Thus wrote Philippine Daily Inquirer's hard-hitting columnist Conrado de Quiros in his column today about the idea of arming journalists as a way of solving the continued killings of members of the media.
De Quiros continued:
"To begin with, if arming journalists is the solution to their current decimation, why not arm activists, too? It’s not just the journalists that are being slaughtered like chickens in this country, as one activist puts it, it’s the activists too. Indeed, more the activists than the journalists, the murder of activists now having reached a mind-boggling near one-a-day. Why not allow them to carry .45s as well? Or since they’re fairer game than the others, Armalites and other high-powered weapons to defend themselves from the murderous?
"Indeed, why not arm the ordinary citizens who are victims also of murder and sundry mayhem? Why not arm the balut vendors who are robbed by istambays, and fast-food women workers who work at night and raped by thugs, and who may not report the crimes to cops for fear of being robbed or raped twice? What is the argument here, that only privileged classes or professions deserve to have the means to defend themselves?
"But more than this, where does government, even if it takes the face of the braggart (Justice secretary Raul) Gonzalez, get off exuding this airiness? Government is responsible for these killings, by commission and omission, by active encouragement and encouraging passivity, by commanding irresponsibility and command responsibility."
Read his column.
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