First we are told that the “old” Piarco airport (you know, the one that was abandoned in favour of the new multi-million dollar “barn” design) would be refurbished for the sole purpose of processing the arriving dignitaries for the Fifth Summit of the Americas – a gala affair for which there was also talk of leasing 200 BMWs for use by heads of state during the 3 days of the summit. Because of course, it would be gauche to expect the upper crust to go through the same Customs and Immigration areas as the rest of us Plebeians, just as it would be unreasonable to expect them to be shuttled around in buses. I mean, where’s the wisdom in that? 200 more vehicles on the road adding to the traffic congestion makes much more sense than minibuses that can transport greater numbers of people using a smaller footprint.

They finally saw the light on that issue, but common sense, as my father used to say, is not that common. The next summit-related controversy was the erection of the Wall of Shame to block the festering sore that is Beetham Gardens. Because of course the money that is being poured into making Port of Spain “look good” for these three days of meetings wouldn’t change anything in the Beetham if it were used instead to fund community programmes and skills-building workshops. Our priorities are so skewed it’s heartbreaking.

And then there’s the icing on this rapidly falling cake. The bright idea that – wait for it – trees (yes, TREES surrounding the airport in which the summit attendees will not be arriving) pose such a security risk that they are all being sawed to the ground with great alacrity. Does anyone in this country think of long-term repercussions before they act? Or even short-term for that matter? Part of the summit’s agenda is to discuss environmental sustainability – does the ridiculous irony of this strike no-one but me? And does cost not factor into the equation either? Surely, in the face of a global economic crisis, cordoning off the relevant areas (or even stationing security personnel at the trunk of every tree) will be astronomically cheaper than hiring tree-cutters.

Oh…and one more thing. When Barack Obama takes office on January 20th, he will likely be the most targeted President in US history – and I’m willing to bet that all the trees around the White House (and, as a matter of fact, trees that may line his path on any of his travels) will remain intact.

Besides which, McCain’s questioning of “whether this (Barack Obama) is a man who has what it takes to protect America from Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and the other great threats in the world” is probably not the most advisable political path to follow. W, to whom McCain lent his support the overwhelming majority of the time, leaves, as part of his dubious legacy, the fallout from the 9-11 attacks on America. Can anyone forget how he continued to listen to that students’ reading for what seemed like forever after hearing the news of the attacks? And then waged war on Iraq, despite repeated confirmation from UN weapons inspectors that there were no “weapons of mass destruction” to be found and that Saddam Hussein’s regime had nothing to do with September 11. And to add insult to injury, never managed to find the real perpetrator of the attacks, despite threats of “smoking him out” from his cave. Followed, quite fittingly, by McCain’s promises to “follow Bin Laden to the gates of Hell.” So, really – who’s the candidate that Americans should be more concerned about when it comes to homeland security? The “experienced” maverick who can’t catch the outlaw despite two terms of his party being in office, or the “green” senator who intends to tackle foreign relations the smart way – by sitting down and discussing things?

If I could vote, you know where I’d be casting my ballot.

Couric: You recently said three times that you would never, quote, “second guess” Israel if that country decided to attack Iran. Why not?

Palin: We shouldn’t second guess Israel’s security efforts because we cannot ever afford to send a message that we would allow a second Holocaust, for one. Israel has got to have the opportunity and the ability to protect itself. They are our closest ally in the Mideast. We need them. They need us. And we shouldn’t second guess their efforts.

Couric: You don’t think the United States is within its rights to express its position to Israel? And if that means second-guessing or discussing an option?

Palin: No, abso … we need to express our rights and our concerns and …

Couric: But you said never second guess them.

Palin: We don’t have to second-guess what their efforts would be if they believe … that it is in their country and their allies, including us, all of our best interests to fight against a regime, especially Iran, who would seek to wipe them off the face of the earth. It is obvious to me who the good guys are in this one and who the bad guys are. The bad guys are the ones who say Israel is a stinking corpse and should be wiped off the face of the earth. That’s not a good guy who is saying that. Now, one who would seek to protect the good guys in this, the leaders of Israel and her friends, her allies, including the United States, in my world, those are the good guys.

Scary. Not only does she stick to a position she clearly cannot defend, but all those years of “foreign policy experience” (thanks to Alaska’s geographic proximity to Russia) are based on who “the good guys” are in “her world”. Well, the world is bigger than Sarah Palin and her views.

One caveat before I continue: I hold no illusions that arriving at peace in the Middle East is a simple undertaking, nor do I consider myself an expert on the crisis. But is this really who the Republicans are suggesting as the second-in-command to the “leader of the free world”? Shouldn’t the role of a “superpower” be to set the example? Instead of taking sides and perpetuating the cycle of violence, peace brokering should be the top priority in the Middle East. I’d hate to think that Palin, champion of the unborn, values the life of an Israeli child over a Palestinian one. Both sides suffer in a conflict like this. Grief isn’t reserved for the “good guys”. Differences do not make people evil. At least that’s how those of us with a bigger world view operate. But there’s more…

Couric: In preparing for this conversation, a lot of our viewers … and internet users wanted to know why you did not get a passport until last year. And they wondered if that indicated a lack of interest and curiosity in the world.

Palin: I’m not one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world. No, I’ve worked all my life. In fact, I usually had two jobs all my life until I had kids. I was not a part of, I guess, that culture.

Uh-huh. So the only “culture” Palin really knows is that of the good old U.S. of A. Makes you wonder where the rest of the world stands if the McCain/Palin ticket actually makes it to the White House.

As former Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce chief Chris Lowe says: “Our laws have worked well in the past, but seem not to work today. The laws have not changed, nor have the rules governing the police and courts. So what has changed? Something must have changed.”

His answer? Today there is rule by political and personal favour rather than by law: “And it follows that, if we observe our leaders ignoring the law, why then should we ordinary citizens observe the law? And if we no longer possess any standards, anarchy follows – not in one fell swoop, but in an ever accelerating progression right before our very eyes.”

The Pulitzer Center commissioned a reporter to focus the spotlight on HIV-AIDS in the Caribbean, since regional HIV rates are second only to those of sub-Saharan Africa. Caribbean HIV rates are currently the highest in this hemisphere. Read the report here.

The website is interactive, so you can watch Pulitzer Center-commissioned documentaries here .

Leadership. Pass it on.

As if to underscore the point, co-leader Jack Warner tells the crowd not to worry, as a political party, the UNC-A “has money put aside for bail”.

I’m so stunned I can’t think of a single witty thing to say.

Let’s not be hasty to dethrone Umbala just yet. George Umbala Joseph is in a class all his own and has quite a few good years yet ahead of him. And if anyone is to be named heir of Umbala’s throne, it should be Wade Mark.

Mr. Mark has not disappointed. In a committee meeting yesterday (of which he was Chair) he refused to entertain opposing comments, telling Minister Christine Kangaloo that he would rule her “out of order” when she hadn’t yet asked a question – she was merely trying to bring some reason to the fast-escalating confrontation between Mark and the Minister of Social Development, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid. Mark instructed Abdul-Hamid to “be quiet”, and when he insisted that he would not, Mark then threatened to call the police and have Abdul-Hamid escorted out of the meeting – but not before uttering this gem:

“I am the King of this Committee. And you are my subject.”

“The West Indies cricket team is only a symptom (even if the most glaring) of a Caribbean malaise, and not its cause. There may be all sorts of hope but there really is no reason for the team to do well when everything else in the region is failing spectacularly.

In Trinidad, the Prime Minister is in a quandary over whether to begin fresh impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice, after the criminal prosecution of the same CJ (for allegedly trying to influence the outcome of a criminal prosecution of yet another former prime minister) was abandoned when the Chief Magistrate, upon whose gratuitous accusations the criminal charges were laid, simply refused to give evidence, preferring to wait for the impeachment proceedings; it puts Bradshaw’s declining to bend over to pick up a ball in proper perspective: with West Indian exemplars (see observations relating to the words, “incredibly”, “management” and “team”) behaving so, is it any wonder that Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan have no real grasp on what is really at stake?”

…to make a point about today’s disturbing Trinidad Guardian lead story:.

“The young woman was before the court charged with neglect of her murdered four-year-old baby daughter Emily Amy Annamunthodo. However, when Annamunthodo re-appeared in the First Court before Wellington yesterday, he dismissed the case, on the grounds that on each occasion the matter was called the complaint, PC Marcelle Hamilton, was absent. Wellington also said no prosecution witnesses were in court whenever the matter came up for hearing, and no State attorney had been appointed to the case since the charges were laid last year.”

BC’s point still holds firm, but forget the West Indies Cricket Team. Is this how much we value our children?

The team is not without blame; but to hang everything on 11 day-jobbers would be to, once again, ignore the fabric and seize hold of the frills of a problem going beyond all boundaries. The West Indies cricket team is only a symptom (even if the most glaring) of a Caribbean malaise, and not its cause. There may be all sorts of hope but there really is no reason for the team to do well when everything else in the region is failing spectacularly.

Do we want to bury our heads in the sand like we always have or do we want to positively find ways to solve our problems? According to BC, “Only the West Indies can rally round the West Indies.” Pick a side.