Jesus M Elbinias
THE military might not have received any specific threat, but as reported by the media that Malacañang said the threat to assassinate President Arroyo was real, possibly when she would attend the Philippine Military Academy graduation exercises. Nevertheless, the military forces went on a nationwide red alert on eve of the PMA commencement exercises in Baguio City so as not to take chances. The military could not take the risk. As written by Paul Elliott in his published 1999 book by Blandford in the UK titled: "ASSASSIN — The Bloody History of Political Murder," "Moments of terror can shape the course of history. Death by the sword, knife, bullet, or bomb can shift the balance of power and topple empires and dynasties. Assassination is the ultimate extension of political manipulation. A brief moment of sudden and shocking violence can often produce momentous results. It can shape empires and alter world history.
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Defining the concept of assassination, the author asked: "Exactly what constitutes assassination and what (if anything) differentiates it from murder or execution? Often the definitions blur. The terrorist might claim to have ‘executed’ a politician in the name of his party, while the media declare "assassination’ to a shocked nation and the police begin an exhaustive ‘murder’ investigation to capture the terrorist. The term ‘assassin’ typically conjures up the image of a dedicated political killer, and movies in the last three decades have given us several variations on this theme. According to the movie-makers, assassins may be dedicated to the same murderous end and but they are not necessarily all the same. Their motives are different and their methods often radically so - but they all murder people. The question has to be asked: Aren’t assassins simply murderers? Are murder and assassination separate and distinct crimes or just lifeless labels used to add colour to yet another grim news item?"
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"Assassins fascinate us. We feel pity for the victim. We feel abhorrence at the crime. We are stunned by the ease with which one powerful man or woman is annihilated. The secure walls of power — bodyguards, armoured limousines, radio link, secret itineraries, wealth, influence, fame — can be totally extinguished by a man with a revolver. Shock, revulsion, fascination. The most powerful men in history are as vulnerable as you or I, and any leader, whatever his status, can be permanently ‘removed’ by an individual as ordinary as you or I. If there is just one leasson to be learned from the terrifying stories of assassins and their victims — and there are many possible lessions — it is that power, in whatever sphere, has a price. And occasionally that price is paid in blood."
And as I said in this column above: It was right that the military forces went on a nationwide red alert on eve of the PMA commencement exercises in Baguio City so as not to take chances. The military could not take the risk, especially if the criminal act would be assassination. There would be no excuse.
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