T&T: What was Patterson smoking?

When he spoke at the opening ceremony in Basseterre on March 25 in his capacity as outgoing Caricom chairman, [Jamaica's PM PJ] Patterson said the region had every reason to be proud of its role in the [Haiti] affair.

Going further, he said it was his view that the Caricom's Charter of Civil Society had to move now from being a non-binding statement of ideals to a legally binding instrument by which the region will seek to further enhance the principles of governance through democracy and respect for the rule of law.

"We might be small in size and we make no claim to military power," Patterson told his audience in Basseterre. "But our influence in the hemisphere cannot be underestimated. I do not believe there will be a lasting and permanent solution to the problems in Haiti unless Caricom is involved and allowed to make a meaningful contribution.

"Nothing can be achieved without our collective support and without the single vision we have always had for the region's development and the maintenance of Caricom's integrity," he added.

What does Patterson think Caricom should be proud of? Putting process over people? Insisting on endless talk while the people of Haiti were killed by Aristide's thugs? Insisting on supporting Aristide while disregarding the plight of suffering Haitians? What kind of contribution can Caricom make to Haiti by ignoring its present leadership and the people?

The idiocy of Patterson's last quoted statement is breath-taking. The boots on the ground are attempting to bring order to Haiti -- without Caricom's "collective support and ... single vision." Caricom wasn't even willing to put boots on the ground -- until the country had been stabilized. Whose job was it to stabilize it? The same military power that they're railing against ... the U.S.

All that Caricom has demonstrated to the world, with regard to the Haiti matter, is that when push comes to shove, the nations of the world can count on Caricom to talk itself to death. No more, and no less.

Read the rest of the article and have a good laugh.