Censuring Trump, silencing Rappler
issue…more confused than before.
President of the United States is a racist. And another: The United States has a long and ugly history of excluding immigrants based on race or national origin.
“Mr. Trump seems determined - dents of both parties in recent decades to overcome that history.
Richard Durbin, Democrat of Il said the president did in fact say
“Of course he did. Remember, Mr. Trump is not just racist, ignorant, incompetent and undigni
“The current turmoil over im issues. One is DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - prieves from deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. These are the so-called Dreamers
“Another issue is the Temporary Protected Status program under In one of the longest and more trenchant editorials have ever read ( remain in the United States. In No , January vember, the Trump administration 13, 2018), this flagship of the ended the protection for about 60,000 Haitians, and on Monday the administration lifted it for its contempt of Trump. This is almost 200,000 Salvadorans, most
“A third issue is the future of is rated as the happiest nation on the roughly 11 million undocu come to the United States over
The vs Trump
decades and have effectively integrated into American life. The Trump administration has ordered a broad immigration
“What is concerning is not the the vacillation on the Dreamers all of these things together: the behind them.
sued by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments convicted but later exonerated by DNA and other evidence, but Mr. Trump never apologized, and he continued to argue as late as - dential campaign by demonizing defended marchers in a neo-Nazi
“Just last month, re Trump said that 15,000 Haitians have seen the United States. See a pattern yet?
“Donald Trump is by no means But he ran a campaign explicitly rooted in bigotry, exclusion and on Thursday only reaffirm his
- is encouraging and refreshing, as it indicates Trump is more or The editorial does not end there. threaten closure, or any of its editorial - ment. He, rather than is on the receiving end. Not so Rappler Inc.
The case vs Rappler
The decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission to papers, for allegedly violating the mass media— although not yet final and executory, according to sends out a most alarming signal not just to the national press, but
- site, and the only truly indepen It has performed a critical role at tended to turn a blind eye on many execrable things happening before their very eyes.
Indeed, the Constitution pro - agement of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, coop But given the cavalier regard the most sacred constitutional issues, to supply some balance in the
operating in the Philippines?
But is Rappler, in fact, for
The controversy appears to cen - pine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) fund created by eBay founder and entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar. A grants the holder the right to the delivery of sale of the underlying - foreign fund providers.
the PDRs issued by Rappler to understanding of it changed just because President Duterte investigated during his last State of the Nation Address?
Assuming the SEC had erred before, and Omidyar PDRs are - agement control of Rappler, to simply cancel those PDRs, - -
I am assuming, of course, that the silencing of Rappler altogether is not the real non-negotiable - ment move. But is it? Silencing Rappler solves nothing might yet succeed in silencing - ing a mighty and extended roar of angry lions from various cor same injury upon himself.
a truly sensible and far- seeing - to consider is the scrapping of the present provision barring foreign of all mass media establishments. This ban serves no useful purpose except to protect the monopolistic interests of media oligarchs
The revolution in communi given us a digital economy, has abolished all barriers to information from various parts of the television, people of all ages are merely prevents foreign capital and intellectual expertise from entering the country at a time they are sorely needed.