Moving

I quite like the features on wordpress better than blogger so I've decided to take the plunge and move over there. My blog is now at http://outamehhead.wordpress.com.

Best Trini quote of 2007

"If a man comes to attack you and he is armed, you do not have to wait
for him to kill you for you to defend yourself," - Ramesh Lawrence
Maharaj

Source: Trinidad Guardian Dec 9th, 2007

Waiting for Justice

According to Wikipedia, the population of New York as of 2006 was 19,306,183. New York is a total of 54,475 square miles (141,089 km²) in area, making it the third most populous city in the USA.
According to Wikipedia, the population of Trinidad and Tobago as of 2005 was 1.3 million. Trinidad and Tobago is a total of 1,979 square miles (5,128 km²) in area, making it a fraction of the size of New York.
According to the BBC, the murder rate in New York for the year was 428 as of November 18.
According to the Express, Guardian, Newsday, Bomb, Punch, Tanty, Granny and everybody else, the murder rate so far in Trinidad and Tobago is 338.
So could someone explain to me how the hell a country that is the size of a pimple on the face of New York could have a murder rate that almost as high as that of New York? Even more disturbing is the fact that while New York's murder rate is going down and is presently at the lowest it has been in 40 years, in T&T ours seems to be going up.
According to the BBC,

The soaring murder rate of the late 1980s and early 1990s was largely a result of turf wars between gangs running the crack cocaine trade. The turnaround in violence from the early 1990s was attributed to the city's zero tolerance policy, which saw police crack down on minor offences and drug dealing.

Gang warfare? That sounds familiar. But zero tolerance policy? Even on minor offences? Eh eh. Not in sweet T&T where anything goes, and our national motto is "Free Up Yourself".
In addition to the attitude of citizens, a big part of the problem is the ridiculous justice system where cases are tied up in courts for years and years. The Bible as a book of wisdom explains T&T's position quite simply but accurately in Ecclesiasties 8:11. It says:

When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.

Plain and simple, there is the root cause of our problem. Everybody could do anything and get off scot free, so everybody does what they want.
Even in the schools, students rule because they can't be disciplined or expelled for bad behaviour, so they do what they want.
Murder, crime, violence, road deaths; all are tied in to the lack of accountability in T&T. Anything goes in this sweet land of ours.
To the authorities... Bring back accountability. Please fix our justice system or lack thereof. It's killing T&T.

P.S. If you want to have media briefings from the police, please find someone who can speak clearly and fluently and who will not pause after every three words to think of what to say next. It's annoying to have to listen to that sort of nonsense and it makes those who run the system appear even more incompetent.

Panday's last stand

Basdeo Panday, you are an idiot. I have to say that after listening to the tirade you unleashed subsequent to losing the general elections in Trinidad and Tobago. You practically blamed the Congress of the People for the UNC-A's loss, saying that they split the vote and took away votes that would have gone to the UNC. Mr Panday, for your information, if somebody wants to vote for you they will, whether or not there is another party on the scene.

I know for a fact that a great many of the people who voted for the COP were people who would have traditionally voted for the PNM as what they considered the lesser of two evils, the greater evil being you. These folks were tired of both the PNM and the UNC and wanted change. The people who voted COP didn't want you, Bas. What they wanted was something new, and not the same old stupid talk. You have nothing new to offer. So sit down, take back the Opposition Leader post from Kamla (like how you take everything else from her) and shut up. You will never be Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago again.

The real meaning of politics

Politics: from the Greek "poly" (meaning "many") and "ticks" ("bloodsucking parasites").
A lot of bloodsuckers are running around this weekend. They've already bitten thousands, but I'm not worried. The invasion soon will be over. They'll disappear again and go back to their own pursuits come November 6.

T&T still waiting to take pole position

Yesterday I was going to write and complain about the PNM campaign truck loaded with speaker boxes that drove down my street and became entangled in the electricity wires, pulling them down together with telephone and cable lines, causing the concrete pole to break and plunging my entire area into darkness for five hours. I said I would not have complained because the lack of computer and TV helped my wife and I to bond. There was no light, so we had a candlelight dinner of potato salad and apple juice. We talked, we laughed like idiots and made noise and it was good to get away from the routine of things and just take time to relax together. We got to know each other a little more and it was nice. After a while I didn't really mind that the computer shut off in the middle of my work and I lost everything I had done since my last save.
But oh gosh I have to complain. When I could pass down the street and see the broken electricity pole hanging over the road like an archway, waiting to fall on someone or their car, I must get vex. I know the TTEC people leave the pole because TSTT and the cable company have to come and handle their wires. Let me say, I have not much complaints about TTEC. Anytime there is a breakdown, a crew is dispatched very quickly, and service is restored in reasonable time, at least in my experience. When the incident happened yesterday, within five minutes TTEC was on the job. Where was TSTT? Where is the cable company? Still these people treat citizens with scant courtesy. Perhaps they are waiting for the pole to fall on someone's head before the do something about it, then apologise for the "unfortunate incident."
Despite all the talk of vision 2020, once again we have evidence that Trinidad and Tobago is still living in the 19th century.

The United National Congress of the People's National Movement

Trinidad sweet, yes. I got these in my email today. I would think it was staged, but still interesting. If only such unity were really possible. T&T might have been a better place to live in.