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Subject: Editorial : When evil is good Author: from the Philippine Inquirer [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 03:22:16 03/21/06 Tue Editorial : When evil is good Mar 21, 2006 Inquirer WAR is Peace. Ignorance is Strength. Freedom is Slavery. These are the three main slogans of the Party in George Orwell's novel “1984.” The slogans are in Newspeak, a bureaucratic jargon that aims to reduce the vocabulary to as few words as possible so that ultimately there will be no tools for thinking outside the State-provided concepts. The new language reverses “normal” meanings and concepts, so that “good” becomes “evil,” and “evil,” “good.” From childhood, people in the Oceania of “1984” are brainwashed and constantly watched by “telescreens” and the Thought Police. The Ministry of Truth, where the main character Winston Smith works, is engaged in the daily rewriting of history. He corrects “errors” in past articles to make the Party appear infallible. A person commits a “thoughtcrime” by merely thinking of an act that is deemed punishable by the state. The population of Oceania consists of three parts: the Inner Party, about 1 percent of the population; the Outer Party, about 18 percent; and the Proles (the masses). At the top of political pyramid is the all-powerful, all-present, all-seeing Big Brother, the embodiment of the Party who is seen only on TV. For the majority of the population, goods are scarce and everything is ugly. There is “power and corruption” at high levels, but because of the suppression of freedom of the press, nobody knows about it. “1984” is a chilling portrayal of a totalitarian society. It was meant to be prophetic, and it came true in Stalin’s Soviet Union, Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Mao’s China and Kim Il Sung’s North Korea. It is happening in other countries now. Some aspects of “1984” are taking place in the Philippines today. For instance, Newspeak or “doublespeak”: Only recently, police said they did not arrest Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel who was leading a rally on International Women’s Day. They said they merely had her “taken out of danger.” Danger from what or whom? Her own colleagues? At protest rallies, police are following the policy of “calibrated preemptive response” (CPR). What this means is that at some point during a rally, they can fire hoses, batons and other weapons, and if necessary, bash the protesters’ heads in to put the fear of the state into their hearts. CPR originally meant cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, and it was meant to revive a person who was in danger of dying. Now, CPR is being used to kill civil rights and repress people. Last Friday former social welfare secretary Dinky Soliman and some of her friends, dressed in black T-shirts with the words “Patalsikin na! Now na!” were about to cross Roxas Boulevard to enjoy a stroll on the Baywalk promenade when they were arrested by the police. Their crime: The police thought they were going to hold a lightning rally, “a political activity prohibited by law.” It was a “thoughtcrime” -- they were just thinking of what they were going to do, and the police had read their thoughts and arrested them for these supposedly “criminal” thoughts. Four generals who were accused of involvement in cheating in the 2004 election had not been cleared of the charges and yet they were given key commands in the military. Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, who is accused of 199 human rights violations in Mindoro Island, was awarded the Distinguished Service Star. An alleged "berdugo" [executioner] as a hero and icon? Evil is good and good is evil? In “1984,” Doublethink is a manipulation of the mind; it makes people accept contradictions and makes them think that it is only the Party that can distinguish between what is right and wrong. When you listen to the pronouncements of the President, her spokespersons and political lieutenants, don’t you get the uneasy feeling that you are being subjected to Doublethink? You are told that everything is fine and dandy, when in fact you know that it is not. Newspeak is nothing but the contemporary “spin” being given to stories to portray the administration in a positive, favorable light. Many critics believe that in Orwell’s generation, no other novel than “1984” stimulated so much loathing for tyranny and so much desire for freedom. In our present stage of political instability and turmoil, when there is undeclared martial law and a creeping movement toward authoritarianism, it would be well for the people to keep the lessons of “1984” in mind and strongly resist the totalitarian actions and rules of the administration. If we remain too long in a state of apathy and inaction, we may wake up too late, when we have already lost our freedom. < ----------------- rv_thebirdnest · Regine Velasquez Fans Bird Nest Group! http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rv_thebirdnest/ ----------------------- > http://insidebuzz.tripod.com [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

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[> Subject: On behalf of other people/ Go for truth. Go for substance.. Author: mmJun- a priest , and a newspaper.. [Edit] Date Posted: 03:29:31 03/21/06 Tue Speak up on behalf of other people/ Go for truth. Go for substance.. By Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, SVD Inquirer We are duty-bound to speak up on behalf of other people. More so are the bishops and priests, by virtue of their priestly, kingly and prophetic ministry. We must take a good look at what is happening around us and listen to the signs of the times, and speak up. We cannot just keep quiet as if everything is normal, even if our people are being stabbed already. Who will speak out for our people? Who will stand up on their behalf? Where are the shepherds of the sheep? Who are the caretakers for those who are being the caregivers of others? Who is protecting those who millions idolize and admire? There are two ways of silencing a barking dog. One way is by scaring it away, and the other way is by throwing food on its way. Thieves are experts in doing this, and, more often than not, they do get away with it. But not if the dog has a master on its side, from whom it can take orders. But come to think of it, there will be no thieves in the first place if there are ever-watchful dogs and vigilant masters by their side. At any rate, let us not be intimidated by force, or be silenced by perks. Lent is all about going beyond one's comfort zones. Penance, sacrifices, acts of charity, sharing, moments of prayer are beautiful offerings, especially in this Lenten season. All these add up to a person's willingness to let go of one's selfishness and greed. Aside from the glory we give to God, and the concrete help we give to others, we who go beyond our comfort zones do good to our own selves because we become more whole and more free by doing so. Be good to yourself-be less selfish and greedy, and you are free. Let go, and let God, and you are never in want. What if Jesus never spoke up? What if He never told the truth and fought for it? What if He never blew His top for the sake of God and for others? Then He would have been an incidental person just like you and me, and he would not have made at all a difference in human history. Forget form, forget fame. Go for truth. Go for substance What if Jesus never spoke up? Then the lies, injustices, malpractices during His time would have gone on and on. Then there would have been no real change or conversion. Yes, precisely, things would have been the same, "as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. --------- > Have a happy and holy reflective time this lent season, Regine fans.. :-| < ----------------- rv_thebirdnest · Regine Velasquez Fans Bird Nest Group! http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/rv_thebirdnest/ ----------------------- > http://insidebuzz.tripod.com + [ Post a Reply to This Message ]