It’s a schock. We extend our sympathies to his family and relatives, and the American people he dearly served for decades.
Ri and I believe in those who staunchly defend freedom, be it in the United States, Asia, or anywhere. A threat to freedom and environment that’s conducive to the exercise of the basic universal rights of man, anywhere, is a threat to freedom and the free world everywhere.
Senator Lindsey Graham, who so untimely just passed away, is one of our such favorite outspoken warriors who remain steadfast in their beliefs, and in effective, decisive governance. He’s always been so proud of his country and the American people, and for that we are so proud of him too. He’s that kind who makes a difficult stand when doing so invites not just fierce opposition but outright hostility from all kinds of entities.
We join the American people in grieving the loss of a true freedom fighter. A fierce guardian of global liberty and a devoted ally to the Philippines and the Filipinos. May he rests in peace.
In this time of sorrow, we honor a global leader whose advocacy for Philippine sovereignty, security in the West Philippine Sea and other claimed areas by the Communist Party of China, and the freedom of navigation in legally, internationally, multilaterally recognized international waters never wavered. He understood that the cause of freedom knows no borders.
Most important for a bullied nation, a brother-nation to the United States and the American people, he fully supported and advanced the cause of a medium-size democratic Asian country (or small, in CCP-China’s treatment), helping approve the hundreds of millions, billions in dollars in total for the next few years, for the Philippine military, the Filipinos, the Philippines, the cause of freedom and regional stability in East and Southeast Asia, that yet not counting other material and non-tangible support, humanitarian assistances, development aids, and all of these creating the atmosphere of a nation on track to having a minimum credible defense capability thus creating an atmosphere of relative long-term security and trust in stability of a society and economy that’s rather developing very fast relatively speaking. (That’s a complex sentence, but being intensely at work on other matters for months now, have no time and reason to delay publishing of this piece.)
Thank you, Senator Lindsey Graham, for being an inspiration too. I’m (Ernest) sure to miss you and your voice, your symbolism, your kind of patriotism, and I can’t imagine the great contributions you wholeheartedly gave for the American people and all the freedom-fighters, warriors of the world especially in the arena of marketplace for ideas (and expression of fearless views in te age of cancel culture) among the better known leaders of the free world.
To add, in a future where Iran is no longer pursuing a nuclear weapons program, led by peace-loving, freedom-loving new breed of leaders, I’m sure not a shortage of them in this great Persian country of great people and proud history, you will be remembered as one of those who gave them, and the Iranian people, their voice, when it’s most incovenient and least expedient politically. I’m sure to keep that in my heart, and remember you when the new dawn of history for the people of Iran and the Middle East, one that’s in the aspirations and dreams of majority of its peoples, meets daylight (it already is now emerging, however in the fringes and not yet in broad terms visible to casual observers).
At a time it’s certainly least expedient, politically, even personally, he gave his all-out support to the American security establishment in the carrying out of a long-term foreign policy, a political objective that was practically impossible to accomplish before President Trump, as regard non-negotiable pursuit of a nuclear weapons program by an extremist kind of dictators.
The road to lasting peace, and required further strengthening of deterrence against grave threats to relative regional and global peace, is not without great costs and price to pay, and if it’s so daunting to even think about and tread, then that was what the Russian leaders and major European counterparts conveniently, expediently, peacefully, pursued, path they walked on.
Hitler could be dealt with diplomatically, in traditional terms, especially with appeasement coated in “Let’s just keep the peace we have now … who wants wars after hundreds of years of endless wars before WWI. And who really want major war again after just a few years since WWI”. Then not many years after, the greatest destruction of the world, in World War II.
To engage in debates, in this highly charged, extremely complicated topic, is futile. Men (and of course women, or man in general for humankind) can always debate endlessly, theories, doctrines, beliefs, assumptions, history. Wars, however ugly the very idea is, if referring to physical forces clashing and people trying to annihilate others, can be a tolerable, required, or last-resort means to an end. Wars in pursuit of political goals and policies, will never be extracted from humankind’s DNA. But a controlled war, if there’s such a thing, can deliver lasting peace too. Senator Graham did not always fully subscribed to President Trump’s every idea and decision, or stand on matters, and we also greatly admire him for that, and he would not sabotage the President or the cause of national security of the American people and the soldiers out there in harms way in the most dangerous parts of the world, but they have always agreed on principles, and underlying causes.
I’m drifting into irrelevant topics here, I’m sorry. Considering we have urgent concerns to attend to supposedly since an hour ago today, this morning. But this is for our Senator.
1st draft. Rushed.
I miss him already. This century’s period of necessary wars, needed a figure like him, supporting decisions and execution of plans when they’re least popular and would invited hostility from all sorts of entities and even violent state actors, to successfully pursue objectives, goals and policies that later, long-term, prove positively consequential and majority of people later realized they would not have it the other way otherwise. I have met, debated with, worked with, brainstormed with, deliberated with, argued with, verbally fought with people who would advocate for they believe would be the best course of action, and who would force their thinking and views on matters, but would later see them, witness them, observe them, shamelessly, but silently, walk away even from participating in semi-private more so public discussions in an environment or situation that expressing support of their personal opinions would cost them something, even basic convenience of a smooth relationship, however superficial, with more of those around them, or to shy away from giving a cent, a minute of their time, thinking it’s not their burden to share with others. But this is most true in a society where millions have benefited from stolen public funds, true for decade after decade.
Senator Graham, his kind, we should have his kind, and more of him, in our local society, where we are now. Bold, fearless, but decently and resonably compromising if in pursuit of much greater causes of his people and country, and cause of freedom.
Ernest Barraquias Jr. with Rian Igos.
