FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


THE RIGHT COURSE TO DEFEAT THE INSURGENTS


At a press conference held by President Bush the day after election, he announced the resignation of defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the oldest at 75 to hold that position. With the loss of Republican control of Congress next year, the American president listened to the voice of the American people who asked for the head of Rumsfeld to roll. With a newly selected man at Pentagon, former CIA chief Robert Gates, who served under the President’s father back in the 90s, the military strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan is up for improvements: “stay the course” may change to go on the right course to annihilate the insurgents. It is a question of military principle.

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Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, the senator remembered for bragging about her legs and showing her legs and a 45 caliber gun on television during events following EDSA 2, wants to be Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court. Would normal minds notice any inconsistencies in the applicant’s previous behavior and the position she desires?


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Back to President Bush’s press conference the day following America’s midterm elections that sent on permanent vacation certain legislators unfair to immigrants, he stated that he would work with the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress on things they can agree such as his Guest Worker Program for illegal aliens and the minimum wage law. When he was governor of Texas, the American president gained a reputation of effectively pushing his favored legislations with the Democratic-controlled Congress in Texas. I believe he can do it again this time with the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.


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New York Republican State Senator Frank Padavan won his re-election for another term by a big margin of 50 % despite a tremendous Democratic sweep of all statewide contests. The other Republican State Senator Serphin Maltese in the other district barely made it over his unknown Democratic opponent with about 2 to 3 % margin of victory. How would you explain the disparity of the New Yorkers’ vote on the two Republicans in Queens? Is it because Maltese is for racial profiling and Padavan is not?. In 2008, Sen. Maltese may not be too lucky unless he abandons his racial profiling bill in Albany.


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