Socyberty » American Soldiers

How English Became Part of Filipino Life

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:14:32 +0000

I am a Filipino by blood and birth, temper and temperament as well as vision, but I am uniquely American by education because our academic curriculum in the Philippines is patterned after the American educational system. By the year 2013 I shall have been a US citizen. I am, of course, able to speak and write in Filipino (Philippine national language) and English with equal facility, and that makes me bilingual. To me bilingualism and bilingual education are as brown American and beautiful as my two Filipino-American grandchildren (Lisa Marie and Derek, both 12 years old). This is a glide way to saying that I am pro-bilingualism and pro- American intellectualism.
I have nothing against the Americans who have established English as the lingua franca of my country. (Lingua franca: a language used as a medium of communication between peoples who speak different languages.) While I am pro-bilingualism and pro-American intellectualism, I am not for “Americanizing” my way of life because by culture and tradition, my roots, are largely Filipino.
The English language was introduced as medium of instruction by American soldiers (the Thomasites) of World War I in seven elementary schools in Manila on September 1, 1898, and that was one hundred and thirteen years ago (two years after the death of the Filipino national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal). The American military encouraged the opening of more schools when they discovered that the schools provided effective propaganda against Filipinos who resisted American colonization. This is one way of saying that the way English got into the Filipino mainstream was political, not educational, to begin with. But look at the goals of the United States Bilingual Education: cognitive development, affective development, linguistic growth, and cultural enrichment— meaning, the goals are educational, not political.
From my research about the rationale of the goals of the United States Bilingual Education I gathered that America had already been dealing with racial as well as moral and political problems before the passage of the Bilingual Education Act. What was then the purpose of the Act?
Abigail Thornston, writer and lecturer at Harvard university, had this answer: “The Act came out of an atmosphere of profound alienation for which the Vietnam War was in part responsible. In that atmosphere of alienation and in the midst of widespread doubts about the values of American culture, the movement for Black Power arose…. The movement struck a responsive chord in the minds of congressional and other mainstream liberals who, by 1967, had come to believe in ethnic pluralism.”
Miss Thornston attributed the cause of the Black Power movement to a psychological contention: that “American racism had so damaged the self-esteem of the Blacks as to make the re-awakening of ethnic pride a paramount task.” To her, the genesis (start) of the US Bilingual Education Act was shaped by political, not educational motives, a duplication of the goals for introducing English in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, “Filipino English” has been arguably considered by Pride (1982) as “the best variety of English” among Pacific Rim countries, including Singapore and Malaysia. This type of English has been recognized as a legitimate “nativized” variety, described as “New English” claiming its own discourse patterns and sound system that go smoothly side by side with other Southeast Asian, Indian, and African varieties.
Needless to say, I am a beneficiary of the American Bilingual Education Act. If this is not a blessing from Big Brother America, what else is it? Our Filipino teachers in English (and that includes me) have taken up the cudgel for solidly establishing English as the lingua franca of our country. Ninety percent of Filipinos are English literate. ###

Melancholy

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:31:29 +0000

Scam after scam!

Hitler taking over Europe

Palestinian terrorists

Innocent Iraqis, American soldiers died

Wisdom of the sun

Spontaneous joy

Blessings of the soul

Bartered for yellow coin;

Dragon conquers:

Communing with Mammon,

At level with Satan. Mute compliance.

Sacred soul’s lyre is broken

For what? Why wander among wretched, gloomy isles?

Drugs n promiscuousness.

Nuclear weapons innumerable.

Radium theft. Traders buying, selling nuclear bomb.

Why? Why?

Where’s Quest of lost faith?

Why we forgot our Master?

Where’s the eye that sees Creation’s charms

Nature’s bounty, vernal fragrance?

But hark! Hear His Word!
O sacred Word! may no sordid sting

Take away our faith, our love

HOW Strategic Osama BIN Laden’s Death WAS

Mon, 02 May 2011 18:33:31 +0000

Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden was shot and killed in a raid by a team of United States security personel (Navy Seal Team Six) who evaded his premises; a mansion not far from the Pakistani military academy. Osama Bin Laden has been hunted for many years and was the most sought after or wanted person in America. Call him the number one enemy of America, Osama, was killed late night of Sunday 1st May, 2011.

Many would wonder how such a man; who has been ‘invisible’ to Americans for over a decade was finally killed in an operation that did not last more than 40 minutes.

How could Osama’s killing be strategic? Was he caught unaware? His killing may be strategic; as it came in a time he was most likely to be caught off guard.

Osama, was killed a day after the Royal Wedding which drew lots of attention. Amidst, the Libyan crisis, it is expected that Osama was paying much attention to a ‘fellow’ Islamic country.

The two main ‘baits’ may be what caused the quick killing of Osama Bin Laden. The Royal Wedding and the Libyan Crisis. Osama was caught unaware. That was his downfall.

Osama’s death was indeed strategic. No wonder he was down in less than an hour.

The Spear of Longinus: The Dark Past of The Double Edged Sword

Sun, 16 May 2010 10:56:45 +0000

The Spear of Longinus: The Dark Past of the Double Edged Sword

By Mr Ghaz, August 17, 2011

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The Spear of Longinus: The Dark Past of the Double Edged Sword

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In 1909 in the Hofburg Museum in Vienna, a thin, pale, shabby young man stood before the treasures of the House of Hapsburg. Jeweled crowns glittered in their cases. But what transfixed the observer was one small item: the remains of a spear, dull and black with age. The unprepossessing visitor was Adolf Hitler. The object he worshiped was the Spear of Longinus.

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The spear is reputed to be the one that pierced Christ’s side as He hung upon the cross, Hitler discovered that there were at least three other “holy” spears in Europe at that time. One was in the Vatican. A second had been taken to Paris at the time of the Crusades. Another was to be found in a church in Cracow, Poland. But the Spear of Longinus, named after the Roman centurion who wielded it, had commanded most attention. The reason: attached to its handle is a nail reputedly used in the Crucifixion.

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The spear is said to have acted as a powerful talisman or charm for Constantine the Great first Christian emperor of Rome; Charles Martel, who drove the Arabs out of eighth-century France; the emperor Charlemagne; and the Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa. According to tradition, all who possessed the spear were victorious. It was the mystical qualities of the Spear of Longinus that so fascinated Hitler.

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An Occult Obsession

The man who revealed Hitler’s obsession with the Spear of Longinus was an Austrian scholar, Dr. Walter Stein. He struck up a friendship with Hitler prior to 1914 and came to known the man well.

According to Stein, Hitler’s belief in the supernatural powers of the spear led him into the darker realms of magic and the occult. He saw himself as a reincarnation of Landulf II of Capua, a terrifying ninth-century Sicilian tyrant who was also supposed to have obtained possession of the spear. Stein believed that Hitler’s rise to power was aided by black magic and the Spear of Longinus.

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When Hitler annexed Austria into the Third Reich in 1938, one of the first things he did was to revisit the Hofburg Museum, to claim his “Spear of Destiny.” He arranged for it to be taken by special train, under armed guard, to Nuremberg. There it was placed in a church that, on his instruction, was turned into a Nazi shrine.

When the Allies bombed the city, Hitler ordered the spear hidden in a special-purpose vault deep within the foundations of Nuremberg Castle.

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Finally, on April 30, 1945, U.S. troops, who had fought their way into Nuremberg in the face of fierce resistance, entered the vault and came upon the spear. Hitler, by then isolated in his bunker in Berlin, did not know this had happened. But only hours later, he shot himself.

Today, the spear is back in the Hofburg Museum, an ancient relic with a notorious past.

Spear of Destiny

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In his 17th century painting “The Crucifixion,” Rubens depicted the Roman centurion Gaius Cassius Longinus piercing Christ’s side with his spear, giving rise to be legend that the spear had acquired great mystical power. In later years it was to become a lifelong obsession for Adolf Hitler, who believed that its possession would make him master of the world. Hitler was certain that the spear below, in Vienna, was the Spear of Longinus.

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Giving Back to Our Troops

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 11:28:18 +0000

Shows like Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Oprah Winfrey’s The Big Give, are getting it right, giving back to our soldiers.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition is known for its tear jerking episodes by building beautiful new homes and giving incredibly generous gifts to deserving families. Their choices of recipients are those that are in dire need of help, like: families with handicapped or sick children; families that are poverty stricken; families with single parents; families that give back to their community; and families that have been victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

Oprah’s new show, The Big Give, has also stepped up by engaging ten volunteers to compete by giving to the same types of families. In the first three weeks, the contestants have done an incredible job of acquiring generous gifts and financial assistance to families who need it.

The one type of family that these shows have not forgotten, are U.S. military families. On many occasions Extreme Makeover has helped families of the armed forces who were struggling to make ends meet. A few months ago, Ty Pennington led his team to help a brave former Marine, who was injured in the line of duty. A few weeks ago, they built a new home for a National Guardsman who is still stationed in Iraq. He left to serve our country leaving everything behind including his wife, children, a home under construction and unpaid bills.

During the first two weeks of Oprah’s show, each episode featured at least one military family. In the first show a soldier arrived home after serving our country with no job and no home. He received a place to live and financial help. In the second week, one contestant helped a soldier who returned home injured and without benefits or health insurance, by giving him cash and a party. Hopefully there are more big gives like these still to come.

It is incredibly moving to see troops, who need help, receive well-deserved financial support. Every day soldiers leave their families, laying their lives on the line, to protect and defend our freedoms. While they are gone many of the families are back home struggling to make ends meet while living in substandard conditions with very little money. Some soldiers then return home to situations like: no home, no job, no money and no means to support their family. Scenarios like these are unfathomable and incomprehensible. I cannot think of more deserving families to give beautiful homes and gifts too. We cannot forget our troops and their loved ones that are in need.

Support for our military seems to be greater than it ever has, especially compared to the Viet Nam War. In the past few years, especially since 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq War, there have been wonderful tributes expressed through beautiful, heart wrenching emails. These certainly need to keep going. All of our soldiers need to know we are behind them.

Unfortunately, in some situations, this is not enough. It seems as though too many military families are forgotten and neglected when they need help. Compared to other noteworthy causes, military families are not considered a very high priority. This is wrong.

I am by no means minimizing the other recipients that television shows and charities give to, especially those victimized by natural disasters or who have sick children. But, when soldiers leave their families behind, with very little financial stability and no decent housing, something needs to be done. And when they return to even less: no job, no benefits, no decent housing, and no money, those that are able to need to step up and help. We simply cannot forget about our troops in need. Quite honestly, I just cannot grasp how they are allowed to come home to those conditions in the first place. It is appalling.

There has been a lot of media hype and publicity surrounding famous entertainers who travel the world donating their time and money to families and children of third world countries. I think these charities and contributions are absolutely necessary and surely need to carry on. The pain and suffering that goes on in these places is unimaginable, especially when it comes to children. Charity like this portrays our freedom and generosity. It indicates how giving of a nation we truly are.

However, my message is this, do not forget our own. Do not forget that we are able to travel all over the world helping those in need because our military keeps us free. As Toby Keith’s song, American Soldier tells us, “Freedom don’t come free.”

So, when those who are in a position to give, are in a giving mood, don’t forget about our military families who are left behind for months at a time, or those that are left behind forever because their loved ones were killed in the line of duty. We need to take care of our own as well as others.

For those that want to admonish this plea because they feel the wars we are involved in are wrong and unjust, remember this. You do not have to support the war, but it is our civic duty and responsibility to support our military and their families. To further paraphrase Toby Keith’s song, we sleep in peace because they are out there protecting us.

I think we underestimate how many men, women and children of our military actually need our help. If we take a step back and think about it, we probably know and have been touched by more military people than we realize. As of April 2007 we had over 1.4 million soldiers on active duty and another 1.4 million in the reserves. This should give you some idea of the magnitude of this civilian call to arms. Remember, just because the military friends and family you know don’t need help, it doesn’t mean others don’t.

I am not rich. I do not have tons of money to give. But, I do have a voice and an ability to write. Plain and simple, something more needs to be done for our men and women of military service who need help, especially by those out there who are able.

I was asked a while back who my heroes were. My reply was this. Any man or woman, who puts their life on the line every day to protect our freedoms, is a hero; especially those who sacrifice everything they have without fanfare or complaints. So, every time I watch a show that gives to men and women of our military I am seeing my heroes being justly rewarded and honored.

The bottom line is, let’s make sure we do not forget about our men, women and families of the military. They give to us every day of their lives. The least we can do is give something back when they need it.

To all of my friends and family who have ever served or continue to serve in the military; to those soldiers I have met in my travels, and to those I do not know, this is for you. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do. You are all our true heroes. You are why we can sleep in peace tonight. God Bless you!

Below is a list of my family and friends of the U.S. Armed Forces. I’m sure there are many more who I have forgotten or just do not know about. I have tremendous respect for all of them, and they need to know they are appreciated and that they helped inspire this article:

Nicholas Brancaccio (Great Uncle): Army – WWII (D-Day Normandy Beach) & Korean War

Art Lallas (Friend): Navy (1952 to 1954) – Korean War

Babe Cimino (Uncle): Navy (1959 to 1961)

Paul DeCillis (Uncle): Army (1969 to 1970) – Viet Nam War

Bill Stach (Friend): Army (1968 to 1973) – Viet Nam War; Army Reserves 1976 to 1997

Tommy Cimino (Cousin): Navy (1985 to 1989)

Mark Lallas (Friend): Navy & Navy Reserves (1990-1994) – Gulf War

Lee Jacquart (Friend): Army Reserves (1989-1995) – Gulf War

Robert Jacquart (Friend): Marines (1991 to 1995) – Gulf War

Glen Hall (Brother-in-law): Marine Reserves (1993 to 1999)- Gulf War

Zachary Louis Edelstein (Friend): Marines (Jan. 2007 to present) – Currently stationed in Habbiniyah, Iraq