Twist

Aside from meaning to form into a bent, curled, or distorted shape, the verb may be used to mean to distort or misrepresent. We do have a lot of twisting going around today as we interpret messages, events and people according to our perception or to suit our convenience or wants. The truth of the twisted matter takes time to reveal itself and there are times that the truth is buried to rest in peace.

One. The refiling by lawyer Oliver Lozano of the impeachment complaint which was subsequently returned to him due to being defective illustrates the many twists of the act. Lozano based his action on the act being a proposal toward resolving the political issues confronting the legitimacy of GMA's presidency. The political opposition perceives the act as a monkey wrench thrown into the wheels of justice. The defective refiled complaint is evidence of defective logic and worse, defective motive and clearly a defective impeachment process.

Two. In relation to the defects in the law of the land, the administration and allies are pursuing the change in the form of government as a solution toward achieving national progress and prosperity that has eluded us because of what we are today. Those objecting to the move generally are in agreement that the form of government may be defective but it is governance that has greater impact on the results. It is substance over form. The move is likened to changing horses for the race. The story of Sea biscuit, the winning race horse points to a fact that it takes a horse and rider to win together. For the presidential system of government to work, it needs a president.

Three. The recent escape of four Oakwood mutineers from detention at Fort Bonifacio further illustrates the twists of a story. As breaking news over television, we heard Magdalo lawyer Roel Pulido explaining he was at the camp responding to the call of his clients objecting to their being transferred to allegedly solitary confinement without a court order. This morning, we learned the other side of the story that Pulido is being investigated as an accessory to the escape of his clients.

Further developments on these stories will be very interesting as we can understand the forces and interests that are conflicting and more twists will occur before the resolution of these stories. To end with an attempt to smile about these twists that inevitably occur, here is one story about the twist (for those young enough to have danced the twist).

It's the spring of 1957 and Bobby goes to pick up his date. When he goes to the front door, the girl's father answers and invites him in. "Carrie's not ready yet so why don't you have a seat?" he says. "That's cool," says Bobby. Carrie's father asks Bobby what they're planning to do. Bobby replies politely that they will probably just go to the soda shop and a movie. Carrie's father responds, "Why don't you two go out and screw? I hear all the kids are doing it."

Naturally, this comes as quite a surprise to Bobby, so he ask Carrie's father to repeat it. "Yeah," says Carrie's father, "Carrie really likes to screw, she'll screw all night if we let her!" Well this just made Bobby's eyes light up and his plan for the evening was beginning to look pretty good. A few minutes later, Carrie comes downstairs in her little poodle skirt and announces that she's ready to go. Almost breathless with anticipation, Bobby escorts his date out the front door. About 20 minutes later, Carrie rushes back into the house, slams the door behind her, and screams at her father: "Dammit daddy! It's call the twist!"*