Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Supreme Court: OK To Air Garci Recordings (Ho-hum!)

The Supreme Court has finally handed down its decision on the Garci Recordings saying it's okay to air them (two years after they've been posted on the Internet and everyone already has!). Anonymous in the Comment Thread asks "Why Now?" this decision on Garci. I think the Court is buttering up the Public and the Press for a major decision on Executive Privilege.
NEWSBREAK: "The Supreme Court Tuesday voted 9-6 in favor of airing the controversial “Hello, Garci” tape from the 2004 presidential election period which the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Secretary of Justice had warned radio stations and television networks against playing."
I wonder what took them so long? What is moot and academic is the desire to suppress them because of the ignominy they bring to the President. The Supreme Court itself partook of that ignominy by this unconscionable delay Two years would seem to have been long enough for this fruit to ripen. Now it is just rotten. I can't wait to read the decision which will be released Friday just to see if any of these Philippine Commentaries make any sense at all:



UPDATES:

By the way congratulations to Blue Anna's "Pao" on his successful Thesis defense. (Juris Doctor). Punzi, meanwhile, is caregiving.

BLACKSHAMA on the conscience as a castle keep.

Jenny goes for the long shot.

The Hillblogger (who says she is a European conservative) wants to unleash a blogswarm on the war in Iraq but defends NATO's involvement in Afghanistan. One out of two, good enough for me.

Still the best photoblogger around, Senor Enrique ("Wish you were here!")

The Pinoy Penman
(old friend Butch Dalisay) is having a MAC attack.

Radioactive Adobo is, but they gotta turn on their spam filter over there.

The Ricelander ponders Jun Lozada.

Something for the 3D animators in the audience. VAES9 carries the 2008 Google Sketchup Model Your Campus Competition. It's not 3dsmax or even Truspace, but Sketchup lets you put things in Google Earth. W00t!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

DJB,

Stop wondering what took them so long and get into your interesting/curious take/insight on its timing to the revival of cha-cha and Jun, "David," Lozada.

That is after all what I visit you for - your insightful Philippine Commentary!

Muchos Gracias.
bing

Deany Bocobo said...

funny you mention timing...i think they are also about to rule on the Romulo Nery petition for prohibition against the Senate.

It'sthe biggie on Executive Privilege. Here they are just buttering up the Press because I think they will side with the President on Executive Privilege.

ricelander said...

When SC ruled on EO 464, how many months did it take? Was it six or seven? Enough time to let things simmer down or go stale. Neat.

Anonymous said...

DJB,

I have visited a number of blogs about the Philippines, its politics and its people. Yours, Manuel Quezon3 , and Ellen Tordesillas stands out when it comes to current political events.

All 3 have sad commentaries. All 3 can move emotions, and I would bet that all 3 have moved some people to action. All 3 have other commendable qualities. All 3, however, remain commentaries of what is and what has been - very little, if any, on what will. That is actually good since none have a crystal ball to tell the future.

It would be nice, nevertheless, if one or two could dare and cross the line and deal on what they believe should be!

The ills of Gloria. What should we do to stop this abuse, the plunder and raping of our people and country.

Deany Bocobo said...

anon,
when pass your paper time comes, GMA will get an F Minus is History. That's all I care about. That is my victory. The Truth is here and at ellen's and mlq3's. The Google Bus comes every day to deliver our "mail" to the Future, well ahead of Gloria.

If America had 9/11, we have our 4/11. The vast audience of History will know that. I guarantee it!

Anonymous said...

DJB,

You are not being factual:

IRAQ was NOT UN sanctioned, REMEMBER: Bush and Blair lied, manipulated intelligence, fixed reports around inexisting WMDs to prop up Bush's idiocy and be able to invade Iraq; it is an illegal war with horrendous results, eg, violation of Geneva Convention, 1 million deaths (and counting, no end in sight), etc. Watch out for when Bush visits EU -- he will be handcuffed like a common criminal directly to jail to face his accusers (just like what awaits Rumsfeld...)

NATO intervention in AFGHANISTAN IS UN-mandated (thank goodness Bush begged NATO to help before he could do further harm) -- ever heard of nation building? Well, that's what NATO is doing there.

You cannot defend your dear president Bush's war because it is a war committed in the name of a your president! Even Americans despise him now for doing it!

So let's practice a bit of good faith, ok? I know you're not used to it but time you started doing the right thing and denounce Bush committing atrocities in Iraq.

Anonymous said...

Re: The Hillblogger (who says she is a European conservative) wants to unleash a blogswarm on the war in Iraq but defends NATO's involvement in Afghanistan. One out of two, good enough for me.

This is utterly, shamelessly misleading! The whole tenor of your 1 liner there points to a lie because you make it sound as if NATO is involved in Iraq. Complete lie.

Again: Bush's war in Iraq is NOT mandated by the UN therefore NATO is not in Iraq.

NATO is mandated by the UN in AFghanistan.

Now you know why Gates is going around begging Europeans and NATO allies to come and help save idiotic Bush's ebbing presidency.

Europe will do it not to save Bush but but because NATO has to do it.

Comprende?

Anonymous said...

DJB,

You're still trapped in your lil island mentality now, aren't you?

Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

DJB,

Gloria getting an F minus is all you care about? Whoa! what goes on with you? So, all these commentaries of yours is all about grading a paper?

DJB, you don't really mean that, ano? I don't want to sound patronizing, but you've gotta be better than that. A lot better!

Deany Bocobo said...

anon,
sorry to disappoint, but that is all I want: immortality for my memes, since I already know I cannot have it myself.

Deany Bocobo said...

ADB,
I can tell that you Eurocons can really, really get into warmaking if you put your minds to it. We sure could use your help right about now, y'all. It's really about time don't ya think? And truly, all I meant was thanks, you guys at least agree about Afghanistan! (and maybe Pakistan?)

Anonymous said...

Rizalist,

Hillblogger and a few other European-civilians may be getting to realize that it is better to fight them "there" than to fight them "here". Now if only the French and Germans and others carry their fair share of the weight, then the Afghanistan army and police can be trained soonner and Afghanistan can be left quickly enough to the Afghanis.
------
And here is progress (but no, the Germans did not do this):

BEIRUT, Feb. 13 -- Imad Mughniyeh, a senior but shadowy Hezbollah commander accused by the United States and Israel of masterminding suicide bombings, hijackings and hostage-takings that spanned 25 years, was killed by a car bomb in the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Shiite Muslim group and other officials said Wednesday.

Anonymous said...

Anon, other good bloggers include Ricky Carandang and Schumey (of the Philippine Experience).

Anonymous said...

Bren,

Re: "Hillblogger and a few other European-civilians may be getting to realize that it.."

Contrary to your musing and perhaps because you have not read history, European civilians and military alike have, been proponents of the dogma, "fight them there" as you say "than here"... Thousand year old history has proved that.

However, in the run up to the wars on nations "there," we have also learned that there is such a thing as rule of law, legal and moral, and that based on that rule, a nation, eg., US, does not have the right to go around attacking another nation after it fixes intelligence around an invasion plan because of some imagined, deranged reason, and committing atrocities on people, something that the US, an example of an aggressor nation, has not learned (think Nazi Germany) and still has to learn.

And if you still don't know, Iraq did NOT attack the US.

Deany Bocobo said...

HB,
I hope you will follow in the next few months the prosecution of Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Youssef, masterminds of 911.

These two guys were here in the Philippines from the early nineties until 1995 when their plot to kill Pope John Paul was uncovered. They were here to finance the organization that would become the Abu Sayyaf, working closely with AQ and even bringing in OBL himself.

But while in Manila they were known to use as a cover that they were rich arab playboys. They had many girl friends and cruised the bars every night.

Clearly they were NOT Al Qaeda! Not religious fundamentalist Al Qaeda.

What were they? Iraqi Intel!

So hold your fire dear. You Europeans have a lot to learn yet about 9/11 I think.

Unknown said...

I don't get it.

You mean because they were Iraqis, IRAQ attacked the US? Why should the rest of the Iraqi population bear the brunt of Bush's revenge?

How would that be now if you and a friend of yours, Philippine citizens personally attacked the US, would that mean that the Philippines attacked the US, hence the US should take it as a moral right to bomb and awe the Philippines?

Deany Bocobo said...

HB,

You're missing the point! I am directly contesting your belief that Iraq had nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11. Maybe AQ supplied the suicide bombers but the plan and the financing at least partly came from Saddam Hussein through his agents Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Youssef. I submit that there are certain things about Khalid Sheik Mohammed that can't be explained if he really was pure AQ. His personal and moral behavior in Manila for one. BTW, he was not Iraqi, nor was Ramzi Youssef. He might not even have been Kuwaiti, because the Kuwaiti citizen Khalid Sheik Mohammed who went to college in America is said to have gotten his identity stolen in Kuwait in 1990 during the brief Iraqi occupation and assumed by an Iraqi intel agent, who came to Manila and helped connect ASG with AQ.

Let's keep an open mind shall we? the trial of KSM should be a real eye opener...

Now you make it sound like its US killing all those civilians in Iraq.

Anonymous said...

If the US attacked and bombs the Pinas, I hope that they hit Gloria at Malacanang!

At least something good would come out of someones goofiness. ;)

Anonymous said...

You can always tell when the spirit of people power is in the air again. Issues against the Arroyo administration are mounting and they are polarizing our nation.

Dahil sa mga skandalo, hindi na pwedeng nasa gitna at walang pakialam. Kinakailangan na ngayong mamili: papayag ka bang inaabuso o may tapang ka bang umangal? wala ka bang pakialam o mahal mo ba ang ating bayan? pro-GMA ka ba o anti-GMA?

Dati, binabale-wale ko lang ang mga isyu laban kay GMA dahil ayokong magkaroon uli ng isa pang EDSA? Nakakasawa na kasi e. Kakatapos lang ng Edsa dos!

Pero ngayon, abuso na talaga! Nakakasuka na! Sasali na 'ko sa protesta at hihingi na rin ako ng katotohanan at hustisya! At kung kagustuhan ng Panginoon na humantong uli ito sa isa pang EDSA, sige na, tuloy-tuloy na!

Salamat,
Lester
www.lestercavestany.com