themselves are in harm's way, what happens then to their world when the nation's largest unrestricted media market, such that of Rupert Murdoch's unlimited acquisitiveness particularly the latest acquisition has all lined up? What will happen to our journalists' presentation of assumed facts when Murdoch has acquired all of the suburban gems of free press and starts controlling journalism (well, that's exactly what he is doing now) in a way that he used before he hit it big? We are all aware that he is a media mogul whose journalism style summons the prurient arousal of his readers.

The acquisition is still in the making, and maybe we should all strongly write the FCC that we are against this (much like I am so against the war in Iraq and the possible nuking or invasion of Iran), that I started writing letters to the Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Bob Filner, and many other representatives that I can reach in Congress. I want them know how I feel as a tax-paying citizen that they have an ethical responsibility to accurately represent me! Murdoch once cheaply bought a tired liberal paper, the Sun, and he transformed it into a sensationalistic tabloid that displays topless girls. He should be banned from doing business anywhere, because his gospel of greed has poisoned free discussion all over the globe. We should get rid of his world-wide lie machine and unjust propaganda in order to have free press and good honest journalism going!

Does anyone want to know whether this would truly benefit the viewers and the readers? Does anyone care? Will there be better journalism? More news coverage when the merger or acquisition is finished? Increased awareness and insight? Somehow, I think I know the answer.

Sad Day for Journalism...

2008-04-25T04:05:00.000-07:00

I believe that journalists need an independent suburban newspaper that nurtures writers and columnists and a place where they can take their watchdog role passionately. They do good reporting for the sake of reporting and for true journalism and free press. But imagine a small newspaper that becomes a part of the whole powerful conglomerate of media owned by the influential media moguls! In such kind of network, can news reporting still benefit the viewers? They who believe that what is heard from the televised news and what they watch from the media is true and factual? How many news consumers actually analyze what they hear as news?

In my humble opinion, I think we should begin to be very afraid. Suburban newspapers are being added one by one to the powerful media conglomerates' collection! For these highly political and influential media moguls have been maneuvering facts (or mere opinions?). The documentary film that I viewed last week that showed how the media bosses punish their enemies and reward their friends in the news business. I wonder what happens to journalism in our country when the FCC's cross-ownership rules that is designed to prevent antitrust regulation has gone down the drain? In whose point of view is the news (or opinions?) being delivered to us, news consumers? Who do I believe when I turn on my TV news channel after a hard day's work?

The Unfolding of the News Consumers

2008-04-25T03:36:00.000-07:00

Arianna Huffington wrote in her column regarding the media, which our Free Speech class discussed yesterday about how truthful these broadcast and print journalists are. According to her she has been thinking some more about CNN hiring Tony Snow as a commentator. Coming in the wake of Newsweek's hiring of Karl Rove, and the New York Times' hiring of Bill Kristol, the mainstream media's embrace of these unabashed propagandists has revealed a self-loathing streak a mile wide. Have they been so cowed by the Right's relentless branding of them as "liberal" that they feel compelled to show they're not sleeping with the enemy? And make no mistake, Rove, Kristol, and Snow are the enemies -- of honesty, truth, facts, reality, and the public's right to know." (Arianna Huffington)

We have the right to know... the honest-to-God truth about these current events through our honest, unbiased media. Like you, I don't want to watch some news that are made up opinions camouflaged as facts by very influential people who are supporters of the current administration. And as all these media info unfold in front of our very own eyes while they bamfuzzled us, poor ignorant news consumers, these news publishers successfully punish their enemies and reward their friends!

Remember when we have been advised to be afraid? Be very, very afraid as the influential conservatism maneuver us into thinking of what is more important! These are the times to be afraid. Let's open our eyes because any lover of independent journalism knows that the $120-a-barrel crude oil was a story that should bring a tear to the eye of any journalist worth his salt, not the great gossip section filled with political opinions disguised as news!

"Jenna Bush On Larry King: I "Don't Know" If I'll Vote For A Republican..."

2008-04-25T00:51:00.000-07:00

Speaking about the impact of media in Free Speech class, I was surprised to read from Monterey Herald today what Jenna Bush, First Daughter, said regarding who she would be voting for. Well, she isn't solid yet on voting for Sen. John McCain as what everybody expects, being raised by parents such as George and Laura Bush. When Jenna was interviewed during the Larry King Show, she stated the following response "I don't know"if I'll vote for a Republican...

Larry King asked Jenna and Laura Bush whether they had a favorite between the two Democratic candidates.

Laura Bush: "My favorite is the Republican." (I wonder why she didn't say 'John 'McCain' instead of 'the party.')

Her daughter wasn't as sure.

"I don't know," Jenna Bush said. "I mean, who isn't open to learning about the candidates? But, I mean, and I'm sure everybody is like that. But I really—I honestly have been too busy with books."

When Jenna says that she has been too busy with books and her life, then realizes by her mother's look with daggers and pins that she must have made a careless statement that was truly unfavorable toward the Republican Party. Ooops. Daughters are not supposed to go against parents' wishes, especially if your father is Pres. G. W. Bush. How dare she say that she is not going to vote republican?

Isn't that a shame that Jenna Bush is being held captive by the Republican Party. People tie their own hands by pledging allegiance to a group, regardless of ethical or moral conviction. It is like selling own's soul.

In my opinion, even though Jenna has been raised by Republican parents, they should allow her to be free to express her political sentiments without being suppressed. I think that a political party structure can exclude many citizens from advancement or privilege. I also think that the structure of political parties is obsolete in this day and age. What do you think? Are you still in favor of the major bipartisan system that we have right now. Or, is it about time for change?

Our Civil Liberties at the Airport

2008-03-24T04:10:00.000-07:00

(I have been traveling a lot, so my response to Mr. Free Speech's quite interesting blog has been delayed.) He posed a question whether our government is wasting money on TSA, the Transportation Security Agency that is responsible for security in airlines and trains, but mostly aviation security. I travel quite frequently, and because we went through a tough horrific ordeal of terrorists’ attacks on September 11, 2001, I went along with the relief for temporary security when this agency was created. Do I feel secure now that we have the TSA? Some say that there have been failures of the airport screeners to detect bombs brought through security by TSA agents. In 2006, security screeners in Los Angeles were not able to identify 75 percent of fake bombs. Government federal screeners at the O’ Hare Airport failed to know 60 percent, a big majority of the components of these bombs! And you know what else? Private screeners in San Francisco Airport missed only 20 percent of the prospective bomb parts when the federal screeners failed 75 percent! But that is not the cream of the crop. My take is on the invasion of privacy when this screeners go too far in the course of so-called “I'm simply performing my duties” along with the theft of passenger possessions. And what about the mistreatment of airline passengers? If you are not a frequent flyer maybe you won’t notice other annoyances and simply complain about why do you have to go barefoot on cold ground for unnecessarily extended time as they make you take your socks off. Can't they put a small rug there, at least, so as not to shock your system? I'm still okay with that in exchange for the millions of lives that will be supposedly safer. What little sacrifice is what I always remind myself. But I wonder if they sell those passengers' possessions (very expensive perfumes because they are 0.1 ml higher than the required 3.5 oz, lotions, which caused me to travel very light now, I tell you) after they take them from passengers, and who profit from these sales? Where do the money go? No one is even investigating on this. As taxpayers, the whole operation of this multi-billion agency depends upon your money and my taxes!

The failure to use common sense and good judgment on the part of these airport screeners deserve scrutiny. Yes, we strongly agree with the government, and by all means, I am willing to cooperate. After all, I feel much safer now knowing that the screeners failed 20 of 22 undercover security tests, hence, missing numerous guns and bombs! Revealing the results of covert tests is against TSA policy. Is it worth continuing the existence of TSA? Hmmmn... something to ponder on.

More on Civil Liberties... Gun Control

2008-03-24T02:44:00.000-07:00

Since another friend of mine, a very intelligent blogger, brought up another issue relating to our civil liberties, I simply wanted to augment on her thought about guns and parents' reactions to violence in TV shows when they are watching these shows with their kids. First of all, I want you to know where I stand with regard to gun control. I am in favor of getting rid of ALL guns, if it is possible. But I realize that it isn't possible. So when our civil liberties are taken away, I have a problem with it. It has to be uniform or else, don't take my liberty away if the rich and influential people will enjoy a certain right that is taken away from me! With the issue about guns or gun control and violence on TV relating to having access to guns, I don't think that I have to worry about it. The National Rifle Association is the single most powerful non-profit organization in our country. It bases its political activity on the principle that gun ownership is a civil liberty protected by the 2nd Amendment of our Bill of Rights. It has over four million members, who are mostly very rich and highly politically influential people, who control the puppets in our Congress.

For me, it is truly an issue when children started shooting each other and killing each other because guns are so accessible. It is a critical issue when children go rampantly shooting teachers and other students in schools! How safe can we be? There is no safe place to go. You go to the university to learn, and you end up being dead that day. How many universities, colleges, and high schools have we had lately that have been involved in this -- Columbine, Virginia Tech, UC Davis, Northeastern University, and four other schools in San Diego? It's all because media's impact is so great on having the right of citizens to be free to own guns whether they are going to use it or not. Or, whether the gun is for self-defense or for hunting. Gun control is something that they said we have to leave alone. But blogger friend, RFM, really raised a very good point for all of us to ponder on -- parents will fast forward television shows in order to avoid kissing scenes on television because sex is such a taboo but approves violence on TV that involves guns! It is ironic that the longer we go on like this as a society the more young people end up being dead or end up being criminals killing countless lives when firearms are easily accessible! Just like freedom on pornography (not erotica), it is about time for Americans to look into violence against women and this so-called right to bear arms, which also leads to violence. Aren't we all tired of it?

Maybe It's Not All Too Ordinary

2008-03-24T01:51:00.000-07:00

One of my blogger friends said that "Some people think that the running black senator is too charismatic, and they fault him for many other things." I want to add my thoughts on this line. I added my comments to this blogger that these people who are saying all this negativity already mentioned are also saying that he is too black. Some say that he is not black enough, therefore, it's okay to let the media tear him and shred him to pieces. It saddened me, but it is the truth that we have to face that if a black man gets this far in the race, he will be slaughtered. When she stated “I think he is a presidential candidate, who if he wins, will change this country in a great way," I strongly agree and am afraid that I am putting myself on the limb by exposing my political thoughts. But come to think of it, this is a rare undeserved chance that we've been given, because who among the candidates in the past and present election have attacked transnational corporations and the rich? In fact, when he was in the process of lifting and directing the grassroots movement, a lot of people were angered by it and called it empty rhetoric and charisma. I remember this one book I was browsing at Borders Bookstore during our spring break relating to this year's election. An author was trying to convey a message to the American people to think this through. This author has been a conservative all his life, never voted Democrat in any way and went on to write something like “Obama is the chef who opens a new restaurant and serves honest good and beautifully prepared food made of the most wholesome ingredients only to have the food critic pan his offerings as "all too ordinary." "Where," asks the seen-it-all jaded bored critic, "are the calf's brains marinated in truffle-soaked baby duck's testicles?" This candidate offers civility in the midst of a drunken national bar fight. Obama speaks in complete sentences, well-turned paragraphs, offers thoughts with intellectual depth, nuance, humility and compassion. Obama is a reasoned essay cast before sound-bite swine who seem ready to tear anything that falls into their sty to shreds.” This is a well-thought out message, which is really worth pondering. I hope the American people will not squander the opportunity that we have now to get out of the morass that we put ourselves under by voting undeserving officials who are sitting now in Congress! If we choose business-as-usual, we will step into a future of steady decline and war without end.

Is It Freedom of Expression? Pornography Should NOT be Protected

2008-03-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

My reflection on tonight’s lesson in our Free Speech class did not come easy for me. My personal feelings about pornography is that it is not speech. It is not an expression. It is an act of sexual violence that actually leads to the kind of society that we have today. I feel that we live in a culture of sexual violence. Tonight's lesson dealt with pornography and its relation to free speech. We looked at the distinctions between obscenity and indecency in their legal and ethical dimensions as well as the presence of the media (tv and the internet). I was evaluating my own thoughts and was thinking deeply on the matter. I was intently focusing on the different perspectives surrounding the issues. We were trying to look into the rights of the citizens as well as their responsibilities surrounding the freedom of expression from different perspectives. Personally, as we were going through this, I have realized that I have known from day 1 of this course exactly where I stand on most issues. Tonight was quite different.

The artistic freedom of expression was a complex issue for me, and I have to suspend my stance on this issue. I started analyzing myself and my values and beliefs deeply. I ask myself where do I stand on this issue? All of a sudden I am this person who has always known her definite ethical and moral stance, but now my ability to think regarding free speech has been suspended.

The lesson was thought-provoking.

Freedom of speech and of the press both have great impact on me. I have to say that I am against censorship or any form of it. Censorship is deleting parts of publications or banning information; it is against the right of people to express their opinions publicly without interference from any governmental agency. Having lived under Martial Law during the Marcos dictatorship, I value freedom to its greatest extent.

Freedom is a necessary part of our existence as human beings. I value freedom like you’ll never believe it. My life experiences have provided a matrix for me to become an open-minded liberal person. One does not realize how important freedom is until it is taken away!

Secondly, I think, the cultural aspect has a considerable effect on my stance or future stance on this issue as well as my decision-making ability. I have to analyze the issues and how it pertains to me as a person with many hats - a mother, a student, an employee, a religious believer. I have to look at the big picture before I can say that I am either in favor of free expression or not and its impact on many angles. Before tonight's lesson, I believe that obscenity must be regulated. I don’t think that it is free speech. If a material has explicitly offensive sexual nature, it is not freedom of expression nor free speech. The trouble that I am having about this is that once we hand over the power to the government to censor even a minute part of our lives, they can censor anything! Yes, they can, even the so-called "art."

But then again, I believe that if something has the power to corrupt people, the idea of political liberation of sexuality goes down the drain. It is not my intention to be judgmental. I'm simply trying to figure out why we have a culture of sexual violence amidst a scenario of so much freedom that people possess in their hands! I have to point out that my beliefs and values that shaped my thinking dictate my stance on this. Someone or some agency must be held accountable for their action when it delivers harm to innocent lives, primarily children. When there is detrimental material over the television or the internet, and the parties concerned have no regard for the damaging effects to those who choose to look and use these obscene and indecent pornographic materials, then, maybe censorship is good.

It is not the critic who counts...

2008-03-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

Pondering over all the different news about the 2008 Election, I just want to blog about it in a way that makes sense to me, the ordinary American voter, simple but not naive.

"Here and there, and now and then, God makes a giant among men. It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of good deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly and comes short again and again, who in the end, knows the triumph of high achievement, or if he fails, fails while daring greatly so that he may never sit with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt

AMERICA IS SEARCHING FOR A LEADER. THAT LEADER IS NOT ONE MAN. "WE THE PEOPLE UNITED AS ONE UNDER GOD." "YES WE CAN!" I support Senator Obama because I believe that he can and will deliver what he says for our country. He speaks like no other candidate. He speaks of uniting all races Asians and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, Blacks, Native Americans, and Whites, and we all need to be united as one nation with a president that we believe in.

I'm supporting Barack because it's time to put an end to the say-anything-to-win politics of the past. Together, we can face the challenges of the future with a new kind of politics and a new kind of leadership.

it is very clear to everyone that this campaign has generated unprecedented enthusiasm all across the country. Hundreds of thousands of supporters have attended events, canvassed their neighborhoods, and organized their communities for Senator Barack Obama -- and I'm one of them.

The race for the Democratic nomination is still extremely close, and we have the opportunity to make a real difference. I'm supporting Barack Obama, and I hope you'll take a minute to learn more about Barack and this movement for change:

http://www.barackobama.com/

Marie Nell "Hussein" Bautista

My Favorite Quotes

2008-03-06T04:47:00.000-08:00

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." (Frederick Douglass)

"The most damaging phrase in the language is: "It's always been done that way." (Rear Admiral Grace Hopper)

"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for EVERYONE and greater strength for our nation." (President John F. Kennedy)

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." (Cyril Connolly)

"Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves." Dale Carnegie

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." [Frederick Douglass]

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one... I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." (John Lennon's song "Imagine")

"I'M ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE. Not just about my ability to bring about real change in Washington ... I am asking you to believe in yours." Senator Obama.

Hate Crime

2008-03-06T03:33:00.000-08:00

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." ~Cyril Connolly

I voted for Senator Barack Obama. I believe in his ideals about EQUALITY IN AMERICA. In his speech, he reaffirmed his steadfast commitments to equal rights for ALL -- not just for mainstream America, not just for heterosexuals, but for ALL. He stated in one of his speeches that he was running for president to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of EQUALITY FOR ALL – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters as well. He further stated, and for this I really, really admire him and look up to him: It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation... together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans. We can bring change for ALL Americans."

I was relating Barack's speech to tonight's topic about the Diversity Education Bill that touched many lives. It touched those whose lives have been impacted by hate crime. When a person becomes the target of hate crime because of their ethnicity or sexual orientation, this needs to be addressed and be seriously examined. Lawrence King, 15 years old, was fatally shot. One life ruined by hate crime. His killer, Brandon McInerney, 14 years old, will be tried as an adult, faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted, another life ruined.

Something is not working in our society. Somehow, we profess that we are religious people. We share our spirituality with others, and yet cannot accept the guy or gal next door because of their sexual orientation. Something needs to be done. And it needs to be done soon before any more life is wasted through ignorance! I hope that that are more sensible state lawmakers who will make sense out of this frightening ordeal. Young people need to become aware of these issues in our society, and help them open their eyes to understand what tolerance, diversity, and acceptance are about. They need guidance to be able to see and to be able to get out of the tunnel vision where all they see is what their biased parents taught them.

Sexual orientation is a very wrong reason to hurt someone. This is downright unjust! Violence has to stop. I believe that if there are sexual harassment laws against women, and racial and ethnic discriminations laws against minorities, there should be laws on harassment against gays and lesbians.

Having tolerance in our society is a good thing to have. But you know what is better? In my humble opinion, ACCEPTANCE is better. Isn't it that our Judeo-Christian beliefs molded us into this malleable clay where we are all supposed to obey to reach nirvana. Our religions said to love our neighbors, not to hate them because they're different, and definitely not to kill them because their sexual orientation is not like ours. When we learn to truly love one another and accept one another as what our religions teach us, only then will we be able to accept ALL human beings of ALL orientations. Only then we can call oppression by its name. And only then that we can put a stop to it. We need to stop the violence in all forms. Peace!

Uplifting Change We Can Hope For

2008-03-06T03:27:00.001-08:00

Together the American people working in one spirit, the spirit of possibilities and a positive state of mind, can definitely have a significant impact to cause change for the future generations. First of all in the people's agenda is the War in Iraq, We all need to take a stand -- one that is ethical, moral, and spiritual. I have always been against since the very beginning the invasion of their sovereign country. And that's where I clearly stand. After having served on military active duty in the United States Navy, I believe that the Iraq War is a war that is unjust and downright wrong!

How did the United States get in this situation in the first place? Perhaps there should be a requirement written down to ensure that whoever sits in the throne of the President of the United States of America, the most influential country in the world, to have not just a thinking cap but a moral mind and a compassionate heart. I'm sure the one sitting there has one, he just needs to apply his gears! Should I apologize for my political sarcasm? I sometimes think that when one is tired of his or her tax dollars going into a war that the great majority of the citizens do not agree with or support, people will never understand why we are in Iraq! There are better ways to spend our taxes, such as on education, healthcare, the green revolution to get rid of those nasty and dirty coal business to run our economy, immigration issues, straightening out the retirement funds of people's social security where they invested their money in good faith, and so many more important social issues! These need to take precedence before focusing American funds on the war in Iraq!

Diplomacy is the only thing that makes sense if the current administration still decides to keep our troops in that part of the world. Diplomacy will make our troops stay in Iraq much shorted and they can go home finally to their families. It is the right thing to do! Diplomacy is a way of life -- the right way to live. Nonviolence is moral and ethical and the productive thing to do where one can clearly see win-win situations. The United States can not go on bombing people and countries whenever it wishes. We can not just invade a sovereign country whenever we feel that they have the resources that we need, and say "We're probably gonna be there for a 100 more years!" This is illogical and like what my son stated to me, "it is absurd!"

If we pull out now, the United States must have the responsibility to make sure that Iraq is not unstable. When we pull our forces out of there, I strongly believe that there should be an accountability of what we have done in Iraq in the first place. If and when we do, we will lose our credibility in the entire world! Where is our accountability? We went in -- bomb, bomb, bomb -- then decided to leave without planning, instability and chaos awaits that nation-state. We should not have been in Iraq in the first place. DIPLOMACY is the better alternative in this quagmire that we Americans are in. Any candidate who proposes to end the war will surely have my vote. One candidate, Senator Barack Obama, is about ending not just the war in Iraq, but the war here at home, the remnant of the Vietnam era, the war against the social problems that we have. It seems to me, and this is merely my humble opinion, his experiences as an advocate and a grassroots organizer coupled with his ability to unite people across religious and social lines, is more capable of confronting conflict and political instability than any candidate. Somehow I sense a littel ray of hope that he represents, not only for myself but for so many others. This man reflects the hope of a different America, one that is more accepting, kind, and thoughtful. If given the chance, America can refocus in the direction of not only tolerance of other races and cultural way of life but toward acceptanc. And we can finally admit to the entire world that we are not the hegemony of life on this planet.

Violence in Society and the Abuse against Minority Groups

2008-03-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

One of the recent visitors to our university, Dr. Angela Davis, a UC Santa Cruz professor, delivered a speech last Monday, March 3, 2008, at California State University in Monterey Bay at the University Center on Sixth Avenue in Seaside. Dr. Davis is internationally known for her work in fighting all forms of oppression. Her speech “Women and the Ongoing Challenge to Racism” was a part of the university’s Diversity Days celebration. She lectured about violence in society, the struggles and abuse of the minority immigrants, the abuse against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders as well as the abuse against incarcerated women, which are all oppressed minority groups that are apart from mainstream America.

Dr. Davis’ eye-opening speech captured my awareness on the abuse that is happening under our noses that our society refuses to examine. The abuses against these members of our society clearly do exist even today in this era of globalization, neoliberalism, and postcolonialism. She urged us to look at our current justice and penal systems and the way the oppressed members of our society are being treated.

Indeed, there are many minority groups that do not belong to the major mainstream America who are still experiencing rampant violence each day! For one thing, violence against women that has been going on for ages and has been widely tolerated for a very long time, in my opinion, is an absolute injustice! Until I listened to Dr. Davis’ speech did I become more aware of these abuses to women, especially those who are marginalized by our society – the incarcerated. I now have a clearer understanding of the conditions of women in prison and the sexual assaults that they suffer from and the clear indifference of our society toward them. It is a part of our everyday existence that I have never been aware of and did not pay attention to because of a lack of exposure whether through readings or a lack of personal experience from friends or acquaintances. But it is there, unfortunately. Violence exists. The abuses exist. Nevertheless, now that I have been made aware of its ugly existence, in my opinion, it is definitely wrong.

The unjust and abusive treatment of the women should be examined. I believe that we should treat our women prisoners with dignity and guide them to become responsible citizens, and they will act like responsible citizens. If they are treated like animals, they will act like animals. This awareness leads me to a conclusion that there is still so much work to do in this battle of fighting for the rights, not just of women but the rights of all oppressed groups. It is an ongoing battle to achieve a just and humane society in order for all human beings to be treated with dignity and respect. There is definitely a need to fight for the rights of all oppressed members of our society, the minorities who are not part of mainstream America, and those who do not get a good deal in our country. We need not close our eyes on the realities that brute force is being applied to the immigrants, the gays, the lesbians, the bisexuals, the transgenders, and the women in our society whether they have been in prison or not.

Through Dr. Davis’ story, she shed light on the stories of others. Her lecture speech and the new ideas that I am learning in my Free Speech class are all things that I am grateful for. I never knew how blessed I am until I see that others’ freedom are non-existent. I have no reason to take for granted the freedom that I have now. I pledge to continually educate myself because it is only through education that one’s eyes are opened to the shortcomings of our society. I agreed with her statement that “our educational system is responsible for the stunning ignorance of the history and literature of the oppressed members of our society.” The most important history of the marginalized people is history that is only achieved through our imagination -- such histories seldom exist.

Who else could speak better about a topic such as the rights and the incarceration of women, but a person who could actually relate to the experiences of those who have been in prison? Dr. Davis spent time in jail, according to her, in the 1970s. She mentioned that today, there is a disproportionate number of women prisoners in men’s prisons! And how about those who are incarcerated who do not identify with genitalia, and those who do not conform to our society’s standards and categorizations? She mentioned about violence that is being perpetuated against transgenders, and women who have been assigned to men’s prisons! These things are real and are present in our society; they have to be approached similarly to the Abolitionist Approach. We have a culture of sexual violence, which became a part of the apparatus that makes the prison system running, which is sad but true. The primary idea that I picked up from her speech was that everything is about a legacy of struggles. For every 100 persons in the U. S., there is one person who is confined in prison doing time. And there are 2.3 million people in prison today! California alone has the highest rate of incarceration in the whole nation!

The privatization of the prison system that has created the situation that is driven by profit making and capitalism in the penal system must go away! We have no place for capitalism in our justice system. I strongly agree with Dr. Angela Davis that there are other approaches to the current prison situation. She believes that our society needs to build solidarity and community. I believe that as Americans, we should demand that our justice and penal systems be overhauled to bring humanity and fairness to our world.

Intelligent Design, Evolution, and Academic Freedom

2008-03-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

"Give me liberty to know to think, to believe, and to utter freely according to conscience, above all other liberties." John Milton

Momentarily, my thoughts went to a different land, a land where discussions are open for critical thinking on the teaching of creationism or intelligent design as well as the teaching of evolution in the classroom.

Yes, let's go there for today's contemplation... as a change of pace from all the readings that we've had on racial and gender inequalities of the past eras. Let's take the Scopes Trial and the Dover Trial, for examples, in our contemplative thought on academic freedom. There were different issues involved in both the Scopes Trial of July, 1925 and the Dover Trial of September, 2005, which both focused on the question of teaching evolution in public schools in the United States.

Let us start with a little history of our country when the first pilgrims came here to escape religious persecution. As far as we can remember religion has always played an important role in who we are as a people. America has recognized the contribution of faith. But it is important to note that America does not impose any one religion; instead, all religions are welcome. That is what religious tolerance is about. In America, we do not mandate any prayer; we welcome all prayers and we respect every creed. We honor the diversity of our country. We respect the deep convictions of our people – this is the tradition of the United States of America. This is what makes us Americans.

Religion has provided hope and inspiration to the lives of countless Americans. We are blessed for all the fine works of love and peace and hope. America is a better place because of the diversity in religions and for the existence of the doctrine of separation of church and state. The latter is a very important concept, especially in the academic setting where the scientific curricula require scientific research. Religious dogma can get in the way of independent thinking. To be true to our beliefs, we need freedom. Our religious freedom is a cornerstone of our great nation.

When I think of how a good and decent society should look, I imagine one in which the government does not hinder faith but rather recognizes what people of faith do to make our communities stronger, to make our schools stronger with a curriculum that is more viable, and to make our families stronger as well. Our families and our future will be ready to embrace the challenges ahead not just in education but in many facets of the American life. By saying this, I would like to add that we did not come this far if not for the struggles and experiences of some of our country’s freedom fighters, such as John Thomas Scopes, whose personal conviction reflects that we, too, can fight for our freedom. He did this in the Scopes Trial.

The Scopes Trial was about removing the teaching of evolution because it went against the religious tenets of the powerful lawmakers of that time. As a result of the discussions around the trial, the view in the land has been that Darwin's concepts should be taught in science classrooms. It is then important to define what science is since we are dealing with developing scientific minds and inquisitiveness for our young people who will be learning scientific theories and methods. “Science, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is “the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. It is the methodological activity, discipline, or study, a knowledge, especially that which is gained through experience, a body of regular or methodical observations or propositions...”

In the Scopes Trial, the debate over a scientific and educational matter was so passionate on both sides. Why was this so? Well, you see, back then, and until our times in the new millennium, some people believe in reason. Some people believe in blind faith to their religion. Some people don’t think for themselves – they wait for their religious leaders to tell them what to believe in. If people agree that evolution should be taught in the classroom, they are considered atheists. In fact, anyone for that matter, who believes that evolution should be the science curriculum in a science class, no matter how devout a Christian he or she maybe, is considered an atheist. Aside from this, there are other issues that were also involved in this Scopes Trial. For one thing, which is the one ethical issue that I am actually going to reflect on, is the academic freedom in the classrooms.

It is important to know and would prove helpful what issues were at stake for both the defense and the prosecution. For John Thomas Scopes, the high school science teacher who was contrived in this occurrence, his idea was purely academic freedom. Since, basically, his conviction was to open up the classroom for the teaching of science and not merely evolution, not just some curriculum, he was fighting for academic freedom in general.

On the prosecution side, what was at stake was that they wanted to stop what they considered a blasphemous doctrine in the classroom. The Scopes Trial was fundamentally an argument over democracy and the rule of the majority. In my opinion, if one believes in democracy, then the state should not mandate their religious beliefs to be taught in the classroom. Dictatorship does not allow choices!

In saying this, I definitely do not agree with William Jennings Bryan that “the hand that writes the check rules the schools.” No, I do not believe that this is right. It may be true to some extent or within limits. But, then, those limits stop when it comes to teaching religion in school. As a truism, the School Board disburses and controls the funds and has a lot to say on what is supposed to be taught in the school. What I am saying is that it should be within the limits of the First Amendment of our Constitution.

Watching the film of the Scopes Trial made me ponder over the support of the residents in Dayton, Tennessee, of the Butler Law. I honestly do not think that it was compatible with the Dayton residents’ plan or objective of having a town with a little economic growth. I realize that since this was a widely-covered trial, and it brought cash to the little unpopular town of Dayton. The influx of media, mostly the print journalists and the others who have an interest in this specific trial, they were able to put their little place on the map with a bit of economic push to it. But in my mind, this is the wrong way to do it. They can make their town know in some other ways without stifling intellectual growth of the academe.

On the same instance, another trial occurred in the history of the United States’ educational system—the Dover Trial of 2005. The Dover Trial legally proved that Creationism and Intelligent Design were one and the same. Creationism was brought into the classroom in the guise of Intelligent Design. The ruling judge saw right through the proposed creationism theory under a new and different name and declared Intelligent Design as not being a true science and should not be taught in the classroom. The judge also ruled that the school board knew that Intelligent Design was Creationism and was trying to illegally introduce it to the students.

I watched the entire blackboard Dover Trial, which was a civil proceeding where a group of parents were suing the Pennsylvania's Middle District School Board to stop them from introducing creationism in the guise of Intelligent Design to the students. On December 20, 2005, Judge Jones issued his decision, ruling that the Dover mandate was unconstitutional, and barring intelligent design from being taught in Pennsylvania's Middle District public school science classrooms. The eight Dover school board members who voted for the intelligent design requirement were all defeated in a November 8, 2005 election by challengers who opposed the teaching of intelligent design in a science class, and the current school board president stated that the board does not intend to appeal the ruling.

In my personal belief, Intelligent Design or Creationism and the teaching of evolution are not incompatible. I have strong Christian beliefs, and I don't think that the Bible tells me not to believe in evolution. But the people who were trying to put Creationism in the classroom have religious motivation. Science is science. Charles Darwin's ideas on the Origins of the Species have been overwhelmingly accepted in the scientific community. I do not think that there is such a big conflict between the Bible and evolution. God started evolution. It was His vehicle for shaping the earth!

The first amendment of our constitution clearly states that there is a distinct separation of church and state in our country. Our government should not be given the authority to dictate the curriculum in schools where they favor one religion over another. That's not what the separation of church and state is about. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."

When the government does not intervene or meddle in what is going to be taught in the classroom, then, the teachers can create an open and safe environment where a dynamic learning process can occur. This type of learning environment is conducive to learning and where we can all learn from one another. Students learn a great deal from the teachers, and on the other hand, the teachers can also learn from the students. Most especially in a class with a scientific curriculum, the students should be encouraged to explore ideas and concepts creatively. This creativity can be stifled if fear is present. Throwing teachers in jail, or instilling in their hearts the fear factor of losing their job security does not provide nor encourage a dynamic learning environment.

Freedom Lost

2008-03-01T18:34:00.000-08:00

Mr. Freedomandresponsibility lost his identification papers to get back in to the United States.It was a horrible ordeal that he went through. That makes the two of us whose identities have been ransacked! When I lost my California DMV ID card and US passport, somebody who got hold of them did not fear one bit and took over my identity and started obtaining credit through my excellent credit history. That person ruined my credit and my life by posing as me and acquired too much debts by thousands of dollars and did not pay for them! Since I have been zeroing a lot of cards and have operated on a cash basis to increase my networth instead of being in debt, I was not aware of what was going on. I used to take things for granted, such as my identity and passport, since they were easy to get. But once you have lost what you used to enjoy, it will be time for real self-introspection, and your priorities change. Identities are important after all. To this day, I am being extra careful about it and truly appreciate in the real essence of the word "appreciate." The State Department put me through a very rigorous and expensive process to resurrect my identity. It's good to know that I am not the only one in our bloggers group who has the shaken identity experience. It's a terrible thing to go through.

Ever since, I have strongly believe d in my heart that we should not lose our freedom that we enjoy right now in our society. I believe that if we lose them, it is going to be one heck of a time resurrecting our rights back. Our freedom to exist as we are and our freedom of speech are things that I will never take for granted.

Freedom and Religious Restrictions

2008-02-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

Reading upon the John Scopes Trial or what many people have called "The Monkey Trial" have stirred my thoughts. I started wondering on what if the same scenario happens today? Will there be issues like what Scopes experienced?

In the academia, will there be unreasonable controls that are too tight to allow teachers and student to express intellectual thoughts? Will they be restricted though in a school setting, which ironically is a place supposed to be the breeding ground of knowledge and intellectual stimulus? What if freedom of speech is taken away, like in the 20s, will students be not allowed to freely partake in the learning process, where teachers are not permitted to teach rightfully in the classrooms to instill critical thinking in their students' mind? What if the same scenario occurs again where students can not decide on what concepts to embrace or believe in because of conflicting religious and political conflicts?

When judicial control was an important factor in the exercise of one's freedom of expression, such as in the freedom to teach, amidst religious restrictions, we came up with different ethical issues that could possibly be related to our existence in our modern society. If there is no separation of church and state, then, the academic world will turn into a fear-based environment where learning will semi-exist, if it will exist at all. Suddenly the issues become socioeconomic where one's job security is at stake and becomes the main focus instead of students' true learning for intellect's sake. The sociopolitical and religious factors would be on our face in my scenario that I have hypothesized. What if the Scopes era comes back, or something near like it, there might be possible state laws, or even federal, that could be enacted, which could be unconstitutional because they suppress expressive activity. Thoughts like this came to my mind during the seminar, but since it is quite a big group, I have to write my thoughts here instead.

Somehow my thoughts drift on things that we take for granted. I am thinking about different ways, proper ways, of exercising free speech along with the ethical issues that could be involved. It is interesting to know that in the early part of the last century that there was a trial like the Scopes Trial which showed us now how freedom of speech was regulated. If his case existed then, I should never take for granted my freedom in the academia that I am currently enjoying -- learning for learning's sake. At least, in our time in history, learning is still without fear.

Equality for women... a glimpse of myself

2008-02-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article about the equality in education in America. Upon reading it, I can't help but relate to what I have just read as one of the topics in free speech about racial inequality and the African American experience as they were fighting to end slavery. The article on freedom, which says "here we intend to do our duty as men that love justice and hate oppression," gave me a different perspective on the freedom of women in the modern times, which also relates to equality, the equality in education.

Ideas abouat getting an education, or claiming to have one, gives me a glimpse of myself, a woman in an institution of higher education here in the United States. It gives me a different reflection of the human spirit. It fires my inspiration to life’s possibilities in the academia in spite of the fact that I am experiencing hardship. It encourages me to persist just thinking about what the African Americans have experienced before they got to where they are now. My life has been hard pressed by poverty and physical handicap. And now I as try to climb the ladder of the academia in spite of my feelings of inadequacy, I just know that I can never be content with the old compliant style of my parents’ era. I must do my duty and claim my education for myself in order to make a difference in the generations to come.

Seeing the clarity of the concept in my head about "claiming an education" by the author Adrienne Rich, I am trying to relate equality in our modern times. The idea of a dynamic unwritten contract between the teacher and the student where women must claim an education instead of thinking of simply receiving one make things clear for me. She defines "to claim” as “to assert in the face of possible contradiction.” I have just realized that I must take responsibility for myself in all my interactions with the world as well as with myself. If I think of positive ideas in my head that I can have a little piece of the academic world, then who knows, maybe I can.

I think, what equality for women in education in our modern times means I must claim what belongs to me. If I truly want to learn, it's all up to me. I cannot be complacent; I must be responsible to do my part, to do my duty. Like the freedom fighters who thought that "although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming of it."

The reading about women's education and the freedom articles of the 19th century that I have just finished reading for my speech class gave me the courage to be different from what I was. It is alright not to be continually available to the demands of others, for they should respect my sense of purpose as a person with a goal. So now with my new commitment to finishing my education, to which I claim all responsibility, I know that I cannot be satisfied again with my old, passive way.

Self retrospection

2008-02-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt that sometimes you just need time to re-examine some old thoughts and attitudes that you don't normally spend a lot of time thinking about? Well today, I am experiencing one of those days filled with moments of contemplation about my self worth. I don't know... I just have this feeling that something is not right. I have realized today that I have so many fears. And I know that I must work on them or else, I will go through life feeling unfulfilled and wanting.

Most of the things that limit me, I have realized today, are self-imposed. I feel that I am not good enough for any of these things that I am writing about. Whenever my family and friends require my attention, be it in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn, I am always happy to be there for them and to do whatever I can for them... wholeheartedly.

But now I am thinking to myself that if I have wonderful notions of helping others, reaching out to others, writing and suggesting about awareness of inequality and fighting it, I must help myself first to get rid of these silly notions in my head that give me a feeling of being inadequate... of being not good enough.

Somehow I am in need of that special gift from the universe to light my way to my dreams... to rid of this feeling of inadequacy. Maybe I can still do it... if I would only try.

Economic inequality...

2008-02-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

Economic inequality among nations has existed in a wide range of historical periods. There are also inequality among individuals and groups within a society. The nature, causes, and impact of inequality are open to discussions and up for debate. A country's economic structure, say for example capitalism or socialism or the presence of wars or history of past wars, and the differences in individuals' abilities to create wealth are all involved in the creation of economic inequality. It is a sad thing because inequality is linked iwth exploitation whether of people or of their resources. While we can enjoy the comforts of life here in our country and we can watch the ballgames and enjoy them, I agree with Poetic Justice that we shouldn't forget the unfortunate plight of others that is a consequence of economic inequality or unequal distribution of wealth and world's resources. Poetic Justice's reflection of sensitivity to other peoples' needs is really admirable. I know it sounds idealistic, but maybe if we could only share a bit of what we have, perhaps this world will be a better place to live in not just for us but for every one.

A Journey to Equality...

2008-02-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

Frederick Douglass was a firm believer in the equality of all people whether black, female, Native American or immigrant. He was fond of saying, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong." Douglass was a powerful voice for human rights and is still revered today for his contributions against racial injustice. He was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War. On the night Frederick arrived in New York City, September 4, 1838, he could not find the words to express his feelings of leaving behind his life in slavery. He later wrote, "A new world had opened upon me." "Anguish and grief, like darkness and rain, may be depicted, but gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of pen or pencil."

In the summer of 1866, the U. S. Congress passed two bills over the president's veto. One, the Freedmen's Bureau Bill, extended the powers of a government agency that had been established in 1865 for the purpose of providing medical, educational, and financial assistance for the millions of impoverished southern blacks. Congress also passed the Civil Rights Bill, which gave full citzenship to blacks, along with all the rights enjoyed by other Americans. President Johnson's supporters, mainly Democrats and conservative Republicans, organized in the summer of 1866 to stop the movement for further black rights. The radical Republicans also held a meeting in Philadelphia to vote on a resolution calling for black suffrage, and Douglass attended the convention as a delegate from New York. Unfortunately, he encountered much prejudice from some Republican politicians, who were unwilling to associate with blacks on an equal level.
Nonetheless, Douglass went to the convention and spoke out for black suffrage. The vote on the resolution was a close one, for some of the delegates were afraid that white voters would not support a party that allied itself too closely with blacks. http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/douglass/part5.html

I am reminded of the above scenario as Barack Obama praised the Civil Rights Pioneers, which were are akin to each other, just different centuries, different eras. He wants the same boldness in addressing the future of education. "Sometimes, when I reflect on that movement, I wonder where they found that courage," the Democrat told about 10,000 people at an NAACP fundraiser. "Fifty years from now, what kind of courage will our kids look back and see that came from us?" The civil rights group presented the first-term Illinois senator with its lifetime achievement award at the 50th anniversary Detroit NAACP Freedom Fund dinner. He thanked the group for the award but said he felt unworthy.

"I don't feel like I made history. I won an election, and there's much work to do," Obama said to huge applause. The son of a white mother from Kansas and black father from Kenya, Obama became the third black U.S. senator since Reconstruction after beating Republican Alan Keyes in a landslide in November. He reminded donors at the dinner of the "discipline and inner dignity" of protesters of segregation and racism in the 1950s and '60s, and said parents, teachers, students and community leaders must recapture that discipline to help children lead better lives. "Our grandparents used to tell us, if you were black you had to work twice as hard," he said. "Can we honestly say that our students are working twice as hard as students in China, in India, in South Korea? Can we say our teachers are?"

Obama also scolded the Bush administration for tax cuts and an education policy that has created new achievement requirements but not fully funded measures to meet the standards. He urged the crowd to keep working for a "health care program for all Americans" and a solvent social security system. http://obama.senate.gov/news/050502-obama_praises_us_civil_rights_/

Today as we stand for freedom and equality for all, we must remember to vote sensibly and to remember that it has been a long journey to where we are now, especially the African Americans in our country, and we are all still traveling on this journey to equality.

Poignant Images

2008-02-15T00:35:00.000-08:00

As I listened to the evening news about the happenings outside the United States, the fear and confusion of a suburban shopping centre has been displayed in the aftermath of an atrocity of a second suicide bomber in Dimona in Israel that had been involved in the attack. The police shot the suicide bomber before the latter could detonate his device. To me this is strongly convincing of what it means to live under the shadow of suicide bombers... living in fear. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Middle East situation, these events can drive CHANGE. If people will only stop fighting for whatever reason, maybe this earth will be a better place to live in in spite of the threats of global warming, natural disasters, and economic oblivion. I just want a peaceful world for the coming generations, but I feel that it is nowhere near in sight. The Arab world and Israel hate each other. In the U. S., it is still the color of skin that is a factor that is very much alive in politics. We need CHANGE to happen to stop all this madness. And speaking of change, let’s switch the scenario from the international front to the recent results of the primaries back home where Sen. Obama’s winning percentage is way up there. To me, this is a reminder of the civil rights movement in America today. The struggle of the African Americans for full participation in society was a CHANGE that has been the direct legacy of Frederick Douglass and many other abolitionists before him and fighters for human rights after him like Martin Luther King, Jr.

Well, some people don’t like to see the results of the primaries this way because of Mr. Obama's origins, ethnicity, and relations to African-American slavery in this country. I was just thinking that things are still happening here in the U. S., which can definitely drive CHANGE someday. The next president will make a difference, which will be another historic event. Maybe Washington really needs CHANGE. We’ll see... because I believe that we cannot afford to live on a plateau. Thinking about the abolitionists’ movement and its impact to the equality of races, stopping racism is needed, and sometimes CHANGE is good... even in the new millenium where whites shouldn't hate the blacks, and vice versa, or the latinos against the blacks.

Equal Opportunity Means Equal Rights

2008-02-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

In our American society, customarily, the union of two people is between a man and woman who are "in love" with one another. Over the course of time, people have acknowledged relationships between those who belong to the same sex although these couples are not allowed to get married. Now, I believe the question is should we allow homosexuals to legally get married? I personally believe that homosexuals should have the same rights that I have as a heterosexual because denying them of the right that society gives me is a violation of their religious and social freedoms. And this is not right. Civil and religious marriages are two separate institutions. And the government has no business meddling in our personal affairs, since they should have better things to do in order to take care properly of its citizens. Many churches that marry homosexuals now exist, but the state does not recognize this. The Judeo-Christian traditions deny same-sex couples marriage or civil union on the textual grounds or religious beliefs that homosexuality is considered a sin. But doesn't our First Amendment of the Constitution safeguard religion or the lack of it? Our government should provide equal rights to its citizens; therefore, it should allow homosexuals or same-sex couples have the same benefits and rights as what are given to heterosexuals. Then I believe doing so would prove the accuracy of the intent of our constitution. I am totally against any form of discrimination to any minority in our country since I am a minority myself. Fairness and justice to all is the right thing to do.

If you didn't vote, please don't complain later

2008-02-07T01:36:00.000-08:00

"People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote--a very different thing."~ Walter H. Judd

I voted. Yes, I did though there's a lot of things about the American election that I still have questions on. Let's take for example the Electoral College. It has been explained by so many political scholars, and it still does not make sense to me in our modern times. Maybe it's just me because I am not a bona fide American citizen. Or, maybe this concept does not apply to us anymore in this day and age of modernity?

(I have this trivia info: Did You Know? In the United States, only about half of those eligible to vote actually participate in national elections. In European nations, by contrast, voter turnout consistently exceeds 80 percent. Source: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/Guides/?Page=elections ) Hmmn, something to think about...

His optimism is part of the American dream...

2008-02-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

Movement is fresh. Change is coming to America. Barack Obama is evidently the man to beat after winning eight successive primaries and caucuses since Super Tuesday. The Republican's best bet, McCain, accepted it this week by criticizing Obama directly for the first time. And what does Obama do amidst all this negative criticisms against him? Obama is now addressing what is turning out to be a central issue in the election, the economy. He is reaching out to all people. What does this tell us about him? It only shows that he is tough. His optimism is part of the American Dream. We know his record -- the courage he showed when he voted against the war in Iraq in 2002 when so many others were silent or simply went along with the "mob mentality" in Congress. From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq... please don't let anybody forget that truth. He is for diplomacy.

Just wondering...

2008-02-03T22:44:00.000-08:00

I think, I'm getting the hang of it now -- I just love blogging! My blogsite is like a diary to me or like my own personal journal, where I can freely write about anything, any sentiment of my choosing. It's so cool because blogging is, I would say, the most important advancement in mass media in disseminating thoughts and information across peoples, races, and borders. I think blogging is plain radical... just awesome. This grassroots journalism is for people like me who have no publishing funds to print a book or magazine to let others know about my thoughts. I like to blog because all my creative juices in my head are saying "Let us flow." Search the truth, share the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Switching gears here really quickly, I was reading an old newspaper that happened to be in the magazine rack on the corner of my house. The news article was about a police probe about a possible hoax against a woman who was involved in MySpace postings. Because of her writings, Megan, 13 years old, committed suicide by hanging herself after she received cruel messages from a "fictional boy" who was supposed to be a 16-year old boy whom she met online and appeared to be her friend. This boy told Megan in MySpace that the world would be better off without her. Now there is another side to this story. A Missouri mayor Dardenne Prairie said that this is the first use ever of a town ordinance that was passed to prevent online harrassment, which in this case, was aimed to protect Lori Drew, the mother who posed as the 16-year old boy. Bear with me for a minute, this whole article threw me off balance. It might be an old issue, but I am trying to dissect whose freedom is being protected here. Is it the victim of harassment and fraudulent or the offenders?

Please don't get me wrong here. Yes, I am all for free speech and the might and beauty of our freedom. It is definitely good to have freedom of speech. I hope no one nor institution on this earth can ever take our free speech away. But wait a minute! In this new ordinance that is supposed to counter-attack the police probe on MySpace blogger, where is the accountability for the life of the victim? Where is the responsibility of the fraudulent MySpace account holder for what she has done? She posed as a teenager and caused another teenager's life? How about the morals and ethics of blogging? I am really wondering why the ordinance is trying to protect the killer instead of the victim. Just wondering...

Where is true democracy?

2008-02-03T05:25:00.000-08:00

Our government leaders go to war or invade another country and we all just watch as they do it without being accountable to the American people? How can they can wiretap innocent civilians, and we don't do anything about it? I feel like my freedom as an American has been robbed like a thief steals someone’s most valuable possessions. It feels like I am in the Philippines during the Marcos’ regime for the second time... like deja vu. Then, why did I leave the Philippines for if true democracy is nowhere to be found? I thought that the United States is that one place in the world where people have true freedom and have rights... where the people can be heard and the government leaders would genuinely listen. I served in the U S Navy and worked for five years at the Department of Defense because I believe in the American way of life -- the democratic way of life. The thing that they call true democracy. This tapping business cannot be happening here in the States! Perhaps somewhere else in the Global South but not in America, the bastion of true democracy where people can speak freely.

After having served in the military, I embarked on a quiet civilian life -- no clamors, no protests. I still can’t help compare my life in the Philippines, a third world nation-state with corrupt political leaders whose graft and corruption are up to their eyeballs. These sentiments are still with me because of what they did to my father, an intellectual member of the society whose only crime was to open people’s eyes and enlighten them to the evils of the government. The Philippines with its so-called “freedom” that was never there; freedom only existed in government document for terminology use; whereas, in real life, there was no such thing. The so-called democratic institutions that were supposed to be there for the people reflected a country that lacks governance. They were hypocritical because how can the government leaders tell us that we have the freedom of expression when, in fact, they censored almost every writing the journalists wrote?

To me free speech is cherished, because it is an intrinsic part of us as human beings. We should be able to express ourselves in an appropriate manner as long as we remain responsible and do not cause speech of hatred or what has been called “hate speech.” Free speech is my basic liberty as a human being like it is my right to breathe the same air that everybody else breathes and as long as I don’t pollute the air that others breathe then it is okay to do so. The governance under twenty five years of Marcos' reign of the Filipino people was the worst of all time, and it must have been like what the other countries experienced during the regimes of Stalin, Hitler, and other dictators.

When the Filipino journalists were restrained from writing their discontent and were so apprehensive of being ambushed at some roads on their way home because of what they have published, democracy and free speech disappeared from our democratic way of life, the way we once knew. The killings of the journalists were domestically alarming, and the US simply looked at it and turned away. They allowed the Filipino government to deal with it. But the Philippine government was corrupt. Not until President Fidel Ramos took governance that the Philippines saw some relief from graft and corruption. At sixteen and being the editor of a high school's English newspaper, I had to be careful that I was not violating one of the Marcos’ self-imposed rules on journalism nor publishing lest be jailed. At sixteen, at felt that we lost our grip on our future. It was then that I decided that the Philippines was no longer the place for me to breathe air. The air was poisonous, and I couldn’t be myself. It wasn't fair! I have always considered myself a responsible, clean young writer with no filthy language in my journalistic attempts, no profanity at all, whose only crime was expressing my opinions about how the Philippine government was messed up. They were treating us as if we were idiots and we didn't know what was really going on amidst the rampant graft and corruption in the Philippine government. Everywhere it was indescribably inhumane.

The "Kabataang Makabayan" (The Patriotic Youth) totally lost its voice. Our power was in our voice to express the wrongdoings to the Filipino people. And even that was suppressed! One should dare not say anything against the government or they will confiscate your properties and savings and lock you up in jail or just plain kill you. That’s what I meant when I said that the air on the other side was really suffocating and poisonous that I couldn’t bear it anymore. When the United States approved my visa to come here, I considered the air was fresher here “where the grass is greener” and where democracy still works.

Are our civil rights in jeopardy?

2008-02-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

"Give me the liberty to know, to think, to believe, and to utter freely according to conscience, above all other liberties." John Milton

My innermost feelings about freedom, specifically our freedom to say what we want to convey to others but sometimes don’t have the courage to do so, go all the way back to my roots of origin, the country where I was born. I grew up during the Marcos’ regime in the Philippines with a dictator who absolutely killed our human rights and freedom to be ourselves. The freedom of the Filipinos became a thing of the past, we became a people who once peacefully existed in a “once upon a time” democratic era, and with Marcos governing us the only thing required of us was to be passive to let him do what he wanted to do to us. This dictator totally robbed all the freedom of the Filipinos to be ourselves, to peacefully assemble together, to express our needs as citizens who so passionately wanted to be heard that we would do anything to achieve it.

In the Philippines, the restriction to our freedom was the rule. Free speech, free assembly, free journalistic endeavors are the exceptions to the government's ridiculous made-up rules! It was very sad. But there wasn't anything that we could do about it. Everybody was very afraid of his governance or the lack thereof because he was the one who killed his enemies... even his friends or just about anybody who gets in his way. We tried the best way we could to cope and hope that someday it will all change and go back to normal, just like how it was before he took over the administration. After the death of my father, an excellent human being, author, honest community leader, who passed away when I was twelve years, I swore by my father’s grave that I will avenge his death. I promised him that I will open the eyes of my co-fellow men to the evils of the government that massively lacked governance and the skills to do so. It was then when I decided to come to America, where there’s free flow of ideas, which to me at a young age was a sign of democracy.

I was reading a lot of American articles and in my mind had formed thoughts that what we had in the poor restricted Philippines was simply a puppet democracy put up by the Reagan administration so that the United States can continue to massively exploit the Philippine natural resources to dangerously low levels. I was aware of all these things, but I did not have the courage to say things that were supposed to have been said during the past two decades to open people’s mind to the truth.

As an American, living in the United States, sometimes I feel like the same thing that I went through in the Philippines, in my opinion, is happening again. The US government wants us to be passive and be silent as they use the confusion and chaos of terrorism as their copout as they meddle in our civil rights to the point of taking them away! Why? Is it because the military industrial complex is so mighty that we cannot question anything?

The Responsibility That Goes with our freedom of Speech

2008-02-03T05:16:00.000-08:00

In journalism, we have to deal with censorship. It sure plays a big role when one writes or tries to publish something. But what is censorship? In my field of journalism, it is the suppression of ideas that are considered distasteful or offensive as categorized by the censoring agency. And there are many forms of censorship, which usually convey inappropriateness that needs to be repressed. So what happens to our freedom of speech when we want to write on something that we feel is important for others to know? Then there's also this concept in America that freedom of speech is being able to speak freely without being censored.

Free speech is a right guaranteed by our constitution along with my other human rights. In the United States, a lot of people call it “freedom of expression” or simply “free speech.” I pondered on whatever terminology we use to name our freedom to speak -- it is basically a state of being free to say or write what I deem is necessary to relay or share something of importance with others.

Another part of this freedom spells out r-e-s-p-o-n-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y. I think, they go hand in hand. It has not been an absolute right in my country of birth, but I am now, by heart, an American who genuinely thinks, behaves, and acts like one. I know my rights as well as my responsibilities that go along with my freedom. I will always believe that I am free… free to do what’s right for myself, my family, and my fellowmen. This I will always fight for because this is what I truly believe.

Freedom of Speech --an Inherent Part of Our Being

2008-02-03T05:01:00.000-08:00

American are very busy all the time. We lead full lives and have activities and affairs that require much freedom. These freedoms come in many forms, and here in my blog, will be reflections on our freedom of speech.

Allow me to share with you that I served ten years on military active duty in the Unites States Navy. I served our ideals and have been an important part of what America stands for – our democracy. Perhaps I will not be able to say this had I not served our country and the American people. I can readily identiy myself an American, not because of my U. S. passport but because of by the ideals that I embrace. We are free to think, act, and behave the way we do, which separates us from the rest of the world. Being in the Navy took some of my basic freedom away due to the might of the military industrial complex. For now I will focus on the freedom that I believe and feel is seemingly limitless that we, Americans, have.

I wonder how many among us, with regard to this free speech that we all possess, even think about the responsibility that goes with this beautiful freedom that we enjoy? We expect things while assuming the world revolves around us. Why is that? Is it because we are Americans? Do we assume that perhaps we are the center of the universe? I deeply believe that our freedom of expression is an inherent part of our being. Free speech is a core American value. With this freedom and with our values, I need to remember that I am a responsible citizen. And for me. this means that whatever word that I utter, write, or reflect in any form, must not hurt anyone. We always need to remember that we are accountable for our actions. Responsibility and freedom go together in the process of being a true American.