Too Close to Home

Global Nation INQ7.net

So finally the administration of GMA lifted Proclamation 1017. Whoopee for now, and of course, a big "eh, ano ngayon?" She can't get off that easily.

Last week, two OFWs based in Riyadh died following a shooting. Saudi police rained bullets into their van as the workers were making their way to their place of employment. Details are sketchy, but it is clear that the operational commander lost control of his men. Whether the shots were "covered by the fog-of-war," indiscriminate or deliberate is hard to say, and in the policemen's defense, tension was high since earlier that very morning other members of the Saudi security forces engaged suspected Al Qaeda militants. An attack at the oil installations at Abqaiq earlier that week also heightened tensions.

But tell that mistake to the grieving families. Economic considerations notwithstanding, it's never easy to lose someone that way. There will be a hole left --- a father, a husband, a son, a relative, a friend --- they will be missed.

It's just too close to home, and however I want to deny it, I fear for my family should the same happen to me. Oh, I've provided as much as I can by getting all the protection I can get, but any random bullet can considerably abbreviate my stay here. Permanently.

It's not a badge of honor (God forbid that), but the danger always exists. I pray for the best, always. Wouldn't want to collect on the bet that says otherwise.

Until then, just my own take on the answers we are looking for. The simple nub of the matter is that all the answers are out there, but so many cannot and will not refuse to grasp the ones that make the most sense, i.e. the one that leads to life. The wind blows it away, but it all comes back to you.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.