Filipinos battle with police over scheduled Obama’s visit (And Japan, South Korea and Malaysia)

MANILA, Philippines: Police clashed briefly in the Philippine capital Tuesday with about 300 protesters opposed to a planned visit by President Barack Obama and the continued US military presence in the country. Riot police across a road from the US Embassy were pushed back by the demonstrators, prompting the police to retaliate with truncheons. ...

No arrests were made and there were no serious injuries. About 500 American soldiers are based in the south where they have been providing Philippine troops anti-terrorism training since 2002. Protesters say their presence violates Philippine sovereignty. The Philippine Constitution allows foreign military bases only under a treaty.

Obama is scheduled to visit the Philippines in April, part of a tour of Asia which will also take him to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia to boost diplomatic and economic ties with the region.

The article says, “The Philippines, which has one of the weakest militaries in Asia...”

Hmm, not much between someone on a Philippine island and the enemy, just a very weak military, and since there are so many islands there, that weak military can't be everywhere at once. Militant muslims there could attack, militant Chinese there could attack and that one is on the hot burner right now.

Now, we have angry Filipinos protesting the arrival of an American President - appears the Filipinos don't like Americans or American military on their soil. Any American on those islands is not safe no matter if some like you. Gee, I would rush right over there and live - not.

I have traveled to many countries and there is NO country, including England, whose citizens actually like Americans. During the time when airplanes were being hijacked, my Texas born son, the documentary film director who makes films all over the world, would hide his passport when on a plane, and since he sounds British now, he hoped that accent would save him if hijackers were on his plane as they were killing Americans they found on planes.

One time in England, I went to an Asian restaurant with British people and they told me not to speak to the Asian people who would serve us, as they didn't like Americans. Some sales people in England, will treat you like dirt if you are by yourself as they will peg you as American when you speak.

The one country where we are accepted as not being weird, is the small country of Monaco. It is indeed an international country where Americans are treated well. I have been there twice and one of those times was living with a lady who chose to live there. I was with the local people and in their shops and homes. It also has the best climate on this earth and the cleanest water. Prince Ranier and Jacques Cousteau (Cousteau lived there), cleaned up their shoreline water and no company can be there that has any effluent that would drain into the countryside or into that part of the ocean.

Why don't I live there? Because I am a citizen of the United States and I'm not leaving the land my ancestors settled. They left England and struggled in this new land to make it a free country. They fought in the war with England to keep their new found freedom. I intend to keep up that struggle, not desert that for which they fought to keep.

Multiple great reasons to not ever set foot off US soil, ma'am. Screw the rest of the world...they don't like us, yet they're clamoring to come here for our health care system -- oh wait, maybe not anymore.

I've been to the Alps, and they don't hold a candle to the Rockies. I've been to the beaches of San Remo and Rimini...they have nothing on good ol' Clearwater Beach. I've been to Oktoberfest in Munich -- twice -- and don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun. But nothing compared to Mardi Gras in Nawlins. England and Australia may have great music scenes, but I can't imagine they have anything that would top a night out on 6th Street in Austin.

So let Alex spew his rot from his beach chair, or from his cube in the Obammunist Ministry of Propaganda. This country is still the greatest ever on the face of the Earth, and always will be as long as I'm drawing breath.

Woof, woof! Dawg soldiers up!

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

Yeah, we have our OWN culture, our OWN little slice of Heaven right here.

I am perfectly content to do all that I can do - whatever small part that is mine to play - to make my own Country a better place, so that successive generations have the same “Land of Opportunity” that was left to us.

Yeah... we have some problems right now. Some people get overwhelmed by those problems; it’s understandable. But Americans - REAL Americans - have never shied away from a challenge. Hell, if that were the case, we would have died off long ago.

People that leave this country and then sit there offshore bashing it.... well, to my mind, we don’t need you back. They remind me of the people who watched intently which flag to fly - the British Union Jack, or the newly-born American Flag.

And to me, that’s .... despicable.

I have no problem with expats who leave simply because they just wanted to see the world and enjoy that facet of life. That was never the issue here.

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