down the rebellion, but he still loved his son, he loved the Filipino people and he could not bear to shed their blood. It was a tragic and dignified conclusion. The theory explained why Marcos had shown himself, on the television, overruling Ver. It explained why there had been so little actual fighting. And it explained the striking fact that no rebel troops had been brought anywhere near the palace I t was absolutely possible to believe that, instead o f joining the revolution, Enrile and Ramos had hijacked it. And everyone was clearly still in the habit o f believing in the genius o f Marcos, however much they hated him. until after Marcos had left. I asked the politician what he thought, and his first reaction was: “ It’s too clever.” But then you could see the theory, with all its ramifications, getting a grip on him, until he said: “ My God, I hope you’re wrong.” Helen was prepared to believe the theory. When I put it to Fred, he brooded over it darkly. His own theory that day was slightly different. “ It was scripted,” he said, “ the whole thing was scripted by social scientists.” His idea was that this was a copy-book peaceful revolution designed to be held up to other countries all around the world in order to dissuade people from taking up armed struggle. I looked very closely at Marcos and thought: it isn ’t him. It looked like ectoplasm. It was talking in a precise and legalistic way, which contrived to sound both lucid and utterly nonsensical. One way or another, the people I met the day after Marcos left were incapable of trusting the reality of the events they had witnessed. Not all of them believed the theory, but very few of them could muster a concrete argument against it. It was absolutely possible to believe that, instead of joining the revolution, Enrile and Ramos had hijacked it. And everyone was clearly still in the habit of believing in the genius of Marcos, however much they hated him. Of course by now it looks different. We know that the flight of Marcos could not have been a clever fix, because the question of Marcos’s wealth was obviously so badly botched. But still one could argue tha t the theory conta ins a core of atavistic truth. We know that Enrile, after he joined Cory’s camp, continued to think of Marcos as President. We know he felt he had to make a tribute to Marcos’s “ compassion and kindness.” The son saw that he had to kill the father. The father saw the son preparing to kill him. And he knew that this was inevitable. He knew that he had to die. SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE a M & w r i t e r s BY SUBSCRIBING TO James Fenton will spend May in Minnesota as international writer in residence at The Loft. During his residency, Fenton will conduct intensive seminars in poetry and nonfiction at The Loft and will participate in readings and panels in the Twin Cities and throughout the state. For more information call 341-0431. Wear a S ilkwrap, by Cool Chic, instead of a jacket, top, overskirt, belt, scarf or bag. Made in Minnesota of 100% washable, top quality silks, in solids and prints. Perfect for travel; treasured as a gift. $45-60. Available at By Design , Riverplace, or call 861-5309 for ind iv idua l appo in tm en t. Julie Baugnet 290 -9154 Lowertown St. Paul 1 I f there's anyway to avoid Confniufjnq h j mainidnTion among thousands of Third World infants and sHH make a buck, we will do our utmost to Find i t . Inthe meantime please be pa tien tIS IT TIME TO BOYCOTT NESTLE AGAIN? Nestle has broken the promises it made when the Boycott was called off in 1984, and continues to threaten infant lives in the Third World. Action for Corporate Accountability is committed to ensuring that Nestle and the infant formula industry do not get away with endangering infant health in the interest of profit. For more information about Action's campaign and how you can participate, contact: Action, 3255 Hennepin Ave. S., Suite 230, Minneapolis, MN 55408,(612) 823-1571. Please send me more information about Action's campaign and how I can help save babies from coiporate abuse. Name___________________________________ Address__________________________________ City, State, Zip___________________________ Telephone________________________________ Clinton St. Quarterly—Spring, 1988 47
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