US Politics and Marcos Dictatorship

I find myself growing more uncomfortable at what is going on in US politics. There are a lot of issues really, but the recent incident that made my antennae go wild is the matter of Governor Palin.

I am not comfortable with how the Republicans have insured that nothing (or very little) that is palatable about Palin is known by the public. It's a major coverup to insure that Palin's image remains tinseled. The Republics have made her off-hands to the media - what was the term they used - until the media treat her with "deference?" They limit and/or choreograph her interviews. About Troopergate, the Republicans have made sure that those who have been subpoenaed by the Senate Judiciary Committee of the Alaska investigative committee refuse to testify. McCain is well aware of the popularity and draw of Sarah Palin, and this is why he is doing everything he can to make sure she remains an attractive archetype to voters.

I've heard some people shrug the above matters as "politics" but frankly it reminds me of how Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos acted before Marcos became a fullout dictator. They controlled the media and played up their image as the "Jack and Jackie" (referring to the Kennedies) of the Philippines. In fact, the Marcos coverup of their misdeeds continued even when they were the Conjugal Dictators. Many journalists lost their lives, or jobs, or had to go into exile because they had written something that displeased the Marcoses.

What I recall with the Marcoses was that their takeover happened slowly, at least in the beginning. They controlled the media; they placed their cronies in power; they silenced the opposition; they built a strong military; they changed the constitution - and by the time the world knew what was actually going on, Marcos was entrenched as a dictator.

So, when I see the Republicans cheat during elections (I still remember how Gore "lost" that election to Bush who has essentially bankrupted this country); when I see the controlling of the media; when I see the manipulations to present a tinseled image and not the truth - I worry. I have not even mentioned Guantanamo and the human rights breaches there; and the stacking of the Supreme Court so most of them are Republicans.

All I can say is that Americans need to be vigilant and should not dismiss matters as "politics." They should be very, very jealous of their democratic system and challenge every little thing that goes contrary to democratic principles,no matter how small. The small matters that we allow to get by become big, and uncontrollable. I have seen this happen in the Philippines. What I learned is that despots are in their place because enough people allowed this to happen. I think the same can be said for any situation, whether we are referring to Hitler, Stalin, or Amin - enough people allowed them to become despots.

The American people must be very careful with what is going on.