The Christian Post Intelligencer

If Only the Lakers have the Killer Instinct of the U.S. Navy SEALS

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:18:39 PDT

I was so dismayed with the game last night and thought not to write how the Los Angeles Lakers lost to Dallas Mavericks with the score of 96 to 94.

You see, there are more headlines grabbing news to write of out there, like the killing of Osama Bin Laden from the hands of US Navy SEALS Team 6.

Revisiting the dysfunctional game the Lakers are prone to make time and time again seems a waste of time.

I thought I’d rather write an article on how the vow of former U.S. President George W. Bush came into fruition when he said: Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done. . . It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

On a second thought, I couldn’t resist the temptation of comparing how the Navy SEALS and the Lakers fight when the die is cast.

For a moment, I ignored the head-scratching foul made by Paul Gasol (15 points, 11 rebounds) on Dirk Nowitzki (28 points, 14 rebounds) with 20.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter with the Lakers leading over Mavericks 94 to 93.

I tried to ignore Gasol’s silly foul, and instead think of something good, something to elate my sagging spirit from the inane mistake committed by the Lakers’ All-Star power forward.

Yeah, I diverted my thinking to the report that the number one terrorist in the world- the one that masterminded the killings of thousands of Americans on September 11, 2001- has finally met his end.

Lakerslandia and the free world should rejoice because Bin Laden was TWEPed – terminated with extreme prejudice! Thanks to stealthy operation of the Navy SEALS.

The Navy SEALS didn’t make a costly foul, unlike Gasol theirs was a legitimate call to block the Al Qaeda leader from orchestrating another plot against the Americans and United States interests here and abroad.

The special operators from the Navy SEALS perfectly executed their plan and worked out their offense with precision, unlike the Lakers who veered away from the triangle offense, and instead let Kobe Bryant (five rebounds, one block) do the shootings.

Bryant attempted 29 shots, making fourteen and ending the game with 36 points totals. The big three of Gasol, Andrew Bynum (eight points, five rebounds), and Lamar Odom (15 points, 12 rebounds) made 28 shots total.

Lakers must operate cohesively as a unit to ensure a higher percentage of wins, after all basketball is a team game.

Statistics for 2010-2011 regular season show that when Bryant attempted 19 shots or less than his teammates, the Lakers won 33 in 41 games and 14-0 on his 15 shots or less.

I wondered if the Lakers collected real-time intelligence on the Mavericks and used the information from their Scouting Reports to their utmost advantage.

SWOT analysis would be a great tool, like identifying the Strength and Weaknesses of the opponents, finding Opportunities on how to involve Gasol and Bynum in the offense, and containing the Threats posed by Nowitzki and Jason Kidd (seven points, five rebounds).

Moreover, if only the Lakers could borrow a page or two from the SEAL’s playbook, they could learn on how to play calm during crunch time. The Lakers unraveled in the fourth quarter by giving up a 16-point lead.

The wingmen of the Lakers failed to support the primary unit. The support group of Steve Blake, Shannon Brown, and Matt Barnes - known as the Killer B’s – were no match to Mavericks’ second team. The Mavericks’ second unit outscored the Lakers 40 to 25.

Contrasting the Lakers bench, the Navy SEALS have dependable wingmen from the discreet 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). The 160th SOAR, otherwise known as the 'Night Stalkers' are an elite U.S. Army special operations unit who fly helicopters in support of classified missions of U.S. Special Operations Command.

At the end, accomplishing a mission does not only take physical abilities and intellectual capabilities; the Navy SEALS are known for their mental toughness, focusing on their targets like a laser even in the midst of tough and precarious environments.

The Lakers are loaded with skills and talents, but lacks the mental grit to fight it out with the opponents until the end game. The absence of will and determination oftentimes is their worst enemy, and making it impossible to accomplish their mission of three-peating.

Lastly, the mission was successful because of the coaching from the Project Officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who designed the OPLAN. Knowing how the CIA works, they paid attention to the minute details of the plan – rehashing the operational details and translating it into perfection in the field.

Unlike the CIA Project Officer, Phil Jackson committed a blunder of letting the second unit play until the sixth-minute of the game, letting the Mavericks caught up with the scores and eventually gaining the lead in the waning minutes of the game. Same mistakes over and over, unable to make changes with his substitution plan.

It was too late for the first unit to turn the momentum of the game in their favor, especially with the consecutive errors of Gasol when the game was on the line.

Maybe it's time to change the command next year? Possibly promoting Brian Shaw to become the court general of the Lakers?

Well, the Lakers lost in the first game of their seven-game series. They could still bounce back and take it to the Mavericks like four winning games in a row.

But for Bin Laden, his game had already ended in a blowout. It’s only one-game, a do-or-die game for him. He lost eternally.

And naturally, the back-to-back champions win again – the Navy SEALS. Hoorah!

Remembering September 11th on the Killing of Osama Bin Laden

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:23:33 PDT

People in the United States were horrified on what they saw on their television screens that Monday morning of September 11, 2001.

They watched in horror as two U.S. commercial airplanes crashed successively against the World Trade Centers in New York City, while another commercial airline slammed into the Pentagon building a few minutes later.

The fourth airplane, United Airlines Flight 9, crashed in the rural area of Pennsylvania when passengers reportedly wrestled control of the plane from the hijackers.

People were stunned to see the magnitude of destructions when the smoke finally settled on the streets of Manhattan, in the rubbles of Washington D.C., and at the outskirts of Shankville, Pennsylvania.

The attacks were the modified version of the Al Qaeda (AQ) network’s Project Bojinka conceptualized in Manila in 1995. AQ leader Ramzi Yousef and his two operatives, Abdul Hakim Murad and Wali Khan Amin Shah, originally planned the hijacking and crashing of U.S bound commercial airlines on key infrastructures in the United States.

The Philippine authority accidentally caught Murad before the AQ members could launch their diabolical scheme while Shah and Yousef fled Manila but were later on apprehended outside the Philippines by another foreign government.

The U.S. Intelligence Community did not anticipate that the AQ network would push through with Project Bojinka despite the major setback the terrorist organization suffered in 1995.

Philippine National Police General Avelino Razon later on claimed that an intelligence report shared to their U.S. counterparts was treated unreliably, and had the report was given credibility, it could have averted the suicide attacks in United States.

The patience and persistence shown by the AQ network to consummate their threats even after six years of hiatus are serious manifestation of their hatred to United States and to the free world.

The younger generation who has faint idea about the campaigns of terror finally saw the horrible consequences of ideological extremism gone berserk.

The older generation who may still remember the intermittent campaigns of terror in Europe and in the Middle East in the past decades would agree that the terrorists’ attacks in World Trade Centers and Pentagon Building were unprecedented in the annals of terrorism.

Those who recall the campaigns of the Abu Nidal Organization, the Black September (extremist faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization), the Baader-Meinhoff Gang , and Venezuelan-born Illich Ramirez Sanchez (better known as “Carlos the Jackal”) in the 1970’s and 1980’s would surely concur that the AQ network suicide attacks were unparalleled and the most disastrous by far.

Although only 19 terrorists from the Al Qaida terror network carried out the tragic incidents, the consequences of their actions, however, had ringing impacts to the political, economic, and social environments of the United States.

The results of the terrorists’ suicide attacks had claimed the lives of around 2992 Americans and foreign expatriates working in the World Trade Centers.

In the political realm, there was an upsurge of verbal skirmishes between democrat and republican parties as well as the endless tirades spewed by both camps - each accusing the other as responsible for the terrorist attacks – have divided the nation.

The terrorist attacks also had serious repercussions to the U.S. economy when the Wall Street transactions slid down and lost around $1.2 trillion-worth of stock market value in a week-time.

Added to these issues was the backlash on Arab-looking people in United States, and according to federal government report, 60-hate crime incidents happened in Chicago alone in 2001.

Ten years after the major catastrophe of September 11th, the American nation now rejoices to hear that the diabolical leader of AQ - Osama Bin Laden - has finally brought to justice in the hinterland of Pakistan.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced to the world on a televised speech from the White House Sunday night that US military forces have killed Bin Laden after years of building up intelligence against the terrorist leader.

The Los Angeles Times reported that former U.S. President George W. Bush called the special military operations a momentous achievement.

Bush said, “This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

One Thunderous Dunk from Bryant, One Giant Leap for the Lakers

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:44:24 PDT

It took one bounce to turn the momentum of the game. It took one thunderous dunk to break the spirit of the opponents. It took one sprained ankle to keep the series from slipping away.

It was the night the New Orleans Hornets appear to stage another grand upset against the Los Angeles Lakers, on the verge of topping the series three-to-two in their favor, and the chance of closing the purple and gold in New Orleans Arena on Thursday.

To coach Phil Jackson everything was unfolding not according to plan. He took Kobe Bryant out early in the first quarter, as he said later on in the press conference he thought the Black Mamba was a liability in the hard court.

The Hornets were shooting 81% in the first quarter and leading nine points at the end of the first 12 minutes.

The Staples Center was silent, and the crowd was uneasy with the progress of the game.

The second quarter came, and the Hornet’s lead starts to get bigger, and Chris Paul was in command of the game again.

Suddenly, out from nowhere, Bryant made a cut to the middle lane and took the pass from Pau Gasol. He was free from Hornet’s defensive specialist Trevor Ariza, and everyone was expecting Bryant to pull a jump shot.

A jumper was not on Bryant’s mind, as it wouldn’t change the complexion of the game. He wanted a statement shot. And so he did.

Bryant saw the opening in the lane, sprung off on his injured foot, and took the ball to the rim with Hornet’s center Emeka Okafor (5 points,5 rebounds) rising along with him.

Before Okafor found out what happened, the Lakers’ players on the sideline jumped off their seats, the crowd stood up in rapturous jubilation, while the rest of the nation watched in their living room in awe.

Bryant posterized Okafor!

It was a spectacular move coming neither from No. 24 nor from the Black Mamba.

It was a move coming from No. 8 of years ago, a throw back to Bryant’s afro years in his early twenty’s.

Bryant is already in his 15 years in NBA, and still defies the law of gravity.

Collin Cowherd of ESPN’s The Herd Show said it best: It’s the Dunk of the Year.

The sports radio host even added that even Michael Jordan in his 15th year did not show such kind of power and explosiveness.

When everyone thought that was it, he showed them it was not so.

In third quarter, Bryant made a blow-by on Trevor Ariza (22 points, 3 assists) and Carl Landry (8 points, 2 assists), and then leapt in the air for another monstrous dunk.

The left-handed dunk was so sweet, sending the Lakers fans in delirium, conveying another message to doubters and critics, and reminding them that it is still his league.

When the basketball analysts were quick to point out that he’s on his waning years and hastily handed the baton to Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Derick Rose – the two ferocious dunks told them to think it over.

Not so fast, Bryant is still in the game.

The game-changing dunks electrified his teammates and in the same manner putting them in the spot. If he could play with intensity in a banged-up body and swelling ankle, how much more could they?

Memorandum received. At the end of the game, six Lakers players registered double-digit points in the score box, good enough to end the game at 106 to 90.

It was vintage Kobe Bryant all over again making eight of his 13 shots for 62% field goals.

I wish Bryant would break his hand before the game with Hornets tonight, and I couldn’t wait to see what he's going to do next.

Really, the Lakers are like a box of Chocolate!

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:45:21 PDT

Who would’ve thought the Los Angeles Lakers would crash so badly against the Charlotte Hornets’ speedway, losing 88-93?

After the game on Sunday at the New Orleans Arena, it appears the road-race to three-peat has now become so narrow and so bumpy. The Lakers suffered another flat tires, with Chris Paul (27 points, 15 assists, and 13 rebounds) puncturing the rubbers of the Purple and Gold Express.

Who’s to blame for the lackluster game? Is it the PIT Crew Chief Phil Jackson or the driver Kobe Bryant (17 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists)? Or maybe the whole crew with their so-so mental fortitude?

When I thought Jackson had already put a clamp on Hornet’s pick-and-roll driving, the three successful isolation plays of Paul against Andrew Bynum (11 points, 9 rebounds) prove it isn’t so. It was so embarrassing for the seven-foot Bynum to be driven around by a six-foot Paul in the half-court.

Jackson’s substitution pattern is again a concern and he should think of cutting the playing time of Shannon Brown who doesn’t play defense at all. (Did I say no one play defense at all?) He has a shoot-first-mentality, and always gets lost in the triangle offense.

This is where I miss Sasha Vujacic and his pestering defense. Forget about his encounter with assistant coach Brian Shaw, the guy is my missing link in the Lakers’ offense and defense. The Bench Mob is much better than the Killer B’s.

It’s frustrating that Lakers’ management opted for a ‘Showtime’ in Brown, but a fancy dunk wouldn’t take the team to a championship.

I would consider giving Bryant more minutes in the game. Even if he’s not playing at his best, Lakers are still okay when he’s in the game. (His zero point in the first half was his second in the playoff series since 2001 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.)

Stop saving Bryant’s energy, he’d already rested enough in the regular season.

Listen, the Lakerslandia may not see Bryant play anymore until next season, if Hornets eliminated the Lakers in the playoff. So, play him at will – even with his banged knees, sprained left ankle, and twisted finger. Well, he relishes playing injured anyway.

Lakerslandia must stop hoping the PIT Crew Chief or the driver would turn the infamous Lakers switch ON in the fifth game. Sorry, there’s no such thing as flipping the switch ON. Forget it.

What the Lakers need to turn on is their collective mental toughness, and stop masquerading under their not so real brute-force attitude. It’s a façade, and no one believes in it anymore.

Jackson and his crew saw it first hand - the Lakers’ size and strength no longer intimidate the Hornets, and it appears to me it’s that it’s the other way around.

The Twin Towers in Pau Gasol (16 points, 4 rebounds) and Bynum appear so scared to stop the penetration of Trevor Ariza (19 points, 3 assists) and Carl Landry (16 points, 3 assists). A hard foul to knock them off their senses would make them think twice of slashing again inside the paint.

Don’t expect Lamar Odom (6 points, 4 rebounds) to play defense. I seldom see him jump on his feet to block a shot. Check him out when he’s defending; he would just raise his hands, like in a surrender stance!

He got the sixth man of the year award for his versatile offense, not for his defense. If he got them both, he’d be an All-Star. And he’s never been one.

The series now tied at 2-2 with the next game in Staples Center on Tuesday night. You think the Lakers could make a “statement game”? Lakers don’t have a convincing win against the Hornets yet, but the Hornets did.

I hope they could prove tonight they’re capable of making a historic three-peat. And the losses against the Hornets were just minor bumps in their race to the NBA championships.

But the way the Lakers are playing this year, I’m afraid to say I have my reservations on them, considering the inconsistencies that beset the team throughout the season.

Sometimes they’re hot, and at times they’re cold. Sometimes they’re fun to see, and at times I want to kick my TV. Sometimes they're into winning streaks, and at times they succumbed to losing streaks.

Seriously, I really couldn’t tell what to get from them in every game anymore. Well, it’s not a surprise, as even themselves are not sure what to expect from each other in every game.

Paraphrasing the famous words of Forrest Gump: The Lakers are like a box of chocolate, you wouldn’t know what you’re gonna get from them.

Lakers' One-Two Punch Struggles, Still tie Series 1-1

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:03:09 PDT

Neither the offense nor defense stung the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night at Staples Center. In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers’ best players were unremarkable in the offensive end.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ bang-and-grind game killed the Hornets, not anything else.

The Lakers won 87-78 solely with their aggressiveness and intensity of plays, despite Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol struggling in the offense.

Kobe Bryant was 3-10 while Pau Gasol was 2-9, and combining for only 5-19 field goals.

Gasol made only 4-19 field goals in the last two games, so unusual for the skilled Spaniard who dominated Hornets in the regular season. His 70% field goal in four meetings was exemplary, but that’s when Carl Landry hasn’t been traded to Hornets.

It’s obvious the 6’8 Landry has Gasol’s numbers in the first-two games, something he enjoys since playing with Houston Rockets. The Lakers-Rockets second round playoff match two years ago saw Landry outplaying the 7’0 Gasol in the shaded area.

Making up for his poor shooting, Kobe Bryant spearheaded the team defense, taking the onus of guarding Chris Paul in the start of the game.

The energy exerted to contain Paul surely affected Bryant’s offensive game, who personally requested Phil Jackson to take the Hornet’s point-guard.

This is nothing new for Bryant who’d demonstrated eagerness in the past to take the best players of the opposing teams.

In 2010 Beijing Olympics, Bryant’s I’m-Taking-Over mentality earned the USA Dream Team the gold medals. Last year, it got them their back-to-back championships when he contained Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City Thunder and Rajon Rondo of Boston Celtics when Derek Fisher couldn’t restrain them.

What did this say about Fisher with Bryant taking over his role to alter the games of the opposing teams?

Matt Barnes said that the Black Mamba “cut the head off of the snake, “referring to Paul’s leadership role.

Well, not really, as Paul contributed 20 points and 10 assists, still decent numbers for the All-Star guard.

But one thing is sure, Bryant’s hand prints were all over the game, as he altered the offense of the Hornets by slowing down Paul.

Kobe changed the game with his defense and energy, according to Odom.

The third game is in New Orleans on Friday, and the Lakers are going to see a sea of yellow shirts in the arena. But the purple and gold plays much better in the road than at home court.

Hopefully the change in venue would also change the game of Gasol, if not, the Lakers are in for a long haul, with their championship trophy on the line.

No Kidding, there’s Something Good about the Lakers' Loss to Hornets

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:38:24 PDT

At the risk of being called a broken record, I won’t say bad things anymore to the Los Angeles Lakers after losing their first game of the playoff against the Charlotte Hornets.

I have good words for them, not the gloom and doom critique I’ve been writing in the regular season. And let me start with a bright note, they'll bounce back after losing 109-100.

It was only one game of the seven-game series. You bandwagon fans, they’ll come around and would win the next four games. To those naysayers and fair-weathered Lakers fans: Hear me out, they'll flip the switch back on!

Yeah, they’ll come back to win the next game, even if it meant sending it to overtime like the one they did with Sacramento Kings. Or double-overtime as they often had with Charlotte Bobcats. Or maybe triple-overtime like the classic game against Phoenix Suns.

You see, the Lakers are so good they could win in overtime. Don’t forget they Have Phil Jackson - the great Zen-master who figures everything out. He never stayed seated on his high chair; he’s always up on his feet bellowing direction to the players, shouting at them in encouragement.

Derek Fisher did a marvelous job against Chris Paul. Although Paul scored 33 points on him, Fisher tried hard to stay in front of the buzzing Hornets guard. Being a slow footed that he is, he didn’t quit despite getting burned in the pick-and-roll game. Paul could’ve scored 50 points and dished out 30 assists against the Lakers, if not for Fisher’s pesky defense.

As for Andrew Bynum, he showed up . . . literally . . . in the hard-court. When news of his recent injury could’ve prevented him from playing, he was there manning the shaded area, despite being outhustled by unknown guy called Aaron Gray.

The Hornets crushed the Lakers 52-34 on the boards, and could've been more if not for Bynum's nine rebounds. Really, just for showing up in the game he earned his brownie points.

Lamar Odom was also active in the game, running hard from court to court. Even if he had only one rebound in 31 minutes of playing, he showed everyone he could outrun the Hornets in the floor. Much more, he had something good to say about the loss - that it was a good thing for the Lakers to lose the game as it humbled them. Wow. I’ve nothing more to say.

The ominous sign the Lakers would lose the game was when Ron Artest took the first shot that rimmed out, the play usually reserved to Kobe Bryant. He, however, made the buzzer beating shot before the end of first half. Artest was in offensive mood, as much as the Lakers want him more in the defense stance.

Bryant was in shooting spree, making of 13 of 26 shots. The good thing is he’s tired from jacking up those shots, which will make him pass the ball the next time. I'm not blaming Bryant for taking too many shots. Who else in the team Sunday afternoon shot well, other than him and Artest?

So keep shooting, Ron. You were the team's second leading scorer with 16 points, before Bryant's 34.

It's okay for the Lakers reserves outscored 39-21 by the Hornets bench. That’s a good thing, because it taught them a lesson that the likes of Jared Jack and Willie Green could outplay them if they're taking their opponents lightly.

The most glaring fact is the Lakers could’ve won the game had Pau Gasol showed up in Staples Center.

The Lakers played without their number two go-to-guy in Gasol. No words from team’s PR man Jack Black on why Gasol was AWOL in the game. Rumors had it that Gasol’s look-alike Michael Fanter played in the game instead of him. (Check Fanter in YouTube, and see what I mean.) Another rumor said Gasol hurt his thumb Saturday while tweeting about tennis and his good friend Rafael Nadal.

Kidding aside, like the proverbial silver linings behind dark clouds, the Lakers now realize they're in for a real series. This would keep their toes up until the NBA Finals.

BENCH TALK

Hornets won without their leading scorer David West, two-time NBA All Star, in the lineup. West is out for the remaining of the playoff due to a season-ending injury...Gasol actually played and was 2-9 from the field, making his second goals in garbage time. He grabbed six rebounds. . . Aaron Gray may not be available for the next game due to ankle sprain after Gasol accidentally stepped on him...Expect Gasol to get his points in the next game... Is it true that instead of watching video of Sunday's game, Jackson let the Lakers watch High School Musical during their practice in El Segundo and have the players memorized Troy's song "Get'cha Head in the Game?"

Poor Coaching Almost Cost the Lakers the Second Seed Spot

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:53:53 PDT

Was it the player’s nonchalance attitude or the coaches’ arrogance Wednesday night that almost cost the Los Angeles Lakers its 26th loss in the regular NBA season?

Losing the game against Sacramento Kings means a face-off with the Portland Trailblazers, and winning it means a date with Chris Paul’s New Orleans Hornets.

It was the Lakers’ last game before the start of playoff this Sunday at Staples Center, and they failed to end it in a convincing fashion.

If there’s someone to blame for that kind of game all year long it’s none other than Phil Jackson, not the players.

They could’ve had sent a strong statement in the league that would reverberate in the opponent’s hard-court, and putting them on notice: Here come the back-to-back NBA champions!

They may have won the game, but the Lakers failed to deliver the important message that they’re able and ready to get the three-peat.

The Lakers won the game against the Kings in overtime after almost losing it in the regular period. At one time leading by 22-point, the margin dwindled in the waning minutes.

Jackson let his second group play and have the players figured it out to stop the surge of the Kings. There was neither a sense of urgency to change the lineup nor call a timeout.

The Kings rallied from 22-point deficit and sent the crowd at the Power Balance Pavilion Arena onto their feet when their team gained the lead over the Lakers.

The Lakers first-five tried to salvage the game with six-minute left in the time clock, but unable to contain the surge of the aggressive Kings when the momentum of the game favored their side.

It took another heroic act from Kobe Bryant by making his three-point shot at the right corner outside the arch, and sending the game into overtime with 4.8 seconds left in the clock.

It shouldn’t happen that way, it shouldn’t end that same way over and over again – playing catch up after building quite a margin over their opponents. This is the reason why they don’t have the so-called Killer Instinct. Their opponents don’t fear them anymore.

We always hear that Jackson let the players think of finding solutions by themselves when they’re in a bind. It worked in Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and with the first-three peat Lakers, but it won’t work in this current group of players.

Jordan’s Bulls consisted of veteran and cerebral players, and they could fix their problems in the hard-court when plays went wrong. Bulls had Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, John Paxson, Ron Harper and the rests.

Lakers also had veteran and cerebral players in Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, AC Green, Rick Fox, Brian Shaw, Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Glen Rice, and the rests.

The current crop of Lakers players are not, except for Bryant, Fisher, and Pau Gasol. Imagine some even get lost in the Triangle, and that is totally worrisome. Trusting them to solve the problems in the hard-court when they couldn’t even figure out where to position themselves in the Triangle is farcical.

I always cringe on my seat whenever Jackson would make a wholesale substitution (as Lakers broadcaster Stu Lantz called it) of players, every time on the remaining two minutes of first and third quarters. I’m never a fan of Jackson’s substitution patterns, really.

Mostly this is the time Lakers’ margin of scores against the opponent are big, and always squandered by the second-team of Andrew Bynum, Shannon Brown, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and Steve Blake. By then, it’s too late for the first-team to turn the momentum in their favor, as it happened on games against below .500 teams.

The Lakerslandia is expecting Jackson would tweak his coaching style, letting the first-team plays more minutes in the playoff. Or maybe change his substitution patterns, to throw-off the opponents defensive schemes, seeing the first-team instead of the other.

But then again, that’s the same coaching style and substitution patterns that won Jackson his 11 NBA championships.

The only thing that’s not the same though is the quality of players in his bench – he’s not playing the likes of Grant, Kukoc, Kerr, Green, Shaw and Fox anymore. He has Brown and Walton, and a player named Blake.

A Formula in Winning the Fight against Terrorism and Insurgency: Eradicate Graft and Corruption in the Government

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:43:03 PDT

The endemic graft and corruption in the Philippine government is a major impediment to the success of its counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency programs. This condition, which is systemic and hierarchical in nature, is prevalent also in some governments that have derisory financial oversight like in South America, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Middle East.

The agents of these shady practices are all over the places – from the president and down to the lower echelons of the bureaucracy.

In the Philippines, the problems brought by graft and corruption had ignited some junior military officers to lead a rebellion in 2003 against then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The soldiers demanded institutional reforms, and charged the President as coddler of corrupt public officials.

The United States government partnered with the Philippines on its Global War on Terror, and as such, provided $116.6 million in development and military assistance to the Filipinos in 2008, but cut it to $99.2 million in 2009 because of corruption in the Arroyo Administration.

In Afghanistan, the government of President Hamid Karzai is also plagued with corruptions and is helpless in prosecuting the offenders, especially when his brother is one of them. The National Public Radio reported the destitute situation and best portrayed the problem in the words of Deputy Attorney General Rahmatulla Nazari, when he said, "A deputy minister of this government has been sentenced to five years by a court of law, but to go and arrest him, we would need a battalion of policemen.”

Graft and corruption has direct and lasting impact in combating terrorism and insurgency, and there are three reasons why this illegal practice is counter-productive.

First, it subjugates the morale and dampens the spirit of committed personnel. Second, it depletes and siphons the government resources intended for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency programs. Thirdly, it costs the government the moral high ground because it renders legitimacy to the terrorists and insurgents’ cause.

The threat on global security brought by terrorism and insurgency problems attract the attention of the United States and consequently provides logistical supports in the forms of military hardware and hard cash to fledgling third-world governments.

Most often than not, the monetary assistance from United States become the milking cow of corrupt public officials of the embattled governments. For example, some of the monies doled-out to fund reconstruction of Iraq were stolen by corrupt Iraqi government officials. Stuart Bowen, a former US Official monitoring the rebuilding of Iraq, reported that portions of monetary assistance ended up with the insurgents.

In another case, US Legal Attaché Jeff Cole wrote to the Philippine Commission on Audit to investigate the loss of $5 million given by the United Nations to the Armed Forces of the Philippines for peacekeeping duty. The Philippine government is currently investigating former senior military officers who received the missing UN fund.

United States foreign military aid is a vital source of fund of embattled governments in their fight to contain terrorists and insurgents. The billions of dollars of military aid to Colombia to battle the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and to Pakistan to fight against the Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces could easily go to waste without strict monitoring of how the monetary aid is being used.

As always, a great portion of the aid goes to the local government’s intelligence fund, which is the bloodline that keeps the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency programs perpetually flowing in the field. Without logistical support to the personnel in the field, it’s impossible to produce tactical and strategic information on target organizations.

Intelligence Officers running the show in the field need constant flow of cash to gather information from their action agents, informants, and assets. Without a round, operators couldn’t go around. Simply puts it, if the logistical support was cut-off, the intelligence network wouldn’t run.

People in the field, or even in the home office, get demoralized when their project proposals are not approved due to lack of fund. Sometimes, even when there is intelligence fund available, it is reassigned to support the ghost projects of senior officers. In some cases, cash trickles down the line with the chunks of the funding pocketed by those in higher office.

Intelligence fund are easy to liquidate from within due to the strict confidentiality governing its oversight, or the lack thereof. Most governments give the heads of its Intelligence Community a carte blanche giving leeway to the officials to use the money at their official discretions.

Graft and corruption provides the terrorists and the insurgents the ammunition to disparage the embattled government in their propaganda activities. Just like in the Philippines, the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army is on top of its publicity against the corrupt practices of Filipino public officials.

In Afghanistan, Lt. Colonel Roy Walker of Grenadier Guards told the Telegraph that police corruptions are fueling insurgency and encouraging young men to join the Taliban.

Embattled governments lose the moral high ground to win the hearts and minds of the people from the terrorists and insurgents if graft and corruption continues to pervade from the top of bureaucracy.

So, in order to curtail the criminal practices, political leaders must set a high ethical standard and impose stiff criminal penalties against individuals found guilty of graft and corruption.

Similarly, it is also important for foreign donors like the United States to demand the recipients of its military aid to make official records of disbursements to dissuade local public officials from enriching themselves with American people’s money.

Corrupt practices thrive in government service where there are national leaders who are unwilling to punish the criminal offenders, because they themselves are willing accomplices in the crime.

And if such is the case, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the cause of the terrorists and insurgents thrive, too.

Hurry-Up, Turn the Lakers’ Switch ON!

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:09:41 PDT

Hear the Lakerslandia shout: Will someone please flip the Lakers switch back ON!

What’s going on with the Lakers these past weeks? After a successful 16-1 run up after the NBA All-Star break, they’re back again into their first-half season Lakers form.

Their complacency and lethargic attitude had resulted into five successive losses, games that could've elevated them to top standing, and possibly garnering home court advantage against any Eastern Conference teams come NBA Finals.

You'd think they'd already turned on the so-called “Lakers switch” that ignited the team to a successful run in the second half of the season. Well, they’re back again playing with their so complacent and lethargic games.

It appears they wouldn't want to finish the regular season without a drama just like Hollywood. They're ending it in a tearjerker fashion with five consecutive losses.

It’s uncharacteristic of the defending and back-to-back champions to lose five consecutive games - three at home - during this time of the season.

Their losses started against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday (95-90), and then with Utah Jazz on Tuesday (86-85), Golden State Warriors on Wednesday (95-87), Portland Trail Blazers on Friday (93-86), and lastly the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday (120-106).

The Lakerslandia - from South Central to South Africa, from Bayonne to Beijing, from Manila to Madrid – clamors answers to their question: Have the Lakers intentionally turned off the switch to manipulate their seeding?

Do they purposely lose to place the team’s seeding in a safe spot to avoid facing the Trail Blazers on the first round of the Western Conference playoff?

It appears it is, the way their long history of competition suggests. But the more they purposely lose the more they get closer to playing the Trail Blazers who are in the sixth spot. Dallas Mavericks – who currently enjoys the same standing with Lakers (55-25) – could shove them off the second spot.

Did coach Jackson think Lakers is peaking prematurely and decide to hold the reign on Bryant and company until the start of the playoff with Memphis Grizzlies – the team of their choosing?

This is the period they need to peak. The Lakers were just one and a half game behind San Antonio Spurs in the top spot before losing to Nuggets. They need a home court advantage in the NBA finals – if they were successful to go that far.

Forget the Spurs, they could beat them in either court in Western Conference Finals. But against Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics or Orlando Magic? A slim chance if they played with their funky game of late. They need to peak right now.

Is it a ploy of the coaching staff to tweak their offensive and defensive games to throw off the opponents, and then to revert to their old sets of plays that won them 16 of the 17 games before the Nuggets?

They don't have time for the masquerade. They are what they are. The last five games show the slow-footed and half-court oriented Lakers are not comfortable competing against opponents playing up-tempo game.

They need their Bigs in the running-games, but oftentimes, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum spend most of their time complaining with the referees for non-calls than running back to opponent’s court in a hurry.

Really, offense is not a problem for the Lakers, but defense is – whether man-to-man defense or team defense. The Lakers seem inadequate to fill in this problem. Kendrick Perkins of Thunder may have said it right – Lakers are soft!

It’s noticeable the Lakers couldn’t contain swashbuckling guards like Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, and Andre Miller. How do you think they would fare against the East’s guards?

The tip of defense is preventing the point guard to advance the ball and make plays for his teammates or even for himself through penetration in the shaded area.

Really, I’m not going to say anything about the Lakers’ defense against the pick-and-roll uses by the opponents, or the perimeter defense above the arch. I don't want to disappoint myself or frustrate the readers.

Luckily, the Lakers have two more games left before the first round of the playoffs to prove themselves. Let’s see how they fare against their arch rival San Antonio Spurs (61-19) on Tuesday and Sacramento Kings (24-56) on Wednesday.

Maybe on these last games the Lakers would heed the call of the Lakerslandia and turn their purple and gold switch back on.

Please tell Gary Vitti to put a duct tape on the switch permanently to ensure that it stays ON until the NBA Finals.

Your Stubborn Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:50:18 PDT

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? . . . Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord . . ."
(II Corinthians 6:14-17, KJV)

A permissive will?
Or, is it God’s will?
Your heart plays blind to this,
That love you can’t resist.
Desist.

Your dreams are so tall.
His promise you’re appalled.
No godly foundation,
Sure goes to destruction.
Caution!

Want to cross the bar?
Mulish fool you are.
Oh, yes, your stubborn heart,
Won’t stop ‘till you get hurt.
Be smart.

Seek the will of Lord,
Yield to His just Word.
Don’t hide it within,
And pray you won’t give in
To sin.

There is no saddest thing than to hear a Christian family breaks apart over the so-called irreconcilable differences of husband and wife. Nowadays, even the most sacred institution that God has created does not escape the negative influences of liberal ideas.

The breakage of relationship goes across the board - from ordinary church members to those occupying key positions in the ministry. The marriage vows they once lovingly recited before God and men have become meaningless oaths meant to be broken in the trying times. (Excerpts from Divorcing the Christian Family: The Bitter Fruit of Sin, also by this author.)

In order to avert the break up of Christian marriages, one must seriously consider the caution raises by apostle Paul in II Corinthians 6:14-17 when starting a relationship. Remember, when there is no godly foundation, a love at first sight always ends at first fight.

In Shameless Defense of Kobe Bryant: Is he equal or second to Michael Jordan?

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:47:27 PDT

Michael Jordan got six championship rings, Kobe Bryant has five and counting. Who’s the best?

The debate goes on and on, fitting Jordan against Bryant in declaring who’s the best basket baller of all time.

There are people like Charles Barkley who would say emphatically that Bryant is not even close to Jordan’s stature. And there are some Lakers apologists like me who contend that it’s not so.

When critics are laying out their case for Jordan, they based their arguments primarily on acquired statistics, magnifying the staggering achievements earned by His Airness as oppose to Bryant’s. This is rightly so, because basketball is all about numbers and data, right? No, not necessarily so. Here’s why.

One argues that the greater the achievements a player amassed over the other, the clearer the perception that he’s better than his competitor. If we agreed on this measurement, then perhaps Bill Russell is better than Jordan as he has 11 championship rings while playing for the Boston Celtics. Or maybe Robert Horry trumps him by collecting seven championship rings from three different teams!

What about the total points earned throughout his playing career? If this was the measuring stick for greatness, surely Jordan would be third greatest – with Karl Malone in the second and Kareem Abdul Jabbar on top among the NBA all-time scoring leaders.

The point I’m making is that numbers and data are self-serving and satisfy only the appetite of the one cooking the result. Just like John Hollinger of Sports Illustrated.com puts it, something to this effect: If you tortured the numbers it would give you the result you need.

Without embarrassing myself far enough, I’m laying the case for Bryant as I argue for him as an equal to Jordan, and not a mere second. Please note that I’m saying equivalent and not better than Jordan; because if I said he was, it would debunk my aforementioned premise on who’s the greatest of all time.

I will lay out my supposition why Jordan thrive in his playing career by delving on the following areas: Teammates, Coaches, Media’s Darling, NBA Rules, Not-So-Opposing Teams, and Competitiveness.

Teammates

Jordan was so lucky enough to have a whole-hearted support of the management that surrounded him with talented and veteran players during his peak years.

Jordan really did not make his teammates great, but on the contrary, they superimposed Jordan’s greatness.

Who were Jordan's teammates during his glorious years in Chicago Bulls?

Jordan has had the luxury of having Scottie Pippen (NBA's top 50 greatest player), Toni Kukoc (Europe's best), Ron Harper (cerebral player), Dennis Rodman (defensive monster and great rebounder), Steve Kerr and John Paxson (both pure shooters), Luc Longley (Center with a shooting-touch) and other second cast veterans who can defend and score.

I would point out that when Jordan was playing with Chicago White Sox on a minor league contract, the Bulls of Pippen and Kukoc made a show, and able to reach the Eastern Conference playoff. This speaks volume of who Jordan was playing with before he went on his first retirement and on his comeback after a year of hiatus.

Jordan’s teammates – Pippen, Kukoc, Harper, Kerr, Paxson, and even Rodman -had high basketball IQ.

I would submit that Jordan's games were elevated by his teammates, not the other way around as the so-called basketball experts claimed. His teammates complemented his basketball prowess, giving him the support and the stage to tear the opposing teams apart.

Moreover, all throughout his playing career, Jordan was the focal of the Xs and Os - the centerpiece of the coaches’ designed plays. He’s given the green light to shoot at his discretion, a full confidence from the coaches to do what he wanted in the hard-court. This wasn’t the case for Bryant, though.

When Bryant started in the NBA in 1996, he’s never the firs-second-third option of the Lakers team. He came behind Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, and the rests. This greatly lessened his chance to build up his basketball portfolio, having relegated to the last arrow in the quiver.

It’s interesting to point out that when Bryant earned his first three-peat with Shaquille O’Neal, he just played second fiddle (and sometime third to the next player) to the Big Aristotle. He’s never the point man. Bryant became the first option of the Lakers only during the start of the 2004-2005 season right after O’Neal left for Miami Heat.

It’s safe to say that Jordan had a great head start against Bryant, having teammates with high basketball IQ, plays designed primarily for him, being the first option, and undivided support of the coaches and management. And these are the reasons why Jordan accumulated astounding personal achievements and championship rings.

I will submit my case for Bryant on the next blog-article and presents to the readers why Bryant’s first nine years in the NBA was not so fortunate and how the negative factors precluded him from amassing accomplishments like Jordan’s.

Lakers Survive Suns Comeback on Triple Overtimes

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:15:50 PDT

It was a match for the money, a battle of will and tenacity, and after 63 minutes of grueling fast-tempo game, the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Phoenix Suns at the end with the score of 139-137.

Veteran players engaged fellow oldies. Heavy legs raced against tired legs. Inside plays fitted against outside shootings. It was a game worthy to be seen in the ESPN classic channel.

The Lakers stepped into the court pursuing to secure the second seed in the Western Conference, while the Suns desperately wanted to get into the playoffs.

Kobe Bryant (42 points, 12 rebounds) and Lamar Odom (29 points, 16 rebounds) led the surge in the first-three quarters, and at one time led the Suns by 21 points.

When you thought the purple and gold had put the seal in the rim in the third quarter and had called it a night, you were mistaken.

The second unit let the Suns to come back into the game, and point-by-point and hustle-by hustle, the color Orange narrowed down the scores to within reach.

Well, the second group led by Luke Walton didn't surprise the Lakersdom anymore, and as always they're true to form. They blew 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.

There was no defense thrown against the opponents, because everyone was aiming to get into the scoring list.

Someone has to tell Shannon Brown to play hard defense and stop doing his goose-like fly by against his man.

It was not surprising at all that Phil Jackson kept the first unit in the three overtimes period. He told the media, “I didn’t want to put someone (from the second unit) in cold during that time.”

Coach Alvin Gentry also kept his first unit throughout the end, and only substituting Grant Hill with Jared Dudley after Hill fouled out Bryant in the waning minutes of the third-overtime period.

Odom and Pau Gasol (24 points, 13 reboubds) held their grounds strong and used their lengths against the Suns' defenders in the overtimes.

However, it’s Bryant and Ron Artest (18 points, three steals) that led the late charge against Steve Nash (19 points, 20 assists) and Channing Frye’s (32 points, 14 rebounds) counter-assaults.

Frye's five 3-pointers in crucial times in overtimes caught the admiration of ESPN analyst J.A. Adande and dubbed him as Robert Horry 2.0 version.

On the other hand, Nash's game was a reminiscent of his two MVP seasons, burning Derek Fisher on pick-and-rolls that led to the Suns' comeback in the regular period. His five of seven 3-pointers epitomized his clutchness in the end-game.

There were highs and lows of the game, one was Odom's cute foul against Frye with 1.1 second left in second overtimes. He was apologetic to admit that “when a calls like (that) go against you, sometimes you insult your intelligence.” Well said, Lamar.

More than anything else, the game was a battle of endurance and the players' indomitable will to win. At the end, Bryant and the Lakers showed they had it; the Suns fizzled out when the seconds ran out.

Odom said that Bryant pushed their game and willed them through to win. What else is new?

Returning the favor, Bryant commented later on that Odom is his "Sixth Man of the Year."

The Lakers were now 13-1 after the NBA All-Star break and moved 1 1/2 game ahead of Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference.

BENCH TALK:

Bryant was short of one assist to get his triple-double, but earned his 107th 40-point plus game in his playing career... Fisher was 0-7 in the field, Vince Carter was 7-23 ... Artest promised to stop kissing his biceps and blowing kisses during the game. He's going to do a backspin next time ... The game ended past 11:00 PST with television screen shots of children in the Staples Center. Don't they go to school?

Rob Bell and the Universalist's Path to Destruction

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:48:11 PDT

Martin Bashir looked at Rob Bell straight in the eye and without blinking, he declared, "You’re creating a Christian message that’s warm, kind, and popular for contemporary culture."

Bell, a pastor of mega-church Mars Hill of Grand Rapids, Michigan, squirmed at his seat, not expecting a straight and pointed remark from Bashir, host of Martin Bashir Show at MSNBC.

He was on a promotional tour to sell his book entitled Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Has Ever Lived.

The controversial book came out earlier than expected on March 15th when its publisher Harper Collins pushed its release date sooner than the original date due to the unexpected media coverage received by the author.

What makes the book so provocative that earned Bell invitations to primetime morning television shows in America and subject of newspaper and magazine write-ups? Why do I even bother to blog this topic?

Bell's religious view of emergent universalism is becoming the trend of the day, a light and easy doctrine that appeals to people of modern belief.

Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today in her article Love Wins: Pastor book kindles firestorm over hell writes that Bell claims, among others, "that Heaven and hell are choices we make and live with right now.” “God gives us what we want, including the freedom to live apart from God (hell) or turn God's way (heaven)."

Bell categorically rejected the central belief of Christian doctrine of faith and redemptive grace, and that salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ is, as he claimed, "misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear."

In his commercial video created by Harper Collins, Bell questions the doctrine and beliefs of Christianity and presents his thesis on theological inconsistency of Christian redemption.

He averred that "The central of the gospel of Jesus is that God will send you to hell unless you believe in Jesus, and so what sort of subtlety got caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God, but what kind of God is that that we need to be rescued from this God . . . and how that can be good news?"

Moreover, Bell proposes that at the end, God will save everyone from hell because of His love, whether one knew Him or not, whether one is good or evil - because at the end love wins.

So, on his interview with the author, Bashir challenged Bell on the premise of his book, which the evangelical churches thought as heresy.

Bashir said, "What you’ve done is you’re amending the gospel, the Christian message, so that it’s palatable to contemporary people who find, for example, the idea of hell and heaven very difficult to stomach. So here comes Rob Bell, he’s made a Christian gospel for you, and it’s perfectly palatable, it’s much easier to swallow. That’s what you’ve done, haven’t you?”

Bell was surprised with the statement, not expecting from someone whom he thought was mere secular host of television show devoid of knowledge of the subject matter. All he could summon from his theological vein was a loud laugh, a nervous laugh it was.

The interview came out with Bashir apparently knowing a lot more of the scriptures than Bell who’s the senior pastor of a church that has over 10,000 in attendance.

Bell, a proponent of emergent universalism, suggests that accepting the Lord Jesus Christ in this life will not necessarily determine one’s destiny, because all people would eventually be saved, even those who rejected Christianity. Everyone would be persuaded by God’s love even after death, and unbelievers placed temporarily in hell or purgatory would be taken out from punishment because of God’s love.

As Bell is denounced by evangelical churches as heretic, he found a supporter in no less than Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary based in Pasadena, California who said the book is within the bounds of orthodox Christianity.

Mouw was quoted as saying "The real hellacious fight is between generous orthodoxy and stingy orthodoxy. There are stingy people who just want to consign many others to hell and only a few to heaven and take delight in the idea. But Rob Bell allows for a lot of mystery in how Jesus reaches people."

There is no mystery in the gospel of salvation. The scripture is very clear in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him (Jesus Christ) will not perish, but will have an eternal life."

In addition, in John 14:6 the Lord Jesus Christ said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Bell clearly deleted the Lord Jesus Christ in the whole picture of salvation and drastically erased the meaning of Christian life.

If one then is surely destined to go to heaven - whether the person accepted or denounced the Lord Jesus Christ - then the proposition of his post mortem salvation renders the Christian life and the pursuit of righteousness as immaterial.

There is no need for churches, missionaries, bible studies, seminaries and all that pertains to the propagation of the gospel, after all, according to Bell, everyone would go to heaven whether they like it or not.

There is no more reason to be good and live a pious life. There is no more reason to love God and share His blessings to others. One could live a wicked life and pursues enmity against the Creator, and still at the end of life is assured of God's eternal redemption.

Yes, everyone would be in the company of the brutal personalities in the annals of modern history – Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, and even the bombers of the World Trade Centers.

A scary and unpleasant thought. A blasphemous and heretic doctrine.

And a lot of people embrace it. Sadly.

Side Bar:

You can find Bashir's interview with Bell in You Tube - MSNBC Host Makes Rob Bell Squirm: "You're Amending The Gospel So That It's Palatable!" +

You can listen to Bashir's interview by Paul Edwards on The Paul Edwards Program in the God and Culture weblog.

A Poem for the Shadow Warriors

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 22:50:36 PDT

This poem is dedicated to the Christian men and women in the Armed Forces and to those unknown who operate in the dark. May God bless you and keep you from falling.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens,and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28,ISB)

I can’t loosen the cast
That binds my darkest past;
Thoughts of memory lane
Keeps coming back again,
In pain.

With groan and deeply sighs,
I close my longing eyes.
Vain thoughts I can’t contain,
My tears flow down like rain;
Oh, pain.

Sadness that is unseen;
Yes, deeply hurts within.
Sorrow my heart does fill;
Oh, distraught mind that kill,
Be still!

I tried hard to forego;
But, couldn’t let it go.
Nay, wounds that never heal,
And pains I can’t conceal,
Stay still.

Japan Teaches the World about Character in Time of Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:19:55 PDT

The calamities that hit the north-east coast of Honshu, Japan on March 11 put this industrialized nation in the brink of catastrophe.

The main earthquake that initially reported at 8.9, and later on upgraded to 9.0 in Richter scale, has triggered a 10-meter tsunami and damaged nuclear plants in proximity to the quake epicenter, about 250 miles from Tokyo.

The strong tremor sends monstrous 10-meter tidal waves to the coastal areas, notably the city of Sendai, and engulfed everything on its path without mercy.

Consequently, the shock and aftershocks pegged in the average of 6.0 have damaged the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear plants, facing possible meltdowns, which may turn out worse than the quake itself.

With the widespread devastations that put the lives of millions of Japanese in the balance, the citizens have all the rights to demand from the national government instantaneous help and speedy recovery.

Yet they did not.

They could’ve rioted, but they kept their peace instead. They could’ve panicked under pressure, but they maintained their composure. They could’ve accused the leaders of inefficiency, but they chose personal responsibility.

The collective discipline of Japanese people prevails. The national interests become everyone's priority.

There are no looters in the neighborhood. No hoarders in the city stores. No moaners in the ration lines.

Yet.

A week had already passed, and the Japanese people still cling to its collective resolve in the midst of chaos and confusions.

They're binded by their discipline while patiently wait for help, knowing that it will arrive anytime. The people believe on themselves, which keep their hope alive.

There may be remote instances where desperate people become hostile to the situation, but as a nation, the Japanese people handle the disasters with grace.

For how long they can sustain the emotional toll and physical hardships, no one really knows.

But at the moment, Japan teaches the world about character in time of crisis.

Side Bar:

CNN News reported that catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat estimated the losses from the disasters will total to $100 billion.... The infrastructures and personal properties lost in the aftermath are replaceable, but the thousands of lives that were lost and affected are not. Keep the Japanese people in your prayers.

Kobe Bryant Carving His Niche in the NBA All-Time Scoring List

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:16:12 PDT

Kobe Bryant once again put himself in the bigger picture of his playing career, shooting his way point by point to the top spot of the all-time NBA scoring leaders.

It seems like a blur when Bryant passed John Havlicek (26,395), Dominique Wilkins (26,668), Oscar Robertson (26,710), and Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946) this season alone. And though Bryant wouldn’t admit it, his eyes are now fixated on the next player in the ladder.

Bryant’s tenth-point against Oklahoma City Thunder pushed the legendary Elvin Hayes (27,320) from seventh spot to eight. His eleventh-point against Atlanta Hawks knocked-off Moses Malone (27,410) from the sixth spot.

Next on target is his former Lakers teammate turned arch-enemy in green uniform - Shaquille O’Neal (28,590).

Bryant is sure gearing to dislodge O’Neal from fifth spot, and it would take him around 50 to 60 regular games if he continues to score 25.0 per outing, taking also into considerations the points O’Neal would amass as they go along.

The chance to surpass O’Neal is worth waiting for and is sure to motivate Bryant to unseat the Green Leprechaun next NBA season.

After O’Neal, only time could tell if Bryant is able to inch his way in the top four currently held by Wilt Chamberlain (31,419), Michael Jordan (32,292), Karl Malone (36,928), and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (38,387).

Bryant always say that he’s not after the throne of NBA all-time scoring leader, and that may be true, because Malone and Jabbar’s points are just way, way up there.

He needs to score 20.0 per game in the next 554 regular games (6 NBA seasons) to beat Jabbar, which seems impossible considering Bryant’s current physical condition and deterioration in the coming years.

But as Phil Jackson has told the media, Bryant is only after the number three position in the hierarchy - and that is to displace Jordan. And this one is mathematically attainable in the next three years or so.

If Bryant could score an average of 20.0 per game in the next 249 regular games (three seasons), he could beat Jordan and become the third NBA all-time scoring leader. Dream comes true. Sweet and marvelous.

A truly remarkable feat should that happens, and that could probably come into fruition barring long time illness and injury.

Someone Cries for Help in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:27:06 PDT

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

The rebels came, with guns and dart
I hid my kids, to hills we start.
They took my wife in dirty cart,
My love she died, with broken heart.

At night they came, in dark they round;
They looked for Christians like a hound.
They burned our bibles to the ground,
We ran so fast, on caves we’re bound.

I sat distraught, the table’s bare;
For two days now, no food to spare.
The kids they cry, on plate they stare;
Oh, where they are? They don’t, don’t care.

The Christians said, they said they’ll pray.
They said they’ll come, they said they’ll stay.
January - and now it’s May . . .
Still waiting, waiting day to day.

I wonder when, they’ll come see us.
With lots of food, clothes in the bus;
Some cheaply toys from Toys ‘R Us,
Make village happy; please rush, rush.

Kids are falling from left to right,
They starve to death in starry night.
I thought myself, this is not right
If they would help, we’ll be alright.

Oh, Christians in America,
Help us, save us in Africa!
We need you down in Tanzania,
Say a prayer for Botswania.

I see no reasons, why I should call?
They left us hurt, they let us fall.
My hope is gone, my faith turns small;
Their love for us, I can’t recall.

Julian Assange: Advocacy Journalist or Neo-Anarchist?

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 06:46:26 PST

Julian Assange, an Australian national and founder of WikiLeaks, becomes media sensation and puts himself into global spotlight when his organization released United States government diplomatic cables to the public.

The classified documents delivered to news outlets around the world reportedly are part of the 251,287 United States embassy reports, of which, 15,652 documents are classified as Secret information.

The cables cover almost 44 years of intra-government communications initiated by personnel from the 274 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions of the US Department of State.

What does Assange’s organization fights for that the United States government seems helpless to counter act?

As a backgrounder, Wikileaks on its website portray its organization as a “non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing important news and information to the public . . . We publish material of ethical, political and historical significance while keeping the identity of our sources anonymous, thus providing a universal way for the revealing of suppressed and censored injustices.”

Sheriff Dupnik: Vitriol Politics and its Murderous Consequence

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:44:56 PST

The reprehensible act perpetrated by Jared Lee Loughner last Saturday near a local Safeway store in Tucson, Arizona has ignited fiery debates in the air waves and print media – do vitriol politics kills people?

Surprisingly, the hot topic that came out after the killings was not about the opposition to gun rights, but over the acerbic nature of American politics.

The brazen politics allegedly fomented Loughner to consummate his twisted motive that resulted to the killings of six people and injuring a dozen individuals including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Democratic Party.

This hateful-politics-led-killings theory was espoused by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik who hastily alluded that the current political rhetoric contributed to the shooting. In his interview with Megyn Kelly of Fox News, he said, “Free speech is free speech but it's not without consequences.”

Dupnik, who ran in the elective office as a Democrat, made sweeping statements on his press conferences purportedly directed to the conservatives’ spewing of venomous remarks. His proposition sparked the liberals to initiate an orchestrated campaigns against the likes of Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Glen Beck.

Dupnik’s politic-crime theory was unheard of in the past because political mudslinging has been a common ingredient that spices the American politics.

The lawman's finger pointing against the other party is laughable, if not condemnable, as he who castigated the conservatives of their political opportunism is the one actively engages in politics of destruction at the expense of the memories of the Tucson's victims.

There is no question that each political party is equally guilty of engaging in provocative and unsavory campaigns intend to rouse their political bases for support.

Politicians and party hacks use metaphors in their speeches to demonstrate their competitive stance and words like knife, guns, bull’s-eye, target, and battlefield are common oratorical language heard in political rallies. No less than then-Senator Barack Obama used combative words to inflame his supporters against the Republican Party.

While campaigning in Philadelphia fundraiser in 2008, Obama denounced the tactics of his political opponent’s supporters and encouraged his followers to fight back. The Wall Street Journal quoted him as saying, “If they bring a knife to fight, we bring a gun!”

The political diatribe is an intrinsic aspect in American politics, whether one likes it or not.

However, when the democrats pick the opportunity to lambast the republicans at the expense of the memories of the shooting victims just to gain political mileage, it demonstrates clearly that the politics of destruction is now at all-time high.

There is no evidence to deduct that Loughner followed a right-wing voice to perpetrate his evil plan. On the contrary, his political view tilts to the left! His political line is close to the Democratic Party than to the Republican’s.

Tom Leonard of the British’s MailOnline reported, “The reality is that there is as yet no evidence that the political Right, and the Tea Party in ¬particular, has — as its opponents say — ‘blood on its hands’ over the Tucson murders. While some liberals have slyly implied that Loughner was a Tea Party supporter, former classmates remember him as being ‘Left-wing’ and ‘liberal’. Another said he was ‘on his own planet’, which seems nearer the mark. No existing political organisation - including the Tea Party - comes close to championing Loughner’s deranged world view.”

The bottom line is: The murderous incident in Tucson, Arizona was not committed by a man heeding the voices of right-wing ideologues, but by a man who has demonstrated mental instability through the years.

Bombastic political speech was a non-issue, until the non-issue became an issue when Dupnik suggested the killings in Safeway store were politically driven.

The Grey Dolphin Tours & Vacations is in Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:23:03 PDT

The Grey Dolphin Tours & Vacations makes a great leap by registering its business with Facebook to showcase globally its line of travel services. The trend of business marketing is now shifting past from periodicals to electronic media and there is no greater carrier of promoting a travel business than through the worldwide audience of Facebook.

The Grey Dolphin will make you relax and enjoy the pampering aboard luxury liners like Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Imagine finally having your family reunion on a cruise in the Caribbean or in Alaska on board Carnival Cruise Lines or Celebrity Cruises.

You may want to explore the exotic places in the Philippines with a personal guide or cruise the Yangtze River in China or throw a coin in Trevi fountain in Rome. If you are the adventurous type, go on sports vacation and try the scuba diving in the best reefs in the world.

If you are a newly wed or celebrating anniversary, spend your honeymoon or special time in the romantic shores of South Pacific or in the poetic cottages in Mexico.

The Grey Dolphin will put together a vacation package that suits your interests, desires and price. You and The Grey Dolphin will work together to find the perfect destinations for you and your family.

For further information about the travel services, you may reach The Grey Dolphin via e-mail at inquire@thegreydolphintours.com. You can also visit its interactive website at http://www.thegreydolphintours.com. The Grey Dolphin Tours & Vacations is proudly affiliated with Montrose Travel, a top five host agency in North America.

The Grey Dolphin Tours & Vacations cannot wait to hear from you and send you and your family somewhere fantastic! Remember, everyone deserves a precious moment!

Essential Tool in the Ministry: The Pastor’s Israel Study Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:46:40 PDT

There is no powerful message than a Pastor standing behind the pulpit telling his congregation first-hand information about places and stories in the bible where he visited and studied personally.

Although we do not discount the power of the Holy Spirit to convict others, but a Pastor who traveled, witnessed and studied personally important biblical places like the Sea of Galilee, Cana, Nazareth, Mount Carmel and Bethlehem has an edge over others.

A pastor who has been in the bible land on a study tour has more authority on his subjects than the one who only read such places in the bible concordance.

Those who traveled to Israel and saw in person the birthplace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the site where the Romans crucified Him have marveled of a life-changing experience after the tour.

Some unexplainable feelings happen in biblical land that results to the transformation of spiritual lives of the travelers. The trip accordingly gives them meaningful reasons to live a victorious Christian life and has strengthens their faith even more.

It is not yet late for a pastor to see for himself and to enjoy and experience the wonderful journey to bible land. There are tour operators who cater mostly to faith-based travelers and one of them is the Ya’lla Tours that offers the famous Pastors Israel Study Tour.

This year the Ya’lla Tours offers 3 nights in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and 7 nights in Jerusalem from November 29-December 10 2009. The details include tour of Galilee and Golan Heights, boat ride on the sea of Galilee, tour of Old City Jerusalem, visit the mountain fortress of Masada, take a float on the Dead Sea and learn more about Israel.

The tour is for the pastors and their spouses only. The good thing about this trip is that Ya’lla will refund the cost of the travel if within 18 months of returning from this tour (by June 15, 2011) the pastor books a group of at least 25 passengers to any of Ya’lla’s exciting destinations: Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Morocco or Cuba.

Combatting Terrorism in the Philippines: Four Decades of Nightmare from the Three-Headed Monsters

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:34:53 PDT

A proactive approach by the Philippine government through a comprehensive and systematic counter-terrorism program will surely bring to an end the terrorists’ threats in the country and avert the spill over of terror activities to the neighboring countries.

The Philippines is the only country in the world that is combating terrorism on three diverse fronts - communism, secessionism, and Islamism - all at the same time. Terrorists belonging to these threat fronts have different aspirations and possess varied ideological persuasions, but espousing similar violent methods to achieve their ultimate cause.

The communist groups want to change the social and political structure of the Philippines from capitalism to communism through protracted armed revolution. On the other hand, the secessionist groups want to secede from the Manila government and establish an independent state in Mindanao. The third front -the Islamist groups - is a mixture of local and trans-national terrorists dedicated to create a Pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia.

The terrorist groups belonging to the communist front are the Communist Party of the Philippines/New Peoples Army (CPP/NPA)and its urban hit squads, the Sparrow Units (SU)and the original Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB)– now known as the National Partisan Squad (NPS). Added to these communist terror groups are the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines and the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Mangagawa ng Pilipinas. The CPP/NPA and ABB are listed in the US government's Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list.

The SU and ABB gained notoriety through assassinations of military and police personnel including civilians whom they tagged as reactionaries and fascists. One of their infamous killings was the assassination of Colonel Nick Rowe of the Joint US Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG) in December 1989 while the American was on his way to JUSMAG HQS in Quezon City.

The secessionist groups are composed of the Moro National Liberation Front-Misuari Breakaway Group (MNLF-MBG) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). These groups do not see eye to eye, as each one has its own stakes in their struggle against the Manila government. During the height of the skirmishes with the Philippine armed forces in the 1970s, these groups gained support from the powerful Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), particularly Libya.

The hard core members of the MNLF-MBG and MILF engage in killings politicians and Christians, arsons, kidnappings and bombing of public places.

On the other hand, the Islamist front is composed of the local Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group and the Al Qaeda (AQ) network. These three terror groups who work hand in hand are in the FTO list as well.

The spate of bombings and kidnapping activities perpetrated by ASG in the past years deteriorates the peace and order situation in Mindanao and Metro Manila. So far, the worst terror attack conducted by ASG was the firebombing of a passenger ferry off Manila Bay last February 2003 that killed more than 100 people. The so-called “Valentine’s Day” attacks on 2005 in General Santos City, Davao City, and Makati City may not be as deadly as the Super Ferry attack; however, the way they were carried out by ASG denotes a grim signature of Al-Qaida style operations seen in Madrid bombings on March 11, 2004 and the London bombings on July 7, 2005.

The JI and AQ are actively sowing terror in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia - which this author called as the “Triangle of Terror” because of their geographic location. In this regard, the Philippine government needs the cooperation of its neighboring countries in the south to contain the widespread activities of the AQ network and JI members in the country.

JI has a direct connection with the MILF and ASG through operational, financial, and training linkages. A captured Indonesian JI member named Rohmat @ Zaki revealed that JI funneled P100,000 to ASG leaders who in turn channeled the money to MILF leader Abu Basit to fund bombing activities in Mindanao intended to be carried out by JI, ASG, and MILF members sometime March 2005.

The destabilization plan did not materialize according to plans, but the revelation by this JI leader strongly revealed the close association of JI terror group with the ASG and MILF. The operational ties between JI and ASG elevate the war on terror in the Philippines to the next level. Philippine government officials believed that JI activities in the country has the full blessings of the AQ operational command.

The Philippine government also needs to secure the cooperation of the United States and the Australian government who have economic and security interests in the Asian-Pacific region. To the Americans, this is a forward-containment of terrorists in third world country to avert a repeat of another Project Bojinka; to the Australians, this will prevent the spillover of terrorism from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to Oceania.

The influx of foreign terrorists in Mindanao and their association with the local terror groups is a serious threat to national security that needs immediate and clear-cut government response.

It is important to note that the Philippine government has been battling terrorism for about four decades now, yet it has not gained full control of the security situation in the country. Considering the experiences gained in the long years of fighting terrorism, the police and military forces should have decimated the mentioned terrorist organizations and could have successfully established peace and order in the country. However, the current internal security condition in the whole archipelago dictates otherwise.

The CPP/NPA regular units along with hit squads in the rural and urban areas are still forces to reckon with in Luzon and Visayas, and Mindanao – the three main islands in the Philippines. The MILF, MNLF-MBG, and ASG are actively engaging the police and military forces in Mindanao. The operational ties of the JI terror group and the AQ network with their local Muslim counterparts are getting stronger as days go by, and alongside with the ASG, they are able to perform terror activities in Metro Manila.

The probability of neutralizing or minimizing terrorism in the Philippines is great depending on the political will of the incumbent administration to make it happen. A lukewarm approach will only bolster the communists, secessionists and Islamists to advance their political and religious cause.

The Philippine government cannot stop terrorism solely by an independent police or military action. It needs the accompaniment of an efficient and effective anti-terror program management backed up by political will, legislative solutions and judicial actions, which are the best components to winning the war on terror.

Divorcing the Christian Family: The Bitter Fruit of Sin

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:17:37 PDT

The preservation of marriage in this present time is hard, but if only couples would let Christ rule their lives instead of their proud hearts, surely the road to a lasting and joyous relationship is attainable.

There is no saddest thing than to hear a Christian family breaks apart over the so-called irreconcilable differences of husband and wife. Nowadays, even the most sacred institution that God has created does not escape the negative influences of liberal ideas.

The breakage of relationship goes across the board - from ordinary church members to those occupying key positions in the ministry. The marriage vows they once lovingly recited before God and men have become meaningless oaths meant to be broken in the trying times.

The Christian Post (not associated with this blogsite) reported the result of a research study made by Barna Group indicating that in 2008 the divorce rate among Christian couples is 32 percent, almost identical to the national average rate of 33 percent. This suggests the degradation of spirituality of the believers today, that some would even embark in moral relativism at the expense of their children and testimony in the community. It is sad to say that even evangelical Christians fell into this temptation.

There are many reasons why husband and wife untie the knot of holy matrimony and issues like unfaithfulness, financial, fornication, partner abuse and even in-laws play significant factor in the dissolution of marriage. But saying that “you’ve lost that loving feeling” as a cause of separation seems mind-blowing in the Christian perspective.

What happened to the sweet promises of being there all the times? Like the pledge to hold each other hands for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health and to love and to cherish each other until death separates them both? Is the Christian commitment now gearing towards the Hollywood-style relationships of love at first sight and ends at first fight?

The beak-up of relationship does not only bring deep emotional scar to the husband and wife, but more so, to the children who will carry the burden for the rest of their lives. Lest anyone forgets, whatever parents sowed in the hearts of the adolescents, the seed will eventually bear fruits in the years to come. The emotional seed planted in a broken family oftentimes grow into a tree with unsavory fruits.

Although the author does not endorse the idea for children to live in a dysfunctional home or sanction the thought of acrimonious dwelling, a research study shows, however, that their emotional state is better than those kids living in a single-parent home.

According to the Ten Findings from a National Study on the Moral and Spiritual Lives of Children of Divorce(Elizabeth Marquardt), children living with parents in a low-conflict marriage do better emotionally compared to those who live with parents that have good divorces.

Moreover, the emotional price of divorce and separation is not quantifiable, but the financial cost is. For one, the legal and all the charges associated with the litigation proceedings are astronomical. There is also the question of child support and alimony, which is onerous to the non-custodial parent if there is no shared custody agreement.

The children are not the only ones who suffer when parents separate, and being part of the congregation, the local church suffers as well too. Break-ups between Christian couples stifle the hearts of the brethren and surely blemish the testimony of the local church in the community.

The local churches, not Oprah or Dr. Phil, play a significant role in repairing broken relationships of Christian couples before it reach to the point of divorce. The spiritual mandate for the church to steer its erring flocks to the path of righteousness has never been more vital in this challenging time.

Support groups definitely can help struggling couples get back to each other arms. As an example, the Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita, CA has several ministries (e.g., Grace Groups, Spiritual Care) that respond to the struggles of the couples like "family issue, difficult habit, or challenging relationship." Christians must be sensitive to needs of their fellow brethren because the pain of one is the heartache of the body of Christ.

Lastly, there is no such thing as irreconcilable differences in Christian marriage, only selfishness and carnal excuses. Even if only one partner would commit to make the marriage works and patiently waits for the intervention of the Holy Spirit, their togetherness would one day result to forgiveness and lukewarm relationship would evolve into a meaningful partnership in Christ.

The Jiverly Wong Syndrome: Plight of Asian Americans

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:45:02 PDT

Just like Jiverly Wong, many Asian immigrants face difficulty assimilating to the mainstream America and in their struggle they become hateful of the society. An early crisis intervention is surely beneficial to them as well as to the community to help avert another Binghamton-type incident.

On a rainy morning of April 3, 2009, the news of the hostage-taking incident in Binghamton, NY has captivated the attention of the nation. The crisis was not about a terrorist demanding political concession from the United States government or a case of domestic violence that had gone berserk.

The case was about a dejected immigrant who miserably failed to adjust to the stressful living in mainstream America and decided to end his life in a vicious rampage.

Jiverly Wong, a despondent Vietnamese American, reportedly entered the American Civic Action - a non-profit organization helping the needs of immigrants in the surrounding areas of Binghamton – and started pumping bullets on everyone inside the building before taking his life.

The ensuing carnage had resulted to the death of 13 innocent people and likewise inflicted serious wounds on a number of individuals.

Just like Wong, many Asian Americans are also experiencing difficulty adjusting to the immigrant-life in United States. Those who have migrated while already in their adult life have found it harder assimilating to the country that they now called home.

The process of assimilation to the western society is tough considering the extreme contrasts between Asian and American culture. The Asian culture is more of a traditional and submissive type as oppose to the American that is modern and domineering. The cliché culture shock has never been more fitting to the Asian Americans.

There are numerous reasons why Asian immigrants struggle with their integration to the western society, and issues like language skills, social values, religious belief and fear of discrimination are the most common problems that hinder them in their transition period.

In the case of Wong, the New York based Daily News reported his difficulty communicating in English was one of his frustrations in life. This language skill deficiency made him a target of jokes in his employments and in social gatherings. In addition, his problem speaking in his native tongue has affected even more his social life.

In the midst of the turbulent economic crisis, Wong lost his job and ended up receiving unemployment benefits from the government. Other contributory problems like his divorce with his wife years ago that cost him his kids in California and alleged encounter with the cops in the past that had haunted him for years were the angry seeds that sowed hatred in his heart.

Wong's failure to integrate and succeed in the United States apparently had slowly diminished his self-worth and in the end viewed his life a total failure.

Many Asian Americans are in the same boat with Wong, hoping and trying to assimilate in the American society. Their expectation to succeed in the so-called Promised Land has altered their sense of purpose in life. Their disappointment turns into bitterness, bitterness to hate and hate to insanity.

They need help and an early crisis intervention to assist them cope with the challenges and difficulties in living in United States would someday help avert another Binghamton-type incident.

Church-based groups and non-profit organizations can reach out better to the Asian immigrants with the financial assistance of the government only on a limited basis. Too much government involvement and intervention in the personal lives of the citizenry would only worsen the situation.

The Filipino Veterans: Their Pure and Just War

noreply@blogger.com (Jos. Ilagan) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:50:33 PDT

The Filipino veterans fought for freedom, liberty and democracy during World War II for United States of America. Now they are fighting for their dignity, respect and broken promise made by the same country they had served 60 years ago.

In 1941, the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the Filipinos who enlisted in the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) the same benefits and privileges accorded to the regular members of the United States Armed Forces. They fought gallantry in the Asia-Pacific theatre and stood side by side with their American brothers-in-arms during the onslaught of Japanese Imperial Army in the Far East.

However, the Rescission Act of 1946 passed by US Congress had shredded the Filipino USAFFE soldiers of their status as US veterans and along with it, the benefits they were entitled to as promised by President Roosevelt.

The Filipino veterans were no different from the American soldiers whom they shared the same trenches in the battlefields. Theirs were the same color of blood that spilled in the soil of Bataan and Corregidor, the same cries and anguish that were heard in the infamous Death March of Tarlac, the same uniforms they proudly wore as liberators of the oppressed, and the same armaments they expertly used to break the chains of tyranny. Yet, after freedom was gained and liberty was achieved, they were relegated to the dustbin of history – forgotten or ignored by the ones whom they gave their lives for.

Even after the fall and surrender of the Japanese Imperial Army in 1946, the war of the Filipino USAFFE soldiers still goes on and on for sixty years to this day. This time their battles are no longer fought in the hillsides of Batangas, the beaches of Leyte and the mountains of Sierra Madre. Now, their battles are carried out in the obscure MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, the chilly streets of San Francisco and the hollowed halls of US Congress.

They are no longer fighting for freedom, liberty and democracy in the world. This time around, they are fighting for themselves - for dignity, respect and broken promise made by the US government who needed their services sixty years ago. They are no longer fighting against the marauding Tora-Toras, the samurais of Kempeitais and the long guns of the sun warriors. Now they are fighting against poverty, humiliation and deprivation in life after the country they served unselfishly sixty years ago no longer need them.

For almost sixty years of hopelessness, the dream of the Filipino veterans came into fruition when the US Congress last year has finally approved the appropriation of the benefits of the Filipino veterans. The only problem is authorization to fund the proposal and it appears the approval would never happen because of the strong opposition from the Republican Party leaders.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Sen. Richard M. Burr (R-North Carolina), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and his party mate in the lower house Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Indiana) of the House Veterans Affairs Committee are the primary opponents to the inclusion of the benefits in the stimulus bill.

The Republican Party failed to reconsider its position on this compelling issue closely as this would not only rectify the injustice perpetrated against the Filipino veterans, but more so as not to alienate the Filipino Community from supporting its causes. It is no wonder why the Democratic Party gets the votes of the Filipino Americans because of the party leaders’ sensitivity to the plight of the veterans.

The Filipino veterans found their champions in Rep. Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista), Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) who supported aggressively the recognition of Filipino veterans in Capitol Hill. Inouye was a US veteran himself who fought in Europe.

The changing of guards in the White House has paved the way for Democratic Party to push the Filipino veteran’s struggle in US Congress. They found an ally in President Barack Obama who signed the stimulus package on February 17 that would include $198 millions as payments to the Filipino veterans of World War II. The plan includes a one-time payment of $15,000 to Filipino World War II veterans living in the United States and $9,000 to those living in the Philippines.

The payment is miniscule compared to the hardships and sacrifices made by the veterans during World War II and their prolong struggle to gain recognition of their services from the US government. The Los Angeles Times quoted Franco Arcebal, vice president of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, as saying that the payment is “a small token to recognize our service.” Too little, too late; but its better late than never.

From 250,000-strong members in 1946, the current count is placed merely at 15,000 with ages ranging from early 80s to late 90s and only about 1500 would reach the year 2017, according to AsianWeek.

Even in their twilight years, they never falter, never wane in their battles because they know their war is without malice, but is pure and just. Yours was the greatest victory and the free world salutes you, Filipino veterans!