Indeed, let's create more freedom parks!

The Philippine Star editorial last Sunday entitled, "Designate Freedom Parks" was a very good suggestion, something that we in Cebu City had already done a long time ago, when we had our Freedom Park. I have always maintained that street marches shouldn't be allowed simply because it also tramples the rights of other people; after all, there should be some kind of equality amongst the various freedoms we all enjoy, which includes the right to go where we want to with the least disturbance from other people.

This means, in the pursuit of our Freedom of Speech, it shouldn't be said that we have the right to block the middle of the road to express our thoughts, because if that happens, our main roads would be clogged by ideologues or idiots shouting out to the world to repent as the end of the world is coming. Hence the need for Freedom Parks, just like the famous Hyde Park in London, where people can freely say what they want to say without securing a permit from the government nor any fear for saying anything they want. But do these people really want to use Freedom Parks?

Unfortunately, because there's too much freedom in this country (whoever said that the United States is the Land of the Free is seriously mistaken) sidewalk vendors have overtaken the places at the Freedom Park where people used to mingle to listen to the arguments of preachers in their ways of interpreting the Bible and of course, the political commentators who cannot afford to use a radio station. Meanwhile, protest groups have arrogated unto themselves the use of our national and local roads for their rallies.

I would like to believe that even if they know it is illegal, the militant groups have opted to use the middle of the road rather than the Freedom Park because their breaking our road laws would be a good reason to disperse them… and any dispersal would end up in the front pages of our local newspapers. This is why these militant groups also bring children with them during their rallies because when the rally is violently dispersed, the children are used as their shields. So much then for those leftist groups who cry out demanding respect of human rights, when they can't even learn to respect the rights of children.

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The 7.6 in the Richter Scale earthquake that struck the Kashmir Region between Pakistan and India destroyed so many homes and buildings with the casualty figures now reaching a staggering 40,000 people dead. Both nations need the help of the world so weary of the natural disasters that have been happening this year. They need that help very soon as a strong cold front is now fast approaching the affected areas as snow season is here, which will no doubt worsen their already dire situation. A family without a home cannot hope to keep the cold away… more so that they now must live in tents that can't protect them from the cold.

In Mexico, Guatemala and Ecuador floods have rendered so many people homeless due to a smaller hurricane. If you recall, just a day after Christmas last year, the Asian Tsunami struck the nations surrounding the Indian Ocean where 280,000 people perished, while 145,000 are still officially considered missing. Then we saw Hurricane Katrina and Rita devastate the Southern States of the United States. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that tropical diseases kill half a million people annually in the poor regions of Africa, which cost very little to treat. No doubt the world is in turmoil!

Surely by now we should be getting the message that God is sending to all the people of the world… to refocus our attention to help people, rather than use the huge resources of this world for making war. The Asian Tsunami affected the Aceh region of Indonesia, which had a long armed struggle against the Indonesian government… thankfully, they now have genuine peace there. The tsunami struck Sri Lanka, which had problems with the Tamil Tigers. After the tsunami, efforts for peace are now being prioritized.

We can say the same about the Kashmir Region where two nations, India and Pakistan who boast nuclear capability, have been at odds for decades. Now the Indian and Pakistani military are doing joint efforts to rescue the stricken people living in the Kashmir Region. The earthquake has now brought temporary peace in this region and money used to purchase firearms and ammunition and salaries for soldiers has been channeled to search for victims and build temporary shelters for the homeless.

God's message for the rich nations is to rid the world of poverty, rather than spend so much in strengthening their military forces; otherwise, we just might have to face more natural calamities in the future.

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila's columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com