by the way...

lastnight as we were just finishing dinner--my father and i--he started talking. we tend to have these discussions when we're the only ones eating, but this time we weren't discussing: he was talking and i was listening.

he spoke of the Philippines and of how life is there, how it was when he lived there. he said, with some bitterness, that even his job as a lawyer wasn't enough to support him, my mother, and my baby sister. being a lawyer, and my mother being a banker, earned them respect, but they could never make rent. he said that the govenment was corrupt and that the presidents were always afraid to create their own administrations because the people would rebel. people were bad there. but then he said something that made my heart clench. "People there, they're lazy; they have more than one woman, they steal, they cheat, they always want an easy way out. It is a beautiful country."

even with all the terrible things they had to endure there, it was still a beautiful country in his eyes. even with all the good things we can enjoy here, America is not beautiful.

he went on to say that democracy does not work for Asians and Filipinos. he said that Communism worked for the Chinese and that a Dictatorship worked for the Japanese and that our tyrannical Presidents worked for the Filipinos. he said that because democracy does not champion discipline, it was wasting its breath in Asia. and i think i agree. democracy is a western ideal and the people who so adore it are able to live within its parameters. but not everyone. some need discipline, they need a figurehead who can garner respect and wield fear. they need a leader who can keep them on the straight and narrow because focus is what wins the prize.

it was an interesting talk we had.

i don't mean to offend anyone with this post, and i hope my opinions aren't taken to heart. i am not attacking anyone or any country. it is just something to ponder.