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Certain religious groups have decided to protest against the Lady Gaga concert in Manila. Several of our politicians also expressed the same sentiment. (source)

What lessons can we learn from the 2008 Georgia-Russia Conflict when the US did not help Georgia? 

The movie depicts the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia. It's actually very recent and if not for this film, I would never have been able to learn about this conflict. At the time, while the media was busy covering the olympics in China, thousands were killed or displaced in a war that lasted for only five days. Unarmed civilians, even children, were executed. And one of the main causes of the war is territorial dispute between states — a similar problem we now have with China.

Of course, the film is sponsored by the State of Georgia and we can't really be sure if it's entirely factual. The international community is divided; some side with Georgia while some with Russia. The truth is, no one really has proof on who started what. An independent report commissioned by the European Union states that Georgia started the attack (source). Even the Human Rights Watch and BBC (source) take a similar position (something very opposite of what's shown on the film). Of course, these reports came out long after the war occurred.

Although this obviously begs the question of why Georgia, no matter how heavily armed they are, would start a war against Russia's superior arsenal and international influence. It's like what they say: history is written by the victors. We can never really be sure of what exactly happened to spark the 5 days of war. And obviously Georgia is the underdog.

The same could happen between us and China. We might just be at the murky beginnings of a war where the innocent will die and no one will really win. One unordered misfire that will hit either side could cause an unwanted war. It doesn't even have to be from either side. Terrorists, rebel groups, and even  arms dealers could easily take advantage of the situation. And, again, the only victims would be the unarmed individuals and families who have no vested interest in this conflict. 

And in the case of an armed conflict, will our defense treaty with the US really stand or could they easily shrug it off with technicalities being that they would never want armed conflict with China? I have mentioned in a previous post that the world is losing faith in the dollar. When they are already trillions in debt to China, would they really engage in an armed conflict? Perhaps this is the main reason why I am comparing the Spratly Islands dispute to the  2008 Georgia-Russia conflict because when they needed help from the US, they didn't get any.

And Georgia is a country that sent troops, their own young men and women, to Iraq to help the US with their neocon agenda of looking for supposed weapons of mass destruction. This is all, of course, in the hopes that one day there would be a payback. This was all to preserve their strong ties with the US knowing well that Russia has territorial dispute with them and that there was a threat of war.

During the conflict, then president George W. Bush sent a statement to Russia saying "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."  It's basically like sending an email that he doesn't agree with what Russia is doing. The Bush administration considered a military response to help defend Georgia but in the end concluded that they can't risk inevitable conflict with Russia (source). All they were able to do was send humanitarian supplies. In the end, George didn't help Georgia.

Of course, we gain confidence because of the defense treaty we have with Big Brother but, again, will Big Brother really risk conflict with China? I'd even like to think that China itself won't risk an armed conflict with us but many assumed the same about both Russia and Georgia not being capable of a first-strike before 2008.

It was assumed that in a world that has witnessed two world wars and has created the United Nations (the same big government coalition that created UNCLOS which strengthens the Philippine State's claim to the said islands), you'd think we've had enough of the violence of war and that we now live in a world of peaceful trade and diplomacy.

Nowadays, after an armed conflict, all politicians have to do is stand behind a podium in front of cameras and say that they condemn war crimes and the rest, as they say, is history. War is a messy business where justice is never served. All is not fair in love and war. We cannot afford an armed conflict with China on not just economical but also moral grounds in spite of how confident we are with our defense treaty with the US.

Here's a video of Ron Paul supporters in Spain rallying last March in Madrid. It really goes to show that Ron Paul supporters are all over the world and his campaign for liberty transcends US borders.

The establishment and mainstream media has dubbed him the "unelectable" candidate. He didn't even get to win any state during the straw polls. But you see, the process is not about the straw polls but about the delegates that will be going to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida come August. And guess what, it seems the unelectable candidate has been winning a competitive amount of delegate slots. 

Ron Paul rallies not covered by the mainstream media
I have pointed out before that the supposed front runner Romney has a habit of not being able to fill a room and talking to empty chairs and yet still gets the attention of the mainstream media whereas Ron Paul gets thousands in his rallies, gets the highest donations from those in active military duty of all candidates combined, and yet is the one least talked about.
My Predictions: 
Come August, Ron Paul's delegates will go to Tampa and they will not come alone. Ron Paul's supporters will come from all over the US and outside screaming and chanting "Ron Paul" or "End the Fed" or "President Paul" at the top of their lungs. 
The GOP establishment will try every thing in their power, just as they've been doing, to find technicalities and power so they can prevent Ron Paul's delegates and his supporters from joining the convention and it won't be a conspiracy theory but will be even more blatant than back in 2008. 
They will hire so-called "experts" to talk on mainstream media to misrepresent and misinterpret libertarianism and Ron Paul's platform. The majority will believe them. The only true reports of what's going on will be on alternative and social media and yet most Americans, especially the older generation who's not exposed to social media, will remain apathetic and attached to the Democrat/Republican establishment.
Romney will emerge victorious as the nominee but come November for the elections, because W. Bush has completely destroyed the reputation of the Republican establishment, Obama will win as president of the United States. Nothing will change in spite of Obama's "change we can believe in" rhetoric. The same foreign policy, the same economic and monetary policies, the same degradation of civil liberties.

As an inevitable consequence of US foreign policy and monetary policy, the world is finally losing faith in the dollar.

When the US has to borrow money from China just to sustain their empire-building and endless wars, it is not surprising for China to start losing faith in the dollar, along with the other highly developing countries that are members of the BRICS summit. The US has spent hundreds of billions on their endless wars, or their empire-building, on their embassy in Iraq that's bigger than the Vatican, something that is just economically doomed to fail. The US is broke and a while back they even had to raise their debt ceiling and lead to the downgrading of the dollar. Regardless of the arguments for their policing of the world, they just can't afford it anymore.

And then there's the Federal Reserve, responsible for devaluing the dollar since 1913, who keeps giving their buddies billions of dollars in bailouts. Their ability to print money at will is basically theft from the income of hardworking individuals because the dollar gets debased. Actually, those who advocate the Austrian School of Economics have been predicting this for a long time. Ron Paul has been warning his colleagues in congress about this for 30 years and no one ever listened to him. Also, this form of central banking also funds the foreign policy and policing of the world.

Obama doesn't know that the microphone is still on and says something very revealing to Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

In this TED talk, Margaret Stewart, YouTube's head of User Experience, talks about how they deal with copyright issues by partnering with those who have a claim on intellectual property and, through a complex algorithm of locating possible matches, these partners are given the discretion if they'll allow the video to be posted or not. 

I've actually recently been notified of copyright infringement in one of my videos, as they detected I used the song New Soul by Yael Naim but have been allowed to keep it posted.

The era of Web 2.0 really changed the concept of copyright. Both entrepreneurs and policymakers have to liberalize their position on IPR. And I believe it will be inevitable as the internet develops and becomes more organic and free. We saw how the world reacted when the US congress wanted to pass SOPA (a bill intended to protect IPR).

I shall save my blog post about my meeting with the Republicans Abroad Philippines for another time. I'm sure it does stir intrigue and suspense among my readers; this desire to know more about what transpired within the walls of the Manila lodge of The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. Watch out for that soon.

So a fellow libertarian shares this link to the Shanghai Austrian Economics Summit and I am quite interested in going. The problem, of course, is the whopping minimum price of $758. This is the bare minimum. You get to share a room with a random guy (or someone I know if someone else is interested in coming), get free lodging for three days, with all meals paid for. This doesn't include the package that comes with a tour of China. The Great Wall and stuff like that, if I'm not mistaken. Oh, and this doesn't include airfare. If I don't get to pay before the 1st of May, I'll miss out on the early bird discount and it'll even be more expensive. 

Come to think of it though, some people would pay around the same price or even more for the new iPad where they'll just play Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja or whatever it is that's trending right now. Comparing it to that, the price for the summit slowly becomes more sensible. And don't even get me started on the price of schooling (there's really so much to streamline in the contemporary schooling curriculum and its methodologies; I've written on this a couple of times mostly in my other blogs).

And I love seminars and conferences. I actually love specifying them in my resume, for instance. I believe that, for many of the seminars/conferences I've attended, most of the time I actually learn more in just a day or two  (or more relevant to me, at least) as compared to more time spent in school. 

Take Graphika Manila 2010, for example. I didn't specifically learn any new skill or how to produce art/films. What I got was wisdom from those who actually have experience in the field. What I got was inspiration.

For example, during the 2011 one, there was this guy who was part of the creation of Avatar (I forgot his exact role).   I didn't really learn specifically how to make intense graphics and animations. But I learned that he actually never finished college. He was actually just a pizza delivery guy at one time. And it's just so inspiring to hear the stories and advice from these experienced artists.

So the keyword here is inspiration. Basically, if I choose to go, that's what I'm paying for. Aside from the networking with the most influential groups in the libertarian world, aside from the new lessons about the Austrian School of Economics and classical liberalism, these speakers: they will be there to inspire me.

Inspire me to excel in my writing. Inspire me to learn more about history and economics. Inspire me to think of solutions to our world's problems. Inspire me to think that my writing is actually, no matter how small an effect, helping in changing the minds of people toward a more libertarian perspective. The pen is mightier than the sword, they say. It'll add to my credibility — probably the most important aspect of all. 

I do hope, if I do get a chance to complete the funds needed in going there, that the visa application process isn't tedious. It probably isn't. I see people go to The Great Wall all the time. 

It is quite funny, the idea of having a libertarian summit in China of all places. It does sound a bit scary.

I don't really have the complete funds needed for this trip but I am thinking positive about it. May is quite far from now, even if I don't make it to the early bird discount, I should start with small steps. I gotta go knock at the doors of our bureaucrats over at DFA so they can help me out with my expired passport then get the China visa. No matter what, at least I would have been able to renew my passport and get a visa to China. If I don't make it to the conference, I'm sure China would be a fun place to video random things (I do enjoy that, if you're not familiar).

In this BBC documentary Amazon, Bruce Parry is able to expose the rustic and dangerous beginnings of cocaine production.

From what the media has been telling me, from literature to films, drinking really is a part of the culture in the UK. It's not uncommon for you to see people in pubs during lunchtime having a few drinks before continuing their day. And what's funny is that some of these people are their members of parliament:

The Iron Lady Trailer

And precisely that experience of having worked for her family's small business that gave her the insight of appreciating capitalism. His father was actually a statesman as well who seemed to be a staunch fiscal conservative. Her strict observance of prices came from the fact that she was a monetarist, a position advocated by libertarians like Milton Friedman who believed that the government may have the power to control inflation. Her passion for cutting spending and privatization roots from her influence from the works of F.A. Hayek and other classical liberals. I even remember in the PBS documentary Commanding Heights they showed that Thatcher and Hayek exchanged letters. 

Aside from being really hardcore like being able to dine with high officials of the Soviet Union (who then dubbed her the name "The Iron Lady") or tearing down the Berlin wall, what really stood out the most for me was her obsession with prices. I do not agree with many of her policies including monetarism or her fetish for war and militarism but I loved the fact that she had her finger on the pulse of the market—an important quality a poltician should have, I believe.

I remember in one of the debates during the 2010 Philippine presidential elections, candidate Jamby Madrigal was asked the price of galunggong (common fish in the Philippines) to which she humorously replied she wouldn't know because she is a vegetarian. Now I realize that it was such an important question. Inflation is one of the most important issues in politics and knowing prices of the typical daily commodities that the people buy is most definitely significant.

I remember when I lived in my house in Laguna for back when I was still in college, I really learned a lot about managing my budget for my daily needs. Many times I would buy my own food from the sari-sari store (a very common small time convenient store managed by families in their very own homes). Almost every place here has sari-sari store and this is mostly where many consumers would buy different things they need. If you've ever been to small barios, sari-sari stores are the more common venue for trade.

Changes in prices really affected me most especially since I had a very limited budget (granting that my mother already pays for my tuition, lodging; all in spite of my disdain for contemporary schooling—quality education takes time!). And when you're in college, you need a lot of budget allocated for booze and leisure, right? So when the price of daily needs like water or rice increase, for example, I might either have to cut on leisure expenditure or eat cheaper alternatives.

Tindahan ni Aling Nena by Eraserheads

But then that's just me. I was a lucky middle class kid in college who's blessed with a hardworking mom. All I worried about was having to drink less booze. But how about those aren't as fortunate as me? You can only imagine how inflation affects them. Ang presyo ng bigas (the price of rice). Cooking oil, milk for the baby, tuition for the kids, water and electric bills. These are all very important to them and has a drastic effect on their lives. I feel that it is irresponsible for statesmen to ignore it or not be aware of it.

It makes you reflect more on the red tapes on small businesses, huh? Should sari-sari stores need to have the redundant permits like barangay permit, mayor's permit, DTI business permit, BIR license, and the many different taxes? It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? It's funny though that technically most sari-sari stores are black market. Those people who are just trying to earn an honest living through voluntary exchange should ideally have to go through most of the red tapes. This is discouraging for small businesses and entrepreneurship in general. Most of all, it increases costs therefore increases prices. This goes out across the board for all business and the economy. 

Inflation is actually a direct result of increasing the money supply. Money isn't actually backed by any commodity like gold as everyone seems to believe up to now. We leave it up to the discretion of bureaucrats  in the central bank to decide the value of fiat currency or paper money. And inevitably, the value of paper money goes down when the supply increases therefore lowering the purchasing power of the money thus contributing to inflation.

At first glance, I know it might sound preposterous for many, the idea of going back to the gold standard. The concept though is that it doesn't have to be gold. It's just that the market dictates it and not the supposed expertise of bureaucrats. And no, Ron Paul doesn't want to instantly abolish fiat currency and central banking, he just wants, aside from wanting to audit the Federal Reserve, to be able have competing currencies. Competition will decide what is really a more effective means of preserving the value of one's earnings. This is an idea Hayek advocated, if I remember correctly, and so I do find it weird that Thatcher favored a different policy.

I guess one good indicator of who makes more sense is how back when Ron Paul and many others in the Austrian School of Economics like Peter Schiff were predicting the housing bubble and the recession, people like Bernanke, the keynesians, the monetarists: none of them listened. They totally marginalized those who were predicting the recession, some even finding their claims laughable. A simple search in YouTube of "Peter Schiff was right" or "Bernanke was wrong" are evidences of who had the right economic policies. Surely I should save the topic of Ron Paul's predictions for some another post.

One thing I love about libertarians in general, in spite of the differences in views as I have shown, is that they really have a grasp on simple commonsense economics as compared to the fancy macroeconomics of Keynesianism. The assumption of being smart enough to manage the economy, to always be acting in the public interest, to decide on arbitrary values, all of it is the pretense of knowledge.

Monetary policy is a key issue that decides the fate of our prosperity. Let us keep in mind that the power to devalue the money of people is theft. No small group of people, no matter their expertise, should ever have such a grand power. 

Hey, look what I found! It's one of the most influential books in my life that really contributed a lot to the political philosophy I have learned to love. It's an audiobook of Anthem by Ayn Rand. My ultimate favorite first line of it is a sin to write this.

Filipinos love parodies and spoofs. I am personally very entertained by the wittiness of many of them. In spite of the notion that it's not original or that it's gaya-gaya (copycat), I feel that it still takes a lot of wit and skill to come up with really funny spoofs and parodies.