From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Uncle Sam or son of the soil?
HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Dear Reader,
The events of the last few weeks ring ominously for our beloved country. It is not only that the security and social fabric of the country are unravelling at an alarming rate, but the overarching umbrella of governance is crumbling as well.
Read the whole letter here.
Snippet(s):
"The country is in anarchy, but what is even worse is that the institution which is supposed to be providing the solutions, namely our government, has itself become a part of the problem.
Central to the issue of the deepening failure of Jamaican politics and politicians is the current standoff between the Golding administration and the US Government. It is not only that the opinions and conclusions formed by the State Department cast an ugly light on corruption in Jamaican politics, it has typecast an image of Jamaican society that, if not reversed quickly, may place us in a "clique" that has few escape routes and even fewer friends and allies in the West."
"Is the Golding administration undertaking a de facto referendum for us to choose between Uncle Sam or our son of the soil, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke?
As a citizen of Jamaica, I need to know if I have been involuntarily drafted for war with the United States."
"What is extremely disturbing about this public boxing match between our country and the US is the fact that we have allowed the US to expose our underwear most shamefully. What is even more distressing is that all of us who live here have been largely silent about the state of corruption and the links between political parties and criminal elements."
"The US Government's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2010 has painted a damning picture of Jamaica. Addressing the extradition standoff specifically, the report stated that "Jamaica's processing of the extradition request has been subjected to unprecedented delays, unexplained disclosure of law-enforcement information to the press, and unfounded allegations questioning US compliance with the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and Jamaican law"."
"Labelling Jamaica as the Caribbean's largest supplier of marijuana to the United States as well as a trans-shipment point for cocaine entering South America, the US government criticised the Golding administration's handling of crime and corruption."
&
"So the Golding administration has pulled us all into a fight with America over the extradition of someone described as an alleged narcotics and gun trafficker and is essentially asking the people of Jamaica to choose."
_____
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
Showing posts with label Betty Ann Blaine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Betty Ann Blaine. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Friday, March 20, 2009
JO - Prostitution for profit?
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Prostitution for profit?
HEART TO HEART
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Dear Reader,
There is one thing that is becoming abundantly clear about the Golding administration and its surrogate-managers - they are obviously prepared to fund the budget by any means necessary, even in the face of the glaring contradictions between fiscal propriety and moral bankruptcy. As if enough damage is not being done to the social fabric of the country with the legalisation of casino gambling, there are some people who are now talking about the legalisation of prostitution.
Read the whole letter here.
Snippet(s):
"Just in case there is any of us who may be unclear about the factual implications of the legalisation of prostitution - it is that the buying and selling of sex would move from a personal and individual level to becoming a state-sponsored enterprise."
&
"One of the gravest risks faced by prostitutes and other sex workers is human trafficking. The phenomenon , described as "modern-day slavery", now stands at a figure of close to 27 million trafficked victims, and is largely associated with young women, even children, many of them recruited or coerced as a result of their exposure to prostitution and the sex trade."
Jamaica Observer
Prostitution for profit?
HEART TO HEART
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Dear Reader,
There is one thing that is becoming abundantly clear about the Golding administration and its surrogate-managers - they are obviously prepared to fund the budget by any means necessary, even in the face of the glaring contradictions between fiscal propriety and moral bankruptcy. As if enough damage is not being done to the social fabric of the country with the legalisation of casino gambling, there are some people who are now talking about the legalisation of prostitution.
Read the whole letter here.
Snippet(s):
"Just in case there is any of us who may be unclear about the factual implications of the legalisation of prostitution - it is that the buying and selling of sex would move from a personal and individual level to becoming a state-sponsored enterprise."
&
"One of the gravest risks faced by prostitutes and other sex workers is human trafficking. The phenomenon , described as "modern-day slavery", now stands at a figure of close to 27 million trafficked victims, and is largely associated with young women, even children, many of them recruited or coerced as a result of their exposure to prostitution and the sex trade."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
JO - Blame it on the deportees?
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Blame it on the deportees?
HEART TO HEART
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Dear Reader,
For a matter that has such serious national and international implications, it is shameful that the deportee issue should be reduced to political gamesmanship. While there may be some people with an interest in knowing about the volume and frequency of deportee charter flights from the UK to Jamaica, the matter of deportees is infinitely more urgent and more complex.
Read the whole letter here.
Jamaica Observer
Blame it on the deportees?
HEART TO HEART
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Dear Reader,
For a matter that has such serious national and international implications, it is shameful that the deportee issue should be reduced to political gamesmanship. While there may be some people with an interest in knowing about the volume and frequency of deportee charter flights from the UK to Jamaica, the matter of deportees is infinitely more urgent and more complex.
Read the whole letter here.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
JO - Standing on the shoulders of his ancestors
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Standing on the shoulders of his ancestors
HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Dear Reader,
The political ascendancy of Barack Obama is as phenomenal as it is historic, and so the questions are being asked: "How did it happen? Was it a sudden miracle, or a simple twist of fate?
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"How is it that the United States of America moved from segregation in the South at the start of the 1960s Civil Rights period, to the Democratic nomination of an African American candidate for president, less than 50 years later?"
Jamaica Observer
Standing on the shoulders of his ancestors
HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Dear Reader,
The political ascendancy of Barack Obama is as phenomenal as it is historic, and so the questions are being asked: "How did it happen? Was it a sudden miracle, or a simple twist of fate?
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"How is it that the United States of America moved from segregation in the South at the start of the 1960s Civil Rights period, to the Democratic nomination of an African American candidate for president, less than 50 years later?"
Friday, January 2, 2009
JO - Empire and enigmas
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Empire and enigmas
HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Dear Reader,
The story of Africa in general, and Zimbabwe in particular, has a recurrent theme. It is a story of old wounds and present realities - a story of empire and enigmas. It is as much a story of the evils of the British Empire as it is a story of a modern-day despot. Zimbabwe's current crisis cannot be fully understood without an examination of the past. Like all of colonised Africa, many of the country's problems have their roots in slavery and colonialism, and the attendant socio-economic and political dynamics of ethnicity and inequality.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The carving up of Africa, commonly referred to as the "partition" or the "scramble", was much more than the sharing up of the continent among European powers for profit and for power. The indiscriminate butchering of the land cut into and across age-old cultural and linguistic boundaries in a manner that left with it deep and long-lasting consequences on almost every country in Africa, including Zimbabwe.
On November 15, 1884, an international conference was convened in Berlin. Present was every nation of Europe, save Switzerland and the United States of America, 14 in all."
Personally, I object to America being classified as a European nation, either today or in 1884.
Jamaica Observer
Empire and enigmas
HEART TO HEART
With Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Dear Reader,
The story of Africa in general, and Zimbabwe in particular, has a recurrent theme. It is a story of old wounds and present realities - a story of empire and enigmas. It is as much a story of the evils of the British Empire as it is a story of a modern-day despot. Zimbabwe's current crisis cannot be fully understood without an examination of the past. Like all of colonised Africa, many of the country's problems have their roots in slavery and colonialism, and the attendant socio-economic and political dynamics of ethnicity and inequality.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The carving up of Africa, commonly referred to as the "partition" or the "scramble", was much more than the sharing up of the continent among European powers for profit and for power. The indiscriminate butchering of the land cut into and across age-old cultural and linguistic boundaries in a manner that left with it deep and long-lasting consequences on almost every country in Africa, including Zimbabwe.
On November 15, 1884, an international conference was convened in Berlin. Present was every nation of Europe, save Switzerland and the United States of America, 14 in all."
Personally, I object to America being classified as a European nation, either today or in 1884.
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