Trouble throughout the globe

Today I stayed home from school, spending most of my time reading through the secret cables published by Wikileaks over the weekend and throughout both yesterday and today. The cables published reveal messages sent by American embassies throughout the World and the US State Department. For a young fellah like me, who in all honestly may not fully comprehend the magnitude of such a security breach and the importance of the information written within those documents it was truly a unique experience reading through the cables.

    Although many of the ,newspapers (New York Times, Der Spiegel, UK guardian) throughout the world have reported on the issue, it is a unique experience when one goes through the information themselves. It must be firstly said that American diplomats are brilliant observers. Their reporting of information is well detailed and they give full, clear descriptions of scenes and events; it's as if reading a novel. They write in a frank manner, not hesitating to give full character assessments of individuals no matter who they are. All the cables end with the last names of the individual who wrote them, for example any cable coming out of the Secretary of State Department ended with CLINTON; in addition some noted that other relevant personnel cleared the cable.

    Today I spent hours upon hours reading, downloading and assessing the cables, stopping ever so often to ask myself if this is a dream. The situation at present with regards to world political affairs looks like a scene from the TV show 24. This right now… as I write this blog (30^th Nov. 2010) is history in the making. My grandmother keeps telling me to go to bed but I'm too excited. Such events would rarely take place again.

    Wikileaks has a twitter account and they have reported numerous times that they have been experiencing Cyber attacks on their website, and in verification of this, one could attest that the site has both slowed down and has begun to give some technical difficulties but it still continues to operate, uploading approximately 80 new secret cable files daily. Wikileaks have claimed that they have in their possession 251,287 secret cables which they would release periodically; only 291 have been released thus far.    

    One might argue that the information released within the cables is mere gossip and to an extent such an assessment might actually be accurate, but within these cables information which may have never scene the public sphere is now accessible to all. Information concerning world affairs which frankly I think we all have the right to see because we are all citizens of the world. Period. It may sound simplistic and juvenile but that's how its suppose to be. Politics is suppose to be understood by the most incompetent of persons. That why it's called public affairs! It's the affairs of the public! No secrets in public office because it's public business. If individuals wish to have secrets it would simply be uncovered like the present revelations on Wikileaks. The people hold the power, not the world political leaders. People are not to be treated like invalids. Politicians are there to serve. They are the employees of the people placed in office to serve the general will of the public and not special interest groups or their own personal interest. In radical Capitalist societies like that of the United States, we may some times forget that although Barack Obama may be considered a celebrity he is still an employee of each American Citizen. He is paid to serve the 400 million people of America and not the BANKS!

    Support Wikileaks because it is fighting against injustice and secrecy. President Kennedy of the United States initiated a fight against secrecy of all forms along with many other great men of the past. It is your turn! Support Wikileaks in any way possible, even if it is by just reading the cables to become informed!

THE
TRINBAGONIAN

Issue.3

The 1960s was a time in which many Caribbean nations achieved their independence. Attempts at regional integration had failed with the dismantling of the West Indian Federation and thus individual independence for countries throughout the region was sought.

    Trinidad and Tobago received its independence from Britain under the leadership of Dr. Eric Williams and the Peoples National Movement on August 31st of 1962. A day signaling the end of an oppressive era while ushering in the birth of a new nation. It would be considered safe to think that independence from Britain was not pursued for the main reason of being trendy or for the purpose of "fitting in" with most of the world but rather for the people of Trinidad and Tobago to discover our own identity, understand our own history, formulate our own culture and be proud in our own national individuality.

    It has been forty eight years since the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago came into existence and the question needs to be asked, Is Trinidad and Tobago really Independent? Could Trinidad and Tobago sustain itself?

    Economically, T&T is not only dependent on foreign nations for its manufactured goods but for basic necessities like food. According to one government minister the food import bill of T&T is three billion dollars. It is clear that T&T's population cannot be sustained without imported food. If a nation cannot sustain its population's most basic necessity, then the harsh reality is that the nation is not independent but rather dependant. An independent nation must be able to stand on its own two feet when necessary, free from any restrictions which would be imposed when one nation is dependant upon another.

    Some may senselessly argue that by varying the countries from whom we import would limit our dependency on a sole foreign nation, this could only be considered a temporary solution if considered at all. No leader who truly believes in Trinidad and Tobago as an independent nation would support such a policy. Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago must all band together and proclaim in the words of Eric Williams "Massa Day Done." Government must firstly be prepared to invest handsomely in local industries and in turn citizens must be willing to purchase local goods and give such goods first preference to any other. Local manufacturers should therefore ensure that they produce high quality goods that rival that of any other nation in the world.

    Additionally, the government should do everything in its power to arouse much greater interest in public affairs. It is the duty of every individual to contribute in some way to the building of this GREAT nation. Although we are small, as an independent state Trinidad and Tobago is to be considered as an equal to all the other states of the world. The following is a call made by Prime Minister Eric Williams on August 31^st, 1962, the first day of National Independence:

"You (Trinbagonians) are on your own in a big world, in which you are one of many nations, some small, some medium size, some large. You are nobody's boss and nobody is your boss…What use would you make of your independence? Whatever the challenge that faces you, from whatever quarter, place always first the national interest and the national cause. The strength of the nation depends on the strength of its citizens. Our National Anthem invokes God's Blessings on our Nation, in response to those thousands of citizens of all faiths who demanded God's protection on our Constitution. Let us then as a Nation so conduct ourselves as to be able always to say in those noblest and inspiring words of St. Paul, By the Grace of God we as a people are what we are, and his Grace in us hath not been void."