Forced to good

Tomorrow is the deadline to end all deadlines–when Iraq should disarm or face the wrath of President George "Dubya" Bush and the hundreds of thousands of American troops amassed in the Middle East to teach Saddam Hussein the lesson he didn’t learn the last time around from the elder President George Bush.So will there be war? Many believe it’s inevitable; after all the saber rattling and chest thumping how can America–or rather, how can George Bush–back down now? As they say, forced to good na.

While the foreign tourists may be keeping away, the terrorists seem to be finding our shores very hospitable. So although we may be only a small speck on the international geo-political map, we’re involved in this whole war on terror in no small way. So what is one to do?

A couple I know are divided on what to do in the event of war. The wife insists on staying put in Manila; the husband thinks they should start packing their bags and head for safer shores; exactly which shore he isn’t very specific. Another friend is thrilled with an upcoming trip to China, because she believes that is the safest place to be if war breaks out in the Gulf.

This time around I don’t seem to see as much panic buying and hoarding–at least among my relatives and friends–as was the case in the past; maybe their cupboards are already very well stocked, or else they learned their lesson when they ended up with shelves of rusty tins of Ma Ling and bug-infested sacks of rice. (Only the packs and packs of toilet paper survived the hoarding in good condition.) Though they may be watching the news a lot more to keep abreast of developments at the United Nations–practically everybody now knows who Hans Blix is–people are still doing business, watching soap operas, shopping at the tiangge and making plans for vacations. Life does go on.

We pray for peace, hope for the best but prepare for the worst.