|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 16, 2018 14:17:09 GMT
Maddy is the Administrator this week
|
|
|
|
Post by Maddy Crighton on Feb 18, 2018 19:44:47 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Maddy Crighton on Feb 18, 2018 19:47:30 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Olivia Girdwood on Feb 19, 2018 13:15:19 GMT
The first comment that is to be made here is exactly how is this guy President??? While his comments and remarks about his no-holds-barred campaign “...proved popular with Filipinos tired of the status quo” (BBC), the way he is going about living up to his campaign are not the best options. Killing these people is not going to change anything. Most addicts cannot just quit, and now they probably can’t get help (if there even is any available) without getting killed, or raped in a woman's case. There are other options that could have been tried before going to the drastic measure he is taking. He could provide the means for addicts to go to rehab and get off of the drugs, he could crack down on places where most drugs are and confiscate any paraphernalia as well as imprison those selling the drugs. Another route he could have taken was to place drug screenings and testing sites for all those who are in the workforce or wish to acquire medical treatment, and from there help them get through their addiction. That is just a few options he could have taken instead of killing people as if he were the new Hitler. “"Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there is three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them," he said” (BBC). while it is found in the BBC article that Mr. Duterte has his statistics wrong, there is no hiding that fact that he is happy to kill these addicts. Hitler was tried for crimes against humanity, and Duterte is saying he is going to accomplish the same feat…. Should he not also be tried for crimes against humanity before he can make it any worse than what it already is? Thousands already dead? Duterte would not say something unless he meant it, just like most other people. Therefore, what he says in public is not a joke, whether he says it or not. He is not trying to save himself from the press, rather he is trying to save himself from being tried in the International Criminal Court where he will surely be charged with some sort of crime. Mr. Duterte is a horrible man, not just for the killings he has caused or been behind, but because of the way he treats women. Making jokes about a woman being raped, and saying he (the mayor) should have been first. Let alone the fact that “Representative Emmi de Jesus of the Gabriela Women’s Party said that Mr. Duterte had, in effect, given the green light for soldiers to violate women’s rights” (New York Times). He told them to shoot any guerrilla women in the genitals as a way to punish them. A question running through my head though was did he mean literally shoot them with guns or did he mean do with them as you please, aka rape them? This man is not fit for office by any means. He is not a professional in any regards other than covering up the murders he is behind. He should not be in charge of anyone whom he wishes to kill or let others rape. Why would the country put up with this behavior and just take it?
|
|
|
|
Post by Maddy Crighton on Feb 20, 2018 23:36:49 GMT
@olivia I totally agree with you that Duterte should not be president. I feel as though he is just bloodthirsty and sees his war as a reward or a blessing due to the fact that the world is indeed full of drugs. Also, he has made really disturbing comments about women, yet he has a wife? I wonder how she feels about his rape comments and his order for soldiers to shoot female rebels in their genitals.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maddy Crighton on Feb 21, 2018 1:37:17 GMT
Before Rodrigo Duterte was president, he was the mayor of Davao city for about 22 years. In those 22 years, he was known as the “Death Squad Mayor,” yet he denies ever conducting such vigilante killings (BBC). Strangely enough, in 2016 when he was elected for president, his campaign promise was to take on crime, drugs, and corruption. So did he know about the death squad killings when he was mayor and is simply trying to continue them? So far, an estimated 12,000 people have died, including children, in this vicious drug war and ultimately lead to the ICC’s want to investigate. Thousands and thousands of people are dying even if they were involved with drugs or not. It is a crime against humanity. How is it possible for thousands of people to be murdered without even getting the chance to speak their side? The Philippines is a democracy, so where is the “innocent before proven guilty”? In addition, what makes it even worse is that Duterte believes he truly has done nothing wrong. In fact, he is welcoming the ICC to investigate “because he is sick and tired of being accused…” (CNN). Duterte states that he is basically the new Hitler but instead of killing jews, he is massacring drug dealers and those in affiliation with drugs (BBC).
Besides his war on drugs, Duterte has also made crude comments towards government officials and women. President Duterte has said that he wants to take over China’s territory. If he wasn’t so arrogant, he probably would of been able to accomplish that. The US is one of the allies to the Philippines, but Duterte had to ruin that when he called Obama a “son of a whore” which lead to Obama canceling their meeting (BBC). Recently, Duterte is all across the news for the profanity he said about women. Like the militant he is, Duterte said that his soldiers should shoot female rebels, the NPA, in their genitals, because they would rather be supporting communism than raising children (New York Times). It is 2018 for crying out loud. Women can do whatever they feel like. And in my opinion, they should be supporting anything but him by looking at his actions. I also feel that Duterte is scared of them and therefore is why he makes the comments he does. To act all tough, only to hide his fear.
|
|
|
|
Post by Laura Gutauskas on Feb 21, 2018 12:44:17 GMT
Duterte’s approach won’t fix the problem, it’ll only distance these people farther from society which makes it even harder to manage what they’re doing. With this in mind, his form of an “initiative” is extremely counterintuitive before even touching on the fact that he is killing and essentially encouraging a genocide of his own people. This kind of behavior and abuse of power should have already been combated by the ICC and it surprises me that they don’t utilize their international power properly to prevent more deaths from occurring. What’s also absurd to me, although not surprising, is that Trump has openly prided himself in the relationship he has with Duterte without condemning his actions. Another shocking feat is that, “police officers were found to have killed three teenagers and then lied about how the boys died. News of their deaths prompted protests and a Senate investigation” (NY Times). Not only are the police encouraged to kill youth for unjustified reasons, but they also lie about it which serves a bigger injustice to the families. Also, the deliberate wrecking of cars may not be as detrimental as killing people, but it still sends a terroristic message to the people basically stating that he means business in eliminating the issue. It’s obvious he tried to cover up his words by calling them jokes only once they were publicized since, “the comments went largely unreported because he was speaking in his native Visayan language” (NY Times). He intentionally meant for a smaller group of people to relate with him instead of the media. Duterte was also accused of gross human rights violations and underestimated the number of people that were killed under his regime by about 8,000. The government can’t even keep track of how many people they kill because their lives don’t mean anything to them and they see the killing as being justified. They’ve even gone so far as to request an apology from the Human Rights Watch for putting out false numbers since it “deceives” people. Where are the apologies for the families who lost children, siblings, or parents? They expect deception to be viewed as a worse offense than killing thousands. The Davao Death Squad’s work, “was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers … those were the people we killed everyday” (CNN). In other words, rapists were encouraged by the president, yet then killed by the DDS. All speculative, but do you think this may be another tactic to eliminate these types of criminals since he publicly praised them first only to kill them? Even if that is true, his view of woman furthers sexism in society making it easier/acceptable for other citizens to jump on the bandwagon without repercussions which promotes even more abuse, harassment, or rape.
|
|
|
|
Post by Olivia Girdwood on Feb 21, 2018 13:38:36 GMT
@maddy
He has a wife, but he also had a mistress. Not many women would stay with him. I wonder if he either threatens her if she were to leave, is completely different when not in public, or she is using him for the wealth and does not care. Also I really liked your comment about being innocent until proven guilty. That really does not make sense, so is he actually killing people who are drug dealers and drug users alone? Or is he killing anyone he wants to kill under the alias that they were "using drugs"? His comments about China and Obama would usually have caused issues between countries, ones that are not very friendly. Yet no one is taking action against him. When Hitler started his concentration camps, other countries eventually took up arms against him, but where is this now? Why hasn't anyone stopped him?
|
|
|
|
Post by Meghan Miller on Feb 22, 2018 2:37:52 GMT
The drug war in the Philippines is mind-boggling. Duterte’s approach to try and eradicate the drug problem in the Philippines is extreme and seems not to be about the drugs but about criminals. President Duterte has “compared his brutal campaign against drug dealers and users to the Holocaust, saying he will kill as many addicts as Hitler did Jews” (BBC “Quotes”). He said that he did not want to fight against drug use but to kill addicts, not to actually help his citizens. He does not care about rehabilitation for his citizens, he was quoted saying “Do the lives of 10 of these criminals really matter? If I am the one facing all this grief, would 100 lives of these idiots mean anything to me?”(BBC “Quotes”). The focus on killing off people dealing the drugs, not trying to stop drug addiction. A better way to address the drug problem would be to start drug slander campaigns, make it really hard to obtain drugs, and create compulsory rehabilitation for anyone caught doing drugs. These measures may seem expensive and time consuming but “the interior ministry’s proposal is to grant police a 900 million peso ($17.58 million) budget for anti-drug operations next year, according to several lawmakers”, compared to this cost, rehabilitation would be cheaper (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-drugs/philippine-lawmakers-concerned-about-big-jump-in-drug-war-budget-idUSKCN1BB1IE).
Duterte has made a lot of comments that are shocking and grotesque that he later refutes as jokes. These comments seem to stem from a lack of consequences from his statements, he feels as if the words he say have no consequences. The Human Rights Watch has watched him “gross human rights violations in his anti-drug campaign, which Human Rights Watch estimates has claimed the lives of 12,000 people since June 2016” but won’t act, this inaction further encourages his behavior (because he can get away with it). His crude remarks about women’s duty being to raise children is especially grinding. These comments seem to be made to satisfy his sick sense of superiority and to create a rapport with his militant ranks. After a crude comment about the Australian missionary he defended himself by “saying it was just ‘how men talk’”(BBC “Quotes”). His human rights violations and skewed moral character undermines the honorable fight against drugs.
Question: Because Duterte has a military backing in place, it would be nearly impossible for there to be a rebellion to get him out of the presidency. How do you think ‘The Punisher’s’ reign of terror will end? And do the people of the Philippines want it to end?
|
|
|
|
Post by Olivia Girdwood on Feb 22, 2018 13:47:16 GMT
@meghan
I really, really liked your comments on how he thinks he can get away with his comments and actions because no one has tried to stop him. Kinda sounds like a little kid who's parents do not invoke consequences for bad behavior.... My take on President Duterte's comment of "it was just 'how men talk'" is one of disbelief. If a man believes he should have had the girl first, especially in a rape situation, he is not a man. President Duterte is seemingly becoming more and more like a boy who needs to have his butt beat for his actions (obviously not literally, he is older and it would require more extensive consequences for anything to change). In response to your question, I believe the people are too scared that he will kill them next, whether they use drugs or not. Almost every powerful figure has had military backing, but that has not stopped other uprisings. This situation, playing off of Duterte's feelings, may have to be exactly like the Holocaust; other outside forces are going to have to come in and stop it, otherwise nothing is going to change.
|
|
jonah
New Member
Posts: 16 
|
Post by jonah on Feb 22, 2018 16:47:56 GMT
Rodrigo Duterte is a rare and interesting president of the Philipines. Many critics consider him misogynistic and crude. He is a great example of a terrible president but yet he gets the job done. The same can be said about his approach on drugs. Duterte swore off drugs when he was Mayor of Davao and he swore he would do the same if he was elected president in 2016. And since his election he has worked with the police and military to stop crime and drugs and has been successful so far. The way he cracks down on crime and drugs is a bit harsh. Duterte orders his police to kill any drug users and or sellers. This makes an example of the people and gives people a reason not to want to sell or do drugs of any kind. This approach works I guess but its a bit harsh. Maybe they should try prison and other forms of punishment. This “drug war” has got the international community concerned because it is a bit inhumane. On the other hand Duterte doesn’t think anything is wrong. According CNN.com, “‘The President has said that he also welcomes this preliminary examination because he is sick and tired of being accused of the commission of crimes against humanity,’ Roque said.” Duterte does not think anything is wrong and the International Criminal Court (ICC) should come and investigate. I think it is pretty messed up when he says something wrong then apologizes and says it’s just a joke. He shouldn’t say it in the first place if it is just a joke. I think he is just trying to cover up his butt so he doesn’t get in trouble with critics and media.
|
|
|
|
Post by Makayla Rieder on Feb 22, 2018 18:21:15 GMT
I get that this guy wants to stop people from becoming addicts in his country, but honestly how does he think murdering every addict and dealer that he finds is going to help? And how did he get elected? I feel like murdering anyone just for being affiliated with drugs, not even necessarily doing them, is not a good way to get elected in most countries. I guess people have very different opinions in the Philippines. Drugs aren’t the zombie apocalypse of today, and killing everyone who may be affiliated with them is not necessarily going to cleanse the country of them for good. Almost worse than him just killing thousands of people, he is also lying about how many have been killed and making up different ways of how they died instead of just admitting he had them killed, as it stated in the New York Times article, saying “..police officers were found to have killed three teenagers and then lied about how the boys died.” Police officers are completely protected from being convicted of murder for these things and the country is trying to hide it. The quote article was very interesting. There are so many horrible things that this man has said and yet he seems to still be pretty popular as the president in the Philippines. Anyone who says that they praise Hitler and gets the facts about the Holocaust wrong should not be in office at all. He also flipped off the EU which isn’t the best way to go about fixing a problem by any means. Honestly it’s very hard to believe a man like this is in any office, especially presidency. A man who is so misogynistic and crude should not be in power and joking about a rape and murder I feel is only hitting the tip of the iceberg with this guy. He literally said to the entire world and put it out there how he genuinely thinks that women should be staying at home and cleaning the house, the exact stereotype that the feminist movement has been desperately been trying to get rid of for over 100 years. He’s publicly turning himself into a joke to almost the entire world by making jokes about big issues like rape and leaving the EU. He is one of the worst leaders that i’ve ever learned about and he should not be in office.
|
|
|
|
Post by Matt on Feb 22, 2018 20:14:32 GMT
I do feel like Mr. President here is trying to do good for his country. But I don't think that he is aware of what he actually is doing. Don't get me wrong not trying to be on the side of the drug dealer murderer, but I do think he really has no idea what consequences come after the fact of when you kill people. He IS killing bad people but I do not feel that he is taking the right approach but at the wrong angle. These people "should" face major consequences for what they are doing but killing them in cold blood is DEFINITELY not right. This is where the ICC needs to step in and investigate the problem. If the ICC would do this, then the Philippians would not fear for their lives. Because what is the next step in Duterte's scheme? Is he going to start killing people for stealing? Cut off their hands? Kill people for littering? As stated by Asia Pacific from a quote by Duterte, “ ‘We will not kill you. We will just shoot you in the vagina.’" This is going to causes more riots and protest. While he does not think this is a big deal by saying this, this is a giant, major, glowing neon light for other countries to help. This is showing that he is demoralizing women for a simple protest. Why does he believe this is okay? i just don't think this going to end well for the President and the Philippines if no country steps in.
|
|
|
|
Post by Barbie Cessar on Feb 22, 2018 23:54:30 GMT
I can’t decide who the real criminals are, the criminals themselves breaking laws or the government who supports a mass murder. It is shocking that the president, Rodrigo Duterte, actually promoted this behavior and payed people to kill criminals and his enemies in politics. He claims it to be “a lawful use of force"(CNN) but a mass killing seems to be quite the opposite. The drug war reaches a whole new level when, “Philippine police officers were found to have killed three teenagers and then lied about how the boys died (nytimes).” Mr. Duterte temporarily placed the Drug Enforcement Agency in charge of the drug war last year after this incident but this does not truly solve the issue. A more lawful and moral approach would be to send these criminals to jail. His comments and remarks only further support the fact that he is not qualified to be a president. For example Mr. Duterte stated, "Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there is three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them.” This only proves that he has similar motives to Hitler. His derogatory and crude comments towards women shows his lack of concern for others. Rodrigo Duterte goal is to rid his nation of criminals but he is actually promoting immoral behavior instead.
|
|
|
|
Post by Brooke Gentile on Feb 23, 2018 0:53:26 GMT
Duterte's approach is fighting fire with fire. This tactic will bring hatred and fear within the lives of his people. The president of the Philippines clearly feels strongly about drug control within his country, and is taking way too extreme measures in order to try to resolving the problem. As president, he should not be hiring men to wipe out the drug dealers as a solution. As stated in the New York Times "During the presidential campaign in 2016, he made a joke about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary by inmates during a prison riot in 1989 in Davao City." He also states "We will not kill you. We will just shoot you in the vagina"(New York Times).Duterte clearly does not respect women, and that is not a quality that should be found within the thoughts of a president. These sick and twisted comments should have him out of office with no questions asked. Similar to our current president Donald Trump, both of these political figures do not have a filter, and they say whatever comes to mind, no matter who it might hurt. Once they are caught and called out on their statements, they both back down and try to cover themselves in order to not face the consequences for what they have said. For example Trump's use of language like "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs" and "disgusting animals" to describe some women gets blown off when he plays it off as a joke, or when makes the comment regarding a celebrity apprentice "It would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees" www.cnn.com/2015/08/07/politics/donald-trump-rosie-odonnell-feud/index.html the public fails to do anything about it because they play so hard on the fact that what they say is "funny" or just about "certain women". They feel that saying everything they say is a "joke" or a "misunderstanding" makes everything okay again. They are supposed to be politicians not comedians. According to the BBC article Duterte also comments that "Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there is three million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them," In my opinion this is not a joke by any means, and should never be said by anyone, especially from the mouth of a president. Duterte's remarks are not helping his country, no matter if he thinks it is or not. Drugs will sill be bought and sold no matter how many people he kills or threatens to kill. He is, in my opinion handling this the compete wrong way and will get no good outcome from this whatsoever. |
|
