Babylon Amphitheatre

Taken at Camp Babylon, Iraq in September 2003.

JO - Let the reparations debate truly begin

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Let the reparations debate truly begin

Monday, February 19, 2007

We applaud the Jamaican Government and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) for finally beginning in Parliament what we consider to be that very necessary debate on reparations for 400 years of the enslavement of Africans in the Americas.

Most of all, we applaud Mr Mike Henry for having stuck with the issue for years, always insisting that it was of utmost importance, deserving the full attention of his colleagues.Many will have laughed and scoffed at Mr Henry's suggestions, especially early on. And we suspect that even today there are perhaps more than a few parliamentarians who, "under the quiet", consider all the talk about slavery to be nonsense. Chances are, they will not now say so openly, since it is no longer politically correct to do so.

Bear in mind that this year marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and that there is a global movement to commemorate the event.We note the suggestion by Mr Henry's Opposition colleague, Mr Andrew Holness that a "one-off" payment of $52 billion from Britain to transform Jamaica's education system would be sufficient for the descendants of the victims of slave in this country.

But we empathise with Government Minister Ms Aloun Assamba that the Jamaican Government should seek a collective position on the matter with its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners. Further, she appeared to recognise the extreme complexity of the issue and of the need for a unified voice in any discussions with the Europeans.

Truth is, no amount of money can ever adequately compensate for what was done to those millions of people who were taken in chains from Africa and transported in horrifically cramped holds of sailing ships to the Americas for forced labour.

Many died in the process and the survivors were totally dehumanised. In the African Diaspora, and in Africa itself, the terrible social and economic consequences of one of the most extreme examples of man's inhumanity to man are still being felt.

We contend, for example, that the damaging inferiority complex which so many of our people display - extending to the bleaching of the skin to appear less black - is a direct consequence of the experience of slavery and its dreadful aftermath. In arriving at compensation figures, the experts - devoid of emotionalism and with due attention to issues of law - will have to look at a range of issues not least the huge benefits that flowed to white Europe and America as a direct result of slavery.

The red herrings being thrown across the path are many. Not least that slavery was an accepted practice in the Africa of the time and that Africans were full, if only naïve partners, of the Europeans who came in search of slaves.

Of course, adequate levels of compensation apart, the reparations debate in Parliament provides another opportunity to educate Jamaicans about their past and of the need to understand slavery and the effect that it continues to have on our society.

Hopefully, it is a debate that will be extended and sustained well beyond the bounds of Parliament. Because this is not simply about money. It is about the humanity of an entire race of people.

JG - Life no bed of roses for many J'cans

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Life no bed of roses for many J'cans

published: Sunday February 11, 2007

Andrew Smith, Photography Editor

An estimated 11,000 Jamaicans live and work in the Cayman Islands, making up about 22 per cent of the country's population.

For Jamaicans at home, the perception is that those who make the trip to the British colony with a booming economy are doing well. But for those who live there, especially those who work in ordinary jobs, such as store clerks and domestic help, life is not likely to be a bed of roses, and sometimes it is living hell.

They often suffer discrimination and abuse, may receive lower-than-contracted wages; and, if they complain, sometimes face the threat of being thrown out of the country.

Authorities support employers

"It doesn't matter what's in writing," says Gordon Barlow, an Australian-born newspaper columnist and human rights activist in an interview a fortnight ago. "All authorities are on the side of the employers and Caymanians."

Adds Captain Robert Hamaty, Kingston's honorary consul in the Cayman Islands: "There are also those prospective employers who give the Immigration Department one figure regarding the salary/wage of a prospective employee. However, upon landing, the individual receives a significantly different package."

If people like Barlow and Hamaty were to be accused of exaggeration, their assessment of the treatment of low-level foreign employees generally, and Jamaicans in particular, coincided with an assessment done five years ago for the British Government. At the time, the number of Jamaican workers in the Cayman Islands was half the current figure.

"Those working on low salaries (especially Jamaicans) suffer the most as they are reportedly often victim to unfair employment practices (abuse, not being paid on time, having salaries docked) and yet have no recourse out of fear of losing their work permits (which they have to pay for)," the report commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Department for International Development (DfID) said.

"Some of them have low literacy rates and are unaware of their labour rights," the report added. "As a result, employers can often pay them less than is written in their contract. The fact that there is no legal minimum wage exacerbates the problem."

Senior Caymanian officials were unavailable for comment for this article and in some cases, written questions were not responded to. However, many people interviewed in George Town, the capital and elsewhere in Grand Cayman say that not much have changed since that report.

In fact, in some respects, they suggest, the situation has not only become tougher but there has also been a rise in anti-Jamaican sentiment, which was played out in the country's press last year when a visa requirement was also put in place for Jamaican visitors to the islands.

"It's unfair how they treat us," said a Jamaican domestic worker from St Elizabeth, who requested her name be withheld for fear of reprisals. "It's not a good feeling; it's like we're not welcome here."

But Jamaicans - faced with high employment at home and prospects earning Caymanian dollars which exchange at J$80 to Cay$1 - continue, when possible, to make the trek.

Sometimes, however, expectations are unmatched by reality and it is not entirely uncommon for women to be duped about jobs they are heading into.
Father Sean Major-Campbell, former rector at the St. George's Anglican Church in George Town has experience in such situations.

"I have personally met individuals who were fooled into coming to Cayman for a job," he explained. "Upon landing they discovered that the job was really other domestic services which are usually associated with brothels. While it appears that bilingual practitioners are preferred for this trade, some patrons still find Jamaicans more affordable."

The country's high cost of living and especially the high cost of accommodation are areas in which Jamaican, with their expectations to save from their salaries and remit home, are often taken by surprise.

It was not uncommon a fortnight ago to visit premises rented by Jamaican workers for as much as CI$350 (J$28,000) that was at best a single room in a complex shared by nine immigrant. Rent control is minimal in the Cayman Islands.

The Caymanians allow only two children per immigrant family, partly because of limited school space. Moreover, migrant workers with children have to prove, before they arrive, that they can meet school fees, which, at private institutions can cost between CI$1000 and CI$3,000 per term, prohibitive for low-wage workers.

Many foreign workers, as this Jamaican domestic did seven years ago when she had a son, may opt to return home to have their children. "It doesn't make sense (to have your children in the Cayman Islands)," he told the Sunday Gleaner. "The child gets nothing."

New Year's Day 2004

Taken outside of The Bandit Lair at Camp Babylon, Iraq on January 1, 2004.

AO (Bz) - Richard Cook, US citizen, dodges custody battle; flees to America with daughter, Zoe

From my archive of press clippings:

Amandala Online

Richard Cook, US citizen, dodges custody battle; flees to America with daughter, Zoe

by Keisha Milligan

COROZAL, Thurs. Feb. 8, 2007

Amandala late this evening spoke with a very worried mother, Jenecia Cook, a resident of La Democracia village, in hopes that she had gotten a positive feedback from Miami police after she had her worst fears confirmed yesterday, that her estranged husband, Richard Daniel Cook, 63, an American, had spirited their daughter, Zoe, 6, to the United States of America over the weekend.

When we first made contact with Jenecia on Tuesday, February 6, she was worried and convinced that her husband had taken her daughter out of the country, because she had tried many times to get through to him and could not. She explained that she and her husband are going through the Family Court to settle custody of Zoe. However, they were at the stage where the court had ordered that Zoe remain with her mother, and the father was allowed to have her every other weekend.

Last weekend was one of those weekends that Richard had his daughter. He picked her up from her school in La Democracia, at St. John’s Anglican Primary School, on Friday evening, February 2. On Sunday, she called Richard’s cellular phone, but it was turned off. She knew that he would sometimes take Zoe to church and thought that he might have taken off the phone because he was in church.

Later that night, she called again, but the phone was still turned off, said Jenecia. She calmed down after reminding herself that he sometimes kept her until Monday mornings and would take her directly to school. She would have her that afternoon for lunch. That morning, she placed a call to the prosecutor that had attended to her court case and informed him that Richard had taken Zoe over the allotted time period and that furthermore, she could not get through to him. She was told to give him until that afternoon, but a call placed to the school confirmed that Zoe had not been in classes for that day.

Jenecia checked all over, but could not find Richard or her daughter.

Her appearance on the local television shows afterwards bore a small fruit: the Belize Immigration Department contacted her yesterday, and confirmed her fears, that Richard had indeed left the country with their daughter. Jenecia wonders how Richard could have gotten the child out of the country.

She said that early last year, Richard took Jenecia to the United States for three days, but the Immigration Department had requested that she signed a letter saying that she had given him, the father, permission to take her out of the country. That same letter, said Jenecia, must have been altered in such a way that the Immigration Department let Richard take her daughter through.

The Immigration Department informed her that Richard left on Saturday, February 3, the day after he got Zoe, and was bound for Miami. He had traveled with Zoe on her own American passport, said authorities. She also got a call from a friend of Richard’s in Belize, who said that Richard heard about her worry and called to tell her that Zoe was doing fine, “so not to worry.”Belizean authorities have since contacted their counterparts and requested that an Interpol check be set at each port of entry for Richard and Zoe.

JG - American Women's Group brings back the Roaring '20s

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

American Women's Group brings back the Roaring '20s

published: Sunday January 28, 2007

Members of the American Women's Group at the 2006 Masquerade Ball. -

Photo by Trefina Asiedu

One of Jamaica's premier charitable organisation's, the American Women's Group (AWG), will on February 17 recapture the essence of the 1920s at their annual charity ball dubbed 'The Roaring '20s'.

It was the age when women began to find themselves and took on roles that were normally reserved for men. They asked men out, they smoked, they drank, they put on make-up and wore a scandalous new style of clothing. And most of all, they voted.

It was time of prohibition and speakeasies, the era of industrialisation, the Ford Model T, the age of a crazy kind of music called jazz, a special time of fun and enjoyment, a cultural revolution of sorts which has etched its place in history and will forever be known as the Roaring '20s.

The annual ball, which will be held at the Hilton Kingston hotel, promises all the excitement of a 1920's shindig, and if last year's event was anything to go by, then this year's event should be the one not to miss. The theme was selected in recognition of the group's 20th anniversary.

The American Women's Group of Jamaica is a non-profit organisation whose membership consists of Americans, Jamaicans, diplomats - a multinational group of volunteers who focus on helping the less fortunate. They provide educational scholarships and assist various communities with some of their special needs.

Scholarships

In 2006, funds raised by the AWG gave individual scholarships to 59 needy students between the age of six and 18 years. The organisation continues to support the six schools that they have adopted Shortwood Practising School, Constant Spring Primary and Junior High, St. Marten De Pores Basic and Primary and Junior High, and Allman Town Primary and Junior High.

The February 17 event, which will also feature a silent auction, will go a far way in assisting the group with its scholarship fund and to continue its outreach programmes in needy communities.

re: "Duty Officer Fun"

Eric at The Dusty Suitcase shares his experiences as Duty Officer.

Money quote(s):

"For those of you not into State lingo, the duty officer is the guy that gets called during non-office hours whenever something (lost passport, crime, arrest, hospitalization) happens to an American citizen. Since my week came during a holiday, I was definitely busier than most weeks. For most officers, the calls are pretty routine, i.e. "I lost my passport through the clever wiles of the criminal element (also known as "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to go to the tourist section of town with a backpack and then not keep an eye on it"). Since we can't produce one without checking them out on the computers and checking their info, all we can tell them is, "File a police report and we will see you at the embassy on the next business day". Luckily we can produce one that same day and send them on their way. The downside is when you lose your passport before a long weekend (like this one) you are kind of out of luck."

Terminal Leave (IV)

Taken at Venice Beach, California in April 2003.

re: "A Marine wife speaks" & "Military Families Angry Over Congressional Inaction"

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin for linking to this post by Cassandra at Villainous Company.

Money quote(s):

"Keep these things in mind when you hear your Congressman saying "Oh, 'they' can just 'shift funds around'". The money has to come from somewhere, and we will not forget how our "representatives" have chosen to "support" us.

For years Democrats in Congress demanded that Donald Rumsfeld be fired.

Well, he is gone, and we have a new Secretary of Defense.

They screamed that they couldn't possibly support the war because there weren't enough boots on the ground.

Well, we're putting more boots on the ground.

Then they screamed that wasn't enough -- we needed a new strategy.

But we have put a new strategy in place - the same one that was so successful in Tal Afar.

But now that the military obstacles are out of the way, they say that was never the issue. We need a political solution.

Prime Minister Maliki is implementing a political solution: for the first time, he is allowing us into the Shiite areas, into Sadr city. He has made a firm commitment to go after Shia and Sunni alike if they break the law so that there will be equal justice for all Iraqis.

They said the Iraqis needed to step up to the plate.

They are stepping up to the plate. In al Anbar, the Sunni sheiks have come over to our side. The Commandant of the Marine Corps is so hopeful about Anbar, he thinks it has now turned the corner.

The Democrats said we should follow the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. What was the one thing the ISG said we should NOT DO?

Set arbitrary withdrawal dates."

&

"America's veterans - and her military families - have a right to be angry with a Congress that has relentlessly pummeled this President for not taking their "advice" and then, when he listens to them, does everything in their power to sabotage the war effort and render meaningless the sacrifies of thousands of honorable men and women.

This Marine wife of 28 years does not question the patriotism of the antiwar contingent in Congress.

She questions the fundamental seriousness of people who are constantly shifting the goalposts. And she wants an end to the game playing. There are lives at stake.

Some of them very precious to her."

Y! - Gates announces longer tours in Iraq

Yahoo!News

Gates announces longer tours in Iraq

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Beginning immediately, all active-duty Army soldiers in
Iraq and Afghanistan will serve 15-month tours — three months longer than the usual standard, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

It was the latest move by the Pentagon to cope with the strains of fighting two wars simultaneously and maintaining a higher troop level in Iraq as part of
President Bush's revised strategy for stabilizing Baghdad.

"This policy is a difficult but necessary interim step," Gates told a Pentagon news conference, adding that the goal is to eventually return to 12 months as the standard length of tour in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said the new policy does not affect the other main components of the U.S. ground force in Iraq: the Marines, whose standard tour is seven months, or the Army National Guard or Army Reserve, which will continue to serve 12-month tours.

Gates acknowledged that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are making life difficult for many in the military.

"Our forces are stretched, there's no question about that," Gates said.

He said the new policy also seeks to ensure that all active-duty Army units get at least 12 months at home between deployments. He said it would allow the Pentagon to maintain the current level of troops in Iraq for another year, although he added that there has been no decision on future troop levels.
Soldiers will get an extra $1,000 a month for the three extra months they serve, he said.

Without changing the standard tour length to 15 months, the Army would have been forced to send five brigades to Iraq before they completed 12 months at home, Gates said.

Some units' tours in Iraq had already been extended beyond 12 months by varying amounts. The new policy will make deployments more equitable and more predictable for soldiers and for their families, Gates said.

"I think it is fair to all soldiers that all share the burden equally," he said.

There are currently 145,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, and when the buildup is completed by June, there would be more than 160,000, officials are calculating.
___
AP Military Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

JG - Exhibit A: Returned criminal, accidental deportee

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Exhibit A: Returned criminal, accidental deportee

published: Sunday January 28, 2007

Bernard Headley, Contributor

Headley

I pointed out in these pages on Sunday, January 14, that within the broad category of criminal or convicted deportees (not persons deported for simple immigration violations) are two types. One type, which constitutes the overwhelming majority, is of individuals convicted for sundry crimes, mostly drug offences, but also for crimes such as shoplifting and writing bad cheques. But, having little or no criminal history, they return to Jamaica posing little or no danger.

There are, however, a small number of deportees for whom the label 'deportee' is contextually misleading. These are home-grown, returned criminals, who went up to London or New York as grown, adult men, while remaining well connected back in Jamaica. They do not return dispossessed or uprooted, as do the majority of deportees. Rather, the returned criminal comes back to gang and other networks (sometimes in need of repair) that are predisposed to waste, death and destruction.
It's a distinction that Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields seems to agree on. Making this kind of substantive differentiation calls into question any presupposed linear relationship (or "correlation") between an absolute number of deportees and increase in serious crime, as does the currently parliamentary-tabled Ministry of National Security report, 'A Study on Criminal Deportation'.

Template

I argued in the 2005 book, Deported, and in a Sunday Gleaner article sometime ago ('Made in Jamaica: A discourse on deportees', October 17, 2004), that the individual whose life story is the template for the returned criminal was Spanish Town's 'Bubba' Smith. (In the interest of full disclosure, in 2003-04 the U.S. Embassy in Kingston awarded me a grant of US$10,000, plus a small publication supplement, to analyse three CD-ROMS of Department of Homeland Security spreadsheet data on U.S. deportations to Jamaica. The money was divided between two research postgraduates, a copy editor, a local publisher, and me. The product of that effort is the aforementioned book, which has been incorporated into required course material and copies donated to institutional libraries and public agencies.)

Oliver 'Bubba' Smith was one in a pool of 1,558 Jamaicans forcibly returned home from the United States in 2002. He fell specifically in a well-defined group of 1,031 (66.2 per cent of the number of individuals deported that year) who were returned because they had been convicted of a crime in the United States.

But Smith had had numerous run-ins with Jamaican law enforcement prior to his sojourn in America. He was a known entity to the Spanish Town police, where he maintained a residence and operated, for more than eight years, an extortion racket. American immigration authorities say, "There is no evidence that Smith was ever granted a visa to enter the United States." Yet, with corrupt official assistance, he was able to, in January 1994. He entered at Texas' San Antonio Port of Entry but made his way up to New York, where he had family. Smith was 30 years old (no babe in the woods) when he arrived in America. He left Jamaica while on bail for a shooting-with-intent charge. In the U. S., he was convicted for a drug-related crime; for which, under New York's mandatory-minimum sentencing laws, he was given prison time. On his release, U.S. immigration authorities deported him.

Return to Jamaica

On his return to Jamaica, Smith "observed", according to the Spanish Town police, that youths he left on the street "were not acting as family". They were loosely connected and "constantly warring with each other". He further noted that one gang, the 'Clans', controlled most of the city's lucrative extortion operations. So he got to work. First, he brought into 'One Order', on his side of town, disparate and warring criminal gangs. This gave birth to his 'One Order' gang, a centrally organised criminal outfit. The 'One Order' motif would become, according to Smith's police rap sheet, the driving force for uniting disaffected, crime-prone communities "under one leadership in order to challenge the Clans for control of the extortion racket, especially at the Spanish Town Bus Terminus".

Next, Smith and his gang coerced businessmen into paying protection money. This "did not go down well with the opposing Clans gang". Pitched battles between the two gangs erupted on the streets of the city in the early weeks of summer 2004, shutting down for hours at a time much of the city's commerce. Through methods like these Smith would go on to expand his criminal enterprise across greater Spanish Town and into the outskirts of Kingston.

Smith ran out of trusted friends and time on Monday night, July 12, 2004. He was gunned down in the street, shot five times with an AK 47 assault rifle. At the time of his death, Jamaican law enforcement wanted him for murder, shooting, and extortion, several of which he allegedly committed or participated in before he went up to America. Into the second week past his lavish funeral, the police counted 17 murders they said were directly attributable to the Smith killing.

It's people like 'Bubba' Smith, who merely happened to be deported, in whom Mr. Shields is "most interested". Could the 17 murders that followed Smith's killing be attributed, in some indirect way, to a 'deportee'? Not one bit; because Smith having been to, and deported from America was no more responsible for his criminal formation than was the airline ticket agent who handed him his boarding pass. Smith was the quintessential made-in-Jamaica man of violence. A mere footnote to the course of his hectic, travelled life was that he also got deported from America.

Those Murder Figures

Lastly, despite our best and modestly productive efforts, 2006 was still a horrendous murder year. The police report a year-end total of more than 1,300 murders, which places us, yet again, in the top tier of 'murder countries'. Now might be good time for Mr. Shields, or perhaps Ms. Annmarie Barnes, the Government's in-house 'consultant criminologist', to answer in simple numbers the question I posed in these pages a month ago: Of the number of individuals arrested and booked for last year's murders, or for the previous year, how many of them were deportees of any type; if not for murder, how about for robbery, rape, assault, shooting?

Only when we have that kind of factual information can we make empirically informed judgments about general deportee involvement in ongoing serious crimes. What the nation needs first, as it tries to come to terms with this its most crippling problem, are truth and truthfulness.
Bernard Headley is professor of criminology in the Department of Sociology, Psychology & Social Work, University of the West Indies, Mona. Email: bernard.headley@uwimona.edu.jm.

re: "Brits join Old Europe on the sidelines"

Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive shares his thoughts on the latest developments in the aftermath of the British sailor hostage taking.

Money quote(s):

"We have yet to lose in Iraq, but we have yet to even show up for the game Iran is playing."

Camp Babylon, Iraq

Taken at Camp Babylon, Iraq in September 2003.

re: "H&I* Fires, 9 APR 2007"

Denizens at Castle Argghhh! cover the topics of the day, including some excerpts from newly published book, "The Occupation of Iraq."

Money quote(s):

"Many of these things were exactly what we *didn't* do in Germany and Japan after the war. Among other things, we kept the German Army in POW cages as we processed them against the war crimes list, etc - but we made the effort to maintain control of them and their arms. Of course, we had the manpower on-hand to do so, Secretary Rumsfeld."

TR (Bz) - Guatemalan brothers charged for possession of artifacts

From my archive of press clippings:

The Reporter (Bz)

Guatemalan brothers charged for possession of artifacts

Friday, 09 February 2007

Two Guatemalan nationals, 24-year-old Erick Archila and 37-year-old Esguin Archila have been arraigned on charges of failure to obtain a licence to possess artifacts. The pair was caught transporting Mayan artifacts, valued at $60,000.

They were remanded at the Hattieville prison and appeared in court on Wednesday.

Sometime around 11:00A.M. on Friday last, a Benque police intercepted a green Ford Escort at a check point on Western Highway between mile 71 and 72.
They searched the car and found the Mayan artifacts. Police arrested both men who were in the vehicle at the time.

The Artifacts were handed over to the Department of Archaeology.

Last Updated ( Friday, 09 February 2007 )

re: "Last Post to 4MC"

Bid adieu to an excellent milblogger.

TR (Bz) - B.D.F.-Shoulder to shoulder for 29 years

From my archive of press clippings:

The Reporter (Bz)

B.D.F.-Shoulder to shoulder for 29 years

Friday, 09 February 2007

By Armin Petzold - Staff Reporter

The men and women in olive green celebrated the 29th anniversary of their existence on Saturday last, February 3 with an open day and fair at the B.D.F. compound at Price Barracks in Ladyville.

However, a formal parade on the eve of the anniversary, on Friday last, officially marked the start of the momentous year.

The parade by several detachments took place at the Sir Colville Young Parade Square at Price Barracks, where hundreds of sharp-looking soldiers turned out in full spit and polish to march.

Sir Colville inspected a Guard of Honour mounted by 1st and 2nd battalions along with Logistics Company under the command of Major Steven Ortega, 2nd in command of the 2nd Inventory battalion.

Sir Colville also presented medals to 16 soldiers including two women for good conduct and dedicated service of over a dozen years.

Corporal Delcie Martinez and Private Silverio Cowo were among the Long-service & good conduct recipients.

Keynote Speaker for the occasion was Defence Minister, Cordel Hyde, who chronicled the life and times of the force and lauded the men and women who like good soldiers never died in its development.

“Over the years, the B.D.F. has metamorphosed into an organisation that we are proud of. It is one of those entities whenever you call them they are there. Whether it is a search and rescue mission for a family lost at sea, or to try to catch bandits at the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, or even providing security at Xunantunich or Altun Ha, the B.D.F. has been there. We have been a real team player when it comes to supporting our government agency.”

Despite the many successes of the B.D.F., Hyde says Belize is currently challenged by the major cocaine trade. And although we don’t grow it or are not the ultimate destination, we are uniquely located.

“Growers and exporters know that once their product can reach our high seas and on land, then it’s just a relative stone’s throw away from the ultimate destination – the great United States.”

Among the guest as at the event were Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh, Members of the Diplomatic Corps along with visiting commanders from Central America, the Caribbean, Canada, the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Hyde presented several of the visiting commanders with small tokens of the force’s appreciation for their insights.

The Belize Defence Force has been fully engaged in the border areas of Belize, regularly conducting synchronised patrols with Guatemalan armed forces, which they believe have significantly helped to reduce the violence in the area.
“In 2006, in fact, they have conducted over 138 patrols alone in the extensive jungle terrain of the Western border.”

re: "LT Carman and the Order of the White Feather"

CDR Salamander suggests the revival and a nomination for The Order of the White Feather.

I would non-concur.

A seat on the short bus perhaps, especially for some of the bonehead public comments, but it's far too easy for us, thousands of miles away and safely after-the-fact, to criticize tactical decisions made in the operational moment.

re: "Thoughts on the British surrender"

Austin Bay shares his insights.

Money quote(s):

"(H)aving chased Iranian and Arab dhow in RHIBs (rigid hull inflatable boats) manned by American sailors I understand how exposed and vulnerable the British sailors were."

"But here’s how I see the tactical situation. The Iranians got the drop– they conducted a well planned and rehearsed surround and snatch. The sailors and marines were not in a warship when they were captured, they were in motorized rubber boats. Tactical surprise reinforced by heavy machineguns at close range (and lack of immediate backup) make surrender an understandable and probably appropriate decision. The situations strikes me as one of instant, futile slaughter.

Better planning, better coordination with the supporting forces, and tighter tactical security may well have alerted and saved the sailors and marines. However, would, should, and could are the words of hindsight when staring down the bore of a heavy machinegun."

&

". . . . the television shenanigans. I think that behavior is terrible and reprehensible – a thoroughly shoddy spectacle. That shoddy television spectacle, however, doesn’t make the decision to surrender the wrong one. The other behavior needs to be separated from the surrender. I know that’s tough to do. The argument will be made that the same personnel who kissed rings capitulated. However, in my view, second-guessing the tactical decision to surrender given our current understanding of the circumstances presumes far too much.

As I wrote last week, I think the Iranians hurt themselves in the mid-term and long run. The Iranians got a ring kissed but they blinked strategically. The regime temporarily changed the subject from nuclear weapons and UN sanctions, but reminded the world that since 1979 Iran has been an outlaw. Now the mullahs intend to become nuclear outlaws."

Read it all.

JG - Flawed visa policy

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Flawed visa policy

published: Sunday January 28, 2007

The Editor, Sir:

CARICOM's temporary visitor visa requirement during the Cricket World Cup is flawed, and risks driving away the lifeblood of our tourism economy.

The scheme should be cancelled altogether, or at least streamlined by issuing visas to visitors as they arrive in Jamaica or any other country participating in the visa scheme. If we're serious about attracting tourists, we should make it easy for them to come here!

Specific flaws with the current scheme are:

The new visa requirement is/was not well advertised. Travellers from 'non-cricket' countries who are not visiting because of the Cricket World Cup are often caught unaware of the requirement until their departure to, for example, Jamaica is imminent. They are left scrambling at thelast minute to try to obtain a visa.

Countries such as Denmark and Switzerland (both members of the 'Schengen' travel visa programme in Europe) have arbitrarily been singled out as requiring visas. Citizens from most other 'Schengen' countries do not require visas. What is the rationale for singling out Denmark and Switzerland?

The visas are difficult and expensive to obtain. For example, the network of Jamaican consulates and Embassies in Europe is very thin indeed. The cost of obtaining the visa is US$100! It almost seems like a 'CARICOM admission fee'.

I am, etc.,

BARBARA HENRIQUES

henrique@cwjamaica.com

re: "Moving Immigration Reform To The Right"

Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters gives an update on immigration reform.

Money quote(s):

"(S)ubsequent briefings by White House officials shows a plan that would put more hurdles in place for citizenship and limiting access to workers only, a move that will lose some of his support from the Left"

"Immigrants can get their families into the country on special visas once they have established themselves in the US. Republicans want that ended or curtailed when it comes to normalizing illegals currently in the US, and want a policy that focuses on the labor needs of the US rather than the family needs of the immigrants. Democrats will almost certainly object to that kind of policy change, which would make passage -- or even a floor vote -- a more remote possibility."

&

"(W)e have to start taking steps to resolve at least the national-security aspects of the problem. That means closing the border first, which Bush says has already started to happen. Crossings have dropped and surveillance has increased via high-tech systems designed to discover and track border crossings.

Once we have confidence in our border security, we have to identify those illegals in the country and determine whether they are a threat. That becomes a lot easier if we have a system in place for illegals to self-report and normalize. In order for that to happen in a short time frame, we have to be willing to incentivize it through some kind of legal residency, using a process that acknowledges their illegal status and paying a penalty for it. If we can make that happen, then finding the few who really represent a threat to the US will be much easier and would make much more efficient use of law-enforcement resources, without threatening the civil liberties of citizens and legal residents."

re: "Time to take out Mookie."

JustBarkingMad gets it in one:

"The entire purpose of “The Surge” is to make Iraq a more secure place. Radical Islamic Fundamentalists with their own misogynistic death cult militias do not make Iraq a safer place. It time and past time to take Mookie out. Whether by arrest or resisting arrest he must be removed from power and his Iranian puppet army disarmed and disbanded."

New Year's Day 2004

Taken outside of The Bandit Lair at Camp Babylon, Iraq on January 1, 2004.

TR (Bz) - Guinea Grass man charged for raping tourist in San Pedro

From my archive of press clippings:

The Reporter (Bz)

Guinea Grass man charged for raping tourist in San Pedro


Friday, 09 February 2007

By Angel Novelo - Staff Reporter

Aldemir Pott charged for rape.

A man from the village of Guinea Grass in the Orange Walk District has been remanded to prison on charges of rape, after he allegedly committed the act against a tourist in San Pedro Town on Saturday last, February 3.

The 22-year woman of California in the U.S.A. reported to police that Aldermir Pott, 23, forced his way into her apartment and had sexual intercourse with her against her will.

The alleged incident took place around 11:30 that night shortly after the woman arrived at her apartment. She recalled upon arrival at her home Pott and a group of men were on the verandah socialising when he offered to assist her in opening her apartment door.

It’s alleged that after the door was opened, Pott followed the woman inside, locked the door and raped her.

The woman immediately reported the incident to the police and a search of the area lead police to arrest Pott, an unemployed.

Pott arrest comes just two days after San Pedro police embarked on a campaign to rid the island’s streets, of individuals who have been harassing both locals and tourists alike.

On Thursday, February 1, police arrested seven men and charged them with wondering abroad after they were found hanging out on the island’s streets and were unable to prove to the police their ties to the area. They have since been arraigned and fined.

Last Updated ( Friday, 09 February 2007 )

JG - Cricket visa stumps World Cup bookings

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Cricket visa stumps World Cup bookings

published: Sunday January 28, 2007

Devon Evans, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Ocho Rios, St. Ann:

With just over six weeks to the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup, there is still no sign of the much-anticipated increased bookings for hotels and villas on the north coast.

On the contrary, hoteliers and villa operators there say businesses are hurting from the new travel restrictions imposed by the Government as part of security measures for the World Cup.

"The visa issue is adversely affecting us and several people with advance bookings have lost them since the new restriction was imposed," bemoaned Area Chairman of the Ocho Rios/Runaway Bay Chapter of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Vanna Taylor.

Cancelled bookings

Ms. Taylor said several large and small groups have cancelled their bookings since the passport and visa regime was imposed, and that this problem was not confined to hotels on the north coast alone but to several others islandwide.

She added, "We don't know what can be done at this last moment but the visa issue must be dealt with as a matter of priority if we are to save some of the business."

Relatively slow

Ms. Taylor, who is also chairperson of the Jamaica Association of Villas and Apartments, said some properties are getting enquiries from potential visitors but that, overall, things are relatively slow in terms of World Cup bookings.

And one hotel, the 600-room Gran Bahía Príncipe at Pear Tree Bottom in St. Ann, was expected to host several large groups of European visitors for the World Cup, but so far these bookings have failed to materialise.

General Manager of the hotel, Fabrice Van Der Guche, said although the hotel is expecting high occupancy during the World Cup, it will not be as a result of the event.

"Well, right now we are not seeing any business from the World Cup but we are still waiting to see what will happen in the days to come," Van Der Guche said.
At the 720-room Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, Charmaine Dean, a member of the management team, said some small groups have already confirmed their reservations and that the hotel is still expecting additional bookings.

re: "Real immigration reform"

Lemuel Calhoun at Hillbilly White Trash discusses the latest in immigration reform proposals.

Money quote(s):

"(F)ocus on the people who employ them and the people who rent to them. You put teeth in the laws against hiring an illegal so that in addition to the fine which employers simply pass along to their customers as part of the cost of doing business you add serious jail time for the company officers and board of directors if a corporation and owner or owners if a privately owned business.You cannot pass along a prison sentence to your customers."

"All law enforcement agencies, federal, state and local should be required to enforce immigration laws. Police administrators who order police to look the other way on illegal immigration should be removed from office and jailed just like those who hire illegals and police convicted of aiding illegals should serve their time in the general population. This way we would no longer have "catch and release" immigration enforcement. When an illegal was caught for speeding or drunk driving or just got caught in a routine license check he would be guaranteed a trip back to Mexico City.

If these measures were adopted jobs and housing would dry up and the illegal aliens would deport themselves back to where they came from where they would at least be able to earn enough not to starve. This process of self deportation would be aided by a policy of offering free transportation back to Mexico (or other nation of origin) to any illegal turning him/her self in to any law enforcement. Three hot meals per day at the collection center and a nice clean bed to sleep in until enough of your fellow illegals are collected to fill a Greyhound then a nice air conditioned bus ride back to Mexico where you belong and have every right to be."

"Tightening our immigration laws to force those here illegally out and building a wall to keep more from coming in is the only way to force Mexico to deal with its serious internal problems. Mexico, if it is to survive, must make serious efforts to move its economy in a free-market capitalist direction. They must put serious curbs on the corruption, cronyism and nepotism which keep real political power the plaything of the privileged few."

&

"(T)he way to solve America's illegal immigration problem is to fix Mexico and that cannot happen as long as those most aware of what is wrong in Mexico are in America doing a half-assed job of hanging drywall and driving around drunk."

Terminal Leave (III)

Taken at Marina del Rey, California in April 2003.

TR (Bz) - Compol attends gang meeting-Belize, & U.S. to crackdown on MS 13 gang

From my archive of press clippings:

The Reporter (Bz)

Compol attends gang meeting-Belize, & U.S. to crackdown on MS 13 gang


Friday, 09 February 2007

By Ann-Marie Williams - News Editor

Belize’s Police Commissioner Gerald Westby, is part of a team of top police brass wrapping up a three-day Los Angeles Chiefs of Police Leadership Summit on Transnational Gangs.

The meeting is focusing on the Mara Salvatrucha, (MS13) gang problem from a domestic and international perspective.

According to Westby the forum affords the participants insights into how the gangs are developing into an organised crime enterprise and how best to deal with them through regional intelligence.

According to Reuters News Agency, police chiefs met in Los Angeles on Tuesday and kicked off the new co-ordination initiative.

The United States and Belize, along with three other Central American nations, agreed on Monday to toughen a crackdown on violent youth gangs that have terrorised the region in a rampage of murders, rapes and robberies.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the new initiative includes setting up a transnational anti-gang unit, to be known as TAG, to combat the problem.

The so-called mara gangs, their members heavily tattooed, grew out of Hispanic gangs in Los Angeles. There are hundreds of thousands of gang members across Central America and in the United States.

Gonzales said the four Central American nations that teamed up for the new region-wide crackdown were El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize.

Previously most of the attempts to clamp down on the gangs had been done on a country-by-country basis.

“These gang members are constantly travelling and committing crimes en routes to the United States,” Salvadoran President Tony Saca said in a joint news conference to announce the crackdown. “This is a vicious circle that has to be broken.”

The initiative is aimed at improving the police performance, the arrest of fugitives, international co-ordination and exchange of information as well as training and prevention, Gonzales said.

TAG members will receive FBI training and will have the specific goal of pursuing and prosecuting gang members who commit crimes.

Reporter waits to hear what the specific initiative in Belize will be.
Last Updated ( Friday, 09 February 2007 )

re: "Why We Dislike The Term "Hero" "

Chris G. posts this essay at Tanker Brothers.

Money quote(s):

"Those who truly support us and our efforts in Iraq deserve and receive all of our love. We love you all more than mere words can ever express. We will never cease in that love or our dedication to protecting you, our People, our Allies, the Innocent, and the Freedoms we hold dear. We love you because, unlike the 'sunshine patriotism" of the left, you support us no matter what the media and our enemies do. You support us in peace as in war.

Those who despise us and anything we do to defend our People and Freedoms…. well, I have said what you can do many times."

"We in the militaries of the West really feel incredibly… uncomfortable… to be called "Heroes". We look in bewilderment at each other whenever this title is used. Now, mind you, we are never anything like what the left, the islamofascists, and our multitude of other foes accuse us of being. Any Soldier who fails to uphold the high standards we set is dealt with accordingly, and publicly. However, we do not consider ourselves to be "heroes".

Why do you not like being called a hero you ask? There are several reasons. First and foremost, "Hero" is a title we reserve for VERY few."

&

"What are we if not 'heroes' you ask? We are ordinary men and women "most remarkable like you". We are not supermen/women. We are ordinary people who are selected for the PRIVLEDGE (sic) to defend our fellow People."

re: "Britain on its knees"

Melanie Phillips discusses the ramifications of the latest Iranian hostage-taking.

Money quote(s):

"Relief at the safe return of the 15 sailors, and the fact that we must always bear in mind that none of us knows how we would ourselves behave in such circumstances, cannot nevertheless mitigate the sickening realisation that the hostage fiasco is another terrible milestone in the west’s current suicidal trajectory of decadence and moral collapse."

"Iran kidnapped 15 British sailors in an open breach of international law. What consequences has it suffered? None. On the contrary, it has played Britain like a fish on the end of a line. We don’t yet know the terms of the deal that was undoubtedly struck, but the abasement of Britain has allowed Iran to tweak our noses. In Teheran, a top Iranian official has said Britain sent it a secret letter that was a condition for the captives’ release and in which it apologised for entering Iranian waters and promised never to do it again. The Foreign Office flatly denies this. Who knows? Who will believe a Britsh government that has so comprehensively lost the plot?

From the start, it was clear that its priorities were completely wrong. Tony Blair said his overriding concern was the welfare of the hostages. Bad mistake. His overriding concern should have been to ensure that his country delivered the appropriate response to an act of war, to discourage the aggressor who so menaces the entire free world from ever striking again. The appropriate response was to fight back. But Britain had previously taken a decision not to strike back at Iran. Its rules of military engagagement didn’t allow it because its overriding priority was ‘not to escalate’ hostilities. In other words, the Britsh strategy towards Iran, laid down at the highest level, was appeasement. Iran has been at war with the west for almost thirty years, but we have decided to ignore it. Iran has been a major factor behind the carnage in Iraq, but we have decided to ignore it. And with the grimmest possible timing, the fact that Iran is in a state of war with us — a fact which we refuse to acknowledge — demonstrated itself almost simultaneously with the release of the hostages when four British soldiers were blown up by a roadside bomb in Iraq, a bomb almost certainly supplied by Iran."

&

"The Iranians now know from this debacle that they can now make trouble for the west with impunity. They can take hostages, smuggle arms into Iraq, blow up British soldiers and even go nuclear — and no-one will do a damn thing to stop it."

JG - Distinguished J'can descendant awarded MBE

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Distinguished J'can descendant awarded MBE

published: Sunday January 28, 2007

Deon Green, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Sonia Dixon

African and Caribbean Services Manager for Walsall Libraries, Sonia Dixon, whose parents are Jamaican, has been selected to be a Member of the British Empire (MBE) by the British monarch later this year, having distinguished herself as the first black chartered librarian in Birmingham.

In recognising her contribution to libraries and the community, Ms. Dixon has been lauded as highly responsible, and having outstanding knowledge in her field. "Her work illuminates areas of dedicated service which merit public recognition," it stated.
Ms. Dixon told The Sunday Gleaner that she was born in Birmingham of Jamaican parents and worked for many years in libraries in that city, including Sutton and Coldfield libraries, before joining the renowned Walsall Borough Libraries.

Librarianship

Ms. Dixon graduated with a degree in librarianship in 1994, and was highlighted as the first black person in Birmingham to become chartered in librarianship in 1995. As part of her degree programme at Manchester Metropolitan University, she researched black writing and black authors.

Ms. Dixon now operates an award-winning Black Reading Group in Walsall Central Library. The group, a first of its kind in the United Kingdom, has had fame through the publication of its book Dis 'n' Dat, which was nominated for two awards at the United Kingdom's Kate Greenaway and Carnegie Awards. The group also won the Celebrating Diversity Award, better known as the Sister Dora award, in Walsall.
The Black Reading Group was also highly commended in Walsall Council's Annual Team Awards, celebrating achievements in the Annual Citizen's Impact Award. The group was also in the finalist category for the diversity award. The group's most recent achievement was its emergence as a finalist in the Penguin/Orange Reading Group award late last year.

Songwriting skills

Ms. Dixon is a member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information for professionals in Birmingham. She is also a member of the Performance Rights Society and holds a diploma in music (songwriting). Her songwriting skills have seen her publish a gospel song in the U.S.A. (2004) called There's Nothing Sweeter.

Ms. Dixon holds of a Bachelor of Science degree in management and enjoys singing. She speaks French and Spanish. Responding to the announcement of the latest award, Ms. Dixon told the Sunday Gleaner, "I am honoured. the organisation and place where I work has been recognised and everyone shares the pride and pleasure it brings."

JO - Easter or Resurrection Day?

Jamaica Observer

Easter or Resurrection Day?

Rev Mervin Stoddart

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Easter is not a Christian invention and is never mentioned in the Bible as a Christian holiday. The single use of the word "Easter" in the King James Version (Acts 12:4) suggests that Easter was already a Roman holiday when Christianity was born. Furthermore, the Greek word (pascha) that is translated as Easter is on 20 other occasions in the New Testament translated as Passover. A cursory look at the beginning of the Easter celebration shows its association with pagan goddesses of fertility like Oestre and Isis. The Easter bunny symbol reinforces this idea of fertility since rabbits are known to breed excessively. Other symbols and practices like the Easter lily, painted eggs, new clothes and special foods are all secular in origin and have nothing to do with the Christian message, which would be more appropriately called Resurrection Day celebration.

It is unfortunate that this pagan word "Easter" has come to be intertwined with the Gospel message of the Resurrection of the Christ. Such syncretism robs the Resurrection story of its powerful symbolism and ability to revive one's soul. Nevertheless, those who take the time to focus on the Resurrection can still find spiritual rejuvenation in the story and practices of this holy season. However, there are some issues that must be carefully considered and believers in the Christ will have to make choices concerning whether to participate in the secular commemoration of Easter or focus strictly on the biblical message.

First, should Christians participate in the egg hunts, painted eggs, Easter bunny and new-clothes practices at Easter? Parents and pastors must decide, but participation might send mixed messages to these young minds about the Christian religion which is already thoroughly secularised. The Christian lifestyle is not a hybrid existence of secular cum sacred practices. It is living the new life in the Christ, moment by moment, but there are still practices that the Bible regards as "worldly" and from which believers should abstain. Second, should Christians participate in the commercialism and decorations and special shopping sprees that occur during the season? Again, each individual must decide, but it would be instructive to consider relevant biblical injunctions when making one's decision.

Jamaican cultural practices at Easter include eating bun and cheese and the "setting" of eggs on Good Friday morning. The latter tradition says that if the albumen (egg white) is poured into a glass of water and placed outside in sunlight, certain images will appear. A ship might appear to suggest that travel is in the near future for the one setting the egg. A coffin suggests that death is imminent and a ring or wedding veil suggests marriage on the horizon. There are other local superstitions associated with Easter and especially with holy week, such as eating no meat but fish on Good Friday. Some people also believe that a year of bad luck will follow those who skip church on Easter Sunday. The Bible does not support these superstitions but many Jamaican Christians will swear to their authenticity. Some Jamaicans also copy the Roman Catholic rituals of fasting during Lent and of honouring Ash Wednesday, none of which have biblical basis.

A more serious issue is the message preached and taught by churches at Easter. For example, Good Friday is celebrated as the day of the crucifixion of Yeshua (Jesus), the Christ, and Easter Sunday remembered as the day of his resurrection. The problem is that Yeshua predicted that he would spend three days and three nights in the grave before his resurrection and it is mathematically impossible to fit three days and nights between 3:00 pm Friday (when Yeshua died) and Sunday morning (when he was resurrected). Some theologians explain this anomaly by teaching that the phrase "three days and three nights" is a Jewish idiom for "fractions" of three days and nights.

However, the Christ was very specific when he compared his sojourn in the grave with the stay of Jonah in the belly of the fish (whale) and that was definitely three days and three nights. Others say that Yeshua must have been crucified on holy Thursday, thus spending Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in the tomb and was resurrected early Sunday morning. Christendom seems confused about this issue although the Bible makes it clear that Resurrection day was a Sunday, thus marking the day of fellowship for the apostles and the early church.

We must also ask if Yeshua was crucified on a tree, a cross or a single beam. The Bible uses both "tree" and "cross" for the stave on which Yeshua died, but Roman history teaches that a single beam was often used to crucify criminals. Even the Gospels give varying accounts of this matter of the death of Yeshua. The Synoptists said that Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Yeshua, but the Fourth Gospel (John) said that Yeshua carried his own cross. Based on the priority of Mark, this discrepancy might be resolved by noting that John focused on the times when the Christ carried his own cross but the Synoptists added the detail of Simon helping the Christ when he became weary.

We summarise the Easter saga by saying that at least three different celebrations coincide during this season. They are the pagan celebration of fertility and sun solstice, the Jewish feast of the Passover and the Christian commemoration of the Passion of the Christ, in that historical order. Being last on the list, the Christian celebration has been impacted by the other two in ways that not even the Bible escaped, as seen in the KJV use of the pagan word "Easter". In spite of this syncretism, the biblical message of the Passion of the Christ is unsurpassed in its power to revive one's soul and bring one's spirit closer to the Creator. The resurrection of the Christ is indisputable for those who have a personal relationship with him, despite the recent documentary claiming to have found an ossuary with the bones of Jesus. On that basis, though it might not be wise to wish one a "Happy Easter" it is certainly safe to say, "Have a blessed Resurrection Day!"

Rev Mervin Stoddart is a freelance writer out of Florida.

re: "Fred Thompson is blogging"

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin for linking to this post at Red State by presidential non-candidate Fred Thompson.

re: "US Colonels ought to hush about Brits in Iran"

Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive puts some things into perspective.

Money quote(s):

"We had quite a few heavy condemnations of the conduct of the British troops kidnapped by Iran. A couple of crotchety old US Colonels, Jacobs and Peters, saw fit to verbally pummel the Brits for their perceived weakness in the face of the enemy.

I saw the same shots while they were in captivity and the press conference afterwards, and I think both the Colonels would do themselves a favor by shutting their cakeholes. While there is plenty of blame to be passed around, it rightly belongs to the idiots running the Ministry of Defense who saw fit to cover a warship in Rules of Engagement that effectively shackled it. ROE are not optional and the troops in question were ordered to surrender, any other action would have been criminal."

"None of the Brits gave up any important intel, and it is unlikely they had any to give up at all. The little vignettes the Iranian's paraded them through were so obviously staged that their participation was almost comical. The letters from the female were written so poorly no one thought she was calling for withdrawal from Iraq. They also stated that the supposed confessions they were in Iranian waters were edited, no really?"

&

"For all the talk of supporting the troops both these officers chose to attack them personally, rather than properly blaming the foolish senior officers and bureaucrats who sold them out."

JO - Britain and Iran

Jamaica Observer

Britain and Iran

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Dear Editor,

The recent impasse between Britain and Iran reminded some of us how irrational the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to have become. The rigours of managing a country must have affected his capacity to manage the affairs of state. I shudder to think what will happen when Iran has a full arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Just a quick glance at a picture on CNN this week of an Iranian clergyman stoning the British Embassy confirms the fact that the Middle East is really not ready for the 21st century.

Hugo had better leave Ahmadinejad in the Middle East. We the people of these beautiful Caribbean islands would rather live in poverty than get involved in the theologies and politics of that region.

Conchita James
maroonglobal@yahoo.com

re: "It's Still the Force Structure, Stupid"

Spook86 at In From the Cold tells it like it is.

Money quote(s):

"(H)e notes former Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld's efforts to build a "lighter, more agile force," but ignores the wholesale force-structure cuts that occurred long before "Rummy" returned to the Pentagon. Once again, for those who rode the short bus (and write for Time), the U.S. Army once had a standing force structure of 16 combat divisions. Two were eliminated under the administration of President George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton got rid of four more. The number of troop billets eliminated? About 160,000--enough 18 additional combat brigades, plus the required support formations.

Put another way: if someone in DoD had enough sense to keep thouse units, we'd have a standing Army of roughly 650,000--getting close to that optimum "700,000 level" cited by former Chief of Staff Gordon Sullivan in an interview with Time. But Mr. Thompson, like so many other MSM reporters before him, fails to connect the dots. The decision to get rid of those divisions were made by our military and political leaders, with nary a peep of opposition. As we've noted many times in the past, the seeds of the Army's current problems were sown in the decade before the invasion of Iraq, and there's plenty of blame to go around.

Don Rumsfeld was right about one thing: you go to war with the Army you've got, and our leaders of 10 and 15 years ago committed us to smaller ground forces that were less-than-prepared for counter-insurgency operations. Recently-announced plans to expand the Army are a step in the right direction, but it's unclear if our political leaders-let alone the media--are willing to stay the course."

Ishtar Gate (II)

Taken at Camp Babylon, Iraq in September 2003.

Happy Easter!

He is risen. (Deal with it.)

JO - China beckons: Caricom should respond

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

China beckons: Caricom should respond

Sir Ronald Sanders

Sunday, February 04, 2007

The continuing dichotomy within the Caribbean Community (Caricom) over the People's Republic of China and Taiwan could begin to hurt the grouping which has been unable to establish a joint policy toward China, now the fourth largest economy in the world and growing fast.

Sir Ronald Sanders

Belize, Haiti, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and St Kitts-Nevis continue to recognise Taiwan while the rest of the Caricom countries have diplomatic relations with China.

This division within Caricom has kept the development of a trade, aid and investment policy for China off the agenda of Caricom Heads of Government, even though China is now involved with the region in a number of ways including as a lending member of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

It is a favourable mark for China that even though it is unhappy about the continuing recognition of Taiwan by the four Caricom countries' it has not sought to block their use of its CDB funds.

The Chinese position is a stark contrast from the position taken by the US in 1979 when the New Jewel Movement seized power in Grenada and the US broke off diplomatic relations. Washington had laid down a condition to the CDB that Grenada could not access US funds.

The importance of China in the world and its potential value to Caricom countries was underscored recently by two events.

First, China's foreign exchange reserves, already the world's largest, have passed $1-trillion (US). The central bank said its reserves stood at $1.0663-trillion at the end of December, up more than 30 per cent from one year earlier, making China the first country officially to top the $1-trillion mark.

Second, the World Tourism Organisation has announced that by 2020 China will be the fourth-largest source of global leisure travellers. But with the mountain of money on which it is sitting and the need to spend it, the Chinese government has already begun easing currency controls. They will be looking for ways to invest and spend much of it.

Recently tourists from China have officially been allowed US$5,000 to travel, though Chinese officials say that the figure is higher than that. Now, it is likely that the government may increase the travel allowance permitting tourists to travel farther.

Several Caribbean countries have already been given "approved travel destination" status. These are: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, and St Lucia. This gives them a head start in trying to grab a meaningful share of the market. But, they are up against serious competition from the United States, European Union countries such as the UK and France, Canada, Australia and South-East Asian nations who are already gearing for Chinese tourists.

To get a share of the market, Caricom countries will require not only joint Caribbean planning, marketing and alliances with airlines and tour operators in China, it will also need the help of the Chinese government to provide incentives and maybe even transportation.It is the kind of help that would come out of a Joint Caricom-China Trade and Investment Commission that meets regularly to explore the potential for mutually beneficial relations and puts machinery in place to achieve it.

Incidentally, and not unimportantly, China could also be encouraged to contribute to the Regional Development Fund which is so vitally important to the development of the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) that was formally launched by Caricom countries in 2006.The Chinese government has shown no reluctance to be active in the Caribbean, and officials in China would undoubtedly welcome the opportunity to map out a joint strategy for China's involvement in the region, as they have done in Africa.

In November 2006, China hosted a meeting with leaders of 48 African countries at which the Chinese president announced that by 2009 China will double the assistance given to Africa in 2006 in an effort to forge a new type of strategic relationship and strengthen cooperation in more areas and at a higher level.

The prospect of a similar summit between Caricom Heads of Government and the Chinese pesident is dim unless one of two things happen: Either, the four Caricom countries that recognise Taiwan alter their policy and join the others in establishing diplomatic relations with China, or agreement is reached that the others are free to establish a Joint Trade and Investment Commission with China under the umbrella of Caricom but excluding the four if they so wish.

The continuing links by the governments of Belize, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines to Taiwan is understandable. They have received considerable help from the Taiwanese who continue to invest in their economies - particularly in areas where traditional donors and lenders have shied away.

But a structured regional relationship on trade, aid and investment with China, which is now indisputably an economic giant and which could offer much to the people of the Caribbean, ought not to be delayed.

(Sir Ronald Sanders is a business consultant and former Caribbean diplomat)

JG - Costly breaches of travel rules

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Gleaner

Costly breaches of travel rules

published: Sunday January 28, 2007

Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller - File photo

Public Officials at Jamaica House have breached, with regularity, the rules regarding per diem (daily allowances) and air travel while on official visits abroad.

Sunday Gleaner investigations into Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's 10 official overseas trips between April and October 2006 showed that the breaches have cost the country thousands of US dollars.
Pat Sinclair-McCalla, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), did not return numerous calls placed to her office over a two-week period in an attempt to get clarification on the overspending.

Rates

A document furnished by the Ministry of Finance and Planning states explicitly that the approved per diem rates are maximum and inclusive of hotel accommodation, meals, transportation and incidentals.

"The Ministry of Finance and Planning has established per diem rates for these various public officials in the political directorate and the public sector. These rates should be regarded as the maximum rates that under normal circumstances will be approved," read a section of the document.

Additionally, the ministry circular said that in all cases where the per diem applied for is in excess of the prescribed rates, appropriate justification must be submitted with the application form to the Ministry of Finance and Planning for approval at least five working days before the proposed date of departure.

The document, which was dated April 6, 2006, was circulated by the Public Expenditure Policy Coordination Division in the Finance and Planning Ministry to all Permanent Secretaries, heads of departments, agencies and chief executive officers of public bodies.

It detailed the "new procedures" governing official visits abroad and was signed by Colin Bullock, financial secretary.

Entitlement

The ministry paper pointed out that public officers at the rank of Permanent Secretary or senior officer are entitled to US$270 for official visits to North America.

However, official documents provided by Jamaica House under the Access to Information Act showed that Pat Sinclair-McCalla, received more than twice the stipulated amount per day for a two-night and three-day trip to New York last October. No justification was found among the information provided by the OPM. On that same trip to New York, Press Secretary Lincoln Robinson and Deborah Hickling, special assistant to the Prime Minister, also received more than twice the amount they were entitled to. Again, no justification was noted.

Details of a three-night and four-day visit to New York in August showed that Mrs. Sinclair-McCalla, Ms. Hickling and Mr. Robinson again received more than the stipulated sum. The officials got close to US$1,500 each for that trip when they should have received US$1,080.

An application for the release of foreign exchange for official visits abroad indicated that Verna Parchment, former Jamaica Labour Party Member of Parliament, who crossed the floor in May 2006, received similar disbursements. However, Mr. Robinson said that while Ms. Parchment was invited to accompany the Prime Minister, she did not make it.

Government money

When contacted, Ms. Parchment told The Sunday Gleaner that she did not get an invitation let alone receive money for the trip. "I don't get anything. Nobody consulted with me saying that they were taking me on any trip," she said. "And, I don't need government money to travel."
Under the rules laid down by the Finance and Planning Ministry "where the full amount of an advance was not utilised or is not properly accounted for, the public official must refund within seven days of return to Jamaica".

However, it was not ascertained if the money received for Ms. Parchment was returned.

The same thing happened on two three hour and 40 minute trips to New York in August and October.

The apparent abuse continued on the trip to Cuba in September, which lasted approximately one and a half hours. Ms Hickling, Mrs. Sinclair-McCalla and Pamela Redwood, executive assistant to the Prime Minister, all flew first class into Cuba and economy back from the XIV Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. Only Mr. Robinson flew economy both ways.

At the same time, the document from the Finance and Planning Ministry made room for "all Cabinet ministers". It said that only they "may occupy hotel suites while on official visits overseas". However, "where this is proposed, full particulars pertaining thereto are to be submitted to the Permanent Secretary in order to facilitate assessment and adjustment of the per diem payable as may be necessary". This then means that the US$410 that the Prime Minister should receive for per diem while in the United States on official business may be increased. While it is still unclear if the Prime Minister applied for the adjustments, every trip she made to North America surpassed the standard allotment.

Mr. Robinson told The Sunday Gleaner that he did not know if justification was received for his boss. He referred our news team to the Permanent Secretary. On the two-night and three-day visit to New York in October, the Prime Minister received a total of US$4,200, which included US$1,500 for contingency that she received on every trip. Mrs. Simpson Miller received US$250 per day for meals and subsistence and spent close to US$2,000 for two nights in a New York hotel. For the official visit to Washington, D.C in June, Mrs. Simpson Miller received little more than US$5,700. She paid close to US$750 per night for four nights on hotel accommodation while on that visit.