Gya: Jagdeo says Khemraj's a rat

Moses Nagamootoo in a speech in New York City on March 17 said that President Bharrat Jagdeo did accuse Khemraj Ramjattan of taking news to the US embassy. The signatures mustered by Freedom House from 29 persons, he said, reflected the pattern of lying inculcated throughout the history of the late PPP, especially since the demise of Dr Cheddi Jagan. The names of several senior members of the party executive were called.

Mr Nagamootoo in his almost two-hour speech slammed the PPP. On the Khemraj Ramjattan issue, he said, "Ramjattan is a man I would like to have in my team, Ramjattan has integrity." He also said Ramjattan was given an excessive and unwarranted penalty.

Gya: Killing is a rush

Death squad members used to joke about their hits at all-night parties says a witness who claims to have been close to the group.

The person says they are willing to identify the men, including serving members of the police force, who were part of the group dedicated to extinguishing criminals.

They also say they can volunteer what they know about the group, but do not believe the police force can be trusted, since some of its senior members are among those embroiled in the allegations. The informant is one of a few persons who have come forward with information about the group, which is said to have been responsible for several executions between August 2002 and December 2003.

Gya: Government run scam

A prominent attorney-at-law has told Stabroek News that his client was legally entitled to duty-free concessions but was "forced" to pay somebody in one of the government ministries for the speeding up of her application.

According to the attorney, the client, whom he declined to name, has made an arrangement for amnesty with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). He said too that one of the conditions of the arrangement with the GRA was that the individual was restrained from speaking to the media.

Gya: Land of scams

The 'soya milk' scam, followed by the 'stone' scam; the 'gold' scam; the 'US visa' scam; the 'old-age pension book' scam; the 'Laws of Guyana' publishing scam; the 'IAST' scam, and the 'duty-free vehicles' scam have become landmarks of public life in recent times. These, and other yet unexposed scams measure the phenomenal growth of graft in Guyana and its infection of various arms of the State.

PR: Help for Haiti

Secretary of State Jose Izquierdo on Friday announced the beginning of a humanitarian relief campaign to help Haiti’s economic and social crisis.

“Today I am pleased to announce the beginning of the Puerto Rico for Haiti humanitarian campaign,” Izquierdo said during a press conference at the Department of State in Old San Juan.

Izquierdo announced that the local government will work together with the American Red Cross, the Banks Association, the Puerto Rico Manufacturers’ Association, and the commercial sector to raise funds for Haiti.

PR: Afghani caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally

An Afghan man detained among dozens of Dominican migrants on a boat off Puerto Rico appeared in immigration court Thursday as the government began removal proceedings.

Ghulem Hassan, 44, was not required to enter a plea, and his next hearing was set for April 7, according to immigration court records.

"He's in removal proceedings," said Michael Gilhooly, a spokesman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "It's a case like any other case... The individual tried to enter the United States illegally."

Hundreds of people each month attempt to migrate from economically depressed Dominican Republic to this neighboring U.S. Caribbean territory.
...
Officials said Hassan could face deportation or leave the country on his own accord. He was being held without bond.

Hassan told U.S. officials he had previously lived in California and New York, according to reports in Puerto Rican newspapers.

It would be interesting to know where Hassan came from, how did he hook up with the Dominicans, who sent him, and if he was trying to pass himself off as Dominican (one could be justified in thinking that). Islamists could pass themselves off as Latino, until they opened their mouths, that is. Also, If Hassan had previously lived in CA and NY, why was he not able to enter the U.S. legally? Or, is he able to enter the U.S. legally but was using the Dominican route as a test run to see if there is access to the U.S. via Puerto Rico. Does he have anything to do with Castro, Chavez, or the Muslim Triangle is what I really want to know.

Ja: Randall Robinson says Condi threatened Jamaica

[T]he US administration, which helped in the creation of the new authority in Haiti after torpedoing a Caricom power-sharing plan, has been pressing the regional governments to back down, and according to at least one source, Washington has made unspecified threats against Jamaica.

Randall Robinson, who accompanied former president Jean-Bertrand Artistide from the Central African Republic to Jamaica, says the threat came from US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. "I have learned from a White House source that Condoleezza Rice has pointedly threatened the Jamaican government, telling it to expel President Aristide, or face the consequences", the human rights activist and founder of Trans-Africa is quoted in a radio interview posted on the website www.democracynow.org.

Interestingly, when KD Knight, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade was asked by RJR's Kathy Barrett to comment on Robinson's disclosure, he pointedly and repeatedly said that US Secretary of State Colin Powell has conveyed no such threat to him - and they had spoken as recently as Tuesday. There was no flat out denial from Knight.

While there is room for dispute about the accuracy of specific threats from specific individuals demanding specific actions, the public statements from Washington leave no doubt about their upset.

Yeah, right, Randall Robinson has WH sources. Washington has rightly told Jamaica your arse is grass if any Marines come to harm because of Aristide. Black liberals have a real jones for Condi Rice. I tell you, it sticks in their craw that Condi is powerful as heck and is NOT a black liberal. It bugs them that Condi has real power. I can't think of a black Democrat who has ever been as powerful as Condi or Colin. Black liberals look at Condi and stew because they know that no black will ever make it that far with the Democrat Party; for, at its core, Dems are still segregationists who believe blacks and other minorities must get so far and no further.

Look, dudes, face up to this: the Democrats do not have blacks in serious positions of power. You guys on the plantation serve in the house or in the yard; you are never the master of the house or in a position so to be. Get used to it!

Ja: Hey, you stupid, backward Haitians, here's how you do it!

Last Thursday, the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) was voted out of office by the people of Antigua and Barbuda after 28 years in government.
...
The victory of the United Progressive Party (UPP) in that context, was a triumph of not only democracy as a concept, but of the process by which it works.

In other words, the Antiguans subscribed to a set of institutional arrangements and sought to ensure that they work. When these institutions fell under stress, they were not abandoned and overthrown. Neither did the opponents of the government foment violence as a means to their reward.

Which they might have done, given the allegations of corruption, malfeasance, fraud and electoral malpractice that have been levelled against the regimes of former prime minister Lester Bird and his predecessor and father, Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. There was no attempt at a premature, unconstitutional dislodging of a democratically-elected leader.

What the Antigua opposition did instead was to engage their country's partners in the Caribbean Community to help guarantee the legitimacy of the institutions of democracy.

For instance, Jamaica's electoral office, having developed significant experience in its domestic environment in cleaning up a corrupt process, was asked to develop a clean voters' register for Antigua and Barbuda. Additionally, Caricom sent election monitors to Antigua for the poll. The upshot was an election which everyone declared to have been largely free and fair.

It was possible, and happened, because there was an adherence to principle and process, rather than a denudation of institutions.

This was precisely the point that Caricom had made in its initiative that would have allowed Mr Aristide to serve out the remainder of his term as president, but sharing power with his opposition.

The cohabitation, even if enforced, would have sent a signal to Haitians that processes work and that democratic institutions are relevant. It would have provided another important lesson in democracy - the importance of negotiation and compromise and that countries benefit naught from a politics based on scorched earth tactics.

Happily, most of us in Caricom embrace far more than the rudiments of democracy and understand that democracy, like excellence, is a continuum, a never ending work in progress.

Hopefully, the coup d'etat against Mr Aristide is the last in Haiti. Perhaps with lessons such as Antigua's, and elsewhere in Caricom, the Haitians will begin to engage the rudiments of the process.

I'm at a total loss for words with the depth and breadth of this writer's contempt for Haitians and his disregard for Haitian suffering. He lacks any understanding of the realities that have forced Haitians, time and again, to revolt against oppressors. The thing is, practically no Caribbeanites either visit or live in in Haiti, so all that these guys have to say is best understood as idealistic drivel. Haiti will be capable of adherence to democratic principle and process when civil society and economic order is brought to the country. You can't tell a man whose child has to drink dirty water that he should live with it and endure the process unless you're prepared to do something concrete to bring him clean water and so help him endure while the process works. Caricom was never in favor of doing the measures that would ensure people would endure the process in Haiti.

My devout wish: every Caribbean head of state and journalist would be dumped off in the poorest part of Haiti, without money and with only the most rudimentary resources to eke out a living for three months.

It's one thing to sit on your arse fat and happy in Jamaica, T&T, Barbados, wherever. It's another thing to experience life like many Haitians do.

Ja: Ashcroft may open the doors to women refugees

IN THE March 11, 2004 edition of the New York Times, writer Rachel Swarns informed her readers that John Ashcroft, Attorney-General of the United States, has been given a 43-page legal brief. The brief will prepare him to make the decision on whether or not to grant political asylum to dozens of battered women who are now seeking refuge in the U.S.

The majority of these victims of domestic violence and spousal abuse claim that the authorities in their countries "repeatedly ignored them when they tried to report and escape their abusive partners."

If the Attorney-General approves the rules that are in the brief presented to him the U.S. will allow political asylum to women from many cultures and open "the door to women fleeing countries that condone severe domestic abuse, genital mutilation and other forms of acute violence against women."
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On a number of occasions I have been asked by immigration lawyers in both Britain and the U.S. to give 'expert opinion' on whether or not Jamaican women who have applied should be considered for political asylum on the basis of the gender-based violence that they claimed forced them to leave Jamaica. In all good conscience, I could not argue that the Jamaican state condones such violence. In fact, pieces of legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act and the establishment of Sexual Abuse Units in many police stations and the training of the rank and file in an understanding of the issues that are related to gender-based violence, are all indicators that the State is making great efforts to deal with the violence that is challenging the social stability of the society.
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Let us face the issues squarely. If women such as Patsy Parkinson seek political asylum in the U.S., Britain or Australia, they should be supported in their bid because the Jamaican state is not able to provide the full range of services such as shelters, counselling, relocation and therapies that are needed to protect women who are victims of gender-based violence.

Just when you thought AG John Ashcroft was a devil, now comes this. What are liberals going to say if Ashcroft signs off on this? Same thing they're saying about the very woman-friendly GWB. Nothing good.

On another note. It's a given that many of these women will be from Arab and African countries cuz that is where genital mutilation and other similar aggressions against women occur. Many of these women will be Islamic, possibly. The question is, will these women then turn around and, in this country, enter the same Islamic culture that supports violence against them? If the answer is yes, AG Ashcroft might as well not sign this.

Ja: Spain

Interesting article. Knowledgeable.

Ja: Keeping a list of U.S. deeds and checking it twice

THE UNITED States Government has committed another US$1.9 million to the Coastal Water Quality Improvement Project (CWIP) to develop an integrated management approach to improve coastal water quality in Portland.

CWIP2, follows the successful conclusion last year of CWIP1, a project funded jointly by the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Government of Jamaica's National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA).

That's part of why taxpayers here in the U.S. don't appreciate the anti-Americanism coming from the Caribbean. U.S. government money is OUR (the taxpayers) money. A different point of view is one thing. Anti-Americanism is another.

Hti: Interview with Guy Philippe

But Guy, this movement did not last thirty minutes or forty-eight hours. It took several weeks. You had with you many soldiers, former soldiers whom I saw. Some people were coming to register at the Mont-Joli Hotel where you stayed in Cap-Haitien. Unfortunately, we were not yet prepared to let the listeners hear, live, the first impressions of Philippe when he arrived in Gonaives.

In fact, how did you manage to maintain these soldiers? You had vehicles in your hands, you had fuel and so on. How did you do it? What means did you have?

You were in Cap-Haitien. They can go to the hotels where we stayed or to the people who fed us. You can go to Saint-Michel de l'Attalaye, Hinche, Plateau Central and Gonaives and you will see that the movement is kept alive by the people. You will realize the men sleep in places given to them by the people. They are fed by the people. In Cap-Haitien, they are fed by the people of Cap-Haitien. This is an investigation that they can carry out.

It is an entire people who were struggling. It is a pity that, today, for political reasons, some people are trying to discredit a movement that has freed a country, a movement that has got rid of one of the biggest dictators the country ever had. Now they want to discredit it.

Because I stand as the military leader, they want to attack me because they think I am their rival. As for me, I am telling them that I am not their rival, that I am not a crooked dealer like them. I have not come here to do crooked deals and make people happy. Nobody can buy me. If the fact that they cannot buy me prompts them to believe that it is because I already have money and that I made this money thanks to drugs, that is their problem. I am not Aristide. I shall come here and then let these corrupt people buy me and do whatever they want with the country and thus plunge it into an abyss worse than the one in which it is.
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Guy, the information also says that you used to do the deal so well that you even said once that your boss is Aristide, your boss is Aristide. By the way, has the United States in fact canceled your visa for involvement in drug trafficking?

Let me tell you, I believe that the question that people say that I used to say that my boss is Aristide is a joke, because Aristide is not somebody I know well. I have always said that I met him only twice in my life. It is a pity. Actually, I do not yet know why people say that I was close to Aristide. I was never close to Aristide. By the way, when I entered the country, Aristide did not want to allow me to join his police.

I entered the country in 1995. I do not know if they are confusing me with someone else. How could I have so many ties with Aristide? When I came as a police officer, both Aristide and Fourel Celestin, who was the director of the police at that time, did not accept me in the police. I joined the police under President Preval, with Denize as director-general and Bob Manuel as secretary of state for public security.

I met Aristide only twice. Once, he invited me to his home with all of the officers on December 26 . The second time was before the May 2000 elections. I have already told the press about the latter invitation.

The information that is circulating today is that Philippe is one of the people who are involved -

As I said, I am not going to defend myself. I am not going to defend -

Is it true, as it is said here, that the United States has canceled your visa for involvement in drug trafficking? When did the United States make this decision?

Well, I think that the people who are saying these things do not know what they are talking about. The embassy is there. The United States is there. Everybody is there. They can go to the embassy, ask questions and look for evidence.

As I told you, I did not come here to defend myself against a meaningless accusation. I came here just to give my opinions on what is going on, on what is being said. I do not need to defend myself. The men must understand that what I have done for the country was not done for political interests. I am not like a number of people who are fighting for jobs.

By the way, I do not accept jobs and, as I always promise, this is not the purpose of our presence here. We have done a job and we want to do it to the end so that the living conditions can change. We came to do a job. These little mulattos or shootings near my neighborhood or at my car will not intimidate me.

I understand the men. Many of them have been bluffing the people for a long time, negotiating to the detriment of a people for their personal interests. All of them--many of them were not doing anything serious. They do not have any legitimacy among the people. Nobody sides with them. Nobody likes them. So, the only consideration is that they should eliminate Philippe.
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298-4372 and 298-4373 are the telephone numbers that listeners can dial to ask you any questions on the battle that was fought and the fact that accusations are being brought against you. Guy, you were in Ecuador. You went there to study. Undoubtedly, you learnt many things. What were you specifically studying in Ecuador?

I attended the Police Academy and then a law school that is part of the academy. As I say, the article speaks of Guy and the Ecuadoran clique. They have the right to say whatever they want; they can do whatever they want.

His evasions are quite interestting. Read the rest of the interview here.

Bmda: Trademarks lost in computer crash

Half of the 37,000 registered trademarks in Bermuda have been lost from the computerised Trademark Registry following a crash, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

A back-up system which is supposed to rebuild the database failed, meaning only half of the computerised information was restored.

Staff at the Registry General have had to go back to original files and manually input all data from 1999 – around half the 37,000 trademarks.

The computer crash will be an embarrassment to Government which is marketing Bermuda as a leading e-business and intellectual property centre.

The failure occurred about three weeks ago and it has forced the Registry General to suspend processing of new trademark registrations.

And lawyers acting for companies which have registered their trademarks can’t search the system to see if their intellectual property has been protected.

Registry General staff are hoping to have a basic service resumed in two weeks.


When a drive experiences problems, it is replaced and the system continues as normal but in this case the system didn’t recover as normal.

This caused IT experts to turn to back-up copies to repair the RAID drives, but they failed because the back-up copy of the file needed was not available because of “system configuration changes” performed at an earlier date.

So, did it take them three weeks to figure out the information wasn't recoverable? Why is the world hearing about this only now? What measures have they used to recover this information? Sounds like a really novice error caused the recovery to be less than 100%.

Bdos: Caricom to Haiti ... grovel! to America ... eff off!

A last-minute bid by Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue to secure recognition by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has failed.

Despite intense pressure from the United States government to influence recognition of the interim regime in Port-au-Prince, CARICOM leaders judged Latortue’s letter of “clarification” to be vague and insufficient and did not recognise the government.

The region’s governments will now press ahead with their March 3 decision in Jamaica for a United Nations-sponsored independent probe into the controversial circumstances surrounding President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s removal from office on February 29.

While an official CARICOM handshake with the regime in Port-au-Prince is being delayed for further clarification of statements made by Latortue, the Community will keep the door open to Haiti’s return to its rightful seat in the councils of the region’s economic integration movement.

The CARICOM leaders have also made clear, that official recognition of a government in Port-au-Prince will be on the basis of Haiti’s “return to constitutional and representative democracy”, even as they remain “engaged” in collaboration with the international community.

In other words, bugger off. We won't talk to you until Aristide is returned. Sweet!

Even sweeter is this:

So intense was behind-the-scenes lobbying from Washington, the SUNDAY SUN was reliably informed, that while one prime minister felt obliged to refuse to take a telephone call from a Bush administration official, another was aggravated enough to respond with expletives when presented with what was viewed as a virtual ultimatum.

Possible cuts in aid and trade benefits also surfaced, as well as a threat by Washington to hold some governments responsible should any American military personnel be killed on duty in the current unstable political situation in Haiti where pro-and anti-Aristide factions continue to be involved in political violence and lawlessness.

Yep, Caricom, keep your eyes on the little ball in Haiti and ignore the larger ball forming south of you which you'll need the big neighbor to the north to help out with. These guys in Caricom are playing lash-for-lash with Bush. After all, they've got to prove to the world that the U.S. must listen when Caricom talks. Sweet!

I don't want Caricom to be appeasers. I just want Caricom to realize that supporting Aristide is not in their interest, not just with the U.S., but with the Haitian people. Haitians in New York, Miami, and Port au Prince are taking note. Their conclusion? We cannot depend on other Caribbean countries to help us when we're being oppressed by dictators. Also, Caricom doesn't know what democracy really is cuz it is more than election.

There is also this, Caricom heads, like the Euros and the Arabs, are telling themselves they can diss the Bush administration. After all, they reason, the world hates him; the U.S. doesn't seem to want him; so Kerry is a shoo-in. Advice to Caricom: ignore the polls and remember 9/11. America will not elect a Democrat even if the country is bombed on 10/31.

U.S.: A must read

Mark Durie's witness statement. Here's the context for the Durie's statement:

In Australia, as you may know, the Islamic Council of Victoria has brought suit against two Christian preachers — simply for teaching the facts about Islam. So far this seens to have backfired on the Muslim group in a big way, as now Islamic witnesses have been compelled to read passages from Qur'an and Hadith and acknowledge that, well, yes, that is Islamic teaching.

In this pdf is the witness statement of Mark Durie, an Anglican priest and professor of linguistics. Durie has provided an outstanding summation of the Islamic sources of jihad ideology, dhimmitude, and related topics. If you are looking for a concise guide to these matters, here it is.

Thanks to Robert Spencer, Dhimmiwatch. Read this text and realize that Osama bin Laden is not a rebel but is actually a very good Muslim who's doing no less than the Koran dictates, and who is doing what is preached in Saudi Arabia and many lands. Because of the congruity between bin Laden's actions and the classical evolutionary teaching of jihad which is promulgated, one would be hard put to find Muslims denouncing bin Laden and Al Qaeda. The man is just doing what a good Muslim ought to.

Durie's statement also puts into perspective the Jamaat Al-Muslimeen's attempted coup, in 1990, in T&T. Furthermore, it also delineates the utter cowardice of Michael Burke's two articles advocating that Jamaica abandon any alliance with the U.S. as a way of avoiding Islamic bombs. This document asserts that the bombs will come ... unless Burke and others convert to Islam. (See here.) For,

non-Muslims have no inalienable right for their lives to be protected. They only have such conceded rights to life as are granted by the Muslim community. This reflects the laws of the classical evoluationary model of jihad, which proclaims that the Muslim community must fight against non-Muslims who have not yet submitted to the Islamic state. (Durie, 2004)

Therefore, the Caribbean, with the Muslim Triangle, chock full of terrorists, in its backyard, ought to be fully aware that there is no escaping the bombs unless Caribbeanites cravenly submit. Durie's statement is powerful stuff.

St. Kts: Caricom -- "what Haiti gov't?"

The 15-nation Caribbean Community withheld recognition from Haiti's U.S.-backed interim government Saturday as leaders closed a summit renewing calls for a U.N. investigation into the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Leaders said they would take up the issue of whether to recognize the government again at a summit in July in Grenada.

"We can't determine this issue at this meeting," Trinidad Prime Minister Patrick Manning said. He added that discussions were "quite tense."
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Caribbean leaders declined to participate in the current U.S.-led international force, angry that the Security Council refused their urgent plea to send troops in time to save Aristide, Haiti's first democratically elected leader.

Nevertheless, Manning said Trinidad will send 121 soldiers to join a separate U.N. humanitarian force in about two months. Other Caribbean countries are expected to follow.
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On Friday morning Latortue faxed a conciliatory letter to Caribbean leaders, officials said. The letter was not made public, but officials said in it Latortue said his previous statements about the community and the rebels were misconstrued.

"Maybe if we had that letter from Mr. Latortue before he might have been here at this meeting," Douglas said. "The letter certainly changed the tone of our discussions, but the letter could have come before."

In Haiti, Latortue declined comment.

So what in Sam Hill did Caricom heads talk about if the most potentially explosive issue in the Caribbean is tabled?

Isn't it a good thing that U.S. soldiers are in country to keep the peace? If Haiti had to depend on Caricom, its people would be dead by now.

As for the Latortue letter, Wittgensten is right, sometimes silence is better. That's something PM Douglas needs to learn because his words sound ungraciously churlish.

Cuba: Who was on board?

Customs agents swarmed a boat docked at Horton Park in Cape Coral on suspicions the vessel was being used to smuggle Cuban refugees into the United States. The boat had three engines, 15 gas cans, a stockpile of food and extra life vests – all things that stand out to investigators.
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Acting on a tip, Cape Coral police, Florida Fish & Wildlife and U.S. immigration and customs enforcement stopped the 32-foot Powerplay speedboat – which aroused suspicion by having its identification numbers partially removed.

Boats of that type have powerful engines, designed to go more 80 miles per hour. Experts from Powerplay say there was more than enough fuel on the boat to get from Cuba to Southwest Florida.
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The Cubans were not arrested because U.S. Customs says there was no probable cause in the case. Since a Cuban national has a right to be in the U.S., they were not deported.

Quite frankly, in this age of terrorism, nobody should have a right to be in this country except those who are born here and those who enter legally, and, not even all of the latter, as 9/11 has taught us.

A number of things to notice here. This was a 32-foot speedboat. It wasn't the 1965-Chrysler-turned-into-a-boat, which is what we've been seeing interdicted by coast guards. The type of boat is a red flag, in my opinion, because the ownership possibilities raise more questions than they answer. It is possible that the boat could've been owned by a drug runner, by someone wealthy and high up in the Cuban government with an interest in sneaking into the U.S., or by terrorists. Customs accepts the common denominator that a boat of this type was used to smuggle Cubans seeking to escape Castro's communist paradise. It is more likely that HSD has no idea who owns the boat much less who was transported on it. In view of the Cuba to Venezuela to Brazil (with its Muslim Triangle), HSD should be doubly concerned about who was transported on a fast boat like this. After all, it is not as if Castro would not have an interest in granting Cuban identities to Islamic terrorists.

Even Cubanos in Florida must be willing to value the security of the American homeland more highly than any "right" to be here of persons coming from Castro's communist paradise. Therefore, they should not take umbrage if GWB were to adapt the decades old Cuba policy to suit the new reality.

Cuba: The best health care system in the world

"We have free medical care, even if it isn't the best, but, what do we do if we don't have medicines, which are the ones that really cure us?" said Raúl García, summing up the predicament Cuban patients often face.
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At the pharmacy located at the corner of San Rafael and Marqués González Streets, in central Havana, which is where the prescriptions of the showcase Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital are filled, a clerk said they had no antibiotics or pain relievers because the "pharmaceutical industry lacked a chemical ingredient."

Cay: Wasn't me I didn't do it nobody saw me you can't say it was me

According to a Reuters report, Bank of America employees knew that Italian dairy foods group Parmalat had a $4.9 billion hole in its accounts a week before the news was made public, a judicial source said early this week. 

However, the bank later rejected as "grossly inaccurate and irresponsible" the reports that its employees withheld information about the account supposedly held by a Cayman Islands subsidiary of Parmalat, Bonlat Financing Corp. 

Bank of America's representative in Italy learned on December 12 from the US bank's New York office that the account, supposedly held by the Cayman Islands subsidiary and containing $4.9 billion, did not exist, said the Reuters source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Parmalat stunned financial markets worldwide when it announced on 19 December that the account was non-existent, wiping out much of the remaining value in its shares and bonds. 

Bmda: Porn in Bermuda

They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity but Tourism Minister Renee Webb can do without an unusual plug for the Island given in adult magazine Black Portfolio.

An eagle-eyed reader bought the June, 2004 issue featuring model Soleil who purportedly comes from the Island and is keen to share its delights while also revealing her own abundant charms.

Read the rest.

Bmda: Wasps win best short film award at BIFF

Stories which found light amid situations of incredible darkness captured both the documentary and jury prize in this year’s Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF).

Bosnian director Srdjan Vuletic’s first film, “Summer In the Golden Valley” was awarded the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature while “Born Into Brothels”, directed by Americans Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, took the best documentary prize.
The Bermuda Shorts Award for best short film went to “Wasp” from UK director Andrea Arnold.

Blz: Belize against the Israeli wall

We agree that Belizeans do want to live in peace and harmony with all peoples of all races and faiths. But the prospects for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not good, and are made worse by the building of this wall. Belize is not aligning its foreign policy to the Palestinian cause (as suggested by the Reporter) by speaking out against the wall. Rather, it is in line with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations to “respect the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace.” The construction of the West Bank Wall is in direct breach of the rule of customary international law against the acquisition of territory by force or annexation. Belize has done well to come out in opposition to this action.

This would have more credibility if Belizeans could say the same thing after having their citizens murdered by homicide bombers on a regular basis. The writer speaks of the need for those talking out on the issue of the wall to do research. Would that he had done some, too.

A little research would've discovered that for every homicide bombing in which 1+ Israelis are murdered, many more -- sometimes hundreds -- are injured. The word "injured" sounds almost light, but homicide bombers pack bombs with nails, bolts, and other small projectiles, sometimes with rat poison to prevent blood from clotting. I think it is safe to say that those who die in these bombings may be the lucky ones. See here, scroll down to see the pictures here, here, here. If a lot of countries in the world had to put up with this, they'd build walls, too.

In fact, some have, without experiencing a fraction of the terror to which the Israelis have been subjected by Islamic Arabs.

Michael Freund, the former director of communications and policy planning under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, correctly notes that there are fences going up all over the globe. Pakistan is objecting to an elaborate fence built by India in disputed Kashmir. Yet the world is not screaming that India is stealing "occupied Pakistani territory." Kuwait put up a security fence to protect itself from the once-militant Iraq. Namibia did the same with its neighbor Angola, and South Korea erected one in order to prevent possible attacks by its communist neighbor to the north. Spain invested 35 million dollars to erect a fence equipped with state-of-the-art security cameras and fiber optic sensors around Melilla in order to separate it from the rest of Morocco. Similar separations exist between Lithuania and Belarus as well as Slovakia and the Ukraine. Even Saudi Arabia, one of Israel's harshest critics, recently began erecting a fence along its border with Yemen.

Thus, unless countries around the globe protest the walls erected between peoples by these and other countries, they should avoid imposing a different standard on Israel.

Bdos: No fishy oil talks with Arthur, says Manning

BARBADOS’ ongoing maritime dispute with Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) will not be on the agenda for the 15th Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM heads currently being held in St. Kitts.

That is according to reports in the Trinidad Guardian, which yesterday quoted T&T Prime Minister Patrick Manning as saying: “That is not part of the agenda .... Barbados is a bilateral issue.”

When asked whether he plans to hold talks with Prime Minister Owen Arthur on the maritime dispute, Manning said no talks were scheduled.

“We will meet, of course, because he is part of Government conference,” the T&T leader said

Atg: Caricom says welcome

See here.

See election score sheets here.

Atg: Cover up?

Within minutes of being sworn into office on Wednesday, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer entered his new premises on the hill only to find the drawers and cabinets devoid of paper.

This scandal was first reported on Wednesday night when Mr. Spencer made his first public address in his new capacity.

"My first impression was that this was systematically done to hide important documents from the incoming administration," Mr. Spencer told the SUN in an interview yesterday.

It has been also reported that even the files on the computers of the prime minister's secretaries and the chief of staff were deleted and security tapes were missing.

"There was an orchestrated plan to remove documents, destroy them or just to make them inaccessible to any other administration," PM Spencer said, noting there were reports from those who kept vigil at the PM's office on Saturday night that people were seen shredding documents.

"Documents were being shredded so much so that the two machines stopped working," he added.

PM Spencer has his work cut out for him now cuz he's walking blind.

U.S.: Amazing how a missile concentrates the mind

Look at Arafat.

Found on Meryl Yourish's site, thanks to Cox & Forkum, is Sheik Yassin top ten list of kill-the-Jew comments:

10. "[Israel is] a Jewish apartheid state on the land of Palestine."

9. "[If Israelis want a Jewish state] they can found a state in Europe."—Sydney Morning Herald, December 8, 2003

8. Arafat "is Palestinian, and I am Palestinian," said Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas. "We have the same problem now. Israel is our enemy."—IHT, via NYT, April 4, 2002

7. “Resistance will move forward. Jihad will continue, and martyrdom operations will continue until the full liberation on Palestine.” (Dec. 28, 2002.)

6. "The weapons that our people carry to defend our land and our people, nobody can confiscate them. We can only talk about this after liberating the land. Taking weapons means surrender and defeat."—Jerusalem Post, September 24, 2003.

5. "They [Israelis] should not feel safe."—Jerusalem Post, December 28, 2002

4. "All of Israel, Tel Aviv included, is occupied Palestine. So we're not actually targeting civilians -- that would go against Islam. "—St. Petersburg Times, August 11, 2001

3. "When they stop attacks against our civilians, against our people, then we will not touch their civilians," he went on, while adding that "there are no civilians in Israel, they are all military, all occupiers."—Sydney Morning Herald via AFP, August 15, 2002

2. "But Islam does not teach Muslims to make reconciliation with aggressors or occupiers that kill innocent people and ravage the land. [... ]So, you must defend yourself, your land, your dignity, your property, and your country. One cannot simply tolerate that an aggressor stole one’s land and murdered one’s people. To do so is not reconciliation or tolerance but surrender, defeat and a trouncing....—Al Jazeera, first published at Bitter Lemons, August 26, 2003, and, “Reconciliation with the Jews is a crime.”

1. "The day in which I will die as a shahid [martyr] will be the happiest day of my life." (Al-Quds, July 26, 1998.)

Scroll down to see images of Yassin's happiest day. Thanks to Mal at Little Green Footballs for the link.

Weep not for Yassin, friends. Great is his reward in hell. Thanks and praise be to Allah.

U.S.: FREEEEDOM!!

That's the new war cry of the Oglala Sioux. So, what are they doing? They're joining the GOP.

What does a career Indian protester do when he realizes the Left has failed him and his people? Ask Russell Means, Olgala Sioux of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Mr. Means recently endorsed Republican John Thune’s bid for the Senate.  Thune is running against Democrat incumbent Tom Daschle.  Means now calls himself a “Lakota Libertarian Republican.”  

It makes perfect sense. There has been little improvement in Indian country under the Democrats. Conditions in South Dakota reservations certainly haven’t improved under Daschle. What’s an Indian to do politically? "I'm going to work with Sen. Thune's staff,” says Means, “and the state Republican Party, and that will open doors to work with the National Republican Party to completely change Indian policy in America."

For some years, in fact, Means has recognized the impotence of the Democratic Party’s approach to Indian problems.  He joined the Libertarian Party in 1987, and ran as the Libertarian candidate for governor of New Mexico in 2002. “What is an American? I believe an American loves to be free. You are free to be responsible. That's the only rule you should understand,” Means says.

That American freedom does not exist on the great Indian reservations. In fact, tyrannical communism reigns on the reservations. Means explains, “This [America] is the only place where communism is successfully practiced in the world. Communism is alive and well on Indian reservations run by the United States government.” 

The Republican ticket may offer Indians an alternative, says Thune, and he has more than just Russell Means behind him.   

Bruce Whalen, also an Oglala Sioux of Pine Ridge, is committee chairman of the Republican Party in Shannon County. Whalen says, "I know there's a lot of Republicans out there on Pine Ridge. They just don't know it yet.” 

Whalen believes the Republican Party more closely mirrors his traditional Lakota values than the Democratic Party. Those values are respect for life, limited government, sovereignty and local control.

Whalen believes government-funded programs and tribal politics that dole out the money are the root of the reservation's poverty. Alcoholism and other abuses follow suit.

“I see how the social programs are devastating the people around here,” he said. “The Democrats are hurting us.”

Thune agrees. Indians will identify with Republicans if members of the party take the time to explain what the party stands for. Thune thinks the idea of less government translates into freedom and sovereignty for Indians. 

But with the BIA in charge, “it's pure communism,” says Russell Means, “and it's an abject failure. Just like it was in the Soviet Union. It's failure. You've created a dictatorship by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”  
...
Russell Means says it’s all about freedom. Which party promises you the most freedom? Which allows the freedom to be responsible? Given the Democratic record of dealing with Indians in South Dakota, there isn’t any doubt in Russell’s mind

Hear that Caribbeanites? The reservation for Indians and the plantation for Afro-Americans and non-Euro immigrants. The quality of life in many poor areas of the urban community -- drugs, crime, high illegitimacy rates, welfare, high illiteracy rates -- is proof that Democrats are hurting the poor, regardless of race.

Tired of welfare handouts and the politics of victimology? Burn down the plantation. Join the GOP.

U.S.: Economic treason's the price of victory

According to a charge being levied by Americans for Tax Reform, Kerry, in fact, appears to be working with the Europeans to impose tariffs on U.S. made products in key swing states.

“It’s official,” said taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist., president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR). “Europe is actively participating in the U.S. election and is collaborating with the Kerry campaign. ATR calls on Kerry to stop this collaboration now and remove the tariffs being placed on U.S. companies and workers.”

The Foreign Sales Corporations (FSCs) and the extraterritorial income exclusion (ETI) export subsidies were found to be in violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements due to a suit brought by the EU.

As of March 1st the EU started to impose tariffs on U.S. made products in key presidential swing states with additional tariffs being levied at the beginning of each month absent changes to the tax law.

President Bush and Congress have put forward a plan to remedy the situation and bring the U.S. tax code into compliance with the WTO ruling. Yesterday, the Senate Democrats, in near unison, filibustered the remedy to ensure the tariffs stay in place.

The Democrats collaboration with the EU, says the group, is making U.S. companies less competitive, inflicting jobs losses here in America, and undermining overall economic growth.

“Coordinating political maneuvers to inflict job losses in swing states is economic treason,” continued Norquist. “If Euro-socialists don’t want Bush to be President of the United States, bully for them. But for a challenger to look to Europe to inflict pain in the United States is taking Machiavellian power plays to a level never before seen in American politics.”

...On Hurricane 'Hugo' Chavez's funeral march towards totalitarianism...whilst tooting Castro's little red horn.

Venezuela TV Broadcasts Stolen Interview

CARACAS, Venezuela -- A private television news station gets an exclusive interview with a mayor hiding from an arrest warrant. Somehow, the program airs first on Venezuela's state-owned television station.

While the interview broke no new ground, the case is fueling allegations that the government of President Hugo Chavez has stepped up efforts to stifle press freedoms and dissent.

"They are trying to break us -- let us know that we are being spied upon," said Maria Fernanda Flores, vice president of Globovision, the 24-hour news network that interviewed Henrique Capriles.

"That's what they want to do to us, and they are mistaken. Our morale won't be broken by the stupidities of common criminals," Flores said Thursday.

Chavez has threatened on several occasions to close Globovision and Venezuela's three other private TV networks for allegedly inciting rebellion against his leftist government.

>>Read the whole report>>

Hat tip to Rantburg

U.S.: Clarke's either-or can lead to big problems

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is accusing former White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke of flat out "lying" in his sworn testimony this week before the Independent Commission Investigating the Sept. 11 Attacks.

"Clarke’s testimony to our committee is 180 degrees out of line with what he is saying in his book," Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., told Roll Call yesterday. "He’s either lying in his book or he lied to our committee. It’s one or the other."
...
"If he was lying to a congressional committee, he's got a big problem here," Goss warned.

U.S.: Ah, Democrats, stepping on their constituents again

For Caribbean-Americans, it's the day the music died.

Starting Wednesday, Air America Radio - the so-called "liberal radio network" that will feature talk shows hosted by Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo - will displace WLIB's Caribbean-centric programming at 1190 AM.

"It's a big loss for the community," said Roy Hastick, president of the Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce. "That station was one-stop shopping for Caribbean people - music, cricket scores, news, advertising and immigration information."

WLIB station manager Kernie Anderson refused to comment yesterday. But in a recent interview with Carib Times, he and interviewer Tony Best voiced dismay at the Air America format.

The switch to Franken and Co. is "like a death in the family," said Best.

Well, Caribbeans in NY will just have to brace themselves for lies, damn lies, and the lying liars who tell them, to paraphrase Al Franken's delightfully named book. Do it for the sake of the party, you know.

Then, there's the deliciously sweet irony of this.

Opponents of the Air America deal will hold a rally on April 1 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church to protest what organizers call racism in the radio industry.

Schadenfreude? Nah. Ok. Just a tad. WLIB was good, though.

Hti: I was wrong ... perhaps

South Africa will be the permanent home in exile for Haiti's ousted Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Jamaican officials said Thursday on condition of anonymity.

The officials said Aristide would not go to South Africa until after that country's general elections April 14, because President Thabo Mbeki's government believes it would be "politically unsettling."

There was no immediate response from South Africa, where opposition leaders have said the government should not support Aristide, once hailed as a champion of democracy but now accused of corruption and violence against his opponents.

Mbeki was among few international leaders to attend Haiti's bicentennial independence celebrations this year, and is known to get on well with Aristide.
...
The Jamaican officials, who spoke outside a Caribbean summit that is to discuss the exiled leader's plans, said Aristide would not be taking up offers for permanent sanctuary from Venezuela and temporary asylum from Nigeria.

Did Aristide really agree to go, or is Jamaica pushing him out the door? Fact is, I'll believe that Aristide intends to settle into exile in South Africa when he's there for two whole years -- the end of his term -- without saying anything about returning to Haiti.

Hti: No Caricom head ever went so they never knew

Robert Novak writes:

This was my first visit here since 1993, prior to Aristide's restoration, and Haiti is even more a third world backwater. The radical president's reign left a country without electricity, passable roads or public schools, with a devastated economy and, according to LaTortue, a looted treasury. Interviewed in his office, the prime minister told me: "The public finance is in crisis. They (the Aristide regime) took everything they could from the reserve of the country." His estimate: "over $1 billion" stolen in four weeks.

During Aristide's last days, well-armed gangs supporting him went on a rampage of destruction and looting across the country. It continued after his departure and before foreign troops arrived, with pro-Aristide demonstrators sweeping downtown Port-au-Prince to trash parked autos on March 10.

...A second return of Aristide as a free man is ruled out. Boniface Alexandre, the Supreme Court chief justice who became provisional president upon Aristide's resignation under Haiti's constitution, is a careful jurist who measures his words -- except when it comes to Aristide. "He cannot come back to Haiti," Alexandre told me. Aristide will return only if it is decided to indict and extradite him, Justice Minister Bernard Grousse informed me.

I think the Haitians know Aristide better than caricom does. So what did Aristide do for Haiti during his tenure as president? Why does Caricom wish to inflict such a man on Haiti once again? Will Caricom listen to this, or will they insist, blindly, that Aristide was elected? If they do, then it means that Caricom heads are of the opinion that an election means a prime minister or president can do anything to a country and with impunity. If that is so, it does not augur well for the citizens of Caricom.

Novak also reports this, which does not bode well for John Effin Kerry in either New York or Florida.

I found the fear among many Haitians that John Kerry as president (under Congressional Black Caucus pressure) will return Aristide. The Democratic candidate should consider the experience of Mary Louise Baker, for 33 years co-owner of a five-building apparel factory in the Cite Soleil (pro-Aristide) slum -- employing 700 people and feeding 7,000.

On Feb. 27, two days before Aristide left, some 200 heavily armed pro-Aristide gang members entered the Baker plant to loot and destroy equipment, leaving it an empty shell. I asked Mrs. Baker whether she will rebuild. "I will have to see what happens here, whether you Americans send Aristide back again," she replied. Such widespread doubt stalls economic recovery for this tragic land.

Finally, this bit, which puts the finishing touches on the rearrangement of Novak's article.

U.S. Ambassador James Foley on Monday passed the word to Provisional Prime Minister Gerard LaTortue that his superiors in the Bush administration were not happy about language used by the head of Haiti's new government. LaTortue refers to his country's rebels as "freedom fighters." That designation, the prime minister responded, was deserved by patriots who had ousted as president the oppressive tyrant, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The exchange reflected the delicate relationship between Port-au-Prince and Washington at this new stage of Haiti's tortured history. Both the office and person of LaTortue, a 69-year-old retired United Nations development official, are guarded by armed U.S. State Department security personnel. He needs massive American help for this desperately poor country. But LaTortue, no politician and an outspoken technocrat, does not welcome U.S. tutelage about his language or his policies.

The Americans are back in Haiti a decade after threats of massive U.S. force restored Aristide. This time, however, Aristide would have been overthrown even if U.S. Marines never arrived. The prime minister is correct in calling the rebels freedom fighters.
...
LaTortue's simultaneous reliance on and independence from the Americans were demonstrated last weekend when U.S. military helicopters transported him to Gonaives, where the anti-Aristide rebellion began. He met "freedom fighters," in coats and ties for the occasion but disdained by the State Department. "They are not thugs," LaTortue told me. "They are people who have suffered from the dictatorial practices of Aristide."

Bhms: They have to be kidding

Former convicts and supporters took to Rawson Square Wednesday with placards calling for the freedom of drug convict Samuel '90' Knowles, who is fighting against extradition to the United States.

The protesters were adorned in white and black T-shirts which read 'Freedom March- Justice and Equality for all' on the front, while the back read 'Extradition, do we have any rights?' They chanted "Free 90," "Free the General."

Despite predominantly asking for Mr. Knowles to be given freedom the protesters said they want a "second chance" and were to partner with the Government in the growing fight against crime.

Bhms: Bahamas an example to Europe and Brazil

The Bahamas can no longer make decisions independent of the United States Department of Homeland Security, as it relates to the safety of Americans travelling to this country, Prime Minister Perry Christie said Tuesday.

"When aircraft are taking off from The Bahamas enroute to the U.S. they have indeed a tremendous interest in what we're doing and how we're doing it," said the Prime Minister during the signing of a Heads of Agreement for a $40 million resort in Eleuthera.

"The Bahamas is no longer in a position to make decisions independent of the United States of America if it impacts their security," Mr Christie told his audience.

Dca: Hard work pays

90 farmers who were given eviction notice from Crompton Point, have been granted permisssion to cont their work. This because of high yields with their bananas and the fact that they're young and determined.They were granted permission by the min for Agri Source: DBS Radio

Meanwhile:

A citrus virus which was discovered in Da since 1996 has now affected 95% of the citrus in the south of the island. Techniques to identify and confirm the presence of the disease are being implemented however, root stalks are being imported to combat it. Source: DBS Radio

Also this on the brain drain:

It has been stated that though migration of nurses dates back from the 1980s, from 2000 -2003 there have been a 11% decrease in the number of nurses at the PMH. It is said that this severely hampers the quality of health care at the PMH. Source: DBS Radio

St. Kts: What was the minister smoking when he did this?

In St. Vincent last month, Dr. Jerrol Thompson, Minister of Communications signed  a bail bond for one of his constituents charged with drug possession.  However, two weeks later Minister Thompson surrendered the bail bond and no longer remained one of the accused sureties.  This is what he had to say:

“I am surrendering the bail today because I recognized, after personal reflection and discussion with my colleagues, that I had made an error of judgement in signing the surety.” 

He then pledged his commitment and that of the government to fight against trafficking and illegal drugs.

I know pols will do anything for a vote, but this is ridiculous.

St. Lca: Stemming the brain drain

“A number of nurses are looking for jobs in the UK,” a disgruntled 24-year-old told the STAR in an interview. “There are certain agencies in England that process applications and recruit nurses from the Caribbean when there are openings. But I found out that the UK government has a law where we can no longer be employed by government-owned institutions in the UK.”

According to the young woman, when rumors surfaced that the St Lucia government had tried to stem the tide of nurses seeking employment in the UK, she called West Maria, one of the UK’s recruitment agencies, just to be sure. She was, after all, one of those who had applied and was awaiting favorable results.

A recruiting agent informed her that the company could no longer process their applications. An order released by the UK government informed the company that it was no longer allowed to recruit nurses from the Caribbean. The company, which had not been aware of the order before has since acceded to state demands.

According to BBC reports, a few years ago, the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK was accused of “poaching” nurses from developing countries to fill its vacancies. Consequently, in 1999, the Department of Health banned NHS trusts from recruiting nurses from South Africa and Caribbean countries where there are nursing shortages.

St. Lca: Caricom needs to work with the U.S. on Haiti

Dr Vaughan Lewis says Caricom needs to engage with the United States more and push for greater international involvement in Haiti.

Dr Vaughan Lewis, professor of international relations at the University of the West Indies at St Augustine, Trinidad made his comments as he spoke to BBC Caribbean Service about the snags in the relationship between Caricom and the US, especially over the issue of Haiti.

Over the last year, Caricom’s relationship with the United States has been somewhat troubled.

First, the regional grouping disagreed with the Bush administration on the war in Iraq, and within recent weeks, they called for an inquiry into the circumstances behind the US-led ouster of Haitian leader Jean Bertrand Aristide.

“The Caricom countries must now look to the future rather than the past,” said Professor Lewis.

“The fact of the matter is we have to engage the US but we have to do that by trying through our diplomacy to ensure that the issue of Haiti becomes rapidly internationalized, multi-lateralized and that the UN be given a degree of authority to deal with that situation over the long-term.”

He feels that the Caricom initiative was abandoned because of the Bush administration’s concerns about how the Haiti situation would affect his election campaign.

Gya: Bacchus worried he might be Rodneyed over death squad issue

George Bacchus, the man at the centre of explosive death squad allegations, wants to provide more information but is concerned about his safety and wants firm security assurances, a relative told Stabroek News yesterday.

The relative, who preferred to remain anonymous because of security concerns, says that Bacchus faces a dilemma over his safety because neither the State nor the police force could be relied upon to protect him since he has implicated them in the operations of the death squad. There is also no witness protection programme that could be offered to him.

Bacchus had visited the US embassy on several occasions to tell officials there his story as a means of enhancing his security but the relative says as of now the embassy is unlikely to provide any guarantee for his safety as he is not a citizen. Sources also say that the US embassy is likely to tread carefully in this matter considering the sensitivities of the Guyana Government.

If this last is the case, Bacchus needs to be armed, like Rambo, and ready to shoot first, like Django. The man has a rare courage; for, as long as he's alive, he's a threat to the Guyanese government. Somebody might attempt to pull a Machiavelli on him and his family.

Gya: Gov't indifferent to the will of the people

The allegations concerning a death squad have brought this society to yet another standstill. At their heart is the charge that the squad had state sponsorship at some level, which if true, is no small accusation. It is the kind of imputation which in more normally structured democracies would have caused a government to act with dispatch against whichever of its members was enveloped in the cloud of suspicion. The fear that the administration as a whole could be contaminated by such allegations would have constituted sufficient incentive for quick action.

But not here. In this country the government has proved impervious to whatever evidence has been placed in the public domain, and has made statements on the subject which in some instances border on the obtuse. It has, in other words, behaved in a way which sends the message that it has something to hide. But this is not the total explanation. At the back of its obstinacy there is something else as well in operation - and that is the feeling of injustice. There has been no reckoning for the PNC in terms of its behaviour over many years, and now, after the ruling party attempted to respond to an 'evil' - albeit with another 'evil' - it is the one whose actions the opposition is demanding be the subject of an independent inquiry.
...
The administration in the form of Dr Roger Luncheon repeated again on Wednesday that it was not prepared to negotiate on the question of an independent investigation into the death squad killings. Its obduracy is wearing and counter-productive. What we need at this point, perhaps, is the intervention of some civil society group in the first instance, to create a forum where the government and the parliamentary opposition as a whole could discuss in private the possibilities for breaking the impasse. At the moment, there is no problem in this nation more in need of resolution.

BVI: To whom much is given, much is expected

Attorney General Cherno Jallow has appealed the High Court sentences of three civil servants and one businessman convicted of corrupting contracts at the T.B. Lettsome International Airport.

According to applications to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal that were submitted in late February, the attorney general's chambers has asked the court to reconsider the leniency of the sentences of former Financial Secretary Allen Wheatley, former Budget Coordinator Bevis Sylvester, former Government Telephone Services Manager Berton Smith and local businessman Albion Hodge.

The applications state that the mitigating circumstances High Court Judge Hugh Rawlins considered in his rulings, that Mr. Smith had no previous offenses before his Dec. 4, 2003 sentencing and that all the defendants "belatedly pleaded guilty" at a Jan. 19 sentencing, were not sufficient reasons to impose the sentences actually passed.

T&T: Caricom turns the Haiti mess into a pissing contest

With the governance crisis situation in Haiti at the top of a packed 12-item agenda, there was a noticeable absence of the division anticipated over the likely arrival for the meeting of Haiti's interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.

As it turned out, amid all the speculations, Latortue had failed to repudiate his earlier announcement of suspending Haiti's relations with Caricom or his embrace last weekend of armed rebels as "liberators". And, therefore, his request to attend the Caricom meeting could not have been entertained. It would not have been "politically correct" to have any Haitian official at the meeting when the issue of recognition of a post-Aristide regime in Port-au-Prince was not previously taken.

Latortue's chance of being given an informal audience by Caricom leaders, without recognition of the regime in Haiti, was dashed by his surprising embrace last weekend at a political rally in his hometown of Gonaives of armed rebels as "liberators" and "freedom fighters" in ousting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power on February 29.
...
The Express was informed by conference sources that the leaders' deliberations coincided with renewed behind-the-scenes pressures from President George Bush's administration for Caricom's recognition of the interim Haitian regime of which former Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre is President and Latortue Prime Minister.

But neither Community Secretary General Edwin Carrington, nor Prime Minister PJ Patterson of Jamaica-who yesterday handed over the chairmanship, temporarily, to host Prime Minister, Denzil Douglas of St Kitts and Nevis-would confirm that Haiti's membership in the Community would now remain vacant pending new free and fair elections within two years.

The final and decisive decision was expected by last evening or to be announced today before a resumed plenary session.

But to judge from the applause, Prime Minister Patterson may have reflected a strong sentiment of his colleagues assembled around the conference table when he told the opening session:

"We may be small in size and we make no claim to military power but our influence in the hemisphere cannot be underestimated...And I believe that there cannot be a lasting and permanent solution to the crisis in Haiti without Caricom being involved."

The Community would, therefore, remain engaged on Haiti, without compromising fundamental principles of democratic governance to which it remains guided, stressed Patterson.

So, this is what it comes down to, who's the biggest BSD in the region, either GWB or the Caricom heads. Do Caricom heads really want to play lash for lash with GWB?

T&T: Bechtel's playing hardball

Citing new concerns of a planned shutdown of the ALNG train IV project by main contractor, Bechtel, workers from the Point Fortin plant pitched camp in Port-of-Spain yesterday hoping to get a better hearing from the central Government.

The workers assembled at City Gate, then marched through the streets all the way to Whitehall where Cabinet was holding its weekly meeting.

Several trade union leaders joined in the march to show of solidarity against what they saw as an attack on the labour movement.

Among those marching were NUGFW president Robert Giuseppi, TTUTA president Trevor Oliver; and BIGWU president Vincent Cabrera.

"Endentured slavery done, pass money," and "Tun yuh tongue, Manning‚" screamed the placards as workers, clad in red, made their way through Port-of-Spain.

The labour cry "We shall overcome" rose above the usual city din, drawing curious spectators from offices and stores.

Bechtel had initially agreed to pay the higher wages being demanded but then rescinded that decision after receiving instructions from the Prime Minister, said Ernest Thompson, leader of the striking workers.

He said Bechtel was now hatching a plan to send home all the workers and pull out of the ALNG train IV project.

Then this:

NUGFW's Giuseppi called for fairer distribution of the wealth and resources of the country.

"Let the people who work control the majority of the wealth," he said.

That distribution doesn't come through unions, Giuseppi, it comes from hard work and entrepreneurship. Nobody's going to hand it to anybody. Folks who want wealth and resources have to get it the old-fashioned way -- they've got to earn it!

Somebody's spinning somebody here.:

Atlantic LNG president Rick Cape denied that Bechtel, the main train IV contractor, was pulling out of the project.

"There is no truth to the statement that they’re pulling out of Trinidad," he said yesterday. "I spoke to them (Bechtel) today, in fact we speak to them everyday, and that is totally untrue. They are not de-mobilising or pulling out. Their obligations are to Atlantic and they have given no indication they are in any way not going to perform."

Cape further denied suggestions coming out of the strike camp that there was an agreement between Bechtel and the workers for higher wages.

T&T: Marabella Jnr Sec's reached where it's going

NINE pupils from Marabella Junior Secondary School were expected to be charged last night for several counts of assault arising out of a fracas outside the school’s compound yesterday morning. Once charged, the youths will appear at the San Fernando Magistrates Court. Two of the pupils were cut with knives and several others beaten, in what police described as the eruption of a long-standing “gang warfare” between members from rival schools. The fighting occurred outside the school’s compound around 11.30 am and according to reports, police were forced to detain 15 pupils at Marabella Police Station for questioning.

T&T: Parliamentary drinking game

These are the rules:
Take one shot:
* Every time Patrick Manning uses the word “interesting.”
* Every time Basdeo Panday uses the phrase “ethnic cleansing.”
* Every time someone uses the phrase “the recent spate of kidnappings.”
* Every time a reporter describes a bandit as “relieving” a victim of their jewelry, shoes, cell phone and cash.
Take two shots:
* Every time a Cabinet Minister falls asleep in his chair in the Red House.
* Every time you attend a court case and the nickname of the accused is “Rat.”
* Every time a reporter describes a criminal as “raining chops” on his victim.
* Every time Patrick Manning develops a case of laryngitis.
Take three shots:
* Every time Basdeo Panday refuses to support something in Cabinet unless there is “constitutional reform.”
* Every time a bandit fled the scene in a white B-13 Sentra never to be found again.
* Every time someone says the phrase “Vision 2020.”
* Every time someone writes a Letter to the Editor quoting the Bible.
Take four shots:
* Every time a Minister says the words “LNG” (one shot for each Atlantic LNG Train in Point Fortin).
* Every time Abu Bakr is in the papers (one shot for each of Abu’s wives).
* Every time someone says the phrase “Afro-Trini” or “Indo-Trini.”
* Every time someone uses the phrase “carnage on the nation’s roads.” You can rely on your friendly locally-produced Politics Drinking Game™ to save you from boredom during many a dull day at the office, many nights watching Panorama news, many hours of reading the daily papers, and time spent while interviewing “honourable” Ministers outside of White Hall. The Politics Drinking Game™ is guaranteed for endless hours of good political fun and entertainment.

(DISCLAIMER: The manufacturers of the Politics Drinking Game™ do not take responsibility for any terminated employment, being held in contempt of court, slurred speech, outbreaks of laryngitis, bad or incorrect reporting, ethnic cleansing, liver damage, empty wallets or odd looks from strangers. Please play responsibly.) Cheers!

Read the rest.

Vzla: Another one bites the dust

Víctor Rodríguez Cedeño, Venezuelan Ambassador to the UN [alternate] resigned today from his post in Geneva. In a letter addressed to Foreign Secretary Jesús Arnaldo Pérez, Mr. Rodríguez Cedeño expressed “the recent statements of President Chavez, that have been ratified by you, demonstrate in explicit terms the authoritarian character of the present administration which are intolerable to the democratic norms of co-existence universally accepted.”

Vzla: How Chavez is undermining the rule of law

This is a taste; read the rest.

The Chavez government has insisted for months that the 3 million signatures validly collected during the referendum petition drive are the product of a megafraud. This is a lie, as everyone in the diplomatic community, the Carter Center and the serious media know. Even Juan Forero, by far the most sympathetic-to-Chavez reporter with a foreign newspaper, acknowledges this much.

What's most infuriating and most pathetic about the Chavez government's attempt to keep alive some suspicion that the signatures are fake is the lack of detail or logical coherence in the official story. The word "megafraude" has been repeated one and a million times. The mechanics of the supposed fraud have never been explained in public in any coherent way.

USVI: Public retarded?

Do USVIers need to be told what to think? What kind of nonsense is this? Surely everyman has a Bible and a brain and can pick sense out of nonsense for himself? Why should the opinions of clerics shape the opinions of anybody on anything? Is the USVI the Arab world?

Some bemoaned the prolonged gore, others the artistic license taken, but after previewing the "The Passion of the Christ" on Wednesday at Caribbean Cinemas, faith leaders could not come up with a united statement to guide the public's interpretation of the film.

Some of the idiotic comments offered by the faith leaders indicate precisely why they should not be guiding anybody's thought on anything much. The problem with the Christian Church is that it has lost sight of the magnitude of the sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus has been reduced to a moral teacher who provided a great example. Many have lost sight of or are turned off by a vigorous and angry God; in their view, God is love and only love. Instead of accepting God as He presents Himself, they've replaced the complex God, who will kill to save, with a Santa Claus who accepts everything and stands for nothing.

The wonder of Mel Gibson's Passion is that it restores the understanding and the necessity of that once and forever bloody sacrifice to Christianity. Moreover, The Passion, in its uncompromising and open declaration of spiritual warfare, leaves Christians with the utter absolutism of Christianity. It is a faith of either/or; of only One Way; of no other God but Me. Even amongst the clergy, that actual view of Christianity might be too much to bear. After all, who could live with God as He depicts and presents Himself to us? It's far better for us to have a god we can live comfortably with. That illusion of the comfortable God is ripped away in the bloody imagery of The Passion.

USVI: SCt in the wings

After lying dormant a couple of years, the movement to establish a V.I. Supreme Court has re-emerged.

Sen. Carlton Dowe, who is working on legislation to establish a territorial appellate court, asked about 50 V.I. Bar Association members Wednesday for their input on the legislation. Dowe has been working to establish the court since 2002, when Gov. Charles Turnbull, citing a need for public hearings and more funding, vetoed a $2.5 million appropriation for it.

At the V.I. Bar Association's meeting Wednesday, which connected members on St. Thomas and St. Croix through videoconferencing, Dowe said he would meet with members of the Bar Association and Territorial Presiding Judge Maria Cabret at the end of next week to formalize and finish the legislation.

"The Organic Act of 1984 gives us the authority to have a Supreme Court," Dowe said. "It has been 20-some years, and we have not moved forward."

Territorial Court decisions currently are appealed to District Court. If a further appeal is sought, the next step is to take the case to the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S.: Why glorify this?

Homicide bombing. Take a look at what happens to the poor schnook who's suckered into this insanity with promises of sex with 72 virgins in the afterlife. Praise and thanks to Allah for the link.

Donkeys versus the Peacenics
There's a serious war going on in the heads of Democrat strategists and their talking-point stormtrooper's .

...as illustrated by the yawning gulf between the past and present rhetoric coming from the anointed'.

From Brain Terminal:

"Some people would like you to think President Bush lied when he talked about Saddam Hussein's weapons. But, if Bush lied, then so did many of the people who are criticizing him now. When Bill Clinton was in office, his fellow Democrats had much to say about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. But, if you hear them talk now, you'd think the entire party suffers from amnesia. Democrats used to talk tough about Iraq. They did when one of their own was in the White House. And they did when polls showed it was politically helpful to support President Bush. But now, it's campaign season, and they've changed their tune. To find out if the spin was sticking, I quizzed some peace protesters using hawkish quotes from notable Democrats."

Be sure to scroll down on the linked page to watch the hilarious video shot by Evan Coyne Maloney of Brain Terminal during the March 20 NYC protests.
LOL!

T&T: Over the top

THE OPPOSITION UNC declared that it would be waging war against Senate President Dr Linda Baboolal until she ceases to be “the key protector” for the Government in the Parliament. Speaking at an impromptu news conference after Baboolal suspended UNC Senator Robin Montano from yesterday’s Senate sitting and the Opposition subsequently walking out of the sitting, Senate Opposition Leader Wade Mark declared: “We (UNC) are an army. We never leave our wounded soldiers behind. 

We will fight this lady (Baboolal) and the whole Government. We will expose them.” Mark said “in a real democratic framework,” Baboolal should have consulted with him, Leader of Government Business Dr Lenny Saith and Leader of the Independent Senators, Dr Eastlyn McKenzie, before taking action against Montano. However he claimed that Baboolal acted on the advice of Montano’s brother, Legal Affairs Minister Danny Montano, and Attorney-General John Jeremie. Mark said he was certain that while the UNC was speaking with the media, the Government would be making a mockery of the Senate by suspending Private Members’ Day and pressing ahead with Government business.

T&T: Democracy is only about elections

ON the eve of the 15th CARICOM Inter-Sessional Heads of Government summit in St Kitts/Nevis, the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) is calling on regional leaders not to recognise Haitian interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue’s government and demand the restoration of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as Haiti’s “duly elected, legitimate political leader.” Addressing a news conference at the ESC’s Maraval headquarters, ESC chairman Khafra Kambon declared: “Any Caribbean government which officially recognises this regime will, in effect, be repudiating Caricom’s principled call for an international investigation into the ouster of President Aristide.”

T&T: Too much BBC kool-aid

Read this. It's a rambling anti-American diatribe, masquerading as an editorial, that could have been written under the influence of a Marley-sized spliff.

Here's another one. The guy's off his meds, truly.

It's all because she's a woman, that's why!

T&T: Magistrate as Monday morning quarterback

A PREGNANT female police officer and her male colleague are to be charged with unlawfully killing a teenager who stormed into the International School at Westmoorings in November 2002 and shot a security guard.

Yesterday, Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls ordered that warrants be issued for the arrests of the two officers following the conclusion of an inquest into the death of 17-year-old Phillip Seerattan.

He ordered that WPC Suad Weekes and PC Gary Moore be charged with unlawfully killing Seerattan on November 20, 2002, at the International School, Westmoorings. It is alleged that they used excessive force in carrying out their duties.
...
Seerattan had left his Mt Anne Drive, Cascade, home driving his father's Audi A6 and armed with a 9 mm Smith and Wesson pistol.

He went to the International School, where he shot security guard William Ramnarine twice. Seerattan was then shot several times by Moore and Weekes in the school's computer room.

How the magistrate arrived at this conclusion is a mystery, especially since the eyewitness ran out the room before the shooting occurred and the crime scene investigator concluded that the killing was justifiable. The magistrate just about rips a new one for everyone involved with the case.

Phillip Seerattan's father's take:

He said although his son, Phillip, had shot security guard William Ramnarine, the police's role was to "protect life, not destroy it".
...
The police, he said, had prevented him from seeing his son. He said he was at the school before the shooting took place and if they had allowed him to chat with Phillip, things would have been different.

Seerattan said the situation now was unfortunate but the police officers should have "exercised some kind of caution that would have brought about some kind of reasonable result".

Gya: Bandits force law abiding citizens into nomadic lifestyle

Residents of some of the crime-affected East Coast villages are fleeing their homes and in some instances demolishing them in the face of renewed attacks by bandits operating out of Buxton.

Besieged by the criminals for almost two years, the residents had begun to breathe a sigh of relief late last year and earlier this year. But just when things showed some signs of improvement, they are again at the mercy of a money-hungry gang.

Over the past two weeks, numerous persons have been robbed. Last Friday night some 15 armed bandits terrorised Zarina Singh and her family for nearly two hours in Lusignan.

Already one family of Strathspey Railway Embank-ment and three at Lusignan have fled their homes in fear. They are now living in homes owned by their relatives but this has not changed their state of mind.

So where are the Guyanese police? What are they being paid for? What is the Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj doing to protect the citizens of Guyana? Apparently, police are paid in big stones, hence their inaction, and Gajraj, allegedly involved with death squads, doesn't want to throw the first stone. Unless this type of insanity is checked, we're lookiing at the dissolution of civil society in Guyana.

Gya: Reviving Cuba

Guyanese businessmen yesterday unanimously supported the suggestion that a local trade mission should visit Cuba, possibly to attend the Cuban Trade Expo in November.

The potential for Guyana-Cuba trade and investment in agriculture, aquaculture, construction, sugar technology, timber, tourism and medical supplies was also explored when business representatives from the two countries met yesterday.

Gya: Suriname and Guyana move to arbitration

Suriname has responded to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on Guyana's claim and has named Professor Hans Smit as its arbitrator.

Guyana moved to the United Nations arbitration process last month, to settle its maritime border dispute with Suriname under Article 287 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Guyana approached the UN Tribunal after it had exhausted efforts at the bilateral level to arrive at joint exploration arrangements for the disputed maritime area.

Ja: Michael Burke, rude bwoy without balls

Michael Burke is at it again; he's advising his fellow Jamaicans to be cheese-eating surrender monkeys who will abandon their independence for fear of Islamic terrorism. In Burke's world view, being a coward is better than standing with an old ally to fight for one's way of life.

So Jean-Bertrand Aristide is to move again. But even if he stays here, why should we worry about how the USA feels about it? Why would our national heroes spend so much time fighting for independence if we refuse to understand sovereignty and principle? But more importantly, in the international political realities today, it is better for the United States to be vexed with us than certain others are.

Burke is arguing against himself here. If his argument on independence is followed to its logical conclusion, then Jamaicans would act as they see fit regardless of anybody's displeasure. However, Burke is arguing that Jamaicans can ignore the U.S. because that country will not engage in anti-Jamaican terrorism; however, in his view, Jamaica cannot afford to anger Islamic terrorists. Thus, Burke implies that appeasement trumps independence, and, worse yet, that Jamaicans should only stand up to those whom they know will not harm them. This is cowardice par excellence.

Burke continues:

If the United States Government is vexed, it might mean a cut in foreign aid. If certain others are vexed with us, it could mean a few bombs. This is the world reality today, like what happened in Spain. Of course, there will be those who will say that it will not happen here. But that depends on how we play our cards.

The prospect of much needed U.S. foreign aid is nothing when compared with the possibility of a bomb in the hand of an Islamic terrorist. Essentially, Burke advocates a Jamaican foreign policy in which cowardice is the paramount national self-interest.

He also writes:

Ronald Reagan called Seaga "our man in the Caribbean" as if he had appointed him the US ambassador to Jamaica. In today's reality, a Jamaican prime minister who is that "chummy" with George W Bush might trigger off a deadly reaction from another part of the world. The political realities of the world have changed, but there are still many of us who have not noticed.

Political manoeuvres are a fact of life and they are made everywhere: in government, in business, in church, you name it.

Ah, yes, there we go again. Stand up like a man for the U.S.; fold like a wet panty before Islamic terrorism. Burke may not intend it, but his words are a tremendous compliment to the U.S. which will not compel its allies with bombs.

According to Burke, the only card Jamaica can play is the cheese-eating surrender monkey card made famous by the French. The path Burke would have Jamaica take is surely the path to the destruction of the very vital Jamaican society, culture, and way of life. Let's not anger the Islamists, says Burke; they will bomb and kill us if we do. What happens when the Islamists come and say, as they have historically, "convert or die"? Will Burke then advise Jewish and Christian Jamaicans to become Muslim to avoid being bombed? Which is worse? To abandon principle and cower in fear or to take proactive steps with an ally, in spite of the risk, simply because the alternative is untenable? I, for one, am very happy that Michael Burke is not a Trini, because he would have wanted the T&T government to submit to the Islamic terrorists who attempted the coup in 1990.

Burke then turns to discussing Brian Lara's continued captaincy of the West Indies. He argues that T&T's monetary contribution to UWI and provision of asphalt for Jamaica's roads mean that Lara will remain as captain in spite of the team's poor performance.

In short, we need what Trinidad has to offer so Jamaica will not offend them by speaking against their hero, Brian Lara, even if he does a ballet dance on the field instead of playing cricket. But to accept that argument would make no use arguing about cricket, which would deprive many of discussion for pastime.

What is significant about Burke's thought is that it reveals his utter cowardice. T&T, like the U.S. can be stood up to without fear. Islamic terrorists cannot. Jamaican men ought to deck Michael Burke in a burqa and so remove the stain he's busily placing on their honor.

Ja: Finally!

Longtime opposition leader Baldwin Spencer was sworn in as prime minister yesterday after a decisive victory in elections that ended nearly 60 years of dominance of a family political dynasty in Antigua and Barbuda.

Spencer, a 55 year-old labour activist, took the oath of office at the governor-general's residence before hundreds of supporters and politicians. He said the Caribbean country's government would get to work right away.

"There is no honeymoon period in this business," Spencer said. "We have to get down to work because we have a packed agenda."

91 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.

Here's some background info on Spencer.

Ja: Patterson hands off Caricom chair to Spencer

PRIME Minister P J Patterson will hand over the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to Antigua and Barbuda's new prime minister, Baldwin Spencer, at today's Fifteenth Inter-sessional Meeting of the Community.

Spencer, whose United Progressive Party (UPP) Tuesday night beat the Lester Bird-led Antigua Labour Party (ALP), assumes the chairmanship at a time when the Caribbean Community will need to take firm decisions on a number of issues, the most recent being the Haitian crisis.

But before Patterson, who is serving an extended term as Caricom chairman, demits office today, he is expected to address the matter of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's temporary asylum in Jamaica.

Vzla: First Bahamas now Venezuela, John Kerry gets no respect

A Venezuelan government official said his country would not take seriously the criticism by US Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry against the Venezuelan government and its president, saying it is just Kerry's strategy to get more votes.

Condemning Venezuela's President Chavez's policies as "detrimental to our interests," Kerry said on his website (www.johnkerry.com) Monday the United States should lead international pressure to persuade him to allow a recall vote.
...
 "I think that, in any case, his victory will not mean a break-up because he is a representative of the status quo," Saab said, adding that Kerry could "soften the pro-war features of George W. Bush's government."
...
"Kerry's strategy is to get new supporters in the Florida state," Saab added.

Will terror thugs around the globe take Kerry any more seriously? With a Kerry presidency, will they hasten to assure that they will not attack the U.S., the way Hamas did? Not likely. We might have to pay to find out.

U.S.: But I still haven't found what I'm looking for!

Israel Defense Forces paratroopers caught a Palestinian boy [Hussam Abdu from Nablus] aged 14 wearing an explosive belt at the Hawara roadblock, south of Nablus, in the West Bank on Wednesday afternoon.
...
Abdu told soldiers of his dream of receiving 72 virgins in heaven, which his dispatchers had promised him, and said that he had been tempted by the promise of sexual relations with the virgins... and that he had wanted "to be a hero."

How 'bout somebody introduce him to Pamela Hannah?
background music: "the greatest love of all is easy to achieve; learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all!"

Too lonely?
background music: "Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely! I've got nobody, to call on the phone!"

He wants 72?
background music: "Get up! get on up! Get up! get on up! get on the scene, get on up! like a sex machine! get on up!

Okay. How 'bout a real girlfriend?
background music: "would you laugh if I asked you to laugh; would you dance, oh please tell me this! would you cry, if you saw me crying? Oh, please be my girl tonight! I could be your hero, baby!"

No? family dishonor? honor killing? Dag!
background music: "daddy please don't, it wasn't her fault, she means so much to me! Daddy please don't, we're gonna get married, just you wait and see!

Okay, how 'bout if the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas were moved to Nablus with a pile of Marvin Gaye CDs?
background music: "I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money, I'll do what you want me to do! I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money, and any old music will do!"

No? Burqa? Stone them?
background music: "the night, they burnt old Dixie down, and all the bells were ringing! The night, they burnt old Dixie down, and all the people were singing, they went la-da-da-da-da-dada-da-da-da-de-da-da-da-da!"

Damn! How 'bout Klaus Nomie or RuPaul?
background music: "don't tell me what to do! don't tell me what to say! please let me live my life!... I'm young! and I want to be young! I'm free! and I want to be free!"

No? Burqa? Stone him? Okay in Saudi and Afghanistan?
background music: "macho, macho man! I wanna be a macho man! Macho, macho man! I wanna be a macho!"

Dag! Whoda thunk it! So what's left? Bomb belt?
background music: "Whoop! there it is! Whoop! there it is!"

Dag! So it's okay to kill but not okay to have sex?
background music: "I can't get no-o sa-tis-fac-tion! I can't get no-o sa-tis-fac-tion!and I try! and I try! and I try!!! I can't get no-o!!sa-tis-fac-tion!"

Alright. Gotcha!

Bhms: Economic recovery for Eleuthera

The planned $40 million development for Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera presents a unique opportunity for Bahamians on that island to open up spin-off businesses in areas such as native restaurants, housekeeping and landscaping service as well as in the marine industry a principal of the development said.

Small business growth will boost the economy every time.

Ja: Tax the end user

A SUGGESTION has come from the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) that Government free Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) from paying tax on its oil bill, and recoup the $770 million instead from the utility's customers.

OUR Director-General J. Paul Morgan, speaking in Mandeville yesterday, said he subscribed to the view that it was not good policy to tax the inputs to means of production, but to tax the outputs.

He suggests that Government add General Consumption Tax (GCT) to light bills instead of taxing the supplier of the service, arguing that it would result in cheaper fuel charges and save customers money.

Last night JPSCo said it was not averse to the proposals, and had broached similar suggestions to the Government in the past, but got no response.

Yes, indeed, taxing the user will save him money. These guys need to learn a lesson from American businesses which shrug at the taxes and pass them on to the consumer anyway.

Ja: Four beaches vying for Blue Flag status

OPERATORS OF four Jamaican beaches are seeking to have them certified under the international 'Blue Flag' eco-label, awarded to quality beaches and marinas.

This move is a first in the Caribbean, and Jamaica is among five nations in the region which have beaches that are now vying for this status.

The local beaches seeking recognition under the pilot phase of the Blue Flag programme are Doctor's Cave Beach in St. James; Long Bay Beach in Negril which embraces Westmoreland and Hanover; Dunn's River Falls and Beach in St. Ann and the new marina at Port Antonio, inclusive of the marina beach.

All Jamaican beaches seeking Blue Flag certification will be subject to assessments and spot-checks from national, regional and international panels, co-ordinated by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEE), a non-governmental organisation.
...
The certification is most widely recognised in Europe. It is an international symbol of coastal environmental quality, that is much sought after for the status it confers and the attraction it has for tourists who are seeking a vacation at the beach.

Hti: Nigeria? Who's going Nigeria? Not me!

Ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will not take Nigeria up on its offer of temporary asylum, an associate said Tuesday.

Randall Robinson, an African-American activist, also accused the United States of exerting diplomatic pressure to shuttle Aristide far away from the Caribbean.

Robinson said he had spoken with Aristide, who is in Jamaica, by telephone after Nigeria Monday offer of asylum.

"He has not asked and does not want to go to Nigeria," Robinson said by phone from his home on the nearby island of St. Kitts. "He has not requested to do so."

I've maintained that Aristide is headed for Venezuela, and Patterson will rue the day he let Aristide use Jamaica as a way station on his journey to that socialist state.

Hti: Some rebels in police force

Haiti's new interior minister said on Tuesday he plans to integrate rebels who helped oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide into the police, but will keep out those accused of human rights abuses.

Former Gen. Herard Abraham also made clear in an interview he wanted to re-establish Haiti's army -- a rebel demand opposed by rights activists and others who feel the impoverished country, which can barely feed itself, has higher priorities. He previously said he would look into the issue.

"There's a plan to re-integrate rebels into the police force," Abraham, a former armed forces chief who in 1989 handed power to a civilian government to end a military dictatorship, told Reuters.

DR: IMF killing the country

According to Diario Libre, neither the accord with the International Monetary Fund nor the series of disbursements by multinational financial institutions have helped bring the peso into the realm of what the IMF considers to be “acceptable” rates. The re-activation of the standby agreement is based on an exchange rate of RD$40 to US$1, but with March coming to an end that goal seems more and more utopian.

Cuba: Life in the communist workers paradise

Independent journalist Carlos Garcell Pérez says agents from State Security forced him to abandon his father-in-law's home where he had been living.

Garcell Pérez conceded that he did not have government permission to live in the house, located in Moa in Holguín province, as required by law.

He said that his father-in-law was told that his granddaughter would lose her job if her stepfather continued living at the house.

I wonder how Jamaicans and Trinis would respond if their governments said you have to have permission to live a certain place? Ah, no point asking the question. T&T is rife with squatters.

Cuba: Hey Castro, yuh mama!

People dissatisfied with the government and willing to express it at night by painting anti-government slogans on walls have become a growing phenomenon, at least in the central Cuban provinces, in spite of similarly growing police activity to deter them.

Most recently, several slogans showed up on the morning of Friday, March 12, on the walls of houses at the corner of Cuba and Serafín Sánchez Streets, in the center of Santa Clara. On the wall of one house belonging to prominent Communist Party members, someone wrote in black ink: "Down with Fidel." Nearby, almost under the nose of Popular Council president José Chalup, someone wrote: "Fidel, Murderer."

Inevitably, by the time police showed up to remove the graffiti, a crowd had gathered and spread the news across town. Bystanders said police painted over one sign and scrapped the other one off.

First comes graffiti. Next comes revolution. Will Chavez be able to save Castro? Tune in next week, same time, same channel.

Bmda: Banking expansion for Bermuda

Bank of Bermuda CEO Philip Butterfield said the Island could see further expansion of its banking sector – but it would not be a "free for all".

Mr. Butterfield, during a speech last week at the Financial Planning Association of Bermuda's winter meeting, said Government would call the shots but he would expect to see further expansion of the sector following the bank's sale last month to multinational banking giant HSBC Plc.

The bank's sale, after 115 years of independence, to a foreign bank – the first time in Bermuda's history that such a transaction had taken place – was welcomed by Government as being in line with its stated intention to carefully open up the sector.

Blz: Human rights center opened

At the opening of the international forum on Monday, U.B. officially launched the Belize Centre for Human Rights Studies in Belmopan. Member of the steering committee that founded the centre, Myrna Manzanares, says it's a development tool that will benefit the entire country.

Let's hope it's not hijacked by leftists.

U.S.: What credibility?

Ah, I missed this bit, caught it on Fox News. Richard Clarke said he was asked by the administration to make the case to reporters on what was being done with regard to terrorism. Asked if he was expected to lie and did it, Clarke said no, he was not; instead, he was expected to present the positive aspects of the administration's efforts. Here's the weakness in Clarke's dodge: it does not nullify his earlier statement that the Bush administration in eight months did more to counter terrorism than the Clinton administration had done in eight years. For, if the positive aspects all detail action, then the negative aspect cannot reveal inaction but must pertain to flaws in the plan of action. In August 2002, Clarke would have America believe that the Bush administration was pro-active with regard to Al Qaeda. In 2004, in his newly published book and his testimony before the 9/11 Commission today, Clarke would have America believe that the Bush administration did nothing about Al Qaeda. Those two propositions cannot both be true. Either the Bush administration did something or it did nothing. The degree of activity is not an issue; the existence of activity is. Thus, we come to this: either Clarke lied at that press conference in 2002 or he is lying in his book and to the 9/11 Commission, his testimony to which is given under oath.

How is one to understand Clarke's own words in August 2002?:

[T]he Bush administration decided then, you know, mid-January, to do two things. One, vigorously pursue the existing policy, including all of the lethal covert action findings,... The second thing the administration decided to do is to initiate a process to look at those issues which had been on the table for a couple of years and get them decided..... [T]hat process which was initiated in the first week in February, uh, decided in principle, uh in the spring to add to the existing Clinton strategy and to increase CIA resources, for example, for covert action, five-fold, to go after Al Qaeda..... [T]he newly-appointed deputies -- and you had to remember, the deputies didn't get into office until late March, early April. The deputies then tasked the development of the implementation details, uh, of these new decisions that they were endorsing, and sending out to the principals.... [T]hey developed implementation details, the principals met at the end of the summer, approved them in their first meeting, changed the strategy by authorizing the increase in funding five-fold, changing the policy on Pakistan, changing the policy on Uzbekistan, changing the policy on the Northern Alliance assistance.

And then changed the strategy from one of rollback with Al Qaeda over the course [of] five years, which it had been, to a new strategy that called for the rapid elimination of al Qaeda. That is in fact the timeline.

If the book and the Commission testimony are true, then Clarke lied in August 2002 when he detailed a timeline of Bush administration action stemming from January 2001 to the end of summer, 2001. If Clarke told the truth in August 2002, then he is lying in his book and to the Commission. Either way, Clarke is lying. That's the trap in which he has fixed himself. Moreover, if he is lying in 2002, it is a stupid lie because a FOIA might verify the measures he represents the administration as having undertaken. Worse yet, the lie may have been told for political gain, for he was up for a position in the Bush administration.The complicating factor of the timeline's details is that they stand as witness against Clarke's present claims that the Bush administration did nothing with regard to Al Qaeda. Clarke's press conference and his altered testimony leave no room for a middle ground, and neither does his attempt to hold on to the filthy rags of his credibility.

It all comes down to this: no matter how hard the Democrats try, Bush ≠ Clinton. Kerry = Clinton. And America cannot afford another Democrat president who is lax on national security.

Bdos: Windies defeat in Port of Spain

Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe ushered England to a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies on the final day of the second cricket test yesterday. Following the match, West Indies manager Ricky Skerritt announced his resignation, effective after the home series against Bangladesh in June.

England needed only 28 runs to reach its target of 99 on the fifth morning and lost only former captain Nasser Hussain off the day’s second ball.

The West Indies was bowled out for 208 and 209 and England made 319 and 99 for three at Queen’s Park Oval to retain the Wisden Trophy with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-test series

Oh, the shame of it! The shame! The shame!

As disgusted as I am with the latest DNC attempt to smear the apparently too effective Commander and Chief of the United States...ScrappleFace manages to find the hidden humor in current events yet again.

(2004-03-23) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld today told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States that he has a plan to prevent past acts of terror.

"As I have listened to people speculate on what might have been done to prevent 9/11," said Mr. Rumsfeld, "I realized that we’ve been doing all the post-mortem analysis after the fact."

Mr. Rumsfeld proposed that the CIA, FBI and the Pentagon immediately begin "studying the facts about the next major terror attack, which will never happen because we will prevent it in hindsight."

"All we have to do is figure out who attacked us, where and when," he said. "It’s a simple matter of stepping out of the time-space continuum to ward off future incidents after they have already happened."

The latest surreal Dhimmicrat I.E.D. (Ingrate Envious Disaster) has blown up in its face already...again.

Bdos: If Bishop, why not Latortue?

The Barbados Advocate's answer appears to be: 1) it's Latortue's fault; and, 2) T&T's Manning has got Patterson's back, so the desire of other Caricom partners to have Lorture at the next regional meeting, if only as an observer, may come to nothing. In sum, Caricom is speaking with "forked tongue." Follow the link and read the rest.

U.S.: One commissioner has balls

9/11 Commission member, former Navy Secretary John Lehman ripped ex-terrorism czar Richard Clarke Wednesday afternoon for cashing in on this week's public hearings into America's worst disaster by using the forum to peddle his book.
...
"But now we have the book," Lehman noted. "I've published books before and I must must say that I am green with envy at the promotion department of your publisher."

Continued Lehman: "I never got [Commission member] Jim Thompson to stand before 50 photographers reading your book. And I certainly never got '60 Minutes' to coordinate the showing of its interview with you with 15 network news broadcasts, the selling of the movie rights and your appearance here today."

Clarke has 'Credibility Problem'

Lehman said that when he started to read press accounts of Clarke's book, "I said to myself, this can't be the same Dick Clarke that testified before us, because all of the promotional material and all of the spin in the networks was that this is a roundly, devastating attack - this book - on President Bush.

"That's not what I heard in the [private Commission] interviews.

"And I hope you're going to tell me, as you apologize to all the families for all of us who were involved in national security, that this tremendous difference - and not just in nuance but in the stories you choose to tell - is really the result of your editors and your promoters rather than your studied judgment."

Lehman then blasted:

[Your book] is so different from the whole thrust of your testimony to us. And similarly, when you add to it, the inconsistencies between what your promoters are putting out and what you yourself said as late as [last] August 5, you've got a real credibility problem."

Lehman concluded:

"Because of my real, genuine, longtime admiration for you, I hope you'll resolve that credibility problem because I'd hate to see you become totally shoved to one side during the presidential campaign as an active partisan selling a book."

Looks like he kicked Clarke in his.

Bdos: Talk is cheap

Windies has lost the second Test match against England.

“We are very embarrassed and very disappointed in our performances.”

The words of Brian Lara after the West Indies sunk to a second successive defeat to England in the Cable & Wireless Series yesterday.

The West Indies captain, however, tried to remain upbeat in looking forward to the rest of the series in spite of the fact that England’s 2-0 lead in the four-match contest has assured them retention of the Wisden Trophy.

“The series is still there. I think we can level the series,” Lara told reporters.

Cut the bull and just win!

U.S.: Clarke addressing the credibility gap

Clarke shuffles off the question into a response to White House charges against him. No, he won't take a job with Kerry.

Then, he attempts to address it directly by stating that nobody asked him about GWB's invasion of Iraq. He says that's why there's a credibility gap, for he regards the invasion of Iraq as an undermining of the war on terrorism.

This excerpt from Clarke's August 2002 interview establishes that he would have had the Bush administration pursue a plan for fighting terror that would have been no different from the Clinton administration's.

QUESTION: Had the Clinton administration in any of its work on this issue, in any of the findings or anything else, prepared for a call for the use of ground forces, special operations forces in any way? What did the Bush administration do with that if they had?

CLARKE: There was never a plan in the Clinton administration to use ground forces. The military was asked at a couple of points in the Clinton administration to think about it. Um, and they always came back and said it was not a good idea. There was never a plan to do that.
...
QUESTION: In your judgment, is it possible to eliminate Al Qaeda without putting troops on the ground?

CLARKE: Uh, yeah, I think it was. I think it was. If we'd had Pakistani, Uzbek and Northern Alliance assistance.

This is precisely the swatting-terrorism approach that GWB disdained. If the intent was to eliminate terrorists, then waging war against one of the primary funders of terrorism, Saddam Hussein, was a necessary object lesson, not only to the terrorists themselves, but also to the terror-funding Saudi Arabians, supposedly friends of the U.S.

Strategically, attacking Iraq was more promising than attacking Saudi Arabia because while the Saudis would sit on the sidelines whilst the scourge of the Mid East came under fire, Saddam would not have done the same. Moreover, attacking Saudi Arabia, land of the two mosques, or whatever it's called, would have inflamed the Arab street in a way an attack on Iraq did not.

Does it count that Saddam is no longer around to fund terrorists in the "West Bank" and "Gaza"? That since the Israelis gave Sheik Yassin the happiest day of his life, terrorist groups, such as Islamic Jihad, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and Hamas, in particular, have been demonstrated to be connected to Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the fount of terrorist activities? If these were connected to Saddam and also are to Al Qaeda, is it likely that Saddam and Al Qaeda were not connected to each other? Not much. The old adage, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, has yet to be disproven here.

Does it count that since Iraq has fallen thousands of terrorists have been killed; that Abu Nidal was taken in Iraq; that Libya has given up its WMDs; that the Pakistani WMD train is derailed; that the Pakis are fully engaged in fighting terror; that Syria is teetering; that Al Qaeda has no set and open base in any country; that American special forces are forging anti-terror relations in African countries whose deserted regions Al Qaeda might want to use for a base? To Democrats, it doesn't matter because it is GWB whose bold strike at a vital source of Mid East instability and global terror is bringing the terrorist house of cards down. It is more important to bring down GWB than it is to fight terror.

The significance of Saddam's defeat to the war and terror is simply this: that Al Qaeda, having been chased out of Afghanistan, could not establish a refuge in Iraq. That Al Qaeda went across the border to Pakistan was less dangerous than the prospect of the terror group moving to Iraq. For, Saddam was reputed to have WMDs and intent to strike both the Israelis and the West. Wasn't the 1993 bombing of the WTC proof of that?

3,000 Americans died and Clarke still thinks the Bush administration ought to focus on cyber terror? What does this nation have thousands of hackers for? Besides, combatting cyberterror is only one aspect of the war on terror, just as military action is. What Democrats, the U.N., and the Euros have failed to acknowledge is the complexity of the Bush war on terror. It's not all military action, as the men in Iraq would tell them. It's also intelligence, law enforcement (and the Euros are resisting some of this because the U.S. has capital punishment on the books.), finance, media, restoration of civil society in Afghanistan and Iraq. All of these are elements in the war. The willingness of the U.S. to use war to enable each of these is what makes the anti-terror initiatives of the Bush administration so good.

Bob Kerrey just castigated Fox for running with the Clarketranscript. Hm. Has Kerrey ever done the same to any of the Democrat media outlets, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MS-NBC? Not to my knowledge.

From what I've seen of the 9/11 Commission, the whole thing is a farce whose aim is to rewrite history so that Bush = Clinton will make John Effin Kerry seem the man to defend America against the terrorists. As usual, the Republicans on the Commission were lame. I vote Republican, but I have very little respect for the majority of Republican politicians. Too often, they aren't willing to fight for what they believe.

Juan Williams must've read today's CaribPundit. He's just put forward my argument on why Dems need to undermine Bush on this. It's about setting Kerry up as the strong man.

Remember, Kerry = Clinton.

Atg: Heavy turn out slowed pace of voting

Antiguans turned out in droves to vote in the country's national elections, and this, in addition with a voting system on its maiden voyage, contributed to the long lines at voting booths, which lines lasted into the night.

All over the country thousands of voters left their homes in the early morning destined for polling booths in the country's 17 constituencies to cast their ballots in what was highly anticipated to be one of the most important elections in Antigua & Barbuda's history.

The competencies of their field experts were severely tested as a result of a new system that was being used for the very first time in the management of the country's elections.

Under the circumstances, voting slowed to a mere crawl.

Electors expressed disgust at the pace. Hundreds were held up for virtually hours and things got testy in some constituencies including St. John's Rural East and St. Peter.

As a result, the counting started in certain constituencies way beyond the expected start delaying the announcement of the final outcome for hours.

Lines were still seen at certain voting booths way after 7 p.m.

Voter turn out was good, according to electoral officials and observers, making the exercise, in the least, worth its while

In spite of the delays, elections were deemed to be free and fair and not subject to question.

Atg: UPP wins, Bird flown

Congratulations to the people of Antigua on a free and fair electoral process, and to in-coming Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer on his victory.

I would wish to congratulate the people of Antigua & Barbuda because this victory is their victory, Prime Minister-in-waiting Baldwin Spencer said in an interview with the Antigua Sun, after his United Progressive Party (UPP) scored its stunning general election victory, bringing to an end 27 years of Antigua Labour Party (ALP) rule.

Spencer said he was "humbled" by the victory.

He noted the people of Antigua & Barbuda "firmly believed that they wanted a change and it was clearly stated in the results."

I guess Bird won't be the next chairman of Caricom.

U.S.: Clarke bowled for duck

Fox News has bowled Richard Clarke before he's even got to the wicket. Here's the entire transcript, followed by analysis of the situation. Read it for yourself.

The following transcript documents a background briefing in early August 2002 by President Bush's former counterterrorism coordinator Richard A. Clarke to a handful of reporters, including Fox News' Jim Angle. In the conversation, cleared by the White House on Wednesday for distribution, Clarke describes the handover of intelligence from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration and the latter's decision to revise the U.S. approach to Al Qaeda. Clarke was named special adviser to the president for cyberspace security in October 2001. He resigned from his post in January 2003.

RICHARD CLARKE: Actually, I've got about seven points, let me just go through them quickly. Um, the first point, I think the overall point is, there was no plan on Al Qaeda that was passed from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration.

Second point is that the Clinton administration had a strategy in place, effectively dating from 1998. And there were a number of issues on the table since 1998. And they remained on the table when that administration went out of office -- issues like aiding the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, changing our Pakistan policy -- uh, changing our policy toward Uzbekistan. And in January 2001, the incoming Bush administration was briefed on the existing strategy. They were also briefed on these series of issues that had not been decided on in a couple of years.

And the third point is the Bush administration decided then, you know, mid-January, to do two things. One, vigorously pursue the existing policy, including all of the lethal covert action findings, which we've now made public to some extent.

And the point is, while this big review was going on, there were still in effect, the lethal findings were still in effect. The second thing the administration decided to do is to initiate a process to look at those issues which had been on the table for a couple of years and get them decided.

So, point five, that process which was initiated in the first week in February, uh, decided in principle, uh in the spring to add to the existing Clinton strategy and to increase CIA resources, for example, for covert action, five-fold, to go after Al Qaeda.

The sixth point, the newly-appointed deputies -- and you had to remember, the deputies didn't get into office until late March, early April. The deputies then tasked the development of the implementation details, uh, of these new decisions that they were endorsing, and sending out to the principals.

Over the course of the summer -- last point -- they developed implementation details, the principals met at the end of the summer, approved them in their first meeting, changed the strategy by authorizing the increase in funding five-fold, changing the policy on Pakistan, changing the policy on Uzbekistan, changing the policy on the Northern Alliance assistance.

And then changed the strategy from one of rollback with Al Qaeda over the course [of] five years, which it had been, to a new strategy that called for the rapid elimination of al Qaeda. That is in fact the timeline.

QUESTION: When was that presented to the president?

CLARKE: Well, the president was briefed throughout this process.

QUESTION: But when was the final September 4 document? (interrupted) Was that presented to the president?

CLARKE: The document went to the president on September 10, I think.

QUESTION: What is your response to the suggestion in the [Aug. 12, 2002] Time [magazine] article that the Bush administration was unwilling to take on board the suggestions made in the Clinton administration because of animus against the -- general animus against the foreign policy?

CLARKE: I think if there was a general animus that clouded their vision, they might not have kept the same guy dealing with terrorism issue. This is the one issue where the National Security Council leadership decided continuity was important and kept the same guy around, the same team in place. That doesn't sound like animus against uh the previous team to me.

JIM ANGLE: You're saying that the Bush administration did not stop anything that the Clinton administration was doing while it was making these decisions, and by the end of the summer had increased money for covert action five-fold. Is that correct?

CLARKE: All of that's correct.

ANGLE: OK.

QUESTION: Are you saying now that there was not only a plan per se, presented by the transition team, but that it was nothing proactive that they had suggested?

CLARKE: Well, what I'm saying is, there are two things presented. One, what the existing strategy had been. And two, a series of issues -- like aiding the Northern Alliance, changing Pakistan policy, changing Uzbek policy -- that they had been unable to come to um, any new conclusions, um, from '98 on.

QUESTION: Was all of that from '98 on or was some of it ...

CLARKE: All of those issues were on the table from '98 on.

ANGLE: When in '98 were those presented?

CLARKE: In October of '98.

QUESTION: In response to the Embassy bombing?

CLARKE: Right, which was in September.

QUESTION: Were all of those issues part of alleged plan that was late December and the Clinton team decided not to pursue because it was too close to ...

CLARKE: There was never a plan, Andrea. What there was was these‚ÄÝtwo things: One, a description of the existing strategy, which included a description of the threat. And two, those things which had been looked at over the course of two years, and which were still on the table.

QUESTION: So there was nothing that developed, no documents or no new plan of any sort?

CLARKE: There was no new plan.

QUESTION: No new strategy -- I mean, I don't want to get into a semantics ...

CLARKE: Plan, strategy -- there was no, nothing new.

QUESTION: 'Til late December, developing ...

CLARKE: What happened at the end of December was that the Clinton administration NSC principals committee met and once again looked at the strategy, and once again looked at the issues that they had brought, decided in the past to add to the strategy. But they did not at that point make any recommendations.

QUESTIONS: Had those issues evolved at all from October of '98 'til December of 2000?

CLARKE: Had they evolved? Um, not appreciably.

ANGLE: What was the problem? Why was it so difficult for the Clinton administration to make decisions on those issues?

CLARKE: Because they were tough issues. You know, take, for example, aiding the Northern Alliance. Um, people in the Northern Alliance had a, sort of bad track record. There were questions about the government, there were questions about drug-running, there was questions about whether or not in fact they would use the additional aid to go after Al Qaeda or not. Uh, and how would you stage a major new push in Uzbekistan or somebody else or Pakistan to cooperate?

One of the big problems was that Pakistan at the time was aiding the other side, was aiding the Taliban. And so, this would put, if we started aiding the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, this would have put us directly in opposition to the Pakistani government. These are not easy decisions.

ANGLE: And none of that really changed until we were attacked and then it was ...

CLARKE: No, that's not true. In the spring, the Bush administration changed -- began to change Pakistani policy, um, by a dialogue that said we would be willing to lift sanctions. So we began to offer carrots, which made it possible for the Pakistanis, I think, to begin to realize that they could go down another path, which was to join us and to break away from the Taliban. So that's really how it started.

QUESTION: Had the Clinton administration in any of its work on this issue, in any of the findings or anything else, prepared for a call for the use of ground forces, special operations forces in any way? What did the Bush administration do with that if they had?

CLARKE: There was never a plan in the Clinton administration to use ground forces. The military was asked at a couple of points in the Clinton administration to think about it. Um, and they always came back and said it was not a good idea. There was never a plan to do that.

(Break in briefing details as reporters and Clarke go back and forth on how to source quotes from this backgrounder.)

ANGLE: So, just to finish up if we could then, so what you're saying is that there was no -- one, there was no plan; two, there was no delay; and that actually the first changes since October of '98 were made in the spring months just after the administration came into office?

CLARKE: You got it. That's right.

QUESTION: It was not put into an action plan until September 4, signed off by the principals?

CLARKE: That's right.

QUESTION: I want to add though, that NSPD -- the actual work on it began in early April.

CLARKE: There was a lot of in the first three NSPDs that were being worked in parallel.

ANGLE: Now the five-fold increase for the money in covert operations against Al Qaeda -- did that actually go into effect when it was decided or was that a decision that happened in the next budget year or something?

CLARKE: Well, it was gonna go into effect in October, which was the next budget year, so it was a month away.

QUESTION: That actually got into the intelligence budget?

CLARKE: Yes it did.

QUESTION: Just to clarify, did that come up in April or later?

CLARKE: No, it came up in April and it was approved in principle and then went through the summer. And you know, the other thing to bear in mind is the shift from the rollback strategy to the elimination strategy. When President Bush told us in March to stop swatting at flies and just solve this problem, then that was the strategic direction that changed the NSPD from one of rollback to one of elimination.

QUESTION: Well can you clarify something? I've been told that he gave that direction at the end of May. Is that not correct?

CLARKE: No, it was March.

QUESTION: The elimination of Al Qaeda, get back to ground troops -- now we haven't completely done that even with a substantial number of ground troops in Afghanistan. Was there, was the Bush administration contemplating without the provocation of September 11th moving troops into Afghanistan prior to that to go after Al Qaeda?

CLARKE: I can not try to speculate on that point. I don't know what we would have done.

QUESTION: In your judgment, is it possible to eliminate Al Qaeda without putting troops on the ground?

CLARKE: Uh, yeah, I think it was. I think it was. If we'd had Pakistani, Uzbek and Northern Alliance assistance.

Clarke's interview here gives the lie to Clinton administration official claims that they handed an anti-terror plan off to Condoleeza Rice; that the Bush administration was not doing anything to address Islamic terrorism against the U.S. and allies; and, to his own accusations leveled at the Bush administration in his book and in his interview with CBS -- whose parent, Viacom, also owns Simon and Schuster, the publisher of Clarke's book -- that the Bush administration did nothing about possible terrorist threats to America during those eight months before 9/11.

Off the cuff analysis? The man must be looking to get a job in the Kerry administration. It's a given that he wants to sell books, and Viacom doesn't seem to mind that American security might be undermined so that a few books can be sold. Perhaps to accomplish both objectives, Richard Clarke may be trying to inflict maximum damage on President Bush, who's been America's stalwart warrior on terrorism. That's the cheap stuff. (g)

More significantly, this effort of Clarke's may be part of the new Democrat strategy to attack GWB with intent to undermine his perceived greatest area of strength, and thus get him out of the White House by convincing Americans that GWB is no different from the president who went before. The objective may be to blur the lines between Clinton administration indecisiveness and inaction and Bush administration decisiveness and action. If that line is blurred, a new image of GWB appears. Rather than being seen as a man of firm convictions who, from the outset, stood strongly for America's defense (the primary job of the American president under the U.S. Constitution), in the Democrat scenario, Bush would appear to be a man who is no better than Bill Clinton, a draft dodger who failed to act to protect America by killing bin Laden. [Mansoor Ijaz relates the history of the Clinton administration failure to get bin Laden.] This scenario derives its strength from the previous attacks Democrats launched against GWB's military service in the Air National Guard. There, not only did they falsely claim that he was AWOL, but they also sought to demonstrate that President Bush's service was no better than dodging the draft (see this: "Kerry said: ''I've said since the day I came back from Vietnam that it was not an issue to me if somebody chose to go to Canada or to go to jail or to be a conscientious objector or to serve in the National Guard or elsewhere," he said." Thus, by the reckoning of the Democrat candidate for president (the head of the party), GWB = Bill Clinton.

This Clarke book and interview may be the second stage of the effort to fix this equation in the minds of the voting American public. Once GWB is morphed into Bill Clinton, an American president who is profoundly distasteful to those in GWB's base, John Effin Kerry -- who, if you didn't know, is a much decorated war hero who fought in Viet Nam -- would seem to be the better man who would truly have the guts to defend America. After all, according to the Kerry ad, he did it once before, and he can do it again. Right now, according to Fox News's Linda Vester's DayTime, 58% of Americans trust GWB to defend America; in contrast, only 35% are convinced that John Effin Kerry is up to the task. This percentage differential must be eliminated and/or reversed in order for Democrats to retake the White House. If truth and American security is sacrificed, who cares? What matters to those who are pushing this agenda is that GWB, strong against terrorism, is defeated by Kerry, who's a Euro-loving pacifist and whose idea of American defense is letting the U.N. and the Euros decide what's the wisest course.

The emergence of this Clarke interview brings the whole strategy into light for it establishes that Richard Clarke was either lying when he spoke to the media in August of 2002, or he was lying when, in his resignation letter, he praised GWB, or he was lying when he wrote his book. Now, Richard Clarke may be an honorable man, but his recent charges do not correspond with his August, 2002, interview. The credibility gap created by the disparity between the two accounts serves to discredit Richard Clarke rather than GWB.

What will be the ultimate fall-out from this whole Richard Clarke fiasco? In the short-term, Democrats wind up with egg on their faces once again. The damage they think they will have done to the Bush adminsitration will only stir up the base against them, and convince independents and many Democrats that the Democrat Party is not serious about America and her defense. For, this past week of televised Commission hearings have served to distinguish, starkly, between the Democrat indifference to America's defense and the Republican pro-activeness on it. This was not a lesson that Democrats needed to have America reminded of in these months before the election. In fact, the publication of Clarke's book was moved up from late April to coincide with his Commission hearing so that his testimony would have maximum impact against the Republican president. Contrary to the U.N. and Euros, Americans are very much interested in national security. 9/11 served to rivet American attention to the issue.

In the long term, Democrats are facing a blow out on November 2, 2004. For, the demonstrated weakness of the previous Democrat administration on national security coupled with Kerry's flip-flopping, willingness to have the U.N. and Euros sign off on plans to defend the American homeland, and his willingness to cut the defense budget to fund social programs, all drive home the point that Kerry = Clinton. Just as Clinton dodged the draft, Kerry will dodge an aggressive defense of America.

That is why I tell you that come November 2, 2004, John Effin Kerry will not win one state. Not even his home state, Massachusetts. Many Americans may be pro-abortion, but all Americans, bar the Islamists amongst us, when confronted with the choice of life or death for themselves, reflexively choose life.

Kerry = Clinton means an America that cannot and will not defend itself against Islamic terrorism.

U.S.: Cox and Forkum cartoon of Yassin's exit

I guess the lion no longer sleeps.

Hti: On democracy

This is an excerpt from an article, written by Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL), which appeared in the Washington Post, Tuesday, March 23, 2004. It begins thus:

Florida is home to more than 300,000 Haitian immigrants. We have watched the painful struggle in Haiti over the past 10 years, as Jean-Bertrand Aristide squandered his opportunity to build a foundation for progress. Democracy means more than elections. It means respecting the rule of law and supporting a vibrant, robust civil society. Aristide destroyed these principles in Haiti and replaced them with corruption and violence. Groups such as the Congressional Black Caucus, who claim to support democracy yet focus on Aristide's election, exacerbate his betrayal of the Haitian people.
...
The first step will be creating order. The reforms needed to rebuild Haiti are not possible without order and security to protect the people during the process. The security presence established by the United States, France, Chile and Canada averted the bloodbath predicted by critics in the wake of Aristide's departure. The U.N. Security Council decision to deploy a multinational interim force in Haiti will help maintain order as will the peacekeeping force expected in 90 days. It is imperative that the United States and the rest of the world continue security support during this volatile time.

There must also be a focus on developing the democratic functions required to create a successful civil society. Boniface Alexandre's appointment as interim president was dictated by the succession procedure outlined in Haiti's constitution. This reliance on the rule of law is a marked change for Haitian leadership, and it demonstrates the power of a civil society to use these institutions to move forward out of chaos. With U.S. support, Haiti can build the durable institutions it needs for a true, sustainable democracy.

We must also focus on the economic development required for Haiti to turn its new found hope into hard earned progress. The Haiti Economic Recovery Opportunity Act of 2003, sponsored by Florida Rep. E. Clay Shaw, will help Haiti create the cycle of investment and job growth that will be vital to its future. This type of aid will yield the highest return for the people of Haiti over the long term.

Elections do not by themselves constitute a democracy, else Iraq under Saddam Hussen, who had 96%+ victories at the polls, would have been so regarded. Instead, a democracy is a set of institutions which must be present and operative in order to have a healthy society. Absent rule of law and a civil society, there is no true democracy, and talk of constitutional process and rule of law mean nothing because they remain unregarded by those in power.Such was the case in Haiti, and such is the case in Venezuela today. The three step plan outlined here by Gov. Bush -- re-establishment of order and security; restoration of a civil society; and, economic development are necessary keys to Haiti's successful development as a nation. Caricom would do well to overlook its pique over the intemperate remarks of Gerard Latortue and do what it can to help Haiti achieve viable nationhood.

T&T: BG will pay $171M for Aventura

BG Group Plc agreed to buy Aventura Energy Inc. for C$228 million ($171 million) to expand its natural-gas exploration and production venture in Trinidad and Tobago, from where it exports the fuel to the U.S.

BG Group, a U.K.-based gas producer, is offering C$5.10 a share for all the stock of Calgary-based Aventura through its Canadian unit, BG Canada Ltd., BG said in a Regulatory News Service statement. The bid is 6.3 percent higher than Aventura's closing stock price of C$4.80 on Friday.

T&T: 18 firms bid for gas exploration

Eighteen companies have bid to explore for gas in 10 offshore blocks in Trinidad and Tobago and the winners will be announced at the end of the month, an official from Trinidad's National Gas Company said on Monday.

"It was the most successful bidding round we have seen," David Small, director of the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference.

The names of the winners will be made public on March 31, he said.

Atg: Election news

Speakers atop campaign trucks blared the slogan ''Vote them out!'' to a calypso beat Monday ahead of a general election marked by charges of corruption that could oust the 28-year Bird family dynasty in Antigua and Barbuda.

Prime Minister Lester Bird's supporters accuse the opposition of resorting to smear tactics and offering few concrete proposals.

The governing Antigua Labor Party headed into today's parliamentary elections with nine of 17 seats in the House of Representatives, seeking a seventh straight term. Polls predicted it could be the party's first loss since 1976.

The opposition pledged greater unemployment benefits and support for school uniforms and lunches. Bird, meanwhile, promised to cut corporate tax from 40 percent to 25 percent and give tax credits to hotels and manufacturers.

Also this:

Political tension was high yesterday in St John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda, as campaigning for tomorrow's general election was drawing to a close amid increased security operations and bitter personal verbal salvos.

On Saturday evening the police had to rush to the Government Complex Housing, the Office of Prime Minister Lester Bird, when supporters of the opposition United Progressive Party of Baldwin Spencer, estimated varyingly between 200 and 500, stormed the building to prevent, they say, documents and other materials being removed by officials in boxes..

And yesterday, he instructed his lawyers to take "immediate legal against" the privately-owned and opposition-backed "Observer Radio", for what he described as "scurrilous personal slander" against him, Prime Minister Bird.

Finally:

Jamaica's director of elections, Danville Walker, has given the Antigua and Barbuda's election machinery a passing grade even before it is tested in the general polls today.

The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral, which is managing its first polls, had contracted the EOJ as a consultant. Members of staff at the EOJ also trained Antiguan officials, and will assist with today's proceedings.

"The systems you have in place here in Antigua, I can say without any fear of contradiction, is easily one of the more advanced and one of the most modern in the world. I've no doubt about it," Walker said.

Let's see how it all shakes out. Bird is convinced that he'll be the next PM, and he's anticipating being the next Chair of Caricom.

STX: Venezuelan Coke Boat docked at St. Croix.

According to this report a Venezuelan registered sailboat was seized off of Grenada by a Coast Guard contingent aboard a Dutch warship.

While Cocaine transshipped from Columbia through Hugo Chavez-vania is an unfortunate regular occurrence here in the Sunny Caribee, what struck me as odd was that the boat was piloted by a Bulgarian crew who had bought the 47 foot boat "and were taking it to Bulgaria" loaded to the gunnels with 400 pounds of powdered idiot.

...Not to mention tha fact that American Coast Guard personnel were operating from a Dutch Warship. Hurray!

Has the fame of the apparent ease of procuring large quantities of the vile substance in Venezuela spread so far as Eastern Europe?

What really got my lethargic synapses firing was: Is the maintainance of the trade route to collapsed European noses a factor in the very real reluctance of leftist Zeropean poli-tricksters to crack down on or even criticize the FARC and their pet Venezuelan tyrant?

It increasingly appears that it is not only ideology that binds European leftists to their South & Central American comrades.

It is curious to note that Marxism the world over has evolved into an anti-capitalist facade undermining the rule of democratic law...for a tidy profit - as per the French and their complicity in the recent oil-concessions-for-sanction-busting diplomatic efforts to keep Iraqis under the boot of fascist leftists.

We saw it in the evolution of the FARC into a drug-lord goon squad...we see it in the North Korean methamphetamine export economy that has been ravaging Southeast Asia...we just saw its corrupt hand propping up Aristide's regime in Haiti...we see it in Hurricane Hugo Chavez's comfy relationship with the aforementioned FARC narco-protectionists...and we are perhaps seeing the dawning manifestation of socialist Europe's tacit complicity in the same.

The sheer scale of the cocaine trade in death is mind boggling!

According to the above linked article:

"Coast Guard records show that in the year from Oct. 1, 2002, to Sept. 30, 2003, the Coast Guard was involved in the seizure of 136,865 pounds of cocaine and the arrest [of] 283 persons accused of drug smuggling"

and...

"Last November, Willis said, authorities seized 3,086 pounds of the substance found off Colombia aboard a sailboat similar to that of the Bulgarians"

I surmise that this is a mere drop in the Caribbean Basin whence compared to historic [US] federal estimates of the ratio between seizures and what gets through their interdiction net.

Food for though...unless you are on the Columbian Diet Plan or have succumbed to their infomercial campaign of course.

Ja: Leftist journalists start young

This is the Observer's Teen Views column with Brandon Allwood, as the Observer's TeenAge writer. The article is entitled, Jamaica no longer stands alone. What is noteworthy about it is the automatic and unreflective leftism according to which the U.S. is always evil and always acting from impure motives. One would imagine that his mentors in journalism would encourage Brandon in inquiry and critical thought rather than having him repeat tired old mantras. The kid's got potential; however, drinking the leftist kool-aid will only kill his brain cells. Rather than make statements, perhaps Brandon should be taught to question assumptions, especially the long-held and cherished ones of the establishment leftist media.

Venezuela has said it will open its doors to deposed Haitian President Jean-Betrand Aristide when his temporary stay in Jamaica expires. Venezuela has also said that it doesn't recognise the interim government presently in Haiti, and still respects and recognises Aristide as the Haitian head of state.
...
Besides the circumstances which his alleged resignation was surrendered, the fact that US troops were deployed in Haiti raised a few eyebrows as many wondered where the sudden spark in interest from the US came from, after turning back Haitian refugees and recalling all US citizens.

As with Iraq, the US is suspected to have a hidden agenda. The Bush administration has gained a nickname, the 'World Police' as they always see reason to invade other countries.

I'm sure many Jamaicans would be happy to have the U.S. invade for the change it would bring to many areas of their lives.

Allwood does have a good point and a biting bit of sarcasm, though, when he writes:

Interim Prime Minister of Haiti, Gerard Latortue has issued a statement saying that Haiti doesn't have a problem with Aristide staying in the Caribbean, but with him staying in Jamaica and recommended Guyana as an alternative. Aristide must have some kind of telepathic connection with Jamaica, which he can use to manipulate the people of Haiti and he can't do it Guyana.

Latortue, from early observation, does not appear to be playing with a full deck. He's made a number of remarkably asinine moves and comments which render him suspect, IMO, and makes one wonder if Haiti will ever really have a president who has a genuine seriousness of purpose. Moreover, as long as Aristide is in the Caribbean, be it Jamaica, Guyana, or Venezuela, he is a threat to the stabilization of Haiti. It is particularly short-sighted of Latortue not to recognize that but to focus instead on Jamaica, with whom he has a grievance because Patterson facilitated Aristide's return. Jamaica is not the problem -- except that she is being used.

Finally, I hate to depress Brandon Allwood's pretensions, after all, he is a young 'un, but is Chavez -- who is busy gutting the constitution of Venezuela and setting himself up as another life-long dictator, a la Castro -- really someone Jamaica wants to have standing beside her? Better to be the cheese that stands alone than to have Chavez as companion.

Vzla: Chavez SCt buddies contradict earlier ruling of SCt electoral panel

The Venezuelan Supreme Court's constitutional chamber, in a decision contradicting its electoral panel, ruled that President Hugo Chavez's opponents haven't gathered enough valid signatures for a recall vote.

The decision by the constitutional chamber will probably be appealed to the full 20-judge Supreme Court, further delaying an effort by the opposition to force Chavez from office, said analysts such as Julia Buxton, a professor of political science at the London-based Kingston University.

"The agony continues, and Venezuela's constitutional crisis keeps getting deeper and deeper,'' Buxton said in a telephone interview. "I don't see how this crisis can end as people won't negotiate as their positions become more entrenched.''

The ruling by the constitutional panel, in which backers of the president hold a majority, contradicts one made last week by the electoral chamber which held that 876,000 disputed signatures seeking a recall of Chavez should be counted as valid. That ruling would give the opposition enough signatures to force a referendum vote on the president.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Ivan Rincon said in a televised news conference that the electoral chamber's ruling violated due process.

"This leads us inevitably to annul the ruling,'' Rincon said.

This indeed is an unconstitutional constitutional coup. Chavez and his buddies are gutting the rule of law for this decision proclaims that the ends: lifetime power for Chavez, justifies the means, constitutional corruption.

Hti: Aristide still deciding where to go

If it's Nigeria, he's seeking asylum. If it's Venezuela, then he's looking to overthrow the new government of Haiti.

Exiled former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, offered temporary asylum by Nigeria, is looking at his options and will make a decision soon on where he goes, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
...
"He is still looking at all his options, thus he has not decided if he will accept the offer from Nigeria," said Huntley Medley, who is acting as a spokesman for Aristide.

"He is expressing thanks to Nigeria, which now joins a few other countries which have offered to allow him to stay there," Medley said in a telephone interview.

Medley declined to name the other countries that have made offers. One is Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez said last week his country did not recognize the new government in Haiti and Venezuela's doors were open to Aristide.

Nigeria's offer is nice, but it is far from power and far from Colombian mega-bucks.

Hti: Conflict between cops and rebels

Police and former rebels held emergency talks Tuesday after clashes erupted between the two groups, less than 48 hours after police returned to this sprawling city that rebels claimed during a rebellion to oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Hti: So whatever happened to South Africa?

Nigeria has agreed to a request by Caribbean leaders to grant former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide temporary asylum, the nation's presidency said Monday.

The request came from the 15-nation Caribbean Community, known as Caricom, Nigerian presidential spokeswoman Remi Oyo said in a statement late Monday.

The statement did not say whether Aristide had requested - or even agreed to - asylum in Nigeria.
...
Caricom, "under the leadership" of Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, "requested Nigeria to consider giving former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti 'a staging post' for a few weeks until his movement to another destination," said the presidential statement, issued in the capital, Abuja.

"After receiving the Caricom request, Nigeria undertook widespread consultations with African leaders, the leadership of the African Union, the U.S. government and other concerned parties," the statement said. "Nigeria has agreed to grant the request."

I still think that Aristide is intending to go to Venezuela. Why the haste in obtaining a place of asylum for Aristide? Wasn't he invited to spend two months in Jamaica? He's been there barely a week, and already Caricom heads are trying to shuffle him off. What is this? Doesn't Caricom want Aristide? Most likely Caricom's figured out that's what's sweet in goat mouth is sour in his arse.

Gya: Putting the kibosh on careless mining companies

Nine small-scale mining operations in the Konawaruk River have been closed in the last week for breaching regulations regarding the discharge of tailings.

In a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commis-sion (GGMC) head, Commis-sioner Robeson Benn said the operations were closed as a result of unrestrained discharges of heavy silt from their tailings into the nearby environment.

"GGMC is insisting that the discharges from hydraulicking and other mining operations be routed into settling ponds from water which could be recycled for reuse, or discharged after settlement," Benn told GINA.

The Konawaruk River, a tributary of the Essequibo, has seen serious discoloration of its water particularly downstream due to the discharge, the release said.

Gya: Pray God you never get hurt in Guyana

Here's an excerpt from a story about a young man who was shot trying to protect his girl friend from a robber. The friend, Shani Achee, tried to get help for Sean Narain who'd been shot in his lower abdomen.

"I was panicked. I didn't know what to do. I ran to the road and made a phone call to the police station. I told them to come quick and they said they were coming. But they were taking long. I tried to stop a car but nothing would stop. I went back the first time and he was still breathing [but] he was struggling for air. I started to give him air from my mouth..."

Still unsure about what to do next, she ran back to the road to try again to stop a car. But no one stopped and she tried instead to get an ambulance from the West Demerara Regional Hospital. But she was told that she had to call the police station before anything could be done.

Luckily, a taxi driver, who she knew, was passing at the time and she managed to flag him down. He was transporting a passenger but promised to return as quickly as he could. She said in the meantime she ran back to Narain to get him ready to go to the hospital. "I went back and he was barely breathing. I go to give him air again and that is when he stopped breathing. He stopped breathing."

The indifference of citizens, and, worse yet, police and hospitall authorities is astonishing. An ambulance cannot come to collect the wounded unless police is called? That is insanity. In this instance, that piece of insanity contributed to the death of a young man.

Ja: I man no longer dread

A 49-YEAR-old 'dreadlocks' from a Handsworth, Birmingham, England address whose 'locks' were cut off by police to get to 0.56kg (1lbs. 3.67 ounces) of cocaine that was hidden there when he was arrested at the Sangster International Airport on February 10, told the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court it was like cutting off his hand.

Michael Grant, a senior member of the 'Nyah Binghi' order of the Rastafarian sect who the court heard has traveled extensively between Jamaica, England and Ethiopia where he hoped to eventually settle, said the police cutting off his locks was the "ultimate disgrace" and that he was "totally humiliated."

The dread wasn't humiliated and disgraced by his criminal activity, nor was he humiliated and disgraced by the way cocaine use ruins the lives of many. None of that humiliated and disgraced him. Cutting off his locks did, though. Interesting morality.

Ja: Jailed mule was forced

ON MARCH 9, civil engineer Karl Burrell was sentenced to three years imprisonment at hard labour and fined half a million dollars for possession of and attempting to export almost a kilogramme (2lbs) of cocaine.

When Burrell, who is a British citizen, appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's court to answer the charges, he admitted that he was guilty of the offences, but told an interesting story along with that admission.

Burrell told the court that he had come to Jamaica on vacation. One day he was sitting in a bar with friends in Milk River, Clarendon, when some men struck up a conversation with him. He and the men became friends.

Burrell said that the time had come for him to go back to the United Kingdom, and he visited the same area to bid his new found friends goodbye. However, they apparently had a different plan.

"They took me to a house and a gun was put to my head. I was forced to swallow some pills and they took me to the airport," Burrell told the court.

His kidnappers told him that somebody would meet him when he got to England. However, he never got there, and the court did not take his story about being forced into being a mule as a defence.

But suprisingly he might have been telling the truth.
...
A policeman attached to that division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) told THE STAR that they have heard this story before. "He is not the first one to have told us about being kidnapped. Investigations have revealed that there is a ring operating in that part of Clarendon," the policeman told THE STAR.
...
One reason they seem to be getting away was told by Burrell when he appeared in court. "A policeman who saw me at the KPH (Kingston Public Hospital) kept telling me not to say anything, keep my mouth shut."

Looks like the cops are in on it. The guards need to be guarded. So, will the court now release Burrell?

T&T: Caricom touchy touchy

Some Caribbean Community Prime Ministers have reacted sharply against the possibility of a meeting with Haiti's interim Prime Minister, Gerard Latortue, when they hold their 15th Inter-Sessional Meeting later this week in St Kitts.

The Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves; St Lucia's Kenny Anthony; and Antigua and Barbuda's Lester Bird said yesterday they could not envisage any such meeting with Latortue in the absence of a repudiation of his public attack on Caricom.

Latortue, who unilaterally declared a suspension of Haiti's membership in Caricom on March 15 and declared as "an unfriendly act" Jamaica's hosting of ousted President Jean-Betrand Aristide, is now seeking to attend the March 25-26 Inter-Sessional Meeting of Community leaders in St Kitts.

Prime Minister Gonsalves, who met with the ousted Haitian leader over the weekend in Jamaica where he is on a ten-week stay, told the Express yesterday:

"Mr Latortue has shown tremendous insensitivity in first announcing the freezing of Haiti's membership in Caricom, then to travel to Gonaives on Saturday to hail known murderers and political thugs as 'liberators', and now wanting to meet with Community Heads of Government to discuss the Haitian situation. I am totally opposed to any such meeting with him at this time".
...
For his part, Prime Minister Bird, who is scheduled to assume the chairmanship of Caricom at the Inter-Sessional Meeting which begins on Thursday, said "once my party is re-elected to office at (today's) election, and I have no intention of presiding at the Caricom meeting with Latortue in attendance until we settle, on a matter of principle, the issue of recognition of a government in Haiti in view of how President Aristide was ousted from office...."

Latortue brought it on himself. Yeah, boys, focus on principle to the exclusion of what is good for Haiti and its people.

T&T: Seven weeks and counting

Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s wish for the resumption of construction at Atlantic LNG Train’s IV plant did not come to pass yesterday, as workers stayed off the job at the start of the seventh week of strike action at the Point Fortin site.

Workers gathered at the strike camp from 7 am for a briefing with their leaders, Ernest Thompson and Alwyn Noel.
...
He said they decided, in a united position, not to return to work yesterday until all their grievances, chief of which is a pay hike, were addressed.

Thompson, who met Manning with a group of labour leaders at Whitehall last Thursday, again offered support to former Labour Minister Lawrence Achong, who has been championing the workers’ cause throughout.

Achong resigned his Cabinet post just over a week ago, after Government decided against implementing a $28 an hour minimum which he had proposed for the energy sector.

T&T: Venezuelan pirates cause fisherman's death

AN ICACOS fisherman and father of one, drowned in the sea off the Venezuelan coast, when he and two other fishermen were hijacked by pirates and ordered at gunpoint to jump into the sea on Saturday morning. Yesterday, grieving relatives of 55-year-old fisherman Rupert Bissoon gathered at the Icacos coastline anxiously awaiting news as boatloads of fishermen accompanied by a Coast Guard cutter carried out searches on the rough seas for his body. Bissoon, who could not swim, was being hailed as a hero after he gave up his life-jacket to the other fishermen, in order to save their lives. Police sources told Newsday that of the three pirates, two spoke Spanish while a third spoke English and is believed to be a Trinidadian working in collusion with his Spanish-speaking counterparts.

Bissoon’s two colleagues — 17-year-old Deodath Bissoon (who is his relative) and fisherman Denver Beharry, 28, clung onto his (Bissoon’s) lifejacket until they were rescued seven hours later by fisherman Premchan Harricharan. The two were treated and discharged from the San Fernando General Hospital. Recalling the terrifying incident yesterday, a visibly shaken Beharry said they were catching shrimp one mile off the Venezuelan mainland around 10 am on Saturday, when a local trawler approached them. Beharry said it was only when the fishing vessel came closer, that they saw a masked gunman and two “Spanish-looking” men in the trawler. “The masked man pointed guns at us and told us to jump. Rupert began crying because he could not swim,” Beharry said. However they were forced to jump into the sea or face being shot. When the three jumped, Beharry said the men threw a gas pan and lifejacket in the water and sped off with their pirogue “Sandra,” with their (the pirates’) vessel following behind.

While the loss of life must be mourned, one cannot help wondering what these men were doing fishing in Venezuelan waters? When the Bajan fishermen were caught in Tobago's waters, people were outraged. So, must Bajans respect T&T's territorial integrity while T&Tians ignore Venezuela's?

T&T: Panday looking for outside help to regain power

OPPOSITION UNC leader Basdeo Panday held a special conference at an undisclosed location in New York last week with UNC representatives from Britain, Canada and the United States to discuss the current state of affairs in Trinidad and Tobago. Panday and his wife Oma left TT on March 13 for New York where he was scheduled to attend a human rights conference at St John’s University over the weekend.

UNC sources in New York said party representatives noted “increasing disenchantment with the PNM administration by citizens of TT overseas” and reiterated their support for both Panday and the party.

Vzla: Go vote on a referendum

See here. All citizens of the world are allowed to vote.

Vzla: Kerry's brush back of supporter Chavez

Throughout his time in office, President Chavez has repeatedly undermined democratic institutions by using extra-legal means, including politically motivated incarcerations, to consolidate power. In fact, his close relationship with Fidel Castro has raised serious questions about his commitment to leading a truly democratic government.

Moreover, President Chavez’s policies have been detrimental to our interests and those of his neighbors. He has compromised efforts to eradicate drug cultivation by allowing Venezuela to become a haven for narco-terrorists, and sowed instability in the region by supporting anti-government insurgents in Colombia.

The referendum has given the people of Venezuela the opportunity to express their views on his presidency through constitutionally legitimate means. The international community cannot allow President Chavez to subvert this process, as he has attempted to do thus far. He must be pressured to comply with the agreements he made with the OAS and the Carter Center to allow the referendum to proceed, respect the exercise of free expression, and release political prisoners.

Then he proceeds to flip-flop when he says that though Chavez is undermining democracy, the U.S. should support his government.

Too often in the past, this Administration has sent mixed signals by supporting undemocratic processes in our own hemisphere -- including in Venezuela, where they acquiesced to a failed coup attempt against President Chavez. Having just allowed the democratically elected leader to be cast aside in Haiti, they should make a strong statement now by leading the effort to preserve the fragile democracy in Venezuela.

If Kerry seriously believes that Chavez will respect any agreements with Jimmy Carter and the OAS, then he needs his head examined. Don't worry, Chavez. Kerry will hold your hand in the darkened theatre; he just won't put his arm around you on the long walk home.

Vzla: Workers illegally fired for signing recall petition

Venezuela's labor minister denied opposition statements that thousands of workers have been fired for signing petitions seeking to recall President Hugo Chavez, saying it would be illegal for government agencies to do so.

Labor Minister Maria Cristina Iglesias said in a televised press conference that the government will uphold all worker rights. Iglesias said that her ministry hasn't received one formal complaint about workers being fired for signing Chavez recall petitions.

The firings are ``a terrorist act against state employees,'' said Pablo Castro, a director for the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers, in an interview with Union Radio. He said that as many as 7,600 state employees have been fired for signing the petitions. The confederation is the country's largest labor union.

USVI: Defending the U.S. Constitution

I am tired of hearing black people say that the Constitution of the United States refers to black people as three-fifths human. It is not true and it is a terrible misrepresentation of the Constitution and of the people of African descent who were present in the country at the time.

Nowhere in the Constitution of the United States are blacks or negroes or colored people or any persons, called three-fifths or any fraction of a human. In Article I of the Constitution it is stated that for the apportioning of representatives and taxes, the number of persons attribute to each state "... shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons."

This means that the number of representatives in Congress that a slave holding state was allowed to have was less than it would have been if slaves were each counted as one. The three-fifths was therefore better for slaves than a one would have been because it gave slave owners less power in Congress.

That's an interesting interpretation. Read the rest of the piece. My take on the Constitution has always been that it is a shining city upon a hill. It is the ideal that may never be completely realized, not because America is racist, but because the nature of man is such that what men obtain will always be less than the Constitution promises. Given the way that Congress is mucking around with the document -- without benefit of any amendment (campaign finance reform, anyone?) -- the Constitution may soon present a very unattainable and distant ideal. Go here to read it. There's not another document like it on this God's earth. Make sure and check out the historical documents, particularly the Federalist papers, and the Bill of Rights.

USVI: Outside overseer for territory's finances

V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen has revised sections of her controversial bill that would designate a chief financial officer to oversee the territory's finances, but the changes are not likely to win Christensen or the bill any new supporters.

The changes - some minor, some significant - do not alter the bill's overall aim: to place the government's checkbook in the hands of someone outside the V.I. government.

Christensen is refusing to bow to political forces that would have her scrap the idea.

"We haven't softened the bill at all," she said.

In fact, some of the changes bolster the CFO's authority.

USVI: Who knew the Danes had put a foot in the Caribbean?

Now you know.

Virgin Islanders and international researchers interested in the territory's history from the Danish colonial period through modern times can learn more about efforts to bring a comprehensive collection of archives here during public forums beginning Tuesday.

The U.S. Virgin Islands-Denmark Bilateral Archival Commission, a group of historians and archivists from the territory, Denmark and the United States, was formed on Oct. 27, 1999.

Headed by the Danish National Archives and the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the commission's task is to survey and create inventories of their collection "with a view to supporting cultural, historical and genealogical activities," according to a proclamation signed by Gov. Charles Turnbull.

The inventory so far includes 11 reels of microfilm dealing with slavery and emancipation dating from 1672 to 1917 from the U.S. National Archives and a finder's guide that lists sources of Danish West Indies history from 1671 to 1917.

Read the rest of the article.

U.S.: CaribPundit now a team blog

Hail to James and Robert who've recently joined CaribPundit as posters. With you guys on board, the blog is gonna rock. Welcome!

U.S.: Nothing left to lose

Good piece. Check it out.

These pix of the old buzzard Yassin on the happiest day of his life are not for the faint of heart: This, and this. Praise and thanks to Allah for the pix. My gag reflex is working very well indeed. Hope I sleep well tonight.

Check out Allah for the round up of international reactions to Sheik Yassin's happiest day. ULULULULULULULUL....

U.S.: The happiest day of his life

Interview with the Hamas Leader

Excerpts from an interview with Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, printed in Al-Quds, July 26, 1998.

Question: Was the fact that the King of Saudi Arabia received you during your tour of the Arab states a message to the United States?

Yassin: It was an expression of appreciation on the part of Saudi Arabia for [our] activities for the sake of Palestine and to tell the world -- especially the U.S. and Israel -- that Saudi Arabia supports the path of jihad. Saudi Arabia has demonstrated strength and courage because it declared its position loud and clear, telling the U.S. that it supports the path of struggle to restore the plundered land. In other words, the welcome I received was a clear message to the U.S. and a provocation against its policy…

All Arab peoples and leaders support the Palestinian people, and the entire trip was a provocation against the American policy in the Middle East.

Question: Has your position toward Iran changed as the result of your visit to Tehran?

Yassin: Yes, my position changed. I did not know that the Iranians were so interested in the Palestinian cause. I found in them a deep willingness to liberate Palestine – a will to endure for the Palestinian cause all the hardships created by the U.S. policy.

Question: But the position of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine [meaning the Hamas movement] used to be anti-Iranian. Has it changed?

Yassin: From the moment that the Islamic revolution broke out in Iran, we supported it. But there were those who wanted to present the situation as if the Iranians were the jihad warriors while we evaded [our duty].

Question: Have you been promised financial assistance from governments or individuals?

Yassin: We were promised financial assistance from both governments and individuals to support the Palestinian people. They promised to support humanitarian and educational institutions of the Palestinian people, as well as Palestinian prisoners and the families of martyrs… The promise still stands and we are waiting for it to be realized.

Question: Do you expect Israel to attempt to assassinate you?

Yassin: I will be very happy if that happens. I wish they had done it already -- if they have the talent for it. The day in which I will die as a shahid [martyr] will be the happiest day of my life.

So, why are Arabs threatening revenge against Israel and the U.S. because Israel made Sheik Yassin a happy man?

Madman's smoke and mirrors

I want to thank Helen for giving me the opportunity to post to this fine blog she has started.
;^)

With that, I'll just wade right on into the fray...

Although not strictly regarding the Caribbean, the following news item out of Australia details the short-lived and ill-fated marriage of a former Australian 'electronic warfare specialist' (soldier Melanie Brown) to a rastafari muslim terrorist wannabe named Willie Brigitte of French Guadaloupe.

Brigitte was arrested and incarcerated in France last October after being discreetly deported from Australia where he was described as "the most dangerous Al Qaeda link so far uncovered in this country" by Australian officials.

He stands accused of receiving terrorist training in Pakistan and is suspected of planning a variety of terrorist attacks in Australia.

Here's a snip...

----------------------

The marijuana fumes drifting from Willie Brigitte's locked room were unmistakable to newlywed Melanie Brown.

Melanie Brown ... married Brigitte 13 days after meeting him.

She asked her husband, who had once sermonised on the evils of the drug, where it had come from.

He admitted to smoking it.

"Willie told me he wanted to divert the attention of police," she told French interrogators in Paris earlier this year in transcripts obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

"He said that it was a facade to trick Australian anti-terrorist police. A person who smokes drugs could not be suspected of being a radical Muslim."

But for Brown, the former Australian soldier who wed Brigitte to fulfil her duty as a freshly converted Muslim, it was another confounding side to her complex, secretive and highly paranoid spouse.

In the six weeks that they lived together since their marriage on August 30, Brown threatened to leave the Frenchman several times due to the constant lies, duplicity and control he tried to exert over her.

She eventually concluded he had lost his mind. "Willie Brigitte seemed completely mad to me," she said.

"For example, he said that non-believers had to die and that it was necessary to kill all those who attack Muslims.

"I regarded him as an extremist religious Muslim but I couldn't connect him with a specific group.

"My husband represented a danger. That is why I refused to give him any confidential information I had in my possession."

Arriving in Sydney on May 16, Brigitte was taken in by Pakistani Faheem Khalid Lodhi, also known as Hamza and identified by French investigators as the chief of an al-Qaeda-linked terror cell in Sydney.

-read the rest-
----------------------

The inroads radical Islam has made in the Caribbean as in other regions of the world are not to be underestimated.

Unfortunately our well-travelled borders and our cosmopolitan nature, are being capitalized upon by radical Islamist organizations with the same Saudi monies that feed the wahabbi strain of Islam across the world being funneled into regional mosques.

Heads up Caribbean!

U.S.: Hamas vows revenge

When has Hamas ever not? The media and Homeland Security are worrying about attacks on this country from Hamas. Well, Hamas already attacked in this country in 1993, the first World Trade Center bombing, when they assisted the perps.

So, what else is new? Not much. Hamas and the other nuts attacking us will merely be an advancement of the Islamist agenda for the U.S. and the rest of the world. Are we going to lie back and take it, for God and country? Hell, no. There can be no appeasement, no surrender. If Hamas wants to find out how quickly they, Hezbollah, and the rest of that crowd can become flattened, well, let them bring it on. This is not 1993.

PR: Explain the fund transfer, Acevedo

New Progressive Party (NPP) Senate minority leader Kenneth McClintock said he would file a petition to both the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) and the State Elections Commission (SEC) to investigate an alleged illegal transfer of $70,000 into Popular Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate Anibal Acevedo Vila’s campaign account.

“I will leave for Washington D.C. tomorrow to file the complaints at the FEC,” McClintock said during a joint press conference with NPP senatorial candidate for San Juan district Roberto Arango.

McClintock said Acevedo Vila illegally transferred a $70,000 surplus from his 2000 campaign account for resident commissioner to boost his gubernatorial campaign.

According to both NPP leaders, the PDP president should have detailed all the contributions that make up the $70,000 surplus to make sure that they don’t exceed the $1,000 limit per individual during an election year set by the Puerto Rico Electoral Law.

PR: But will they clean it up?

Ten days away from the official closing of U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads residents from Ceiba and Naguabo on Monday demanded more participation in the future development of the area.

Pnma: An Islamist apologist's re Madrid

The writer waffles between the standard anti-Americanism of the Caribbean press, Islamic apologia, and rational analysis. He manages to conclude:

The question facing Panamanian voters in May and American voters in November is not whether we are for or against Osama bin Laden. Nor is it whether, as George W. Bush likes to put it, we are for or against the United States. It is, rather, how our countries can best counter the al-Qaeda threat.

Pnma: Secret fund laid bare

Former President Ernesto “Toro” Pérez Balladares has released details of the expenditures from his secret presidential fund during his adminstration to the nation’s larger corporate news media, and El Panama America has published the information in a series of stories. The entire tale has yet to be told, however, as new questions were raised by the revelations.

Before the former president opened his books, there had been a lot of speculation about what the presidential discretionary funds were and are for, with many people presuming that the money must be for matters that must be kept secret for reasons of state security. However, it seems that the bulk of Toro’s discretionary fund went for travel, ceremonial expenses, opinion polls about contemplated policy decisions, subsidies to artists and athletes, relief in emergency situtations, special advisors and ordinary but unbudgeted government expenses. Rather than compensation for 00-type spies, the fund was used for things like subsidizing swimmer Eileen Coparropa’s travel to international competitions, putting on Carnival festivities in Panama City and helping poverty-stricken indigenous communities that had been wiped out by floods.

The biggest questions raised by the former president’s disclosures are about more than $130,000 in unspecified credit card expenses.

Bhms: Haitians demonstrate for Aristide

A group of about 100 Haitians demonstrated outside the Metropolitan Church of the Nazerene on East Street South and Bahama Avenue Sunday, demanding the return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president of that country.

The passionate group, singing songs while carrying Haitian flags and placards with the face of Aristide, said they have been silent for too long and are now showing the world that the majority of Haitians in The Bahamas support the former president and want him reinstated.
...
"Yes it would be effective demonstrating here because there are a lot of Haitians here... they are used to Aristide and Aristide is the only person who can really deliver the Haitians from what we're going through," she said.

She indicated that it does not matter that the former president was in power for ten full years, after being reinstated by U.S.-led forces in 1994.

What are they doing in the Bahamas if they're so convinced that Aristide is the only one who can help Haiti?

Ja: Make up your mind, Latortue

Haiti's interim prime minister, Gerard Latortue, who had declared a freeze on his country's participation in the Caribbean Community, now wants to attend this week's summit of regional leaders in St Kitts, Community officials have confirmed.

Last night, Jamaica said Latortue would be welcomed in Basseterre, the St Kitts capital, to discuss the political process in Haiti, but made clear that he was unlikely to have a full seat at the regional table until Caricom leaders take a decision on the recognition of his government.

Ja: Taxing double standard

THE GOVERNMENT is drafting legislation to prevent or reduce the frequency with which Government agencies pile-up and withhold millions of dollars in income tax deductions.

Senate Leader Burchell Whiteman, who tabled a bill last Thursday that will see persons paying up to $100,000 in fines or sent to prison for up to two years for making or helping to make false income tax declarations, was responding to concerns from Opposition Senator Bruce Golding.
...
Mr. Golding had charged that Government agencies were being let off the hook while citizens were being penalised when they do not pay their income tax in the specified time.

Ja: Compulsory national service

GOVERNMENT SENATOR Navel Clarke - the Deputy President of the Senate ­ has tabled a Resolution in the Upper House, calling for the introduction of a compulsory National Service. The programme he envisages would be aimed at all young persons ages 15-24 "who have left the school system and who are not seeking to further their education up to tertiary level or have entered into apprenticeship or skills training."

Is this a way of reducing unemployment in Jamaica? Where will the government get the funds to pay the young people when it's alrady running a huge deficit?

Hti: Yo, Maxine!

Here are some excerpts from Caroll Abrahams's open letter to Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D, CA). It's published in Haiti Democracy Project in its entirety. Read it. I can't wait to see what Congresswoman Waters will say in response.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-California)
 
I saw your interview on C-Span on the morning of March 17, 2004. Unfortunately, I was unable to call, so I am sending you this e-mail. I wanted to enlighten you on some very important facts and respond to some of your comments on your TV deliberation.
 
You have been asking for 'real' proof, but you refuse to admit or acknowledge any 'real' facts that have been presented to you. To date, you are the only person who will not admit to any of Aristide's wrongdoings, not a single one!

You dismissed the testimony of Mr. Pierre M.M.  Paquiot's presented to the Congress in March 2004. He is the university rector who was beaten up by Aristide's thugs, to the point where both of his 'real' knees were broken.
 
You downplayed the killings of journalists like Jean Dominique and Brignol Lindor by saying that we keep reverting to these two names. Rep. Waters, these two names had 'real' faces, 'real' families and 'real' people who loved them. What about the 'real' Spanish T.V. correspondent, Ricardo Ortega, who was recently murdered by Aristide's thugs?
...
You stated that the marches in Haiti were illegal because the opposition did not have permissions from the Haitian police to conduct the events. I can tell you from personal experience that we had to wait for hours for the same police that claimed they did not condone the marches to show up and protect us from the chimeres. If the Haitian police did not approve the marches in the first place, why would they come to supposedly protect us? Rep. Waters, the policemen who were supposed to protect the peaceful demonstration in Haiti, were the very ones who put our lives in danger. On January 1, 2004, at the same time you were in Gonaives celebrating Haiti's independence from the French, we, Haitians were marching for the liberation of Haiti. The slogan was: "INDEPENDENCE 1804, LIBERTY 2004"
...
You keep referring to the Group 184 as though they were the only one involved in the opposition and you refuse to admit that the civil society (which Group 184 is a part of) also includes the following:
1- The Haitian Clergy
2- The Haitian Media
3- The Haitian Students and Teachers
4- The Haitian Lawyers, Doctors and Professionals
5- The Haitian Artists
6- The Haitian Women Group
7- The Haitian Factory Workers
8- The Haitian Farmers
How can so many social sectors be wrong and only Aristide and you are right? Did you ever think that he might be fooling you as he fooled the Clintons, the Kennedys, and so many others? We cannot all be wrong, Rep. Walters, NO…NO…NO!
 
You talked of Andy Apaid with a personal disgust. Spending a few hours in his presence discussing his views on the situation in Haiti does not make you a good judge of his character. You have been totally biased against Mr. Apaid and the Haitian people. You have been saying that Mr. Apaid, as an American citizen, cannot go and protest in Haiti.

What about the following people?

A) Yvon Neptune, American citizen; U.S. passport #035349148; DOB: 11/08/1946; PRIME MINISTER under Aristide?

B) Mr. Joseph Phillipe Antonio, American citizen; U.S. passport #46890596; DOB: 07/22/1939; MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS under Aristide?

C) Martine Deverson, American citizen; U.S. passport #28021088; DOB: 11/11/1959; MINISTER OF TOURISM under Aristide?

D) Leslie Goutier, American citizen; U.S. passport #044776893; DOB: 10/19/1942; MINISTER OF COMMERCE under Aristide?

E) What about Aristide's wife, Mildred Trouillot Aristide? American citizen?

F) What about Aristide's daughters, Christine and Michaelle? American citizens?
...
Scare tactics and intimidation were Aristide's ways of governing the nation. By kidnapping people like Mrs. Isabelle R. Wawa, Mr. Lionel Gardere, Mr. Lauture (who was killed and mutilated), to name a few. Even a twelve-year-old little boy, Luigy Leroy, disappeared on his way to school, and many, many more. If you want "real" proof, contact Mrs. Wawa. She is currently in the USA seeking political asylum. Mrs. Wawa is a physician who had her own office in Haiti, owned a beautiful home in the mountains and was part of the "elite" that you hate so much. Do you really think that she could leave her practice, family, friends, and change her children's lives just to lie about being kidnapped by Aristide's people and that she was released only after the ransom money was paid to the government?
...
You overlooked the fact that Haiti became a place where 'real' drugs could be shipped to the U.S. and that Aristide's government and Aristide, himself, were involved in the drug trafficking process. Judith Truonzo, the spokesperson for the US embassy in Haiti, stated: "The state employees are involved in drug trafficking, and actively participate in delivering the merchandise." She also stated that money from the drug proceeds was being used to pay state employees (the New York Sun June 20, 2003). Many other US official government documents have stated the same. However, there is one person, Mr. Jacques Beaudoin Ketant, who was tied to this notorious criminal activity and he is currently spending time in a federal prison in Florida. Ketant stated it best on the day of his conviction when he said: "He [Aristide] controlled the drug trade. He turned the country into a Narco-Country. It's a one-man show. You either pay Aristide or you die". (The New York Sun: The Arrest of a Drug Kingpin in Haiti or (Nick Caistor, BBC, 2004-03-19, Haiti's Drug Money Scourge).
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Rep. Waters, where should the people in Haiti have gone to complain about the abuse of human rights and continuous murders during the Aristide regime? Should they have gone to the POLICE who were administering the abuse? Should they have gone to Aristide's paid THUGS, the executioners themselves? Or should they have gone to EX president ARISTIDE, the one giving out the orders? I am glad to inform you that today, the new "REAL DEMOCRATIC" government in Haiti just set up an office to investigate all allegations of past complaints of abuse and murders committed during the Aristide era. I will be waiting for the conclusion of these inquiries and will send you the results if you are still looking for REAL PROOF at that time.
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Rep. Waters, I heard you saying that President George W. Bush will lose the election this year. I can assure you that most Haitian Americans will either vote for Bush or boycott the 2004 U.S. election due to the refusal of the Democratic Party to acknowledge what was really happening in Haiti under the Aristide regime. Another reason why most Haitian Americans may take these actions is because the Democratic Party constantly makes an effort to support Aristide and will not accept the fact that a vast majority of the Haitian people are relieved that he is gone. I believe it is unwise and unhelpful to try to push Aristide's agenda, your agenda, the Black Caucus or the Democratic Party by using the blood of the Haitian people.

Hti: Back to school

On Monday, uniformed boys with rucksacks and girls wearing pink and red hair ribbons filled the streets as most schools reopened for the first time since the crisis started brewing in December.

The disruption crippled an already moribund education system in a country where more than half the 8 million people are illiterate and only 60 percent have access to schools.

All told, at least 50 schools throughout Haiti were destroyed by pro-Aristide gangs, according to the U.N. Children's Fund. An unknown number of others were gutted by looters who took everything not nailed down — textbooks, wall maps, desks, even blackboards.

In the capital, most schools closed for weeks, and attendance plummeted 80 percent at others where students were too afraid to return, according to UNICEF.

"They have all been witness to violence and murder and don't know what will happen tomorrow," said UNICEF spokeswoman Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans. "But we're confident things will improve."

Another factor keeping down attendance is the schools' shortage of food, causing a lack of incentive for many children in this impoverished nation who receive their only daily meal in the classroom, she said.

As tension starts to ease, U.S. Marines are doing patrols near schools and officials are trying to fill classrooms, using radio messages

Gya: Pro-manhood organization formed

AFTER years of lamenting the absence of an organization to counsel men about manhood in ways that pro-women organizations counsel women about womanhood, men can finally identify with such an organization.

Men Of Purpose has been established by an assembly of men brought together by Mr. Frederick Cox, Executive Director of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), who had invited them to discuss the formation of a group and map out a programme of activities "that will help to promote a greater sense of responsibility in men and boys in their relationships with women and girls."

Let's see how long before some budding feminist demands to be part of Men of Purpose.

DR: How government creates jobs

The government payroll during 2003, and particularly in the last quarter of 2003, included some 25,000 new names, despite the fact that in August it had signed an agreement with the IMF to exercise a strict control on public spending. In human figures, this represented the hiring of 24,974 people, with total salaries equalling RD$1.182 billion, or a 4.7% increase over 2002.

The business of government is not job creation. Instead, it is removing stifling regulations that would prevent the private sector from thriving. It is about getting the hell out of the way so that individuals can start up business ventures.

DR: Illness to take a holiday

If you are poor, don’t get sick or hurt. The head of the Dominican Medical College (CMD) reaffirmed yesterday evening that the strike set for five days will paralyze service at 150 hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health and 23 hospitals under the Social Security Institute.

Cuba: A free press is an insult to Castro

Aracelis Hernández Duarte, lawyer for jailed dissident journalist José Agramonte Leyva, says an additional charge of insulting Fidel Castro has been levied against her client.

Agramonte Leyva has been jailed in Camaguey since February 4 for allegedly breaking windows in a super market, although his lawyer says he was out of town at the time.

Agramonte Leyva's mother, Zoila Leyva Naranjo, said she recently saw her son for 10 minutes. "He's very thin," she aid. "He told me that he sleeps on the floor without a mattress and that he has to do without the most basic necessities, like adequate clothing, cleaning supplies and food."

Agramonte Leyva is director of an independent library project in Camaguey and a reporter for the Lux Info Press news agency.

There were no details given of the alleged insult to Castro.

Bmda: Justice denied

The Crown could not be held responsible for holding alleged heroin smuggler Andrew Hall in custody for almost three years without trial, the Appeal Court has ruled.

The Jamaican walked free on charges of importing $1.8 million in January when Assistant Justice Archibald Warner ruled his constitutional rights had been breached because he had been held without trial for so long.

Hall, 39, who would have faced between 14 and 18 years in jail if found guilty, fled Bermuda in a private jet on a temporary passport within hours of being released and is believed to now be in Jamaica.

Last week, the Crown won a decision at the Court of Appeal that Hall’s constitutional rights had not been violated, which meant the indictment against him was reinstated.

Acting Director of Public prosecutions Kulandra Ratneser has said the Crown will attempt to extradite Hall back to Bermuda to stand trial.
...
But the case against Hall dragged on for almost three years due to a large number of adjournments. But Appeal Court President Edward Zacca, sitting with Sir Anthony Evans and Philip Clough, ruled the large number adjournments and hold ups could not be blamed on the Crown, so Hall’s constitutional rights had not been violated. In their written judgement issued yesterday, they wrote: “The court finds it difficult to identify any period of significant delay which can be said to be both unreasonable and the responsibility of the Crown. Nor in our view it is possible to attribute any unreasonable delay to the court or to any of the administrative agencies of Bermuda.

“It was not unreasonable, in our view, for the October 2002 hearing to be adjourned until May 2003, nor for that hearing to be adjourned until January 2004 in the circumstances of this case.

“It does not follow that delays, even substantial delays, can always be avoided. In practice, realism intrudes on what the legal system ideally should achieve.

“Each adjournment was ordered by a judge, and it seems to us that there are no grounds for holding that either the Crown or the Courts administration was at fault or responsible for any unreasonable delay.

I hope Jamaica refuses to extradite this man to Bermuda. How could the Crown not be held responsible when a justice of the Crown had ruled for adjournments? Bermuda's courts seem to be as irrresponsible as its penal system in which Steven "Pepe" Dill was allowed to die of asthma while no guards responded. Nobody was held to be responsible for his death even though guards were on duty. Why should Jamaica extradite Andrew Hall back to Bermuda again? So he can spend another indeterminate amount of time behind bars without a speedy trial? The Crown of Bermuda had its chance to prosecute Andrew Hall and they blew it. Jamaica should not facilitate Bermuda's Crown's disregard for the accused's rights to a speedy trial.

Blz: Bliss is back

The Bliss Institute is back. Back as a building, bigger and better and back as reality where there is a proper place for artists to gather and perform for Belizean audiences and spectators. In the words of the street people- respect.

Blz: Bilateral talks with Mexico

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Derbez and his Vice-Minister Miguel Hakim met in Belize City on Friday, March 12th with the Prime Minister Said Musa and members of his delegation at the House of Culture.
...
Minister Courtenay informed that he had had conversations with the Minister of Trade of Mexico concerning a Belize Mexico Partial Scope Agreement. Mexico was amicable to such an agreement since the amount of goods to be included was limited and since services would not be included. Minister Courtenay advised that the business sector of Belize was in consultation about the goods to be included in the Partial Scope Agreement and this would be made available to the Ministry of International Trade by the ending of April.

Bdos: Desperation of drug mules

What is baffling is that although there has been a marked increase in “drug mules” being held with the illegal drugs, more keep coming. Perhaps it is a sign that some “drug mules” might still be getting through in spite of any success in nabbing others.

It has long been felt that most of the “drug mules” are themselves drug addicts who are desperate enough to try anything, even putting their lives at risk, by swallowing packets of illegal drugs, not only to get a monetary reward but to satisfy their addiction. 

[Leroy] Kerr, however, had a different motive for the court to consider. It did not help him avoid imprisonment but it is worthy of recall.

He claimed that life is so hard and violent in Jamaica that he had jumped at the offer of getting US$400 to bring the drugs to Barbados. Expressing shame over what had now befallen him, he also blamed the increasingly violent situation in his country, which as he put it, “drives us every different way,” and told the court of how tough it was to  have two children and a wife and having to go to bed hungry, or with only $150 “to last for three weeks”.

Now his family will be totally destitute.

Bdos: More anti-American sniping from NGOs

For some reason not totally unknown, we have been led to believe that we should fight unrest with military or police force. Of course, the world’s policeman did not hesitate to fulfil its role to send in the troops.

However, the kind of force that Haiti needs is not even a peace-keeping force, but a team of resource persons made up of senior administrators and experienced civil society leaders who should be put at the disposal of the Haitian Government for about ten years.

Does the NGO writer of this absurdity forget that Caricom would not send in troops to Haiti until order had been restored?

Last I heard, the anti-globalists who cause unrest around the world were not dissuaded by talk but by force.

Nitwit NGO-er!

Bdos: Here we go again

Graham Thorpe hit an unbeaten 81 to build on earlier half centuries from Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain, as England gained a healthy first-innings lead yesterday against the West Indies on the third day of the second Cable & Wireless cricket Test.

The experienced trio led the visitors from 54-2 overnight to 300-6 at close, already 92 runs ahead of the West Indies’ first-innings of 208.

U.S.: Life is not an option in the Kerry campaign

Read the story here. Compliments of The Corner.

U.S.: Jamaican coke is it

What's it mean when you take a swig of orange juice and your tongue goes numb? It means you've just swallowed a mouthful of liquid cocaine.

That's what happened when a Miami warehouse employee took a sip from a can of orange juice that had just arrived from Jamaica and suddenly lost all sense of feeling.

Turns out the 18-ounce can contained pure liquid cocaine that would have sold for about $40,000 on the street.

U.S.: Live by the sword....

Israel took out Hamas's "spiritual" leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, tonight. (In Hebrew, Hamas means violence.) I know; de mortuuis, nil nisi bonum and all that, but he was a nasty old critter who founded Hamas, who praised homicide bombers, and who encouraged and ordered violent and dreadful attacks on Israeli men, women, and children. That Yassin was wheelchair bound, partially deaf, and partially blind never stopped him from issuing orders to homicide bombers. For, an order that is carried out is a deed for which the sender is responsible. Fox reports that Yassin knew the code name of every homicide bomber who went out against Israel. He should. He sent them out. Worse yet, he had a hand in the first bombing of the World Trade Center -- the bombers trained with Hamas's killers in Wyoming, of all places. So, what "spiritual" leader? More like terrorist in chief.

Yassin has gone on to meet his reward for the sanctioning of heady murder. Drink deep from the cup of divine wrath, old buzzard, cuz there are no 72 virgins or young boys to sport with in the afterlife. Instead, "Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?" (Is. 14:9-10).

"Palestinians" say that Yassin was known for his moderation and that his killing is a dangerous act that will lead to chaos, yadda yadda. Hey, whether Israel killed this buzzard or not, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Al Aqsa Martyrs, and all the other fruits and nuts would be busy killing or trying to kill Jews. In actual fact, Yassin was no moderate. He sent women and children as homicide bombers against Israelis; he thought and preached that the only good Jew is a dead Jew. As a Caribbeanite, I read the history of slavery; in my early teens, I read the history of World War II. To both slavery and genocide, I say this: Never Again! What the Arabs are attempting to do to Israelis is genocidal. What the Arabs are doing to African Christians and animists in the Sudan and elsewhere is both slavery and genocidal.

No matter what one thinks of Israel, what may never be forgotten is this "West Bank" and "Gaza" saying, which I deem a threat, after Shabbat comes Sunday.

Here's a list of what Chief Terrorist Ahmed Yassin has been responsible for. Compliments of The Corner.

Murderous buzzard Yassin, rest in pieces.

U.S.: Kerry on C-SPAN

Marvin Kalb is recounting how the media bought Kerry's story hook, line, and sinker. Sounds like the Senate did, too. What one can never forget is that Kerry presented false testimony to support his contention that Viet Nam was an unjust war. What decides whether Viet Nam was unjust? In my books, the hundreds of thousands of deaths at communist hands, the thousands of boat people who fled for fear of their lives, the darkness that fell upon Viet Nam after the American withdrawal declared that Viet Nam was an entirely just war. Democracy is something worth fighting for. Freedom is worth dying for.

Note: I'd planned to do a more in depth assessment of Kerry's speech. However, my sister needed help setting up an iMac, so I grabbed what bits I could.

Ah, here we go, the hearing begins with the racist mentor of Bill Clinton, J. William Fulbright, as the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Why do politicians like the sound of their voice so much? Kerry's asked to give his bio.

Kerry's in uniform and wearing medals. His sitting before the Senate is symbolic, he says; he's a representative of a group of veterans whom he thinks would testify as he will. He's saying he's been up all night preparing. From what I understand, somebody else wrote the speech for him. Spokemas for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Jane Fonda was linked to the group.

Kerry's recounting atrocities that U.S. soldiers allegedly committed. Thing is, if Kerry and the men he knew witnessed these atrocities, as officers, they had an obligation to do something about what they saw/heard. The Winter Soldier investigation, called so as a pun on Thomas Paine's words. America had no threat from Viet Nam therefore no need to be there. The Vietnamese were clueless, didn't know communism from democracy and only wanted to be left in piece. They waffled between VC and the U.S. and sided with whomever was there at the time.

America accepted My Lai. The war was basically racist, Kerry says. More blacks died fighting it, and the means of warfare were not the same as would have been employed in Europe or against whites.

Crowd applause. The media takes the bait. The war is framed as Nixon's war. It was actually Kerry's hero, John F. Kennedy, who got the U.S. into Viet Nam; it was Lyndon B. Johnson who ramped up U.S. participation.

Communism can't be fought all over the world, Kerry says. The Viet Namese are not free under the U.S. right now cuz people are dying. Kerry hasn't changed over the years. If freedom is not worth fighting for, then what is? He's indicated here that freedom is not a value he cherishes and the U.S. is not an agent for political change and freedom.

Focus on how black soldiers were impacted by Nam. No moral indignation in the U.S. The U.S. in the midst of a disaster because folks are dying in Nam, Americans and Vietnamese. Kerry is advocating that America leave and forget about communism which he doesn't seem to regard as a threat. Out of Nam now. He thinks the VC would've laid down their arms.

Problem of the war is not about diplomacy; it's about racism, use of weapons, U.S. is guiltier than anyone of violating Geneva Conventions. U.S. bad, evil, racist, killers, immoral.

Kerry trusts the North Vietnamese more than his own government, this I get from his answer to the questioning by George Aiken. The U.S. is bad, even how it trains soldiers to kill, from answers to Pell's questions.

A Nam soldier calling in says Kerry toed the Commie line. Another guy says he's a soldier, says he supports Kerry. He doesn't sound like a Nam vet cuz none of the Nam place names are part of his speech. So, IMO, he's suspect. Most of the callers are pro-Kerry. I think it's possible that the Kerry-ites are love-bombing C-SPAN, cuz that's not unusual.

In a nutshell, what do I think about what I heard? Kerry hasn't changed. He still thinks the U.S. is bad; he still thinks that freedom is not a value worth fighting and dying for; he still thinks opponents of the U.S. are better than the U.S.

I hope Kerry is not elected. No man should lead a country he despises. If he does, he'll run that country into the ground.

T&T: Caricom's backing Kerry

Selywn Ryan takes a long look at Caricom's moves in relation to Venezuela, Haiti, and the U.S. Read the entire.

To his fervent supporters, he's a new Simon Bolivar, the man on the white horse who's come to rescue them from decades of corrupt governments and irreversible poverty.

To his detractors, he's Hugo the Horrible, the man who's driving his critics up a wall, at home and abroad, even as he makes a mess of one of the richest countries in South America.

He, of course, is Hugo Chavez, the irrepressible President of Venezuela who last week also virtually let the Caricom cat out of the bag by declaring that he was recognising Jean-Bertrand Aristide as the lawful President of Haiti.

Just prior to Mr Chavez's declaration, he had a fleeting visit from Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning who, over dinner at Mira Flores, the presidential palace in the heart of Caracas, discussed the aftermath of the sudden, though hardly surprising, downfall of Mr Aristide.

Caricom is to declare its own position on the new Haiti government this week (even though that government has threatened to pull out of Caricom) but it's very likely that Mr Chavez has already broadcast that position on his own.
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There was a time, not that long ago, when the politics of Venezuela mattered very little, if at all, to Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.

Those times are changing. Mr Chavez's stance on Mr Aristide could be the beginning of another and very serious row between Venezuela and Washington.

And it will be interesting to see how far Caricom is prepared to go in backing that fight.

People who think that Mr Manning might have a problem on his hands with the resignation of his labour minister Larry Achong (whose resignation Mr Manning says he's not accepting) don't know the half of it.
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If Washington decides to get even tougher with Mr Aristide, and his supporters, there's no telling where the dice might fall.

One hint of that also came last week when it was announced that the US was seeking to extradite one Oriel Jean, 39, from Canada. Mr Jean is a former top security aide to Mr Aristide who arrived in Canada recently with US$10,000 and apparently on the run from the turn of events in Port-au-Prince.
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If there are signs of a serious and brewing international row over Mr Aristide's fall from power, the US could respond by getting rougher-and where that will leave Mr Aristide's backers is another story.

In any event, does Caricom really want to go to the mat with the US?

Mr Chavez obviously has his own agenda -and it's hardly just about uplifting the poor and ennobling the disenfranchised. He has promised to remain in office long after his constitutional term limit is up-which, of course, has simply infuriated the opposition even more.
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For the first time since Venezuela's return to democracy in the 1950s, there are hints of a return to the instability and upheaval that characterised Venezuelan politics for decades.

Mr Chavez also obviously takes pleasure, if not pride, in attacking the old Goliath to the North-something that endears him even more to his supporters and makes his opponents even more furious.

But is Caricom seriously prepared to go along with the Chavez agenda? Are regional governments prepared to risk decades of their own favourable relations with the United States in order to throw their support behind the maverick Mr Chavez?

Or is Caricom betting heavily that come November, there will be a new tenant in the White House?

That Caricom would align itself with Chavez, who is busy running Venezuela into the ground and despises the rule of law, believing that GWB will not be re-elected is an indicator that Caricom believes there will be no repercussions from the U.S. in a Kerry administration. What Caricom, along with the rest of the world, does not take into consideration is that, where the rubber meets the road, Americans will not elect a president who is weak on national defense. The mantra around the globe may be that Americans need to get past 9/11; however, that is not the sentiment in this country. Caricom heads watching the Democrats bash GWB, over the past six months and more, may have erroneously got the impression that GWB is weak, when, in fact, he had no intention of responding until there was a clear Democrat nominee. Furthermore, we're now in March, and poll numbers don't mean anything much. Come October, the picture changes.

Therefore, Caricom would be unwise to develop alliances based on its misconceptions of who the victor will be in the American political process. A look at GWB's initial campaign speech in Florida, the link for which is on this blog, will demonstrate clearly that Kerry will have a hell of a fight on his hands. GWB, using a mixture of facts and humor, has already succeeded in painting Kerry as an indecisive waffler (yeah, a redundancy) who is at war with himself. Worse yet, GWB is laughing at Kerry and cleverly letting America in on the joke. There is no more potent tool than ridicule, and GWB is employing it to great effect. It doesn't help that Kerry is acting his usual pompous and condescending self. Worse yet, for Kerry, he is as humorless as he looks, and has been making statements (foreign leaders, anyone?) which have fed GWB's humorous ridicule mill.

Caricom would be wise to forget its pique over Haiti, and not let Venezuela dictate its relationship to the U.S.

U.S.: C-SPAN airs Kerry's anti-war testimony

John Effin Kerry, who, by the way, served in Viet Nam, will have his anti-war testimony before the Senate broadcast on C-SPAN. This broadcast will, by the way, serve to remind the nation that Kerry defamed the men who served in 'Nam. For, if Kerry spoke the truth about the actions of U.S. soldier in Viet Nam, then he, as an officer, was obliged to report any and all war crimes, under the Geneva Convention and the U.S. Military Code of Justice. Kerry did not, and, if the allegations were true, his silence alone makes him unfit to lead a platoon, much less a country. Moreover, the men whose testimonies Kerry used to support his anti-war rhetoric have had their claims of serving in Viet Nam descredited.

John Kerry’s controversial anti-Vietnam testimony is taking one step closer to haunting him during his presidential bid.

C-SPAN has announced that it plans to present it Sunday night at 6:30 and 9:30PM EST.

Atg: Will Antiguans vote?

Two working days before the general elections, there are approximately 2,000 voter identification cards still at the distribution centres throughout the constituencies, an official from the Antigua & Barbuda Electoral Commission said yesterday.

Assistant to the Chief Election Officer Ian Hughes told the SUN there was at least one constituency that still had about 300 voter ID cards that were yet to be collected and another had about 250.

The U.S. could learn a lot from the Caribbean on voter ID cards. Nobody is issued such a card without providing certain and sure proof of citizenship, thus reducing the likelihood of non-citizens and illegal aliens voting in elections.

Bdos: Depends on what the meaning of 'hijack' is

SPEAKING during the Estimates debate in Parliament, Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports Reginald Farley opined that the United States of America (USA) had, through their preoccupation with “trade and terrorism,” succeeded in “hijacking” the whole free trade deliberation process.

The Minister recalled Barbados’ collaboration under a 1994 Summit of the Americas initiative where, along with 33 other hemispheric territories (Cuba excepted), succeeded in reaching agreement “on a broad framework so rais[ing] the tide of prosperity within the hemisphere, that all of the individual ‘boats’ of the countries would rise with the tide.”

Spanning such areas as good governance, justice, security, trade, education – “particularly focusing on the digital-divide” and health, the Minister therefore described the diversion of attention away from this promising regional initiative as “hijack.” He noted instead, that “all that we hear about, of all those broad areas are two: trade, through the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)...and the other issue that gets some attention is security, [if only when] pushed as a one-dimensional element, that is the fight against terrorism.”

Bdos: Constitutional change

GOVERNMENT is drafting a constitutional amendment that would allow Parliament to debate financial transactions by state agencies which it does not now scrutinise.

This disclosure was made in the House of Assembly by Prime Minister Owen Arthur in response to Opposition charges that Government had lent more than $440 million to state agencies without parliamentary approval.

Is this likely to happen everytime the Bajan government acts without parliamentary approval?

Bdos: Will riot for house

THE NATIONAL HOUSING CORPORATION (NHC) may meet resistance when it tries to evict tenants from Rosemont Housing Estate, Black Rock, St Michael, who have received notices during the week.

One angry tenant is promising a “riot” if he is moved, as threatened, in five days.

“There are people in the neighbourhood who are 18 years old and have received houses. I have been living here for 23 years and now they are telling me that the house is for sale. Let them know we are ready to start a riot,” the man said.

Blz: Vaccinating against rubella

For the next six weeks, the Ministry of Health will be holding a national campaign to immunize Belizeans against rubella. The effort is part of "Vaccination Week of the Americas" and will target people between the ages of five to thirty-five because statistically this is the age group most likely to contract the virus.

Hopefully, there are no wacky imams around to jabber about the vaccine causing AIDS or sterility, or it being an American plot to corrupt the people.

Bmda: Women smuggling guns

Women are being used to smuggle guns into private parties because they are less likely to get searched, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

An informed source said that, once inside, they were given to the male owners who would then brandish them to impress friends.

Looks like these idiots need to be patted down. How immature can one get, brandishing a gun to impress?

Cay: The accountants missed the boat with Parmalat

According to a report by Bloomberg News, filings with Maltese regulators show that a Deloitte & Touche examiner in Malta approved the accounts of a Parmalat subsidiary, without challenging profits that flowed from a $7 billion loan to Bonlat Financing Corp, another Parmalat subsidiary registered in the Cayman Islands.

Although, Deloitte helped precipitate the collapse of the Italian dairy group Parmalat Finanziaria SpA by raising questions in October 2003 about transactions at Bonlat, Deloitte auditors should have raised doubts about the transactions six months earlier, say three accountants who read the statements at Bloomberg's request. 

Cuba: The ends justify the means for Castro

Masiel Gutiérrez planned to participate in a rally for prisoners of conscience until she was advised of an unscheduled conjugal visit with her imprisoned husband, Rolando Jiménez Posada..

"It looks like the news [of the rally] came to the attention of the political police and, since I was one of the organizers, they manipulated me through the subtle means of a conjugal visit," Gutiérrez said.

When she showed up at the El Guayabo prison, she told her husband what had happened. "They set a trap for you," he exclaimed.
..
The rally went on as planned, but in a private house instead of in public.

Cuba: What Castro's communist paradise will do for money!

Will Cubans soon be disallowed from visiting certain hospitals in Castro's ongoing quest for U.S. dollars?

The Miguel Enrique Hospital, built in the nineteenth century, might be turned into a medical center for foreigners in a move to bring hard currency to Cuba, sources say.
...
The sources said that the hospital will undergo renovations to be able to attend to the needs of foreign patients. They said some rooms would be kept for Cubans.

First the doctors are farmed out to foreign countries, thus locals are deprived of quality medical care. Now they will be deprived of medical facilities, too. I wonder what Robert Redford and Steven Spielberg think about this?

DR: Was training for revolution part of IRI's democracy education?

The US embassy confirmed the existence of an agreement for the sale or donation of 20,000 semi-automatic M16 rifles to the Dominican Armed Forces, according to El Caribe newspaper. “The United States agreed to transfer 20,000 M-16 A1 rifles to the Dominican Armed Forces to assist in its campaign to modernize and professionalize the force.”

The US embassy also said that these arms have not yet been delivered, owing to US Senator Christopher Dodd’s suggestion to Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega during a recent hearing that the transfer of the 20,000 rifles to the DR would be used by the US as a platform to send arms to the Haitian rebels.

Armed Forces Minister Jose Miguel Soto Jimenez described Senator Dodd’s speculation as “surrealistic.”

“While at the transaction level, the documentation is complete, the rifles have not left the United States,” the embassy told El Caribe, also saying that the shipment is part of the US government’s Foreign Military Financing Program (FMF). On a military website, the US administration justifies the program: “The principal means of ensuring America’s security is through the deterrence of potential aggressors who would threaten the US or its allies. Foreign Military Financing, the US government program for financing through grants or loans the acquisition of US military articles, services, and training, supports US regional stability goals and enables friends and allies to improve their defense capabilities. Because FMF monies are used to purchase US military equipment and training, FMF contributes to a strong US defense industrial base, which benefits both America’s armed forces and American workers.”

Regarding the senator’s statement that the US assisted in training 600 Haitians in the Dominican Republic, the US embassy said that the training did not take place in the DR. “From December 2002 to January 2004, an estimated 600 persons (Haitians) participated in training programs of the International Republican Institute in the United States.”

El Caribe said that the United States Agency for International Development has a donation program for US$2.4 million to promote democracy in Haiti. Of this money, US$1.2 million was allotted to the IRI and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) to fund programs for education on democracy in Haiti.

Hti: Aristide paid through the nose for nothing

Here's how Haiti and several other governments spent money on U.S. lobbyists and legal help during the first six months of 2003, the most recent reporting period:

-- Haiti ($945,227): Legal representation, plus lobbying government officials, diplomats and the media, seeking the resumption of U.S. and multinational aid.

-- El Salvador ($746,228): Promoting investment, lobbying on trade and immigration issues.

-- Honduras ($249,090): Lobbying for the Central American Free Trade Agreement and on trade and immigration issues.

-- Dominican Republic ($172,509): Lobbying on sugar quota and trade issues.

-- Brazil ($259,895): For legal advice.

-- Chile ($27,942): For legal advice and work on the U.S.-Chile trade pact.

Hti: The silence of the church

Was it because Aristide was once one of them?

Whether preaching to peasants in mountain chapels or on radio to reach decision makers, Jacmel Bishop Guire Poulard has steadfastly condemned the killings in Haiti and the president he accuses of allowing them to flourish.

''This government was a disgrace,'' Poulard said at his home overlooking the Caribbean last weekend. Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, he added, ``was corrupt and promoted nothing but violence and drug trafficking.''

But within the upper reaches of the church, Poulard has been on his own in his attacks against Aristide, himself a former Salesian priest.

Roman Catholic church leaders remained silent in the last few months about the increasingly violent reign of Aristide's Lavalas Family Party and the gunmen who attacked opposition leaders and marches, drawing the ire of human rights activists and many lay church members.

''As a Catholic, I'm appalled that the church has not come out against the state-sponsored violence in Haiti,'' said Charles Henri Baker, a businessman and leader of a civil coalition that opposed Aristide. "They knew where the violence was coming from, and they didn't say anything.''

Hti: GOP-linked group tried to promote democracy in Haiti

On the other side of the political fence, the GOP-linked International Republican Institute used $1.2 million it received from the U.S. Agency for International Development to arrange "party building'' seminars for members of the Haitian opposition in the Dominican Republic and Miami.

Like its Democratic counterpart, the IRI is a nonprofit group that tries to promote democracy with training sessions for political parties, labor unions and civic groups. It has programs in more than 50 nations.

But Democratic critics, led by Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, have complained that IRI staffers with ties to Haiti's former military rulers worked with the opposition to undermine the Aristide government.

Maguire and Alex Dupuy, a Haiti expert at Wesleyan University, said the close relationship between U.S. officials and the opposition's umbrella Democratic Convergence emboldened it to refuse to share power with Aristide as a bloody revolt in February spread through Haiti.

"In a sense, the U.S. bought their allegiance by pampering them,'' Maguire said. He added that the opposition may have received messages from friends in Washington to hold out and not negotiate with Aristide.

IRI officials say their efforts in Haiti mirrored work in other countries, have been above-board and will stand up to any congressional scrutiny.

"In all our work with the opposition we've always emphasized in sessions that you can't just be anti-Aristide,'' said IRI spokesman Thayer Scott ``The whole idea is to build democratic institutions.''

Ja: Is this how it begins?

Sharing a platform with rebel leaders, Haiti's interim leader yesterday praised the gunmen who began the uprising that chased Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power and even paid tribute to an assassinated gangster.

About 3,000 people cheered and clapped for Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, who held his first rally in his hometown of Gonaives, where Haiti's independence was declared 200 years ago and starting point for its recent rebellion.

"I ask you for a moment of silence for all the people who fell fighting against the dictatorship, and especially for Amiot Metayer," Latortue said as the crowd went wild. Metayer was the leader of the Cannibal Army street gang, and his death sparked the rebellion.

Rebel leaders who still run Haiti's fourth-largest city sat on a platform alongside Latortue, Organisation of American States representative David Lee, recently installed interim Cabinet ministers Bernard Gousse and retired General Herard Abraham, and new Haitian police chief Leon Charles.

Also, there is this:

At the rally earlier, Latortue promised his government would ensure clean drinking water in Gonaives, provide medical equipment and build at least 100 homes and a four-lane highway to replace the potholed two lanes that are Haiti's main south-north highway.

People shouted they also needed working telephones and electricity.

Latortue urged patience: "I cannot give you everything at once and I will not lie to you."

Perhaps Haiti needs to be weaned away from Big Brother government who "gives" things to citizens?

Ja: Stemming the flow of illegal guns

The American process, however, should not end only at the issuing of licences for the export of guns in the formal trading system. We would appreciate substantially more aggression on the part of the American authorities in seeking to detect weapons leaving their country as contraband.

The situation has improved in the two-and-a-half years since 9/11, but there is room, it seems to us, for far more rigour on the part of US Customs and other agencies in searching for illegal guns leaving the US, even if the effort does not reach the level of their attempt to prevent contraband entering America.

But the responsibility does not rest only with the United States. There is plenty to be done in Jamaica, not least of which is to deal with the corrupt practice in the constabulary of granting gun permits to persons who do not meet the criteria. In some cases, criminals and other questionable characters, it has been reported, are granted gun licences for a fee.

Gya: $1M stolen from families by gunmen