American Forces asked to leave the Southern Philippines

[Gratefuled]

11 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Seems to me you are just racist as you can not distinguish the difference between muslims and terrorist. I have just about had enough of this crap on this foru

No, not at all racist. I know that not all Muslims are terrorists. I know some here. My step son has Muslim friends in school. I do know that all terrorists like Abu Sayaaf, MNLF, MILF, and BIFF are Muslims. Some of which are the ones causing the random acts of violence and terror. 

Will you ban me for expressing my opinion?

[Reboot]

Islam is an ideology, not a race. Muslims range from black to white. 

[Gratefuled]

6 minutes ago, Reboot said:

Islam is an ideology, not a race. Muslims range from black to white. 

I know this. 

[Gratefuled]

10 hours ago, Gas said:

I agree with that comment to a point, however most of my american friends here in the Philippines and abroad were taught from a very young age to be paranoid about some terrible enemy. 

One never knows who or where the enemy is at any given time. In the states, we do not venture certain neighborhoods. This is not being racist, it's just being cautious. 

[Gratefuled]

5 hours ago, davewe said:

While this makes sense for most people, JJ, my take on Duterte is that the only thing he'd worry about at The Hague is what the girls look like 

this is funny, 

[Mr. Bobo]

3 hours ago, Reboot said:

Islam is an ideology, not a race. Muslims range from black to white. 

Not to split hairs here but Islam is a religion. It is one of the three Abrahamic monotheistic religions; Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. It is Political Islam (Islamism) that is the ideology. All your Radical Islamic groups would fall into the Political Islam (Islamism) category, and you are right they come in all different colors and races.  

[Gas]

 

 

16 hours ago, Mr. Bobo said:

Of course everyone's life circumstances here in the Philippines are different. My wife is involved in politics and I have been the victim of "death threats" on more than one occasion, a couple of times I had to return to America for safety reasons. I have also been told on more than one occasion by the NPA that I must pay a "revolutionary tax" and I refused. I also have a seven year old daughter that I have to watch out for. There are a number of bad things that could potentially happen to me or my family and I like to be prepared, hence Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. 

I understand your concerns, but have any of these death threats or revolutionary tax demands been made to your face? The reason i ask is we have run several small businesses over the past 20 years and the things you describe have happened to us on several occasions.

The threats were made through letters and in more recent times cellphones. Eventually we found out who the culprits were and it had nothing to do with the NPA. The people making these threats are more than likely blackmailers, political rivals or just locals who are jealous of what you and your wife have achieved. Some of the stories i could tell you are almost comical when i think about them today. 

If you really feel that something bad is going to happen and it continually plays on your mind, i would recommend you leave sooner rather than later. 

Edited September 15, 2016 by Gas

[Mr. Bobo]

2 hours ago, Gas said:

The threats were made through letters and in more recent times cellphones. Eventually we found out who the culprits were and it had nothing to do with the NPA. The people making these threats are more than likely blackmailers, political rivals or just locals who are jealous of what you and your wife have achieved. 

A lot of the bullshit stopped when I threw my loser son-in-law, his wife, and two children out of the house. I put this loser through college while I worked abroad. When I retired and came to live here permanently there was a lot of tension between us. We built the house in 2004 and he had been living in it for many years and thought of it as his own house, even though I paid the 100,000 dollars to build it. This loser never worked a day in his life even after finishing college. He lived off his mother on money that I would send to her monthly. I even paid for his wedding, and then he decided to have a couple of kids on my dime. He, his wife, and their two kids had their own very large room in my house. They would stay in their room all day with the AC running, laptops on, the cable TV on, and have the housemaid actually bring them food when they were hungry. One month my AC bill was 12000p. They were too lazy to get up and prepare their own food, and the food was free! I could go on and on about that situation but I won't. I always suspected that it was him, and his friends, behind the calling and texting of the threats but I could never prove it. With that being said since my wife is in politics you have to take these things seriously. The NPA extortion attempt was very recent. I haven't asked my wife whether it was a face to face attempt, a text message, or a phone call. I have the feeling that this threat is real as a few of the municipal councilors paid the money. My wife legally owns a M1911 .45 acp and sometimes goes to the shooting range with the local police chief. We live in a well fortified compound with five dogs who bark whenever a stranger even walks by the house. I am never worried at home because of all the security measures, cement walls, dogs, etc. I am most vulnerable when I leave the house and when I do I always go with my wife and she takes the .45 with her.

The way I look at it, I am 65 years old and have lived a pretty good life, if anyone tries to breach my home at night when my wife is away on business I will not hesitate to use the .45 to protect my daughter regardless of the legal consequences. They may get me but I will certainly take a few of them with me.

[Kuya John]

If I had to build a fortress to live in, I would consider I was living in the wrong place.

"How safe is Mindanao" right now not very.

American troops (Advisor's) I would withdraw.

The American Cemetery in Metro Manila is full of hero's who gave their lives in troubled times past.

Every involvement in the 21st Century, has caused more problems than it solved.

Just my two cent's

 

[Mr. Bobo]

27 minutes ago, Kuya John said:

If I had to build a fortress to live in, I would consider I was living in the wrong place.

When we built the house in 2004 if was not a fortress. We were forced over the years to take security measures to fortify it, mainly due to my wife's involvement in politics. In retrospect, had I known in 2004 what I now know in 2016 about the Philippines I wouldn't have built the house and I wouldn't be living in this country. If I had the option of selling it and getting 50% of the money that I have invested in it I would be out of here in a heartbeat.