I look up at New York skies for ‘missiles’ and there’s none

“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I’M not paranoid, but while writing this article inside the McDonalds branch at Manhattan’s glitzy Chelsea district June 23 evening, I nervously observed what was going on in the streets amid the scorching 92 degrees Fahrenheit, start of the week-long heat wave.

Leery of a possible ugly episode, I also peered at the skies like a seasoned astrologer from time to time.

There were fears Iran would retaliate after US launched an operation codenamed Midnight Hammer, which involved 125 US military aircraft and targeted three nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan June 21 night. They were reportedly hit between 22:40 GMT and 23:05 GMT on Saturday (02:40-03:05 on Sunday Tehran time).

But wherever my naughty imagination had brought me in those fleeting moments, it defied reality. It was weird and eristic.

There was no way a wayward or time-controlled missile would fall from the New York skies like what the people in Tehran, Iran and in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Ashdod, Israel experienced these past 72 hours.

New York, or the entire United States for that matter, is, of course, “safe” from any air assault

 

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Even if it is touted as the “terror of the Middle East”, Iran is not yet capable of launching a missile that can reach the continental United States (I can see in the map Atlantic Ocean is too wide and long for any Middle East missile to cross and blast at the Big Apple's skyscrapers).

But we learned that Iran’s longest-range missiles are currently capable of reaching distances of up to about 1,240 miles, which covers the Middle East and parts of Europe, but not the United States. Thank God.

But we can’t lower our guards. At least not yet. There is still a possibility that Iran could develop this capability:

It was learned that potential ICBM development: Iran is believed to be seeking longer-range missiles and satellite launch vehicles. If they were to acquire technology from other nations, particularly related to the Taepo Dong-2 missile, they could potentially develop such a capability in the future.

Technological challenges: To develop an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US, Iran would need to overcome significant technological hurdles, including stage separation, powerful propulsion systems, advanced re-entry vehicles, and precise guidance systems.

 

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Meanwhile, several hours latter, we learned that U.S. President Donald Trump had announced on social media that “Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire” after more than a week of missile strikes on each other and a weekend attack on Iranian nuclear facilities by American bombers.

There was no immediate confirmation of a deal by Israel or Iran but Mr. Trump’s assertion came hours after Iran launched missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American military base in the Middle East, retaliating for U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites while taking steps to limit the damage, reported the New York Times.

Only hours after Iran unsuccessfully fired missiles at the U.S. base in Qatar, President Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that “a cease-fire has been reached between Israel and Iran, and that the war will be over.”

We are still trying to verify this from both the Iranian and Israeli sides and have no further details yet. This all comes one day after Mr. Trump called for regime change and two days after the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites. So this is all a fluid and unclear situation, Jonathan Swan reported from Washington.

According to Eric Schmitt, a Defense Department official had claimed that American air defenses in Qatar intercepted the 13 Iranian missiles that President Trump said were knocked down in Monday’s (June 23) attack.

 

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One other missile was allowed to land harmlessly. A U.S. official said that American troops in Iraq and Syria remained on alert for attacks by Iran-backed militias there.

Swan added that President Trump’s first public comments since Iran’s missile attack on a U.S. base in Qatar indicated that he does not plan to retaliate.

Instead, in a series of posts on Truth Social, the president framed the Iranian barrage as “a very weak response” and a gesture toward peace. In all-caps he posted “CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!” He minimized the damage done and even thanked the Iranians for “giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured.”

“Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same,” he added. Taken together, his posts suggest that Mr. Trump currently has no interest in a more protracted war to topple Iran’s leadership, despite some of his recent statements.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Never underestimate Roque’s asylum quest

“There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in the lunatic asylum.”

—Carl Jung

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE government, especially the Department of Justice (DoJ) now headed by a former politician from Cavite, should be careful in swapping verbal darts against loquacious and discredited former presidential spokesman Harry Roque in relation to the latter’s asylum application in The Netherlands.

If Jesus Crispin Remulla, the DoJ boss under the Marcos Jr. administration, doesn’t have the goods about the real status of Roque’s asylum application, he must refrain from recklessly issuing statements to the media that would hurt DoJ’s credibility.

Roque, wanted in the Philippines for major crimes like human trafficking, among other serious cases, might use the DoJ’s bellicose approach to his case to strengthen his claim of persecution by the Philippine government.  

If the DoJ is not sure about the alleged denial by the Dutch government of Roque’s asylum application, it should not announce prematurely that “he fled to Germany” where he was supposed to allegedly file another asylum application after being “denied” in The Netherlands.

 

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Roque, of course, went ballistic and belied the DoJ’s “lies” and “fake news.”

We can’t blame this talkative troublemaker. After all, only him and the Dutch government know the real status of his asylum application.

Asylum application fundamentally is strictly confidential, and the Dutch government will surely see to it its details will never leak to any third party.

The way Roque fired his strongly worded sallies showed he wasn’t afraid to engage Remulla and the DoJ in a no-holds-barred showdown regarding his asylum case in The Netherlands.

Most people in the world have had the experience of leaving the place where they grew up like Roque.

Maybe they will only move as far as the next village or city. But for some people, they will need to leave their country entirely–sometimes for a short time, but sometimes forever, according to Amnesty International (AI)

Every day, all over the world, AI observed, people make one of the most difficult decisions in their lives: to leave their homes in search of a safer, better life.

 

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AI said there are many reasons why people around the globe seek to rebuild their lives in a different country. Some people leave home to get a job or an education.

Others are forced to flee persecution or human rights violations such as torture. Millions flee from armed conflicts or other crises or violence.

Some no longer feel safe and might have been targeted just because of who they are or what they do or believe – for example, for their ethnicity, religion, sexuality or political opinions. 

These journeys, which all start with the hope for a better future, can also be full of danger and fear. Some people risk falling prey to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Some are detained by the authorities as soon as they arrive in a new country. Once they’re settling in and start building a new life, many face daily racism, xenophobia and discrimination.

Some people end up feeling alone and isolated because they have lost the support networks that most of us take for granted – our communities, colleagues, relatives and friends.

 

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There are many reasons why it might be too difficult or dangerous for people to stay in their own countries.

For example, children, woman and men flee from violence, war, hunger, extreme poverty, because of their sexual or gender orientation, or from the consequences of climate change or other natural disasters. Often people will face a combination of these difficult circumstances.

People who leave their countries are not always fleeing danger. They might believe they have a better chance of finding work in another country because they have the education or capital to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Others might want to join relatives or friends who are already living abroad. Or they might seek to start or finish their education in another country.

There are lots of different reasons for people to start a journey to build a life in a new country.

 

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According to AI, the terms “refugee”, “asylum seeker” and “migrant” are used to describe people who are on the move, who have left their countries and have crossed borders.

The terms “migrant” and “refugee” are often used interchangeably but it is important to distinguish between them as there is a legal difference.

A refugee is a person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there. The risks to their safety and life were so great that they felt they had no choice but to leave and seek safety outside their country because their own government cannot or will not protect them from those dangers.

Refugees have a right to international protection.

An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in another country, but who hasn’t yet been legally recognized as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim.

Seeking asylum is a human right. This means everyone should be allowed to enter another country to seek asylum.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

A chance for Ilonggos to shine in impeachment trial

“Stardom isn't a profession, it's an accident.”

—Lauren Bacall

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE’RE sure Iloilo third district Rep. Lorenz Defensor won’t be the only Ilonggo who will take an active part in the forthcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Either in the prosecution or defense panel, there will also be personalities with Ilonggo roots; Ilonggos are always present in any undertaking that involves brilliancy and splendor, as well as controversy and shame.

Because we are Ilonggos, it’s but natural to focus on 47-year-old Defensor, who is a lawyer by profession and one of the most admired and highly regarded political stars in Iloilo nowadays.

If the impeachment trial becomes his springboard to political stardom, so be it. If he is talented enough, it will show; if he is mediocre and a mere fly in the ointment, it will also show.

Defensor, youngest son of former assemblyman and Iloilo governor Arthur “Art” Defensor and younger brother of current Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor, Jr., has been in the news these past months; TV networks, major newspapers and websites have been queuing to interview him.

 

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The press finds Defensor, a member of the House prosecution panel, to be reliable and trustworthy as chief source of important facts and information about the impeachment trial.

The press also finds his opinion to be more credible and well grounded as compared to other blathering politicians who make comments and observations about the impeachment.

During the actual impeachment trial, many eyes will be on Defensor and other young turks with brilliant legal minds as they try to convince the judges-senators to convict the embattled vice president accused of misusing multimillions of pesos worth of public funds through intelligence funds, among other alleged acts of corruption and irregularities as vice president and former education secretary.

If they perform well, the future is also bright politically and otherwise for many of Defensor’s peers in the prosecution panel: Reps. Marcelino Libanan, Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, Romeo Acop, Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, Joel Chua, Raul Angelo “Jil” Bongalon, Loreto Acharon, Arnan Panaligan, Ysabel Maria Zamora, and Jonathan Keith Flores.

 

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Since this is expected to be a mega event in the Philippines politically, the impeachment trial can serve as prime source of selection process for the country’s next leaders in the higher echelon.  

The highly anticipated impeachment trial, to be covered “live” by major media networks and expected to generate millions of viewership and readership in the Philippines and abroad, will make or unmake—and even unmask—many characters with ambition for higher offices in 2028 and beyond.

That’s why it is important for participants—the accused and House panel members acting as prosecutors as well as the senators-judges—to go to court with clean hands, so to speak.

By “clean hands” means they must act with utmost good faith and maintain their impartiality, objectivity and fairness (although many of us doubt some of them will behave this way).

They all hold the key to their own political future. Either they will behave or misbehave; either they will show their biases or play fair and square and base only their judgement on the pieces of evidence, not on personal and political affiliations and attachments.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

Life is better without the clowns

“Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate, now what's going to happen to us with both a House and a Senate?"

—Will Rogers

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE have been advocating for abolition of the Philippine Senate, the Upper Chamber of the House, since 2013 or 12 years ago.

Even before the shameful acrobatics of the “Dirty 18” (composed of unprincipled and cowards who voted to “remand” the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio), we already noticed that the presence of senators in the life of Filipinos was antipathetic and maleficent.

At this early, we predict that the impeachment case to be unravelled officially during the 20th congress will end up as a smorgasbord of comedy, circus, humiliation for the crooks and rascals, and embarrassment for the entire nation. 

We just don’t have trust and confidence with most of the incoming sitting judges-senators. They are palookas, nondescripts, unreliable, political hooligans who cower in fear at the mere sight of the Duterte family.  

Our disgust and disappointment originated specifically from the ugly mudslinging bout between the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and now Presidential Legal Chief Juan Ponce Enrile which had wasted millions of pesos in taxpayers' money.

And the mushrooming of flood of pork barrel and other pelfs and privileges so horrendous and scandalous they would dwarf Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

 

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Th Miriam-Enrile joust and the presence of the current clowns and political back riders happened because we have a useless branch of government that is actually not necessary and should have been dissolved a long time ago.

If we have a parliamentary form of government, we can never have the likes of Robin, Bato, Jinggoy, Bong (Revilla and Go), Lito Lapid, Joel, the Villars (mother, son, daughter), among other inutile senators.

No pork barrel, no popularity contest, and no unnecessary committee investigations that are only actually in aid of grandstanding rather than legislation.

The early senators in history never resorted to personal insults and slander unlike what we have in the Philippines today.

Senators had been part of Roman government since Romulus, the first king of Rome, who created 100 senators to advise him, especially in the case of alliances and treaties.

When Romulus died, there was no obvious candidate to replace him and the Roman senators feared that one of the neighboring states would take over Rome, so they set up a temporary government.

They gave power to a chosen individual for only five days at time, after which the next in line took over.

The time under this rotating government was called an interregnum meaning it was the government between (inter) the kings.

The Roman People were happy to see the end of the interregnum because they felt that during it they were ruled by 100 masters, instead of just a single monarch.

The late President Fidel Ramos’ former press secretary Hector R. Villanueva was right when he referred to the upper chamber as "disgraceful senate."

 

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We agree with Villanueva when he once called the Philippine Senate as "a redundant, effete, wasteful, and costly institution that, in reality, does not represent anybody, or any sector, or any region of the country other than the self-serving interests of its members."

It is a myth and parody to believe that senators represent the entire Filipino people.

Once elected, the senators go their own merry ways, and the nation can go fly a kite till the next election, Villanueva had stressed.

"If truth be told, a unicameral National Assembly in a parliamentary form of government can perform just as effectively and rationally without a Senate.

"The Upper Chamber has become unnecessary and irrelevant.

"In many countries, the Senate or upper Assembly is a ceremonial and appointive honorific Chamber composed of retired justices, professors emeritus, retired statesmen, outstanding business leaders, exceptional professionals in the sciences, extraordinary women, and experienced diplomats.

 

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"Its main functions are, among others, as a treaty ratifying body, an impeachment court, a welcoming party to arriving foreign dignitaries, and other ceremonial duties.

"Expectedly, the members are entitled to respectable stipends and perks sans the PDAF to insulate them from corruption and the vagaries of politics.

"Alas, the current 16th Congress, as a whole, is a disgrace to the nation, and a despicably bad example to the youth of the country.

"Hence, it is an opportune time to renew and revive discussions on Constitutional revisions, term limits, and unicameralism.

"Though we have good friends among the senators, and there are outstanding, fresh, youthful, and exciting newly-elected senators, the Philippine Senate itself in recent years has fallen into disrepute, corruption, incessant squabbling, lackluster productivity, and obsessive partisanship that is making the Senate increasingly unnecessary and not cost-effective.

"The Filipino would not miss its absence and demise if the Senate were to be abolished.

"When all is said and done, it is never too late for the senators to redeem themselves and regain the respect and support of the general public.

"However, there is a new generation out there of politically conscious and activist youths who are highly skilled in the use of social media that is double-bladed and can cut both ways."

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)