Jamaica Observer

Dear Editor,

It appears I have road angels hovering wherever I travel on Jamaica's roads.

I bring to your attention the most recent case in which I was returning from the Sangster International Airport, heading north, on February 3, 2014. No later than 8:30 pm it became apparent that I had a flat tyre smack in the middle of the troubled Flanker area of Montego Bay. Being aware of the infamy of the area, I tried to 'rim' the car past the dark area to the nearest gas station in Ironshore, but it just couldn't make it. I then stopped to see if I could address the problem.

Nervous, I took the spare tyre and tools out. But before I could crack a nut or jack the car, up drove a van which had passed but reversed and enquired if I was OK. Realising my predicament, he parked, came over, and got down to jacking up the car and changed the tyre with amazing efficiency, all while informing me that this is not a safe area, so tarrying is not advisable. After completion, he ensured that I drove off ahead of him, out of harms way, before overtaking and disappearing in the distance.

His name is Neil Graham, who goes by the alias "Baba". Baba told me that he felt the 'spirit' to stop and help me, and remarked that God always sends angels to help good people. I really felt blessed!

This goodly gentleman lives in Greenwood and works as a ramp attendant at the Sangster International Airport. Thank you so much for your care, Mr Graham.

As a Jamaican, it gives me a great sense of pride and natural obligation to highlight wonderful people who go beyond the norm to take care of their fellow men, whether it be me or

someone else. I share the good spirit and intentions of this Jamaican, which is the hallmark of the majority of the island's populace.

Win Smith

winsvista@yahoo.com

Angel 'Baba' to the rescue

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Dear Editor,

It was recently reported that our Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said in response to questions about her overseas travels out of the state's purse to an African nation that: "Fifty years of the African Union and I am touring where my ancestors were born and bred, some of them, and some in Jamaica, and you know something, Mr Speaker, never mind enslavers, because there were times when our own caught us and sell us into slavery."

I do not pass judgement on the travels or the cost of them, but I do pass judgement on the notion about "our own" selling us into slavery. It needs a reality check. Do the British consider the French their own people? Do the Chinese consider the Japanese their own people? Do we, Jamaicans, consider Bahamians our people? Do Americans consider Canadians their people? Notwithstanding the geographic and racial similarities of the peoples in the comparisons I have just presented, they all consider themselves different peoples with different nations, different cultures, and different languages. Africa is a continent with many nations, many tribes, many cultures, many languages, in short, many different peoples. These distinctions have always been stronger than race and the peoples of Africa

have never considered themselves one people; just as we in the Commonwealth Caribbean do not consider ourselves one people. It is a tactic used by our former slave masters to shift the burden from them to say "Look, your own people enslaved you too!" Not so!

The vast majority of slaves caught or sold by Africans were not those of their own tribe or nation, but from another tribe or nation which was not their own people.

Matt Beckford

beckford.lex@gmail.com

Our own did not sell us into slavery

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Dear Editor,

I have seen many articles in this paper claiming reparations for slavery, but Britian does not owe reparations to Caribbean nationals. It is simple. The British did nothing wrong when they enslaved Africans, because slavery was not an illegal practice.

Almost 2,00 years before the Atlantic slave trade, Greek philosopher Aristotle developed a theory of slavery, based on natural law, as described in Book 1 of Politics and Book 7 of Nicomachean Ethics, in which he argued that some humans were born to be slaves, while some were born to be masters. Eventually, Christian Europe adapted Aristotle's philosophy and with it his theory of slavery.

Even after slavery was abolished, enlightenment philosopher Nietzsche said that the natural instinct of the more powerful humans was to dominate weaker humans. So, since classical times, there was a common belief that weaker humans were fit for slavery. Peoples who were weak militarily were conquered and enslaved. This was the natural order of things in the state of nature.

Before the Atlantic slave trade, slavery was mostly associated with Asians and Europeans, not Africans, as is so often reported in history books. Most of the slaves in Rome were Europeans and Asians and, during the Dark Ages, most of the slaves in Muslim lands were Europeans. Africans were enslaved en masse, as a last resort, due to the rapid decimation of the Indian population in the Caribbean and the Americas.

Centuries before the British were able to unite themselves under the leadership of the Tudors, Britain was invaded numerous times and its people enslaved by various foreign powers, including the Romans and Vikings. So, when in the 17th century, the British and other European military powers conquered and enslaved the military weaker peoples of the New World, they did what was viewedas acceptable and natural.

Now, the argument that the British paid the planters, therefore, the slaves should also be paid is not sufficient to claim reparations. Slaves were property and have been so for thousands of years. First century BC Roman philosopher Marcus Terentius Varro went even further to describe slaves as 'tools with voices'. The masters of the slaves would not allow their properties or 'tools with voices' to go free, without some form of compensation. As a result, the British paid the planters in exchange for the freedom of their properties. The amount of money paid to planters was not based on future earnings, but on the market value of the slaves at the time of their freedom.

Paradoxically, the same British who enslaved our ancestors were also the first in history to abolish the institution. Britain owes us nothing.

Not only Caribbean nationals, but weaker peoples of the world, should be grateful that, for the first time in the history of the human race, slavery was made an illegal institution in the 19th century.

Africanus

sawirus@outlook.com

Dear Editor,

It was with some dissatisfaction I read the Jamaica Observer article 'Travel brawl' on February 12, 2014. The debate over the PMs frequent trips since taking office has been ongoing for some time and the concern is very much justified.

Government officials should remember they are constantly in the public eye and should conduct debates intelligently, with decorum and with respect for the institution called Parliament. I watched the PM, in the TV coverage, huff and puff, with an angry stance, as if ready to fight, after the Opposition leader dared to pose questions about these frequent trips.

Twenty-one trips in two short years is an awful lot. (She actually stated in another interview a total of 25, 10 trips in 2012 and 15 in 2013.) Can we really justify all these trips?

While the PM is expected to travel officially, she has to realise she is not the head of state, and her function isn't purely diplomatic or ceremonial. Some of these trips might be good for the country; we understand the importance of building relationships outside Jamaica, but this is also why we have diplomatic missions scattered around the globe, also at a major expense to government. We also have technology which facilitate video-conferencing and real-time communication. Especially at a time when there are significant cutbacks and layoffs, the PM ought to set a better example.

It is not only the frequency of these trips that is of concern; there is also concern about the size of the PMs delegation for these trips, and the length of trips. Ethiopia, for instance, was for seven days. To make matters worse, the PMs explanation about the Ethiopia trip in Parliament is why many still believe the PM really does not fully grasp the role and function as PM. It was a naive and 'simple' response.

By travelling so often, the PM stays out of touch with critical issues facing the Government and country she is leading. The crime rate, for instance, requires urgent attention, and the economy remains sluggish. We could also be doing a lot more to support and preserve the arts, culture, heritage, and sports. To give short-sighted answers saying "it is not her fault other PMs before her were not invited by other countries" is simply petty squabbling; give details to back it up.

The Opposition is correct in pushing this matter with vigour. These trips cost taxpayers $117m. The PM should take heed, and stop being always on the defensive. She must remember she is an elected public servant and is also fully responsible and accountable for her actions and, more importantly, for every dollar spent by the Government.

P Chin

chin_p@yahoo.com

PM should account for every dollar

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Dear Editor,

Since last Friday, February 7, 2014 I had been experiencing problems with my Internet service. On the day in question I made a formal report to my Internet service provider LIME. I was given a fault report number and informed that a technician would be assigned to rectify the problem.

On Tuesday, February 11, 2014 I called LIME Customer Care and spoke to a technician. He assisted me remedying the situation. I would like to publicly thank him for the level of patience and professionalism he displayed throughout the problem-solving episode. I found him extremely knowledgeable and confident. He was able to take me through the steps necessary in order to restore the Internet service, as well as explain the lack of browsing capability I was experiencing.

While I did not get his full name, his christian name is Chris.

Not very often do we hear of competent and pleasant customer service, especially as it relates to our utility companies. My recent experience with LIME has restored my faith that all is not lost. This incident also made me wonder why those in customer care cannot at all times be respectful to all customers, regardless of who the customer is. Thank you, Mr Chris, you've restored my confidence in customer care.

Wayne Campbell

waykam@yahoo.com

LIME gets it right

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Dear Editor,

Senator Ruel Reid should be commended for his courageous statements on restricting the number of children one can have, instead of the condemnation he is receiving from some.

As different quarters cite all sorts of statistics that only they understand, as I see it Reid's comments show the underbelly of the National Family Planning Board (NFPB).

This government agency, in my view, is underperforming and has failed the "unplanned and unwanted children" who are born. It is reported as saying "that its drive to empower women to voluntarily reduce the number of children (they have) has led to the successful reduction of Jamaica's fertility rate from 4.5 in 1975 to 2.4 in 2008". But, what has happened since 2008?

The NFPB should be going into communities to target at-risk young girls and women, educating them on contraceptive use. They should try to break the cycle that plagues some communities. It is not a stretch to say that this situation of women having children they cannot adequately provide for is a plot by the politicians to keep citizens dependent.

As I see it, Senator Reid is good for Jamaican politics. I hope he will continue to be an "independent" voice in the Senate.

Authnel Reid

authnelreid@optonline.net

Senator Reid shows courage

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Dear Editor,

The National Family Planning Board (NFPB) has declared this week "Safe sex week" with the aim to push contraceptives, encourage HIV-testing and conduct activities deemed relevant for safer sex in today's society. However, the NFPB has failed to acknowledge in their otherwise noble efforts the safest sex that exists.

Truly, mankind has made a mess of this sacred sensual act and we are left scrambling to repeatedly 'cure' with no commitment to prevent. Let us be reminded the adage is still valid: Prevention is better than cure!

Some of the ripple effects of "unsafe sex" plaguing our society include unwanted pregnancies, teenage pregnancies, abortions, HIV, AIDS, other STDs, unhealthy relationships, heartbreak, low self-worth, children with no guidance, and an overall weak nation. And many of these cases occur despite the use of so-called "protection".

To determine the safest sex we must acknowledge we are sexual beings with a healthy appetite for sex -- this desire is to spur on procreation. We must also acknowledge neurochemicals are transmitted in our brains when we engage in sex which literally bond us to the person we have had sex with. We must also recognise the countless studies show that sex in marriage is the most fulfilling avenue for sex. Married couples seldom seek abortions, unless the life of the child or mother is threatened. We must testify that married couples raise a greater percentage of stable children than single parents. We must not deny that children are not, should not, and will never be biologically or economically mature enough to handle sex and all that comes with it.

Having all this evidence, one can conclude that waiting until marriage to have sex is by far the safest sex. This notion, however, flies in the face of our very culture, which is riddled with the bullets of slack dancehall lyrics, entrenched in pornographic material, and entangled in the dilution of the powerful act of sex. It stands to reason that abstinence until marriage and remaining faithful to your marriage partner, fulfilling your vows is the safest sex in existence.

Shan Hal

lovemarchmovement@gmail.com

The safest sex

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Dear Sir,

I usually support most of the initiatives and campaigns of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ). I believe the protection of human rights is a necessary spoke in the wheel of democracy.

However, I must say that I am surprised and bewildered by JFJ's continued defence of so-called corner crews who, if we are to believe JFJ, are benign knights armed with guns to protect their troubled communities. Further, they are not otherwise involved in nefarious activity as a group. I find JFJ's position naïve, objectionable and laughable at the same time.

Firstly, young men armed with guns commit crimes against ordinary citizens.I do not for one minute believe their guns are silent when not being used to allegedly protect their troubled communities. These armed young men are not angels who use guns only defend their communities. The point of having a gun is to commit crime, not to "protect one's community". I do not believe anyone who has faced the business end of a gun would subscribe to a view that we should allow certain young men who have illegal weapons to associate, trusting that they will only use them to "protect their communities" and not be engaged in criminal activity.

Secondly, I am not prepared to live in a society where we tolerate any group of illegally armed young men usurping the function of the police. If they act in a group to so-called protect their communities, it begs the obvious questions: What do they do with their guns when not on patrol? On whose behalf are they really acting? Who authorised them to carry out the functions of law and order?

Thirdly, if young men in the community wish to respond to a threat to their community from "outside forces", the appropriate response from JFJ in the civilised society is to try to promote them to go to the police and name names. That we should instead seek to condone their "resort" to illegal arms and exempt them from the law of the land is pure craziness. I honestly believe JFJ's position — on the grounds of freedom of association — is totally misguided. There is no right to bear arms under the Jamaican constitution, nor is there a right to associate as an armed group.

Annette Johnson

annejalaw@flowja.com

Who are corner crews?

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Dear Editor,

Jamaica's two largest banks are not just making profits, they are making super profits, all in the midst of a recession. Profit isn't a dirty word, but when we examine what the banks and rating agencies have done to the world's economy, a shiver must run down our collective spines.

Some banks have long hidden behind that ignominious belief they are "too big to fail", and this has prevented governments from enforcing certain regulatory actions. They say that when a bank collapses the chain reaction will trigger a collapse in the entire country's financial system. In other words, banks are the pillars on which our financial system stands and so we need to allow them to get away with anything. But if we continue as we have been doing, with this hands-off approach, the fees banks levy on us can only get worse.

President Obama, in a speech on economic mobility in the United States, said: "In fact, statistics show that our levels of income inequality rank near countries like Jamaica and Argentina." In the US the top 10 per cent takes half of national income.

Mark Clarke

Siloah, St Elizabeth

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com

We must regulate banking fees

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Dear Editor,

People are willing to give up their rights to get justice. In the end they will have neither their rights nor justice.

I despise the music of this guy (Tommy Lee), as well as that of most other dancehall artistes. I think laws should be enacted to retard the adoption rate of such music, such as a national rating system for singers, as well as actually making it an offence to publicly play music from any artiste who has songs that explicitly endorse violence, corruption or lewd acts. That way children won't hear music from such people, even if one song is clean, because then they go on to listen the nasty ones.

The Mighty Sparrow sings about sex, but in his case you must already know of the acts then read between the lines. The way these guys sing, no leap of imagination is required.

In the meantime, the laws cannot be subverted, and our rights, even the rights of such people should not be violated.

They are entitled to a fair hearing, and they should not be held without reasonable evidence of a crime. We cannot abuse the power of the police force to compensate for our inability to detect and deter crime. Or else, very soon, the same power will be turned against the people.

I think Vybz Kartel should be freed of the charges, because the case presented strains credulity. But I wish we had laws that would immediately see him locked right back up for crimes against the decency of this country -- unfortunately, we simply have no such laws to restrain freedom.

These singers aren't the enemy, and never were. Our intellectually bankrupt, and corrupt, and pitiless leadership is. Music merely echoes the pulse of decay festering within this society.

Online Persona One

Dear Editor,

Imagine a classroom of high school pupils and a teacher warning them about the dangers of smoking. Instead of explicitly instructing the children not to smoke cigarettes and stressing how smoking causes lung cancer, she gives the students packets of cigarettes that are low in nicotine and tar content.

According to the teacher, the children are going to smoke anyway, because it is unreasonable -- impossible even -- for children who are oriented to smoke to resist doing so. Furthermore, it would be an infringement on their right to freedom of smoking to stop them, and hateful and "smokophobic" to discourage them to engage in that activity. Is this safe?

According to the teacher, the children are going to smoke anyway, because it is unreasonable -- impossible even -- for children who are oriented to smoke to resist doing so. Furthermore, it would be an infringement on their right to freedom of smoking to stop them, and hateful and "smokophobic" to discourage them to engage in that activity. Is this safe?

Curiously, this is the same approach being adopted and promoted during Safe Sex Week. Instead of following the conventional health strategy of promoting risk avoidance, most health institutions have instead opted for a lower level of health protection: risk reduction. Despite current propaganda, extramarital and promiscuous sexual activity can never be safe, and the effects can never be fully mitigated with condoms.

First, in terms of protecting physical health, condoms fall short. They are not 100 per cent effective, with fail rates estimated as high as 11 per cent. Furthermore, there is always the risk persons will not use them properly, or not use them every time they have sex, even though the occasional usage of condoms gives the illusion of safety.

Second, condoms do not protect against the psychological effects of sex. Sex releases hormones that bond individuals to each other (oxytocin in women, vasopressin in men). Therefore, persons who have sex -- even with a condom -- get powerfully attached to sexual partners, which may result in psychological trauma once a change in relationship occurs. Dopamine, which creates a feeling of euphoria after sex or any thrilling activity, neurologically creates an addiction to sex, while promiscuity weakens one's neurological ability to bond to a sexual partner in the future. Advising persons to simply wear a condom, as opposed to limiting the number of partners they have, is self-defeating.

For sex to truly be safe, it must be seen for what it is: a sacred union that should only be enjoyed between one man and one woman in a lifelong commitment.

Onyka Thompson

The Love March Movement

Condom sex not truly safe sex

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Dear Editor,

The lobby for the tolerance of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders continues, and there are many of us who just cannot come to grips with why people would push so hard for persons living such lifestyles to have a comfortable place in society.

Whereas I condemn violence against homosexuals -- just as I do concerning goat thieves, rapists, and other criminals -- there is nothing dignified about being gay. Hence, the recommendation of J-FLAG for Parliament to invest in initiatives that promote the rights and dignity of all Jamaicans, including lesbians, gays and all-sexuals, is a farce. But there is more to this outcry.

We must recognise that tolerance for any unnatural behaviour tends to foster lenience towards all unnatural behaviours and predispositions. The moral laws of God were given as a whole, thus making every portion of the code as important to the whole as the other (James 2: 10). As such, whenever we compromise one area, we are setting the stage for relativism, where everyone feels that he/she can amend God's moral laws to suit his/her sinful propensity.

Most Jamaicans are aware that the Bible speaks against fornication and adultery. Whereas adultery deals with matters of marital infidelity, fornication deals with all sexual immorality. It speaks against promiscuity, which is prominent amongst many of our straight Jamaicans. Moreover, it speaks against having sexual relations with someone who is not your marital spouse.

Additionally, the Bible speaks out against immoralities such as the infidelity of not taking care of one's own family. Nonetheless, hundreds of Jamaican fathers do not support their children, and though some are taken to the courts, there is a lack of vigour on the Government's part in ensuring that when men plant their 'heads' they take care of the produce.

Immorality goes beyond sexual activities and also includes murder, theft, hatred, and other practices which contravene the laws of God. When we accept homosexuality, fornication, adultery and familial infidelity we are inadvertently saying to the thief: "There is room for your unnatural tendency"; and to the murderer, "there is a place for your desire to take the life of one you do not like"; and to the hater: "we can understand if you can't manage to live without a grudge towards your fellow men."

It is hypocritical to focus our energies on a few aspects of immorality and overlook the others. If we are speaking morally, then we must speak it totally. There are many Jamaican men who have stated clearly their interest in watching two lesbians at play. Then these same men speak with such fumes against two men coming together. But a truly moral person will endorse neither practice. Both are an abomination to God. This is another classic example of relativism taking over our country.

If society opens its arms to the "gallis" (fornication and promiscuity), then clearly we have no regard for God's law. If we embrace shacked-up lives or adultery then we are clearly rebelling against God's standards of living.

When young people see such flaws in our moral aptitude, they grow up believing that they are able to tweak morality to suit their desires. It is time we deal with the whole cake of immorality and not just selected slices. The call to righteousness is a holistic one.

What results from returning to God's full standard? The following sums it up beautifully:

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Jermaine F Johnson

Minister of Religion

jermainefjohnson@gmail.com

Deal with the whole cake of immorality

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Dear Editor,

China's Tiajin Municipality is now easing its one-child policy and Senator Ruel Reid is now pushing for a two-child policy in Jamaica.

Tiajin is the fourth city in China to ease this policy as a result of escalation of financial burden on an senescent Chinese population.

To date, in terms of economic strength and stability, China has outdone Jamaica by the whole nine yards. How rational is it to emulate the Chinese policy that four cities are now scurrying to veto?

It is evident that Jamaican parents are having too many children, some they cannot feed or school. However, China is not Jamaica, our people would not support an idea that controls their sex life during marriage. This would lead to an epoch of obfuscation in our history.

Leading figures who once said the Chinese one-child policy was inevitable are now saying that it is hogwash.

Senator Reid may see China as a paradigm for his newest proposal, but think again, Senator. Jamaica would not want to get itself into the mess that cities in China are now sidestepping. Jamaica is certainly not China.

Gavin Dixon

Mandeville, Manchester

gvndxn92@yahoo.com

Jamaica certainly not China

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Dear Editor,

Madam Fly Minister, I have heard that you are leaving on the next plane and we don't know when you'll be back again.

Madam Fly Minister, you should take care with the taxpayers' purse or should I say the IMF loan funds.

In your presentation in Parliament on February 11, 2014 you indicated that your government has racked up $117 million for 25 ministerial trips over the months since 2012. Wow! This is more trips than the president of the United States of America, the prime minister of Canada, or even The Queen of England combined.

With these frequent trips to foreign countries, one must ask who is at the controls and managing the country's affairs? Moreover, who is in charge of the country's budget?

If my memory has not failed me yet, isn't Jamaica broke? The public sector workers have taken a wage freeze upon wage freeze. There have been increases in taxes and the dollar has been allowed to be devalued by the government, all in the name of sacrifice for our country. However, Madam Fly Minister continues to believe that she can fly like the lyrics from that R Kelly song.

Madam Fly Minister, the Jamaican people are still awaiting a detailed report indicating whether your many foreign trips has borne any fruits and what financial benefits we should look forward to.

I can recall your very own words, Madam Fly Minister, in the debate with the then prime minister, now Opposition leader, Andrew Holness, when you repeatedly stated that the people are suffering. I am of the view that before Madam Fly Minister makes plans for another multimillion-dollar trip that she should listen to the poor people's cry and ground herself.

Over to you, Madam Fly Minister, your flying spree is aiding and abetting the taxpayers' suffering.

Patrick Callum

patrickcallum@yahoo.com

Madam Fly Minister

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Dear Editor,

In view of the disconcerting reports I hear and read about incidents involving officers of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), I am daily finding it increasingly difficult to believe it is a credible outfit.

These reports include allegations that 258 civilians lost their lives in 2013 in incidents involving the security force, and that these fatalities included shootings, stabbings and deaths in custody.

Four police officers were arrested in Falmouth for the alleged assault of Kamoza Clarke. In the JCF’s Area 3, one police officer has been charged for allegeded murder and conspiracy to murder, and there are reports alleging evidence in custody being tampered with. There are also allegations concerning the extent to which some members of the JCF will go to ensure a conviction. These are just allegations but we can’t merely turn a blind eye.

If we are looking at a force that is corrupt and one in which the public has lost confidence, should we be investing large sums of money in it? Shouldn’t we reform or have them clean up their act before any further investment? It seems added legislation and technology is a waste of time and money if we don’t first fix the issues. Let us have the courage to say out loud that we will never have an effective JCF unless it is first established as a disciplined law enforcement body. We cannot continue to speak behind closed doors of the JCF’s alleged corruption, then adopt an attitude that this is what we have so let us make the best of it, and somehow with time it will fix itself.

Give me a police force that is on bicycles, that has exercise books to log incidents, but is honest and respected, rather than one that drives the most modern vehicles, is equipped with body cameras and computers, but is corrupt and has lost the respect of most Jamaicans.

Colonel Allan Douglas Kingston 10 alldouglas@aol.com

Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Observer of 17th February 2014 carried an article titled ‘Senior cop urges colleagues to change the way they operate’. Superintendent Fitz Bailey, bishop of the Bible Truth Church of God, is reported as the senior cop and is to be commended and bestowed with high national honours.

Not only as a senior citizen, but as a former member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, I join with the honourable gentleman and call upon all gazetted ranks in the force, as well as the police union, to join in the call led by the church.

I do not know what is being taught at the police training school today, but I suspect it is the same as I was taught; that a policeman is a civilian vested with brief authority to serve the public. A policeman must be seen as a friend and servant of the public and not as the enemy and the force an invading one.

In the context of the foregoing, I strongly recommend that constitutional laws with special reference to civil liberties be, for starters, a compulsory course for graduation and the subject of regular lectures.

Owen S Crosbie Mandeville, Manchester oss@cwjamaica.com

Dear Editor,

At a time when society is in a state of depression and disintegration; a time when everyone is so stressed by the realities of this life and are prone to violence as a means of solving their problems, I took what can only be described as a breath of fresh air when I attended a Healthy Relationship Seminar at the Cascade Primary School in St Ann.

This seminar is the initiative of Dr Marcia Thomas-Powell, principal of the Cascade Primary School. The seminar is an annual event; this being the seventh year since its inception.

It generally takes the form of a dinner during the week of February 14 (Valentine's Day), where members of staff, parents, past students, members of the community, and other stakeholders attend this dinner/seminar with their spouses. At this seminar the attendees participate in recreational activities that demonstrate the importance of having healthy relationships and how productive this can be.

Couples in attendance who have been married for a long time are given little tokens of commendation. They also share experiences of the good times and the not so good times. Finally, they are addressed by a motivational speaker. This year Dr Vincent Peterkin charged the gathering that, despite the fact that 'teeth and tongue may meet', relationships can be very healthy and happy. The activities of the seminar encourage and strengthen everyone present to mentain a healthy relationship within the family, the community and with the school community.

My research tells me that many couples were initially encouraged to be married and are happily married because of the lessons learnt at this annual event.

It is my view that the germination of a healthy home life of both parents and school staff ensures that the students do better at their studies. This also sees to the growth of the school, the community and society on a whole.

I believe that this initiative is a great tool to assist in accomplishing that culture change that we so badly need at this time to improve our society. It is my view also that other schools and communities can and should copy this activity and use it to improve the relationship between the many stakeholders of their institutions.

Gary Rowe Manchester magnett0072004@yahoo.com

Dear Editor,

It is quite fitting that we should remember the remarkable and incomparable achievement of Rosa Louise McCauley Parks during Black History Month, since February 4 marked the 100th anniversary of her birthday.

In my research about the trials, tribulations, and accomplishments of women of African ancestry, none has stirred my admiration more than Rosa Parks. There is no doubt that the name of this woman has become synonymous with strength and unwavering courage.

December 1, 1955 should be revered as a turning point in the history of African-Americans. For on this eventual day Rosa Parks defied the unjust law of segregation and discrimination by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

It may be said that her defiant action ignited the consciousness of black people in America and other parts of the world.

It was not surprising that she was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and breach of the city ordinance. However, this punitive act did not deter the widespread bus boycott that lasted for 381 days.

There is no doubt that Rosa Parks’ bravery led to a historic ruling by the US Supreme that prohibited segregation on buses. This ruling was indeed the harbinger of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that outlawed segregation and discrimination in the public arena.

It may truly be said that Rosa’s act of defiance also precipitated the passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 which allowed many blacks to cast their ballots for the first time.

It is, therefore, not surprising that she has been looked upon as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” in America.

Rosa Parks did not refuse to vacate her bus seat because she was exhausted. From her own account, the refusal to comply with the bus driver’s order was a deliberate act of defiance against the unjust dictates of Jim Crow. Rosa stated unequivocally: “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me of being old then. I was 42. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

Parks certainly knew what she was doing and was not afraid to take a stand. She was prepared to go to jail for her firm belief in social justice.

This stalwart of a woman paid a heavy price for her courageous stand in that she lost her job at the department store in Montgomery and she suffered a great deed of economic deprivation and persecution during her lifetime. But these troubling conditions did not deter her from championing the fight against injustice. Thus, she will always be remembered as an incomparable trailblazer.

Rupert Johnson r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca

Dear Editor,

While growing up I thought that the best minister of education should be someone with a PhD in that discipline; the best minister of health a doctor; the best minister of agriculture someone who has a farm; and the best minister of finance someone who has a PhD in economics. My illusions have all been dispelled. Now as a grown person I realise that this isn't so.

Dr Fenton Ferguson is one of those rarities. Christopher Tufton, whose hands only get dirty if he falls down, ran rings around Roger Clarke's performance as agriculture minister. Peter Phillips does the same with Omar Davies. Ronald Thwaites' ideas are being stymied by those around him. It proves that the will to succeed far outweighs the qualifications to perform such a task.

There are few politicians trained in the field of law enforcement, but the will to make us safe can overcome this shortfall. Peter Bunting is trained in engineering and finance, this shouldn't prevent him being a good minister of security, but this is not so. The horrific murders, beheading, shoot-outs would make anyone call for "divine intervention". He seems to be summoning the strength and fortitude and, most of all, the will to confront the crime monster.

There are a multiplicity of reasons for our society being so violent, but if our leaders can summon the will to face these challenges we can overcome. Our police force cannot repay murder with extrajudicial killings, neither can our farmers repay praedial larceny with mob justice. As Mahatma Ghandi said: "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

Mark Clarke

Siloah PO, St Elizabeth

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com

When I was a child...

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Dear Editor,

When is free-to-air TV not free?

Answer: When SportsMax is allowed to buy the rights to the Winter Olympics and force anyone in Jamaica without a "satellite system", who wants to watch it, to subscribe to their service.

The arrangement with all cable providers in Jamaica is that they must block all free-to-air stations which are carrying the Olympics and can be accessed in Jamaica, for example NBC (US) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

To add insult to injury, in my view, it seems that the SportsMax feed is second rate in terms of broadcast personnel, their flair and knowledge.

My question, which I think goes to the heart of the matter though, is: How can this model be allowed to be perpetuated on us?

In the case of the two countries already mentioned, and I suspect most worldwide, what obtains is that the stations obtain the rights from the International Olympic Committee and then sell advertising at premium rates to recoup their investment. Then they present the packages with top-flight commentators and have a completely professional delivery. On the US and Canadian stations the commercial breaks are sometimes as entertaining to watch as the action itself. Just watch the Olympics coverage on SportsMax and see what happens when they take a break in the action? Five to seven minutes of mind-numbing promos.

This is too much and I, for one, would like to know if there is anyone in Jamaica, or outside of Jamaica, who can set me up with another package? Enough is enough.

Stephen Harrison

St Mary

stepharrison28@gmail.com

A travesty of Olympic proportions

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