In Defense of the Middle Class

I know the topic has died down somewhat, mainly because the people responsible for all the noise have temporarily run out of breath and are preparing their next wave of cacophony, but I'd like to say a few things on the accusations of apathy that have been flung the way of the middle class by everyone from those whiny opposition Congressmen to those even more whiny journalists that the reason GMA is in power is simply that we don't care about the truth.

Some would say that our defenses have been articulated often enough, but I'd like to give my own take on what's going on, if only to see if I can lay out more clearly what we in the middle class feel.

First of all, our inaction does not stem from apathy. It stems from the fact that we are not stupid.

The image of Escudero, et al. in the streets, rubbing elbows with Imee Marcos and other remnants of the fallen dictatorship was, from DAY ONE, enough to tip us off as to the intentions of the so-called "United Opposition," as was their declaration that Noli de Castro step down along with GMA. Given that they bannered their cause with the slogan that theirs was a "quest for truth," something was immediately amiss. Noli's voice wasn't anywhere on the "Hello, Garci" CD, so on what grounds were they calling for his resignation?

It was quite simple, really. FPJ (God rest his soul) may have been (at least from all outward indications), a moron, but at least he was THEIR moron. He was, as far as they knew, firmly in their pockets. Noli (at least from all outward indications), is a moron who owes the opposition absolutely nothing. That , and that alone, was the reason they demanded, like petulant schoolchildren, his resignation.

Second of all, we are not blind.

The minute the words "transitional government" left the mouths of the opposition, we knew we'd be taken for a ride, and so we gave them the cold shoulder. Their belated attempts to assert "no, wait, we'll go with Noli" are patently insincere (and frankly not very appealing), especially when political flyspecks like Joel Villanueva (who, incidentally, is completely devoid of any right to talk like an elected official given that HE was not duly elected by the people but his PARTY LIST was) make arrogant assertions that "if he doesn't perform, he might as well resign." Perform according to whose expectations? What he really means to say is that "if he doesn't do what WE want, we don't want him in power."

Thirdly, the issue is not that we're pro-GMA, but that, as little as we like her, we like these would-be kings even less. I think this one is self-explanatory.

I can't stand how self-righteous jackasses like de Quiros and those dipshits from the opposition see fit to take cheap shots at us because things aren't going their way. Hey, guys, if you want our support, you'd probably do well to stop insulting us. In particular, Messrs. Escudero, Cayetano, Villanueva, et al., stop insulting our intelligence.

Yes, it's quite likely that anomalies have been committed. No, GMA is not by any stretch of the imagination innocent. Yes, someday she will be held accountable for her sins. But most important, I feel, is this: NO, WE AREN'T INTERESTED IN THE ALTERNATIVE "VISION" OF GOVERNANCE THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE PUSHING.

We aren't apathetic. We just don't like you.

The Price You Pay for Speaking Online...

I know I'm neither the first nor the only blogger out there to be afflicted with blog-spam, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one pissed about it, either. Still, I feel it's worth writing about because I feel surprised that I'm even surprised by it all.

Blogging is, for me anyway, just the latest of the blessings that the internet has brought to my fingertips. The first one, I'm embarrassed to admit, was the ability to browse the weekly grosses of films in the United States (in my pre-internet days, I would crouch low in National or Goodwill Bookstore and steal glances from copies of Variety; I've noticed that neither store no longer carries the periodical, probably owing to the fact that nobody really bought it anyway), and there have been many more since.

So, in exchange for all this wonderful stuff I'm getting at minimal cost, I guess it's a small price to pay to have to put up with the occasional incursion from some dipshit capitalist posing as a "comment" to my heartfelt expression of the way the world is.

Still, if anyone knows how I can block this drivel, a la spamguard for one's e-mail account, I'm all ears, really... I mean, I enjoy writing on this blog for the sheer sake of it, and comments are kind of like icing on the cake. I'd much, much rather have "0 comments" at the bottom of each post than be polluted by some putz' attempt to plug their own fly-by-night business.

ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION, SPAMMERS!?!? (Of course not, what was I thinking?)

Penultimate Bar Blues

In two days the 2005 bar will be over, and mine and Theia's long wait for its results will begin.

As husband and wife, we've been through so much together: our last three years of law school, two kids, three residences, and now, three bar attempts (between the two of us). While this is really just another chapter in the book (speaking from experience, I know that the waiting and actual discovery of the bar results each deserve their own chapter for the sheer agony they bring) of life, I can't help but feel a little sentimental as it draws to a close. It seems a little presumptuous, I know, to talk about Theia's bar like it's a done deal, especially in light of my own unfortunate experience with the bar a couple of years back, but the truth is that another bar attempt, should the need for it arise, will be another story, another set of triumphs and headaches and heartaches. Another chapter, if you will.

What a year it has been. I can't pretend that I haven't felt nervous as hell about Theia's bar. It particularly grabs me when I spout out an answer to a question she poses, and she looks at me blankly and says: oh my God, I had no idea...(or something to that effect). It hasn't happened terribly often, thank goodness, but that it happens at all is worrisome. Anyway, commercial law, the heaviest of all bar subjects and one of the two subjects she will face this Sunday, is the one subject she has prepared for with absolute devotion. My confidence is high.

I feel good about this coming Sunday; as though there are really great things to look forward to...

Bar blues 2; Half a lawyer

I am an attorney-at-law. I've been one since May 3, 2005, when I signed the roll of attorneys. At the Supreme Court, where I work, I am regularly referred to as 'attorney' by my everyone except my fellow lawyers.

And yet, as my wife's bar exams enter their second week, I find myself feeling, oddly enough, like half a lawyer. Truly, this is a strange, strange side effect of my having been married for four years. Just as my wife shared in my moment of triumph earlier this year, so am I sharing in her agony these four weekends of September.

The funny part is that, going into last Sunday, I was about ten times more nervous than she was about taking the bar. It was as if I was being nervous enough for the both of us (and then some). Later in the day, while she was busy taking the second exam, I got ahold of the questions for the morning exam, Political Law. Going over the first few questions, I went pale, thinking: my God, I wouldn't have been able to answer these if it had been me taking the exam. I then felt relief when the questions got progressively easier.

I've heard of sympathetic pregnancies, but boy this is really nerve-wracking...