WHOSE GOVERNMENT?

1. When we say that something is wrong in terms of governance of elections, the people involved say: I cannot do anything about it. I am just being told what to do, and I follow the orders. 

2. A priest who didn't like the idea of a recount of the votes during the 1992 elections wherein Miriam questioned the voting count, said, "We cannot afford to have a vacuum." What vacuum when Cory was still there who could have extended her stay as president. 

3. Who shall prevail, the people or the political parties? This is really intriguing.

4. Who is the final arbiter, God? If so, let us speak of Biblical truths. 

5. I remember one lawyer who quoted: the law should serve the people, and not the people serve the law. Now the law on electoral college is ages old. So should it still prevail now when loopholes have surfaced about its truthful effectivity for raising the right officials voted by the people?

6. When there are election issues, so many kinds of people arise, oppressive, anti-democratic and anti-people. You can bet their basis is some anachronistic law or tradition. 

7. The question now is how to stop the destruction or casting into oblivion of democratic ideals. When Marcos corpse was buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the historical role of the Filipino people in the democratic upheaval in our country and the world got lost somewhere. 

8. In the long run, the question now boils down to respecting the people's choice. 

9. That is the essence of democracy defined as government of the people, by the people and for the people:

WHEN VOTING BECOMES A COMI-TRAGIC EVENT

What validates an election? The votes. Who files the votes? The voters. Not the middlemen and women -- not the electoral college members. The latter just sift through the ballots to see who has the greater number of yeses and noes. Then vote according to the rules, "supposed to be." 
But should that be the case all the time?

Perhaps when the ancestors of Americans devised the electoral college, it was difficult to consolidate all the ballots as it was a continental problem and transportation was still through horseback riding. And to carry sacks of ballots to one place for counting would have been an enormous task. 

But now that voting is just a click away, the use of the electoral college becomes irrelevant and dangerous in the hands of people who do not value the genuine votes of the people. 

Yet some people want to uphold that antiquated method. You can get a fake or genuine official if that is the case. Thus voting can become a case of both comic and tragic event.

We, in the Philippines, suffered a lot from having a fake president. It just didn't feel right at all when President Erap was deposed. So the chain of command felt giggly. 

I wonder what the US Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force would feel having a president who does not hold the real votes of the people. 

Alas, voting has become a tragic event indeed, not only in the Philippines, but also in the United States and other parts of the world. Cheating in elections has become a way of life. 

And it looks like the EC is some form of legitimized covert untoward behavior to install an unpopular candidate.

RESEARCHES ON ELECTORS

When was the law on the Electoral College decreed and amended? In 1787.

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Offi ce of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

[The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate.

The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certifi cates, and the Votes shall then be counted.

The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the fi ve highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.]*

The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.

What have been the developments in the United States since then? A lot which could affect the way the Constitution should already be written. The mindsets of the officials in 1787 should be definitely different from those of 2016.

So how can the Constitutional provisions be said then to be still applicable until now?

That is very difficult to answer, right?

The big question actually is HOW RELEVANT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE NOW?

Does it really protect the people's right of suffrage?

Does the government respect the right of the people to choose their own officials?

We do not know the mindsets of the officials of 1787 except that they probably had desired order, and that no majority could impose their will on the people.

But in the last elections, we could see that, the people from the rural areas imposed their will through the electors who determined who should win the elections.

Now is that not discrimination, as results show that more people voted for a different individual than the one now purported to be the winner?

When Marcos lost in the 1986 elections, and yet had himself declared as winner, there were many acts he did which gave a semblance of “validity” to his elections. But eventually, he lost to the People Power Movement.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A VOTER AND AN ELECTOR? An elector is only a go between the Citizen and the State. Now, despite all the technological developments on this planet, why should there be a dichotomy between the two? Aren't they one and the same?

But no, the Elector seems to have more important powers than the voter which is anti-democratic.

For Democracy means, a government OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people.

Yet the presence of Electors is highly dubious, and makes a mockery of the elections. They are a priviledged class, legitimized, legalized because of a historical basis which has become anachronistic in the light of developments in the more liberated definitions of Democracy.

WHO HAS PROFITTED FROM THIS DICHOTOMY?

Are there researches whether the Electors have really voted for those that the people have chosen?

What about the lifestyles of the Electors, are they still the same before and after the elections? Has there been a study at all that would point to the fact that they did not profit from their having put on the tasks as Electors?

Everyone calls him President-Elect, not the voted President. The electoral college put him there, not the voters. How tragic, indeed. 

TWO MILLION VOTES NULLIFIED? SHOCKING!

Musing over the relevance of the Electoral College (EC) for the US election of the President and Vice-President is mind-boggling to say the list. And until now I see no clarity at all. It seems that the EC is a method which really discounts the importance of many citizen's votes. It also appears that the method is dividing the country -- thus appearing as if the Americans are not all Americans but rather are a mixture of this and that citizen. If I visit New York, and then California, will there be a difference in terms of citizens minds and hearts? Are they not all Americans? 

When an election is meant to define the future and to push the progress of everyone, having that EC does not seem to be the proper means to insure that the people get the right leaders for themselves. Limiting the choosing of the officials to a few individuals who act as members of the EC is like allowing only a few people to eat the pie which has been made by millions of people. 

At the latest count, Hillary could win by 2 million votes* over Trump and yet the latter is the one who will enjoy the title of President. Is that not unfair to the 2 Million voters who exerted so much effort to vote? They racked their brains over so many months, listening to the debates, analysing the discussions, determining which individual could best serve their political, economic, social and cultural interest. Now, is it possible to dismiss their votes just because of a method that is highly flawed, from the choice of electors to the actual voting process?

The United States is touted to be the leading Democratic country in the world. And so wherever she goes, to whatever country, and then engages in war, the people do not question anymore her motives, rather the majority do not. That is because it is as if Superman is coming, Folks, listen and watch as he defeats the evil monsters of the world. 

Now who will slay the monsters of the ballots? 

"In the US, some 400 institutions now run PhDs programmes and more than 1.35 million doctorates were awarded between 1920 and 1999. Of these, 62% were in science and engineering – “itself a reflection of the way in which modern economies were becoming more dependent on technological development”. **

Thus, despite the advances in education, the United States who is fourth, in 2012, in terms of being the most educated country, with her neighbor Canada topping the list, in terms of elections, it seems to be lagging behind our own Philippine elections, where the people really make their own choice of the officials.  

Now why in the world does this EC exist in the US?  How come it is so easy for an election to nullify, to invalidate, to annul, to negate, to  ZAP two million votes?
Is it not enough that all voters have minds and hearts which they use for voting? By sticking to the EC method, isn't the US rocking them to not feel anything and just accept what has been brought in by the EC? 

God, until know, I do not understand this Electoral College at all. Please help me because it is the counterpart of our Extrajudicial Killings of dope pushers in our country -- a kind of mockery and assassination of the votes. 

That this is happening in the leading country for Democracy is incomprehensible. There should be a more humane way of choosing the president. That this is occurring under a president who was chosen overwhelmingly despite his skin color in 2007 and 2011 is rather shocking. 






*http://www.ibtimes.com/latest-poll-most-accurate-survey-has-donald-trump-leading-hillary-clinton-point

** (http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130403121244660)
omparison chart

Male sculpture, The Thinker by Rodin

Female sculpture, The Thinker by Eduardo Gomez










A comparison of the Electoral vs Popular Votes

Electoral Vote versus Popular Vote comparison chart

	Electoral Vote	Popular Vote
Political Structure	Representative republic	Direct democracy
Progression of Vote	Citizen votes for delegate or representative, generally in accordance with their allegiances/party affiliation. Delegates convene and vote. Winner of that vote is elected for the position in question.	Citizens vote for their choice of official for the position being elected. Votes are counted. Majority of votes is elected to that position.
Bureaucracy	Requires formation of some form of committee, college, or council to vote after they've been elected. May also have government oversight organizations.	Requires no formation of such groups, nor the election of such groups. May also have government oversight organizations.
Establishment of Voting Districts	Mandatory, regional delegates run for given district's delegate locations via their party or individually.	Not required.
Gerrymandering	Present and created as a result of voting districts.	Not created due to lack of need for voting districts.
Party Benefits	Favors majority parties, as they can concentrate resources, change bureaucracy, establish and gerrymander voting districts.	Favors no party size in particular, though greatly improves potential for minority parties e.g., a third political party in the U.S.
Modern History A presidential candidate needs 270 (just over 50%) electoral votes to win. Here is a list of the number of electoral votes for each state: State Electoral Votes Alabama 9 Alaska 3 Arizona 11 Arkansas 6 California 55 Colorado 9 Connecticut 7 Delaware 3 Washington, D.C. 3 Florida 29 Georgia 16 Hawaii 4 Idaho 4 Illinois 20 Indiana 11 Iowa 6 Kansas 6 Kentucky 8 Louisiana 8 Maine 4 Maryland 10 Massachusetts 11 Michigan 16 Minnesota 10 Mississippi 6 Missouri 10 Montana 3 Nebraska 5 Nevada 6 New Hampshire 4 New Jersey 14 New Mexico 5 New York 29 North Carolina 15 North Dakota 3 Ohio 18 Oklahoma 7 Oregon 7 Pennsylvania 20 Rhode Island 4 South Carolina 9 South Dakota 3 Tennessee 11 Texas 38 Utah 6 Vermont 3 Virginia 13 Washington 12 West Virginia 5 Wisconsin 10 Wyoming 3	Does not allow higher populated areas (say, CA or NY) to take advantage of being able to always vote for the candidate, thereby underrepresenting the other rural areas of the nation.	Harder to accomplish beyond geographically-close groups prior to modern transportation and communication. These hindrances are no longer in place for developed nations.

PEOPLE POWER MOVEMENT

From February 7, 1986, when Marcos cheated in the snap presidential Philippine elections to defeat Cory, the widow of Ninoy Aquino, up to February 21, 1986, two weeks, the people did not stop demonstrating against him. So much so that the Church, under Cardinal Sin was forced to wade his feet into the political waters, calling on the people to protect then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel Ramos from being bamboozled by the military forces of Marcos. 

Actually, the People Power Movement took four years to prosper, speedying up after the assassination of Ninoy at the tarmac. 

That Movement was characterized by spontaneous and individual voluntarism by the people -- preparing their own posters in newspapers and tacking them on walls and fences. 

to be continued

WHAT IS TO BE DONE

Folks, Read this which I clipped from the FBI organizational structure: (Federal Bureau of Investigation



Our Core Values

Rigorous obedience to the Constitution of the United States;
Respect for the dignity of all those we protect;
Compassion;
Fairness;
Uncompromising personal integrity and institutional integrity;
Accountability by accepting responsibility for our actions and decisions and the consequences of our actions and decisions;
Leadership, both personal and professional; and
Diversity.
Our History

The FBI was established in 1908. See our History website for more details on our evolution and achievements over the years.

Our Motto


“Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity"

Did Director Comey exhibit all of those values when he filed that comment on Hillary's emails without investigating if there was a hint of wrongdoing at all?

So, does this show that the era of professionalism is gone in the government work of FBI?

Hillary recently clamed Comey's letter as the cause of her defeat in the polls. But then, the struggle is not over yet.

1. The votes can be recounted;
2. Another group has proposed that the Electoral College be convened and make them vote again;
3. The Electoral College's votes can be examined for their faithfulness to follow the people's will -- the true state of their votes;
4. Director Comey may apologize and be dismissed from office; and
5. The Protest Movement, following a peaceful path, can follow the way of all peace-loving countries that have turned democratic and prevent a Trump ascension;

WHAT IS TO BE DONE

Folks, Read this which I clipped from the FBI organizational structure: (Federal Bureau of Investigation)



Our Core Values

Rigorous obedience to the Constitution of the United States;
Respect for the dignity of all those we protect;
Compassion;
Fairness;
Uncompromising personal integrity and institutional integrity;
Accountability by accepting responsibility for our actions and decisions and the consequences of our actions and decisions;
Leadership, both personal and professional; and
Diversity.
Our History

The FBI was established in 1908.

Motto


“Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity"

Did Director Comey exhibit all of those values when he filed that comment on Hillary's emails without investigating if there was a hint of wrongdoing at all?

So, does this show that the era of professionalism is gone in the government work of FBI?

Hillary recently claimed Comey's letter as the cause of her defeat in the polls. But then, the struggle is not over yet.

1. The votes can be recounted;
2. Another group has proposed that the Electoral College be convened and make them vote again;
3. The Electoral College's votes can be examined for their faithfulness to follow the people's will -- the true state of their votes;
4. Director Comey may apologize and be dismissed from office; and
5. The Protest Movement, following a peaceful path, can follow the way of all peace-loving countries that have turned democratic and prevent a Trump ascension;

WE SHALL OVERCOME

Three Musicans by Picasso
Three Musicians by Picasso


Mahalia Jackson---We Shall Overcome

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, 
We shall overcome someday.

The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through,
The Lord will see us through someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

We're on to victory, We're on to victory,
We're on to victory someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We're on to victory someday.

We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We'll walk hand in hand someday.

We are not afraid, we are not afraid,
We are not afraid today;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We are not afraid today.

The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free,
The truth shall make us free someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
The truth shall make us free someday.

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall live in peace someday

SINGING AWAY WHILE THINKING AND MARCHING PEACEFULLY

While we are so concerned about our societies, let us sing inspiring songs by Afro Americans. Here is



https://www.novica.com/itemdetail/?pid=222042

GREAT DAY American Negro SongArranged by Moses Hogan for 4 voices

Great day !

Great day, the righteous marching

Great day

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

Chariot rode on the mountain top

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

My God spoke and the chariot stop

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

This is the day of jubilee

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

The Lord has set His people free

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

We want no cowards in our band

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

We call for valiant hearted men

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

Going to take my breast-plate, sword and shield

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

And march boldly in the field

God’s going to build up Zion’s walls

MOSES HOGAN's Arrangement of a Negro Spiritual

from “American Negro Songs”by John W. Work, 1940

O, Walk together children
Don’t you get weary
Walk together children
Don’t you get weary
Walk together children
Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land
Talk together children
Don’t you get weary
Talk together children
Don’t you get weary
Talk together children

    Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land

 Going to shout and never tire
Shout and never tire
Shout and never tire
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land

 O. Get you ready children
Don’t you get weary
Get you ready children
Don’t you get weary
Get you ready children
Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meting in the Promised Land
For Jesus is a-coming

     Don’t you get weary
esus is a-coming
Don’t you get weary
Jesus is a-coming
Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land

 O, I feel the spirit….

 Now I’m getting happy