Arseness

Nothing peeves me more than people trying to justify arseness.... ©

Dictator Logic

Not a year goes by without there being massive protest to accompany the G20 Summit of the world’s richest countries. As a matter of fact such protests are now seen as an integral activity preceding this Summit by international activist organisations. This year's G20 summit saw about 35,000 people assemble for protest action in London. Apart from literal protests many of these organisations send the G20 committees submissions, outlining their disagreement with certain policies or proposing new policies as a way forward for the citizens whose lives will be affected by the decisions made by the G20 leaders.

When one considers the above one really has to wonder if Patrick Manning is truly interested in making this country a developed country by 2020 and if he is, what exactly his definition is of developed country. Does his definition only include the construction of tall buildings, having an executive president and the ability to host summits (Political tea parties)? Or is it to enhance the standard of living for the citizens of this country through responsible leadership, diligent fiscal policies and the enhancement of and promotion of citizen’s democratic rights?

These questions must be asked because during the last Summit of Americas held in Port of Spain there was a dire breach of citizens rights through the setting up of a security zone around the Hyatt by the government. This was an outright illegal act as such powers falls under the Commissioner of Police and not Cabinet, a point Senator Dana Seetahal has repeatedly raised in the senate. What we had for the Summit of the Americas was a limited State of Emergency without the actual declaration of a State of Emergency. This action by government shows a worrying trend with regards its attitude for the rule of democracy and the rights of the citizens to whom they are accountable.

In addition to the above we saw the Government through its puppet James Philbert, trample on the citizens right to Freedom of Speech by refusing permission for Trade Unions and other interests groups from holding any type of march or protest in Port of Spain. Even at the Drummit for De Summit 2 in St. James which I attended, the police attempted to shut us down and came out in full riot gear for us despite the distance between us and the Hyatt. Freedom of speech in Trinidad and Tobago is under serious threat by this Patrick Manning led government. First of all it boggles the mind why with the existence of the Human Rights Charter as decreed by the United Nations, why we even have a law that states we must request permission from our Police Commissioner if we want to protest, are we living in a police state or are we living in a democracy? Someone needs to challenge the legitimacy of that law because it is in direct conflict to the following Human Rights declarations to which our country is a signatory:-

Human Rights 13, 18 – 21

13) Freedom of Movement

18) Freedom of thought

19) Freedom of Expression

20) Freedom to meet where you like

21) The right to democracy

With these rights in mind I couldn’t help but acquire a sour taste in my mouth when I saw on TV tonight, none other but our smiling dimpled face Prime Minister on the news saying that if anyone should protest during the upcoming Common Wealth Heads of Government Meeting they will not be embarrassing the government they will be embarrassing the country. That is nothing short of psychological political warfare, it is gutter snipe dictatorship logic. Citizens need to tell Patrick exactly where to get off with this empire like attitude thinking that citizens ought to hold some bizarre balisier ritual by walking over hot coals barefoot in honour of the father of the nation. Patrick’s claim that protesters will embarrass the country is akin to a relative telling a battered woman not to tell the police how her husband beating the living hell out of her because it will embarrass the ‘family’. Freedom of speech and freedom to assemble are not only our democratic rights they are also our human rights. It is indeed a travesty for a politician who was elected democratically to be so opposed to citizens exercising their democratic rights because what that does is illegitimise his very position as a ‘democratic’ leader. ©

PNM Mantra

Ah PNM mantra....."together we goh bite yuh together we goh bleed yuh! We goh tax yuh in de east, we goh tax yuh in de west, tax yuh in de north and tax yuh in de south!

Get A Life

Should someone suggest you get a life, you'd be wise to ignore their advice because a life is a very expensive thing to maintain. - Oke Zachary ©

The Truth About Black People

If you are genetically of African descent in any minute way, if you are ‘dark skinned’ or not of pure Caucasian bloodlines, I would strongly suggest that you ensure that you are seated comfortably, have a glass of water and some pain killers before you proceed to read this blog. What I am about to tell you will rock the very foundation of your ‘reality’ (or should I say the reality that was GIVEN TO YOU?). What I am about to tell you will unearth, crumble, crack, crease and shatter millenniums of ‘falsehoods’ imparted to peoples of colour, particularly to peoples of African descent. Falsehoods that have been securely passed on to generations after generations as a poisonous societal inheritance which is designed to ensure you ‘know your place’ in this crafty system of subconscious racism and bigotry.

My dear brothers and sisters and other enlightened individuals, the truth about black people is the fact that you are in fact not black! And I question you, if you are not black then why should you feign ‘black pride’ and accept a label that has been stuck onto your head decades before you were even born? Today we live in a world where a man whose mother was Caucasian and whose father was African is described as the ‘first black president of the United States of America’. Today I challenged some of my co-workers, I pulled out my literally black wallet and asked them what colour was my wallet to which they replied black. I then asked does Obama look like this colour? A resounding no was the answer. I then asked do I look this colour? A resounding No. I asked do you guys look this colour? A resounding No.

I then ask so why do you call Obama the ‘first black president of the United States’ and why do you call yourselves black? But they couldn’t grasp the simple commonsense analogy, so entrenched is the system of inferiority flowing through the veins of the children of slaves. I pointed at my wallet and said this colour is what you have been taught to be black from the day you were in Primary School when you were now learning about primary colours was it not? So why then after learning the fundamentals of colours, society then teaches you to believe with outmost conviction that people who are not Caucasian are in fact black?

And if in primary school when you mixed the colour white with black the resulting colour was not black but ‘gray’, why then are we taught that a man whose mother was white (i.e. Caucasian) and whose father was as they say ‘black’, he is in fact not considered white, not brown, not grey but is instead.....BLACK? Even Obama looks at his face in the mirror every single day, has been looking at that brown caramel face for 40 plus years every single morning, and so strong is the concentrated potion of racial inferiority flowing through his mental consciousness that he declares himself a ‘black’ man. One of my ‘fair skinned’ co-workers of East Indian descent felt she had a point to prove so she jumps into the fray and declares “But I would be black too if I go to the US.” So I look at her, I show her my wallet and I ask her if this is the colour of her skin. She does not answer my question but merely repeats that she is ‘black’. I ask who told you that? She replied “‘they say so, and that is how I was born.” I asked who ‘they’....she replies ‘they’.

She then declares that if she goes to the United States she wouldn’t say she’s black or Indian anyway (footnote....noticed she didn’t say she wouldn’t say she is African or Indian....she said ‘black or Indian’) she would say she’s a Trinidadian. At this point I recognise the thick coat of ignorance that has all but embalmed her consciousness, poor soul she doesn’t even know the difference between nationality and ethnicity. So I then asked her, if you say that when you go to the US if your ethnicity is questioned you would say you are a Trinidadian why do you and others refer to Obama as a ‘black’ American President? Why isn’t he just an American President full stop? Silence....no answer. (Footnote ... historically George Washington is listed as the first American President, it is of great importance to note that according to history there never was a first ‘white’ American President there has only been a first American President .....hmmmmm)

When the truth I spoke started to unravel the centuries of falsehoods in their subconscious I was then asked the typical question of denial, “So what does it matter anyway”. After millions of our ancestors and generations have been lost due to them being considered racially inferior it is of no consequence to their descendants as to why they are called ‘black’, when every single minute of every single day of their lives there has always been a brown face staring back at them in the mirror. The question alone suggests that we as a people do not know where we came from nor do we know and understand the pain suffered by our forefathers. We do not fully comprehend and appreciate the sacrifices of people such as Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther and Malcom X.

I was then asked the question ‘Wha happen you not proud to be black?’ And my response to that is a) I am not the colour ‘black’ and b) I am not proud to be black because the description of my people as being ‘black’ is in fact derogatory and has always been a derogatory term used by the Caucasian slave master. The word ‘black’, used to describe people of African descent was never used in a positive manner so why should I now adopt the derogatory labels which was used to psychologically maim my ancestors? When Nelson Mandela was fighting apartheid in South Africa he and the other indigenous South Africans who at that time and even today make up 90% plus of the population were dubbed as ‘blacks’. Before the abolition of slavery in the United States and throughout Europe, people of African descent were labelled ‘blacks’. When Rosa Parks demanded to sit at the front of the bus she was taken to court because as a ‘black’ she was to be in the back of the bus. Both Martin Luther and Malcom X were murdered because they challenged the system of oppression and discrimination levelled against the ‘blacks’.

That is the history of ‘black’ people, that is where the definition originated and the definition never lost its meaning. To willingly call yourself a ‘black’ person is to defend a system that is designed to keep you enslaved mentally, to make you believe that you are inferior by fooling you into thinking you should have pride in being labelled in a derogatory manner. To willingly call yourself a ‘black’ person is to act like a woman who despite being beaten mercilessly by her husband, defends her abuser and accepts the abuse as her entitlement in life. Why are we so proud to push our chests out and accept and maintain this crafty psychological abuse?

When people can look at a man with the skin complexion like Obama and say that he is ‘black’ is one of the reasons why I’m always amused when people claim to be fans of Bob Marley. Good ole uncle Bob had the opportunity to leave us a profound message before he passed.....”Free yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds”. Currently it is still okay to refer to British citizens of African descent as blacks but it is highly offensive to refer to a growing population of Indian immigrants as ‘Paki’......food for thought my friends......food for thought................... ©