Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary Of The English Language (to give the work it's full name )1989 edition defines the word "traitor" at page 1503 as 'one who betrays a person'; or 'one who betrays his country by violating his allegiance'; or 'one guilty of treason'. We could go on and look up the definitions of 'treason', 'sedition' and 'disloyalty', but I'm sure that you get the point. It is the very height of 'boldfacedness' and deflection to call Mrs. Persad Bissessar a traitor when she has done nothing except to bring to the country's (and the world's) attention the reckless actions of a Prime Minister and his cabal that have put Trinidad & Tobago squarely in the cross hairs of the huge gun that our neighbour to the north (the United States) has. The former Prime Minister has NOT betrayed her country!
And to make matters even worse I have heard supporters of the Prime Minister say words to the effect that we are an independent country and the United States is 'fars' and out of place to even contemplate telling us what to do. We will do what we like and be friends with whomsoever we like. So, take that!!
Well, that might sound as ambitious as the ant who crawled up the hind leg of an elephant with the intent of rape! But just as the elephant can safely swat the ant away with a swish of its tail, so can the USA do the same to us! Do you really believe that Venezuela, Cuba and Iran can save us? Or even that they will try?
I don't get it. I really don't! In what universe is the traitor, the treacherous one, guilty of treason by saying 'hey, you who are in charge! You have possibly created a huge problem for us by dealing with these people who are effectively declared enemies of our largest and most powerful neighbour? So, please tell us exactly what you did and why you did it!' In most other people's world the possibly treasonous or traitorous one would be the one who did the act! But that is not the case here! If the Prime Minister is to be believed, the traitor is the one who has called everybody's attention to HIS actions! Dr. Rowley and his supporters obviously either believe that the best defence is offense, or that their deflecting answering legitimate questions is a good way to run a democracy and that the only time that legitimate questions can be asked of a government is when they are not in power. And what is so awful is that there are many who are buying into this rubbish! And the mainstream media has either been bought off or is so cowed that they are allowing this terrible behaviour to pass with the merest or slightest criticism. Reading the papers and listening to the questioning by reporters of Mrs. Persad Bissessar after her virtual press conference one could not help but get the impression that either the reporters were really stupid and didn't understand how serious the situation is, or the reporters were desperately trying to find something to deflect from what the erstwhile Leader of the Opposition was saying. And this morning one newspaper runs a headline where Dr. Rowley called Mrs. Persad Bissessar a traitor! They pretend to achieve 'balance' by actually reporting in the body of the story what happened and what was actually said, but guess what will make the stronger impression? The headline or the actual story? Get the point?
It really doesn't make sense, and as Hitler's Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels, used to say, 'the bigger the lie and the more often it is repeated the more people will believe it'.
No. This Government has not told us the truth about anything from COVID -19 to Delcy Rodriguez and everything in between. And they clearly aren't going to tell us now. But we should pay attention: all the signs point to an early general election ... possibly in June or July. And with a couple hundred million dollars in advertising revenues from the coming election jumping up, guess why the mainstream media will not rock Dr. Rowley's boat? The COVID-19 restrictions are going to be lifted and before things can get out of hand the election will be upon us. Further, it is a given that the Americans will not take this attempt by our ant to rape their elephant lying down. Therefore, before whatever they do to us can 'bite' it makes sense to call an election early. Watch!
Mr. Montano, in its simplest, most easily understood and universally accepted definition, a traitor is someone who turns against his/her own government and/or betrays the faithful support he/she owes to the sovereignty of the country of which he/she is a citizen and within which he/she lives. I don't think that definition applies to the Prime Minister's actions, which at worst, if the allegations are true, can be described as an act of patriotic defiance in trying to assist a sovereign neighbouring State that has been a close ally for decades, many of whose nationals live in this country and whose President is still recognized by the United Nations and more than 30 other Nations. His is certainly not a self serving act of treason or treachery, not even malfeasance or misfeasance.
ReplyDeleteBut whose interest is Kamla Persad Bissessar really seeking in this matter involving Trinidad's sale of fuel to Aruba that may have ended up in Venezuela? Obviously not ours, and certainly not Venezuela's.
The Americans have not said much on the matter. Their comments so far relate to the visit of the Venezuelan Vice President. Maybe they have accepted the Government's explanations and are prepared to let the matter rest. We don't know.
Why, therefore, is Kamla Persad Bissessar so determined to prove to the US Government that the Prime Minister is lying in his denials and that the Government willfully violated US sanctions? And why is she doing it to an international audience?
Why has she sought to discredit every explanation given by the Government on the issue?
Why does she not let sleeping dogs lie?
Why has she kept the matter on the front burner?
Why is she so intent on driving a wedge in our relationship with the US?
Were she genuinely acting in the best interest of Trinidad and Tobago she would welcome the possibility that the US might be giving us the benefit of the doubt and she would not be up in their faces everyday 'chooking' the fires of retaliation and sanction. That is not the behaviour of a patriot.
Now, if you want to watch such shock content, you have to go to LiveLeak-like site. Anyway, I found a post for help: 11 Best LiveLeak Alternatives
ReplyDelete