Politicians got us into this mess in the first place: Part 4

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In any event, a recent study conducted in the UK underscores the perils of day-care centers when it comes to the development of the young people placed there. In his latest book, the British psychologist and broadcaster Oliver James says: “Mothers of toddlers should avoid working outside the home or leave young children in the care of others for long periods.” He also attacks the strict disciplining of young children at care centers by comparing it to “training them like a dog in a laboratory.”


So if, as has been pointed out by others far more qualified than I on the subject, crime is now beyond the control of the governments of islands as small as ours, what to do? It is a horrifying fact that much of the drug trading that went on in Mexico with deadly consequences is being diverted to the far less patrolled Caribbean region. Add to the circumstances the fallout from the mother of all recessions, with so many young people ready to die for the almighty dollar, what are our chances against drug-fueled crime?

I repeat, it is obvious that we need a lot of help in our fight against criminals who care not whether they live or die; who don’t give a damn for our politicians or police—who, too often, are working with the criminals.

Do we give up the fight? Of course not. The obvious solution, alas, presents a monumental problem for politicians: it requires them to combine their efforts and forget partisan, counterproductive politics in the best interests of our near defenseless plagued community. Our politicians must find it in their hearts, if indeed they have hearts, to bury their political hatchets. They must campaign as one party calling on the people to join the fight against the criminality that threatens us all. When the vast majority of Saint Lucians determine crime in Saint Lucia will not be tolerated, bet on it, crime as we have come to know it will disappear.

Pointless wishing for perfect police officers and well-equipped forensic labs. Pointless listing what the devious UFOs say we must have to fight crime. There won’t be affordable housing any time soon. Or jobs funded by donor countries, all of which are themselves crying out for one government bailout or another. As necessary as are the wish-listed items, they cost money. Big money. Money that we don’t have, whether or not as a consequence of waste and maladministration past and present.

There will be even less money if we continue to bite the hand that feeds our fragile economy, if we continue to make war against each other, if we continue to be hell-bent on national suicide. Compton, Louisy, Cenac, King, they paved the road, one way another, to where we now cower in fear.

As for the God Squad, let them understand God is too busy putting out fires in Israel to bother with us over here. At any rate, so it seems after years of praying to Him for a miracle that still has not arrived. We prayed in the square for John Compton but he died anyway. We declared a national day of prayer for Stephenson King and while he has survived his perfect storms many will tell you God had nothing to do with that. So there.

And now, predictably, the Chamber of Commerce has entered the picture. “Enough is enough,” says the group in a press release issued on Thursday that couldn’t be more revealing: “The litany of excuses from those charged with responsibility for law enforcement is wearing thin. Successive governments have provided vehicles, equipment, training and additional recruits and the problem only worsened. It is apparent that there is need for stronger leadership in the police force to make use of the many outstanding and dedicated police officers who daily put their lives on the line for their country and its citizens. We need to see more effective community policing, including the use of bicycles to maneuver the narrow streets and short distances.”

Bicycles? Dear reader, do we need more proof that our ostensible leaders are caught in a time warp, without the slightest clue of the enormity of the problem before us? New leadership, my foot. And where will that cure-all new quality leadership spring from? The warring gangs? As for the policemen who put their lives on the line each day, well, where? By all accounts, they are never where they are most needed.

Considering how the criminals have managed to elude detection and avoid arrest, one might be forgiven for stating the obvious: that Saint Lucia’s best brains are to be found, not among our police, not among our educators and church leaders, and certainly not among the babbling politicians. Let us all vow to ignore the self-serving, senseless outpourings in and around the political sewer and instead heed the clear writing on the wall that says: None but ourselves can save us now!

Reproduced from  http://stluciastar.com/content/archives/13669