I know, I know. Listening to too much Damian Marley. But the construction is apposite – we are becoming more like Jamaica, daily.

Case in point:

Trinidad and Tobago has become more homicidal than Jamaica-while murders are decreasing there, the murder rate here is steadily on the rise…In 2005 Jamaica’s murder rate went up by 28.43 per cent compared with 2004 while Trinidad and Tobago’s homicide rate went up by 32.64 per cent for the same period.”

[Trinidad Express, April 10 2006]

Crime isn’t even the most obvious though. ‘Trini’ is increasingly becoming ‘Trinidadianised patois.’ Nah mean?

Speaking of Jamaica, I’m a tad concerned about Lady P, as she’s known. Ms. Portia Miller, first female PM of JA. She’s scarily like George W, in a couple of ways. Invoking the divine (“I am God’s Chosen Prime Minister”), overt reliance on faith-based initiatives, insistence that religion ought to guide State policy. Waiting for her to announce that JA will be invading Cuba. Or Haiti. Any time now.

I have huge, huge issues with religion. I’m petrified by stories like this one:

Ruth Malhotra went to court last month for the right to be intolerant.

Malhotra says her Christian faith compels her to speak out against homosexuality. But the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she’s a senior, bans speech that puts down others because of their sexual orientation. Malhotra sees that as an unacceptable infringement on her right to religious expression. So she’s demanding that Georgia Tech revoke its tolerance policy.

[La Times, April 10 2006]

Tolerance and love for mankind. Right.

Recently on the Soca Warriors Online Forums – where I’ve been spending too much time – the question of whether one would play for a team which had an openly gay player was posed. The most vitriolic reponse came from a certain ex-Naps boy, who has this to say:

“like you is ah buller man yuhself or wah. you promoting buller man thing, talking about when we go realize that them is human being just like weself. i shoulda be dey. burn out battyness oui. wah kinda shit you bring on dis forum. yuh is ah joker or wah. yuh ever hear about hiv/aids? it was brought up for biological warfare and den mainly spreed by man shredding man batty. now dis facking ting plague d world. and you trying to preach to we dat it is ok and dat dey is only human. boy, gone from here with datshit on dis forum eh. moderators, tek dis to general discussion please.

ps- yuh only talking about remember this and remember this.ah want yuh to do meh ah favour, remember this nah>>>

read these chapters: –
Leviticus 18 verse 22
Leviticus 20 verse 13
Romans 1 verse 26 & 27
2 Peter verse 5-6

den ask yuhself if we should allow battyness!! yuh mad, bun dem figging men oui”

Indeed?