Philippines' Duterte likens himself to Hitler, wants to kill millions of drug users

[DonViejo]

Source: Reuters

By Karen Lema and Manuel Mogato | MANILA

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to liken himself to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on Friday and said he would "be happy" to exterminate three million drug users and peddlers in the country.

His comments triggered shock and anger among Jewish groups in the United States, which will add to pressure on the U.S. government to take a tougher line with the Philippines leader. Duterte recently insulted President Barack Obama and in a series of remarks he has undermined the previously close relationship between Manila and Washington.

In a rambling speech on his arrival in Davao City after a visit to Vietnam, Duterte told reporters that he had been "portrayed to be a cousin of Hitler" by critics. Noting that Hitler had murdered millions of Jews, Duterte said: "There are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I'd be happy to slaughter them.

"If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have...," he said, pausing and pointing to himself.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-duterte-hitler-idUSKCN1200B9

[Renew Deal]

1. Do people in the Philippine's really support this guy?

[GusBob]

2. I had a client from the Phil, and I asked her same

She said that he was like a mafia figure there, and that on the Island he was from violence was a common factor.

My question is, did this guy say he was "The Trump of the Philippines" ?

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

7. I work with a lot of Filipinos

Older guys mostly, and I haven't found one that doesn't support Duerte. It's kind of terrifying.

From what I've picked up from them is that they don't like Duerte the man. One guy rails against him because he's a Muslim and wastes taxpayer money by using his presidential helicopter to commute to the capitol rather than live in the presidential palace. But they all like what he's doing.

[geek tragedy]

8. overwhelmingly, they've gone off the deep end there nt

[christx30]

19. The question I have is:

How bad was the drug problem in the country before Duterte started this? Rewind the clocks back a year. Were people dying of overdoses in the streets? Was drug related crime really high? Stealing of property or murders? How bad was the problem, and what was being done to combat it?
If people don't believe enough is being done to combat an issue, they are going to look to extreme measures, no matter how bad those measures are.

[ansible]

20. It was pretty bad

Poverty is incredibly bad in the Philippines, many have no choice but to turn to drugs to earn money or just simply to forget about their terrible lives. The most common drugs there is crystal meth, which is extremely addictive and destructive. And the government is simply too weak to do anything about it, Duterte is just basically letting the people take care of it without having to do anything himself.

[christx30]

21. Well, there ya go.

Huge problem that affected many people+ineffectual government = looking for the easiest solution possible. Treatment for addiction is expensive and difficult. Bullets are cheap and easy. Plus I'm sure getting rid of "certain people" leads to less strain on social services. He's found a solution to the problem. You might say a Final Solution.

[ansible]

18. By Philippine presidential standards, he's already done a lot more than anyone else ever has before

The Philippines has a very long and unfortunate history of extremely weak and corrupt presidents. Duterte is unusual in being the first president to come from a lower class background, which is why he acts so crude. And just as importantly he's not a tagalog, he's from Mindanao.

[Feeling the Bern]

3. Well, I guess between this asshole and the Indonesians killing alcohol sales in Bali

I'm heading to Maledives or back to Thailand.

So much for Cebu, Borecay and Bali.

[Chicago1980]

4. Well, that's an honorable comparison...

Seeing that he's admitting this now, maybe he should just be taken out before more worldly damage is done.

[tom_kelly]

5. The man needs to be drug tested

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Philippine President Duterte Challenges Donald Trump To A Fistfight; Republican Candidate Calls

Philippine President Duterte Challenges Donald Trump To A Fistfight; Republican Candidate Calls Filipinos ‘Animals’
August 5, 2016

https://adobochronicles.com/2016/08/05/philippine-president-duterte-challenges-donald-trump-to-a-fistfight/

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump may have finally met his match in Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte. The two have often been likened to each other, but they are thousands of miles apart, literally and figuratively.

Today, Duterte publicly challenged Trump to a fistfight — gloves off — after the American businessman-turned-politician called for the banning of Filipinos from entering the United States.

Campaigning in Maine on Thursday, Trump called for restrictions on immigrants from the Philippines and other countries with high rates of terrorism. {...}

Trump had proposed the immigration ban previously but this was the first time that he specifically mentioned the Philippines.

[snort]

9. We created this.

The US was the progenitor of extreme drug hate and paranoia, to the benefit of a few of its business elites. So its ever been in this country. Rarely are these laws enacted in the interest of the citizen. All the pain, hardship and cost of mass incarceration over these decades was good for a handful of wealthy people. Millions of lives altered or destroyed for the profit of a few. Shining city on a hill is a disgusting lie.

[LiberalLovinLug]

10. I think you're right.

We've turned the Philippines, and other countries, into paranoid authoritarian prisons.

I have a Philiphine sister-in-law. She is also all for Duterte. They are for the most part very right wing, and religious.

[Throd]

11. What utter horseshit.

Foreigners are perfectly capable of inventing stupid policies entirely on their own.

[EX500rider]

15. Nonsense....we had zip to do with how the Philippines currently kills drug suspects.

[Igel]

12. He didn't start the analogy.

He just played off of them, instead of pouting at something bad being told about him.

Certainly not genteel. But he's not aiming for the support of those who have had master's studies in political science or sociology or even anthropology.

Sometimes just mentioning the wrong word sends those who need the universe to be a safe space off into trigger-land, regardless of the word's context or in-situ meaning. Good thing they're not in charge of things, they're eminently unqualified.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

13. WTF

The victims of his extra-judicial murder squads certainly need a safe space

[Bradical79]

16. We're talking about mass murder here

No need for your anti-intellectual bullshit.

[Shankapotomus]

14. what a POS (nt)

[moondust]

17. What if...

some police or vigilantes suspect that Duturdy himself is in fact a big drug lord and his war on drugs is just a campaign to eliminate his competition? Okay to go ahead and take him out based on their suspicion?