Midweek Snippets

That Anti Islam Movie

I haven’t seen the controversial movie, even via youtube, but I’ve read that it was a low budget film, poorly produced and accomplished by duping the most of the film's participants. Actors and the movie staff people were told that it was some Arabic desert action film by this film maker who used a fake name. If that is not dubious, I don't know what is? 

Obviously, it's not going to be an award winning film or one that would be raved about as having some level of quality. 

But is the movie offensive to the Muslim faith? Yes. But should the work of one lunatic represent the entire country of America? No. 

Somehow this reminds me of the Filipinos' insecure behavior of just reacting to everything everyone else says about the Philippines. The show Desperate Housewives says something negative about Filipino doctors, Filipinos got mad. Claire Danes once said something about the Philippines and cockroaches, Filipinos got mad.  And it goes on and on. We get mad about everything negative that's said about the Philippines, whether the statement is true or not, petty or truly offensive. 

It is only the person who reacts to things that should be beneath them that is really dragged down further. Is revolting against this small film actually helping the Muslim world?! Not particularly. 

Does rallying outside US embassies and burning Obama effigies actually accomplish anything? Does being rowdy and does continuously freaking out all over the world actually help the Muslim religion’s image? Not really. 

They should just ignore this minuscule film because that’s all it’s really worth. 

I’m sure the objective of that filmmaker was just to incite chaos and the more the Muslims react, the more his objective is being met. 

Enrile vs. Trillanes / Miriam vs. Puno vs. Roxas

What is this? Just when you think that political reality TV is dwindling post-impeachment and post-Sotto's plagiarism, we get a revival in the Enrile vs. Trillanes row. What’s this, Camsur is splitting up? GMA pushed Enrille to support the split? Trillanes is quitting the majority? Trillanes is talking with China behind our backs? Behind the DFA’s back? But the palace knows about it? And Enrile is calling Trillanes a fraud? Trillanes then walked out? And Roxas is now going to China too? What again has happened?! 

disclaimer: photos in collage not taken by me

That’s a lot of plotlines to have happened in a day. (And, mind you, I was out so I only followed all this through Twitter, which just confused me even more.)

I almost didn’t even have time to consider that this Villafuerte guy (the uncle of Roberdo, the guy who didn’t want to confirm him as DILG secretary) is mixed up right in the middle of the Camsur issue as well. This reminds me of his son, you know the one that bitterly tweeted about what the fuss was about Jesse Roberdo, the one who later apologized and claimed that he was just wondering what Robredo has done, innocently wondering, or so he says. Just saying, this family is iffy. 

And here I thought it would have been Santiago’s snub of Roxas’ appointment that would have made the day’s news. But apparently it was not, as apparently, she went along with the confirmation citing that since Roxas came from the Visayas region, she’s now ok with it. Well, ok…?

Miriam, the older you get the more I believe that the system has truly eaten you up whole. At this point your presence in the Senate, at least for me, is more about entertainment value. 

And, what has happened to that Puno guy? Have we forgotten about him already? Are we now moving on? I suppose we are… 

Post Reaction: Sotto and the Cybercrime Law

On Tito Sotto

I was actually quite flabbergasted and dumbfounded when Sotto once again plagiarized and Google-translated Kennedy’s speech. I mean, seriously?! In what world could this even be possible, in what universe could a speech writer even conjure up such an idiotic idea?! 

It is one thing this if Sotto’s (and his staff’s) plagiarizing ways have never been revealed to the public and another thing that it had exploded all over the news and the internet, it's reach extending to the New York Times no less. 

Seriously, what lazy, senseless, and arrogant idiot would cognitively do it again?! And, what idiot would actually believe that translating it into Tagalog would let them get away with it?! 

Well, apparently Sotto and his people thought so. Nako, nako, joke time na lang ba ito?!

I wonder if he fired them all by now or if he really thought that what they did was truly immaterial, as can be deduced from his twisted media statements (saying that if it was in Tagalog that it doesn’t constitute as plagiarism) and he still kept them on. 

It annoys the hell out of me that Sotto is still going about his so called Majority floor leader role, narrating proceedings, featuring himself in pictures as Mar Roxas and Jun Abaya were confirmed to their positions yesterday.

disclaimer: photo not taken by me

This man and his thick skin, he behaved like the past few weeks never happened. Such is the behavior of a typical trapo, isn’t it not?

Cybercrime law:

I cannot believe that suddenly this cybercrime law is in place. WTF really happened?! Our country that has been so lenient with piracy and other copyright things suddenly comes up with a cybercrime law?!

Such a speedy approval... (compared to say, the FOI bill or the RH bill)

Are we suddenly on our way to becoming China with its internet censorship and whatnot?!

Libel via the internet?! Seriously!?! 

Suddenly, politicians are just so afraid of the internet and social media? Shame!

Bet you, Sotto feels a whole lot of smug right now.

It has been said that Sotto added the libel clause last minute to the cybercrime bill (this libel clause version was never made public and wasn't in the initial House / Senate versions).

Somehow I feel that something should be done about this unreasonable clause. Again, I ask, are we China now? Should we police every Facebook and Twitter account now? Or just the ones who criticize those who are pikon and in power? Slipping this libel clause behind the public's back is simply an injustice in itself.

It truly is unbelievable that this has been made into law. Especially just a few weeks after Sotto, the laughable plagiarist,  threatened to do so.

Apparently, a clown like him can make this happen. How unfortunate for us Filipinos.

More Evidence of Sotto Trolls

While reading random articles and blog posts about the plagiarism issues, everyone has probably noticed that there was a lot of weird vaguely fluent type of comments defending Sotto, the Church/CBCP/God, or the anti-RH bill camp. 

Most of the comments aren’t really particularly intelligent; most were just attacking comments and most with a theme that borders on mindless fanaticism to Sotto (if such a thing is possible to exist). Personally, I cannot imagine a few people going this genuinely passionate about Sotto, what more this many online personas. It’s just unrealistic and unbelievable. 

As I read the comments of possible astroturfers and read the succeeding replies of others who mock them, calling them trolls and paid commenters, and ask them to explain their stance (wherein they couldn’t give decent and logical non-fanatic answers), I don’t know if I should laugh because the exchanges are funny or be bothered that so many of these nonsense online comments just muddle the intelligent debate that people should be having.  

Screen grabs of comments from the Professional Heckler Blog and Raissarobles.com

Still, I’m glad that the real people who are outraged by Sotto’s behavior clearly outnumber these possibly paid trolls. At least the real pulses of the people are reflected. 

Hilariously, my blog was visited by a suspected troll, see here:  

Spotted: Heart Mercado in this blog!

Incidentally, I just clicked on Heart Mercado's profile and her first publicly visible post started only on Aug 17, 2012. There's barely anything on her page. And, this Maria Tiu, there's absolutely nothing on her page as well.

Well, well… Wouldn’t it then be ironic (and truly vile) for Sotto to keeping on accusing the pro-RH camp of paying off bloggers and social media netizens to do a “hatchet job” on him?

He objects to being called a clown but how can we not, when he keeps on acting like one?!