Going Rambo in Zambo

Today, government forces and the Moro National Liberation Front clashed in Zamboanga City. People are dead and the city has been shut down. As if the country didn't have enough problems. Nothing like a reminder that our entire way of life can descend into chaos in a matter of minutes, some parts of the country anyway.

Truth be told, I don't know much about the shit that happens in the South. All I know is that I'm happy I don't live there. It's all pretty boring stuff. My interest lies in the workings of government and it's hard to do that when there's no government to look at. The situation in Mindanao is this: everyone wants a piece of the pie.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the other Muslim rebel group, denounced the attack as a desperate move by the MNLF. Maybe the MNLF were just envious that they didn't get as much concessions as the MILF. But it's pretty hypocritical of the MILF to denounce the attack as inimical to the interests of the "moro" people given the fact that the MILF have dubious authority to represent the people. It's not as if anyone elected these jokers. I'm sick and tired of all these alphabet soup groups.

This is what happens when you negotiate with terrorists.  They get emboldened and go on in the delusion that they speak for all the people.

They're not gonna drop their guns and embrace peace no matter what the president thinks.

Death Proof

The White House doesn't want to release the photos of the dead Osama Bin Laden.

I think they should release it. The argument that it would be inflame the Muslim world seems a little shaky. I mean, shouldn't the death of the man alone and describe the details of the shooting be inflammatory enough? What's a couple of photos? Who cares what the "Muslim world" thinks anyway. The "Muslim world" is a faulty idea anyway. Islam isn't a monolithic entity.

We've seen Saddam dead. We've seen Uday and Qusay, or whatever their names,dead. We've seen thousands of Americans die on 9/11. We've seen beheadings even here by the Abu Sayaff. Really, what harm could Osama's head shot be? To be scared of how the "Muslim world" would react is appeasement in my opinion.

I guess we'll just have to wait for THE MOVIE!