When is Enough, Enough?

Even in my own grief of  having lost my husband last month, I wept today for a young lady who went missing a few days ago and whose body was found today behind boxes in a busy store in the heart of town. An apparently sheltered twenty year old with her life before her who recently started to work in a major bank and who had called her mother on Monday afternoon to say that she was going to Pennywise and IAM Company before coming home is no longer alive. Her Pennywise bags and a shoe were found before she was. The story apart from being tragic, is smattered with anecdotes of how she was found, where she was found and what had been done to her body before being dumped.

It's a tragic story and one that, for all the four hundred plus murders that have taken place on this tiny island this year, seems to have hit home more than most. We ignore gangland killings. We ignore disappearances - talking behind closed doors and not so closed doors, of human trafficking, family revenges, gang related revenges. Even though it's very wrong, we seem to take those in our stride.

So why has this particular murder been the subject of so many threads on social media? So many conversations? Such anger? A population coming together in a unified outrage? The answer is 'women'. Whilst men are also outraged (my driver this evening was beside himself with anger) young women and not so young women have come together and continue to come together in solidarity over this terrible, terrible murder. Many of the women we know - mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts... walk the streets of Port of Spain before work, during the day, popping out for lunch, rushing to Pennywise because goods are cheaper there than in the Malls without a thought for their safety. They stop off at vendors in Charlotte Street to pick up fruit and vegetables, pop into the odd shop as a dress or a top catches their eye and then the Chinese supermarket for a cold drink and something to munch on as they make their way back to the office. Although we have been saying for a long time that nowhere in Trinidad, not even one's own home is safe, I believe the events of today hit home for many women especially those who work in Port of Spain.

I believe there is to be a silent demonstration tomorrow at the bottom of Charlotte Street. If I could be with them I would be but I know plenty of young women who have pledged to take part. Women from all walks of life. Women from all professions. Women who have had enough. It is time for women to step up and call for a solution. When women en masse are angry it's time to watch out. I sincerely hope this is not a nine day wonder. I sincerely hope that this is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Maybe, just maybe Shannon Banfield's grotesque murder has made women angry enough to call out the necessary authorities; to make them act and to make them understand that women are not second class citizens and that they are entitled to walk the streets without fear, get into taxis without wondering whether or not they will make it to their destinations and be able to walk past a group of men without being harassed and hassled, never mind attacked or murdered.

This candle is for Shannon. May she rest in eternal peace and may perpetual light shine upon her. May her family be comforted and may the women of Trinidad and Tobago come together as one, remain together as one and make a great deal of noise as one. So much noise that the sound cannot be ignored. Let this not be a nine day wonder - let us use the loss of this innocent young woman to make our voices heard. Only in unity can we make others listen. Only in unity can we make a difference. Let those of us who are outraged today keep up the fight to stem the violence.

Shannon, soar with angels.

Pray for the World

The  gruesome, last  twenty four hours have been devastating.  The media pushing the horror of Paris into our living rooms every minute of the day.  The best and the worst of social media gone mad.    I had to remove myself from it.

Whilst I too am shocked by what happened and have a great deal of sympathy for France, its citizens and share in the rest of the world's indignation, I have to ask where is, and where was that same indignation twenty four hours earlier when  suicide bombers killed forty three people in Beirut? There are atrocities happening every day in the Middle East which are barely reported.

Is it that we only react when a person from the Western world is killed or injured in terrorist attacks? Is it that we are "all-compassioned-out"? Is it that we don't think it will affect us because we are far removed geographically? Is it some lives don't matter?  Is it that some people find it too painful to deal with?  I don't know the answers to those questions but what I do know, is that terrorism at its vilest is on our doorstep and will eventually affect us all. Innocent people of all religions will die.

It is time for us to start caring for all the lives being lost and affected by this war.

Je Suis Charlie

Today we witnessed yet another atrocity.  The difference is that this time, ( 9/11 apart) it's in our own  backyard. How many people in Europe and the UK ( I split the two) have said ' this could not happen here', "this will not happen here", "we will not allow it to happen here" ?  The burning news is that it is here and it is happening. A gunman (thug, terrorist, coward) in broad daylight, standing over an innocent and pumping bullets into him supposedly in the name of Allah? I am sure Allah has a completely different take on these heinous murders and will be withholding the seventy two virgins that fanatical male extremists  believe they are going to encounter when they go to that boudoir in the far beyond.

Time to wake up and really, really and smell the coffee.  Notwithstanding the murder of  British soldier Lee Rigsby at Woolwich Barracks, south east London by Michael Adebolaja and Michael Adebowale in 2013, I think many of us continue to believe that all is well in our world. Whilst some have fears and certain reservations when faced with bearded men in Muslim garb and women in total purdah, there are many more of us who would like to, and do believe, that your average Muslim is not a threat to our society.

So my challenge is to those who do not condone the actions of the extremists.  Instead of going on air and 'talking', put your money where your mouths are and join the protests.  Show us that you are peace loving as many I believe, are.  I feel this because I have Muslim friends.  Friends who cried when the Ayatolla  overthrew the Shah in 1979.  Friends whose weddings I have attended, whose babies I have held.  Friends who have said in reference to the atrocities, 'this is not true Islam'. Will those friends please stand up and be counted so that we do know and understand  that the faith you belong to is not about ruling the world, is not about hatred for anyone other than a Muslim brother (why are you slaughtering your own?) or that you will not rest until Islam is the only recognized religion in this world.

Serious Crime in Trinidad & Tobago

On the 3 January 2015, at 7.00 pm news time seven murders have been recorded for the New Year.

The government but more so the Minister of National Security tells us that 'serious crime' is down. Well isn't that something to be grateful for! (She said sarcastically).  So tell me: "what defines serious crime"??  Does the attack by two men on my daughter in broad daylight, two minutes away from home in 2014 constitute 'serious crime'?  Or is it just the 'murder' cases?  We closed 2014 with over 400 murders. Four hundred and three to be precise. The figures were not down from 2013 even though  in that year when it looked as though things were totally out of control, a State of Emergency was called.  It would seem that was a good thing because had that not been the case, the statistics would have been much higher than the flour hundred and seven that closed the year.  The worst year between 1994 and 2014, was a figure of five hundred and fifty in 2008.  In 1994 the murders for the year were one hundred and forty three. It went down slowly over the next few years but there has been a steady increase since 2000 when we recorded one hundred and eighteen.

Between 2002 and 2007 there were three hundred and thirty eight kidnappings, some of them ending in murder. 2008 to 2014 saw  thirty and again some of them ending in murders.  These are not just statistics for some of us because we happened to know some of those people.

I know several families who have had members kidnapped and several too who have lost a loved one to  murderers.

So back to my question: "how do the authorities define serious crime"?  To me any crime is serious. Murder, kidnapping, rape, domestic abuse, theft, child abuse,incest.........  these are figures of 'serious crime'

Murders and kidnapping figures look like this: (source TTCrime.com)

1994 to Present, Crime Statistics - TTCrime.com:

Thanks to our source for providing information. If anything here may be incorrect, please let us know.

Year:	Murders:	Kidnappings**:	Notes:
1994	143
1995	122
1996	106
1997	101
1998	98
1999	93		15 were female
2000	118		24 were female
2001	151
2002	171	29
2003	229	51
2004	260	28
2005	386	58	117 murders were in the POS District with 70 in the Western District
2006	368	17
2007	395	155
2008	550	11	Big increase in the number of murders. A significant drop in kidnappings for ransom
2009	509	6
2010	485	4	The month of June had the highest number of murders for the year: 55
2011	354*	2	January and July had the highest number of murders at 46 in each month
2012	383	5	According to the police the murder total for 2012 may be lower (to be verified)
2013	407	0
2014	403	2

The country has been told that the Hanging Bill will be reintroduced into Parliament in 2015.  Do we really want this? I have written about capital punishment before but I honestly believe that we have reached the stage where criminals don't care whether they live or die anymore. Especially those involved in gang related crime. They know they are going to die one way or the other.  It is so bad that they no longer cover their faces or worry about cameras catching them. 

And other serious crimes between 1990 and 2001  look like this. Do these 'serious crime' figures include murders? Kidnappings?

Serious Reported Crimes Previous Years

1990 -- 16,202 1991 -- 16,157 1992 -- 17,680 1993 -- 19,547 1994 -- 18,614 1995 -- 16,783 1996 -- 18,093 1997 -- 16,989 1998 -- 15,796 1999 -- 16,260 2000 -- 17,132 2001 -- 17,133 Shouldn't these 'Other Crime Statistics' be seen as 'serious crime'?? http://www.ttcrime.com/about.php

Other Crime Statistics Year: Theft*: Rape**: Notes: 2008 4,483 670 2009 5,535 642 A significant increase in break-ins / burglaries 2010 5,007 632 * Burglaries and break-ins only. ** Includes incest and other sexual offenses

Mayhem in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a beautiful twin island Republic which at the moment is spiralling out of control and is in severe danger of totally losing its credibility within the international community. Whilst some parts of the country look like this:

there is also an extremely dark side.  Following the recent assassination of prominent Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal, in typical Trinidadian fashion, rumours are flying.  Many believe the brutal murder of this 'giant' of a lady was meant to send a strong message to this country.  Many also believe that the drug lords are 'upstanding' members of the community and it is they and not the government who are running this country.

We stare corruption at all levels in the face every day.  People don't trust the police, government ministers or opposition leaders.  Some people buy their driver's licence and then die on the roads. Money passes hands in order to get things done. People turn a blind eye. Money laundering is the norm. People turn a blind eye.  Tenders and contracts are fixed.  People turn a blind eye. If they talk they will probably end up on a slab in the mortuary.

The murder toll for 2013, in a population of 1.3 million was 407.  Today we hear that there is a murder every seventeen hours and the toll for this year already stands at 172.

In 2013 a State of Emergency was declared in a bid to put a halt to the out of control murder rate.  It failed and once lifted, nothing changed. During the SOE, the merchants cried because their businesses were badly affected.  Takings and profits were down and no one here wants that even if it means a temporary lull in blood being spilt.

Law abiding citizens are afraid.  Afraid of the corruption, of the lies, of the crime, of being caught in the crossfire as wars continue and afraid that those at the top who are responsible for what is happening on the streets will never be caught and brought to justice.

Away from the beaches, the restaurants, the theatre, the appearance of normality on this island, the following is an insight into what is going on behind the screen.

Shouter Baptists, Vote Catcher and Lunch 2014

Before I try to compose the weekly Magpie I would like to share with you a little of the Trinidad and Tobago culture.

Tomorrow is Spiritual Shouters Baptist Day and is a Public Holiday in this nation.  We have a great many public holidays here!  The government also gives extra days when nationals make their mark world wide as in the case of cricketer Brian Lara breaking the world record with 375 runs and Keshon Walcott winning a gold medal at the London Olympics 2012 for javelin throwing.  I term these extra holidays as 'vote catchers' but in reality when it comes to General Elections, people forget what the government hope they would have remembered!

Rather than writing a repeat of a  past blog about this day, if you are interested, here is the link.

http://www.expatbeesblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/shoiuter-baptists-in-trinidad-and.html?showComment=1319079575278

I will not be at home tomorrow.  A girlfriend is leaving for two weeks holiday  in Canada soon and her birthday will happen whilst she is away.  So a group of friends have arranged a birthday lunch tomorrow.  Great way to spend a Public Holiday - girls' lunch.  Haven't been to one in a while and looking forward to it.  

2 Jan 2014 and Seven Murders.......

Trinidad and Tobago Crime News: Latest.

2013 ends with 407 murders which is higher than the two previous years. 

2014 starts with terrible violence in Trinidad & Tobago. The first murder was a 
Pastor and in the past 48 hours there were 7 murders already.  http://www.ttcrime.com/

So not yet quite 48 hours into 2014 and already seven murders have been committed. Oh yes, welcome to Trinidad and Tobago folks. It is difficult to determine who makes up the charts for world crime statistics s but last week according to one site, T & T ranks third in the world when it comes to Crime by Country. Venezuela heads the list, Guatemala second and South Africa fourth. The site is: 

http://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp 


On another site, in December 2012 we ranked # 8 in the world for homicides which translates into 47 per 100,000.

The US has rated crime in T & T as critical and recently the British government put out yet another damning travel advisory.  The tourist industry is suffering.

Whether the Crime Index Country by Country (note crime and not murders) is a correct indication or not, we are perceived by the outside world to be a hot spot, a major hot spot. Trinidadians on the whole, pooh pooh these figures and question their authenticity yet are afraid to move out of their homes after dark and will not venture into certain parts of the country in daylight never mind after the sun has gone down.

A great many of the murders are drug and gang related, quite a few are domestic and some are committed against children by someone known to them.

My concern is that many of the crimes committed go unsolved.  There is talk of corruption within the police force, the military and the government.  Many of the murders are definite 'hits' .  We have a great deal of work to do in this country although many believe that we are far too gone to even think of being saved.

T T is a beautiful twin island Republic with a culture and beauty that is envied world wide.   How long before we become the Haiti of the Caribbean?

All Saints 1 November 2013

This is a repost  of last year's blog on The Blog of Bee which was then known as Bee's Blog.

Today 1 November is All Saints Day which is believed to have been established in the early part of the fourth century and was known as 'Martyrs Day'.  All Saints is a Feast Day which honours and remembers  all Christian saints whose names we know and those we don't.  Western Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans celebrate this feast today whereas the Eastern Orthodox churches observe it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. 

In the early days many Christians were persecuted by the Romans and died for their belief in God.  To remember those martyrs, various dioceses set aside special days to celebrate.  In the early seventh century the Roman Emperor handed over the Pantheon Temple to the Pope who removed the statues of the Roman gods and consecrated it as 'All Saints in recognition of those who had died  from persecution during the first three hundred years after Christ.   Pope Gregory III instituted the 1 November as 'All Saints' in the diocese of Rome as he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in st Peter's Basilica.  Pope Gregory IV extended the feast to the entire church and that is where it remains today except in the Orthodox churches.  

That is how people came to be made saints in the early days and when Christians became free to worship openly, the church found other ways to recognize sanctity.  Early in Christianity people were made saints by popular acclaim which was then sanctioned by the local bishop.  For the last 500 years, the path to sainthood has been a much lengthier process  and includes necessary proof of extraordinary sanctity.

In Catholic countries this day is a Public Holiday and is seen as a holy Day of Obligation meaning that one is required to attend Mass.  In other countries, the day is moved to the nearest Sunday.  Countries and cultures have different ways of acknowledging and celebrating this feast.  In Spain, Portugal   and Mexico offerings are made.  In Belgium, Hungary and Italy flowers are brought to the graves of dead relatives.  In other parts of Europe such as Austria, Croatia, Poland and Romania it is customary to light candles which are placed on the graves.  In parts of Asia such as The Philippines it is also observed.  Relatives go to the graves of the dead, clean and repair them, lay flowers and light candles.  In France,   church services are held but by evening the focus has moved towards the dead.  People crowd cemeteries and there is much cleaning and lighting of candles.  All Saints is closely tied to All Souls' Day, held on the 2 November which is dedicated  to prayers for the dead who are not yet glorified.  

'All Saints' is not a public holiday in Trinidad  but the tradition of the living, visiting the family grave in preparation for the 2 November, is strong and very much part of its culture.  On the  night of the 1  November,  some Trinidadians still put lighted candles in their windows carrying out the age old belief that 'lost souls' will be able to find their way home. 

This evening I am preparing for a family lunch tomorrow as it is my husband's birthday which happens to fall on All Souls, another Feast Day.

PM: No interference by PP Govt

We are in so much trouble here in Trinidad.  



PM: No interference PM: No interference by PP Govtby PP Govt

Capital Punishment - For or Against?

This post is not pretty.

I am tired, so tired of the crime in this country. 

Less than a week of the Sate of Emergency being lifted, I learned from the tv news this evening that the husband of a friend of mine was murdered in his own home yesterday in broad daylight. The rest of the family were tied up and beaten. I'm not an advocate of capital punishment but I am seriously beginning to wonder if I have the right attitude. Add to that another couple I know well who live in the same area, being attacked by intruders whilst sleeping at 2am even though the downstairs of their home is burglar proofed. I have attended too many funerals of people I know who have lost their lives brutally and some I couldn't attend because it was too overwhelming.

God help this country where life has become so cheap, where we allow criminals to rule and literally get away with murder, where school children carry knives, where innocent people are losing their lives, where people believe the world owes them a living so take instead of earn, where corruption is rife, where we live behind barbed wire, burglar bars and gated communities with guards at the gates, where rapes are every day occurrences, where one doesn't feel safe in an open car park and where people who care and those who are affected are crying for justice and getting no answers.

Bee's Blog: Part of my Job

Bee's Blog: Part of my Job: EVANGELIZATION FIRST ‘A NEW WAY AHEAD’ On the 10 September 2011. 88 volunteers of the Evangelization Commission gathered under a...

Repost of Simone Leid - The WomenSpeak Project

October 27th, 2011 at 12:21AM

OUTRAGED! Rape of a Child is NOT Entertainment!

On 25th October, 2011, the local television program “Crime Watch” which airs on TV6 at 6pm in Trinidad and Tobago, aired video footage of a 13 year old girl being beaten and raped. The host of Crime Watch, also had the child’s mother on set and asked her questions about how she felt on hearing the cries of her daughter as she is being raped by several men on the video.
I cannot sit idly by and merely shake my head at this abomination. That the rape of a child is aired on a television show that is notorious for sensationalizing, and packaging criminal activity and trauma of victims as entertainment, signals that we have reached an all new level of barbarianism.
In a country where the cries of a child being raped can be aired at prime time, and then again at night, and again the next day, and again the next night - is it any wonder that we are a country whose rates of murder of women by domestic partners and rape are amongst the highest in the world?
For if we can reduce someone to a sound-bite, a headline, a statistic, then it becomes easier for us to forget they are human beings. They become ‘the other’, ‘a number’, ‘not one of us’. And when we are fed violence as entertainment, we become desensitized to the chopping, the burning, the raping. Suddenly a woman who is ‘just’ battered is no big deal.
WomenSpeak was created to give these ‘statistics’ a human face. To give women the opportunity to tell their stories of abuse, harassment, discrimination, in their own words. To encourage every man and woman in the region to take responsibility for sharing the message that discrimination against women is a disease that is rotting us from the inside out. That we stand as Caribbean men and women, boys and girls who believe in the dignity of all human beings. And we DEMAND higher standards of decency, empathy and justice for women and girls.
We each have a voice. Let us use it. If we are fed up of the exploitation, denigration and dehumanization of our women, men  and children, please exercise your conscience and let the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, Crime Watch and TV6 and its affiliates know what you think of it’s degrading ratings ploys; of this violence perpetrated by the local media upon it’s citizens.
CALL.WRITE.SPEAK OUT.REPOST.RETWEET.
For my part, I want Crime Watch OFF THE AIR. PERIOD.
Below are contact numbers and links

Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago  (click link for complaint form)
#5 Eighth Avenue Extension, Off Twelfth Street, Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago.
Phone : 1-868-675-8288
TV6  
35 Independence Square , Port of Spain, Trinidad, WI
Telephone 1-868-627-8806
Trinidad Express Newspapers 
35-37 Independence Square, Port of Spain, Trinidad, WI
1-868-623-1711/8
Hott 93 Office
#5 Rosalino Street, Woodbrook
Port Of Spain, Trinidad, W.I.
Phone: (868).625.8426, (868).623.7605
Fax: (868).624.3234

 Simone Leid - The WomenSpeak Project


Learn more about the WomenSpeak Project’s Mission and Objectives here http://womenspeak.tumblr.com/tagged/Mission
and here http://womenspeak.tumblr.com/tagged/objectives

State of Emergency Update Trinidad & Tobago

State of Emergency in Trinidad & Tobago Update

OPERATIONAL UPDATE - 2011.09.01.

Port of Spain. Over the last 24 hours, a total of one hundred and sixty seven persons [167] were arrested. Of the total arrests within the 24 hour period, twenty seven [27] were gang related, one [1] homicide, thirty five [35] drug related, two [2] persons were arrested for firearm related charges, fifty nine [59] persons were arrested for outstanding warrants, five [5] were arrested for breach of curfew, twenty two [22] were arrested for traffic offences, with ninety six [96] tickets issued and thirteen [13] persons were arrested for other serious offences. Three [3] others were arrested for other offences. One firearm and fifteen rounds of ammunition were also seized.

To date, a total of one thousand, one hundred and forty three [1143] persons have been arrested, with three hundred and sixty six [366] arrests related to gangs, two hundred and sixteen [216] related to drug offences, two hundred and twenty eight [228] related to outstanding warrants, one hundred and eighty one [181] related to other serious offences, eighty two [82] related to breach of curfew, and thirty [30] related to homicide.

Additionally, the Coast Guard acting on intelligence seized a vessel with two (2) male Trinidadians along with two (2) male Jamaicans and confiscated a quantity of cocaine with a street value of $3.2 million dollars on board the vessel.

Issued by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communications
State of Emergency [SOE] Communications

Of course there's much more going on as well and we will know later today whether or not the curfew times have been changed.

This came about not just because of a much needed  major crackdown on  crime and the drug shipments coming into and through this country but because a plan to assassinate the Prime Minister and the Attorney General was uncovered.

State of Emergency in Trinidad & Tobago. Day 3

I just cannot share my feelings on this at the moment as there are so many unanswered questions.  

These are some of the rules and regulations during a State of Emergency:

• The State of Emergency grants special powers to the police and military:
• Search and seizure powers will not require a search warrant;
• Military to have power to arrest and detain before transfer to the police;
• Police can arrest and detain for up to 24 hours after which a magistrate, or assistant superintendent (or higher), will be able to add an extra 7 days;
• No bail for those arrested during the State of Emergency;
• Courts no longer will have the power to grant bail.

It is strongly advised you to respect the curfew in the affected areas and to comply with directives issued by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, military and police units.. Travel times might be affected by these measures, so ensure you have sufficient time to reach your destination before curfew

This is the advisory from the British High Commission.

On 21 August 2011, a Limited State of Emergency was called into effect by the Prime Minister. There is a curfew in place for designated "hotspots" in Trinidad from 21:00 to 05:00 local time. Although the State of Emergency extends to Tobago, the island has no designated "hotspots" and is not affected by the curfew. We strongly advise you to respect the curfew in the affected areas and to comply with directives issued by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, military and police units.  

You should be aware that there are high levels of violent crime, especially shootings and  kidnappings. British nationals have been victims of violent attacks, particularly in Tobago where law enforcement is weak.

38 British nationals required consular assistance in Trinidad and Tobago in the period April 2010 - March 2011.

Believe me, living in the tropics, is not all it's cracked up to be!

State of Emergency

A limited State of Emergency has been put into place in this twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. I don't have time to write about it now but this is how CNN reported it.  They say a 'partial state of emergency' when in effect, the whole island is being shut down..

Authorities impose curfews on Trinidad and Tobago

By the CNN Wire Staff

August 22, 2011 -- Updated 1630 GMT (0030 HKT)

Port Of Spain, Trinidad (CNN) -- A partial state of emergency was imposed Monday on crime hotspots across Trinidad and Tobago, and the government said it will enforce curfews in certain areas to curb the spiraling rate of drug-related murders in the Caribbean islands.

This weekend alone, 11 people were fatally shot, bringing the total for the year so far to 264, authorities said.

Speaking to the media, Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, who took office 16 months ago said her national security advisers believe the discovery and seizure of large amounts of cocaine this past week may be responsible for the untenable situation.

She said, "We will search them out and bring them to swift justice," noting that her government will not allow a handful of thugs to hold ransom the majority of law abiding citizens of Trinidad and Tobago which celebrates its 49th year of independence on August 31

Journalist Gideon Hanoomansingh contributed to this

London Burning

London Burning

I posted this on Bee's Blog whereas really it should be here on Bee Up Front and Serious but I doubt that anyone will read it here.  Maybe no one will read it over there either but I need to get  this out of my system.

Last week was a terrible time in my homeland and although I wasn't there I followed the events on the news stations and in the British press.  I called friends to ensure they were safe but their reassurances did not calm my turmoil.   My stomach has now stopped churning and I'm a little less disturbed than I was a few days ago.  Funny how one may be away from what's going on but still be affected by it.

The entire episode has made me very, very angry. angry for many reasons but most of all, angry at the total breakdown of a society and the lawlessness which those with an ounce of integrity, should have seen coming.

I am sick to death of hearing about Human Rights. Sick to death of hearing the excuses being given for the torching, rioting and looting that went on in London, its environs and other cities last week.  There are no excuses. I don't care whether you are black, white,  pink, yellow, jobless, disenfranchised, from a one parent family, a drop out, a primary school teacher, mentally or physically challenged, a casualty of the last Labour Government or of the fifteen month old Conservative government. I am sick to death of hearing that it's a 'culture thing', of whites trying to be black, of music and television being a major influential in the lives of our young people.

Tell me, how can anyone condone the words of a 17year old girl, drinking her looted wine from a bottle, telling the BBC interviewer that they were doing this to get at the rich and to let the police know that they can do anything they want?

I have always said that discipline starts in the home. Children need boundaries and they need to be taught right from wrong.  Whilst there were some things that I would not have put my head on a block for  in favour of my children as they were growing up, I certainly would put my head on a block for both of them where the events of last week are concerned.  I know that they would never have entered into such mayhem.  How to I know? Because from very early o'clock they were taught right from wrong and that one has to be accountable for things unacceptable to society. You do the crime, you pay the time.  I am sick of hearing parents say that they are not responsible for the behaviour of their children as one woman said yesterday after her son was caught on camera and has been charged.  She now faces possible eviction from her government apartment because of a 1985 law which in a nutshell, stipulates that anyone with a history of criminality, or by association (i.e. family member) is not entitled to live in a state owned property.  I understand fully that she was not the one who looted, was caught and charged and possibly faces a prison sentence but I have a problem when she hits the national media saying that her human rights are being violated. 

Maybe now is the time to make an example of people.  Maybe now is the time for people to take back their country - from the thugs, the hooligans, from every Tom. Dick and Harry who decides to land on Britain's shores and use it as a bolt hole.  Maybe now is the time to become more discerning where social welfare is concerned and maybe now is the time to stop handing everything to people, on a plate.  Maybe now is the time to institute a system as near as dammit it to compulsory National Service, to hold parents accountable for the children's misbehaviour, to bring back Teachers Training Colleges, to put Heads instead of principals back into schools,  to put morning assemblies with prayers back into schools, to put Matrons back into hospitals, to put pride back into a country where every Briton no matter where they originated from, can live in peace and harmony knowing they are safe.

I am sharing here photos of the London Daily Mail which show the less hostile events of last week.

Photographs taken from the London Mail

Could you sleep easy knowing that your child, husband or any relative had taken part in this?  One mother who saw her daughter who had excelled at school, who held various athletic records, had modelled and was to be an Ambassador at the London Olympics 2012, on television committing the crime of looting, turned her in saying that she didn't love her any less, that it was a hard decision but it was the right one to make.


I only hope that when David Cameron said the following today, he meant it.:

'Tear up the sentencing guidelines and jail EVERY looter'

• Two thirds of 1,179 defendants remanded in custody
  

Emancipation Day 2011 Trinidad & Tobago

Emancipation Day 2011

Tomorrow, 1 August is Emancipation Day in Trinidad and Tobago.  On 1 August 1985 Trinidad and Tobago became the first country in the world to declare a national holiday to commemorate the abolition of slavery.  I am not going to go into all the political 'hoo hah', the in-fighting and the various arguments that go on in this country whenever national events such as this one happens.  I am however going to share a little of black history for those who may be interested in what I would describe as the worst kind of exploitation that has ever taken place. I have researched various historical documents on this subject so acknowledgment is due to their authors.

Captured Slaves

The history of the New World since Columbus re-discovered it, is one of conquest, pillage, exploitation and forced migration of people.

The Triangular Trade

Slavery existed in Africa before the arrival of the Europeans. However they were treated much more kindly than they would come to be treated by the Europeans. Slavery in many African societies was a temporary state, usually occurring as punishment for a crime or to pay off a debt. With the arrival of Europeans however, the face of slavery was changed forever. Slavery became an organized business. English slave ships would arrive on the West coast of Africa with a cargo of guns, alcohol, goods, beads and trinkets. These would be traded with the Africans in exchange for slaves. To assure a steady supply of slaves for the colonies, African tribes were encouraged by the Europeans to raid other tribes and capture their people. These captives would be bound in iron neck rings and linked together with chains and forced to march to the coast, where they would be housed in barracoons (holding pens) in unhealthy conditions, until a slave ship arrived. The captain of the slave ship would then choose the slaves he wanted and exchange them for the goods he had brought. Usually young, strong healthy slaves were selected, and more men than women were chosen. The slave captain would then sail with his human cargo across the Atlantic to the colonies in North America and the Caribbean. This three-step process in the slave trade – slave ships sailing from Europe to Africa and then to the Caribbean – was called the Triangular Trade. The trip from Europe to Africa was called the Outward Passage, the trip from Africa to the Americas was called the Middle Passage and the trip from the Americas to Europe in which cargoes of rum, sugar, tobacco and other produce bought with the proceeds of slave sales were shipped was called The Inward Passage.

The Middle Passage

The Middle Passage was the stage of the triangular trade in which millions of people from Africa were taken to the New World as part of the  Atlantic slave trade.  The Middle Passage was a horrendous ordeal for the Africans.

 

Men were crammed below decks in handcuffs and leg irons. Women and children were not chained and were housed in separate quarters from the men. All however, were treated with brutality. Slave captains packed the ships to capacity with human cargo. The journey lasted anywhere from six weeks to three months depending on the weather and the distance to be covered. In good weather slaves were allowed on deck twice a day for exercise. Below deck living conditions were appalling.  There were no washroom  facilities and slaves had to relieve themselves were they were. Many suffered from seasickness, dysentery and small pox. By the time they reached their destination many were ill and weak, and some died on board. In addition to the appalling physical conditions, there was also the mental stress. Many Africans became despondent and threw themselves overboard. Those who were rescued were beaten for trying to escape.

For more than three centuries millions of people were forcibly transported from their homes in Africa, across the perilous Atlantic Ocean to the New World, where they were forced to labour on sugar plantations for the rest of their lives. This enslavement  of a people continued until events in Europe changed the fortunes of the West Indian and North American colonies. Humanitarians started questioning the validity of slavery, there was competition from beet sugar producers in Europe, and the advent of the Industrial Revolution spawned the rise of a new group of influential men in the British Parliament who believed that slavery was no longer economically viable.

From 1770s onward, several influential pressure groups arose in England and France calling for an end to the slave trade and slavery. They became known as abolitionists. These abolitionists were religious humanitarians (Quakers, Methodists, Evangelical Anglicans, Baptists and Moravians), intellectuals, workers and a few former slaves. They mobilised popular opinion, using mass meetings and petitions. The most notable of the abolitionists were Granville Sharp, William Wilberforce, John Wesley and Thomas Buxton. In addition to the abolitionists, an economist Adam Smith argued that free labour was cheaper than slave labour which he showed to be uneconomic.

In France and England the ideas of  the Enlightenment and the French and American Revolutions also helped to fuel the demands to end slavery.There was of course fierce opposition to the abolitionists. British planters, ship owners, merchants and bankers were in favour of continuing slavery. Their argument was that slavery was economically essential to Britain and her colonies.  


Over time the abolitionists’ campaign gained momentum. William Wilberforce made several attempts to introduce a bill in parliament outlawing the slave trade. Finally in 1807 the Abolition Act was passed abolishing the slave trade. The law became operational on 1 January 1808. The abolitionists hoped that by ending the slave trade no more slaves would be coming from Africa and therefore slavery would gradually come to an end, but this was not the case. The planters continued to use slave labour on their estates.

When it became apparent that slavery was not going to end, the abolitionists tried another strategy that was meant to make the life of the slaves less unbearable. It was called the Amelioration policy. Under this policy or law, female slaves were not to be flogged and slaves were not allowed to work on Sundays. Slaves were also to be allowed to give evidence in court as long as a Christian minister could vouch for the slave's understanding of what an oath meant. The Amerilioration laws met with a lot of opposition, and when it became obvious that they would not be enforced, the abolitionists decided to try for the abolition of slavery. It took another twenty seven years after the abolition of the slave trade, before slavery itself was abolished.

In 1833 Thomas Buxton presented The Emancipation Bill in the British Parliament. The Act was passed and came into effect on 1 August 1834. On that day, thousands of slaves in the British West Indies became free men and women.

How the declaration was published in Britain

Guardian UK 

Throughout the British dominions the sun no longer rises on the slave.  Yesterday was the day from which the emancipation of all our slave population commences: and we trust the great change by which they are elevated to the rank of freeman will be found to have passed into effect in the manner most accordant with the benevolent spirit in which it was decreed, most consistent with the  interests of those who benefit it was primarily intended, and most calculated to put an end to the apprehensions under which it was hardly to be expected that the planters could fail  to labour as the moment of its consummation approaches.  we shall await anxiously the arrivals from the West Indies that will bring advices to a date subsequent to the present time.   

It's not a very pretty picture is it?