Tag Archives: U.S.

OVERWHELMED BY POPE’S VISIT, SPEAKER BOEHNER PROMISES MAJOR REFORMS

September 24, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Pope Francis, left, and a tearful Boehner

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Overwhelmed by the Pope’s presence, and the enlightenment of The Holy Spirit, a tearful and repentant House Speaker John Boehner promised to lead the Republican Party to institute major reforms long resisted by the GOP.

Pope Francis addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress this morning, calling on legislators to emulate the examples of four great Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

A devout Catholic, Boehner could not contain his emotions standing next to the head of the Roman Catholic Church during the visiting pontiff’s speech inside the Congress chambers and in a short balcony appearance to greet the crowd that packed the lawn leading up from the Washington Monument.

Soon after the Pope left Capitol Hill, Boehner called for an impromptu press conference, telling reporters that he was so inspired by Francis’ message that he will lead the GOP in instituting major reforms including those on comprehensive immigration, climate change, creating jobs, taxing the rich, abolishing the death penalty, boosting Obamacare through Universal Health care, dialogue with Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Russia and China, as well as a humanitarian U.S. response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

So far, there has been no response from the Republican presidential candidates on Boehner’s announcement.

International, Military

U.S. TO PHILIPPINES: “DON’T ACT LIKE A PRODIGAL SON!”

September 19, 2015 Pol Pinoy 3 Comments

SUBIC BAY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) — Almost twenty five years ago, the Philippines expelled the United States from Subic Naval Base in Olongapo City, then the largest overseas outpost of the American military. Riding on nationalistic and anti-colonial sentiments of the Filipinos, lawmakers closed the base and promised that Uncle Sam’s armed forces would never ever occupy and control any part of the country again.

Fast forward to 2015: the Philippines is embroiled in a major territorial dispute with giant China which has laid claim to a vast expanse of the sea west of the archipelago. It has asked the U.S. government for hundreds of millions of dollars to fund and strengthen its own military, one of the weakest in Asia, so as to be able to deal with aggressive threats from China. But so far, the Obama administration has snubbed the request because it worries that the political corruption in the Philippines could all but divert the resources into some unauthorized use.

The Philippines is also contemplating on reopening Subic to the U.S. military.

Republican members of the U.S. Congress’ Armed Services Committee are not keen on financially or militarily supporting the Philippines either, saying that the Asian country is acting like a “prodigal son.” The congressmen said : “They kicked us out when it was convenient for them, and now they want us back because it is convenient for them.”

Since the term of President Aquino is up in 2016, it will be up to his successor to convince the United States on the merits of reopening Subic Bay and providing hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to the Philippines.

Most Filipinos –who are devout Catholics — are confident that just like in the biblical account of the prodigal son, the U.S. will eventually welcome back the Philippines with open arms, or in this case, the Philippines will welcome back the U.S. military to Subic Bay.

International, Politics

DONALD TRUMP TO ISRAEL’S BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: “YOU’RE A COPYCAT”

September 6, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

NEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump today accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a ‘copycat.’

Israel has begun building a fence along part of the country’s eastern border with Jordan as Syrian civil war refugees and other migrants flee their countries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday: “We see today what happens when countries lose control of their borders. Earlier in the day, Netanyahu bemoaned the “human tragedy” of Syria’s civil war and said Israel has helped out victims. However, he said Israel isn’t large enough to do much more.

Trump told reporters that “The Israeli prime minister needs to be more original in his pronouncements and policies instead of copying my ideas.”

Trump had proposed building a ‘great wall’ along the entire U.S.-Mexico border as a way to stop illegal immigration. He fell short of asking Netanyahu to pay him royalty fees for stealing his idea.