Deal with caution!

BY ERICK SAN JUAN
  
                There are two schools of thoughts about America and its relationship with the world that emanates from the internet. One is the inevitable decline of America, reputedly the New Roman Empire. But, U.S.A. is now in its economic tailspin. Many finds impossible for her to recover from the various doomsday scenarios that could lead to something more serious.
 
            Political and economic analysts are wondering why the world never learned from the past. Fact is: every time America goes into recession the world follows. American spin masters like writer,Thomas L. Friedman wants us to believe that only an economically revitalized America can save the world from going into a global depression. Friedman added that too little American power is dangerous, just like saying that a U.S. dominated world is better than a world dominated by somebody else.

              It seems that Friedman came from the same school of propagandists like Goebbels. I still remember my father telling me that everytime America goes to war, “God is on their side.” He even cited some pages of his old history book narrating how then President William Mckinley in 1898 told a group of visiting ministers that he decided to takeover the Philippines after he got down on his knees and God told him  to go ahead, “civilize and Christianize”  the Filipinos.

            But in “Christianizing” the Filipinos, almost half a million Filipinos died in that American civilizing mission. While the US Army was carrying out the massacre of the Filipinos, according to John Tirman, executive director of MIT’s Center for International Studies, then Secretary of War, Elihu Root was saying, “The American soldiers are the advance guard of liberty and justice, of law and order, and of peace and happiness.” The mind conditioning was so effective during that time that even up until now, most Filipinos have envived a deeply-rooted colonial mentality.

             But it seems that there’s a growing anti – American sentiments in the world today. The usual trust is not there anymore. So many nations are now even changing their dollar reserves into a better currency.

            In the Philippines, despite the colonial mentality of its leaders and its populace, most Filipinos are now dealing with the Americans and other imperialists with caution. Many Filipinos have learned from history when we entered a world war in the past not of our own liking. Our veterans are even treated like beggars and mendicants. Despite that the U.S. Visa fees revenue can finance  an embassy operation, many applicants were not granted Visas to enter the U.S.A.  Why do we tolerate to be treated this way?

            What was alarming was the latest report by east-asia-intel.com that the People’s Republic of China has introduced multiple new submarines including ballistic missile type 094S. China has allegedly deployed two new ballistic missile submarines and two new attack submarines in the South China Sea.

            According to the Annual Military Balance report by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the two Jin class submarines (type 094S) are each equipped with 12 JL-2 missiles.

              The main base is near Yulin on Hainan island on the South China Sea and can be seen in a satellite imagery obtained by FAS. The image showed that the submarines moored at a pier close to a large sea entrance to an underground facility. These high tech submarines are believed to be moving around the China seas including the Paracels and the Spratlys.

              With this revelation, could this be the reason why the  Pentagon chose an early Balikatan joint military exercises  that will be held simultaneously in Luzon, Bicol, Visayas and Mindanao instead of the usual one area at a time?

              Is the sighting of China’s submarines in San Bernardino Strait and part of the Pacific Ocean real?

                San Bernardino Strait is the short cut from China Sea passing Palawan, Sorsogon, Masbate and Samar to the Pacific Ocean.

              It seems that we Filipinos are in deep shit, with no functioning sonar and radars, an ill-equipped weaponry, etc.  We are again in trouble. Are we for Asia or for the west? Is this the reason why the US forces are building up their military might in disguise as military training, road constructions, building schools, medical and dental missions to win again the hearts and minds of the people? U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney and its USIA through it’s amiable spokesperson, Rebecca Thompson are doing a good job for their government. Despite the good leadership of  Sec. Gilbert Teodoro at the defense department especially in fighting graft and corruption, our military capability sucks.

              Our friend in the military said that since the Americans left the former U.S. bases at Clark and Subic, there was a power vacuum that led to the creeping invasion of China especially near our border.

              We hope and pray that what happened in Lusitania before the First World War and at the Pearl Harbor prior to the start of the Second World War will not happen here.

             Again, to our leaders, Don’t repeat the similar mistakes PLEASE!!!!