Visitation of the “God”

This coming October 18 the country shall be witness and a victim to the unwanted and insulting visit of US President George W. Bush, renowned butcher of Iraq, the leviathan white leader who lied to America about weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the granddaddy of terrorists and all-time warmonger and profiteer of the modern world. Quite expectedly, our very own Madame President together with her cohorts will welcome Bush like how a champion is greeted by his loyal subjects after a successful crusade against evil forces. Predictably, the Bush visit will be treated like the second coming of Christ himself, a profound visitation of “God” a miraculous rendezvous with our very own “divine-led” Ate Glo. They will talk for eight hours about nothing but increased global militarization and regimentation as a solution against “terrorism,” WTO troubleshooting through bilateral trade agreements and, of course, a tap in the back for Gloria, the United States’ leading cheerleader in Asia for her unwavering support of US policies and unilateral actions.

Meanwhile, the patriotic ranks of the working people will be guaranteed a taste of hell through possible and successive violent dispersals if they will not behave in the presence of the most powerful man in the world. The Arroyo Administration, together with the Philippine National Police (PNP), will deny our people the right to peacefully protest, assemble and register their collective sentiment but will give the Bush entourage and the US Secret Service all the freedom they need to make sure Mr. Dubya’s visit will be pleasant. Last week poor families living in shanties near Congress were forcibly demolished because the government consider them as an eyesore to the great white leader. To Gloria, this is efficient housekeeping. To the Arroyo government, this is “Filipino hospitality.” It is the act of welcoming the guest to our house while beating and evicting the residents.

To that the working people say: NO! NO WELCOME FOR GEORGE W.BUSH! NO TO GLORIA’S CURTAILMENT OF THE PEOPLES’ RIGHTS! The labor sector will not be denied of their right to protest!

Clearly, the 8-hour Bush visit will not benefit the working class in any particular way. The visit will not guarantee them more jobs, higher wages, food in the dining table, nor will it raise hopes for the many poor families living below poverty line. In fact, the visit will be highly detrimental to our interest. Bush will push for post-WTO bilateral agreements that will boost the liberalization of vital industries, trade and services that can lead to more job loss, increased contractualization and diminished wages.

Gloria kept on bragging the numerous lists of supposed benefits of furthering strong ties with the US government. However, contrary to her false claims, the relationship between the US and the Philippines historically has always been an exploitative one, with the Philippines as the perennial loser. We did not get anything from the deployment of US troops here in the Philippines or with the Powell visit. The promised 100,000 jobs for Filipinos in post-war Iraq are unfulfilled. Trade relations between US and Philippines are highly disadvantageous to our part.

Furthermore, why do we have to glorify Bush with our warm welcome if all around the globe and even in his own country the US President is scorned, ridiculed and hated for his unilateral and militarist actions? Why do we have to welcome the world’s greatest terrorist and butcher of Iraq and Afghanistan? Why do we have to give warm reception to the real coddler of the likes of Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and the Al-Qaeda group? Why do we have to roll the red carpet to the number one defender of WTO and capitalist globalization so raucously preached by Ate Glo?

The working people already have their hands full with the rubbish of Gloria. We do not need the filthy garbage truck that is George W. Bush. Now is the time to expose this false god for what he really is: A terrorist, a criminal, a murderer and lastly, a Goliath with “feet of clay”.