JO - PM on official visit to New York

Jamaica Observer

PM on official visit to New York

Observer Reporter

Friday, August 11, 2006

PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller left the island yesterday for an official visit to New York, United States where she will participate in a number of activities to mark Jamaica's Independence.

The prime minister's engagements will include an address at a reception hosted by Carib News and Citibank, in honour of Ambassador Dr Basil K Bryan, Jamaican Consul General to New York and Dean of the Caricom Consular Corp in New York, Jamaica House said yesterday.

Simpson Miller, according to a Jamaica House statement, is also scheduled to attend a town hall community meeting with members of the Jamaican Diaspora in the tri-state area. She is also expected to meet with the editorial board of Carib News, a leading Caribbean newspaper covering the tri-state area.

The prime minister will be the guest of honour at Jamaica's 44th Independence Anniversary Ball, a black tie affair at the New York Hilton and Towers Hotel, scheduled for tomorrow.

Simpson Miller is accompanied by Minister of Industry Technology Energy and Commerce Phillip Paulwell and Minister of Information & Development Colin Campbell.

Robert Pickersgill, the minister of housing, transport, water and works, will be in charge of the government until the prime minister returns to the island on Sunday.

interesting search parameter (IV)

Someone in Ellicott City, Maryland is asking the very sensible question:

"how to identify a fake i-551"

A form I-551 is more commonly known as the "green card." It's an Alien Registration Card.

JG - Jamaica's passengers stick it out

Jamaica Gleaner

Jamaica's passengers stick it out

published: Friday August 11, 2006

Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter

Departing passengers wait outside the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday after global air traffic was affected by an alleged terrorist plot to blow-up aircraft in mid-flight between Britain and the United States. - Photo by Ross Sheil

With Britain and the Untied States in a state of alert following the foiling of an alleged terrorist attack, Jamaicans at Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport were yesterday afternoon nonchalantly accepting the increased security measures.

Paul Hall, the airport's senior vice-president of operations, said extra staff had been drafted in to advise passengers and that, on the whole, they were being compliant. From outside, the queue for departures appeared to be no longer than normal and, looking inside, there was no evidence of a backlog at the security checkpoint which had for so long been frustrating for travellers before the recent recruitment of extra immigration staff, and the ongoing development of the airport.

Mr. Hall advised passengers to travel as light as possible and heed the regulations to avoid delays. Up to yesterday afternoon, there had been no delays, he said.

Speaking to The Gleaner, passengers shrugged at the inconvenience, acknowledging the precautions as a necessary evil against a potential terrorist attack. They felt they simply had to transfer certain items of carry on luggage into their checked luggage. Most of the passengers had been unaware of the new regulations issued by the United States Transport Security Agency.

Inconvenience

"We have to open up our luggage and take it out, we do just that because we have to cooperate, it's the same everywhere (airports). I just had to put it in my bag which is a bit of an inconvenience, because I had a lot of lotion in my handbag," said Veronica Ward, who was born in Clarendon and was visiting with her elderly mother from Miami.

However, Mrs. Ward, like many other passengers, was frustrated that even water was not allowed to be carried onto the plane. For passengers who bought duty-free, arrangements were being made for their purchases to be put in the baggage hold together with their checked luggage, said Mr. Hall.

Asked if the new regulations would become permanent, Mr. Hall said he doubted it, but acknowledged it would remain the prerogative of U.S. authorities.

re: "Arabs at War', non-fction book (4 of 11)"

Tom Kratman, posting at the Ringo's Tavern conference of Baen's Bar, had this comment to make in a thread ("Arabs at War, non-fction book" sic) dealing with a recently published book, "Arabs at War."

(Posted with the author's permission.)

"Lemme tell ya a story, true story as it happens:

Some 21 years ago, during Bright Star 85, the Egyptian Army - clearly one of the better Arab armies - set up some tents for us as Wadi Natrun, generally northwest of Cairo. The Egyptian lieutenant in charge of the detail looked at us, looked at the tents (which were, by the way, better than ours), looked at us...

Plainly he was thinking that an American's signature on a hand receipt would do him no good if one of those tents grew legs. He put his platoon in formation and announced, "I need three guards".

Every man reached into his back pocket, pulled out a wallet and began peeling off notes. The three who came up with the smallest bribes were picked to guard the tents. These three then proceeded to hold hands and squat by the side of the road, crying like babies. And it is understandable that they cried because for the next four days they got no food or water except what we gave them out of pity; their officer didn't care.

THAT'S what you fight when you fight Arab armies, a collection of sheep led by the most corrupt human filth imaginable. And that isn't even the worst of it.

See, the Arabs are what the sociologists like to call "amoral familists." This means that they are incapable of forming bonds of love and loyalty with anyone not a blood relation. Even there, degree of blood relation determines where loyalty legitimately lies. The saying in the area is, "Me and my brother against my cousin; me, my brother and my cousin against the world." This not only allows one to extort baksheesh from non-relations, but clouds every military unit that is not blood/clan based.

Picture the poor Arab private. He knows no one in his unit gives a shit about him; after all, he doesn't give a shit about any of them, either. They're not family. What happens when that private is placed in the loneliest position in the world, the modern battlefield? He runs at the first sign things are going badly. (He'll be fine as long as they are going well, though. Note: things rarely go well.)

Add in the fantasy mindset. Don't forget "Insh'allah", (Which is like "manana," but without the sense of urgency) which makes it somewhat impious to train really well since it is all the will of God anyway. Add in a set of social values that despise and loathe physical labor.

Militarily, they've got nothing going for them.

The other thing, and this may piss some off; the Israeli's stomp the Arabs so badly not because they're so great. In fact, outside of a few units the Israelis are just good militia, nothing so very special. But fighting the Arabs even just good militia can shine."

ADDENDUM:

"There is a way to make better Arab units. This is to base them around the families, clans and tribes. But there are at least two problems with this: The clans tend to be internally hierarchical. This means that the military chain of command may not be the real chain of command as in when the battalion commander's driver is his uncle. Happens. The other problem is that while these sorts of units, having a fair amount of trust in and loyalty for each other, will fight and fight hard, they have a very finite tolerance for casualties because at some point these endanger the standing, power and security of the clan. Then they'll break off the fight, too. Even then, though, they won't usually simply drop their weapons and run, but will retire in good order."

re: "Not All Europeans Hate Us"

Hat tip to Marcus at Just Barking Mad for excerpting from and linking to this wonderful article by Andrew Gimson in the Telegraph.

Rick Eaton memorial service IV

In memory of a talented and experienced CI professional, SSG Rick Eaton of Connecticut.

Rick Eaton memorial service III

Taken Ashraf Camp, Iraq.

Rick Eaton memorial service II

In memory of Rick Eaton. This series of pictures were taken at Ashraf Camp, Iraq as part of the memorial service held by 323rd MI Battalion.

Rick Eaton memorial service

In memory of SSG Richard "Rick" Eaton, USAR, who died this date in 2003 near Ar-Ramadi, Iraq while serving with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment "Brave Rifles."

Saddam's ceiling

Taken inside the dining facility at Camp Babylon, Iraq on November 27, 2003.

JO - 308 Africans aboard 3 boats arrive in Canary Islands

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

308 Africans aboard 3 boats arrive in Canary Islands

AP

Monday, August 07, 2006

TENERIFE, Spain (AP) - Three boats arrived in the Canary Islands yesterday carrying 308 would-be immigrants, officials said.

The first vessel to arrive, just after midnight, highlighted a stark clash of two worlds, as 97 African migrants carrying virtually no possessions scrambled up a beach where tourists were spending a warm night by the seaside.

Beach-goers offered clothes and first aid to the first group, which landed on the southern El Confital beach, near resorts Los Cristianos and Playa Las Americas.

A second boat, carrying 104 migrants, was then towed to port at Los Cristianos by a rescue vessel, while a third was escorted into port at La Gomera island, where three migrants were taken to hospital for hypothermia.

Thousands of people try to reach Europe through Spain each year, with an increasing number of them setting off from Mauritania and Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.Many die during the dangerous crossing. Those who are intercepted are kept in holding centres. Authorities then have 40 days to repatriate or release them.In July, 12 Sub-Saharan Africans were found dead aboard boats heading to the Canary Islands.

JG - Awardees surprised - OJ recipients react to announcement

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Awardees surprised - OJ recipients react to announcement

published: Monday August 7, 2006

Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) Davis and Lopez

Three outstanding Jamaicans who will be conferred with the Order of Jamaica (OJ) later this year reacted with a mixture of pride and humility following the announcement of the awards at the weekend.

They are among the five who will receive the nation's fourth-highest honour. Overall, 113 persons have been selected to receive National Honours and Awards.

Dr. Rae Davis, who will receive the OJ, told The Gleaner he was deeply grateful.
"I feel honoured that the country has recognised my service in this manner and I feel honoured to have served my country," he said.

Dr. Davis, who is the principal of the University of Technology (UTech), and who was also appointed to lead the task force that made recommendations for the reform of the education sector, was honoured for his contribution to that sectors.

For Beverley Lopez, who will also receive the OJ on National Heroes Day, October 16, the news was a surprise.

"It was never something that I ever imagined in my wildest dreams," she said with pride.

Mrs. Lopez said she felt humbled, but was quick to point out that the award was not about her but about the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, of which she is currently president.

Neville 'Teddy' Mc-Cook, former president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association, who will receive the OJ for his service to sports since 1964, was also surprised on hearing he would be honoured.

"I am grateful. When a nation recognises you like that you have to feel extremely proud and honoured," he told The Gleaner.

The other two Jamaicans who will receive the OJ are Ray Elias Hadeed, for pioneering service to Manufacturing, and Professor Owen St. Clair Morgan, for his distinguished contribution to Medicine and Medical Education in Jamaica and internationally.

Thirty-one Jamaicans will be conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD). Among them is Douglas Vaz for his contribution to Politics and Manufacturing.

Mr. Vaz served 17 years as a Member of Parliament and seven years as Minister of Industry and Commerce under the Jamaica Labour Party administration during the 1980s.

"I am very pleased and honoured," he said.

Newton James, managing director of Power106FM, will also receive the Order of Distinction (CD) for his 43 years of service to Broadcasting.

"I am very delighted and I feel very honoured to receive such an award like that," Mr. James said. "When one loves what they are doing and it (the award) comes along you accept it with great humility."

Among the others who will receive the Order of Distinction (CD) are Dr. Kenrick Barrow, for outstanding services to Medicine and Medical Education; Kenneth Benjamin, for his contribution to Business and Entrepreneurship; Bishop Charles Dufour, for sterling service in the fields of Religion and Social Development ;and Dr. William Foster, for outstanding voluntary service to Jamaican children in the field of Open Heart Surgery.

Other recipients of the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander are: Dr. Pauline Knight, for Social Policy Development; Lenbert 'Lennie' Little-White, for Communication and the Film Industry; Pamela McLean, for her contribution to the Export Industry; and Director of Public Prosecutions, Kent Pantry for his service to the Legal Profession; Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas, for his contribution to Nation Building and Public Safety; Rosemarie Vernon for sterling contribution to Education at all levels in Jamaica and Dr. Barrington Wint, for outstanding contribution to Medicine in the field of Public Health.

The late Ferdinand Adolphus Buxton-Thompson will be awarded the CD posthumously for his contribution to the development of Education in Jamaica.
Meanwhile, among the 43 Jamaicans awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) are Lloyd "King Jammy" James, for his contribution to the Music Industry.

Mr. James told The Gleaner he welcomed the award for his 32 years of service to the industry.

Others receiving the OD are Wesley Barrett, for distinguished service to Education; Stephen Francis, coach of world 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell, for Athletics; and Boris Gardiner, for the Music Industry

Three persons have been awarded with the Badge of Honour and Gallantry, including Harold Bailey for heroism far beyond the call of duty. Mr. Bailey swam out to a crashed plane on the ocean side of the Palisadoes Peninsula, rescuing and bringing to shore the sole survivor of the crash in 1953.

Ten persons are to receive the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service and 21 persons the Badge of Honour for Long and Faithful Service.

re: "Did Pork Push Out Counter-Intelligence Officials?"

Captain Ed at Captain's Quarters discusses developments at the Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA).

re: "Yglesias Award Nominee"

Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish discusses "the liberal blogosphere" and its apparent inability to face the most deadly serious problem facing America today.

Money quote(s):

"When DailyKos simply decides to ignore, say, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in favor of domestic Democratic in-fighting are telling us something. They're telling us they still have no clue of the struggle we are in. (That goes for Mickey Kaus, as well, by the way: unable to muster anything but the odd, dyspeptic splutter about the great struggle of our time.) The Kossites are telling us that if they control the Democratic party, it will not take the threat seriously enough. That's the Kos message on the war: we don't just refuse to fight Bush's war, but any war. Not all of them think that way, but a serious minority do. Maybe those who understand the threat on the far-left can now take on those who put the war on terror in quote-marks. The corpses of 9/11 did not have quote-marks around them."

re: "NYT: Lamont Builds Insurgent Win On Support of Wild-Eyed, Kos-Krazed... Moderates"

Ace of Ace of Spades HQ talks about political "moderates" in the context of the recent senatorial Democratic primary in Connecticut.

Money quote(s):

" "The real center." I think I know where the "real center" of this country is.

I think you all do too.

I think you think the "real center" of this country, the ideological fulcrum upon which our politics is balanced like a see-saw, is a bit to the left of you, because you're almost all conviction conservatives or partisan Republicans to one extent or another. You know you're a little to the right of center. Ergo, the center is a bit to the left of you.

The New York Times Editorial Board thinks it knows where the "real center" of the country is.

They don't imagine that the "real center" is to the right of themselves.

They think the "real center" is located precisely in the middle of the New York Times Editorial Board.

For such smart people, they can be rather... I don't want to say "dumb," so I'll say "intellectually incurious." "

Bandit Team Day (II)

Taken outside of The Bandit Lair at Camp Babylon, Iraq on December 6, 2003.

JO - Jamaicans in China celebrate Independence

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Jamaicans in China celebrate Independence

BY CHARMAINE N CLARKE Observer writer

Monday, August 07, 2006

BEIJING, China - They couldn't get enough.So many of the diplomats from around the world, spellbound Chinese nationals, eager Jamaicans and friends who had gathered in the Kerry Centre Hotel to celebrate the Caribbean island's 44th anniversary of Independence stayed well past the end of the evening of cultural and culinary treats.

"As the tourist board says, once you know, you'll go. Some cannot yet go to Jamaica so we brought Jamaica to them," Jamaica's Ambassador to China Wayne McCook explained to the Observer.

Long after the official programme had ended, the guests milled about, getting one last treat from the Coffee Mill of Jamaica, one last piece of information about the island, its music, its people, its food.For palates accustomed to rice, noodles and tea, the evening's offerings of festival, curried mutton, jerked chicken and fish, saltfish fritters, coffee and rum cake were a welcome treat.

The August 2 event stirred the memories of Jamaicans who had trickled in from all across China, and other parts of the world. They had come by plane, train, taxi, and rickshaw to celebrate - and to share their country with all who wanted to learn about Blue Mountain coffee, mento, ska, reggae, ackee and saltfish, rum punch and more. It was a chance, as Ambassador McCook said in his opening remarks, to see, taste and hear the island.

Many of the guests without island roots got their first glimpse of authentic Jamaican reggae and dance - performed by Jamaicans, not merely imitators. The two local groups, Dance Theatre Xaymaca and five-man band C Sharp, did not disappoint. They had the guests eating out of their hands.

"The fact that the groups came directly from Jamaica and committed themselves to excellent renditions of their works, I think, went a very, very far way in distinguishing Jamaica's culture in what is a very rich and diverse cultural environment here in Beijing," McCook said the next day.

"Because of the dynamic changes and transformations in Chinese society, there are many competing initiatives to get the attention of this important population. I am so pleased that these teams were able to come here to separate us from some of the other expressions - which are all valuable and good. But we think Jamaica's is unique, strong and special."

To the strains of Bob Marley's Redemption Song, Time Will Tell, and Simmer Down and many other old favourites, the dancers traced the island's cultural history with moves that ranged from ska to a sports-inspired piece for which they donned one-piece bathing suits that boldly displayed the Jamaican flag.

"This is peace, this is art, this is beautiful," gushed Liu Ansheng, committee director for the International Society for the Promotion of Science and Peace in China, as the dancers' energy filled every corner of the stage.

C Sharp took the energy levels even higher and sections of the audience joined in as they expertly delivered the first line, "I wanna love you" of Marley's Is This Love. Throughout the musical journey that ended with Marley's classic One Love, those who knew how to 'rock steady' shared their moves with eager learners.

Fresh from his recent shoot in Jamaica, Ray Chen, the producer of CCTV 9's Travelogue, showed off his moves to those nearby. And Ambassador McCook took to the floor with the Chilean ambassador's wife, creating quite a stir as everyone tried to catch a glimpse as they too moved to C Sharp's catchy rhythms.

Throughout the evening, McCook presented citations to the band and the dance group, as well as to artist Michael Escoffery whose piece that sought to capture the history of the China-Jamaica relationship was unveiled.

"The whole idea was a Sino-Jamaican theme," Escoffery explained to the Observer. "So right in the middle we have the Jamaican flag right next to the musician which symbolises Bob (Marley), and as you move over past the soldiers there is the Chinese flag. There are all our heroes, of course, and then we move over to the Chinese part - all the symbols and historical aspects of China."The evening of culture won high praise from president of the Chinese Benevolent Association, Dalton Yap, who was there with his wife Pauline.

"The reception was fantastic," he told the Observer. "Ambassador McCook did a good job for Jamaica and for China's relationship with Jamaica."McCook and his staff are already looking ahead to next year's celebrations and foresee that their partners who helped them pull together this year's affair will again be on board.

"We have a number of partners that supported us in this exercise," he said. "The outpouring of goodwill was unbelievable, starting with our title sponsor BMW and, of course, the World Park, which was our partner in the series of performances and events at their facility. And then there were the travel agents, and the corporations that have projects and programmes in Jamaica. In some cases they volunteered to give greater support to this programme than we would have initially requested."

He added: "A number have already signalled their desire to continue to work with us to do these things in the coming year. As you know, because China is so far, the cost of doing these things would otherwise be prohibitive.

But we think we have a window between now and (the Olympics in) 2008 to project other ides of Jamaica (besides sports). We think in 2008 our athletes will do all that needs to be done, so in the meantime we want to create the picture of diversity - business, culture, music."

JG - Man gets life for killing J'cans in UK

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Man gets life for killing J'cans in UK

published: Saturday August 5, 2006

LONDON (Reuters):

A drug dealer who fatally shot seven-year-old Jamaican Toni-Ann Byfield in the back as she tried to flee after witnessing the killing of her father was jailed for life yesterday after being found guilty of two counts of murder.

Joel Smith, 32, who killed Toni-Ann to eliminate her as a witness after he murdered her father Bertram Byfield, was given concurrent sentences of 40 years for the youngster's murder and 33 years for Bertram's killing.

Smith, linked by police to a notorious criminal gang in north-west London, had a string of convictions and lived by dealing drugs and robbing other drug dealers such as Bertram Byfield.

Smith denied murdering Toni-Ann, known as 'TT' to her family, and 41-year-old Byfield, at the latter's bed-sit in Kensal Green. Instead, he had tried to blame it on a friend who is now serving life for an unconnected murder.

Prosecutor Richard Horwell said Smith gunned down Toni-Ann just after midnight on September 14, 2003, to cover his tracks after committing what he hoped was a near-perfect crime. There were no witnesses, forensic evidence or security camera footage.

"He would have got away with the crime but for one fact," Horwell told the jury. "The crime had shocked the nation and witnesses came forward that would not otherwise have done so."

underworld figures came forward

Some of those who came forward were underworld figures that Smith had confessed to. Police finally charged him with murder in October 2005 after several televised appeals led witnesses to give his name.
Toni-Ann was a "bright and fun-loving" girl who had recently arrived in Britain from Jamaica, and was supposed to be in the care of Birmingham social services. An inquiry later criticised social workers for failing to look after her.

After the killings, DNA tests showed that Byfield, who had only recently being recently released from prison, was not Toni-Ann's biological father.

JG - St Jago athletes head off to US

Jamaica Gleaner

St Jago athletes head off to US

published: Thursday August 10, 2006

Mullings

PAN AMERICAN Junior Championships relay bronze medallist Dwight Mullings heads a cadre of St. Jago athletes set to depart the island shortly to take up scholarships in the United States.

Mullings, a member of St. Jago's sprint and mile teams which finished second and third respectively at Penn Relays, will be joined by Kamar Ellis, Suelyn Pilliner, Sheldon Wilkins and Janell Brown.

Mullings, who finished fourth in the 200m at this year's Boys and Girls Championships, will be heading off to take up a two-year scholarship at Essex, New Jersey.

He will be joined at Essex by Ellis, an Under-17 Carifta medallist, Pilliner, who finished second at Champs in the Class One high jump, and Brown, a 100m finalist at Girls Champs.

Wilkins, who was a member of Jamaica's Pan American Junior Championships team last year, will be heading to Lindenwood, Missouri.

re: "Prelude to War"

Matt at Cracks in the Sanitarium discusses a recent New York Sun article by John Batchelor.

Money quote(s):

"Once some Islamic nutter lets off a Bomb, the gloves will come off. Mark my words. It'll be on then, bitches. You think you've seen what happens when the Yanks really get pissed? They lost two buildings, and proceeded to take down two countries. Care to bet on what'll happen when the map has a big hole where a city's supposed to be?

If the Iranians had any sense of history they'd back down, now, before things get serious. I don't expect them too. War's a hormonal thing, which is why they're never over 'til they're over."

Jack Bauer for Senator. Make it a double.

It's not my practice to endorse political candidates, but that's more of a guideline than a strict rule.

So let's go ahead and color outside the lines a little bit with this one.

I'd like to thank my family, especially Madam-at-Arms who has now got me watching 24 every week and has recently begun lobbying to buy the first season on DVD.

Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt on this one.

re: "Speechless, Again.... "

Gregory at The Belgravia Dispatch talks about Thomas Rick's new book.

One excerpt, which tells a story that's been rattling around since my OIF1 days:

"But even at the top of the reporting pyramid there appears to have been confusion. In a meeting in the White House situation room one day, there was a lot of 'grousing' about Bremer, a senior administration official who was there recalled. As the meeting was breaking up, Rice, the national security adviser, reminded Rumsfeld that Bremer reported to him. "He works for you, Don," Rice said, according to this official. "No, he doesn't," Rumsfeld responded--incorrectly--this official recalled. "He's been talking to the NSC, he works for the NSC." Bremer relates a similar anecdote in his memoir, saying that Rumsfeld told him later in 2003 he was "bowing out of the political process," which apparently meant he was detaching himself from dealing with Iraq--a breathtaking step for the defense secretary to take after years of elbowing aside the State Department and staffers on the National Security Council. (pp.181-182)"

re: "THE BUCK STOPS HERE"

Buck Sargent of American Citizen Soldier will be offline for awhile.

Be sure to wish him well and safe.

re: "Who’s Manning the Fort?"

Dr. Demarche has posted at American Future, where he addresses issues near and dear to the hearts of FSOs everywhere.

One thing the GAO report may overlook is that the DRI is over.

re: "Wow, it's august and Joe Lieberman just lost"

"(A) considerable other number of Repubs and Republican toadies are facing tough fights for re-election?

Wow, lookit that. Not one but two terrorist plots. OH, wait, one of 'em's not a terrorist plot at all---buncha students went missing. But, hey, this thing from England could be something---no hair gel on planes! Maybe the terrorists are really renegade hair dressers. Maybe it's a plot by American hair dressers to keep British hair care products out of America. Maybe it has something to do with those mid terms.

Nah."

Maybe it's easy to joke about terrorist plots to blow up planes in London from the relative safety of Minnesota, but on this side of the pond it's not funny at all.

Oh wait, she's not joking. She thinks it all a clever ruse, a nefarious scheme, a political ploy, an international wingnut conspiracy just to re-elect Republican congressmen.

It really isn't hair gel that they're worried about.

ADDITION:

To be fair, once this blogger was fully awake and appreciative of the gravity of the situation, she had this to say:

"Does anybody else who knows, er, something about explosives wonder when the other shoe is going to drop? Liquid explosives that can be mistaken for hair gel, soda, water, etc., etc., are not exactly the sort of thing you can mix up in your bathtub. Then, too....something that small that could bring down a whole plane.....we're moving in a whole new direction.

ad_kay has got me thinking about those 9/11 conspiracy theorists, who always make up such a big deal about the fact that fighters weren't able to intercept the four planes before they achieved their goals. What they always do to make their theories fit is omit one crucial fact: these hijackers knew something about planes, so they knew how important it was to turn off the planes' transponders.With that, the plane could not be located electronically and had to be located visually. Air Control was blind. So much for holding back the fighter pilots so the planes could achieve their objective. The pilots were scrambled into the air but by then it was too late."

(snip)

"I hope everyone flies safe today. I hope people in London, Madrid, and Mumbai aren't having too many twitchy moments."


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

BOLD type added for emphasis by Yours Truly.

re: "The lost boys"

Jay-Dubya at TechnoChitlins went ahead and brought this up.

re: "Don't question their patriotism"

SWLiP at Strange Women Lying in Ponds notes a strange inversion of priorities.

Trackback

Bandit Promotion (VII)

Taken outside of The Bandit Lair at Camp Babylon, Iraq on October 5, 2003.

JO - 5 awarded Order of Jamaica. 113 on honours list.

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

5 awarded Order of Jamaica. 113 on honours list

Monday, August 07, 2006

Ray Hadeed

Educator Dr Rae Davis, manufacturer Ray Hadeed, businesswoman Beverley Lopez, sports administrator Teddy McCook, and medical doctor Professor Owen Morgan are to be conferred with the Order of Jamaica, the nation's fourth highest honour, on October 16, National Heroes Day.

The five will be among 113 Jamaicans who will be invested with national honours and awards at the annual ceremony normally held at King's House, the official home of the head of state, the governor-general.

Dr Rae Davis

Davis is being recognised for his contribution to education; Hadeed, for pioneering service to manufacturing; Lopez, for private sector leadership; McCook, for service to sports, particularly athletics; and Morgan, for distinguished contribution to medicine and medical education in Jamaica and internationally, JIS News, the state news agency, said on Saturday.

A total of 31 Jamaicans will be conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD). Among ^them are: Keith 'Bob Andy' Anderson, for sterling contribution to the development of Reggae music; Dr Kenrick Barrow, for outstanding services to medicine and medical education; Kenneth Benjamin, for contribution to business and entrepreneurship; Asley 'Grub' Cooper, OD, for his contribution to music; Bishop Charles Dufour, for sterling service in the fields of religion and social development, and Dr William Foster, for outstanding voluntary service to Jamaican children in the field of open-heart surgery.

Teddy McCook

Other recipients of the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander are: Newton James, Dr Pauline Knight, Lenbert Little-White, Dr Blossom O'Meally-Nelson, Justice Seymour Panton, Kent Pantry, Dahlia Repole, Dr Cezley Sampson, Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas, Rosemarie Vernon, Dr Barrington Wint, and former Jamaica Labour Party government minister and manufacturer Douglas Vaz.

The late Ferdinand Adolphus Buxton-Thompson will be awarded the CD posthumously for his sterling contribution to the development of education in Jamaica.

The Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) has been awarded to 43 Jamaicans. They include: Wesley Barrett, athletics coach Steven Francis, musician and singer Boris Gardiner, veteran record producer Lloyd 'King Jammy' James, sportsmen Neville Myton and Renford Pinnock, and singer Glenroy 'Ernie' Smith.Three persons have been awarded the Badge of Honour for Gallantry. They are: Harold Bailey; Marcia Sutherland-Bailey; and Daliah Dumont.

JG - JPS equipment being shipped off - Mullings

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

JPS equipment being shipped off - Mullings

published: Friday August 4, 2006

The Opposition is claiming that equipment from the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS) has been shipped overseas to improve external generating interests of Atlanta-based 80 per cent shareholder Mirant.

Clive Mullings, Opposition spokesman with responsibility for energy, said yesterday that the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) and Phillip Paulwell, the Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, should immediately take steps to ensure that all equipment and the plant remain intact at all JPS company stations.

Plant should remain intact

"Given the fact that Mirant is advertising for sale their shares in the JPS, every effort must be made to ensure that the existing plant remains intact and that the interest of the people of Jamaica are protected," Mr. Mullings said in a release.

However, the JPS has denied the claims by Mr. Mullings.

Winsome Callum, head of corporate communications at the JPS, told The Gleaner yesterday that "in order to ensure the delivery of reliable service to customers, it has always been the company's policy to seek the service of the very best to carry out repairs to its equipment, locally and overseas."

She added: "It is in this context only, that any shipment of JPS equipment takes place."

David Geddes, OUR director of consumer and public affairs, said yesterday that "on the face of it" the issue did not appear to be a regulatory issue, but rather an issue for the Energy Minister to handle.

He added that the OUR's responsibility is to regulate the service that is provided by the utility company.

gratuitous Allyson Hannigan photo

Thanks to Quilly commenting at Just Barking Mad the other day.

re: "Blame Clausewitz"

Dean Barnett posting at Hugh Hewitt's discusses the non-Clausewitzian nature of our enemies.

Bandits having Thanksgiving dinner

Taken inside the dining facility at Camp Babylon, Iraq on November 27, 2003.

JO - Take a bow, AmCham, Grants Pen

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Take a bow, AmCham, Grants Pen

Saturday, August 05, 2006

It took a lot of hard work. But the Grants Pen community, it appears, has made a transformation for the better. And we, like the majority of residents in that community, are happy.

But while we share Grants Pen's joy, we are under no illusion that the community is totally immune from the threat of violence. For we have often seen in the past how peace has crumbled from a mere misunderstanding that, had it been discussed, could have calmed tempers and avoided bloodshed.

However, the advances made in Grants Pen have given us hope, and we are particularly heartened that the residents are now satisfied with the presence of the police in the community.

That was made very clear by a number of them on Thursday during a regular walk through the area by Inspector Michael Simpson and some of the cops under his command.Before this, all we had was war and people dying regularly, one resident was reported as saying in our story in yesterday's Daily Observer.

We remember well that just over a year ago bloodthirsty men, using partisan politics to camouflage their criminal intentions, tried to drag Grants Pen further into the violence for which the community had gained notoriety.

But thanks to the efforts of many persons and organisations, led by the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica (AmCham), the criminals failed.

AmCham should today feel a sense of pride, given that it was their idea to use Grants Pen as a pilot for an enhanced programme of community policing. It was also AmCham that raised money from the American government and approached the US-based Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to format the community policing project that was implemented by the Jamaican police in Grants Pen.

Today, we see the result of that effort - a model police station providing health care, skills training, and family life education, among a range of services.

All this, however, could not have had any effect had the residents of Grants Pen not embraced the initiative and developed a sense of ownership of the project.

That the police can now report that Grants Pen has not had a single case of murder since November last year, and that the community has seen a decrease in all other serious crimes, such as robbery, speak to the success so far of this initiative.

It is our hope that this trend will continue and encourage a return of businesses to this once-thriving community. For that, too, will return a sense of purpose to the residents and help to create employment there.
We, therefore, urge the residents of Grants Pen to protect this investment in their community. We also hope that AmCham will mount a strong lobby for this successful project to be replicated in troubled neighbourhoods across the island.

JG - Jamaica-Gleaner reporter leaves for Columbia University

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Jamaica-Gleaner reporter leaves for Columbia University

published: Monday July 31, 2006

Reporter Leonardo Blair during a visit to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while participating in the United States International Visitor Leadership programme in 2004. - Contributed

The Gleaner's award-winning investigative reporter, Leonardo Blair, leaves the island tomorrow for the prestigious Columbia University in the City of New York after being awarded a near-full tuition scholarship by the university's top-ranked Graduate School of Journalism.
Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism is the only journalism school in the Ivy League and administers the Pulitzer Prize, regarded as America's highest honour in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical compositions.

The cream of the crop

Blair, who turned 27 in June, was selected from what the school described as "a pool of very talented applicants" in an "extremely competitive" three-month-long selection process which ended in April. He will pursue a Master of Science degree in the first class of the school's new investigative journalism specialty, offered through the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism.
Background

A graduate of the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies and Ardenne High School, Blair was the winner of several awards for investigative journalism last year. He was also one of 10 shortlisted candidates for the 2006/7 Fulbright Graduate Scholarship programme and was grant recipient in the United States Department of State's International Visitor Leadership programme in 2004.

The young reporter first bagged the USAID/Civil Society Award for Investigative Journalism for a provocative four-part series looking at the problems behind the Government's shift from state to community-based care for the mentally ill last May. He was selected again the following September for his contribution in a 10-part Gleaner series looking at children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The same series later attracted the Jamaica Broilers Fairplay Award for Excellence in investigative journalism.

Blair's journalism career began as an intern at The Gleaner in 2000 where he covered general assignment stories for THE STAR. After graduating from CARIMAC in 2001, he joined the staff of The Gleaner.

He worked steadily across the general news beats before specialising in foreign affairs, public utilities and parliamentary reporting briefly. In March 2005, he found a niche in The Gleaner's new Enterprise Unit where he currently investigates and writes long-form stories.

Bandit Team Day

Taken outside of The Bandit Lair at Camp Babylon, Iraq on December 6, 2003.

JO - More on the slaves as freedom fighters

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

More on the slaves as freedom fighters

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Dear Editor,

I read with great interest the letter from Mr Rupert Johnson entitled 'Slaves were Freedom Fighters' and his apt description of the British version of history as "laced with distortions".I just wanted to add two thoughts:1) In today's political reality, the freedom-fighting slaves would be called "terrorists" by the likes of Bush and Bliar.2) The MP in Britain's House of Commons Mr Johnson mentioned, Daniel O'Connell, was Irish not English, and was himself known to his people as the "Great Liberator". Mr O'Connell worked for the freedom of the Irish from British slavery and tyranny for his entire life.

In fact, Mr O'Connell had to have laws changed so that he could take the Parliamentary oath, which had been previously forbidden for Catholics. He was also a champion of peaceful, political action rather than the more extreme, violent methods espoused by others in Ireland.

In the end, they were right, as it took a bloody war, started 80 years ago this past April, to make the British see the light and give them their freedom. All previous calls for decency and fairness had fallen on deaf ears for 800 years.

Donal Callum
Windfall
San San, Portland,
dcallum@hotmail.com

JG - The real Mideast war

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

The real Mideast war

published: Sunday July 30, 2006

Ian Boyne

Many people find it both alarming and abhorrent that the United States, the main patron of Israel, could be deliberately stalling a ceasefire, causing more slaughter of the innocent and giving Israel time to destroy Lebanon while taking out Hezbollah.

It is a most difficult task to have a rational discussion on the Middle East crisis. There is no greater example of the dialogue of the deaf taking place in the world than the example of discourse on the Middle East.

If we could just peep outside our firmly fixed and settled positions and understand the other person's thinking, then perhaps we could argue our positions more effectively - or come to understand why others disagree with us.

The problem with any discussion on the Arab-Israeli conflict or the Palestinian-Israeli struggle is that there are usually underlying issues divorced from the discussion which cloud the issue. For some it is religious, for others it is political. People impose ideologically-fixed positions on the issue so there is never usually any real discussion of the Middle East issue per se.

Why would the Bush administration make such a sharp turn from traditional U.S. policy of Middle East shuttle diplomacy? Why would Bush depart from not just Democratic but Republican Middle East policy? Because the Bush administration has been hardened by experience. This is the view being expressed.

They have seen ceasefire after ceasefire worked out only to be breached, usually by the Arabs, they say. Promises given have been broken. Compromises undertaken were never kept. United Nations resolutions passed have been ignored.

And the U.S., jolted by the September 11 terrorist attacks, have taken a harder line against terrorism and sees Israel' struggle as its own. This is not just a matter of supporting Israel because of the strong American Jewish lobby. It is a matter of protecting America's own security, for Hezbollah is a threat not only to Israel but to America at home.

Notice how President Bush is fixated on Iran and Syria. The casualties in Lebanon and the massive destruction of facilities there don't give him the sense of urgency that it seems to be giving the international community.

He is concerned that a prominent member of his identified axis of evil, Iran, is behind the trouble there. He wants Iran and Syria to know that the U.S. and Israel are tough and that they are able to fight fire with fire, literally. This is Great Power politics here and idealists who are mushy over the death of children and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people don't understand the real world, the hawks would say.

Concessions

The Bush administration and Israel feel that with all the concessions they have given, the terrorists are not appeased and have kept up their aggressive behaviour. They have come to the view that militant Arabs see concessions as weakness and so the administration wants to change the picture and send a message that enough is enough.

"Until 2000, many Israelis believed that if they just kept offering and giving more - if they only did a better job of implementation or showed more empathy - it would be possible to reach comprehensive peace," writes Barry Rubin, director of global research in International Affairs Centre in the Centre, in the July/August of the journal, Foreign Affairs. "Israel's experience with the Oslo peace process from 1993 to 2000 reshaped (its) strategic thinking. Believing peace was possible, Israel made big concessions and took real risks and a majority of its leaders and people accepted the creation of a Palestinian state and withdrawal from almost all the territory captured in 1967 as tolerable compromises for peace. Israel recognised the PLO, let its forces return from exile - including terrorists - to the West Bank and Gaza and gave it guns and control over territory".

And even when the Palestinians abandoned the peace process, Ariel Sharon in an about-turn to his former extreme right-wing ways, unilaterally undertook to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza, at what would prove to be great political cost.

As Rubin says in the Foreign Affairs article, "the voluntary relinquishment of territory captured in an ongoing war when an opponent refuses to make peace (or even accept the enemy's right to exist) is virtually unprecedented."

Israel and the United States have become weary in well-doing. They believe that incursions such as the one taken by Hezbollah on Israeli territory represent the kind of brazenness borne of the view that Israel and the United States have become soft because of increasing global pressure against muscular foreign policy.

Hezbollah seems to have badly miscalculated —- or had strategised for precisely this kind of Israeli reaction which has only further alienated it from international public opinion.

What people see more graphically and poignantly are the images of children lying dead on the streets, families fleeing with only a few things in their possession, big buildings reduced to rubble and hundreds of thousands of refugees. These images are easier to understand than complex analyses in specialist foreign policy journals or in right-wing publications like the Weekly Standard.

But Israel is more concerned about its continued existence rather than how favourably it is viewed. I guess if the choice is between being alive and having a bad reputation and being dead with encomiums heaped on you, the choice is clear! This is Israel's thinking and it is shared by the Bush administration which has been in no hurry to stop the destruction taking place in both Lebanon and Israel.

Profound

The problem with the Israeli reaction is that it highlights the Sisyphusian dimensions of the Middle East crisis. For while appeasement and compromised solutions might not have worked, using terror tactics against religious terrorists has absolutely no chance of working. There are significant philosophical issues involved here and we ignore these at our peril. It might have been considered racist and chauvinistic to say that Westerners and Islamic fundamentalists have a different view of the value of human life, but Hezbollah leader Nasrallah himself said it quite explicitly last week.

"The difference between us," he said referring to the Israelis and their backers, is that "they value life while we value death." This is profound. This is why suicide terrorism has proven so intractable. What is the use of a policy of deterrence when people have no fear for their lives, but in fact believe that a martyr's death earns high rewards immediately?

Bush also continues to focus on the Iranian state and its financial and political backing of Hezbollah as though Hezbollah would disappear if a moderate democratic regime were to be installed in Iran. Ignorance again.

The philosophy that drives Hezbollah is the belief in the Shia doctrine of vilayat-e-faqih(rule of the jurisprudent). This means that the only living being who can lead the Shia in their worldly and spiritual affairs is the one who represents the twelfth Shia Imam.

The majority of the world's Shia recognise such an office-holder as Iranian spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is known as Rahbar which means in Farsi "the one who shows the way." He has no political authority in Iran but he is the ultimate source of religious and political authority. Hezbollah responds to him, not whoever the Iranian president is.

Silent

He has been clear that Israel has no right to exist. On December 31, 1999, he told a massive gathering in Tehran that, "There is only one solution to the Middle East problem, namely the annihilation and destruction of the Zionist state." No wonder Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on April 9, 2000 that Israel was a "cancerous body in the regionÉ (Which) must be uprooted."

The political Left has failed to publicly recognise that Islamic fundamentalism and fanaticism pose a major threat to any solution of the Middle East problem.

Interestingly, the largely secular and agnostic political Left has been only too willing to lampoon and ridicule Christian Fundamentalists but remains silent on the more dangerous and militant Islamic fundamentalism. It's the same "My enemy's enemy is my friend" thinking which has influenced so much of US foreign policy through the years —- and which the Left has consistently criticized.

The Left must acknowledge freely that Hezbollah is responsible for provoking Israel to destroy the lives of innocent children, women and old people and for wrecking Lebanon. Hezbollah attacked a sovereign state. Even the liberal Nation magazine in the United States admits in a July 20 article on its website ("Nasrallah's Game") that "Hezbollah did not strike the occupied Sheba Farms, a silver land in the Golan heights as it usually does, but inside Israel, a violation of international law that Israel-despite its own numerous violations so Lebanese territorial sovereignty —- could invoke as a casus belli. In other words, Hezbollah undertook an audacious act of brinkmanship that was bound, if not designed, to escalate tensions with Israel."

Nasrallah had said in 2000 that "Israel, which has both nuclear power and the strongest air force in the region, is weaker than a spider's web".
Israel is saying to Hezbollah, 'don't you bank on that' and America, stung by terrorism on its own soil, is not about to prevent Israel from teaching Nasrallah a lesson.

Lebanon should have sought international help to implement UN Resolution 1559. Lebanon, therefore, bears some responsibility for what is happening on its own soil, for it did not do enough to rout the terrorists from Southern Lebanon.

It's a pity that a country which has contributed so much to civilisation is being destroyed through an overdose of fanaticism and Great Power excesses. The first law school in history was located in Beirut by Ad 196. It had a depository of written constitutions where the oldest constitutions of the Roman Empire were safeguarded.

The Phoenicians invented the alphabet, introduced the institution of the senate and by the tenth century BC had developed written constitutions which Aristotle cited as the model for all states. Jesus preached His message of peace to Southern Lebanon, ironically-in the town of Qana. How much does Lebanon need that message today!

Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist. Email him at ianboyne1@yahoo.com.

re: "Inside the Mind of a Hero"

An additional nod to James R. Rummel, also of Hell In A Handbasket, for this mention.

re: "Trouble Brewing"

A nod to James R. Rummel at Chicago Boyz for the mention.

re: "It's Called Public Service for a Reason"

Be sure to visit 4 Mile Creek for some criticism of a former member of the Senior Foreign Service.

Quote(s):

"(T)he diplomatic corps and the armed forces are not at opposite ends of the national interests spectrum. We should be on the same side, working towards the same goals, albeit with different tools."

"(T)he folks at Foggy Bottom appear to be unable to keep up their end of the balancing act between the diplomatic corps and the armed forces as they apply to US interests."

" “I feel obligated morally and professionally to set out my very deep and firm concerns on these policies and to resign from government service as I cannot defend or implement them.” All well and good, as anyone with any character should, in fact, be willing to resign their taxpayer supported position when they can no longer carry out the mission given them by their duly elected civilian leadership (military included). However, it becomes apparent later in her resignation letter, as she feebly tries to explain her reasons for being unable to “defend or implement” the policies of the duly elected president, that she never really should have been entrusted with that duty in the first place. She states that she “believe(s) we should not use US military force without UNSC agreement to ensure compliance.” With this statement, Ms. Wright is confirming that she feels more duty-bound to the United Nations, and their wishes, than she does to the wishes of the President of the United States. As head of the Executive Branch, he is her boss. There are a few layers in between, but he has every right to tell the State Department what their priorities and policies should be. The people of the United States elected President Bush to set our foreign policy, they did not elect Kofi Anan. In fact, not one of the members of the United Nations, Ambassador Bolton included, was elected to the United Nations by the people of the United States. There is no mechanism whatsoever for the will of the citizens of the United States to be reflected in the actions or policies of the United Nations. None whatsoever. And yet, Ms. Wright feels that US military force should not be used at the direction of the US President, but instead should be used only under the direction of the United Nations Security Council. For someone who seems worried about the US Constitution, she certainly has a warped idea of who the Constitution gives the power of Commander in Chief to, and who the Constitution says is in charge of foreign policy (here's a hint, it's not going to be anyone in the UN, ever)."

&

"(I)t scares the hell out of me that a senior member of the State Department can’t readily recall who it is that she works for."

re: "Creepy Obsession"

I have to give Marcus at Just Barking Mad credit for posting this picture so that I would have an excuse to do so also.

And I also have to credit Madam-at-Arms for turning me on to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV show, not the film, which I originally saw as a first-run movie) fan.

This is an aspect of Allyson "Willow" Hannigan to which I had never heretofore been exposed. Ms. Hannigan is also a star of the several "American Pie" films.

I wonder why. . . .

someone in Merida, Mexico is Google(TM)-ing me. In Belgian Dutch no less.

They did 12 page views in 18 minutes, 10 seconds.

re: "A middle way?"

Take a few minutes to visit David Warren Online to read his latest editorial for the Ottawa Citizen.

re: "National Guard observes Mexican Military crossing US Border"

Toni at Bear Creek Ledger relays some very disturbing news.

Why in the world are our uniformed National Guardsmen serving unarmed on the border?

At a minimum, there should be sidearms in order to protect against rattlesnakes. To say the very least.

Bandit Promotion (VI)

Taken outside of The Bandit Lair at Camp Babylon, Iraq on October 5, 2003.

JO - Slaves were freedom fighters

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Slaves were freedom fighters

Monday, July 31, 2006

Dear Editor,

No historical event is more laced with distortions than the British historians' treatment of the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean. They would have us believe that the black slaves were a docile, ignorant bunch lacking in social consciousness and totally incapable of liberating themselves. And yet, there is ample evidence that the slaves were fully aware of the inequities meted out to them, and demonstrated the will to extricate themselves from the bondage of slavery.

According to Dr Eric Williams, a learned historian and former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, "Contrary to popular and even learned belief., the most dynamic and powerful social force in the colonies was the slave himself". With the full backing of the law enforcement agency, the typical plantation owner was determined to beat the slave into total submission, but within the mortified body of the slave resided an indomitable spirit. This unyielding and indestructible spirit provided the slave with the resilience and motivation to fight for his freedom.

The slaves' yearning for freedom manifested itself in the British Guiana revolts of 1808 and 1823 when they heralded the demand for "unconditional emancipation". Similarly, the Barbados revolt of 1816 demonstrated the self-determination of the slaves when they demanded the entire island for themselves. Then it was Jamaica's turn in 1824 when revolts broke out in Hanover. Unfortunately, the militancy of the slaves in all three colonies was suppressed by the British armed forces.
However, in spite of these setbacks, the slaves were not deterred from fighting for their freedom. This was evidenced by the fact that in 1831 the great activist, Sam Sharpe, and his army of freedom fighters shook the very foundation on which plantocracy was erected in Jamaica. Once again, this revolt was crushed, but it brought many plantation owners to the brink of bankruptcy.

The slaves had sent a strong message of unremitting resistance to their taskmasters and the British Government. The slaves' thirst for freedom was relentless. This highly charged situation was aptly expressed by Daniel O' Connell in the British House of Commons on May 24, 1832. He said: "The [plantation owner] was sitting, dirty and begrimed, over a powder magazine, from which he could not go away, and he was hourly afraid that the slave would apply a torch to it."

The revolutionary action of the slaves might not have been the single most important factor that brought about the demise of slavery in the British West Indies, but without the dauntless activism of these freedom fighters the plantation owners might very well have continued to carry out their infamous business for an indefinite period.

On August 1, let's pay a special tribute to a brave group of freedom fighters - the slaves.

Rupert Johnson

Toronto, Ontario

Canada, M1C 3M7

r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca

JG - Jamaica, let us employ our own

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Jamaica, let us employ our own

published: Friday July 28, 2006

THE EDITOR, Sir:

This is in response to the letter 'Employing foreigners'. The problem with Jamaica on a whole is the lack of belief in each other and the belief that all things foreign are better.

I came from Jamaica 15 years ago to live in Canada and one thing I learnt is that other countries will not put outsiders in front of their own. Most people who migrated to Canada from other countries (doctors, nurses, etc.) have to be re-educated under the Canadian system in order to continue in the professions. Things are not just handed to them the way Jamaica hands these overseas workers jobs.

In short, Jamaica is robbing Jamaica of its resources. The Jamaican Government has to set a mandate and stand by it. If there are qualified Jamaicans for the jobs, hire them or else pack up and leave. Put Jamaicans first in their own country.

I am, etc.,

O. BROWN

brownottis@hotmail.com

514 1154 Wilson Ave

Toronto, Canada

Via Go-Jamaica

JO - Two JDF officers promoted to colonel

Jamaica Observer

Two JDF officers promoted to colonel

Observer Reporter

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Colonel George Reynolds

LIEUTENANT Colonel George Reynolds and Lieutenant Colonel Antony Anderson have been elevated to the rank of colonel in the Jamaica Defence Force, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced Thursday.

Simpson Miller, who holds the defence portfolio, said the appointments became effective on Wednesday, August 2.Colonel Anderson joined the JDF in 1984, after completing his secondary education at Calabar High School. He pursued further training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England, and the Canadian Forces Staff School in Toronto, Canada. Lt Col Anderson holds a Masters in Defence Administration from Cranfield University in the UK.

Colonel Antony Anderson

Colonel Reynolds, currently a staff officer, joined the JDF in 1980 after graduating from Knox College. He completed training at the Royal Navy College, the US Naval Driving and Salvage Training Centre and the World Maritime University in Sweden, where he read for his Masters degree in Maritime Administration and Environmental Protection.

The new appointments became necessary following vacancies created with the retirement of Colonel L H Graham and Colonel A V Carter, Jamaica House said.

re: "Hearts of Purple"

Desert Phoenix at Army Girl has written about her feelings upon being awarded both the Purple Heart medal and Combat Action Badge.

Please visit her web log and leave a comment.

re: "My Last Word"

James R. Rummel at Chicago Boyz has some things to say about the recent Human Rights Watch report by Kenneth Roth.

Money quote(s):

"We have seen far too many Non-Government Organizations (NGO's) over the past few years display an appalling enthusiasm for condemning the United States for human rights abuses, while ignoring any terrible act of violence that our enemies deliberately perform. Sometimes they have to jump through some extreme hoops to try and justify their knee-jerk anti-Americanism."

re: "Quote Of The Day"

Hat tip to Ace at Ace of Spades HQ who shares his favorite quote of the day, with commentary.

Money quote(s):

"It is particularly disgusting witnessing the left’s ambiguity or hostility toward’s Israel’s war of self defense. However, their attitude toward Israel should not be surprising - their discomfort with a nation fighting a war of self defense is obvious. The reaction to this conflict reveals one of the great myths of the left - that they are only opposed to the Iraq war but they are otherwise tough on the war against terror. Their attitude toward the use of force mirrors that of the French Foreign Ministry."

&

"Say, yeah... If they're as Strong, Tough on the War on Terrorism as they claim, why do they have such difficulty supporting a rather obvious War of Necessity against an opponent which is, every single day, lobbing hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities?

Could it be -- and just go with me on this; it might sound crazy at first, but give it a chance -- that the left is actually being deliberately disingenuous when they claim to be in favor of pretty much all wars except the war in Iraq?"