Fighting the Legion of Doom
The puppies in Asiaexpat.com are so freakin’ cute! Gad, I miss my own dogs. Everyday when I talk to my husband, we always end up talking about Poofy and Funny and how they are. This morning, Funny weed in the living room so Kim whisked him out after smacking him on the behind. I don’t approve of hitting dogs, but Kim is firm that it will drive the point home to Funny.
In any case, I do admit that my dogs are a bit spoiled.
I remember four years ago when I took Poofy to the vet for her shots, the veterinarian gave me an evil look and said that I had a spoiled brat of a dog. Poofy wouldn’t sit still and I refused to hit her to make her calm down. The vet, myself and her assistant had to pin Poofy down on the steel operating table while the vet have Poofy her anti-rabies and vitamin shots (This is a distinct memory because I used up almost all of my political allowance and the pledge my sister Majalla gave me for the shots and the vet consultation. I mostly starved the rest of the month and made sure I went with my family when they went shopping for groceries. I begged to be allowed to put things in the cart).
Lamma is a haven for animals. Biiiiig dogs walk everywhere. Teeny-tiny toy dogs as well (the ones Kim feels like kicking to see if they would simply float off like daffodil fluff and to hear if they would squeal or bark because, he says, they look more like rodents than dogs).
The neighbor’s cat is a favorite of mine. She’s a black and white cat, fat and sleek, and she’s quite smart. We sometimes have conversations even. I go ‘miaow, ‘ she answers ‘miaow’ back. She lies down on the tile and exposes her underbelly for me to scratch. She wriggles around and swishes her beautiful long tail. Her owners are Chinese, and I hear them talk to her in Cantonese. When I talk to her, it’s in English, so she’s a bilingual cat.
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I’m worried about the worsening situation between Lebanon and Israel. I’ve long ago stated by position on Palestine and Gaza, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I support Lebanon. Israel attacked first, and it’s certain that the tension will escalate even further in the coming days unless it backs down now. Lebanon and the Hezbollah will retaliate, and it will be a severe retaliation. After all, Hezbollah is a legitimate revolutionary and liberation movement that aims to defend Lebanon from Israeli encrouchment on its territory. I’m just saddened for all the civilians who will be caught in the crossfire.
Aaaargh. I wish there was no need for war, but so long as there are exploiters, there will always be war.
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My friend Raymond Letourneau often lectures me about ‘human nature,’ and while we agree on most things politicial, he’s less enthusiastic about the chances of majority of people of the world ‘evolving.’
I accuse him of giving up on humanity and those who struggle for better way of living for the world’s poor and exploited majority. He just shakes his head, shrugs and says "But it’s true, many people cannot look or see beyond their immediate concerns, and when they do, they cannot sustain the effort.’
We debate on this hotly. I tell him that he’s become too desensitized and frustrated (he knows all about community organizing, etc. First world-activist type who focus on reforms even as he understands that the essential struggle is against imperialism); and all he answers is ‘human nature.’
‘Your human nature!,’ I huff. He doesn’t answer back.
It’s horrible when one gives up on humanity. We might as well lie down and die. Or live in a cave and let everyone rot and die.
How naive am I that I really took to heart all those cartoons I watched back in my youth? Sitting in front of the tv, glued to Saturday Fun Machine over at RPN Channel 9 and ignoring my breakfast…
Watching the Superfriends fly out of the Hall of Justice and battle the Legion of Doom was something quite symbolic for me. I knew that people couldn’t fly or dodge bullets or alter the molecular structure of objects with a wave of their hand or a simple spell; but I believed that evil should be fought, and those who do eveil deeds should be stopped and punished.
There may not be a Superman who can bend metal, a Wonderwoman who can force someone to tell the truth with a magic lasso or a Spiderman who can snoop on people from a far distance with his Amazing Spidersense, but heck, there are so many political activists, human rights activists, environmentalists and religious people who use all their talents and gifts and strength and very lives to enact change in small and big ways.
To help those who need helping. To fight against those who believe in nothing but the accumulation of wealth, power and influence at the expense of the lives and welfare of millions of others. To create a genuine system where justice is not only a seven-letter word but a living, breathing reality seen and felt and experienced.
Man, haven’t we learned anything from those cartoons? Voltes V, Daimos, Macross? Or what about those tv shows like the A-Team or Equalizer, MacGyver or even Knight Rider?
Millions of people watched those shows. An entire generation of Filipinos! Sheesh. For all the cheesiness and the corniness, I actually learned things from those programs. (Well, it helped a lot that my dad explained things to us while we watched tv. And my sister Majalla always dissected the plots and characters and we talked about them they were real people involved in real situations).
Whoops, gotta go. Work beckons.
