Dear Editor,

Obedience is one of the most difficult challenges in life. For all humans, obedience determines our success and quality of life, if we choose to do what is right. I myself was very ignorant of this fact, until I realized that if I were obedient to Christ, I could have been much more successful in life, with a better quality of life. When we study the Ten Commandments, we see laws that were made to protect us from doing wrong, and that we should obey. It states clearly “Thou shalt not” so when we do not obey consequences follow that can obstruct happiness and the quality of our life.

Let me give you an example: thou shalt not steal. It says clearly this is a wrongful act. But in today’s political correctness, they call stealing an unauthorized taking of something that is not yours. Another example that makes most people in the world guilty, is “Thou shalt not commit adultery” The breaking of this law has destroyed families, and has children being brought up in a house without love. Children are seeing father or mother being with some other person than their biological mother and father.

Most people are scared to admit it, but being afraid to confront the truth and correct it, makes the reality much worse. As humans we deny truth and live comfortable in sin, which is dangerous and then wrong becomes right. The last example I will give you is to lie. This sin is the most dangerous sin, because after a lie is established, it protects itself by continuing to tell more lies to defend the last lie. A lie was told to Eve in the Garden of Eden, then the disobedient act was given to stupid Adam, which establishes woman as man’s weakness.

And from henceforth we all are living in the world of a big mess, which only Jesus Christ can cure. Because we choose not to obey or be disobedient, we all are living sacrifices, which is the consequence of not being obedient to Christ. The counterfeit Church in today’s world does not preach obedience; they teach and preach to live comfortably in sin. That is why so many pastors are sleeping, whose church members and so many church members continue to live in sin, deceiving themselves, singing about a heaven they will never see or reach.

To be a true Christian, it is what you could obey by living it not by only saying it. You cannot be living in sin and still ask God to bless you.  It just would not happen you have to turn away from it. The conclusion is, “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. I know the truth does hurt; it hurts me too because I accept truth, but the good news is that is how you change for the better. The key to be happy is to deny wrong and obey right.

This article may have stirred up anger in you that is because it reflects truth or reality in your life that is not good, then change it for the better. If you are living a nasty lifestyle, change to please Christ. But surely the choice to obey or not to obey will leave sacrifices of life-long consequences. It takes a real man and a real woman to do what is right; those people who are obedient to Christ are the treasures in His eyes. They respect His crucifixion, which establishes grace for those who chose to use it. Please remember that obedience is better than sacrifice.

The patriot Miguel Arrindell

Dear Editor,

In yesterday’s paper there was a letter to the editor that purported to demonstrate why an argument that appeared in the Boston Globe was so callous that it needed to be openly condemned.

Now, like a lot of these arguments there will always be extreme positions that might deserve an eye roll or something, but the one put forth in the Globe was not that way and the response printed here was simply and unabashed factually wrong.

First and foremost, let’s be crystal clear. The AR15 used in the Orlando shooting was not and never was an assault weapon. The AR15 is an assault styled weapon. It looks very much like its big brother, the M16A1 but is as different as night and day. It is a civilian sporting gun that is made to look military, but here is the key point... It functions exactly like every other magazine fed gun of any kind that is legal for the civilian market, be it hand gun or rifle.

One pull of the trigger sends one bullet out the front of the gun. An assault weapon, be it rifle or carbine or any other configuration is, in effect a machine gun. One pull of the trigger can send all the bullets the magazine is capable of holding down stream all at once.

This mistake is not just innocent semantics. It is the intentional and wilful misuse of language employed by the anti-gun lobby to incite and mislead as many people as possible in order to further their cause. It’s the Hillary Clinton syndrome. Lie about something often, long enough and it becomes the truth.

The simple fact is that the AR15 that this guy used to murder those innocent people was no more lethal than the handgun that he carried or any long barrel hunting or sporting rifle would have been barring single shot bolt action weapons. It is a “pimped out,” military looking gun that functions in a completely ordinary fashion. Why do people own them? Who knows?

Probably the same reason people that drive Hyundai’s wear Ferrari jackets, women wear knock off designer clothes and men wear fake Rolexes. An assault style weapons ban would have changed nothing in Orlando. The nut job would simply have bought any one of a hundred non-assault style weapons and had exactly the same fire power.

And there in lay the rub and what infuriates the legal and responsible gun owner. What we are talking about here is a complete whack job that broke no existing gun laws what so ever and used weapons legally purchased to commit this horrible crime. And the Globe guy got it right when he said that if a gun wasn’t available to the whack job he would found another way.

Five dollars’ worth of gas and a cigarette lighter and he could have killed 100 instead of just 49. In a free society It’s not hard to do evil if evil is your intent and if you want to have that discussion then that’s for another day. But for the “assault weapon” ban having any beneficial effect, that’s just chicken droppings. And just by the way… note that the routine murder rate on any weekend in Chicago or Detroit or even DC approaches and sometimes exceeds the Orlando body count every single weekend. It’s the people that are the criminals. Not the guns.

Steven Johnson

Dear Editor,

Who can ignore her remarkable capacity to prevent parliament from becoming a defunct entity? And, could there be a substitute for this literary mind, in such a challenging period of our history? Sandwiched between frustration of stagnation and a passion to steer the legislative branch of government, this courageous warrior is determined to press forward with unyielding tenacity – a journey that can be compared to steadying a Boeing 747, packed with unruly passengers. Even though she did not get to execute as many plans as were drafted, her commitment has allowed her to withstand the torrents of pressures, designed only to retaliate.

This politician is savvy, charismatic, one of a kind, and exceedingly admirable - an undisputable claim and a powerhouse to wrestle with. If there were medals for being poised; demonstrating an assortment of diplomacy; utilizing the English language effectively and maintaining order in parliament; undoubtedly, she would capture every one of them. The decades of experience within this political arena have given her countless opportunities to study the science of psychology. So, whenever she is confronted with a series of inept and juvenile behaviours, she exhibits her position of authority, by responding with grace and still seizes the moment for incidental teaching.

Besides this boundless experience and knowledge of government, it is quite obvious that this team leader is a bookworm, which gives her an enormous leverage over her colleagues. Here is where she has the advantage of knowing exactly when to quote the various articles within the Constitution, and how to apply them to the subject at hand. She also makes use of the opportunity to share clippings from other destinations and recommends certain books that can elevate the level of thinking in parliament. If this maestro is being interrupted to handle an unusual request, her eyes would reveal her emotions; yet, she remains focused and even more determined to proceed with the planned agenda.

Through the turbulent times, this gifted politician looked through the prism of intelligence, in order to maintain her composure. Despite the attempt by some to interrupt the trajectory to move ahead, she always focused on the principles of team building. This is customer service, provided at its highest level of excellence!

It is regrettable that members of parliament took for granted, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be students of a master class. I wish that I could have gotten an invitation to spend just a day with her.

This kind of talent is rare and can sometimes be incompatible with one’s position. Compared to her previous functions in the capacity of Leader of Government and Prime Minister respectively, it is as if this role were tailored to suit. So, who is more qualified to proceed in establishing a well-functional and highly-regarded parliament? Without bias, the credentials match perfectly to the one and only, Chairlady of Parliament Sarah We scot-Williams - a politician who has left an indelible mark on how to conduct the proceedings of a parliamentary system.

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor,

At last, some good news on protecting vulnerable workers in the home. They care for our children, elderly, disabled and homes, but are we doing enough to take care of them?

We estimate that domestic workers typically earn less than half of average wages, and sometimes no more than about 20 per cent. Their hours are among the longest and most unpredictable, and 90 per cent do not enjoy access to social protections such as pensions and unemployment benefits.

At least 80 per cent of all domestic workers are women, which means that women are disproportionately affected by these decent work deficits. Domestic work also represents some four per cent of the female labour force. In Latin America for instance, 14 per cent of all female wage workers are domestic workers.

There is also an international dimension – recent ILO analysis indicates that 17 per cent of domestic workers are migrants.

At stake is the wellbeing of tens of millions of domestic workers and that of the families for whom they work. Recent UN estimates on population and ageing confirm that demand for domestic work is likely to grow: with ageing populations, reduction of public care policies and an increasing number of women entering the labour force worldwide, families are increasingly turning to domestic workers to care for their homes, children and ageing parents.

Though often hidden, domestic workers are a fundamental part of the care economy delivering in-home care services in both the informal and formal economy. Concerned by cost and complexity of becoming formally employed many avoid it, resulting in high levels of informal employment and undeclared work.

While these problems are not new, I am encouraged by the remarkably positive way global policy makers have stepped up to the challenge.

Five years ago today, the ILO adopted the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and its accompanying Recommendation 201. These were the first international standards on decent work for domestic workers, aiming precisely to extend fundamental protections and rights to the 67 million domestic workers labouring in private homes around the world. That the Convention was adopted with near unanimity by the ILO member states, and signalled the global recognition that despite providing crucial services to homes and societies within the care economy, domestic workers were facing severe discrimination with respect to working conditions and human rights.

The subsequent response from countries around the world has been impressive, with law and policy reform underway globally.

In 2010, the ILO estimated that only 10 per cent of domestic workers were covered by labour legislation to the same extent as other workers. Since 2011, over 70 countries have taken action to ensure decent work for domestic workers. Of these, 22 have ratified the Convention, another 30 have achieved law and policy reform, and at least another 18 are engaged in extending protections to domestic workers. The ILO has partnered with constituents in 60 of these countries, drawing across the office’s full breadth of expertise to build their capacity across a vast spectrum of policy areas.

While these measures represent the first steps on a long path to redress a history of exclusion, they are not enough to meet the challenge of protecting domestic workers. Reports on the widespread abuse and exploitation continue to stream through the media. In many ways the statistics I cited at the outset speak for themselves.

In adopting the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN pledged that no one would be left behind. On the right to decent work for domestic workers we’ve made a good start, but the task will require sustained attention to ensure real progress. If we are serious about the achievement of the sustainable development goals of poverty reduction, equality and decent work for all, in particular for women, then addressing deficits in domestic work is essential.

For its part, the ILO will continue to work in partnership with governments, workers, employers and the international community to build on the positive workers have a right becomes the reality.

Guy Ryder,

Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO)

An OP-ED on the 5th anniversary of ILO Convention No 189,

the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011