Pacific South Morning Journal ®

     I t’s easy to understand and even sympathize with those on the Right who are critical of Donald Trump’s presidency. But it’s really hard to stomach Never Trump neoconservatives who now complain about Republican tribalism, cults of personality, and blind loyalty to the current president—because virtually all of them used to engage in and endorse the very same behavior. George W. Bush-era hawks thrived by capitalizing on a popular Republican president, corralling the Right accordingly and ostracizing conservatives who dared step out of line. In a story about President Trump’s enduring support within his party, The New York Times gave a useful comparison on Saturday: “Mr. Trump’s approval rating among Republicans is now about 90 percent…the only modern Republican president more popular with his party than Mr. Trump at this point in his first term, according to Gallup, was George W. Bush after the country united in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.” If conservative...

‘Culture’ Not An Excuse by:  Gideon Lasco       W hen President Duterte publicly kissed a married overseas Filipino worker in South Korea, his spokesperson Harry Roque was quick to defend it, saying that such behavior “is very much accepted in the culture of Filipinos.” Other presidential allies, while lacking the sophistry to make such a sociological claim, shared Roque’s line of thinking. Erwin Tulfo cited the Filipino crowd’s hiyawan (cheering) to argue that “there’s nothing wrong” with the act. Mocha Uson shared a video of Ninoy Aquino being kissed by women on his fateful flight to Manila to imply, distastefully and disingenuously, that what Mr. Duterte did was acceptable even to his critics. Roque has since backtracked from his remarks, but his initial statement follows a well-trodden way to defend the President. Even before he took office, Mr. Duterte’s rude, expletive-laced language has been explained as part of “Bisaya” or “Cebuano culture.” When he...

     A s a Westerner arriving in the Philippines, many of us push forward ,seeking to normalize our new lives and as such we may seek to arrange appointments for various things, with the understanding that “time” is valuable and punctuality is the polite and proper way to behave.  Before too long we become irritated when our wives or girlfriends make us late for an agreed upon appointment. We watch her getting ready mystified as to why she won't speed it up because we are LATE!. When you urge her to "please hurry" she brushes you off saying “its ok.” What?, you think....  Its ok?  How can it be ok if we are late, you think shaking your head. ;  Its hard to understand why she will not make an effort to hurry. Isn't it? Being late and not caring is just wrong ... Chalk up some confusion, right? You may need to make an appointment with a doctor but as you ask, or have your wife ask,  you are told “they don’t take appointments jus...

Freedom of expression is protected under  Article 10  of the European Convention. However, Article 10 is subject to a number of qualifications. In practice, UK freedom of speech rights are more constrained than, for example, in the United States, where even “hate speech” is generally protected under the  First Amendment  to the US Constitution        S teve Bannon, President Trump’s former senior adviser, was asked by Channel 4 News last week whether Europe was now the battleground for his ideas. In the “popular nationalist revolt,” he responded, “Europe leads”. It’s through this lens that we can view Tommy Robinson and the recent shenanigans at Leeds crown court. First, you need to understand what I call the “master narrative” that the American right propagates about Britain. According to this story, the country has been conquered by foreign elements. City centres, particularly “Sadiq Khan’s London”, are no-go areas and, as Trump said, the ho...