This month's Z Magazine includes a report from the Philippines by James Petras and Robin Eastman-Abaya. It seems that little has changed there from the bad old days of the Marcos dictatorship, as the people still live in poverty and government oppression of activists (or anyone even suspected of trying to change things for the better) is common. As is all too often the case when it comes to Third World Fascism, Uncle Sam is very much involved although most Americans are not aware of it due to the also typical tendency of the US government to either lie about what is going on or just simply consign the unpleasant realities to the Orwellian Memory Hole.

The current "president," (more accurately called a Dictator) Gloria Arroyo, appears every bit as ruthless, corrupt, and totalitarian as Ferdinand Marcos. This was also basically true of the first two post-Marcos heads of state in the Philippines, Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos. Joseph Estrada, who briefly held office in the late 1990s, was somewhat better but still not without serious faults.

The Philippine people carry on the struggle for real freedom and democracy, and I wish them Good Luck in this endeavor.