THE EDITOR: I just stay so and remembered something

The 6th of October this year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the worst atrocities that involved this country and so far as I know, justice for that has never properly been served.

On the 6th October, 1976 a Cuban airliner was blown up in mid-air just after taking off from Barbados by a bomb that was placed in it by four anti-Castro dissidents: These goodly men were in Trinidad first, under false names, and apparently seemed to have made their presence felt if the bombing incident at the Guyanese consulate in Port of Spain is any indication.

So it was very heartening a few years ago when the US, who trained them before that bombing and who sheltered them afterward, in the spirit of keeping the world safe from people who wish to harm innocent lives, pressured T&T to hand over some Trinis who supposedly plotted to blow up JFK airport. Never mind that that whole incident was wide open to some serious questions that should have been openly asked by those in authority – but never did. Never mind that some learned people I personally know who study terrorism as a career, along with people in the oil industry who understand fuel safety systems rubbished the allegations. No, all that matters is that the ever vigilant guardian of the free world halted a major crime from happening on their soil and struck terrorism another blow.

Soooooo, since fair’s fair, given that a crime WAS committed on our soil by men who were (and still are) walking free in the US, when exactly are we going to see any politician here grow a spine and call for THEIR extradition for trial here? Or at least call the US out on its hypocrisy and always selective memory? Is it that it’s only terrorism when the act is committed AGAINST the West, not when it’s committed BY the West or their agents?

There’s a point to this: our rising drug violence and religious radicalism stems as much from economic and political decisions made in Washington and Bretton Woods as it does from our own leader’s politicking, collusion and/or incompetence. As such, given that come November one out of two corrupt, racist warmongers will occupy the White House – one of whom already has questions to answer for concerning Haiti and Honduras – we had better start understanding the ways we are powerful on the world stage in spite of our tiny size and learn how to use that power……for our own sakes. Or at the very least, watch this taking of bush tea for other people’s cold. Stop being other people’s pawn and plaything.

Corey Gilkes
La Romaine