Nail-biting senate race

 

“Popularity should be no scale for the election of politicians. If it would depend on popularity, Donald Duck and The Muppets would take seats in senate.”

—Orson Welles

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I STAYED up late evening on November 8 until past midnight to chronicle the nerve-tingling senate race in the 2022 US midterm elections where the Republicans and Democrats battled neck-and-neck for the magic 51 seats.

As of 11:55 o’clock in the evening, the senate race was like a pendulum swinging from one direction to another; both camps were at 46 apiece when I decided to pause and write this story. Fifty one senators were needed to control the Upper Chamber.

Never mind the House of Representatives. The Republicans were on the road to score a smashing dominance as expected. 

The Democrats had only 146 against the Republicans’ 179 as of 12 midnight. Two hundred and eighteen congresspeople were needed to control the Lower House. Big names fell in both the Senate and House races, but this is part of the game.  

By the time this article appears in public, we may have known whether the Democrats were able to secure the Senate or yielded both the House and the Senate. Interesting. 

It is important for the Democrats to save the Senate now that they have been shellacked in the House of Representatives (final results to be known anytime). 

 

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President Joe Biden would need the Senate, which is governed by the Constitution, a set of standing rules, precedents established in the course of the legislative process, and special rules of procedure adopted by statute for particular types of legislation. 

These rules determine how bills and resolutions are moved towards passage, the structure of Senate committees, how debate proceeds on the chamber floor, and how members cast votes. At least the President will have a balancing “ally” in the legislature now that he lost the House.

Also, President Biden would need the Senate in case he encounters a problem with the loyal supporters of former President Donald Trump who are now in power when he runs for reelection in 2024.

The United States Constitution gives each house of Congress the power to be the judge of the “elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members” (Article I, section 5). 

Since 1789 the Senate has carefully guarded this prerogative and has developed its own procedures for judging the qualifications of its members and settling contested elections.

With the speed of technology that helps dispense accurate and quick data, more results are expected to be known by the time this article comes out.

 

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US chess mater Marlon Bernardino, who also dabbles in sportswriting, informed us that eight Filipino participants in the J and P 10-Ball Cup 2022 tournament have reached the round of 32.

He reported that Kyla Herrera, Dave Rogel, Kame Gomez and RS Manglicmot continued their unbeaten romp through the double elimination rounds to advance in the knockout stages November 7 night at the House Manila Pool Bar & Lounge, basement 1 of Holiday Inn Express, Resorts World Manila in Pasay City.

He added that Herrera, 18, a first year college student of Gardner College started the day with a 6-5 decision win over Raymund Salugao followed by 6-3 thrashing of architect Eric Salud and 6-4 dismantling of Jeffrey Garcia. 

He said Makati City’s Rogel, 37, purchasing manager at Ebdor Construction Inc., on the other hand, subdued Larry Lim, Jelo Oliveros and Von Cabrera in a similar 6-4 triumph, in order.

Gomez, meanwhile, nipped Dominic Ong, 6-2, Prince Dela Pena ,6-4, and Rowel Casem ,6-4, respectively while Manglicmot crushed KT Nieva, 6-3 , Michael Cua, 6-4 , and Christian Bajaro ,6-2.

Other cue artists make it to the knock out phase via back door in this weeklong event supported by sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat of Puyat Sports, Ryotaro Horiuchi of Navigator Japan, James Lu of Dubshop, Esteban Robles of Alfa and Mr. Hasnat of Knight Shot UAE are Cua, Bajaro, Cesar Felix and Larry Lim.

Winner will fly to Japan in an all-expense trip to compete in the Japan Tournament in this Games and Amusements Board (GAB) sanctioned tournament that offers a total pot prize of P150,000 to the winners according to DMC Entertainment and Production management top honcho Jesse Gonzales Cambosa Sr., who is also the director of the Billiards Sports Confederation of the Philippines (BSCP) under the leadership of Aristeo “Putch” Puyat. Tournament Director was Allan Soliman assisted by Charles Tanasas.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

Character assassin

“Never underestimate the power of jealousy and the power of envy to destroy. Never underestimate that.”

—Oliver Stone

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

FORMER Philippine special envoy for diplomacy to China Ramon Tulfo described as “nakakasuka na” (it’s getting nauseous ) the alleged “intervention” of newsman Roy Mabasa in the police investigation on the murder of his brother, Percival a.k.a. Percy Lapid.

How did caring for the case of a brother become nakakasuka?

Tulfo’s use of this bizarre word to describe the actuations of the grieving brother of a slain colleague, was more contemptible and unpalatable. Judas Iscariot was more honorable.

Tulfo’s conduct was unbecoming and he should be ashamed as a veteran media personality.  

Tulfo, a known hard-hitting columnist before former President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him as envoy to China in 2018 and 2019, has been using—or, shall we say, wasting—his columns in assassinating the person of Roy, a soft spoken and unassuming person, for “interfering” in the police investigation.

I suspect Tulfo was motivated by envy and jealousy because of the massive publicity and international concern and sympathy for the Mabasa family generated by the senseless murder of a worthy and well-loved broadcaster in the person of 63-year-old Percy Lapid.  

It’s common sense that the media community should close ranks in the spirit of brotherhood and solidarity after one of its well-respected and credible members was murdered in cold blood in line of duty on October 3, 2022.

But the irrational-thinking former envoy to China, who dabbles as columnist for a national broadsheet, thinks differently.

For this envious character assassin, it’s more glorious to attack a brother in profession who mourned the death of a family member, than to lambast the killers and the masterminds in the celebrated murder case.

 

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By the time this article appears in public, we may have known who among the Democrats and Republicans running for governor, House representative and senator were elected in the United States midterm elections on November 8, 2022.

The big takeaway according to the final predictions posted overnight by 

Steve Shepard, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, was: “Republicans have a grip on the House majority. But the Senate is firmly up for grabs.” 

In our previous articles, we also hinted a possible tsunami to be scored by Donald Trump’s political party owing to the inflation, crime, immigration, and other critical issues that started to eat up the base of President Joe Biden in the past weeks.

We can read the breakdowns of the Senate and gubernatorial races, but we want to dig into the House forecasts.

Here’s Shepard’s forecasts: “Including the latest shifts, 216 seats are now in the ‘Solid,’ ‘Likely’ or ‘Lean Republican’ category—meaning Republicans are only two seats away from the majority, according to the forecast. By comparison, just 194 districts are in the ‘Solid,’ ‘Likely’ and ‘Lean Democratic’ categories. There are 26 seats rated as ‘Toss Up’—races where neither party has a significant advantage.

“The current breakdown of the House (allocating vacant seats to the party that last won them) is 222 Democrats and 213 Republicans. Even if Republicans fail to win any of the 26 ‘Toss Up’ races—just 2 of the 26 would give them the majority—they are currently projected to gain 3 seats. An even, 50-50 split of the ‘Toss Up’ districts would translate to a 16-seat Republican gain.

“A GOP sweep of those ‘Toss Up’ races would represent a gain of nearly 30 seats, and it’s not unusual for one party to win the lion’s share of competitive contests. In 2020, Republicans won 26 of the 27 seats rated as ‘Toss Up’ by POLITICO. In 2018, Democrats won 15 of POLITICO’s 22 ‘Toss Up’ contests in their 40-seat wave election.

I will be posting some post-election results and opinions in some states where the rivalries of contending parties were neck and neck in the battle for the control of the Lower House and the Senate which is crucial in the remaining two years of the Biden administration.

 

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HE is now a multi-millionaire. We congratulate Filipino-American chess GM Wesley So for his triumphant domination of the recent inaugural Chess.com Global Championship, where he put away GM Nihal Sarin in the final with an almost lopsided win.

So, who wasn’t so successful in some of his recent tournaments, buried Sarin two games to spare. 

He took home the $200,000 grand prize―the largest ever prize of his career―along with the dazzling championship trophy.

Chess.com reported that the 29-year-old chess genius “showed us what it means to be a grandmaster of his caliber, coming back to reach one of the top achievements of his career.”

“Amazingly,” added the chess.com, “So seemed to get stronger with each of his matches—despite the top-notch competition—clinching the championship with one of his best games of the event.”

“The fast-paced nature of ping-pong seems optimal for a player to clear their head before embarking on an activity as thought-intensive as chess. Indeed, there was new life in Nihal's play today, especially in the first duel of the day. In game five, he revisited the dynamic and unorthodox Modern Defense to gain winning chances with the black pieces.

“Game six was a spectacular expression of So's precise and resourceful defensive abilities, often using the king itself to fend off Nihal's attack. This championship-clinching battle is our Game of the Day, annotated by GM Rafael Leitao.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

An eye for an eye?

 

“Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

—Exodus 21:24

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THIS could go down in history in as far as the killings of journalists in the Philippines and their quick “solution” are concerned.

In only one month and four days after our hard-hitting colleague from Manila, Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, was gunned down in Las Pinas City on October 3, the alleged mastermind, Gerald Bantag, and several others have been formally charged with murder.

And it’s a big fish, to say the least.

Bantag is the suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general.

The accused mastermind, if true that he ordered Mabasa’s killing, must be hiding something and was worried by Mabasa’s series of expose about his alleged corruption, abuse of power and mismanagement.

If true that he ordered the murder of other people (mostly inmates) who opposed him, or journalists who criticized his wrongdoings, his appointment to the Bucor was wrong from the beginning.

Kudos to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). 

Let’s hope the cases will prosper, be elevated in the trial court, and the guilty parties will spend time in jail—if they will not be also killed.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ (Matthew 5:38)

 

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I sympathize with the Democrats, but I am prepared to accept their fate in the 2022 US midterm elections on November 8. 

All indications as of this writing point to a Republican tsunami in the Lower House and a slim chance to regain the Senate.

In the 2010 midterm elections, then President Barrack Obama lost his chief ally, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after the House of Representatives went to the Republicans. The Senate, however, went to the Democrats.

Will history repeat against for Pelosi, who is now the House Speaker under the Biden administration? Let’s wait and see.

 

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According to the latest information sent to us by US chess master Marlon Bernardino, a young female chess player from Imus, Cavite in the Philippines recently became a chess sensation in an ASEAN tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.

Bernardino identified her as Elle Castronuevo, 8, who won the championship of the 6th Eastern Asia (ASEAN) Youth Chess Championship held on Friday, Nov.5 at Asia Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

Joining the 8-under girls’ class, she played 7 rounds during the rapid chess tournament. A Grade 3 pupil of Imus Pilot Elementary School, Castronuevo swept his all opponents, winning seven out of seven to claim the title.

Bernardino said she shined among any other and considered as the best player for the team Philippines.

Mary Janelle Tan and Gllasea Ann Hilario won silver and bronze in the 10-under girls’ class.

Bernardino added that Daren dela Cruz of Dasmarinas City, Cavite, playing under the guidance of Rep. Elpidio "Pidi" Frani Barzaga Jr. and national coach Fide Master Roel Abelgas also tallied perfect 7 points in the combined 12 and 14-under girls’ class.

Ruelle Canino, one of the top player of Far Eastern University-Diliman from Cagayan de Oro City took the silver with six points while Ryien Bahita of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental completed the Philippine domination went home the bronze medal with a higher tie break points in the group of four pointers.

Lexie Grace Hernandez and April Joy Claros, both from Angeles City, Pampanga won silver and bronze in the combined 16 and 18-under girls’ class.

In the boys division, Michael Jan Stephen Rosalem Iñigo of the Philippines bagged the bronze medal. He competed in the U16 boys category and won five and two loses. Iñigo is the pride of Dumaguete City/Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.

Other Filipino medallists are Caleb Royce Garcia (U8, silver), John Cyrus Borce (U14, silver), Christian Gian Karlo Arca (U14,bronze) and Janmyl Dilan Tisado (U18, silver).

The 1st day activity is a 7 rounds Rapid Blitz 15 minutes plus 5 seconds increment competition and will be followed by standard 30 minutes chess competition on the second up to the last day competition according to National Master/National Arbiter Rodolfo "Rudy" Toledo. 

The chess tournament draws a participation of closed to 200 participants of under 8,10,12,14, 16 and 18 years old boys and girls categories from 12 East Asian nations.

Backed up by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and the Philippine Sports Commission, Team Philippines bags 3 Gold, 7 Silver and 7 Bronze medals in the Rapid Chess Tournament  on  the opening day of the East Asian Youth Chess Championship added Toledo.

PH delegation head was Grandmaster Jayson O. Gonzales who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by its' chairman/president Prospero "Butch" Arreza Pichay Jr.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

Lunatics in government

“Time will inevitably uncover dishonesty and lies; history has no place for them.”

—Norodom Sihanouk

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF the voters and the appointing authorities in government aren’t careful, we will continue to have lunatics in government service. 

Taxpayers’ money will be wasted for their salaries, pelfs and privileges.

Lunatics are mentally ill persons. 

Instead of electing or appointing them, they should be sent to the mental institutions where they can be rehabilitated and prevented from assimilating with the public.

But, sad to say, there were lunatics who got elected during the elections; “normal” public officials who are beholden politically, appoint psychotics even to important government positions. That’s why damu buang.

Unlike in the police and military, there are no psychological evaluations before one is appointed or elected in government positions. 

The electoral system itself is the No. 1 recruiter of sira ulo. The election commission allows them to file their certificates of candidacy (COC), thus some of them managed to win after “entertaining” and tantalizing the gullible voters.

When these insane characters land in high government offices, they don’t only make scandalous decisions, they also endanger the lives of the people—their prolonged stay in public offices is downright inimical to the interest of the public, nay the entire nation if they occupy national positions.

 

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They are everywhere: from the executive to the legislative and even the judiciary. Not all governors, mayors, village and youth federation chiefs elected in a “fair and honest” electoral process have normal minds. 

Not all congressmen and senators are fit mentally. 

Not all judges from the trial to the higher courts think and behave normally.

When a public servant steals from the taxpayers, what kind of a person he or she is? Stealing is bad, illegal, immoral—a terrible act of dishonesty, yet many public officials continue to steal—and get away with their chicanery and skullduggery.

If caught with their hands in the cookie jars and exposed in the media, some of them still have the temerity to be outraged; they cry “persecution” and take the criticism, or the expose about their shenanigans personally. 

What kind of persons are they? Only the lunatics will react like that.

Normal persons don’t steal. Normal public servants don’t attempt to enrich themselves at the expense of every hard-working Juan dela Cruz who religiously pays taxes.

Normal public servants criticized in the media for malfeasance and irregularity are ashamed. Some of them resign immediately. In Japan, they commit hara kiri. Money is nothing if their honor has been besmirched.

In the Philippines, corrupt public officials, despite mounting pieces of evidence leveled against them, cry foul and drag the journalists who expose their dishonesty and incompetence in court. Fine. It’s part of due process, but, as balat sibuyas or onion-skinned, what kind of persons are they?

 

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In most horrifying cases, they hire killers to muzzle the press and silence media people who are only doing their job. What kind of mentality do they have?

Hard-hitting but credible broadcaster Percy Lapid, 63, was murdered by hired killers on October 3, 2022 in Las Pinas City, Metro Manila because he was effective, he told the truth and made many corrupt people in government angry. 

The masterminds, probably abusive and perhaps plunderers, couldn’t take Lapid’s criticisms; they were afraid of truth. Lapid’s series of expose against graft and corruption and abuse of power and authority were actually valid and justified in a democratic country.

The role of the critical press in a free country should be adversarial. Percy Lapid was adversarial, erudite, fair and very professional.

Press people aren’t supposed to praise officials in government—unless they performed extra-ordinary tasks that really deserved some kudos and applause.

When they get mad after stealing the people’s money and murdering the purveyors of truth, what kind of human beings are they?

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed) 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

Harboring a fugitive

 

“We also have a tendency to root for the fugitive. We're always on the side of the animal being chased.”

—Norman Jewison

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

PARENTS or relatives who help protect and hide their children facing criminal cases from authorities could be liable for harboring a criminal.  

A former member of the Iloilo provincial board, who requested anonymity, said the parents of a man from a prominent political family indicted for multiple counts of fraud and tax evasion in the United States “could be in serious trouble” if they didn’t surrender him despite having full knowledge he allegedly ran afoul with the law.

“They can’t feign innocence especially if the case of their son is already a public knowledge,” said the former Iloilo board member. 

Harboring a fugitive refers to the crime of knowingly hiding a wanted criminal from the authorities, said the former Iloilo board member, who was once the subject of an arrest warrant for being a former fugitive.  

In the US, federal and state laws, which vary by state, govern the crime of harboring a fugitive. 

Although supplying funds may make one an accessory after the fact, supplying financial assistance to a fugitive does not rise to the level of harboring or concealing. 

According to the US Legal, the federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1071, requires proof of four elements: (1) proof that a federal warrant had been issued for the fugitive' s arrest, (2) that the accused had knowledge that a warrant had been issued, (3) that the accused actually harbored or concealed the fugitive, and (4) that the accused intended to prevent the fugitive' s discovery or arrest.

 

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We know of many parents who have faced a similar situation: a family member or friend was accused of a serious crime. 

Their first instinct was to offer help. After all, they believed the person was not guilty, and they wanted to do everything in their power to help them avoid possible jail time.

But there is a critical difference between offering moral or legal support and actually helping them to hide from law enforcement. 

According to Rosenthal, Kalabus & Therrian Law firm, such acts may be considered aiding or abetting a fugitive under federal law, and in some cases you may end up being charged as an accessory to the underlying crime.

There are specifically enumerated offenses applicable to “fugitives for justice,” added the law firm. 

In this context, a “fugitive” is normally defined as someone subject to a court-issued arrest warrant, as opposed to someone who may merely be under suspicion of a crime by the police. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1071, anyone who “harbors or conceals” a person to prevent their “discovery and arrest” is guilty of a crime.

The law firm stressed that if the fugitive’s alleged offense is a misdemeanor, the penalty for harboring the person is no more than one year in jail. 

However, if the fugitive is charged with a felony, anyone who helps him or her evade arrest could reportedly face up to five years in prison. 

The judge may also impose a fine for a harboring conviction.

 

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With three to two days to go, some of the key drivers of the November 8, 2022 US midterm election are still inflation, crime, gas prices, abortion rights and former President Donald Trump as the chief election result denier.

Under the current Biden administration, Democrats control the House of Representatives by a thin margin and the Senate by the barest of votes—50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker.

If Democrats retain control, Axios said it will defy historical trends and conventional wisdom and give them a lifeline to execute stalled portions of their agenda and improve prospects for a second White House term.

If Republicans retake just one chamber, they can block President Biden’s agenda for the remainder of his term and launch investigations into his administration and his family, added Axios.

If they win the Senate as well as the House, Axios said they can pass their own legislation, block any Biden Supreme Court nominee should the situation arise again, blunt any significant congressional inquiries into former President Trump, and lay the groundwork for a potential GOP administration in 2024.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

  

‘Save democracy’

 “Democracy is not just an election, it is our daily life.”

—Tsai Ing-wen

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE midterm elections on November 8, 2022 is one of the most important events for survival of democracy in the United States.

Campaigning indirectly for the embattled Democrats, President Joseph Biden Jr. appealed November 2 to his fellow Americans to save American democracy from lies, election deniers, and violence. 

He began by zeroing in on the recent violence that occurred in the California residence of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi where her husband, Paul, was hit on the head with a hammer by an intruder with history of being a believer of conspiracy theories.

“Just a few days ago, a little before 2:30 a.m. in the morning, a man smashed the back windows and broke into the home of the speaker of the House of Representatives, the third-highest-ranking official in America. He carried in his backpack zip ties, duct tape, rope and a hammer,” he said.

“As he told the police, he had come looking for Nancy Pelosi to take her hostage, to interrogate her, to threaten to break her kneecaps. But she wasn’t there. Her husband, my friend Paul Pelosi, was home alone. The assailant tried to take Paul hostage. He woke him up, and he wanted to tie him up. The assailant ended up using a hammer to smash Paul’s skull. Thankfully, by the grace of God, Paul survived.

“All this happened after the assault, and it just — it’s hard to even say. It’s hard to even say. After the assailant entered the home asking: “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” Those are the very same words used by the mob when they stormed the United States Capitol on January the 6th, when they broke windows, kicked in the doors, brutally attacked law enforcement, roamed the corridors hunting for officials and erected gallows to hang the former vice president, Mike Pence.”

 

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Mr. Biden said, “It was an enraged mob that had been whipped up into a frenzy by a president repeating over and over again the Big Lie, that the election of 2020 had been stolen. It’s a lie that fueled the dangerous rise in political violence and voter intimidation over the past two years.

“Even before January the 6th, we saw election officials and election workers in a number of states subject to menacing calls, physical threats, even threats to their very lives. In Georgia, for example, the Republican secretary of state and his family were subjected to death threats because he refused to break the law and give into the defeated president’s demand: Just find him 11,780 votes. Just find me 11,780 votes.”

Mr. Biden added: “Election workers, like Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, were harassed and threatened just because they had the courage to do their job and stand up for the truth, to stand up for our democracy. This institution, this intimidation, this violence against Democrats, Republicans and nonpartisan officials just doing their jobs, are the consequence of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol and even violence.”

He further said: “In this moment, we have to confront those lies with the truth. The very future of our nation depends on it. My fellow Americans, we’re facing a defining moment, an inflection point. We must with one overwhelming unified voice speak as a country and say there’s no place, no place for voter intimidation or political violence in America. Whether it’s directed at Democrats or Republicans. No place, period. No place ever.”

“I speak today near Capitol Hill, near the U.S. Capitol, the citadel of our democracy. I know there’s a lot at stake in these midterm elections, from our economy, to the safety of our streets, to our personal freedoms, to the future of health care and Social Security, Medicare. It’s all important. But we’ll have our differences, we’ll have our difference of opinion. And that’s what it’s supposed to be.”

 

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The President said: “But there’s something else at stake, democracy itself. I’m not the only one who sees it. Recent polls have shown an overwhelming majority of Americans believe our democracy is at risk, that our democracy is under threat. They too see that democracy is on the ballot this year, and they’re deeply concerned about it.

“So today, I appeal to all Americans, regardless of party, to meet this moment of national and generational importance. We must vote knowing what’s at stake and not just the policy of the moment, but institutions that have held us together as we’ve sought a more perfect union are also at stake. We must vote knowing who we have been, what we’re at risk of becoming.

“Look, my fellow Americans, the old expression, “Freedom is not free,” it requires constant vigilance. From the very beginning, nothing has been guaranteed about democracy in America. Every generation has had to defend it, protect it, preserve it, choose it. For that’s what democracy is. It’s a choice, a decision of the people, by the people and for the people. The issue couldn’t be clearer, in my view.

“We the people must decide whether we will have fair and free elections, and every vote counts. We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic, where reality’s accepted, the law is obeyed and your vote is truly sacred.

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“We the people must decide whether the rule of law will prevail or whether we will allow the dark forces and thirst for power put ahead of the principles that have long guided us.

“You know, American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refused to accept the results of the 2020 election. If he refuses to accept the will of the people, if he refuses to accept the fact that he lost, he’s abused his power and put the loyalty to himself before loyalty to the Constitution. And he’s made a big lie an article of faith in the MAGA Republican Party, the minority of that party.

“The great irony about the 2020 election is that it’s the most attacked election in our history. And, yet, there’s no election in our history that we can be more certain of its results. Every legal challenge that could have been brought was brought. Every recount that could have been undertaken was undertaken. Every recount confirmed the results. Wherever fact or evidence had been demanded, the Big Lie has been proven to be just that, a big lie. Every single time.”

Mr. Biden concluded: “My fellow Americans, we’ll meet this moment. We just need to remember who we are. We are the United States of America. There’s nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.May God bless you all. May God protect our troops. May God bless those standing guard over our democracy. Thank you, and godspeed.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘If I avoid and evade, I’ll go to jail’

“The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is the thickness of a prison wall.”

—Denis Healey

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF a son or daughter is charged with tax evasion in the United Sates but is (still) hiding in the Philippines, no amount of parental protection can save him or her.

The accused may roll past the charges of fraud worth hundreds of millions of dollars committed against private individuals or corporations and institutions if he or she has a very good lawyer, but in tax evasion, or the act of not paying taxes that are owed, he or she can never get away with murder. 

The laws in the Philippines and in the United States are different when it comes to running after tax cheats. If you have a political padrino in the higher echelon of government, a Pinoy tax evader can wiggle out from the mess. 

There is no such animal in the United States. Even the mighty and the powerful will go to jail. No exemptions. Tax evasion and fraud is illegal and intentional misrepresentation of tax obligations. 

It can involve deliberate omission or falsification of income or revenue, as well as efforts to be invisible to tax authorities altogether. 

This results in the reduction of income that lawfully belongs to the government, and to the people.

Tax evasion and tax fraud not only cheats the public of revenue that is to be used for public goods, but also puts compliant taxpayers that obey the law at a disadvantage. 

It makes it harder for those compliant businesses to be profitable when they are competing with businesses that do not bear the expense of paying their fair share of taxes.

Tax evasion can be deliberate or inadvertent and is distinct from tax avoidance, according to William G. Gale and Aaron Krupkin of Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

Deliberate evasion occurs when, for example, individuals do not report income or do not pay taxes. 

But unintentional mistakes made in filing tax returns can also give rise to inadvertent tax evasion. Illegal tax evasion is distinct from tax avoidance, which is taking advantage of legal ways to reduce tax liability, such as using the mortgage interest deduction.  

However, due to ambiguities in the law, differences in interpretations, the creation of new circumstances, and other factors, there can be some gray areas where it is difficult to distinguish between avoidance and evasion, explained Gale and Krupkin.

 

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NOBODY had expected the recent super-typhoon “Paeng” to wreck havoc in such horrific scale since it started with a rain—heavy rain—before it became a king-sized monster and its mayhem was felt nationwide.

Was it a “punishment” from God?

Or was it a pre-destined human suffering?

Or a “revenge” of nature?

If we believe in the religious philosophy of deism, we will throw away the doctrine of theism; and we will cast aside pantheism.

The deists would never believe that God had something to do with “Yolanda” in 2013, “Ruby” in 2014, and other deadly “wrath of nature” and other catastrophes in the past and in the future.

They believe that God exists, and that His glory is manifested in the heavens and the earth, but that He does not participate in any way in the events which happen in that universe.

The deist conception of God is that he is a great clock maker, who created the cosmos and stands outside watching the events that unfold within it.

The theists, on the other hand, hold that God is present to the world, yet separate from it; thus if He is a murderous God, He could be blamed for the “Yolanda” and “Ruby” mayhem “to teach us a lesson” for being sinners.

The pantheists believe that God is manifested in nature and, in fact, identical to nature.

Since man has been cruel and irresponsible in dealing with his environment and nature since time immemorial, did God bring the calamities as an act of “revenge”?

From the point of view of Christian precepts, the above-stated arguments seem illogical because God essentially sums up the meaning of love.

 

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Since the theological concept of God is that of having the attributes of omniscience (infinite knowledge), omnipotence (unlimited power), omnipresence (present everywhere), omnibenevolence (perfect goodness), divine simplicity, and eternal and necessary existence, God can never be cruel, murderous, vengeful or destructive.

But Yahweh, the God in the Old Testament, was sadistic and cruel who killed 2,821,364 people, mostly Philistines, using biblical numbers, according to Dwindling In Belief.

Yahweh reportedly killed an estimated 25 million people, added the Dwindling In Belief, an unbeliever’s thoughts about the Bible, Quran, and Book of Mormon.

“I kill ... I wound ... I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and mine sword shall devour flesh.” (Deuteronomy 32:39-42)

In the Flood of Noah, an estimated 20,000,000 were killed (reference: Genesis 7:23)

For more on the number of those killed by God, please read Steve Wells’ book Drunk With Blood, where he documented “God’s killings in the Bible.”

So why did “Yolanda”, “Ruby” and other calamities happen?

Either God wanted to stop them but He did not, or God wanted to stop them but He could not.

This was the same view made by Voltaire, a rationalist, when he criticized Jean-Jacque Rousseau, a romanticist, in the aftermath of the Lisbon earthquake that killed thousands of people in 1755.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)