The Cleveland monster

 

Ariel Castro

It boggles my mind how Ariel Castro, the Cleveland monster, could seemingly live a normal life for ten long, diabolic years, after abducting three women from about the same locality and holding them captive inside his very own two-storey house in the middle of a tree-lined street in Cleveland’s West Side neighborhood, described to be a working class area home to a close-knit community?

Truly, Castro was the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing, if there was one, trying to show the neighborhood that he was harmless. He was simply so good and successful in his pretentions that he made everybody else look stupid, until a few days ago.

No wonder Charles Ramsey, the neighbor hailed as hero for helping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight regain their long lost freedom from captivity inside the house of horror, was, himself, left aghast upon knowing that Castro hid them and preyed on them all these years, dehumanizing them in the process.

Ramsey said he’d barbecued with Castro while listening to salsa music and never suspected something amiss.

 ”He just comes out to his backyard, plays with the dogs, tinkering with his cars and motorcycles and goes back in the house,” Ramsey said Monday. “Sometimes you look and then look away because he’s not doing nothing but average stuff. Ain’t nothing exciting about him.”

But many more residents have been duped, including the postman.

What is pathetic about the whole charade is that even Castro’s family – his children – became a victim of his deception not knowing that their father was a monster.

How else could you describe the man, when, as a father and husband, he was abusive to his children and wife, which the latter decided to abandon him, bringing along her children.

Could it be that his being violent and controlling was merely a ploy to cover up his weakness and sickness after having been abused by an uncle in the past and pretend instead that he was tough and mean to prevent others from prying at his life or affairs?

How could Castro allow himself to kidnap his daughter’s best friend, Gina deJesus and feel at ease at his son’s write-up about the disappearance of deJesus, knowing all along that he was keeping her, together with the two others, while the victim’s family agonized for her loss?

Only a man with a sick mind and a wretched past can do that and the monstrosities he did to the others, like, when he impregnated Knight five times, but each time, he gave her little food and punched her in the stomach repeatedly until she miscarried.

The same kinky mind Castro had when he forced Knight to deliver his and Berry’s child in a kiddie pool inside the house and threatened to kill Knight if the baby died.

But, weren’t there tell-tales signs that something hideous, suspicious and mysterious was happening in the house?

Why the boarded-up windows?

Why all of a sudden there appeared a little girl walking with Castro and seen in the attic window when no one was seen pregnant going in and out of the house since?

Shouldn’t one be wondering that no woman was ever seen in that house for ten years?

These are just a few of the intriguing questions surrounding Castro and his place.

Thank goodness that Amanda Berry was not taken for defeated after all these years.

Her gutsy act set her and her two miserable companions free at last from the Cleveland monster.

North Korea continues to rant

North Korea leader, Kim Jong-Un

This is one country whose leader is truly behaving in the most absurd way.

It is simply giving credence to the fact that Kim Jong-Un has not mature yet as an individual, but more so as a leader of a rogue nation, where the impulsiveness of youth is getting the best of him, especially that he is being treated like god by his military minions.

He has been seen as a chip off the old block as he continues his recalcitrant attitude towards leaders of democratic countries, especially those that are staunch supporters of South Korea.

The Korean peninsula has been in a state of heightened military tension since the North carried out its third nuclear test in February.

Incensed by fresh UN sanctions and joint South Korea-US military exercises, Pyongyang has spent weeks issuing blistering threats of missile strikes and nuclear war.

Peace initiatives from South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and the US seem to be falling on deaf ears prompting South Korean and US forces to be on a heightened state of alert for days now. Even Japan has deployed Patriot anti-missile systems around Tokyo and promised to shoot down any missile deemed to be a threat.

It was reported that the missiles mobilized by the North for a possible launch are reported to be untested Musudan models with an estimated range of up to 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles).

That would cover any target in South Korea and Japan, and possibly even US military bases on the Pacific island of Guam.

But, what is ridiculous about all these blistering vituperation and ominous threats of war is Jong-Un’s gung-ho attitude and continued ranting against the people in South Korea when he saw them burning effigies of himself, his father, Kim Jong-Il and his grandfather, NoKor’s founding leader, Kim Il-Sung.

This show of strong protest by the South Koreans against NoKor leadership was purposely coincided with the birthday celebration of Kim Il-Sung, which is considered a major national holiday.

Because of this seemingly inappropriate show of reverence towards Kim Il-Sung, NoKor’s military threatened the South with imminent “sledge-hammer” retaliation, unless Seoul apologized for anti-Pyongyang protestors burning effigies of its revered leaders.

Condemning what it described as a “thrice-cursed… monstrous criminal act,” the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Supreme Command issued an “ultimatum” threatening immediate action if an apology was not forthcoming.

“Our retaliatory action will start without any notice,” it said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency

“The military demonstration… will be powerful sledge-hammer blows at all hostile forces hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership,” it added.

Indeed, pretty strong words that must have elated and bloated Jong-Un’s ego!

But, why get upset about the burning of effigies? That is done all over the world by the aggrieved who wants to make an emphatic statement of disgust. That’s an international symbol of showing revulsion.

If Jong-Un thinks Seoul will apologize, he must be kidding himself.

And the ranting continues.

Gandhi’s ageless leadership beliefs

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi is not only known for his non-violent character but also for his exemplary ethical and moral life.

This was his brand of leadership he showed to his people as he took the responsibility of serving them.

Service to him meant not only self-sacrifice, but also demanded a strong sense of conscience (moral imperative), courage (fearlessness, initiative), and character (integrity).

Since to Gandhi, ‘inner voice’ was synonymous with conscience, then it has been his belief that leaders need to hone and follow their conscience even more than ordinary people as they have been placed at the helm to lead them.

Thus, he wrote: “None of us, especially no leader should allow himself to disobey the inner voice in the face of pressure from outside. Any leader who succumbs in this way forfeit his right of leadership.”

Alas, this is very far from being the brand of leadership our country’s politicians, business men and church leaders are having.

Sad to say this is how we have been all these years. Materialism and the desire to be in power is the way to follow to satiate their greed and to hell with the inner voice.

But, there is no doubt that, to this day, these ageless leadership beliefs of Gandhi are certain, continues to impact and until then will serve as models of leadership.

It is on this note that I will be sharing with you:

Making sense during elections

 

A friend sent me this story and I felt compelled to share it with you as it make sense especially that the country will be having its mid-term elections in May.

The congressmen and senators, for that matter, described below suits more the image of the abhorrent traditional politicians.

Perhaps replacing them as often as warranted is the only way for this nation to move forward and avoid the stench the nincompoops are so familiar of emitting once they think influence and power are theirs.

 

The Haircut

 One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, ‘I cannot accept money from you, I’m doing community service this week.’ The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, ‘I cannot accept money from you , I’m doing community service this week.’ The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, ‘I can not accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’ The Congressman was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.

 

BOTH POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS NEED TO BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON!

 

Nazi salute is an abominable gesture

Katidis doing the unthinkable and a surprised teammate

To the Greek football federation, celebrating a winning goal with a Nazi salute is not only unsportsmanlike conduct, but a ‘severe provocation’ and an abominable gesture.

This is what happened to Giogos Katidis, the 20-year-old midfielder who scored the winning goal in AEK Athens’s 2-1 Super League victory over Veria in the 84^th minute, but celebrated it in front of spectators at the Olympic Stadium in a manner that did not sit well with the officers of the federation, politicians, fellow soccer players, and especially the fans.

Katsidis has now been banned for life from playing for Greece.

The gesture seemed to have brought back memories of the infamous ‘Heil Hitler’ salute, which was adopted in the 1930s by the Nazi Party to signal obedience to the party’s leader Adolf Hitler and to glorify the German nation and later the war effort.

“The action by the player to salute spectators with a Nazi salute defies common sense, profoundly shows disrespect to all the victims of Nazi atrocities and injures the peaceful and deeply human character of football. The Greek football federation condemns unequivocally and categorically such actions,” an announcement by the federation said.

Ironically, AEK’s German coach Ewald Lienen defended Katidis, whom he claimed was ignorant to the salute’s significance.

“He is a young kid who does not have any political ideas. He most likely saw such a salute on the Internet or somewhere else and did it, without knowing what it means,” he said.

But in a video taken, it showed that while his ecstatic teammates were rushing to hug him in admiration, Katidis tried hard to keep up his saluting arm. It was described by some as ‘Nazi salute par excellence.’

Katsidis, however, has pleaded ignorance, insisting, even, in his twitter account that he is anti-fascist.

An added trivia is that the use of ‘Heil Hitler’ salute is currently a criminal offense in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

‘Quality of faith’ comment by Cardinal Tagle

 

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle

In an interview published in Rome’s La Repubblica Daily, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, when asked about the Church, was quoted as saying, “Today in the ancient churches – above all in Europe, where Christians have been the majority for centuries – there is concern about the future of the Church.”

Then he went on, sort of saying, it ought to learn from the lessons of the Asian Catholics, by stating that,   “For us, the vitality of the Church is not measured by how many Catholics there are but by the quality of faith.”

Indeed, at a time when the Holy See is rocked by intrigue, corruption and blackmail linked to an investigation by a committee of cardinals last year over a series of damaging leaks of confidential papal documents more known as the “Vatileaks”, which led to the conviction and later pardoning of the pope’s former butler Paolo Gabriele, there is no better words of comfort, encouragement and hope than that expressed by Cardinal Tagle.

This opprobrium only made matters worst when Pope Benedict XVI announced earlier this month his abdication of the papal throne alleging health reasons, thus, a conclave of cardinals have been called to elect a new Pontiff.

I could not agree more, therefore, with Cardinal Tagle’s opinion that what the Church should be doing is enhancing its member’s ‘quality of faith’, rather than be obsessed with just gaining more membership.

One would recall the resigning pope’s penultimate Angelus prayers attended by pilgrims and tourists, where from his window overlooking St Peter’s Square, Benedict said: “The Church calls on all its members to renew themselves… which constitutes a fight, a spiritual battle, because the evil spirit wants us to deviate from the road towards God.”

This is, indeed, a foreboding statement that he wants his successor to fight.

This is simply what Tagle means by his ‘quality of faith’ comment.

But, how could people learn to have ‘quality of faith’?

Isn’t ‘quality of faith’ a product of having ‘quality priests’ shepherding the Catholic faithful?

How could we have ‘quality of faith’ among the members of the Catholic Church when the priests that should be teaching and inculcating Christian values in people’s lives are the ones neglecting and violating it? What good and beneficial lessons can be emulated from these religious value-formation mentors? Whom shall the people trust now? Where is the ‘quality of faith’?

Take for example the case of Bishop Vicente Navarra of the diocese of Bacolod (he is no ordinary priest but an officer of the Church), who is still smarting from the defeat of the Church stand on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, and who has declared hostilities against those politicians who voted for the bill and are now running for office and/or seeking reelection in the coming May 2013 polls.

Why would he go to that extent of venting his ire on the pulpit and showing his displeasure against these political entities by disgracing them and describing them as members of “Team Patay” (Dead Team – for their pro-stand) through posters hanged outside the church? For the candidates whom the Catholic Church is supporting, they described them as belonging to Team Buhay (Live Team – for their anti-stand).

What moral lesson is imparted here for the faithful to learn and to feel fulfilled by the ‘quality of faith’ one has? Why go berserk when you lose? Haven’t we been taught to be gracious in defeat?

Isn’t graciousness and decency more descriptive of and relevant to the Catholic Church hierarchy?

Why take it against PNoy and his candidates if they were doing it for the greater number of Filipinos who clamored to be educated in responsible parenthood? Why deny the majority their right for knowledge of the RH program if what the church teaches does not satisfy their human needs as couples, but rather make them inhuman for not being able to adequately care for the health of mother and children?

Catholic Church leaders like Bishop Navarra who can’t show a good example and does not know how to inspire the religious flock is a bane in the people’s spiritual growth.

Hopefully, Cardinal Tagle, who has been tagged as a papabile or a pope material and the “Great Asian Hope” for the papal throne, would be able to reform the confrontational and divisive attitude of some of the church officials which only brings controversy and animosity among our people instead of developing ‘quality of faith’ among all Catholics.

 

Championing the cause for special persons

Michael Garcia and special friend, Milo

“The customer is always right” is a motto or slogan which exhorts service staff to give a high priority to customer satisfaction.

Well, you ask Michael Garcia, a waiter at Laurenzo’s, a steakhouse in Houston, and he will tell you that it is not always the case.

You see, Garcia, aside from being a waiter, is a strong advocate for people with special needs and among those he was serving earlier this month was a family who had been regulars since the restaurant opened. The family includes 5-year-old Milo, who has Down syndrome.

According to Garcia, Milo was just talking and making little noises, when a customer at a nearby table who was also with his family began making comments about the boy.

Not contented with his criticism of the special child, the customer got up from the table and moved his family to another table farther away from Milo, but still within Garcia’s area of responsibility.

But, what really made the customer more obnoxious to the waiter is when he told Garcia that “special needs children need to be special somewhere else.”

Garcia took this as an affront, not only to Milo, but also to himself as well, that he courageously blurted, ‘Sir, I won’t be able to serve you.’”

That was the least he could do for Milo, and the man and his family got up and left the restaurant.

All this time, Milo’s family was unaware of what was going on and Garcia did not tell Milo’s family of the incident because he didn’t want to cause them any pain.

“Maybe there were other ways I could have handled it, but Milo is such an angel, he is a gift from God as are all special needs children,” Garcia said.

“It is about Milo, it is about educating ourselves and when people are different, why should you treat them any different? It’s fear of the unknown,” he added.

More than a courageous waiter, Garcia was just showing a true example of a caring man and the need to support publicly the cause for special persons.

Disgraced presidents in politics

 

When I read yesterday what Yahoo! News Philippines said about former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) being under arrest yet ‘working,’ I said, who cares?

But, the reason why I am writing about it is because I simply want to point out how flawed the electoral and justice systems are in our country in allowing discredited and disgraced former presidents to run again for public office.

It is because of this defective system or perhaps for being luckless and suckers, too, that we, or at least some Filipinos, continue to be subjected to political chicanery by people like GMA and Joseph Estrada.

More than what they are doing now or what they intend to do next is not what matters really.

What is significant to remember is what these people have done in the past – what ignominy they have committed to the country and its citizens that caused them to be disgraced and even had them put under house and/or hospital arrest.

This is what matters most and yet here we are approvingly reading about them and looking at them as if it the most naturally thing to do – resurrecting themselves in the political arena after being scorned and humiliated by the people.

Reentering the political arena after having reached the pinnacle of power, especially after having been described as despicable during their presidency, is not about having a hide as thick as that of a rhino’s.

But, it is about the ever present wretched attitude to keep on hoodwinking the gullible Filipinos for as long as they can so they could continue their unfinished business of using their power and influence in pursuing their corrupt practices and other political agenda.

There is no vehicle more convenient to facilitate ill-conceived machinations with cohorts than riding the political merry-go-round. Why choose to be else where when this is familiar grounds?

And so we see former President Estrada filing his candidacy and running against Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila. Hasn’t he been Mayor of San Juan already a long time ago?

Well, nobody can deny that it is a virtue to serve people. Serving with decency is like serving God, but not when you are serving mammon, too. It is just too complicated and Erap’s life has been full of complication.

As for GMA, her being able to perform her legislative duties despite her being incarcerated does not change the impression of her as a corrupt person.

She is what she is – a disgraced leader.

 

To dance or not to dance in Cebu’s Sinulog Festival

Gwen dancing in the 2012 Sinulog Festival (photo courtesy of Flickr.com)

When it rains, it pours, so the cliché goes.

In the case of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia, not only has she been suspended for six months last December 19 for alleged abuse of authority, which was the reason for defiantly barricading herself in her office, but her plea for the Sandiganbayan to lift the three hold departure orders (HDOs) issued against her also suffered a setback.

It will be remembered that the Ombudsman had charged Gwen with two counts of graft and one count of technical malversation over the Provincial Government’s anomalous purchase of the former Balili property in Tinaan, Naga City, Cebu.

It is alleged that she was behind the purchase of a 25-hectare lot for P98.9 million only to find out, upon verification, that a large portion of the property was underwater.

As if the above legal cases against her are not enough personal woes, now she is put in an even more unsettling situation – between a rock and a hard place – deciding on whether or not she will perform her ninth and last dance as head of the province in Cebu’s Sinulog Festival.

“I have always danced in the Sinulog as an offering to Señor Santo Niño,” Gwen said.

The streetdancing and grand parade to culminate this year’s Sinulog, Cebu’s biggest festival, will take place on January 20.

I used the word ‘unsettling’ because it could very well be so that if she leaves the premises, where she is holding herself incommunicado by her own volition, that she will not be able, literally, to go back and settle once more in her safe haven.

While I personally suggest that she goes dancing and enjoy the festivity because she really gloats over the focus and media attention that has been upon her for the last of her eight appearances, my hunch, however, is that she will continue to be holed up in her sanctuary and forgo the spiritual enlightenment her dancing for the Sto. Niño may have for her.

For Gwen, it is not spirituality that matters most. Not even in her dancing for we know all is purely ‘palabas’ (show-off).

For Gwen, it is political ambition and greed over spiritual and moral consideration.

Perhaps, President Benigno Aquino had the same anticipation of Gwen’s action that she will not leave the Provincial Capitol’s grounds, saying, she will be allowed to continue to lock herself inside her office.

“There is no need to make a martyr out of her. Because the provincial government is not prevented from carrying out its functions, we will just let her be,” Aquino said.

I could not agree with Aquino more, but what a subtle admonition it is to Gwen, and yet she is not getting it.

I happened to see my doctor yesterday, but before she started her examination she told me about the traffic caused by the Sinulog preparation. I, jokingly, asked her if there was traffic at the vicinity of the Capitol. Then she looked at me disbelievingly and said, “naunsa na mana siya oi”? (what the heck is happening to her?).

So my question now is: Has Gwen’s bearing and pride gone to the dogs?

Indeed, a pest of a question it is!

(Please see About page for more speculation.  – Quierosaber)

Cebu’s Garcias showing the worst in politics

 

Byron Garcia with Cebu’s popular dancing inmates

As if the ruffled feathers of suspended governor Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia’s clan towards the high ranking officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was not enough,  now comes Gwen’s enraged brother, Byron, getting into the picture and challenging police regional director, Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, to a fistfight.

Byron, who had a falling-out with his sister after the latter stopped his contract as a Capitol consultant on security and jail management finally realized that blood is thicker than water, and after nearly three years of being estranged with his embattled sister came out to her rescue, vituperating at Garbo.

Having been instrumental in making the Cebu dancing inmates famous worldwide, Byron, arrogantly, even warned the public of an impending jailbreak as show of support for him and Gwen.

The question people are asking now is: Is Byron’s provocation helping Gwen’s predicament?

Not at all. On the contrary, it has even alienated them more from the majority of Cebuanos who believe in the rule of law and is finding this madness of locking herself in at the provincial capitol since December 19 an insult to the sovereign people.

What is lamentable about the whole rigmarole is that while the operation of the province is running smoothly under Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, defiance persists even among lawyer-members of the Garcia clan.

It is bad enough that Gwen has not gone down, but it is even worse that partymates and immediate family lawyers advising her are taunting the law, thus inciting her more to defy the order for her suspension.

If she had a real cause for insisting that she remains the legitimate governor, then even if she hasn’t written a full page letter in a local daily appealing for people power support, people from all sectors of society, perhaps, even the Catholic Church hierarchy would have mounted a massive rally that would have overturned Malacañang’s order in no time at all.

But, nothing of this sort happened. Why, because the charges against her, which became the basis for her suspension, were considered real and legal.

Gwen’s suspension case is not about her poor performance in running the affairs of the province. Many can attest that she has done a lot for the province in terms of infrastructure projects, health care, cultural enhancement and the promotion of Cebu as a tourist destination.

While she can claim credit to all these, it does not, however, empower her, as chief executive of the province, to usurp the authority of the Vice Governor simply because he has fallen out of her grace and has become her bitter political opponent.

This is what the suspension is all about, which the Aquino administration deemed to be illegal, arbitrary and politically-motivated, thus, an administrative sanction was imposed.

This is not the time for political grandstanding and neither for hotheads to go berserk.

This is the time where people want to see the exercise of true leadership through rational thinking and behavior.

This is the only way the Garcias can reclaim back the lost trust, respect and confidence of the Cebuanos that are much needed for their political ambitions.

Right now, what the Garcias are showing is the worst in Cebu politics.