Dear Editor,
I will admit immediately that I have tricked Mr. Hopkins and all the other Hillary supporters into reading this with the headline. You are expecting an attack piece about Mr. Trump but you will be disappointed. The headline is only half of what I would have expected the Trump campaign slogan to actually be, namely, “The Problem with Trump is that he is right about everything.”
And make no mistake, he is right about everything. On every single meaningful issue from immigration reform to trade to the national debt and all in between, his stated positions directly reflect both the truth of the matter and the root of the problems in all respects.
You may not like his manner, you may not like the way he speaks and you may not like his choice of language but in the end he articulates directly the root causes of the very most critical issues that plague the United States today.
He is a lousy public speaker. There’s no question about that. Listening to him trying to string enough words together all in a row to make a coherent thought into an understandable sentence is often painful for the listener, but that in its own right is telling.
This is a candidate who doesn’t run his mouth for a living like all the other politicians. He give orders to the people that work for him and they know what he is talking about and get the job done. And therein lay the very foundation of the unprecedented success of his campaign so far and why he has received more votes than any other primary candidate in history.
Ordinary people –people like you and me who work for a living and actually endure the failed policies of the Obamas and Hillarys– know what he is talking about because they live it every day.
Ask Trump a direct question and you get a simple, direct and straight answer and you know for fact that he means what he says. He isn’t smart enough nor does he have the patience to finely craft deniable lies at the drop of a hat like Hillary or invent convoluted, ridiculous and absurd propositions to satisfy some corner of the demographic. You get small words, short sentences that tell you directly what he believes.
It may be the first time in history that a political candidate has tried that approach (barring Ronald Reagan) and it has resonated with Americans in a way that is simply beyond the understanding of the political establishment as it exists now.
When he says, “I’ll build a wall,” absolutely no one believes there is going to be brick and mortar 12 feet high and for 3000 miles across the Mexican border. What they know is that if elected, the open door immigration system will end the next day and rigid and absolute controls will be put in place. The existing immigration laws will actually be enforced and new ones defined to plug the loop holes. People believe him because they know that he is right. And most importantly they know he can’t be bought.
Let’s compare Trump and Hillary in basic and simplistic terms. Trump is a self-made millionaire. He started his own business and grew it into a minor empire. He won some, lost some, took giant risks with his own money and won big and he took giant risks with his own money and lost big.
Hillary married Bill who already had his snout buried in the public trough and, as a lawyer, produced nothing, built nothing and was immediately deeply involved in a billing scandal that would have gotten most lawyers disbarred and put in jail. The records that would have put her in jail were “lost” and only found after political intervention ended her risk of sanction.
Trump continued to prosper. His won /loss rate as far as his businesses went was extremely good and he got rich. Hillary went to the white house with Bill where she ran the white house travel office which was immediately involved in a scandal that would have gotten anyone else put in jail but again, mysteriously, the records disappeared, other people were fired and bought off and Hillary escaped sanction even though it was her department, and her direct orders and instructions that were followed and later shown to be corrupt and illegal.
During their tenure in the white house the Clintons amassed a huge fortune from direct bribes, kickbacks and influence-pedalling, all well documented, and ending with the sex scandal involving Bill in which two famous quotes emerged that tell you everything you need to know about these individuals. The first from Bill, the Rhodes Scholar and draft evader who when caught in a direct lie in testimony under oath said, “well, it depends on what your definition of the word ‘is’ is.”
Really? And after Hillary single handedly destroyed the lives of the women that Bill had sexually assaulted and only after the hard and indisputable evidence was produced of her lies, deceit and involvement in the whole sordid affair was exposed said, “well … I really didn’t know what was going on.”
Starting to sound familiar?
So, the Clintons make a deal with Obama to not fight the primaries and in return she gets to be Secretary of State. Her tenure there is a disaster in all respects, starting with trade deals with China which, during the negotiations Bill gets a direct cash payment from the Chinese. Amazingly enough, shortly thereafter, the trade deal gets done that benefits the Chinese hugely, and ending with the Benghazi attack in which the department she ran refused hundreds of requests for security and during the actual attack refused again to send help resulting in the ambassador being killed.
Instead, she and her staff spent the time during the attack working up a cover story that was a complete lie and was immediately exposed as such. That is Hillary’s priority. Evade responsibility at all costs even if people are dying.
She quit the job at the State Department, finally, after it became crystal clear that the record she was creating would follow her forever and preclude any run for the Presidency. Amazingly, I know, and hard to believe, but the 30,000 emails that document her correspondence during all this have been deleted from her illegal server. Missing records. The Clinton trademark.
So what of these two candidates? Trump, not a politician, not the best businessman that there ever was, but willing to take the simple direct and honest approach to solving the problems of the United States in the best interests of the United States.
And you have Hillary who has never done an honest day’s work in her life, lives on the fruits of corruption and graft and would rather lie when the truth would serve her better. A woman whose entire professional career has been one corruption scandal after another, ending now with the email deal where, note, her entire state department staff had to avail themselves of their 5th amendment rights to avoid testifying about her conduct.
For those of you unaware, the 5th amendment means you can “refuse to testify because what I say may put me in jail myself.” To people like you and me that means that her entire staff is saying “we were directly involved in all of her criminal activity and can’t talk about it without going to jail ourselves.”
When Hillary says she is the most qualified to become President it makes me smile because it simply reinforces everything I know about politicians, that being, if being qualified means an entire career of corruption, incompetence, and having your snout buried in the public trough then yes, Hillary is your candidate for sure. And for those of you in Texas worried about the border, not to worry, Hillary has already made a deal where in exchange for a big cash payment to the Clinton foundation, she will deed Texas over to Mexico by January.
Steven Johnson
Dear Editor,
As Manager of the Walter Plantz Square (WPS), I have taken note of the content of a press release that was issued by the Democratic Party (DP) of St. Maarten regarding an event that took place at the WPS on July 5.
The DP press release says: “Government, PJIA and St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies caught up in political sponsorship.
“My thought on the St. Maarten Day of Worship 2016, held on July 5, at the Walter Plantz Pier: Good Initiative and great potential for a summer activity. This, if managed well could be included in our summer tourism package.
“It was unfortunate, however, that politics sneaked into the event. Why do I say this? Several patrons expressed their disgust that during the event political pamphlets were handed out. Notwithstanding these pamphlets regarded the St. Maarten Christian Party, this is still a political party. How unfortunate it would have been if more political parties would have used this venue to spread political propaganda. This is, as far as I can ascertain the only “blemish” on an otherwise exhilarating event. This only goes to show that sponsors, especially government and government related entities should exercise caution in supporting events, especially during these political times we are in.”
I would like to set the record straight with respect to the allegations made. The WPS is open to organizations, companies and other entities who would like to host their event at the square. The event of July 5 was not a political event nor was it organized by a political party. The policy of WPS is that it would not be used as a venue for any political public meetings.
I would like to emphatically state that WPS did not sponsor any political event.
Organizations and businesses utilize the local businesses at WPS which benefits our local entrepreneurs and brings business activity to the area.
The event of July 5 was organized by Grego Tours & Production, which is not a political organization. We are well aware that with parliamentary elections around the corner, there will be a lot of political rhetoric in the coming weeks.
The Walter Plantz Square has transformed the Down Street area since it was officially opened nearly a year ago. Many organizations have used WPS for various activities of a social, cultural and religious nature. The Walter Plantz Square is a success story.
Addison Richardson
WPS Manager
Dear Editor,
An article published on the front page of The Daily Herald on Tuesday, October 27, 2015, stated that four youths (R.L.G (15), K.R (17), D. de B (15), and M v.d.s. (15)) were arrested on St. Eustatius. What ever happened to these four Statia youth?
On July 6, 2016, three of the four boys graduated from the Gwendolyn van Putten School and will continue their education in the Netherlands and the United States. One boy will remain in Statia to complete one more year of HAVO. Two of the boys settled out of court, while the other two carried their case to court, ultimately receiving no more punishment!
The arrest of these children occurred on October 26, 2015, between 5:45 and 6:30am when five to seven police officers from Bonaire forcefully entered their homes and screamed “police,” violently pulled the children out of their beds, slammed them on the floor, pushed their faces to the floor, handcuffed and blindfolded them, and brought the children to the police station in their boxer draws. The children were screaming.
Within hours, two of the boys were sent to Bonaire where they spent ten days incarcerated in the correctional facility. The other two boys spent five days remanded in the Statia’s police holding cells. The accusation was multiple robberies and embezzlement.
Why were these children arrested so violently? Could this become a normal practice in the Caribbean Netherlands? The children and the parents asked these questions throughout the entire legal battle that ended July 5, when the two boys who went to trial received their sentence, a conditional US $500 fine and two years’ probation.
The boys vandalized a police car. Their reasoning was that the police violated their rights when they came to their school and violently arrested some of their friends on school grounds (who were released the same day). They wanted justice for something they observed as unjust police brutality.
Taking the law into their hands and vandalizing a police car was definitely not a wise decision. But, did this teenage indiscretion deserve their being arrested like terrorists or drug lords?
In the Wretched of the Earth (first published in 1961), Franz Fanon states that in a colony, the police “are the official, instituted go-betweeners, the spokesmen of the settler and his rule of oppression.” Is Statia still a colony where those that challenge the status quo face persecution, prosecution and police brutality?
Throughout the entire legal process the Prosecutor was unapologetic for how the children were violently arrested (and remains so). The general attitude was that these children deserved what was coming to them. Is anyone in the Caribbean Netherlands concerned about the violation of human and children’s rights? At any time, could another child be arrested in a similar manner and incarcerated?
Another illustration of a human rights violation is the difficulty experienced when trying to find proper legal counsel. Proper legal counsel is part of what encompasses a civilized society. However, when entangled in the web of the legal system in the Caribbean Netherlands, you have to fight to get through.
For example, without ever meeting any of the children, or simply speaking to them on the phone, when one parent and son decided not to accept the harsh plea that was offered by the Prosecutor (80 hours community service and 3 years probation), the defence attorney told them: “With all due respect, but you try to picture your son as a saint, which in fact he is not … your son should be really ashamed of himself and take his community service as the tough guy he apparently wants to be. There is absolutely no reason for him to be angry! If he would have behaved himself, he would not have been arrested and not been detained in Bonaire.”
This attorney’s statement is tinged with racist undertones and stereotypes. The child in question is of African descent. Mr. defence attorney, not all black children are or think they are tough guys and/or are criminals in the making! Also, where did you get the idea that the child was mad? Another racialized assumption – black anger and aggression.
The child in question is a serious and intelligent young man who recognizes that his rights were violated. It is actually disturbing that these racial prejudices remain prominent in the Caribbean Netherlands. If a defence council can hold such prejudices toward their own clients, then anyone who enters the legal system in the Caribbean Netherlands is tenuous at best!
After this communication, new legal counsel was sought and all parents were satisfied with the legal paths that they choose for their children. However, to date, the manner in which these children were arrested has not been critiqued or analysed. Since the violent arrest has not been exposed and condemned, will it become normal practice in the Caribbean Netherlands? Whose human rights will be violated next?
The parents have done their best to teach their children that they must be held responsible for their actions. At the same time, the boys have learned how to legally defend themselves when they observe basic human rights violations. Similar to these four Statia youth, this should be a teaching and learning moment for the Caribbean Netherlands and represents an opportunity to frame these experiences within a human rights context. However, the opposite is happening. All that is heard is silence. Hey! It is time to wake up!
Dr. Teresa E. Leslie
Eastern Caribbean Public Health Foundation
Dear Editor,
My thought on the St. Maarten Day of Worship 2016, held on July 5th, at the Walter Plantz Pier: Good Initiative and great potential for a summer activity. This, if managed well could be included in our summer tourism package. It, however, was unfortunate that politics sneaked into the event. Why do I say this? Several patrons expressed their disgust that during the event political pamphlets were handed out. Notwithstanding these pamphlets regarded the St. Maarten Christian Party, this is still a political party.
How unfortunate it would have been if more political parties would have used this venue to spread political propaganda. This is, as far as I can ascertain the only “blemish” on an otherwise exhilarating event. This only goes to show that sponsors, especially government and government related entities should exercise caution in supporting events, especially during these political times we are in.
Marinka Gumbs,
President, Democratic Party (DP)
Dear Editor,
The leader of the PLP party uses any opportunity to tell the people of Statia that his government is not making any progress and is unable to do anything, because their hands are tied by the Dutch government. It is therefore, according to him, that apparently the Plan of Approach cannot be executed in order to improve government’s financial household and administration. The multi-annual plan remains just a plan and the first project under this plan still needs to be executed.
I wish to disagree with him. This government consistently has gotten rid of qualified people in important positions simply because they were only willing to work according to the book. In the meantime, no attempts were made to fill these vacancies with other qualified people. The Plan of Approach requires highly-skilled short-term appointments, who are able to turn this government around. Instead of this, government is in a constant battle with the Kingdom Representative to hire their political cronies, who preferably are also anti-Dutch, regardless of their qualifications or experience.
An example is the appointment of a former school teacher as island secretary, with a healthy dose of antipathy towards the system, and with no managerial experience or knowledge of the public sector.
This approach has resulted in a non-functioning government, in particular the finance department, whereby the remaining civil servants have reached a level of total frustration. This frustration is further fuelled by constantly publicly questioning their loyalty and input by members of the coalition parties.
The PLP mouthpiece, in his radio program, on a daily basis is proclaiming that government should never accept the assistance of the Dutch ministries. According to him, we don’t need those unemployed Dutch civil servants that Holland wants to send to Statia to give them a job.
More than a year after the fact, however, finally the Executive Council has officially asked the minister for assistance in the form of a facilitator, to solve the stalemate regarding the harbour ordinance and the relation with NuStar. In a meeting I had last month in The Hague at the Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment, together with my UPC colleague in the Island Council Reuben Merkman, their commitment to assist in this matter was confirmed. I sincerely hope this move will have the support of the majority of the island council, as this appears to be a good development at last.
CFT is at its wits end where it comes to the execution of the financial part of the Plan of Approach. After one full year only one of twenty-two measures of the plan has been completed. The government is still not able to submit a single report on time. They have even requested to postpone the completion of the financial statements of 2015 (deadline July 15) until the middle of November. If the minister goes along with this, Statia will not have an approved budget for 2017 before the end of this year.
In the meantime, Duiveman, government’s appointee as process manager to carry out the Plan of Approach, has tendered his resignation. This fact most likely will cause further delay. In an attempt to curb the tide, at least four financial experts will be sent to the island to help get the financial household back on track. I hope this assistance will not be seen as another set of unemployed Dutch civil servants that are send to Statia for a job.
Van Putten also leaves no opportunity unused to state that Holland wants this Plan of Approach executed, but he claims that they refuse to make the necessary funding available. I made it a point, while in The Netherlands last month, to visit BZK and to ask clarification on this matter. The answer was that the ministry is willing to finance all costs that are not budgeted for, but that they have never received a substantiated request for financing of these costs from the Executive Council.
In a meeting between CFT and the Island Council last week, this information was confirmed by CFT. Also when reading the weekly decision lists of the Executive Council it can be concluded that never a decision has been made to ask the ministry for financial support.
This government consistently blames its incompetence and inability to make things happen on the lack of cooperation, or even hindrance by the Dutch government. This while help is just an email or a phone call away. I also noticed there is no urgency within this government. Instead their hands are tied; they are sitting on them, and they let the island go down the drain.
Koos Sneek
