'coconuts'

Looking at some of the video coming out of the northern Caribbean makes one almost speechless. One particular video of Barbuda with people walking around aimlessly, in shock looking at the total devastation around them. Nothing left, no where to go, no one to turn to for help, no home, probably all you have is the clothes on your back. When you think of people who have special needs, pregnant women, infants, the aged, what does one do to even start getting your life back together? The things one would take for granted to operate a normal life. The grocery, the job you go to, telephone, public transport, children's school, the ATM, electricity, pipe borne water, shelter, neighbours, family gathering. All of this disappeared in hours and the stark reality is you have absolutely no idea when any of it will return. Then you are told you are going to have a repeat within 48 hours.
How does one deal with this? I don't think one can, I don't think we are designed to accept this as our lot and simply move on. The scar on the human mind would be forever, every hurricane season, every time a rain storm came through the memories of those couple hours of living hell would return.
You would have to be very strong willed, a person of fortitude to deal with this horrific experience.
Stay up Barbuda!

This is going to be an extremely busy week ahead with two hurricanes within a couple hundred miles of each other. When you look at the preparedness of the State of Florida, and it is probably not perfect, and you start to compare our level of readiness, we can only hope that we do not suffer the same fate. Our authorities would be walking around in a state of shock and chaos would be the order of the day.

The current Administration is now two [2] years into a five [5] year term. Two polls were published and both determined that things are not good for the PMOTT. Maybe one consolation would be that his predecessor did not fare very well in her two year evaluation, she polled only 38% approval rating. Normally that does not really help because this current poll is about you, about how the people on the street view you and no-one wants to be less popular than when they started out.
If you examine why the disappointment some of it is very understandable. Lets look at how people viewed some of the national institutions and how much confidence was had.

• The Parliament                               16% shameful!
• The Judicial System                       16% this is madness!
• The Police                                      14% have we lost it!
• The Public Service                         16% unbelievable!
• Your government Mr PMOTT       30% what the hell!
• Direction of the country                 6% this cannot be right
• Performance on crime                    1% I would fire myself
• You Mr PMOTT                             35% only your core support

These figures are not good, not at all, this is not what any one who voted for you expected. You came in on a wave of hope, the future. You were going to change things, transparency, accountability and overall good governance.
I would assume that what you thought was a simple task of terminating a ferry and chartering a new vessel would make you a popular PMOTT. The population would say that is a man who has our interest at heart. Well, the plebs voted with 'rigour and vigour' and the result was that 68% thought you screwed it up royally. Not even Hitman Frankie could save you from a thrashing at the polls.
Speaking of the Hitman where are the other spokespeople? I know one has been hospitalized, sincerely wish him a quick recovery, but where have all the others disappeared to? Especially those hot to trot on the now very famous ferry fiasco. Your government has all of a sudden gone very quiet.

There is a story in one of the dailies where a guy is charged for possession of cocaine. He tells the Magistrate that he 'does climb dem reel tall coconut tree and de 'coceen' does reely help meh'. When asked if he was an addict he replies 'something so'. He gets six months in prison.
Are we going to grow up and start dealing with drugs and drug addiction? When do we start the conversation about the decriminalizing of the herb? All over the world governments have realized that firstly, drug use is a medical issue and not criminal. There is no ever loving way you are going to stop the use of drugs by locking up your population. The illegal drug trade will not stop once there is the addiction. The illegal drug trade is responsible for the gang wars, guns and violence. Can we not accept that the drug use will be here, regardless, and under the present distribution system will continue to create havoc on our society. Six months for getting a high to climb a very high coconut tree!
I guess to ban homosexuals from applying for T&T Citizenship is equally ridiculous.
And one wonders why the confidence in our public institutions is at an all time low.

And so the rock keeps moving. Back and forth, not making much headway in anything. If the PMOTT does not do something soon and start showing real leadership I am afraid the electorate will show no mercy at the next General Election. There is still time for true leadership to show itself with others, there are many good citizens who would be very capable of taking the rock forward.

Do not attempt to climb a tall coconut tree!

Good night and good luck