“There is much to fear if Aquino wins the 2010 presidency, and it is important that we are afraid. Messiah or moron, if he is elected, his fall will be ours.” Method to Madness, Patricia Evangelista, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 05/09/10.

I observed the voting at Araullo high school in Manila. It was honest and orderly. The results were known within an hour after the polls closed. The precinct count optical scanner  worked contrary to fears by many including some wealthy FilAms from the East Coast who inappropriately asked Obama to call for an investigation..

There were  more voters against Aquino than those for him. When the Comelec stopped publicizing its unofficial count Aquino had 13,165,000 votes compared to 18,231,000 votes for the other candidates.

Most of those voting for Aquino did so because they believe that he is the Messiah who will lead the Filipino people from this impoverished land of graft and corruption to the promised land of milk and honey. His battle cry was “walang mahirap kung walang corrupt.” (there is no poor if there is no corrupt).

Ambassador Harry K. Thomas
United States Ambassador to the Philippines
Manila

Dear Sir:

"It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a non-white lawyer to enter the U.S. Consulate in Manila and talk with a consular officer." - Emmanuel S. Tipon in The Consular Posts Book.

We are pregnant with hope that you will breathe the breath of life into your pledge to support "human rights" in the Philippines.

The best way to redeem your pledge is not to sing and dance in the barrios or in Wowowee but to look at the human rights abuses inside the U.S. Embassy in Manila. We have co-authored a book detailing some of them. We would like to personally present you with a copy.

When a person approaches the Filipino guards at the Embassy their rudeness and arrogance unmakes the day for many Filipinos. Once you give a Filipino a gun and station him at the U.S. Embassy, his demeanor is transformed from piousness to pompousness. Get rid of those guards. They cannot protect the U.S. Embassy. They will likely run away at the first sound of gun fire. Replace them with U.S. Marines.

AS HUMAN BEINGS, WE ARE ENDOWED WITH FREEDOM OF CHOICE, AND WE CANNOT SHUFFLE OFF OUR RESPONSIBILITY UPON THE SHOULDERS OF GOD OR NATURE.  WE MUST SHOULDER IT OURSELVES.  IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY.

UNIVERSE.  The first images of the sun beamed home from NASA's newest solar observatory have wowed mission scientists with their extraordinary detail and unexpected findings.  NASA this week released the first new images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, a probe launched on February 11 to peer deep into the layers of the sun, monitor solar storms and investigate the mysteries of the sun's inner workings.

WORLD.  Actress Sigourney Weaver warned of the dangers facing oceans, President Barack Obama threw a White House party, and UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the world to kick the carbon habit--all in honor of planet Earth.  They were part of a galaxy of stars from the political, show business and sports worlds who shone the spotlight on Mother Nature as the USA marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this week. Earth Day was "created" in 1970.