Anger flares as Obama, Romney clash in second debate

HEMPSTEAD, New York — Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stood toe-to-toe and harangued one another for telling untruths Tuesday, as naked dislike flared between the two rivals in a fiery presidential debate.
A pumped-up Obama bounced off the ropes after a dismal showing in the rivals’ first clash two weeks ago, showing more passion and energy in the first few exchanges than in the whole sleepy 90 minutes of their debut clash.
Obama was shocked into action by tumbling poll numbers triggered by Romney’s smooth performance in the first debate, which left panicking Democrats fearing his historic presidency could end in ignominy after a single term.
Freed from podiums that constrained them in the first debate, the candidates roamed the stage in the town-hall style encounter at Hofstra University, New York, exactly three weeks from election day on November 6.
Minutes into the clash, Republican Romney and Democrat Obama stood just a few feet apart, trading charge and counter charge in a furious verbal slanging match.
“Governor Romney says he has a five-point plan. He doesn’t have a five-point plan. He has a one-point plan, and that is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules,” Obama blasted about his challenger’s economic policy.
In one heated exchange over energy, Romney triggered an audible gasp of shock in the hall hosting the debate, when he snapped at the president: “You’ll get your chance in a moment, I’m still speaking.”
“Not true, Governor Romney, not true,” Obama said, after Romney savaged the president’s record on oil production over the last four years.
Just 21 days before the election, the obvious antipathy between the candidates reflected stakes that could hardly be higher as national polls and the race in battleground states tightens into a dead heat.
At moments, Romney quibbled with CNN moderator Candy Crowley, charging that Obama had interrupted him in contravention of the rules of the debate.
Romney, a 65-year-old former governor of Massachusetts, took the first question of the clash, about the jobs crisis, and bemoaned the plight of ordinary Americans who he said had been “crushed over the last four years.”

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Liking, sharing on Facebook not libelous–Angara

 

MANILA, Philippines — Liking and sharing a libelous comment in social networking sites like Facebook will not make the “liker” or “sharer” liable under the cybercrime law so long as he or she does not conspire to commit the crime, Senator Edgardo Angara said on Thursday.
Angara was initially unaware of the terms “like” and “sharing” when reporters asked during a regular forum in the Senate asked whether the act of liking or sharing a malicious comment or remark on Facebook was punishable under the law.
“Anong mag-like? (What’s to like?)” he asked.
After a reporter explained and showed him how to do it on Facebook, Angara said, “No. Not really. You see, the anxiety and apprehension over this are so exaggerated….”
“Hindi. Hindi naman ikaw ang author nito (No. You are not the author (of that libelous comment),” he said when pressed. ‘
“Hindi, audience lang naman sya e. Kapag sinabi kong uy gusto ko yung sinabing yun. Conspirator na ako? Hindi. Audience lang ako. (He is just an audience. If I say, I like what he said. Does that make m conspirator. No. I’m just an audience) We are a non-party. Non Participant,” the senator said.
Even sharing a libelous comment on Facebook, Angara said, was not punishable under the law unless the “sharer” had conspired with the author.
“Kung may connivance. Kung may conspiracy (If there is connivance. If there is conspiracy),” he said.
“Kung ikaw kasabwat, conspirator ka, kilala mo yung nagpadala niyan at nagkausap kayo, ito pag pinadala ko sayo, i-share mo sa lahat, e di conspirator ka (If you are a conspirator, you know the author and he told you to share it to everyone, then you become a conspirator),” he pointed out.
Angara called on the public to calm down, saying the law is not a threat to anyone’s freedom right now.
“I think the first call of the  media, a very powerful conveyor of information, is to calm down and say there’s no threat to anyone’s freedom right now. What we are just saying is that we are apprehensive, we are anxious that it will violate our rights. Nothing so far has been violated,” he said.
“In the first place, the law is not even enforced yet. There’s still no IRR (implementing rules and regulations) e…So there’s no actual injury to anyone and therefore I would appeal very strongly and almost passionately…don’t be afraid. Don’t panic…,” the senator added.

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