AMAZINGLY IRRESPONSIBLE

 'Amazingly irresponsible' are the word that the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, used to comment on an Hasidic wedding in the city in which apparently thousands attended and were each fined US$15,000.

I couldn't help but compare that to our own recent Valsayn wedding and Zesser party. I am not going to get into the argument that the police could or could not have done anything about the wedding except to say that (using Mr. de Blasio's words) it was amazingly irresponsible for those wedding guests to attend. And if the reports are true that Government Ministers attended they should be named and shamed. Frankly, they should be fired. And it is not good enough for Mr. Deyalsingh to say that he doesn't about that. He should find out, damnit!

There is a report in today's papers that Mr. Terrance Deyalsingh, T&T's erstwhile Minister of Health, is reported as saying (inter alia) that he knew about the Valsayn wedding in advance and that he knows of another wedding coming up on or about 12th December in which there will be some 300 guests. But he says that this time the public health authorities will act. Really? So, why didn't they act last time?

Let's call a spade a spade: the very strong impression being given here is that the Zessers can be arrested and fined for breaching the health regulations because they are poor and possibly have criminal or underworld connections. Oh! And don't forget their ethnicity! But the Valsayn wedding guests can be given a free pass because they are, amongst other things, protected by Government contacts. Wouldn't it be nice if it could be shown that this impression is totally and completely misplaced? But how do you square this action of shutting down the Zesser party but allowing the big and expensive wedding in Valsayn to take place? Since when does the Corona virus discriminate between the poor and indigent and the rich and powerful and well connected?

We are being fed a big bunch of B.S. (which my history teacher once told me stands for "Baloney for Sure"). And Mr. Deyalsingh (who has developed quite a reputation for uttering a lot of B.S.) should stop taking us all for fools.

P.S. For the record, I think that the organizers of both the wedding and the Zesser party were wrong as hell. But two or even three wrongs do not make a right. And this %^&*()*# virus doesn't care!