New year blues

I always cherished the week between Christmas and New Year. For the past few years, it was when I get to go home and lounge around, eating leftover Christmas ham and all the goodies the visitors bring. This year the Christmas ham is still there, lasting for at least a week between my wife and me but I missed going home for the holidays. We spent Christmas eve at home but had to go back to Manila to visit my in-laws.

This year's Christmas break was also a time for the treasonous and Judas-like action by the government in turning over the convicted rapist Daniel Smith to the US embassy. They did it in the middle of the night, during the lull of the break, sneaking like thieves, scared of being discovered. Why? There was the US "postponement" of the Balikatan exercises that was supposed to be held next year. There is the long history of subservience to US wishes, and of course, there is the Visiting Forces Agreement.

That the government will transfer Smith to US custody is no surprise. The surprise is that they did this without Judge Pozon's order nor of the Court of Appeals. This unilateral decision of the DILG, DOJ and the DFA is a direct (and ungraceful) case of violation of our national sovereignty and laws. The concerted action of the three departments points no less to the direct action of the president. So now I guess this is a portent of the things to come this coming year: increased US intervention in military and political affairs and increased resistance of the people against this brazen puppetry of the Arroyo regime.

For those who still refuse to see the reasonableness of the label US-Arroyo regime, this is a striking example. For those who still see that the US is here because their benevolence, this should be an eye opener. For those who think that they can get away with it (that's the US and GMA), let's see what happens next year when the people get out of the holidays.

Puppets were supposed to be fun. This puppet makes me throw up.