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Messages - Die_Hard

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1
General Discussion / The Blind and the Blind
« on: October 06, 2012, 09:51:51 AM »
Phillip Edward Alexander


One morning a blind bunny was hopping down the bunny trail tripped over a large snake and fell. 'Oh please excuse me,' said the bunny. 'I didn't mean to trip over you, but I'm blind and can't see.'

'That's perfectly all right,' replied the snake. 'To be sure, it was my fault. I didn't mean to trip you, but I'm blind too, and I didn't see you coming. By the way, what kind of animal
are you?'

'Well, I really don't know,' said the bunny. 'I'm blind, and I've never seen myself. May be you could examine me and find out.'

So the snake felt the bunny all over, and he said, 'Well, you're soft, and cuddly, and you have long silky ears, and a little fluffy tail and a dear twitchy little nose. You must be a bunny rabbit!'

The bunny said, 'I can't thank you enough. But by the way, what kind of animal are you?' The snake replied that he didn't know either, and the bunny agreed to examine him, and when the bunny was finished, the snake asked, 'Well, what kind of an animal am I?'

The bunny had felt the snake all over, and he replied, 'You're cold, you're slippery, and you have no balls...You must be the political leader of the COP....'

2
General Discussion / Section 34 Thread
« on: September 18, 2012, 04:10:28 PM »
Nothing but the Truth... (Section 34 Cont'd)

Very rarely do we get such a clear view behind the scenes at the inner workings of party politics when in government, but it seems that what many have been referring to as curry duck and scotch politics may have have erupted prematurely over bubbly beverages in Tobago where it hit a snag.

Make no mistake, this whole Section 34 fiasco was not just a cluster-screw-up of epic proportions nor 'novel-esque' fiction brought to life, but a real tale of seedy conspiracy involving men of ill repute who, besides having multiples of matters before local courts for bid rigging and corruption are also wanted internationally to answer questions relating to money laundering and connections with at least one of the biggest drug cartels in the world.

How this comes to be associated with Ministers of government and an alleged attempt to pervert the course of justice using the nation's legislature and some of the highest Offices in the land is destined to make for some gripping reading and I daresay we are in for quite a ride before we get to the back of this book.

Listening to the Chief Justice in his address at the ceremonial opening of the new law term debunk the notion that the Act in question was either intended to or was functionally capable of being proclaimed and implemented piece-meal or before time saw every obstructionist misdirecting defense put forward by all of the government's hired guns fall flat and one is left wondering, who is attending to this damage control?

Did the Sports Minister for example know that much of what he was saying at that time was a lie? Does he know that now?

To hear the remonstrations of His Excellency the President of the Republic in his address at the same event one is tempted to ask 'M'lud, did you not think to summon these same fortitudes when beseeched to act on Independence Day?'

Caught in arguably the most ignoble of pursuits and instead of simply coming straight with the people they swore to serve impartially and fair, the AG and crew seem to have opted instead for accelerating out of the skid by adding arrogance and bluster to the already swirling mass of conjecture that has many of the citizens of this country spitting mad.

Thinking us jackasses the way dumb farm animals are jackasses, the Attorney General straddled the nation's Parliament on Wednesday and went off on a righteous misdirecting tirade seemingly bent on putting the whole Section 34 matter if not at the feet of the opposition then at least on the entire Parliament itself in an attempt to make the matter go away, but by the time he and the other equally animated contributors from that side were finished, not only did they fail miserably so to do, they may very well have succeeded at making the entire matter that much worse.

Who are the 'high' people that made the decision to proclaim the section as alluded to by the Sports Minister?

The worst flogging has to be reserved for the Minster of Justice though, who it appears seems to have put his brain in a blind trust when he left the bench to take up public office.

Did he really expect to throw a cat among the pigeons and that things would proceed quietly? Why aren't his stories adding up?

Who else was in the loop? Was the Prime Minister involved? What exactly did she know and when? The irony in all of this is that the same people who were treated with such scant  respect may have the final say, and I daresay should not contemplate judgement or attach consequence until we have learned the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Now that everyone of note has weighed in on the issue it appears that the only thing that we know with absolute clarity and certainty beyond a shadow of a doubt at this point in time is that the people of this country are held in the highest contempt by at least the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice if not the entire United National Congress and their co-conspirators in government.


Posted by Phillip Edward Alexander at 8:07 AM

3
General Discussion / The Rise of Papa Jack?
« on: August 22, 2012, 10:02:15 AM »
 The Rise of Papa Jack?

I know it is impolite to begin a conversation with a question, but in this instance I have no choice but to ask, is Trinidad & Tobago on its way to becoming a police state?

On the anniversary of a still not yet properly explained State of Emergency where the rights of the citizens were trampled upon for no given or justifiable reason, those responsible are playing fast and loose with their obligation to the population and are ignoring the growing calls to explain what exactly was the thinking behind the move.

And the reason I say fast and loose is that, for something like a State of Emergency to work then certainly the people have to agree.

Imagine the consequences to government if for any reason the national consensus becomes that the government abused its power for no good reason, on what would it rely to exercise its authority in the future? What would be the result if the government tried to declare another state of emergency and God forbid, the people refused to comply?

See how quickly the ground on which we walk could become slippery?

In a democratic republic where the rule of law is supreme and the Constitution of the Republic the Supreme Law, one must always return to the people in whom all power is vested if not for a fresh mandate then to at least explain your actions when they appear at odds with the people's will.

It is only in dictatorships, police states and absolute monarchies could the will of the people be ignored and their concerns easily brushed aside, but unless there are individuals in the government with royal delusions, the signs as they exist point in another more sinister direction.

Minister of Everything Jack Warner's singular decision to enlarge the police service with first five and now ten thousand Special Reserve Police officers is troubling and one has to be concerned as to what exactly is taking place with our democracy.

People who specialize in law enforcement who continue to insist that ours is not a manpower shortage problem but a manpower management and deployment problem are being ignored by those with no knowledge whatsoever, and the belief that the solution lies in an arms race and an escalation of violence may well further lubricate the landscape with an inexhaustible supply of blood long before anything even remotely resembling success could make itself known.

Jack's tongue in cheek calls to police to be more severe with the criminals they encounter may result in a push back that none of us can envisage at this time, and in a country that seems more and more ready to boil over, adding more fire could only end in more tragedy and loss of life on both sides.

Personally I worry for my country. I believe that crime, especially violent crime is being allowed to run unchecked to encourage the people to erroneously choose a suspension of human rights and civil liberties as an option, ignoring Benjamin Franklin's admonishing that 'those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither and will eventually lose both.'

There is nothing good down this road that we are on but the concentration of all power into one man's hands and this must never be allowed to occur, especially in a time when people all over the world are literally dying to wrest power back from similar self imposed strong men.

Students of history know that it is not so much those who facilitate wrong that are most to blame, but those who have the power to prevent it and sit idly by and let it happen.

An informed and active electorate is more powerful than anything in the maintenance of a democracy, and it is time our people moved from the sidelines of voting (maybe) every five years and getting more actively involved in the decisions that are being made on their behalf.

If I am wrong then surely we could lose little by deepening our democracy and empowering our people. But what if I'm right?

Posted by Phillip Edward Alexander at 7:15 AM

4
General Discussion / Re: Exoneration or escape?
« on: July 22, 2012, 10:53:12 AM »
Jack put two hand...both in de cookie jar.

5
General Discussion / Ahhh Jack, Jack, Jack........
« on: July 22, 2012, 10:46:17 AM »
Plain Talk - Phillip Edward Alexander

Sunday, July 22, 2012
Give Jack his Jacket....

Ahhh Jack, Jack, Jack........not since the movie 'Titanic' has that one name captivated so many and held them so spellbound for so long. Austin Jack Warner, our teflon antihero with that quick, stuttering wit, you who should be fodder for the media (if we had an independent media of course), but never mind, I will do my best to record your shenanigans for posterity as best as I can.

Unlike the hero from the aforementioned movie, our Jack is straight up 'in your face' constant, wanna-be action-hero with a bullet, and now that he has an entire police force and an army to boot, things could get interesting.

Make no mistake, not a day goes by when I am not caught completely off guard by what comes out of this man's mouth so effortlessly, and I would like to thank our Prime Minister for elevating this national treasure to the post of Minister of National Security because, while there was little if any opportunity for his now famous 'Jack-isms' while talking about roads and bridges, as National Security Minister there seems to be no limits to the crazy-speak that flows trippingly from his lips with such little effort on a daily basis.

Someone got killed?

Send the police home with guns.

Someone else got killed?

Send them home with the cars too.

Another murder?

Draft the firemen into the army.

Never one to stick around long enough to see the actual results of his plans or proposals, when confronted with a headline '35 murders under Jack,' his deadpan response that he did not kill any of them was trademark 'voop first and answer questions later' Jack.

I remember the first time we realized that, of all the jokers in Kamla's pack, Jack was destined to be chief jester for at least the full five years (barring of course, the need for some reason to leave town in a hurry).

Threatened early on for the position of chief clown by that lovable loon Therese Baptiste-Cornelis (then Minister of Health & Silly Tantrums) and comic gymnast - 'huggable' Herbert Volney (Minister of Justice, fine brochures and WASA fetes), Jack had to establish himself in quick time and in quick time he did when, during his first stint as acting Prime Minister he offered a little boy who was kidnapped, subsequently abandoned for some reason and who found his own way out of the forest a National Award and a FIFA watch.

The negative public response was so severe I thought Jack was finished, complete, kaput, but without missing a beat or a step he showed us his now trademark doublespeak two-step and convinced everyone watching (including the very media that recorded what he said the night before) that it was not a National Award he meant but something else, something he could not name, something entirely new, so we named it for him, and at that moment a superstar and the Jack Award's were born.

They said of Apple founder Steve Jobs that he had the ability to distort reality and I would like to say that our Jack has that gift too.

Able to walk through fire and come out not even smelling of smoke.   How do you explain him having his nuts so far over the fire over the 'cash for votes' bribery scandal that rocked world football governing body FIFA to its very core and appeared destined for international courts, charges and an alphabet soup of law enforcement agencies, and yet Jack walked away from that clean as a whistle, unbleached, unblemished and un-neutered, save and except of course for the disgraceful expulsion from world football with the caveat that he not even step on a football field anywhere on the planet, Jack spun his way out of even that.

Now he is Minister of National Security, and while at first many thought the rumors of the coming appointment had to be a joke, turns out the joke was on us.

Take the announcement on his first day in Office as a prime example, that the firemen were going to be drafted into his crime plan. This came so far out of left field it caught people unsure as to what position to take and mind you, this is a country that added a red, white and blue blimp to its crime fighting arsenal so nothing at this point should be able to shock the weary public.

Is this a good thing?

Do firemen know how to shoot?

And if the firemen were busy fighting crime, who would fight the fires? It didn't matter because like most things Jack says, it isn't meant to be real, just to confuse, distract and confuffle. 

Anyway,  Action Jack, fresh from his first stint in 'the field' together with Colin Partap (who has since been dubbed Robin to his (Warner's) Batman), and having arrested notorious crime lord Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh and demolished his evil lair, next proposed the drafting of cadets into the police service, again to a confused public response. Someone sarcastically suggested at this rate maybe Jack was about to enlist doubles vendors and T&TEC workers into his new army, leaving me to wonder what about the homeless, caught in the tug of war between Louis Lee Sing's desire to clean up  Gotham and Glenn Ramadharsingh's desire to do nothing at all, maybe this was something worth looking into.

I have always been a proponent of arming the homeless just to see what they would do, and here was an opportunity to go all the way and give them badges and police cars too.

Could make for interesting nightly news other than the tired boring 'this one was gunned down' and 'that one was murdered' fare night after night after night after night, wouldn't it? - “Madman arrests pigeon for jay walking, film at eleven.” It could work.

How about store clerks, singers and actors, can they be police as well? What is the limit or the criteria? Street walkers and street sweepers, sign painters and paint makers, can they be police?

How about the clergy, the imams, priests and nuns, the head of DOMA, Om Lalla, where does it stop? Should we enlist everybody?

Maybe that is Jack's master crime plan after all. With one point three million people playing police, there will be nobody left to play thief. It's such a crazy idea it just might work......

Posted by Phillip Edward Alexander at 4:43 AM

7
General Discussion / Re: No Country for Old Men.... (No Confidence)
« on: March 04, 2012, 09:21:08 AM »
Whapning pardner.

good article by the way.

I am very good so far.  Just monitoring the goings on in this mimic land.

8
General Discussion / Show Me Your Motion
« on: March 04, 2012, 09:20:25 AM »
Plain Talk - Phillip Edward Alexander

Sunday, March 4, 2012
Show Me Your Motion....


The motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister has been defeated, arguably an outcome predetermined from the start based on the division of numbers in the Parliament. Many damning revelations of abuses that are allegedly taking place at all levels of government were exposed during the marathon sitting, but, and as occurred under the last administration when it too was new in Office, this 'new' group has not yet stolen 'enough' to surpass their accusers so they are being 'given a pass.'

They say turnabout is fair play but surely Dr. Rowley could not have anticipated that his motion could have backfired as badly as it did, and besides giving the usual suspects (especially those who specialize in misdirection) a perfect opportunity to further gild the lily where the Partnership is concerned, it provided them with yet another opportunity to demonize the PNM in justification for their own existence. In this long and arduous debate for the contributors and spectators alike there have been very few winners but some notable losers.

The first casualty of the exercise has to be the Congress of the People, who may have now fully surrendered their 'separateness' as a distinct and separate Party to the UNC. Their overwhelming public support for the Prime Minister may have indelibly blurred the lines between the two Parties forever, and listening to the demonstrations of loyalty and outpouring of love on the response campaign, one would have been hard pressed to tell where one side ends and the other begins. To many who deal with only 'what is before them' this is not such a big deal, but students of history and those who take the long view of politics well know that this new handicap on the Party will become most evident if ever there is an opportunity for the Parties to square off once again as adversaries. One wonders if such an eventuality were to occur how the conversation might then go, but perhaps it may be the dawning of polite politics with the winner of the next election being decided by a 'by your leave' or 'no, after you, I insist.'

The People's National Movement lost even more ground as they labored to prosecute their case against the government even while still struggling to hold back tsunami of wrongdoing that took place on their watch. Dr. Rowley's assertions that his side did not fear the numbers in the House because of the thirty three Parliament experience is a little disingenuous and he knows it, because unlike what obtains now on his bench, none of the then 'three' were suspected or accused of being part of any wrongdoing. Having the almost open revolt  in his Party being further displayed for public consumption by the likes of Amery Browne and Colm Imbert in their choice of neckwear is not helping, and despite protestations to the contrary by Marlene McDonald that it is 'just a tie,' in this case a tie is much more than 'just a tie' and everybody knows it. The PNM's political leader (in whose name this motion was piloted) may have lost the most of all, because among the issues outlined in his contribution there did not appear to be enough of a reason to raise such a serious motion. This defeat may well be the last straw for a career that really could not have afforded another failure, especially one of this magnitude.

Far and away though in my estimation the biggest losers in this matter has to be the people of Trinidad & Tobago, who had to endure this embarrassing record breaking display of 'who tief more than who' for just over twenty six hours. If it were possible for them to lose whatever faith they had left in their public officials and the broken systems that allows such abuses to take place unhindered, then it is fair to say that all faith is now lost.

Sean Penn's character says at the end of the movie Fair Game - “The responsibility of a country is not in the hands of a privileged few; We are strong and we are free from tyranny as long as each one of us remembers his or her duty as a citizen.”

To everyone with an interest in this country the question that wants to be asked is where do we go from here? That question should occupy us all because, as this debate and this motion has clearly shown, where we are and what we have right now is not serving us well at all.

9
General Discussion / No Country for Old Men.... (No Confidence)
« on: March 02, 2012, 10:02:17 PM »
Plain Talk - Phillip Edward Alexander

Friday, March 2, 2012
No Country for Old Men.... (No Confidence)

They say young men dream of the future and how things could be while old men can only remember the past and the way things used to be. Fifty years into our independence Trinidad & Tobago still has no clue what she is or what she wants to grow up to be. Rich with the inheritance of oil she has been courted by some of the best with promises of a bright future only to be used, abused and let down in the end.

There was a time when the politics of the country was cleaved right down racial lines, where the two major Parties battled for the political and economic heart of the nation for their side. Over the course of our history there have been many advocates who dared to dream of one nation, one people, and who have worked tirelessly at bringing unity and racial equality to the politics.

The Congress of the People is the latest incarnation of that vision and the hope of a people that maybe, just maybe we could undo what was done fifty years ago and get our politics right.

Every political career whether successful or failed is marked by significant events and the moment Prakash Ramadhar as political leader of the Congress of the People stepped onto the campaign trail in defense of circumstances he knew to be wrong and which contradicted his own public positions   he made a lie of everything the Congress of the People stood for.

How is the politics supposed to grow if, when presented with a perfect opportunity to demonstrate, promote and defend new politics you flub your lines? He had to have known that this was never a Partnership issue and had NOTHING whatsoever to do with the Congress of the People, so why was he in it? This was a direct challenge against Kamla Persad Bissessar by the opposition and it was her Party's role and responsibility to defend her if they saw it fit.

The COP members in the House were supposed to be instructed to abstain, to stay out of PNM/UNC business and bide their time. THAT is how an 'independent' member Party of a coalition behaves. Where in the Fyzabad Agreement does it say that from May 24th 2010 we agree to sweat for each other's fever right or wrong? And if it could be interpreted that way then how then is this a coalition and not an amalgamation?

I ask again, if the Congress of the People is an independent political organization with its own political designs, why did the leadership involve the Party in an issue that had nothing whatsoever to do with it? Now by this action the Congress of the People has publicly sold its soul to the devil that is the United National Congress and no amount of sweet talk and double speak can undo this.

There is no way the Congress of the People can go before the electorate again with 'clean hands and a pure heart' as neither fish nor fowl because, when given an opportunity to choose sides it chose one. The problem with that picture is not the choice but the choosing.

If the Congress of the People believed itself to be a national Party with leadership intentions and governing aspirations in its own right then it could not have supported either.

To many this was always inevitable and much of the posturing and 'New Politics' was just old fashioned bargaining and horse trading, but to many others still the Congress of the people was a beacon of hope to a better place for all of us.

It represented the possibility for change that would elevate the way we lived together, how we interacted, how we shared, and where we could go as one multi ethnic rainbow people. Now that dream is dead and the members of the Congress of the People need to face the music that not only are they now officially members of the UNC, they are members without rights or privileges.

We may never know what Prakash and Co. got for selling out the Party if anything at all, but regardless of what it was it could never be enough. How can you put a price on hope?

Regardless of  the reasons behind what occurred, this took a marked lack of vision and a capitulation to ease to make real. Nothing good happened here and, presented with a real opportunity for leadership, the Party snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

10
General Discussion / Welcome to Fantasy Island.........
« on: February 18, 2012, 09:49:36 AM »
Phillip Edward Alexander
Welcome to Fantasy Island.........

Okay, okay, I get it now. I refuse to believe it that it took me so long to get it and I must admit I am feeling a little ashamed, but I get it. Only after watching the illusionary splendor of our political influenced carnival for the second year in a row did it all click, and wow, it's really like looking through the looking glass when you get it.

I finally understand why the Prime Minister's residence is called La Fantasie, I mean, what other name could be more apt? Living there is usually as the result of mesmerizing the electorate with grand promises and nothing gestures like a magician manipulating time and space to deliver illusions, and in T&T the best magic show gets to go on to claim the first prize, five years in our own Magic Kingdom, La Fantasie. In La Fantasie the rules do not matter. You could make things appear, disappear and then reappear by just saying a word. You could conjure up whole new realities for everyone, and everyone is supposed to suspend their powers of disbelief and play along.

Similar to the 'results' in the Soca Monarch show, it's not SUPPOSED to be real. While the grand spectacle of the show is fantastic and the effort that most performers put out lulls you into the belief that there is a chance that the decision is being made based on the quality of the song, the performance and the stage presentation, it is obvious now that those messy details are taken care of well in advance so as to prevent any untoward or embarrassing mishaps.

Or the plot against the Prime Minister, it's meant to pull your leg, nothing more, and if anything I want to thank THIS government for the effort they put into the misdirection show. Whoever is coaching them backstage is doing one helluva a job, because once they agree on a story or a plot line, they all work so hard to sell it. Were the conspirators 'in' on the plot to expose a plot? I want to believe so because we've heard nothing since, not even a highly paid lawyer raising the messy spectre of a wrongful arrest lawsuit, so it must be that they all were part of one well planned, well delivered, piece of theatre.

I guess that's the reason there were at least seven different reason for the State of Emergency. Like plot lines in a 'coming attraction,' they were simply 'floating ideas' to see which one got the most traction and I must say as a policy it makes sense. I love the commitment to decision once made and I would like to applaud John Sandy above all else for the role he played, channelling a career in the disciplined armed forces into a strict one line delivery is hard and shows that this man has a huge future in the theatre if he chooses to pursue it.

I am laughing at myself for now 'getting' what Party Manifestos are. They're not like, promises or anything, but are there for pure entertainment value. Take last election and 'Rise' for example, anybody Rise? No, they weren't SUPPOSED to. Next election could be 'Twist,' as in 'We will Twist,' but don't expect to really twist, is just a joke, a make believe, a come along. Or 'New Politics,' that was a good one. It could just as easily have been Candy Coated Oxtail, just meant to sound interesting, nothing more. If 'New Politics' mesmerized them this time, then next elections let's try 'Focused Governance' or 'Prioritized Deliverables.' Anything really, that the masses could bite onto and use as a mantra, and I feel relieved to finally understand why none of the words and actions of any of our politicians ever add up.

All the time that I have been referring to T&T as La La Land, or quoting David Rudder and calling it Pappy Show Land I didn't know how close to the truth I really was. Now I have to reorganize my plans to make use of this eye opening discovery. Next year we are going to bring out a mas band/music troupe/political organization all in one called the People's United Congress, and we are going to PUC down the place for sure. Now that nothing that is said has to be real, our campaign slogan/soca monarch song could be either 'PUC You' or 'PUC Away' and we could win, we could sweep all the titles, because if is one thing we in this land of make believe loves, it is a PUC-ing good time.

11
General Discussion / More Vagina Politics...
« on: January 19, 2012, 11:54:29 PM »
"Instead of the iron fist in a velvet glove we were promised on the hustings, we are treated to sash wearing, truck-bed riding, magazine posing, beauty queen behavior while the country is circling the drain.

I pointed out during the campaign that she offered nothing of substance then, and sadly she offers nothing of substance now. You CANNOT run a country on platitudes and photo ops, regardless of what the fashion magazines say.

It simply does not work that way. The people are sick to death of the 'drunk on the party line' talking heads who simply regurgitate cultic drivel for points and props and are desperate for something like calm, cohesive and sensible governance.

Kamla Persad Bissesar may not fully understand that being the first female Prime Minister comes with tremendous responsibility; Her moment in the sun is 'pregnant' with the aspirations of every woman behind her, desperate to be seen as equals in the male dominated world of top level politics and not just as sidekicks and bag holders.

It is not too late to save her legacy, but it is almost too late. Only Kamla knows the truth here, and while she may have little control over what she was, she still has the final say in who she allows herself to be, now and in the future.

Having kicked open the door to what was formerly a man's world, it would be tragically ironic if her actions and her legacy shuts it hard against other deserving women of substance in the future."

I wrote the above in an article entitled 'Vagina Politics' in 2010 and chose to revisit it in 2012 to see what, if anything, had changed.

Has the condition of women and women issues in society improved two years into the term of this country's first female Prime Minister?

One could be excused for expecting that by now the Cabinet, the Senate and every manner of institution and available appointment would be populated by strong women of substance and character but sadly, the complete opposite is true.

Appearing not to care about the seemingly 'unimportant' things like precedents and conventions, our Prime Minister has done an even poorer job of securing women's issues to date than her male counterparts before her and may well have set women in leadership back decades by her example.

In a country whose cup literally runneth over with many, many extremely creative, supremely qualified and talented women in all spheres of artistic, intellectual and other pursuits who are capable of leading at the highest level it is a shame that whatever male driven insecurities surround her are being allowed to prosper.

In place of the anticipated elevation of women on her watch our culture is instead rampant with the marginalization of women as sex objects and the relegation of that gender to trivial pursuits with little or no regard to any other contribution they may want to make.

The rise in overtly sexist and demeaning positions from some religious quarters where women and their issues are concerned is very telling as to the 'mood' in society, and in corporate T&T the message seems to be you may have an MBA but you better have cleavage if you want to advance.

All things being equal and under normal circumstances she is legally entitled to at least a further three years in her current term, and if a day is a long time in politics, then three years is sufficient time for her to undo the damage she herself is doing.

Not even men want to live in an exclusively man's world as it is a dirty, confrontational, greedy and abrasive place.

I would go so far as to say women make us men better, and if that is the case then we could use their help at the highest levels where, sadly, left to our own devices, we have made a terrible mess.

Kamla needs to set the tone for society to follow and a good place to start would be by insisting on a fifty fifty division of Ministries among men and women in her Cabinet and the inclusion of a women's agenda; These two things alone would have a huge and positive impact on where we as a nation go from here, and would go a long way to securing her a legacy worthy of this country's first female Prime Minister.

12
General Discussion / A kaiso for all de PP Supporters.
« on: January 19, 2012, 11:43:15 PM »
Phillip Edward Alexander

Between the former disaster of the strutting dictator
and the present dilemma of the drunken master
we in this place taking jam front and center
but doh study dat, wine and ben over....

... Rich man poor man tief and beggar
Everybody wet in de same setta water
rain fall, man bawl, like town on fire
Jump in de line, we feelin' fine, wine and ben over

Raise yuh glass, shake yuh rass, toast to Mother Nature
Down de road, shedding load, everywhere wet with karma
Wall fall, fridge and all coming down in de river
Slip in de wet, nobody fret, wine and ben over

Dan is de man with de people's plan, sharing hamper
brooms and mops, a bag of hops, two roll of toilet paper
No steel in de wall, bound to fall, whey de contractor?
Time to lime, doh waste no time, wine and ben over

Panic all around, house fall down, where de media
Everything fine, the sun will shine, cool yuh temper
Buss a smile, stay a while, wave at de helicopter
Turn around, sing de song, wine and ben over

Landslide, Government pride, somebody bring a camera
Hustle and rage, set de stage for de strike a pose theatre
Planning done and 'one iz one' so say de Minister
When nine days pass, we go play a mas and wine and ben over

13
Phillip E. Alexander
Political Suicide.... (on the State of Emergency)

As if intent on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, in one act Kamla Persad Bissessar has turned an entire nation against her and her government and has raised the stocks of people who are no longer even in the political arena. Now all of a sudden men like Roget and Panday are feeling the loving embrace of new friends as people warm up to the concept of them, or as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. What could have prompted this exercise in stupidity?

Someone said to me the funny thing is if they had set out to fail then they succeeded and I have to agree. Was this the results of a good idea gone bad?

Even men like the venerable Ken Gordon and stalwarts like Martin Daly, former supporters of this same type of draconian measures are twisting and turning to find ways to justify or even understand what exactly it is the government is trying to do. The business community is counting its losses in the millions of dollars, and the small man as usual is being hit the hardest. All businesses that exist for a 'night' trade usually employ hourly paid workers who are not getting paid now because there is no work. To compound the matter the government has chosen to do this right before the expensive school books and supplies semester, making this a double whammy for the hardest hit. Had they thought this through I am sure that common sense would have prevailed but was anyone thinking?

One of the biggest casualties of this fiasco is that the strongest weapon that a government has in its arsenal to bring order back to a disrupted society has been diluted and neutered by this missue. Akin to burning down your house to rid it of roaches, using a state of emergency to control crime is as clear an admission of failure as anything could possibly be. Despite nights of torching and looting London never declared a State of Emergency nor did they institute a curfew. They put more officers on the ground with instructions to enforce the law. Why couldn't that have worked here?

I have been saying since May 24th that whoever is advising this Prime Minister is working dilligently against her and has as their designs the making of her into a fool. If I were to advise her now it would be to call off this state of emergency immediately and call whatever wins you have a victory. Put laws in place to follow on from here in a strong and positive manner. Invite the US to man our coasts, borders, ports and airways as our drug trafficking problem is a symptom of their drug consumption problem so it ought to be their responsibility on their dime. As we seem to clearly know the hot spots we should build police precincts and spread mobile police posts throughout them, especially at all entrances and exits to make shutting down one zone that much easier. Build the gun court and announce zero tolerance on illegal guns. Launch it with the proposed forty eight hour amnesty so who get 'ketch' after look for what they get.

Madame Prime Minister I do not know what it would take to salvage your reputation, your legacy and your government now, but ending this charade would be a massive step in the right direction. Fire your entire canbinet and start from scratch. There are good people in the society who are willing to serve their country, men and women of strong reputation and moral fiber, surround yourself with these. Make the eradication of poverty and crime your watch words, your focus and your mantra, and take steps to put things in place to show that you mean it. Create the proposed Second Chance Foundation to convert petty criminals into contributing members of society, and start to dismantle the walls of racial tension that have been building since May last year.

There is no time like the present to begin the work of undoing this serious cock up that your Cabinet and advisors are responsible for, and the faster you fire them all and start over the better.

14
What about Track & Field / Re: Allyuh remember this?!
« on: August 17, 2011, 09:17:54 PM »
crawfie and steve ran a 9.99  hand timed in arima..I was dey too

15
What about Track & Field / Re: D. Brown
« on: August 17, 2011, 01:55:43 PM »
The Minister finally pull he nose outta Jack Warner's ass...

16
General Discussion / Re: Kamla has dengue
« on: August 17, 2011, 01:22:40 PM »
SHE WAS AT HER DENTIST AT 2 PM YESTERDAy.....

17
General Discussion / Spy versus Spy!
« on: August 16, 2011, 10:08:19 AM »
The following article in today's Trinidad Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/08/16/ministers-mum-cellphone-tapping) bears testimony clear and eloquent.

Even though legislation was passed to govern use of wire-tapping by government agencies, a most notable aspect of this article is the sudden and dramatic about-face by Ministers of this government in their attitude to wire-tapping.
 
Let's go back a bit. In the midst of the Fazeer Mohammed controvesry, we had our Prime Minister dearest landing at the airport with "shocking revelations" that former Prime Minister Patrick Manning had engaged in the "illegal" wire-tapping of citizens.

In the parliament, she read out the names of persons who were allegedly wire-tapped by Manning. She swore to disband the SIA, and she even fired its then Director, Nigel Clement. We had the loud and garrilous fulminations of Suruj Rambachan, Jack Warner, Anand Ramlogan, Tim Gopeesingh and others all blowing fire and brimstone against the former Prime Minister for "invading the privacy" of citizens. We even heard of attempts and intent to destroy "the SIA files". When concerned citizens and people knowledgeable in these matters denounced this clear breach of national security, nobody cared. It was all politics then - "call name!", "jail dem!"..etc, etc, etc...
 
Now everybody gone quiet.

Suddenly out of the clear blue sky, Kamla and Suruj have become aware of wire-tapping as en essential tool of national security.

Today there is no reading out of the names of "wire tappees", no strident call for the disabling of wire-tapping apparatus. And curiously enough, nobody went to any judge in chambers to get a warrant to do any wire-tapping. Now out of favour with most of his fellow cabinet members, the yapping shrieks of parliamentay pitbull Jack Warner have been reduced to mournful whimpers or total silence. After all, HE may be on the new list of wire-tappees.
 
Where are the PP supporters, many of whom behaved as if wire-tapping was the greatest possible wrongdoing that should NEVER be done by ANY government.

Where are they now??

What are they saying??

How do they feel??

What was once a sin under Manning has now become a sincere concern for national security under Kamla, right??

I mean, after all, she has the uneviable task of averting a national strike, yes?? So she has the most plausible excuse to tap the phones of people like Ancil Roget, Anand Ramesar, Keith Rowley, Fitzgerald Hinds and God alone knows who else. "It's a matter of national security".
 
The other disturbing aspect of this matter is the following as quoted from the Guardian article cited above:
 
"In a letter to Government, Dorian said Digicel was contractually obligated to protect the privacy of customers and could only deviate from duties where clearly required to do so by legislation. He said Digicel had offered full support but this co-operation had not been reciprocated by the SSA."
 
Let's read that again....." He said Digicel had offered full support but this co-operation had not been reciprocated by the SSA."
 
So after all the mocking pretence of sincerity, bringing legislation to parliamnent to cloak wire-tapping activities under a legal framework - with the almost-unanimuous support of the opposition PNM, we now have a situation where the CEO of a mobile network is expressing concern that the SSA is not cooperating!!

How sweet!!

Is the SSA not living up to its terms of the legal provisions of the Interception of Communications Bill 2010 that was tabled by Kamla and passed with such fanfare?? Or have Kamla, Suruj, Tim, Sandy, and Co. had their "road to Damascus" moment where they now suddenly realize, as Patrick Manning knew all along, that wire-tapping in the interest of national security is a VERY tricky matter from a strict legal perspective?? Oh what a crisp and sharp about-turn!!

The soldiers of the TTDF must be livid green with envy...These people could march!!
 
Are we seeing the beginnings of the of the very same Prime Ministerial abuse that Kamla had so loudly denounced Manning for?? Personally, it looks that way to me, and I know I'm not the only one. If I am wrong, I would be delirously ecstatic with the joy of having been wrong on this matter.

18
Don't think it was a fluke either, he consistently made finals and ran fairly well afterwrads.  It seems to have gone to his damn head though.  I am so glad he has changed coaching...he should be getting better..I saw him in Jamaica duck at the tape to avoid coming last and losing to a high schooler.

19
?/? sorry about the spelling...

20
General Discussion / Re: America is the greatest country
« on: April 20, 2011, 03:21:41 PM »
Canada?  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

T&T..Sweet Trinidad and Tobago....this is God's country...surely you people jest..USA?  Canada?  T&T, T&T!!!

21
As soon as I boast about their skills at the high press they got caught out and nearly surrendered the lead...great game.

22
Ronaldo throw away the baby, bath water and the woman...lol

23
talk about pressing high up the pitch...Barca is showing how it shoud be done...indeed how it is dne!

24
Football / Re: Defending higher up the pitch
« on: April 18, 2011, 12:56:12 PM »
IMO not all teams could use that tactic.

You come up with that all by your self?   Big analysis that!

25
Football / Defending higher up the pitch
« on: April 18, 2011, 12:43:16 PM »
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thefootballtacticsblog/2011/04/was_toures_intervention_a_tell.html



Defending higher up the pitch is not a new concept by any means but it has become more notable recently because of the way Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side has employed the tactic so effectively.

England boss Fabio Capello adopted a similar ploy in the recent Euro 2012 qualifying victory over Wales after making his players watch videos of the La Liga champions.

And in a season where his team has been criticised for being too passive, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini used the tactic to great effect as his side recorded a surprise FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester United on Saturday.
 


The winning goal, superbly taken by City's Yaya Toure, was a case in point. The Ivorian intercepted Michael Carrick's pass outside the box before rounding Nemanja Vidic and slotting the ball past Edwin van der Sar on 52 minutes.

Carrick has been roundly condemned for his ill-judged pass in the build-up to the goal but credit should also go to man-of-the-match Toure, who nipped in to pinch the ball before it reached Paul Scholes.

Former Barcelona midfielder Toure had grown frustrated with a lack of appearances under Guardiola but he spearheaded City's five-man midfield at Wembley, proving he is much more than a defensive midfielder.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was aware of Toure's threat before the game as he employed a 4-5-1 formation against City, with Park Ji-Sung operating ahead of Carrick and Scholes in the midfield.

And it appeared to be the right move as United dominated the early exchanges and created two clear goalscoring opportunities, both spurned by Dimitar Berbatov.

But then City started to press their opponents higher up the pitch and, similar to the Liverpool side which beat United at Anfield recently, the Eastlands outfit began finding gaps between their opponent's deeper central midfield pairing.

"Maybe we had some fear in the first 20-25 minutes," said Mancini after the 1-0 success. "In the last 10-15 minutes of the first half, we started to play high, we started to press. In the second half, we dominated the game."

The resurgence was epitomised by Gareth Barry, who, along with Nigel de Jong, was the most successful tackler in the City midfield.

As for Toure, his involvement increased dramatically after the half-time interval. The number of times he touched the ball went up markedly, backing up City keeper Joe Hart's claim that the Ivorian was "fired up" and desperate to get a grip on the game.

 


Perhaps more telling was the number of interceptions made by City. In the first half, they managed eight compared to United's two. In the second, they made 16 to United's 10.

Then there was Carrick's passing accuracy. That fell from 92% in the first half to 74% in the second. Was that down to bad decision-making or because City's players were better positioned to pressurise and take advantage?

"Pressing high up the pitch is a risk and reward strategy," says former Arsenal full-back and Match of the Day pundit Lee Dixon.

"If it works - and it is hard work both physically and mentally - then the rewards are big. You obviously win the ball back closer to the opposition's goal and by the fact you press in numbers you normally have more people around the ball, hence more options to attack.

"The down side is that it only needs one person not to be working for it to break down. If this happens then you are very susceptible to a counter attack having gambled with players high up the pitch.

"Barcelona are a good exponent of this method. They press immediately after losing the ball anywhere on the pitch for a few seconds. If they don't win it back then they regroup.

"That said, if you can get through their first wave of pressing then they are, in my opinion, open and vulnerable."

United's cause certainly was not helped by the 73rd-minute dismissal of Scholes for a reckless challenge on Pablo Zabaleta. Ferguson was also without the services of Wayne Rooney, who missed the game because of suspension, although City had to make do without their own talisman, Carlos Tevez.

But are we seeing a subtle change of focus in the evolution of Mancini's team?

City continue to delight and frustrate in equal measure. Sandwiched between the semi-final over United and a 5-0 defeat of Sunderland was an abject loss at Liverpool.






26
General Discussion / We the People... (Where our future lies)
« on: April 11, 2011, 09:41:12 PM »
Plain Talk - Phillip Edward Alexander

"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.

And that there are things to be considered . . .."


All over the world people power is rising up and replacing autonomy and isolation. Everywhere you look people are joining hands and marching in union to common causes while we in Trinidad & Tobago remain divided and struggling against each other despite living in a land of vast and untold riches.

If we are ever to solve the problems that plague us we must unite against the common struggles of poverty, hunger, homelessness, despair and addiction; we must fight against the breakdown of the family and the community, and the destruction of our national identity.

Too many of our people are suffering and dying gruesome deaths and we as a people need to address this. Now is the time for people power. Not the people power of Egypt and Libya but the people power that raises up activists that builds and defends neighborhoods for the young and the old alike, that deals with community issues on a person by person level and contributes nationally for the greater good of all.

We need people power that understands the power of our combined spend and to use that power to encourage the banks and other lending institutions to offer mortgages at rates where every family can own their own home or they can no longer benefit from our business.

We need people power to make the government hear us as we insist on legislation that protects the weak from the strong and makes right out of wrong or they will be replaced.

We need people power to force State power into creating hope and opportunity for all, and to transform the frustration of desperation and 'making do' into land ownership through land reform and social support policies that work as well or better than any other nation in the world.

We need basic and humane living conditions for all our people as our base and starting position and we must make it so.

We need the established political order to know that we will not accept poverty and mediocrity anymore, not when our birthright is so rich and our inheritance so vast. We need to let them know that Trinidad & Tobago and all it contains belongs to all of its people and they must not be denied their rightful share any longer.

We who serve as activists do so because too many of our people are being trampled upon and left behind.
We see the pain and suffering of death due to gang violence, the orphaning of too many children to murder, poverty and disease, the abandoning of the working poor to their own devices, and the homeless and the destitute to war with the State for somewhere to sleep when night comes and we need all of that to come to an end now.

We live in enlightened times and we know the power of a united people to change the world; we have seen the promise of a people living the dream sharing the bounty of a beautiful land and this must be our goal.

My opening quote was from an Elder of the Hopi tribe, a people who believed in the power of the family, the community and the nation as provider and protector for all, the very same principles our country was founded upon.

He also said:

"The time for the lone wolf is over. 
Gather yourselves! 
Banish the word struggle from you attitude and your vocabulary. 
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we've been waiting for."

We are the ones indeed...

27
The following is my proposal for a reality TV show that could solve all of our political woes and give us some good entertainment while we're at it, all from the comfort of our living rooms.

The show will be called "Who Wants to be Prime Minister" and will be open to all political hopefuls and aspiring nationals.

How it would work:

All of the contestants will be taken to a remote island for seven weeks where they will undergo seven gruelling challenges, and the winning team will be asked to form the Government and their leader will automatically become Prime Minister.

Challenges:

Week 1


Challenge - Who's your Bagman

This challenge puts contestants from each team in a room full of money and garbage bags for five minutes; The team that bags and hides all of their money first wins.  - 20 Points


Week 2


Challenge - Piffle

This challenge gives both teams the opportunity to have one member speak non stop for five minutes. The first team to speak for the full five minutes while making absolutely no sense at all wins - 20 Points


Week 3


Challenge - Sex Lies & Videotape


Both teams will be given a box full of props from which to assemble something; first team to build something useless utilizing all props wins. - 20 points


Week 4


Challenge - Crossing the Floor


Both teams will be given twenty minutes to convince one or more of the other team to come over to their side; first team to successfully attract an opponent to cross the floor wins. - 10 points

NB - this challenge is not open to anyone with the last name Lasse or Griffith or who may be related to Ralph Maraj 


Week 5


Challenge - What I really want to be


All contestants will be given five minutes to convince the judges of a career they would rather be pursuing.

Pastor - 5 points President  - 5 points Dressmaker 5 points Nightclub DJ - 10 points


Week 6


Challenge - Excuses, Excuses


Each contestant will be given an unaccounted for million dollars and fifteen minutes to explain to the judges how they came to have it and why they should not be charged under the Integrity in Public Life Act


Week 7

Both sides will be given a list of friends and crimes they committed against the State; first team to get all of their friends off wins. - 50 points
Producers are also looking at having the public 'vote' for their next Prime Minister using mobile phones as it worked so well for the Chutney and Soca Monarch shows.


This show expects to attract many sponsors including Royal Castle and CL Financial among others.

We also anticipate support for the relocation of local funds via certain High Commissions and Embassies.


If it is a success we already have a killer ending for season two to be filmed where else but scenic Mayaro.

Stay Tuned....

Phillip Edward Alexander

28
And never did I say that racial tensions/discrimination does not exist in first world nations  But even YOU msut admit that basic civil rights are tantamount to improving the lives of citizens.

Dougla is NOT a race.

29
A Darker Shade of Black... (or a Lighter Shade of Pale)by Phillip Edward Alexander on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 2:34pm

“Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.”

 

Abraham J. Heschel

 

“In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race. There is no other way. And in order to treat some persons equally, we must treat them differently.”

 

Harry A. Blackmun

 

“I hate racial discrimination most intensely and all its manifestations. I have fought all my life; I fight now, and will do so until the end of my days. Even although I now happen to be tried by one, whose opinion I hold in high esteem, I detest most violently the set-up that surrounds me here. It makes me feel that I am a Black man in a White man's court. This should not be I should feel perfectly at ease and at home with the assurance that I am being tried by a fellow South African, who does not regard me as an inferior, entitled to a special type of justice.”

 

Nelson Mandela

 

 

I have encountered a type of racism today that I did not know existed, and its power to divide seems to lie with its ability to hide in plain sight.

 

To many, the initial reaction to perceived racism is usually a turning away and a silent rejection unless the recipient is himself racist, but the racism I describe here not only rejects, it returns fire whether warranted or not far beyond the scope of the initial position, again whether the perception was justified, real or imagined.

 

This has had the effect of watering down the debate or diluting the discourse so that, were we to approach a situation like alcohol abuse in one race, we would have to mention another race's penchant for violence and banditry, and perhaps even a third's involvement in the nefarious drug trade for example so as to be 'equal opportunity offenders' or worse, to scare 'outsiders' away from discussions outside of their own race altogether in some backward territorial display.

 

Does it take away from the fact that the initial premise may still be valid and at the heart of the malaise requiring attention?

 

No, but it empowers all sides and hardens positions based on justifying one race's wrongdoing because of another's.

 

I watched a situation dumbfounded over the weekend where a teenage boy who was caught stealing and carried to his mother so that she could deal with him, watched as his mother turned around and lambasted and disrespected those who she said were lying on her son. The fact that he was wearing the items that he stole had no impact on her, and in her rush to defend him from his captors may have inadvertently reinforced his belief in his right to a life of crime or to take whatever he wanted if the opportunity presented itself.

 

I suspect that I may see her again in the future if his planned life of crime delivers him back to her in a body bag, lamenting with pious tears what a good boy he was.

 

There is an inescapable truth that we are all interconnected socially and we impact each other's lives for good or bad depending on the choices we make. In this we are obligated to toe some level of respect for each other, the observance of the social contract and in the rule of law. When we leave that place it is quickly replaced by something akin to the law of the jungle where who dares wins, as is plainly evident to all who have eyes in all of the ills that plague our society.

 

Our first step towards first world status has to be with the people and their attitudes to themselves and each other and requires a relaxing of prejudices into a more united and 'national' approach if we are to come to terms with all of these frustrations to our quality of life. The second has to be an acceptance that there are issues specific to each race that need addressing individually, separate and apart if we are to bring everyone up to the same level playing field.

 

This must be the goal, to get everyone's standard of living on par with whoever has the highest standard of living right now, rather than defending turf that disempowers, neuters and isolates.

 

If we cannot do this then the uneasy peace we live with will not last forever and at some point for some silly reason all of the hopes and dreams of a plural and multi-ethnic society will burn away like chaff in the inferno of racial conflict.

 

There is little satisfaction to be had by being the one that prevents us from becoming a true family united as different shades of one people, and anyone who wants to build bridges to community where canyons now exist should be encouraged and rewarded rather than humbled and put in their place.

 

Something to think about...



30
General Discussion / Re: Attorney General Anand Ramlogan Thread
« on: March 03, 2011, 03:26:12 PM »
Anand was recently asking his Facebook "friends'" if they were aware of any articles that showed a link ot the death penalty and decreased crime.

Some AG that is!

LOL!!

You know that I am serious right?  I have to ask because when I saw his requests on Facebook, it was so strange to me.  Incredulous at best.

This man was touted as one of the best young legal minds in T&T and now he is hustling legal precedence and studies on Facebook.

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