THINK ABOUT IT

ISRAEL IS A FOOLISH NATION

On Friday 28 May the United Nations passed a resolution establishing a conference in 2012 to reach agreement that the Middle East be a Nuclear Free Zone. The Resolution also calls on Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and open its facilities to international inspection.

Israel is furious over this Resolution. Israel boycotted the UN conference when it became clear that Egypt and other nations were going to call out Israel on its nuclear weapons. But Israel’s anger was much deeper. This was because the USA under Obama fully supports the UN Resolution and the Nuclear Free Zone objective. Under Bush, Reagan and other US Presidents, no such support would have been received for any UN Resolution passed “against” Israel.

Israel has been defying and getting away with ignoring UN Resolutions over its torture and treatment of Palestinians and the continued illegal occupation of the Palestinian people and their lands.

Obama is being cursed by the Israel newspapers over this historic move by the USA to be seen to be a bit more even handed and balanced regarding the Middle East and the issue of nuclear weapons. To date there has been much US, Western and Israel propaganda over Iran trying to get nuclear weapons while Israel got loads of nuclear weapons for years and nobody has been condemning them for it.

In the words of Tracy Chapman  - “Finally the table has started to turn”. It is a huge blow to Israeli policy.

Even as Israel was been condemned over its backward behavior over the nuclear weapons and perhaps to distract attention away from this fact the Israeli military committed a high-handed action. On Monday 31 May Israeli commanders attacked a group of ships in International waters which were carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinian in Gaza. It turned into a minor bloodbath. Nine aid workers were shot by the Israeli forces, the ships were disabled and towed away and over 500 volunteers were imprisoned in various desert detention centers. Even the UK and the USA who for years have encouraged Israel in its illegal activities and its defiance of United Nations Resolutions were forced to condemn the heavy-handed actions of the Israelis.

For those who do not know arising out of a 1967 war Israel has “stronged” several bits of territories from the Palestinian people. After being forced under International Law to return most of the captured lands Israel is holding on to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. Gaza has a population of 1.5 million Palestinians in 2006 and internationally supervised elections resulted in the so-called radical group Hamas being democratically elected as the governing body. Hamas gets strong support from Iran and as a result Israel, USA and the UK have declared them a terrorist group. Israel has an embargo against Hamas which has created severe suffering and a humanitarian crisis for the people.

WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY

Tobacco is a destructive drug with deadly effects.

World Health Organization statistics show that tobacco kills 5 ½ million people each year. This translates to a tobacco death every sixty seconds.

Tobacco is the NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH in the whole world.

Women and young girls have become the new target of the tobacco industry.

Nuff young people in Belize are smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol. Belize needs a vigorous sustained program against the twin evils of tobacco and alcohol, both of which are open and legal under the present system in which we are living.

In Belize, Monday, 31 May, 2010 was not World Tobacco Day. The evil of tobacco smoking was not brought to Belizeans. Instead the whole week is Insurance Week. Insurance in the humble opinion of this writer’s is an organized rip-off, but at least nobody could be addicted to it.

WHO LEAD CREOLES?

Who is the leader of the Creoles?

Who are the leaders of the Creole ethnic group in Belize? Hey, don’t feel no way. This is only an opinion. It is not even an opinion. It is just like poetry poorly written in poorly portrayed poor prose.

It is the Creoles who built Belize. Don’t study that foolishness ‘bout the Baymen’s glory. Dey gone live at St. George’s Caye. Dey make that the Capital of the territory. Dey make up a fairy tale story that a handful of them and some flunky slaves defeated dozens of Spanish battle ships carrying thousand of soldiers and sailors and this was done with a few cannons and some pokono boy sticks.

Never mind that Anansi story. Back here on the mainland in the forests and the jungles in the thick of the flies and insects it was we the rough and the tuff Kruffy who mi di do things. Da we mi the chop down the logwood and mahogany trees, da we and the cattle drag these monster trees from the jungles to the rivers. White men can’t chop mahogany trees, they worst can’t do it in the heat of the jungles. This was no Tarzan movie. This was God awful, hard, brutal back breaking work, only the strong survive under these conditions. And when the mahogany camp rested it was bacchanal in Belize City. The masters forced us to make plenty pickney. It was cheaper to born and raise little pickney slaves than to import all the way through from Africa through Jamaica.

Back then we were Eboes, Ashantis, Mandingoes. Eventually we became Creoles. Before our Mestizo brothers and sisters came we had built this territory. When they arrived Belize was already a country. YEA! We been slaves, we been colonized. But check this, we survived. We had a kind of education, we had skills. Most of all we were strong and proud. We were sex and love. We mingled and co-mingled. We hated no one, not even the lighter shades of pale who did us wrong.

As the years went by so came other peoples. But first our Garinagu brothers and sisters whom we have now come to love and cherish. They seem stronger than us. Their talents equal ours. They too are drummers, singers and dancers. They are speakers of tongues. And they thirst for education. They have preserved much of their culture.

There also came the East Indians and the so-called Turks, then Mennonites and the Asians, particularly the Chinese. And others.

There be none like the Creoles.

We come along way. From slaves to colonial subjects to second class citizens to top dog Belizeans.

We come a long way. From Number One with the biggest population in the land to the bottom of the ladder – socially, economically and otherwise. It’s quite a fall. Except for a handful of professionals, technocrats and beaurocrats. The majority of Creoles are suffering. They are demoralized. These once happy people so full of music, song and dance seem frightened.  The future seems bleak. Of all the negatives the worst be lack of role models and the absence of leadership. In the words of another Creole from across the seas, from Jamaica – Bob Marley – “Send us another brother Moses”.

Who is the leader of the Creoles? Who are the leaders of these mighty people?

FEMALE GANG

There is talk that a girls’ gang has formed on the Southside. They are calling themselves Garza.

In Jamaica there is a gang called Garza but it is not a really serious gang. It is more a rivalry between music groups. One called Gully and the other called Garza. We hope what we are hearing is a music group and not a violent gun gang.

CHANNEL FIVE

Amalia Mai, Mary and the other members of staff deserve a special award. They have taken local television to a very high level. There is nothing in the history of local programs to rival Channel Five’s shows in particular the award winning performances in Duets and the KTV Latino. These are a huge contribution to developing and showcasing the talents of our people. The Bliss Institute has been overflowing with enthusiastic supporters who know a good thing when they see it. There is also a large television home audience who tune in weekly to watch these performances.

The morning show “Open Your Eyes” has potential but it has ways to go. It’s a bit too staid and laid back. There is no sparks much less fire although we should concede that getting guests every morning must be quite a challenge.

TONIGHT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NITE

CBC has out done itself. This is a catchy creative commercial. Are those people Belizeans?

It’s the kind of ads/commercials we like to see.

Makes you wanna switch to CBC if you don’t have it.

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