PJB

I was watching a rerun of Star Trek the other night when I came across the uber-famous Borg catchphrase:

“You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”

Futility, now that’s a word that’s quite apt for today’s events. An “exercise in futility” is what some people say about the Comelec’s ongoing voter’s registration process.

If the government spent billions of Pesos to computerize the elections, then how much of it was allocated for improving the voter’s registration process? Isn’t this process supposed to be the foundation of a good electoral system?

The Comelec stated that they won’t extend the registration deadline, because they need time to sort out the registration database and come up with the final voter’s list for their regional offices – time, in the above context, is unfortunately measured in months.

It’s quite ironic that they heavily tout the new computerized election system as being capable of tallying all votes and declaring a winner in a span of just a few hours, yet they need a span of several months before the elections so that they can prepare the final voter’s list.

In hindsight, had a ‘proper’ voter’s registration system been in place, then people wouldn’t have procrastinated or put off registering for a later date – most of whom were either turned off by the extremely long queues or slow process, or turned down Comelec staff because they didn’t meet the voter’s cut-off criteria (a combination of cut-off period or number of registrants/application forms per day). Had a ‘proper’ voter’s registration system been in place, then there wouldn’t be a need for such a long preparation “lead time” between the voter’s registration deadline and the actual election date – ensuring a higher voter-to-population percentage turnout.

At any rate, late is late – no excuses and “pasensya na lang po, ‘no?” Let’s just hope that those who were able to register on time will vote wisely come election time.

Have you ever played the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game (RPG)? I remember the good old days when my friends and I “partied” differently. We would sometimes go for a couple of days without sleep, playing extended D&D campaigns.

For D&D fans, here’s an interesting “What if” for you – What happens when Obama, McCain and the rest of today’s US election campaign trail politicians go for a different kind of campaign? One with bugbears, goblins and dragons, that is.

Here’s somehedgehog’s funny take on this - Adventuring Party Politics: The Campaign is Getting Ugly

Here’s an excerpt:

GM:  OK, the bugbear attacks you.  What do you do?

OBAMA: I send one of my 672 henchmen after it.

MCCAIN:  OK, seriously.  Why does he have so many henchmen?  I’m a level 72 ranger and he’s only a level 8 paladin.

Note: You won’t get it unless you’ve played D&D before or know who Gary Gygax, or what a Hand of Vecna is.

Cheers and happy reading! *fireball…*

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Link:
Adventuring Party Politics: The Campaign is Getting Ugly

Our country is now in a state of moral and political crisis. But it is appalling that some people have chosen to remain neutral, silent or indifferent with what’s currently going on.

Here are some quotes on neutrality that I hope might spur some people to action.

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” – (Elie Wiesel – Romanian born American Writer. Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986. b.1928)

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality” – (Dante Alighieri – Italian Author and Poet. Considered one of the greatest poets in all literature, 1265-1321)

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” – (Bishop Desmond Tutu – African Spiritual leader and Novelist, b.1931)

“People who demand neutrality in any situation are usually not neutral but in favor of the status quo” – (Max Eastman – American Author, Journalist and Writer, 1883-1969)

And so, come on man, take sides!

When was the last time you exercised your right to suffrage?

The circus has come, as always, to banner the upcoming Philippine local elections this May of 2007. Although Philippine election laws prohibit running candidates from prematurely campaigning for their seat, Philippine television and other forms of mass media are making a heyday from the current deluge of “personal ads” of some political hopefuls.

It’s interesting to note that these ads have found ways to circumvent election campaign laws. And so, one cannot help but notice and admire the Filipino’s ingenuity, especially when it comes to figuring out, and taking advantage of, loopholes in the current electoral system. Ah yes, the world-renowned Filipino guile, creativity and wits of these so-called political geniuses are once again put to use.

Many Filipinos are turned off by the current state of the Philippine political and electoral system. This particularly holds true for voters who have used their voting brains on past elections only to find out that the outcome leads so much more to be desired. Unfortunately, the reality is that most voters don’t even use half a brain. These brain dead types of voters are easily sucked in by political machineries and star power syndromes. As a politician, you can buy votes, you can buy airtime, or you can even buy out the competition.

So how can one make a difference? Election campaign ads say “Your Vote Counts”, but does it really? Come on, let’s be real here. How will one vote stack up against the votes of an entire zombee-voter bloc? It won’t even make a dent on the “flying-voter” tab. In other words, your vote won’t be worth SH*T…. unless… you… do… something… about… it.

Remember these things:

1. Voting responsibly won’t make much of a difference, but actively campaigning for your candidate will!

Why? Once you drop your ballot, you’re done, there’s no turning back. It only counts as a single tally. But with some pre-campaigning of your own, it’s hard to see why you can’t influence even a single person to see things your way, especially with today’s technology. Your single vote tally could potentially end up influencing a million or so more.

2. Your vote wont ‘count’, if you let fools ‘count’ it for you.

It’s your right to vote, so make sure that your vote stays that way. Don’t let thieves make a fool out of you. Report any illegal post-election activities, or better yet, be a poll watcher. Even the best magician can’t work his magic if a lot of eyes cover every angle.

There are a lot of other ways to make a difference. You should always keep in mind that voting is not only a right, it’s a responsibility. So make it count. The future of our kids depend on it.