Divine Justice or Karma to World Malefactors - Denouement

The maxim 'History repeats itself." is a truism which people seem forgetting through centuries with disastrous consequences. The harsh Russian winter decimated Napoleon's army of half a million men, a formidable force then. leaving some ten thousand men straggling home. The same fate befell Hitler though with a great difference. While Napoleon left some remarkable deeds like the Napoleonic Code that overwhelmed whatever ill effects caused by his invasion, Hitler earned mostly contempt and condemnation on account of his immense crimes against humanity.

Idi Amin Dada, the Butcher of Uganda, could be possibly the most notorious of all Africa's post-independence dictators. The number of his victims, either killed, tortured or imprisoned reportedly could be estimated from 100,000 to half a million. After his ouster in 1979, he was forced to flee in exile.

Divine Justice or Karma to World Malefactors - Second Part

Many despots, dictators, rulers or prominent personalities in the world deigned to ignore the absolute truth that history repeats itself. Of course, they did it on their own peril which oftentimes resulted to widespread catastrophe with far reaching repercussion. For instance, Germany started World War I, yet the German people disregarded history and allowed Adolf Hitler, an Austrian born German politician, to manipulate them in launching World War II. Wilhelm II, the last German emperor, started World War I in support of Austria, whose Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian national. Emperor Wilhelm II was an ineffective war leader and lost the support of the army. He abdicated the throne and fled to exile in the Netherlands. 

Adolf Hitler, as the leader of the Nazi party, became the Chancellor of Germany and head of state or Fuhrer. He was instrumental in the rise of fascism in Europe and started World War

Divine Justice or Karma to World Malefactors - First Part

Divine justice is said to demand punishment to correct what is wrong, to expel the evil, as medicine is said to expel the disease. On the other hand, the law of Karma says that "every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skillful or unskillful." Likewise, it's also said that for every action, there will be a corresponding reaction. Yet, as the saying goes:  "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Thus, there're many world figures whose evil deeds had overshadowed whatever good they left the kingdoms or countries they once ruled. But, there are those whose very names invite revulsion, dread or immeasurable hatred, like Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot and Idi Amin.

Even lesser personalities could not escape Divine Justice or Karma when errant path was taken either unknowingly or deliberately. Remember Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., the patriarch of

Social Transformation, Its Paramount Importance - Conclusion

President Aquino (P-Noy) deplored our culture of negativism and crab mentality where many of Filipinos have the proclivity of denigrating our country, culture and fellow Filipinos. I remember reading  not too long ago of many instances whereby many Filipinos abroad were denying their nationality and insisting they were either Japanese or Chinese. The worldwide admiration we reaped after the peaceful 1986 EDSA People Power dissipated and plunged to the abyss when our country was tagged Asia's most corrupt during the corrupt Arroyo regime.  

P-Noy exudes the necessary credibility so unlike his predecessor that he can and must lead the nation to embark on a perilous journey towards a vital and radical social transformation in the government starting from the top down to and the society particularly the elite, political

Social Transformation, Its Paramount Importance - Third Part

President Aquino has the unenviable task of cleaning the Philippine Augean stables of culture of corruption seeping from the top down to the lower echelons of our government. His integrity is above reproach but many of his trusted advisers and appointees reportedly will not pass Caesar's wife criteria having succumbed to the systemic corruption in the government. But, with the full support of the citizenry, P-Noy can excise the malefactors from the government's rank and file in due time.

President Aquino must exorcise the politics of patronage practiced by most elected and appointed officials who exploit the government offices and agencies to enrich themselves and their patrons as well as building their political bases for future plans. Yet, it's a virtual

Social Transformation, Its Paramount Importance - Second Part

When they're still campaigning, our elected officials eloquently profess that they will be the servants of the people. After being sworn to office, most of them become our lord and master doing what they please. It's said that our economy then was next to Japan during the time of President Diosdado Macapagal. The election of President Ferdinand E. Marcos started the downhill trend of our economy which culminated to its worst after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. The interregnum of President Cory Aquino and President Fidel Ramos paved a meaningful recovery of the economy which was unfortunately devastated by the succeeding Erap and Arroyo administrations.

President Cory could have instituted radical change in the political system and mindset of elected officials as well as the upper and lower classes of the citizenry. However, she failed to do so as she allowed the return of the status quo existing prior to the Marcos dictatorship

Social Transformation, Its Paramount Importance - First Part

Philippine President Noynoy Aquino, in his Second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25, 2011 before a Joint Session of Congress, called for social transformation in the Philippines.The following passages are lifted from the English translation of his SONA:

"Let us not acquire through patronage what we can acquire through hard work. No more cheating, no more taking advantage of others, no more one-upmanship - because in the end we will all realize our shared aspirations."

"Let us end the culture of negativism; let us uplift our fellow Filipinos at every opportunity. Why are there people who enjoy finding fault in our country, who find it so hard - as though it were a sin - to say something nice? Can we even remember the last time we praised a fellow Filipino?"

The World is Living Dangerously to Armageddon?!!! - Conclusion

Corollary to the worldwide suspicion and hostility accorded to the United States by many Islamic people who have regarded the US as protector of oppressive rulers, the description of the Norwegian killer-bomber Anders Behring Breivik as a Christian terrorist reportedly made by TV host of HBO show "Real Time" on Friday, July 29, 2011, may add fuel to such enmity. I remember reading somewhere that Breivik professed some anti-Islam sentiments which tarnished the reputation of Norway as a neutral mediator in some conflicts between countries. This connotation will certainly encourage Islamic militants to aggressively advance their violent hate campaign against non-Islamic peoples.

Some Islamic radicals are vigorously asserting the existence of a Judeo-Christian conspiracy rather an alliance to subjugate the Islamic world, virtually a reenactment of the Crusaders' campaign to liberate the Holy Land from the rule of the Saracens. Due to the

The World is Living Dangerously to Armageddon?!!! Second Part

Many upheavals and acts of terrorism that sprouted recently in various countries in the world possessed religious connotations or affiliations. The fact that most of such violence had links to Islam makes me shiver with great apprehension of the possibility that future conflicts could be along religious lines. Furthermore, though Al-Qaeda is disowned by most Islamic countries, the startling discovery that Osama bin Laden had lived safely for many years at the heart of Pakistan, a US ally, the certainty exists that the United States can never depend completely on the loyalty and cooperation of its perceived Islamic allies. Thus, despite the killing of Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda quickly recovered from that setback and appointed Ayman al-Zawahiri as Osama's successor.

Considering that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates belong to the Sunnis branch of Islam, to which most Islamic nations profess allegiance, the war against international terrorism led by the United States and its Western allies may draw ambivalent support from its Islamic allies such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, etc. Pakistan was an unreliable ally despite massive financial assistance given by the US for many years since the era of the Cold War between the West and then Soviet Union. This cold mistrust forced the US to insure utmost secrecy cutting off Pakistan from the loop in implementing the ultra-dangerous mission of eliminating Osama Bin Laden who's apparently enjoying the protection of the Pakistani powerful military.