Dear Fellow-Americans

Oct. 4, 2004

Dear Fellow-Americans,

I am a Filipino-American residing in the Philippines. The U.S. Bill of Rights is precious to me. It has made it possible for me to think freely, to articulate my views, however unpopular or heretical they might be. Indeed to write what follows without fear of suppression or repercussion. I should wish to put on public record my shame of the U.S. government. The central government in Washington has become a source of national malady and international ills rather than the potential for local and global sanity.

More than half the population of the world is under-nourished, not because it need be, but because the U.S. government prefers to be in the business of killing rather than helping poorer countries achieve a higher standard of living. For example, instead of sending to the Philippines materials for human welfare, the U.S. government sends materials for enemy warfare. The result, thus far: - the Filipino is becoming more sophisticated in the business of killing fellow-Filipinos. Meanwhile poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment, and the continuing population explosion continue to be problems for divine intervention, and not attention for Philippine government confrontation.

Yesterday, killings were about the fight against “communists,” in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Today, it is called the fight against “terrorists” in possession of weapons of mass destruction. What’s the difference? In fact, many countries possess “weapons of mass destruction.” Half of the world calls it “faith in God.” The other half calls it “faith in Allah.” And under whichever faith, the faithful believers see nothing immoral to cut each other’s throat, especially since both cannot agree as to what will happen to them after their throats have been cut. Now isn’t it obvious that our enemy is not another human being, but organized conflicting faiths based on sacred barbarism?

Bertrand Russell once asked: “Have we all become savage? Why do we turn, inevitably, towards ferocity in dealing with political opponents – towards maiming or killing or sentencing them to disproportionately long imprisonment? I think it is because we live in an atmosphere of fear bred by political policies. We have been conditioned to accept cruelty, even the threat of extermination, as the sole means of defending a way of life that seems to prove itself, by such result, hardly worth defending.”

The greater crime we face today is the crime of silence. It is time to speak up. I am most proud of Michael Moore. In the film document FAHRENHEIT 9/11, he proved it no longer a theory, but a paradoxical fact that as far as the United States government is concerned, nations of this world can only keep alive by preparing to kill each other. The main economy of the United States continues to be based on revenues not for health and community development, but for war, death and destruction, and the preparation for future wars.

Nothing breeds more hate and terror than the spread of fear based on lies. Our young men and women in military uniform, no doubt, have the courage to die in battle; unfortunately, they do not have the courage to question what it is that they are dying for in Iraq today. Immoral acts breed immoral acts. Must we therefore continue to commit atrocities because we cannot discontinue to believe absurdities?

I appeal to fellow-Americans to support Americans with a conscience everywhere today who give the USA a good name. One such thinking American is Ramsey Clark. He referred George W. Bush, James Baker, Richard Cheney, Colin Powell, and others to the International War Crimes Tribunal – a commission of inquiry for evidences of war crimes against Iraq and crimes against humanity.

Let us work and vote for a government of construction and not a government of destruction. In this 21st century, there is no longer any need for American wealth and power to be based upon past wars, present wars, and the preparation for future wars. The power and wealth of America should be founded upon the pursuit of the truth, the spread of liberty, and the advancement of science for peace and goodwill to all men, women, and children throughout the world.

Yours faithfully,

POCH SUZARA
Bertrand Russell Society, Philippines
San Lorenzo Village
Makati city, Philippines

It is said

It is said that those who deny God deny Him because of their despair at not finding Him. I believe this to be a delusion born of fear. A God who has not ceased hiding away from the problems of the human race is not worth finding to begin with. Indeed, the important question is not whether we believe in God; but does God believe in the human race? If God does care and provides for us, how so, and where is He? Poch Suzara

Belief in God

Belief in God is not knowledge; in fact, most people deny knowledge in order to make roon for faith in God. And as long as we continue to cut each other's throat since we cannot agree as to what will happen to us after our throats have been cut, we shall always have faith in God; or, as the case may be, we shall always have "faith in Allah." Poch Suzara

Jesus

Jesus was a typical Christian. He was comfortable to be around fishermen, sheepherders, and carpenters; but he was not happy to be in the company of writers, thinkers, and philosophers. In fact, not one of his apostles was a recruit from the intellectual community. Poch Suzara

The fool

The fool saith in his heart that there is no God. But who is the bigger fool? The fool or God who created the fools? Poch Suzara

Religion and Television

Religion - the opium of the Filipino yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Television - the opprobrium of the Filipino today, tomorrow, and for years yet to come. Poch Suzara

Rizal's retraction

Rizal's retraction story has been and still is the fairy tale told by the traditional liars of the Catholic Church in order to protect the rule of theocracy in the Philippines. If Rizal indeed retracted, why was he not given a Christian burial? Indeed, Rizal's remains was just put inside a dirty old sack and then thrown in an area reserved for the heretics in Paco Cemetery. Poch Suzara

Jose Rizal

If Jose Rizal's scientific way of thinking have become the shinning light guiding the Filipino way of life, the Philippines could have been the greatest and the most decently developed nation in Asia today. Indeed, Jose Rizal wanted us to be a nation of intelligent readers and honest thinkers, and not a nation of childish prayers. Christianity, however, wanted us to be a nation BOBOS. It has been quite a success. Look at how we are all still waiting for the Second Coming of Christ to bring peace, love, goodwill, and law and order in the Philippines. Poch Suzara

Take from Theology

Take from theology the mystery, the supernatural, the sacred lies, incomprehensible, the impossible, the unthinkable, including the invisible, the absurd, and nothing but a vacuum remains. Poch Suzara

We have no government

We have no government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We do, however, have a government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. But the poor believe they have a government because they are the only ones who are made poorer for paying taxes to the government.In the meantime, in this country, if you steal small, you end up in jail; but if you steal big, however, you immediately qualify to become a candidate for the highest office of the land. Poch Suzara

99 percent of Filipinos

Would you believe that 99 per cent of the population of the Philippines have no idea whatsoever about the contradications, inconsistencies, absurdities, immoralities, and indeed, obcenities written in the holy bible? What could one expect of a nation of daily prayers, not daily readers? Poch Suzara

Divinity

Most people love divinity even as they never examine their God-given mediocrity. Indeed, most people believe that God will provide. Thus far, however, God has provided for humanity nothing but the infinity of human stupidity. Look how we all hate one another in this world for the sake of God's glory in heaven. Poch Suzara

Ignorance

Ignorance keeps the Filipino poor as a people and backward as a nation. Mostly because Filipinos have been indoctrinated to emulate Jesus and his twelve apostles who were all quite a success in the spread ignorance throughout Christian countries. Poch Suzara

I am a failure in life

By all standards I am a total failure in life. In the world of the mediocres and the Philistines, I could have been a great success had I been a stupid soothsayer instead of having been a frustrated truthsayer. Poch Suzara

The Poor Filipino

The Filipino is poor because his national economy is based mostly
on sellers of divine grace, brokers of holy sacrament, traders of sacred lies, retailers of superstition, movers of faith, dealers of eternal salvation, and promoters of prayer under the promise that God will provide while graft and corruption goes on perpetually.
Poch Suzara

I love science

I love science. There is no authority in science; there are only experts of science. I hate religion. There is only authority in religion. There are no experts of religion. Poch Suzara

In this world

In this world there is more human stupidity than there is human intelligence. This is only because most people feel at home with human stupidity as they are easily frightened by human intelligence. Poch Suzara

No college degrees

Women have no college degrees in motherhood. Men have no college degrees in fatherhood. If only mothers and fathers have the right information for family planning and birth control, more and more babies will be born needed, wanted, and loved in this world. Poch Suzara

True Religion

Is there one true religion? This is a grammaticaly correct question but fails to reflect the logical form of its meaning. A better question to ask: Does man need moral and ethical values to evolve farther into a higher level of consciousness? Poch Suzara

As soon as I am dead

As soon as I am dead, I will probably believe in God one more time. After all, God has more fascination for the dead than He feels an obligation for the living.
In the meantime, every year, during ALL SAINTS DAY, we visit the dead in the cemetery. But if man enjoys an immortal life after death, shouldn't it more wonderful if the dead visit us at home rather than we visit the dead in the cemetery? Consider the happy reunion with the dead not only with our immediate love-ones, but also visits from our great-great-grandparents dead centuries ago?
Poch Suzara