sax for d mout

June has kept its commitment and the rains have arrived in earnest. This year's dry season really did not happen, the hills were kept alive with the intermittent rains and we can only hope that the wildlife was given a chance to recover. The hunting season is four months long ending in February. Typically the wildlife is then put under further threat by a dry season which inevitably ends with the forest being burnt to a crisp. A double whammy for the hapless animals. And the politicos go on about votes, votes from hunters.

A good friend died this past week. He was family and also a friend. In the 70's he boarded with us in Arima, he was working at a nearby car assembly plant. Peter was most famous for his absolutely terrible jokes, the worst, but he loved giving them and we all somehow enjoyed them. His most memorable was,

A Grenadian arrives at Piarco, jumps in a taxi and asks to be taken to a store to buy a 'sax', at least that is what the taxi driver heard.
Taxi heads into town and pulls up outside Sa Gomes Music Store. Guy jumps out and soon returns with the taxi driver asking what happened?
Guy says ' Bass, is not sax for d mout is sax for d foot'.

Peter de Gannes, you were a good person, a good friend and true salt of the earth. R.I.P.

This past Christmas at the annual family gathering we all accepted that our generation was now the new old. Imagine this is where we have reached and this is why we will all be wishing our friends farewell every now and then. That's what it's all about. My father used to refer to it as being in the departure lounge.

With the Rock achieving a new status of being currently no. 4 in the world as far as the murder rate per 100,000 is concerned there was a vote of no confidence in the Minister of National Security. This is a serious matter and, because of the stupid Westminster style of government we somehow feel necessary to keep, the Opposition will never be successful with a motion of no confidence. But what has been reported in the media as to what was said in the debate just reinforces the Opposition's motion.
The current LOTO is being blamed for the current crime situation because of her banning corporal punishment in schools when she was the Minister of Education in 2001, 17yrs ago. Another contributor from the Government side spoke about a Deputy Political Leader in the Opposition campaigning in the soon to be Local Government by-election in Gucci shoes, saying buying US$1,500.00 shoes was a crime.  What absolute crapola is this? Is this how you are going to defend your sorry performance?

We are at a juncture on the Rock whereby if we do not as a responsible citizenry deal with these fake politicians and have a collective dumping we will end up as the proverbial s..thole as mentioned by the POTUS. We cannot continue with these absolute jokers and I am talking about on both sides. There are persons in the Parliament who have nothing to do with the future of the Rock. They are visionless, they are simply not interested in making fundamental change, they are there for the ride and free lunch and will not lift a finger to ensure that they leave the Rock a better place than how they met it.
Why pray do we continue with the charade every five years because we do not have a powerful electorate that will put the fear of the Gods into every Parliamentarian? We expect to have a General Election in 2020, let us make the start to have people in the Parliament who will stand up for us, who will ensure that we change the contract with the people to ensure that we have a powerful electorate. It can be done, everything is possible. We simply need to demand it. Imagine a serious debate about peoples lives, murder and mayhem in the Parliament and the Joker of All Things Ministry talks about Gucci shoes. This is how far we are away from a permanent solution to the morass we call politics on the Rock.
I agree 'drain the swamp'. Never thought I would say that!

LET'S MAKE THE ROCK GREAT!

Good night people and good luck!