Enough Politics: The Drama Unfolds Here, Part 10

Does politics consume the true agenda of  pressuposed nation's liberty? Can you say preoccupied to a person held by the iron grip of politics? Does it even entail a choice for one to be subjected into the political arena or unconciously everyone eventually gets involved in it? 

Definitely, politics is almost always given the opportunity to consummate our keen intellect whenever we make a stand. Sometimes, possibilities of earth-shaking proportions gets into our view whenever we ride along the momentum of this type/s of discourse.  

Below is a collection of neoliberal political proverbs sent by a friend from a university in France: 

(Please take note of the ironies and metaphors. They may indeed burn like a blazing hot flat iron in your self-thought.) 

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.

-- John Adams

2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.

-- Mark Twain

3. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.

-- Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle ..

-- Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

-- George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.

-- G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

-- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.

-- Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

-- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

10. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.

-- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

11. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

-- Ronald Reagan (1986)

12. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

-- Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!

-- P.J. O'Rourke

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

-- Voltaire (1764)

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!

-- Pericles (430 B.C.)

16. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.

-- Mark Twain (1866)

17. Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.

-- Anonymous

18. The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
-- Ronald Reagan

19. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.

-- Winston Churchill

20. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.

-- Mark Twain

21. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
--Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

22. There is no distinctly native American criminal class...save Congress.

-- Mark Twain

23. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.

-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

24. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

-- Thomas Jefferson

A Student's Untimely Farewell

Amiel Alcantara. I will never forget that name. Upon receiving a message regarding the tragic incident, I knew deep inside that I've not just tragically lost a student, but also a driving force in my journey as a teacher. With his brotherly praises and greetings filled with tremendous joy and unforgettable laughter, as unmagnanimous destiny was for him, no one would not feel a certain stop in the beating of one's heart in sadness and hatred (for the dreams that will never be fulfilled, for the visions that will never be conceived). 

 

As I've read his parent's appeal for prayer, surely, I believe this is the best gift that I can give and share all for him in this moment.  

Humihingi kami ng mga dasal niyo para sa kaluluwa ni Amiel Alcantara. Siya ay nasa ikaapat na baitang at mag-aaral ng Mababang Paaralan ng Ateneo de manila. Kanina lamang, siya'y naipit ng dalawang kotse sa may dismissal/waiting area, oras ng kanilang uwian. Kinailangan pa siyang hugutin mula sa ibaba ng kotse upang maialis siya sa pagkaipit. Maraming dugo ang nakita sa pinangyarihan ng insidente. Naisugod pa siya sa ospital ngunit hindi rin nagtagal at siya'y pumanaw. Nawa'y ipagdasal niyo ang kanyang kaluluwa at ang kanyang pamilya. Pakipasa ang mensaheng ito sa iba. Maraming salamat po.

I am offering my condolences to his family especially to his brother Avie who is also one of my students. 

Godspeed, Amiel. 

Who is Mr. Common Sense?

Do we really make sense or do our senses make us?

This is a rather paradoxical question to ask, yet a very obvious one. So obvious that no one, even the philosophers, ever asked it because all statements made will nullify itself; since what had been thought in the duration of thinking shall make a contradiction to the act of thinking itself (if it is, in the first place, a valid act to one's perception).

Anyway, here's an attempt by a writer (this was sent to me by a friend) to make a forecast or to paint a not-so-distant reality of the death of common sense.

Leave a comment below if you have spurts of statements to let go off your mouth's leash.

If there's none, just enjoy and view his sense about the (global) common sense.
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Obituary: Mr. Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights

I Want It Now

Someone Else Is To Blame

I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Chorros de la poesia (spurts of poetry)

Saturday.

When I went to my former alma mater's (high school) annual fair, some inescapable force compelled me to come in terms with my former organization by attending its acoustic, open mic poetry event. To my surprise, the current members are still actively participating in the arts scene within the campus. One even had produced an album now circulating in the local music market.

Then, as far as their brand of poetry is concerned, they still ROCK (whatever that means...).

Anyway, as an alumni, I was also compelled to read some poemas. Since I wasn't prepared, I had to make two poem-lings for 15 minutes before the presentation. Below are the said poem-lings:

The Reunion

I've longed to stare at the long
terrace of thoughts,
of memories, of illusions,

I've sought to tread the transparent path,
full of reversed hopes.

Only it will rest,
in the source of my rays,
from the beacon of combined matches,
held by the ironies of days.

Stare

I want to dispose of millions,
and millions of eyes,

not parallel with their visions,

just looking at directions,
diversions,

only will they come back
to my afflictions,

my desperation.

Seriously Kidding

Are jokes half-meant?

As many people would say, jokes are still statements made by one to address a trait or a circumstance passed to another. Statements, per se, requires thought value in the part of the speaker before being uttered. As a matter of fact, thinking is synonymous to relating one thought pattern to another using the means of connotation or denotation when another person is seen in the release of statements. You might say that such statements can be impulsive, yet, as rational beings, we can think in a matter of millions every single second. So, there is no such thing as a joke not well thought of.

The fact that a statement has undergone a rigorous filtering in the part of the person before being finally said means, in a way, that person meant to say the “joke” thought to another.

Why would one relate that “fact” in the “joke” if one does not actually “mean” it?

In conclusion, the joke has a degree of truth value with the intentions being expressed through a statement to another person.

A joke is not entirely a joke.

Seriously...

...just kidding

Better Be Happy to Be Better

Here are some tips that  I got from a friend,  simple words, simple phrases, thoughts that ripple without end, through eons, through ages. Tips for a Better Life 1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.\ 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. 3. Sleep for 7 hours. 4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. 5. Play more games. 6. Read more books than you did the previous year. 7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel       for our busy lives. 8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6. 9. Dream more while you are awake. 10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured           in plants. 11. Drink plenty of water. 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. 14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the         past. That will ruin your present happiness. 15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your                   energy in the positive present moment. 16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the        curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn                will last a lifetime. 17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. 18. Smile and laugh more. 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. 20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. 23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.         Don't compare your partner with others. 24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 25. Forgive everyone for everything. 26. What other people think of you is none of your business. 27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 28. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 29. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 31. The best is yet to come. 32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 33. Do the right thing! 34. Call your family often. 35. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy. 36. Each day give something good to others. 37. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

38. Show this message to someone else. 

Now, it's time to be fruitful and to (always visit) multiply.  

The Back Story

I'm back..

Now, here is something different, something personal (out of the profound stuff):

New Year

It's nice to be back in the front side of the new year. With the rain hitting the airwaves of supposedly sent text messages, no wonder people get less new year messages this time including my black as emo phone. Instead of watching Picasso-painted fireworks, I had already found contentment in watching TV specials with the digital countdown running onscreen and famous people do their fabulous vaudeville acts onstage. In addition to that, while looking at the occasional news breaks, I saw a lot of national structures being covered with smoke and a palette of colors because they are subjected to excessive usage in fireworks display (for global publicity perhaps).

Kid 1: Weee, the London Eye is exploding with stars.

Kid 2: Yes, the Taipei 101 too, with other buildings.

Kid 3: Wait, until you see, the Taj Mahal...oh...no, it's really burning.

Truly, it has been an explosive, water-drenched new year.

First Weeks

It has been a trailblazing...no...trial blazing three weeks of January. Here are the reasons:

- my uncle's untimely death due to a liver disease (+ RIP +)
- the recently concluded UP CAPES Job Fair
- the research work for a competition (management study/scientific research)
- the upcoming SCI-PHI convention
- IE 22 project
- Obama's inauguration
- spell R-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N
- mediocre American Idol auditionees (oh, man!)
- etcetera

So, buckle up for the future, my friend, because 2009 will be a year to be cherished yet again.

God bless :)