No problem. Peace. I was getting a bit snarky, I admit.

Anyway, I agree that neither one of us can see the future. This is an entirely different case than when we discuss what facts have or have not been revealed in the past or present.

That said, your analysis will be challenged by many, I believe…even by anti-Glorias (like Tongue-Twisted, above).

My snark was due to my perception that you will contort any situation to make it look like the admin is lying, cheating and stealing…or extending their term. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this scenario is correct. But I note that — out of all the possibilities — you chose a stridently anti-Malacanang one. Again.

Wasn’t it Villar who first alienated this opposition bloc and coalesced with the administration in a maneuver that destroyed the opposition’s expected stranglehold on the Senate? The whole admin 11-man senate bloc was behind him because he salvaged them from irrelevance. It was therefore an administration Senate led by someone who claims to be opposition. Cayetano, Jinggoy, and Chiz merely completed the cast.

Compare that Villar-headed lineup (as listed by Bert on 11:05pm, but add Pangilinan whom Bert missed) with this one:

Lacson
Madrigal
Roxas
Legarda
Estrada
Escudero
Biazon
Pangilinan

Honasan
Angara
Gordon
Zubiri
Revilla

If Villar really wanted an opposition dominated Senate, whether it may be dangerous to his own political agenda or ambition, or not, the last five names could have been his, the 2 Cayetanos’ Trillanes’ and Pimentel’s. But no, it was him who made sure there was no level playing field between him his future presidential opponents and settle for a Pimentel leadership which the Lacson-Roxas bloc was pushing. His Senate presidency was courtesy of Gloria’s boys.

Now why would it be wrong now if there are more opposition in the majority than in Villar’s stint? Definitely it’s not a lineup that Malacañang should take credit for.

**********

By the way the labels opposition – administration don’t really apply here, the dividing line is actually pro- or anti-Gloria. Better defined are the labels majority – minority, and it is based on who you Senate president choice is. These people don’t vote by bloc or party lines. There are basically 24 one-man political parties with each having one constituent: themselves.

You have your opinions and I have mine, we both raised scenarios as imminent realities and no one has the monopoly of analytical acumen.

You believe in your imminent realities, so do I, but we both don’t have a window to see the future therefore our opinions are just opinions, however good we are in analytical prowess, until the future reveals the actual realities.

Let’s wait for things to happen before we accused each other of being wrong in our opinions.

Bert — I will continue to ignore your willful distortion of my views. For the record, for the umpteenth time: I do not want, nor expect, GMA to stay in power after 2010.

Regarding your view that the Senate’s re-configuration is all about Cha-cha, I believe it is far-fetched.

First of all, some of your assumptions are questionable. For ex, is Pia really a pro-admin? Joker? Gringo? Angara? Would Gordon — with no national party backing — want to run for Prez (general elections) or for Prime Minister (selected by the dominant party)? Will Miriam really not be re-electable? How do you know who will win in the future elections? Did Lacson and Jamby engineer this because they want Cha-Cha????? And Jingoy and Biazon joined the coup because THEY love Cha-Cha???

Secondly, as pointed out by grd, who else will support cha-cha? The Presidentiables and die-hard oppositionists won’t.

Was Villar brought down and replaced by Enrile so that Cha-Cha could push through?

Naahhh. Sorry bert, but this is just another thoughtless screech, pointing fingers at those you don’t like and raising scenarios as imminent realities. It is not analysis. But, you know, thanks for your opinion.

UNDP. Official Warns Of Social Strife in AsiaBANGKOK, Nov. 18 — A senior U.N. official warned Tuesday of the prospect of social unrest as the export-driven economies of Asia start to slow in response to the fallout from the global financial crisis.

… “We focus a lot on banks and businesses, but what also happens in crises is that children drop out of school and never go back,” he said. “You can have intergenerational effects: Once a girl drops out of school, that is a mother who is illiterate.”

When is Martial law V2.0 coming?