I guess former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo retained Attorney Ferdinand Topacio for his legal expertise. He certainly didn't hire him for his views outside the courts.
After making a public spectacle of himself for being willing to castrate himself if Arroyo didn't return to the country, Topacio stirred a hornet's nest once more in his defense of the late German dictator Adolf Hitler. According to an ABS-CBN report, not only did Topacio have Hitler's painting on his office wall, he went on to deny that Hitler ever ordered the Holocaust, and blamed German desperation at losing the war for the genocide of around 6 million Jews.
Topacio seems to be in denial of history, considering that the extermination of the Jews was undertaken long before defeat for Germany was a clear reality. According to the Wikipedia entry (sorry, no time to do actual research), it is recorded that Hitler was supposed to have said to his associates, "we shall regain our health only by eliminating the Jews." In fact, Auschwitz, one of the most infamous concentration camps was already ready for its evil task in 1942.
While the entry also notes that there was no specific order given by Hitler, it is unlikely that he was unaware of the activities of his subordinates, or, that he would have disapproved of their actions. Topacio also seems to ignore the onus of command responsibility, that all of the death and destruction caused by Nazi Germany falls on Hitler's shoulders.
Topacio even goes as far as to compare President Noynoy Aquino to Hitler. While President Aquino may be seen as incompetent by his critics, comparing him to Hitler is a vile insult, and opens Topacio to even further ridicule.
Considering that Topacio is already handling the corruption charges against his client, doesn't he have enough on his plate to deal with? Or is he trying to generate controversy to obfuscate the issue? Only Topacio knows.
Already, Topacio is reaping the whirlwind, as a number of people have already reacted negatively to his politically incorrect statements. I wonder how Mike Arroyo feels now about this lawyer he has hired, and whether he has second thoughts about this loose cannon.
1 comment:
As long as he deflects attention away from the rest of Arroyo's legal team doing the grunt work and distracts media away from the Arroyos, then he has earned his paycheck, regardless of the accuracy of his beliefs on world history. ;)
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