US NAMES BAHAMAS AS MONEYLAUNDERING DRUG DEALING NATION!
By: Gilbert Morris:
Well, here we go again! Let us at least try to read the tea leaves and resist drinking other people’s tea: First, the largest money laundering and drug dealing centre in the world is the United States!
But who is prepared to risk their Miami privileges to say that? On the regulatory compliance aspects of the report, the US complied with NOTHING in its reports.
In Delaware, Wyoming, Alaska, Colorado, Arizona and Wisconsin, anonymous accounts are permitted. In fact, Delaware lives off of them.
Second, when you are the “big dog” and you are surrounded by incompetent nations, you can hog-slap them for doing what you are doing. But when these weaklings have spent nearly 50 years with no strategy, merely begging the US and Europe, when these pusillanimous nations are festooned with debt and crime, yet tethered to the US economy by tourism: the US then has got your goat! Grin and bear it!
Now let’s do some geopolitics: First, this list is a dragnet. There are nations named toward which nothing will change and others that will feel the wrath of the US in direct and indirect ways.
Second, look at the list of nations: the US itself is on the list, so is Israel and more than 50 other nations.
Third, how will smaller nations feel the US pressure? Did you notice Canada’s name on the list?
That’s now really for Canada. That’s because Canada is the banking powerhouse in the Caribbean Basin.
The US has been pressuring Canada to tighten the screws on Caribbean banking operations. In the case of Bahamas, there is an added dimension, the US concerns about China creates a lynchpin and the US can press its China concerns under the guise of regulatory issues, demanding corporate and financial transparencies unavailable in the US itself!
Fourth, under Mr Trump’s aggressive “America First” approach, this report now sets the ground work for foreign policy specific to each country on the list. What shall we do?
I have warned politicians in this region that when you see this sort of report or initiative, don’t wait for the US to frame you. Go to them first.
Now that we in the Bahamas seem to have hit a wall with the WTO nonsense. Let’s do what i have advised since 2001: instigate and sign a bi-lateral Friendship Treaty with the US, in which all these matters are treated or face one sided US directed rules that demands compliance by threats.
Under a treaty arrangement we get something for everything given up. Under a treaty we can show the economic impact of our financial services on investment in the US; we can explain “generative investment”, pass-through status” and “node building for capital aggregation” all impacting the US economy.
We could leverage transshipment countermeasures for financial services benefits...all under one agreement; whilst neutralising the European Union and the OECD in one move. If we wait, we are just a problem the US must deal with, and that means a fat stick across our backs under threat!
If we don’t hear; we’ll feel!
Gilbert Morris - Facebook
An International Caribbean Online Log about the news and opinions in the Americas and World. This Caribbean Blog of global reach and appeal is maintained by Bahamian Blogger - Dennis Dames with all readers and subscribers in mind.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Thursday, April 25, 2019
A slave in Haiti called Francois Makendal
By Professor Gilbert Morris:
THIS IS DESPERATELY IMPORTANT!
In my Smithsonian Lectures in 1998 - together with Professor Katya Vladimirov and Pulitzer Prize winner Professor Jeffrey Stewart, I emphasised a slave in Haiti called Francois Makendal. At 13, he was a chemist and physician before being captured and sent to St. Domingue.
He was Muslim, with a mastery for instructional communication and his skill in chemistry would have made him equal to any expert anywhere in Europe or Asia at the the time of his capture in the early 1750s.
It should be noted that he wrote well, could read music and knew biblical scripture with expertise.
Makendal (Macandal) was a master of poisons. And in the 12 years leading to the great Haitian Revolution in 1791, he taught slaves how to poison their master’s food, clothes and animals to ensure death at different rates; days, months etc. Why is this important?
Because even slave representations by Blacks, like Alex Haley’s “ROOTS”, depict slaves as ignorant. But the West African coasts from which slaves were sold, were the sites of mighty empires that had traded with Europe and Asia - before Christopher Columbus!
For example, Cotton Mather tells the story inoculation for small pox, which he learned from a quite young African slave named Onesimus in 1706; who described to him in detail how he had been inoculated in Africa before being sold as a slave, in a procedure of inoculation (then known as variolation) and how it worked! What I mean to show is that Blacks and Whites alike, depict the slave as sweet but ignorant and deserving of the mercy one shows to pets; when in fact, many slaves were intellectual superiors to those who held them captive; as was the case for instance with Demosthenes in Greece, who was so talented he was made Prime Minister as a slave.
In Mackendal’s case, he is rumoured to have poisoned nearly 25,000 French before the Revolution!
The narrative of Omar Ibn Said below is testament to what I have rendered above!
source
How the autobiography of a Muslim slave is challenging an American narrative
THIS IS DESPERATELY IMPORTANT!
In my Smithsonian Lectures in 1998 - together with Professor Katya Vladimirov and Pulitzer Prize winner Professor Jeffrey Stewart, I emphasised a slave in Haiti called Francois Makendal. At 13, he was a chemist and physician before being captured and sent to St. Domingue.
He was Muslim, with a mastery for instructional communication and his skill in chemistry would have made him equal to any expert anywhere in Europe or Asia at the the time of his capture in the early 1750s.
It should be noted that he wrote well, could read music and knew biblical scripture with expertise.
Makendal (Macandal) was a master of poisons. And in the 12 years leading to the great Haitian Revolution in 1791, he taught slaves how to poison their master’s food, clothes and animals to ensure death at different rates; days, months etc. Why is this important?
Because even slave representations by Blacks, like Alex Haley’s “ROOTS”, depict slaves as ignorant. But the West African coasts from which slaves were sold, were the sites of mighty empires that had traded with Europe and Asia - before Christopher Columbus!
For example, Cotton Mather tells the story inoculation for small pox, which he learned from a quite young African slave named Onesimus in 1706; who described to him in detail how he had been inoculated in Africa before being sold as a slave, in a procedure of inoculation (then known as variolation) and how it worked! What I mean to show is that Blacks and Whites alike, depict the slave as sweet but ignorant and deserving of the mercy one shows to pets; when in fact, many slaves were intellectual superiors to those who held them captive; as was the case for instance with Demosthenes in Greece, who was so talented he was made Prime Minister as a slave.
In Mackendal’s case, he is rumoured to have poisoned nearly 25,000 French before the Revolution!
The narrative of Omar Ibn Said below is testament to what I have rendered above!
source
How the autobiography of a Muslim slave is challenging an American narrative
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
On the issue of marijuana legalisation in The Bahamas...
Insight: No One Should Go To Prison For Smoking A Joint:
By Frederick R. M. Smith, QC
No one should go to prison for smoking a joint. No life should be ruined over a small amount of weed. Marijuana is not the devil and, like certain other recreationally enjoyed substances like alcohol, most humans are perfectly capable of using it responsibly. In certain contexts, it is beneficial for your health and in an increasing number of countries, it is becoming legalised for recreational and medical use – generating massive revenue returns in the process.
Most right-thinking Bahamians know all this, yet our society continues to vilify, hunt down and destroy young people over this relatively trivial pastime, condemning them to lengthy prison sentences as if they were hardened criminals. On this issue like so many others, The Bahamas is simply stuck in the past.
A hangover from the 1970s
There was a time when a zero tolerance approach to marijuana was considered cutting edge. The term “War on Drugs” was coined by a US journalist in 1971 shortly after President Nixon declared drug abuse public enemy number one. The prevailing view at the time was narcotics in general were a scourge on society and must be eradicated by strong action – interdiction, arrest and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. Users were weak, deviant, morally degraded and essentially deserved what they got at the hands of the authorities. Countless substances, differing from each other in virtually every way imaginable were all lumped together and referred to under the category of “drugs”.
Over the last 50 years, many of the underlying assumptions that fed this perspective have been debunked. Substance abuse is now widely and rightfully seen as a mental health challenge, not a crime, and users are recognised as victims, not perpetrators. There is also an appreciation that certain substances which were once vilified can have numerous heath benefits and qualify as medicine to treat several conditions. Chief among these is of course marijuana. Meanwhile tall tales of the terrible consequences – that it kills brain cells, is a ‘gateway drug’, etc. – are laughed off by today’s experts.
Gradually, the rest of the world is coming to see that marijuana is not some demon that will steal away the minds of their children, but a complex substance which, like countless others consumed by humans, can have benefits if used responsibly and lead to negative affects if abused. The light has not yet shone on The Bahamas, however. We remain mired in the Dark Ages as usual and the resulting effects on our society are more egregious than most realise.
Overwhelming the system
Thousands of young people in The Bahamas today smoke marijuana; perhaps tens of thousands. Whether you like it or not, this is a cultural fact that simply cannot be avoided. When caught with whatever the police arbitrarily happen to believe is “too much”, usually all but the tiniest amount, they can be charged with a serious offence and face years in jail. Because use is so prevalent, and because users tend to be young, comparatively non-violent and generally cooperative, marijuana possession charges make up a very large percentage of the cases before the courts. This, in a judicial system already overwhelmed and struggling to cope, with individuals facing serious charges waiting months and even years on remand – though supposedly innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law.
The arrests themselves probably make up a large part of the work of police officers who, instead of going after violent offenders, tend to prefer to target marijuana users as they represent a comparatively easy way to rack up arrest numbers without undue effort or risk of violence.
Destroying lives
Unfortunately, our aggressive enforcement and punishment policies for marijuana possession have destroyed and continue to destroy countless good people’s lives. The predominant victims of our flawed approach come from lower income families – a sector of society that has found escape from daily hardships in alcohol and other narcotics throughout history and across every nation on the planet. Meanwhile, habitual users of more serious and potentially deadly drugs like cocaine, tend to hail from the wealthier sectors of society. Safely ensconced in their gated communities and behind armies of attorneys, they are all but immune from police action.
While the privileged continue to do as they please in their safety and comfort, unconscionably long remand and or prison sentences in some of the most harsh, violent and depraved conditions imaginable at Fox Hill Prison are the fate for the hapless poor teenager who merely sought a few hours of harmless escape in marijuana. Inevitably, when released such victims will be very changed; afraid, angry, frustrated, resentful and emotionally broken by this harrowing experience. They will also have criminal records and will find it near impossible to secur a job, open a bank account, or go back to school. They will be rejected and stigmatised, outcasts for the rest of their lives.
In the circumstances, it is not unreasonable to expect these victims to lash out, to hurt others or engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour in an effort to quell their emotional turmoil or even just to survive. Society’s response is to vilify them as enemies of the state, forget them on remand or throw the book at them and lock them up for lengthy periods. The Bahamas has become a factory that uses the raw material of harmless youngsters to produce hardened, violent criminals in a seeming endless cycle.
The rest of the world
We are talking about a substance that is already fully legal in Canada and Uruguay, and soon it seems, will also be legal in Mexico. Its consumption, but not cultivation, is legal in the Republic of Georgia and in South Africa. It has been decriminalised in 10 American states and the District of Colombia, with more on the way. Meanwhile, its medical use is allowed in 33 US states and 13 other countries.
Just last summer, the CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana recommended the declassification of marijuana as a dangerous drug. It has already been decriminalised in Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda.
These changing attitudes are not a coincidence; they follow the evolving evidence uncovered by science. Recent research asserts that marijuana can improve quality of life by improving sleep, increasing appetite and reducing pain for people with chronic conditions, especially when these conditions do not respond to conventional treatments. It is, by all accounts, an extremely safe substance with benign and largely avoidable side effects. Marijuana has never been linked to death by overdose, despite being the most widely used illegal drug in the world. The most adverse effects are from the act of smoking, but a number of alternative delivery systems are now available.
Opportunity
Apart from the human benefits, the process of decriminalisation and legalisation has opened up hitherto unimaginable opportunities for financial profit, for both nations and intrepid entrepreneurs. Take for example, what has happened in Colorado.
In 2014, the first year of legalisation, combined recreational and medical sales totalled nearly $700 million. By 2018 that number had jumped to more than $1.5 billion. In the last five years combined, the state has sold $6 billion worth of marijuana.
Sellers are making a killing, but so is the local government. In that same period, tax revenue is said to have grown by 266 percent – from $67 million in 2014 to $247.4 million in 2017. These tax gains have been spent in areas such as public schools, social services, employment boosting efforts and health care.
Contrary to what the fear-mongers projected, there was no measurable increase in use among middle school and high school students and traffic citations for driving under the influence actually went down.
The courts had to deal with 6,000 fewer cases per year thanks to the change, while the total increase in the number of adults reporting marijuana use went up by only two percent. Clearly, those who wanted to were using it anyway; all Colorado legislators did was recognise and accept this ineradicable fact, then find a way to employ it as a benefit rather than a drag on society.
The Bahamas could learn so much from this example. We are ideally placed off the eastern coast of the United States and just north of the Caribbean to service two emerging markets; and boasting ideal weather conditions for marijuana growth, we could take this industry by storm. It would take serious regulation and even more serious enforcement of quality control and proper accounting practices, but if the government can pull it off with the illegal numbers racket, they can certainly do it with marijuana.
This country has everything it needs to pioneer this extremely lucrative industry in the region while at the same time saving countless youngsters from terrible fate. We have a class of well-educated, industrious and hungry entrepreneurs capable of making The Bahamas world renowned for marijuana tourism - both medical and recreational. We have the land, we have the climate, we have the location. Sadly, we still lack the vision and the will.
We could truly pursue a “Green Economy”! And, provision could be made for growing it in certain designated areas, like Grand Bahama, to spur economic activity and create jobs and actual exports.
Our own worst enemy
On the issue of marijuana legalisation, like so many others, our failure to take initiative is the only real barrier to social progress and financial success.
The world changes all the time and yet we stand still. Surrounded by the wreckage of hopelessly outmoded, woefully misdirected and shockingly inhumane polices that achieve absolutely nothing while destroying lives and making a mockery of justice, we seem chronically incapable of acting in our own best interests. We are unable to think intrepidly, to grasp opportunity. We are a nation allergic to change.
This is precisely why, though remarkably well placed to be a leader in global innovation, this country continually finds itself playing catch-up, if ever, on so many fronts to more courageous, ambitious and forward thinking nations. Despite ideal geographical location, political stability and abundant resources, both human and natural, we remain our own worst enemy.
Source
By Frederick R. M. Smith, QC
Most right-thinking Bahamians know all this, yet our society continues to vilify, hunt down and destroy young people over this relatively trivial pastime, condemning them to lengthy prison sentences as if they were hardened criminals. On this issue like so many others, The Bahamas is simply stuck in the past.
A hangover from the 1970s
There was a time when a zero tolerance approach to marijuana was considered cutting edge. The term “War on Drugs” was coined by a US journalist in 1971 shortly after President Nixon declared drug abuse public enemy number one. The prevailing view at the time was narcotics in general were a scourge on society and must be eradicated by strong action – interdiction, arrest and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. Users were weak, deviant, morally degraded and essentially deserved what they got at the hands of the authorities. Countless substances, differing from each other in virtually every way imaginable were all lumped together and referred to under the category of “drugs”.
Over the last 50 years, many of the underlying assumptions that fed this perspective have been debunked. Substance abuse is now widely and rightfully seen as a mental health challenge, not a crime, and users are recognised as victims, not perpetrators. There is also an appreciation that certain substances which were once vilified can have numerous heath benefits and qualify as medicine to treat several conditions. Chief among these is of course marijuana. Meanwhile tall tales of the terrible consequences – that it kills brain cells, is a ‘gateway drug’, etc. – are laughed off by today’s experts.
Gradually, the rest of the world is coming to see that marijuana is not some demon that will steal away the minds of their children, but a complex substance which, like countless others consumed by humans, can have benefits if used responsibly and lead to negative affects if abused. The light has not yet shone on The Bahamas, however. We remain mired in the Dark Ages as usual and the resulting effects on our society are more egregious than most realise.
Overwhelming the system
Thousands of young people in The Bahamas today smoke marijuana; perhaps tens of thousands. Whether you like it or not, this is a cultural fact that simply cannot be avoided. When caught with whatever the police arbitrarily happen to believe is “too much”, usually all but the tiniest amount, they can be charged with a serious offence and face years in jail. Because use is so prevalent, and because users tend to be young, comparatively non-violent and generally cooperative, marijuana possession charges make up a very large percentage of the cases before the courts. This, in a judicial system already overwhelmed and struggling to cope, with individuals facing serious charges waiting months and even years on remand – though supposedly innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law.
The arrests themselves probably make up a large part of the work of police officers who, instead of going after violent offenders, tend to prefer to target marijuana users as they represent a comparatively easy way to rack up arrest numbers without undue effort or risk of violence.
Destroying lives
Unfortunately, our aggressive enforcement and punishment policies for marijuana possession have destroyed and continue to destroy countless good people’s lives. The predominant victims of our flawed approach come from lower income families – a sector of society that has found escape from daily hardships in alcohol and other narcotics throughout history and across every nation on the planet. Meanwhile, habitual users of more serious and potentially deadly drugs like cocaine, tend to hail from the wealthier sectors of society. Safely ensconced in their gated communities and behind armies of attorneys, they are all but immune from police action.
While the privileged continue to do as they please in their safety and comfort, unconscionably long remand and or prison sentences in some of the most harsh, violent and depraved conditions imaginable at Fox Hill Prison are the fate for the hapless poor teenager who merely sought a few hours of harmless escape in marijuana. Inevitably, when released such victims will be very changed; afraid, angry, frustrated, resentful and emotionally broken by this harrowing experience. They will also have criminal records and will find it near impossible to secur a job, open a bank account, or go back to school. They will be rejected and stigmatised, outcasts for the rest of their lives.
In the circumstances, it is not unreasonable to expect these victims to lash out, to hurt others or engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour in an effort to quell their emotional turmoil or even just to survive. Society’s response is to vilify them as enemies of the state, forget them on remand or throw the book at them and lock them up for lengthy periods. The Bahamas has become a factory that uses the raw material of harmless youngsters to produce hardened, violent criminals in a seeming endless cycle.
The rest of the world
We are talking about a substance that is already fully legal in Canada and Uruguay, and soon it seems, will also be legal in Mexico. Its consumption, but not cultivation, is legal in the Republic of Georgia and in South Africa. It has been decriminalised in 10 American states and the District of Colombia, with more on the way. Meanwhile, its medical use is allowed in 33 US states and 13 other countries.
Just last summer, the CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana recommended the declassification of marijuana as a dangerous drug. It has already been decriminalised in Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda.
These changing attitudes are not a coincidence; they follow the evolving evidence uncovered by science. Recent research asserts that marijuana can improve quality of life by improving sleep, increasing appetite and reducing pain for people with chronic conditions, especially when these conditions do not respond to conventional treatments. It is, by all accounts, an extremely safe substance with benign and largely avoidable side effects. Marijuana has never been linked to death by overdose, despite being the most widely used illegal drug in the world. The most adverse effects are from the act of smoking, but a number of alternative delivery systems are now available.
Opportunity
Apart from the human benefits, the process of decriminalisation and legalisation has opened up hitherto unimaginable opportunities for financial profit, for both nations and intrepid entrepreneurs. Take for example, what has happened in Colorado.
In 2014, the first year of legalisation, combined recreational and medical sales totalled nearly $700 million. By 2018 that number had jumped to more than $1.5 billion. In the last five years combined, the state has sold $6 billion worth of marijuana.
Sellers are making a killing, but so is the local government. In that same period, tax revenue is said to have grown by 266 percent – from $67 million in 2014 to $247.4 million in 2017. These tax gains have been spent in areas such as public schools, social services, employment boosting efforts and health care.
Contrary to what the fear-mongers projected, there was no measurable increase in use among middle school and high school students and traffic citations for driving under the influence actually went down.
The courts had to deal with 6,000 fewer cases per year thanks to the change, while the total increase in the number of adults reporting marijuana use went up by only two percent. Clearly, those who wanted to were using it anyway; all Colorado legislators did was recognise and accept this ineradicable fact, then find a way to employ it as a benefit rather than a drag on society.
The Bahamas could learn so much from this example. We are ideally placed off the eastern coast of the United States and just north of the Caribbean to service two emerging markets; and boasting ideal weather conditions for marijuana growth, we could take this industry by storm. It would take serious regulation and even more serious enforcement of quality control and proper accounting practices, but if the government can pull it off with the illegal numbers racket, they can certainly do it with marijuana.
This country has everything it needs to pioneer this extremely lucrative industry in the region while at the same time saving countless youngsters from terrible fate. We have a class of well-educated, industrious and hungry entrepreneurs capable of making The Bahamas world renowned for marijuana tourism - both medical and recreational. We have the land, we have the climate, we have the location. Sadly, we still lack the vision and the will.
We could truly pursue a “Green Economy”! And, provision could be made for growing it in certain designated areas, like Grand Bahama, to spur economic activity and create jobs and actual exports.
Our own worst enemy
On the issue of marijuana legalisation, like so many others, our failure to take initiative is the only real barrier to social progress and financial success.
The world changes all the time and yet we stand still. Surrounded by the wreckage of hopelessly outmoded, woefully misdirected and shockingly inhumane polices that achieve absolutely nothing while destroying lives and making a mockery of justice, we seem chronically incapable of acting in our own best interests. We are unable to think intrepidly, to grasp opportunity. We are a nation allergic to change.
This is precisely why, though remarkably well placed to be a leader in global innovation, this country continually finds itself playing catch-up, if ever, on so many fronts to more courageous, ambitious and forward thinking nations. Despite ideal geographical location, political stability and abundant resources, both human and natural, we remain our own worst enemy.
Source
Thursday, May 18, 2017
WHAT THE DEATH OF NET NEUTRALITY MAY MEAN FOR THE CARIBBEAN
By Gilbert Morris:
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will begin a rollback of net neutrality; which is likely to lead to a two tier internet; more extreme than the current division between the internet you know today and the ominous "dark net", in which everything from humans to nails seems to be for sale.
What is important is that large corporations will be able to pay - as some do now - to lock in their web presence at higher speeds, including processes for purchasing.
As usual, whilst in general poor people will suffer the first eddies of unforeseen disadvantages, also as usual, the Developing World and the Caribbean - in particular - will be at the bottom of the heap.
I wonder whether we observe how the global financial and political system is forming a divide beyond our shrinking opportunities to go to Miami?
Already, all of our telephone calls are recorded; already US visas are being denied in record numbers; already foreign banks are limiting credit charging astounding higher fees or just outright leaving our region, and already, money transfers are being hampered by arbitrary rules which seem to change daily with little regard for the hardships caused.
Now the internet, which neither Caribbean governments nor business, nor our institutions or our publics have exploited for commercial advantage, cost cutting, convenience or transparencies, is next.
The undermining of net neutrality could prove to be a slow, imperceptible attack on booking platforms to Caribbean destinations. It could mean that competitive destinations could pay to have ours down graded in search profiles, leading to "throttling"; which could mean seeing our content bunched down with North Korea or countries at the low end of the development scale.
Although I have no ideology, I am known as a conservative economist and I do believe in market forces.
However, I reject "trickle-down" theory as barking nonsense. The assumption of Ajit Pai - FCC Chairman - is the Trumpian belief that if you remove regulations internet service providers will pass benefits and potential lower costs to the consumer. (If you believe that, I will next try to convince you that back hair is sacred).
Here is the point: the affects may be less harmful than expected. But here is yet another example of something - alike to climate change - upon which our future competitiveness and prosperity may hang, and after all, this time, it may change for the worse with no input from us.
Source
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will begin a rollback of net neutrality; which is likely to lead to a two tier internet; more extreme than the current division between the internet you know today and the ominous "dark net", in which everything from humans to nails seems to be for sale.
What is important is that large corporations will be able to pay - as some do now - to lock in their web presence at higher speeds, including processes for purchasing.
As usual, whilst in general poor people will suffer the first eddies of unforeseen disadvantages, also as usual, the Developing World and the Caribbean - in particular - will be at the bottom of the heap.
I wonder whether we observe how the global financial and political system is forming a divide beyond our shrinking opportunities to go to Miami?
Already, all of our telephone calls are recorded; already US visas are being denied in record numbers; already foreign banks are limiting credit charging astounding higher fees or just outright leaving our region, and already, money transfers are being hampered by arbitrary rules which seem to change daily with little regard for the hardships caused.
Now the internet, which neither Caribbean governments nor business, nor our institutions or our publics have exploited for commercial advantage, cost cutting, convenience or transparencies, is next.
The undermining of net neutrality could prove to be a slow, imperceptible attack on booking platforms to Caribbean destinations. It could mean that competitive destinations could pay to have ours down graded in search profiles, leading to "throttling"; which could mean seeing our content bunched down with North Korea or countries at the low end of the development scale.
Although I have no ideology, I am known as a conservative economist and I do believe in market forces.
However, I reject "trickle-down" theory as barking nonsense. The assumption of Ajit Pai - FCC Chairman - is the Trumpian belief that if you remove regulations internet service providers will pass benefits and potential lower costs to the consumer. (If you believe that, I will next try to convince you that back hair is sacred).
Here is the point: the affects may be less harmful than expected. But here is yet another example of something - alike to climate change - upon which our future competitiveness and prosperity may hang, and after all, this time, it may change for the worse with no input from us.
Source
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
DONALD TRUMP IMPEACHMENT: Don't Bet on It
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT: A FALSE HORIZON
By Gilbert Morris:
Pundits, Democrats and drunkards have been predicting Trump's election loss, his criminal indictment and his impeachment since he launched his fatiguing indefatigable campaign and assault on the American presidency.
They will be proven wrong!
Let's get at the FACTS:
Mr. Trump and his cohorts enjoyed an unusual degree of coziness with the Russian security establishment, as that establishment hacked into US campaigns and passed information to Wikileaks.
Wikileaks distributed that information just in time to influence an electorate that already regarded Mrs Clinton somewhat askance.
Then come Comey bearing letters and his soul, tiefing up Mrs Clinton's last bit of credibility, and this and the Russians and Wikileaks all occurring just in time to blunt or even soften Mr Trump's crotch-grabbing boasts.
So we accept that the Russians through Wikileaks's, together with Comey impacted American voter perception just before an American election;
AND: Trump's people were canoodling with the Russians the entire time!
AND: Trump's people lied about that canoodling.
Again comes Comey, investigating the affair, forcing General Flynn, The US Attorney General, hosts of Trumpian lackeys and his son-in-law to admit, that they were part of the "Stolichnaya Breakfast Club"!
Trump - who has not been told no since he was four years old - accosted Comey, and begged of him, "Let Flynn go...!"
Is that Obstruction of Justice?
Mmmmmmmm, depends...
It requires a set of compelling circumstances:
So, Flynn gets fired.
Comey announces investigation.
Trump and his people denounce the investigation publicly. Gets the House Intelligence Chairman to call media houses to counteract Comey's claims.
Trump calls Comey, asks am I going to jail?
Trump meets Comey and says repeat John 3:16, but replace the "only begotten son" with Trump!
Trump invites Comey for dinner, says you want to stay at FBI?
Trump says drop this investigation!
Yes!
It's abuse of power, obstruction even bribery.
What it lacks is a systematic scheme to frustrate the interests of justice and it is so disorganized that it is hardly a crime.
Source
Thursday, April 20, 2017
THE STATE OF (HUMAN) RIGHTS IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS IN 2017
PRESENTATION AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM AT THE UNIVERISITY OF THE BAHAMAS
April 7, 2017
By: Joseph Darville
VP Grand Bahama Human Rights Association
The Israelites, the Bible states, wondered forty years in the desert. It’s not that they were physically lost, for they knew where they were headed, and knew how to get there. The stars by night and the sun by day were the only GPS they needed. And they were fortified by manna in the desert.
But woefully, that nation of people was mentally and psychologically lost. Leaving the land of enslavement, after coming to the realization that as a people of value and dignity, they no longer cherished the ungodly treatment meted out to them. Yet, having subjected themselves for so long to this bondage, they were infused with the consciousness of enslavement at the very core of minutest parts of their being.
By Divine grace and a genetic transformation, they came to realize that no entry into the promised land was possible until every iota of mental slavery was exorcised from the very foundation of their being. It could have taken them but a mere sixty days by foot to reach their ultimate physical goal. But as long as forty years were necessary to wipe out the vestiges of enslavement.
Four decades, yes, it took them to wipe clean their minds and hearts, that long, indeed before old habits died out. The very genetic recalibration had to take place. Even the great Moses was never allowed to enter the promised land. He and the other “old” heads had to literally die out and take with them the residual of the consciousness of slavery, for indeed, a consciousness of enslavement cannot ever enter the Promise Land.
For many years too, we were enslaved. Almost two hundred years ago, the physical shackles tumbled from our ankles, and we began our wandering in the desert of human reconstruction, not really knowing who we were or where we wanted to go. But yet, like the Israelites, we knew intuitively, and our souls cried out in desperation for our promise land.
But the sounds and sensation of those damn shackles kept us in mental bondage. Even now, and after forty plus years of political independence, the curse of enslavement still hangs around our necks. And if we listen very quietly, we can still hear the hammering and the clinging of those despicable physical shackles.
For fear of retribution, many, too many of us, cling to the old vestiges of the plantation. Our masters now, only having changed color, and having elevated themselves to the status of demi-gods, have so fine-tuned their capricious power and control over us, that mental enslavement has become their special art. Thus, our promise land is nowhere even on the horizon.
So, my lamentation is that we are more enslaved now under our own native leaders than we were under our white slave masters. Please excuse my expression, but the ‘black nigga” syndrome of slaving on the plantation, without any notion of our singular rights, is very much alive in this nation, both for poor blacks and whites.
In such a state of affairs, one can conclude that the state of human rights in this nation is defunct, not even in ICU, but in rigor mortis, having for too long under gone the rites of extreme unction (last rites). Sadly, we have yet to see the birth of real freedom in this land. As a matter of fact, if what has been now called the Spy Bill had been passed, our individual freedom especially of privacy and public utterances would have been drastically curtailed, if not totally abolished. It would have indeed further shackled our most precious gift of freedom to express.
Individually, we are very proud people, and we love our Bahamaland. However, a child given a piece of candy, when she deserve a full meal, is also very happy and proud. Essentially, we have gotten rid of one set of slave masters and embraced another; and that “another” is even more pernicious. For when our own, knowledgeable about every iota of our psyche, enslave us, they do so with even more vengeance, for they have fine-tuned the technique of psychological enslavement as an art.
At the rate we’re going, or really, not moving, we may achieve true freedom and independence by 2041, when I’m 100 years old. In other words, we will take five times longer than it took the Israelites. I pray I’m still alive to witness that illusive reality.
We are an independent people, and as such should have the freedom, the right and ability, even obligation to structure and build one by one our beautiful communities. We can then become the envy of island nations, the glory of our own nation and the focus of the world. Our beauty, of both people, land, and sea with their natural and abundance of resources, are all we need to become all that the Good and Great Creator meant us to be. But we will recognize and accept this reality only when we are REALLY independent, really free, relying on those wonderful gifts so bountifully bestowed upon us by our loving Creator.
The Good and Gracious Creator gives to each and every one of us all that is essential, not just for our survival, but enough to prosper and grow together as wonderful reflection of his glory and power.
First we have to recognized what we have been bountifully given, give thanks for it all, and them work to create a fruitful and enjoyable life for everyone else. Selfishness, greed, and false pride must be removed from our hearts, and replaced with joy, thanksgiving and the ultimate gift of unconditional sharing. Dreadfully, our political leaders, embracing wholeheartedly the colonial mentality, know not such an enlightened path.
When Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment are meted out to our defenseless citizens, with impunity, even when our constitution and the UN Declarations of Human Rights, forbids such, we are again embedded in the plantation syndrome. From the some thirty articles, simple and yet profound, in the United Nation Declarations, and to which our nation is a signatory, some nineteen of them are contravened and denied on a daily basis in this nation. When our disciplined forces are so uninformed, or simply calloused, in these matters, brutal and dehumanizing treatment of our citizenry, as well as those who enter our shores from other nearby nations, become the norm.
Beating of suspects by the very ones designated to protect our safety, as if they were only useless black niggas is carried out with impunity, no accountability; only when someone actually dies does an individual family member become sufficiently incensed or is courageous enough to report brutal and dehumanizing treatment. And then, even then, the course to justice is literally a nightmare.
But these reprehensible acts come to light from time to time, as has occurred recently in the cases of the despicable treatment of Cuban and other nationals in the detention centre. Consequently, our national and international image sank deeper and deeper into the abyss and the quagmire of ignominy.
Yet the most sad thing about this matter, in the present STATE OF THE NATION, is that for those who can excuse such behavior, mistakenly on our behalf, view even the expression of “human rights” with anger and vengeance. We, rights defenders, are seen as being anti-Bahamas, devious, infidels, subversive, carrying out treasonous acts against the state. That my sisters and brothers, spells out clearly the state of human rights in our nation. Thus, this legitimate arm of any civilized and democratic society has to be practiced mainly underground for fear of threats, ridicule and retribution.
Without even keeping in mind the serious physical actions brought against individuals in society at the hands of law enforcement personnel, the daily life of citizens of this nation is burdened with a plethora of uncertainties.
One does not share in the daily decisions which fundamentally affect our lives. Our leaders play the secrecy game, making decisions which often create havoc, fear and apprehension in the nation. They take umbrage in the fact that there is no Freedom of Information Act yet enacted. We are thus subjected to the old colonial civil servant secrecy law, and thus in all matters, confidential or not, we only become aware of them and the consequences of these many decisions after the fact, when our lives have been seriously impacted.
This again, is in the order of the old plantation regime, keeping us ignorant, uninformed, and thus our masters can ride higher and higher on their thrones of pontification, in the name of “divine right of kings.” We are under the illusion that we live and operate in a participatory democracy; this is, in fact, a fallacy, and illusion.
The system of democracy we exercise in this land remains one of psychological enslavement; we daily obey our maters for fear of retribution. As a matter of fact our leaders aim to become plutocrats (rich), and rule as if we were an oligarchy (ruled by the wealthy), and not a democracy. Whether they be ecclesiastical or political leaders, they are our servants and not demi-gods who rule with a condemning iron fist.
The Commission on the reform of our Constitution states the following in reference to freedom of information:
“ 15.11 A corollary of the right of free speech is the right to have access to public information. The right of free expression embraces the right to impart and receive information. Thus it is not surprising that some Constitutions link the right of freedom of information to that of free speech. Some provide for extensive rights of freedom of information, such as the South African model, which provides a right of access to information held by the state (art.32). Others do not elevate it to a constitutional right, but have adopted freedom of information laws. It would be difficult in a common law system, where legislation dealing with official secrets, breach of confidence legislation and the regulations governing the public service still pertain, to grant a constitutional right to government- held information. But the Commission is of the view that some form of statutory regime should provide the citizen with the access to information needed for the proper functioning of a democracy.”
One by one, our civic, human and natural rights are denied in so many ways, resulting in many of our brother and sisters suffering relentlessly. And according to my venerable friend, and veteran poetic prophet, Etienne Farquharson: we have been shackled with the 7D’s: disregard, disrespect, deceit, dishonesty, denial, disorder, and culminating with the seventh D: DAMNATION. You may wish to add more D’s.
These are the modern-day shackles inhibiting our way forward; aware of our fundamental freedom and rights under the constitution and international protocols, the frustration of enslavement becomes even more malicious.
The contravention of our basic human, civic and social rights, are mainly perpetrated by official agencies of the state. As was stated in the human rights report, a few years ago the UN in referencing to cruel and dehumanizing treatment of persons:
“The constitution prohibits such practices, but human rights monitors and members of the public expressed concern over continued instances of police abuse of criminal suspects. Police officials, while denying systematic or chronic abuses, acknowledged that police on occasion abused their authority.
There were other allegations of police beatings and brutality throughout the year. The government stated that no official complaints were received, in reference to many of these allegations. Victims' families and community activists claimed that many officers had their cases thrown out of court or dropped by the Attorney General's Office. In addition, many officers waited years for their court date, only to return to work without having their names cleared.”
With a large percentage of our citizens living at the level of subsistence, and many even below that, too few have the means to fight for, defend or legally afford the costs to maintain or regain their fundamental rights as citizens in a democratic society. These abuses will continue unabated until sufficient numbers of our citizens wake up, realize and accept their individual freedom. So until then, expect the carnage to continue, due to ignorance of our national and international rights: acts which result in the maiming of our citizens, even to the finality of death; desecration, pillage, raping of our environmental heritage by foreign entities, like what took place and still presently taking place in Bimini; the dispossession of our crown land generally without our knowledge; the fallacy that our leaders have infallible rights to do as they please without consultation of the citizenry. This is the very antithesis of a true and participatory democracy.
Yes, we do elect leaders every five years, but then, soon after, we go into a catatonic state, mesmerized, hypnotized, seduced by the trickery, deception of our leaders, as we fall prey to their almost despotic rule. Then again, after five long years we awaken from our slumber. With the enticement of plenty liquor, money, adorned with T-shirts and an abundance of Bahamian food, we become aggressively passionate again, elect others or the same individuals; then we’re back into our slumbering state, ruled by our masters, having again reaffirmed their continued power base of domination.
Oh, how our psyche loves to be ruled; it is indeed so much easier to be ruled, ordered and subjugated to the will of our masters. They are no longer our servants, but our indomitable plantation slave masters. And thus continues the regime of banana republic politics.
My brothers and sisters, all the acts which undermine our fundamental rights are the basis of much of the malaise, crime in our nation. A people who have no sense of ownership, power or participation in the national life are easily led to feed on and destroy the nation. Thus, the level of murders, the rape and pillage of our women and children. As has been so truthfully stated, “society prepares the crimes and individuals commit them.”
Did you know that in 2010, the Bahamas was declared by the United Nation to have the highest per capita in the world for rape, some 133 in 100,000. And those are just the reported cases. The way we treat our women and children marks the manner of our bearing. I cannot imagine at this moment the statistics! But who pays attention when our beloved women still cannot officially be recognized as equal to men in this nation. And our LBGT Community becomes the vicious prey of religious bigots.
Our environmental rights are daily being eroded in the manner our lands and seas are offered to the highest bidder, irrespective of the pillage, rape and devastation which can result. All of this again is carried out in secrecy, and I’ve already addressed one of the prime example in the utter and on-going destruction of the beautiful gem in the ocean, Bimini.
These are our lands, sea, sea coast and seabed and they should not be sold, given away, or in any way used unless benefitting us, the Bahamian people. So states the legislation governing crown land. By virtue of the stewardship of these islands, we have a serious responsible to safeguard this heritage patrimony for thousands of generations to come; it is our right and privilege; and, thus, a national and fundamental and individual right. We should aim to protect and preserve for the generations from whom we are borrowing them.
The Freedom of Information movement is embedded in Universal Declaration of Human Rights developed by the United Nations in 1948. The guiding principle is based upon four freedoms: Freedom of speech; Freedom of religion, Freedom from want; and Freedom from fear.
In further expounding on freedom from fear, it states:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
If our people do not wake up soon, and very soon, we will continue to be doomed and sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Our voices need to be heard and not simply on talk shows, but in practical, meaningful, and dynamic ways. If ever we needed a quiet, peaceful, non-violent revolution, it is NOW! We labor under the calloused burden of unrighteous taxation with, certainly no representation, but even more so without consultation. Information is power, and we need to know every fundamental right we should enjoy as a human being, citizen of this Commonwealth, and actually citizen of the world.
We have by virtue of the ignorance of our fundamental rights, have inadvertently sold our freedom to the calloused, indifferent and corrupt demagogues. They tread upon us furiously, as if it were their legal prerogative.
As someone has so truthfully stated in historical perspective:
Apartheid was legal
The Holocaust was legal
Slavery was legal
Colonialism was legal
Legality is a matter of POWER, not justice.
Thus, it is not righteousness or justice which governs our nation, but rather power and that unrighteous power breeds corruption without limitation.
I encourage more individuals, especially the young, to become educated, informed, committed and passionate about leading this Commonwealth into the promise land, “God’s Kingdom come on Earth”, as promised by Jesus Christ. According to His admonition, we are not independent until our spirits are free and all fear is removed from our hearts! Until then, we are nothing but slaves in our masters' vineyards. Fear not my sisters and brothers, fear not; do not even fear itself, for then that is still fear!
The Good and Gracious Creator gives to each and everyone of us all that is essential, not just for our survival, but enough to prosper and grow together as wonderful reflection of his glory and power.
About the Author: Joseph Darville is a native of Long Island, Bahamas and a resident of Freeport, Grand Bahama. He is the founding member and past president of the Bahamas Counselor's Association; past president of the Bahamas Mental Health Association and the Grand Bahama Mental Health Association; founding member and past president, and presently Vice-President, of the Grand Bahama Humane Rights Association; founding member and presently co-chairman of the Bahamas National Drug Council; a founding member of the Caribbean Human Rights Network; past VP of the Caribbean Federation of Mental Health; founding member and chairman of Operation Hope, [volunteer drug prevention, education & rehabilitation program]; and an administrative VP of the Freeport YMCA. Joseph is a past VP of the Bahamas Union of Teachers and taught at the St. Augustine's College in Nassau as well as at Queens' College, where he was also a guidance counselor; principal of Grand Bahama Catholic High School from 1977-1997. He is an advanced master/teacher in Reiki training, a natural energy healing method, as well as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation. He has received many awards for outstanding service and achievement in teaching, communication, and citizenship, including the 25th year of independence Commonwealth of the Bahamas Citizen’s Award. He now serves as a director/Chairman of the Coalition to Save The Bays, and presently Board Chairman for the Grand Bahama Humane Society. Joseph is married to Melanie and they have two children, and four grand children. Joseph can be reached at: jldarville@savethebasys.bs
Source
Thursday, April 13, 2017
...a masterclass in the art of diplomacy and sheer Alpha Dog swagger by The Hon. Sergey Lavrov - Russian Foreign Minister and The Hon. Rex Tillerson - Secretary of State of the United States of America
TODAY WAS A MASTERCLASS IN FOREIGN POLICY:
By Gilbert Morris:
If you observed the diplomatic meetings in Moscow today, there was a
masterclass in the art of diplomacy and sheer Alpha Dog swagger by The
Hon. Sergey Lavrov - Russian Foreign Minister and The Hon. Rex Tillerson
- Secretary of State of the United States of America.
First, the "bone of contention" was the hellish situation in Syria; most notably the alleged use of chemical weapons that outraged the selective conscience of President Trump; unmoved previously by 161 uses of chemical weapons. But 162 simply got his goat.
The nexus (where two diplomatic parties cite their disagreement was that Russia had assured the world that it had rid Syria of these weapons. As such, their use meant that either:
a. Russia was incompetent and failed to rid Syria of the weapons, or
b. Syria tricked Russia, or
c. Russia was complicit in Syria's use of these weapons, or
d. It's was all a false flag for Mr Trump to change the subject
Second, the clever student of strategic logic or foreign policy need not come to a conclusion here, but merely master the ability to raise credible questions and present both pre-texts and plausible explanations for each option.
Sean Spicer - the embattled, forever yelling, fidgety - White House press secretary, Rex Tillerson and President Trump all had differing explanations both for the Russian role in Syria; Assad's culpability in the use of chemical weapons and the meaning of US policy in the circumstance; the substance of which is yet to be articulated.
In foreign policy, every move a country makes must either:
I. Support and advance national interests
Ii. Impose, maintain or advance a "balance of power"
III. Confirm or advance a set of values
I defy anyone to show me which of those options have been revealed in US statements or actions.
But today there was indeed an alpha dog Zen master and he was Sergey Lavrov, and by extension Vladimir Putin. Here is what he (they) did today:
a. They blurred the moral lines of US policy by listing off half a dozen examples of US invasions of other nations which ended in disaster.
b. They raise questions concerning the lack of intellectual basis of the US's "trigger happy" military interventions, which seem content to blow things up, but lack the capacity to manage what they insist on bombing.
c. They sowed doubt about US commitments; reminding Europeans of Mr Obama's reticence and Mr Trump's raving mad flourishes concerning NATO.
d. They "took the wind" out of US claims - easing reasonable doubts - about US certainty that chemical weapons were used in Syria; reminding them poignantly about false claims of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Lavrov even showed himself the dominant dog in the room, reminding an American reporter of her manners as Mr Rex Tillerson sat bewilderingly mute like a cafeteria security guard.
In fact, Tillerson's tone changed from chastising Russia, to expressing concern that Syria was being so deceitful as to undermine Russian credibility, which is crucial - in Tillerson's words, to any solution to the crisis.
I do not necessarily agree with Lavrov in any particular. But those of you aspiring to high office, wanting to hold offices requiring a defence of the country - at which we have failed miserably in financial services for instance - Lavrov's approach came from knowing every background fact, understanding and cultivating pre-texts (the most important strategic skill in any public facing endeavour, which we lack in every degree), whilst planting a credible oppositional narrative in the minds of all observers.
Gilbert Morris - Facebook
By Gilbert Morris:
First, the "bone of contention" was the hellish situation in Syria; most notably the alleged use of chemical weapons that outraged the selective conscience of President Trump; unmoved previously by 161 uses of chemical weapons. But 162 simply got his goat.
The nexus (where two diplomatic parties cite their disagreement was that Russia had assured the world that it had rid Syria of these weapons. As such, their use meant that either:
a. Russia was incompetent and failed to rid Syria of the weapons, or
b. Syria tricked Russia, or
c. Russia was complicit in Syria's use of these weapons, or
d. It's was all a false flag for Mr Trump to change the subject
Second, the clever student of strategic logic or foreign policy need not come to a conclusion here, but merely master the ability to raise credible questions and present both pre-texts and plausible explanations for each option.
Sean Spicer - the embattled, forever yelling, fidgety - White House press secretary, Rex Tillerson and President Trump all had differing explanations both for the Russian role in Syria; Assad's culpability in the use of chemical weapons and the meaning of US policy in the circumstance; the substance of which is yet to be articulated.
In foreign policy, every move a country makes must either:
I. Support and advance national interests
Ii. Impose, maintain or advance a "balance of power"
III. Confirm or advance a set of values
I defy anyone to show me which of those options have been revealed in US statements or actions.
But today there was indeed an alpha dog Zen master and he was Sergey Lavrov, and by extension Vladimir Putin. Here is what he (they) did today:
a. They blurred the moral lines of US policy by listing off half a dozen examples of US invasions of other nations which ended in disaster.
b. They raise questions concerning the lack of intellectual basis of the US's "trigger happy" military interventions, which seem content to blow things up, but lack the capacity to manage what they insist on bombing.
c. They sowed doubt about US commitments; reminding Europeans of Mr Obama's reticence and Mr Trump's raving mad flourishes concerning NATO.
d. They "took the wind" out of US claims - easing reasonable doubts - about US certainty that chemical weapons were used in Syria; reminding them poignantly about false claims of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Lavrov even showed himself the dominant dog in the room, reminding an American reporter of her manners as Mr Rex Tillerson sat bewilderingly mute like a cafeteria security guard.
In fact, Tillerson's tone changed from chastising Russia, to expressing concern that Syria was being so deceitful as to undermine Russian credibility, which is crucial - in Tillerson's words, to any solution to the crisis.
I do not necessarily agree with Lavrov in any particular. But those of you aspiring to high office, wanting to hold offices requiring a defence of the country - at which we have failed miserably in financial services for instance - Lavrov's approach came from knowing every background fact, understanding and cultivating pre-texts (the most important strategic skill in any public facing endeavour, which we lack in every degree), whilst planting a credible oppositional narrative in the minds of all observers.
Gilbert Morris - Facebook
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