Philippine Government Morally Must Crush New People’s Army

First published in The Objective Standard Blog, September 13, 2012.

The communist insurgency known as the New People’s Army has admitted to bombing a carnival in the Philippines and injuring scores of civilians, including many children. The NPA has apologized for the civilian casualties, as if such a thing were unforeseeable when attacking a carnival.

In their effort to establish a dictatorship in the Philippines, the NPA has inflicted brutality after brutality upon the Filipino people—from perpetrating massacres, to “recruiting” children as soldiers in their cause, to destroying the property of those who refuse to bow to their collective will.

Filipinos who care about their lives and liberties must demand that the Philippine government summarily destroy the New People’s Army, and, to do so, Filipinos will have to recognize and embrace the moral rightness in taking such action. As I wrote in “Around the World: ‘The Communist War against the Philippines and Why It Rages On’”:

The Philippine armed forces clearly have the means to destroy the communist threat; what Filipinos and their government need is the moral resolve to allow the military do so.

If Filipinos want peace, security, and prosperity, they must come to recognize that the communist ideal of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” is morally wrong, politically wrong, and thus economically disastrous. Filipinos must demand that their government end the peace talks with the Communist Party, destroy the New People’s Army, and demand that all communist groups terminate their activities immediately or face retribution.

The NPA’s latest atrocity further underscores the urgent need for the Philippine government to destroy the communist menace.

Sam Harris Versus the Self-Made Man

By Joshua Lipana

(In light of the most recent attack by Sam Harris on economic freedom, I am posting here my commentary, first published in American Thinker, that takes on an older of op-ed of his in the Huffington Post with the same collectivist spirit.)

Sam Harris recently published an article in The Huffington Post entitled “A New Year’s Resolution for the Rich” in it, he says:

“…devotees of self-reliance rail against those who would receive entitlements of various sorts — health care, education, etc. — while feeling unselfconsciously entitled to their relative good fortune.”

In the article, Harris makes no distinction between those who work and earn what they have, and those who rely on hand-outs or the expropriated wealth of others. Those who have worked hard for their money, regardless of how much, have the moral right to keep it. Harris decries those who praise the virtue of self-reliance because they feel entitled and enjoy the products of their mind. Hard-work means nothing to Harris; the moocher and the producer are moral equals.

He continues and states:

“…no one is responsible for his intelligence, range of talents, or ability to do productive work.”

The student who studies hard to get a scholarship, the athlete who trains without cease to better his performance, and the industrialist who masters nature to create the materials that make skyscrapers possible. These are the people who Harris claims are not responsible for their achievements. In one sentence, Harris was able to spit on the face of everyone in the world who has worked tirelessly to achieve their dreams.

Harris has continuously claimed to be an advocate of reason when it is precisely man using his rational faculty to enjoy life that he sets himself against.

In the last paragraph, Harris asks the readers the question: “…what’s to stop the wealthiest Americans from sponsoring a 21st Century Renaissance?” The answer is, you are Mr. Harris, you and your ideas.

(P.S: If you think the quotes I quoted were too evil and that it must be out of context, I advise you to read the entire article of Sam Harris in The Huffington Post.)

Censorship Strengthens Islamists

Censorship Strengthens Islamists

By: Joshua Lipana

The prospect of another semi-free country falling to Islam is in danger of happening. In the Philippines a bill that would criminalize the use of words like “Muslim” and “Islamic” to describe criminals has been filed by Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. The Senator wishes to pass this bill while the Philippines is facing down numerous Islamic insurgencies in its southern islands.

The Southern Islands of the Philippine are infested with violent Islamic Totalitarian groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Abu-Sayaf and even elements of Al-Qaeda are present. Unfortunately such bills that run contrary to the principle of Freedom of speech is a worldwide trend. At the start of the 21st century the world witnessed the U.N pass resolution after resolution condemning the “Defamation of Religion.” And even now many member countries of the U.N are pushing for global “Blasphemy Laws.” Censorship it seems is gaining ground the world over.

The biggest beneficiary of all this is Totalitarian Islam. For example in the Philippines, the country where I live, and much like the U.S, the army is incredibly capable of crushing the various pip-squeak terrorist insurgencies. Whether they be communist or Islamist in nature. But due to the fact that “sensitivity” and “respect” is shown to our enemies, the military has had to pull its punches time after time. The prevailing ideas of the culture have led to this prolonged struggle where many innocents have died. Now the nail in the casket is being hammered, once censorship becomes widespread and good ideas are no longer possible to advocate, once Sen. Revilla’s bill passes; we’re all open for slaughter.

The war with Totalitarian Islam is not just a conventional war, it is also an Ideological war.  Bills like the one Sen. Revilla wants to pass will accomplish what is most crucial in this war, the Ideological disarming of Islam’s opponents. Things like this basically say to the Islamists “keep spreading your deadly ideology, you will encounter no resistance.”

Burke once said “Evil will triumph when good men do nothing.” What happens to a country when good men are barred from doing something? The victory of Totalitarian Islam will not come because of its violent attacks of murders and bombings. Their victory, if ever such a tragedy would befoul the world, will come because of censorship. If we seek to keep our freedoms and advance the cause of liberty; the primary evil we must defeat is censorship. Till good men can talk, good ideas can still win. If we lose the ideological battlefield to Islam, we will also lose militarily. We must fight censorship, like our life depends on it. Because it does.

Quotes on the Right to Bear Arms

There has been a lot of talk lately about a permanent total gun ban in the Philippines. I will write an article about the irrationality of this in due time, but till then, here are some quotes that give a glimpse of just how stupid and dangerous such a proposal is. Feel free to disseminate them.

“The strongest reason for the people to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against the tyranny of government.” -Thomas Jefferson

“If we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns.” -Unknown

“Guns, in the hands of a countries citizenry, are what makes the difference between a free state and a totalitarian one.” -Brian Lott

“If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, vehicles make you drive drunk, spoons make people fat, and matches cause arson.” – Dianna Rogers

“Everyone has a right to bear arms. If you take guns away from legal gun owners, then the only people who have guns are the bad guys.” Even a pacifist, he insists, would get violent if someone were trying to kill him. “You would fight for your life.” -Bruce Willis

‘‘Laws that forbid the carrying of arms… disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes… Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”                      — Jefferson’s “Commonplace Book,” 1774-1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764

“When you ban guns only the bad guys get to carry guns.”

“When you ban guns only the bad guys will have guns.” – Common Experssions