Ping’s being persecuted? No, it’s him maligning SC

FOOLING US AGAIN: The media should just ignore this character Angelo Mawanay, who is reaping front page treatment for his zigzagging statements on the alleged involvement of Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson in the mass rubout of robbery suspects and the laundering of drug money.

Okay, he had fooled the military‚s top intelligence officials with his fantastic tales of drug deals and dirty dollars squirreled in bank accounts abroad. Now that he is singing a different tune, do we allow him to make a fool of us all over again?

There is so much pollution in the air as it is, Mawanay should not be allowed to add to it. It should be clear even to amateur detectives that the man cannot be trusted to tell the whole truth.

* * *

WILD LACSON CLAIM: As for Lacson, he must think the public is naïve to swallow his line that the murder charges against him (and several others) were revived because he announced the day before that he wanted to run for president.

We don’t know that the Supreme Court now moves with lightning speed, hurriedly assembling a majority of the justices, furiously writing a decision and issuing it all in one day to catch the news deadline to blunt the Lacson declaration!

The opposite is more credible: that Lacson was alerted by his moles in the high court that the adverse decision was about to be issued, and he then made a hasty declaration of his supposed plans for the presidency to make it appear that he is being persecuted.

The unfortunate thing is that the policeman-turned-senator did not have qualms assailing the Supreme Court in a desperate bid to discredit its ruling that the case against Lacson et al. has to be heard in its entirety to arrive at the truth.

* * *

WAR ENDGAME: It’s not a charitable thing to say, but since both sides in the US-Iraq war appear driven by one man on each side, it seems that the most practical way of ending the war is for either Saddam Hussein or George W. Bush to disappear from the picture.

But since Vice President Dick Cheney will take over the American war machine if anything should happen to Bush, it would be worse if Bush dies. We should count out that option.

On the other hand, if Saddam shall die or get killed, the Iraqi resistance to American liberation immediately grinds to a halt. There is nobody in the bloody mold of the dictator who can take over.

But Saddam need not die for the war to stop. It has been suggested that the American liberation forces can just cut off the Iraqi capital from the rest of the world and let Saddam wither on the vine.

If allowed to drag on, however, such an encirclement would tie up large numbers of men and materiel while other Iraq-type threats to America elsewhere fester. Saddam is not the only pimple on the face of the earth.

* * *

JOCKEYING FOR REWARDS: You know that the war is about to end with the US on top when you see the critics of the US invasion starting to say something nice, something about their being ready to help rehabilitate the war-ravaged country.

Over here, we hear of the Philippine government being open to sending a contingent to help rebuild Iraq. Labor contractors are also smacking their lips in anticipation of contracts to supply manpower for the post-war rehabilitation.

You also sense the decisive end of the war coming when the figures being touted as the incoming leaders of post-war Iraq are shuffling toward center stage.

The US will not only liberate Iraqis. It also intends to install for them a provisional government created in the image of Washington and managed by its chosen few.

* * *

LEADING FIGURES: Prominently mentioned as the incoming US governor-general of sorts is arms-dealer and former "Star Wars" guru Gen. Jay Garner, who we heard was chosen unilaterally last January without Bush as much as consulting his partners in the coalition.

Garner needs no approbation, not even from Britain, as he is what the media calls an "ideological soul mate" of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz – key figures in the group vigorously beating the war drums. He is additionally, a militarist and a fervent admirer of Israel.

After retiring from the military in 1997, Garner became president of SY Technology, a defense contractor specializing in missile defense systems. His company soon landed controversial contracts as part of the Star Wars program.

The company won a $1.5-billion contract this year to provide logistics services to US special operations forces. It also has contracts to help build Patriot missile systems for Israel and Kuwait.

* * *

IRAQI COUNTERPART: To lend legitimacy to the US clique to be imposed on Iraq, they are bringing in Iraqi political exiles. On top of the list is Ahmed Chalabi, a wealthy Shiite Muslim who fled Iraq in 1958. This known enemy of Saddam heads the oppositionist Iraqi National Congress.

Chalabi’s group is reported to have entered northern Iraq, which is more hospitable since its rebellious Kurds have denied Saddam forces much of the north. American commandoes have parachuted into the region to open a northern front in the encirclement of Baghdad.

The Congress led by Chalabi has received millions of dollars from the US for such projects as a satellite television channel meant to beam propaganda to Iraqi viewers.

But Chalabi’s relations with Washington may need some clarification. His affinity to Iran may not sit well with the hawks around Bush who have lumped that country with the "axis of evil" together with Iraq and North Korea.

Linked to alleged financial mismanagement, Chalabi was meted a 20-year term upon his conviction of fraud in a banking scandal in Jordan in 1989. He fled the country before the trial began and has refused to return while his conviction stands.

* * *

ePOSTSCRIPT: You can read Postscript in advance simply by going to our personal website www.manilamail.com. While at our ManilaMail.com site, you can also peruse back columns and review past discussions on specific subjects. E-mail can be sent to us at [email protected].