TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, HOW I LOVE YOU
Singer unknown (2011) Artist: Narsingh Bhajan [Nirmal]
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
Bird Sanctuary in Caroni, Pitch Lake in La Brea
Trinity Mountains down south, -------- Maracas Beach
Our famous Nylon Pool and the Buccoo Reef
There is so much natural beauty across the Antilles.
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
I love you so calypso, chutney and soca
Limbo, Carnival, steelband and tassa
Phagwa and Hosay, Ole Mas and J'Ouvert
Indian Arrival and Emancipation Day.
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
I love your bake and buljol, doubles and pholourie
I love your Trini curry goat, and hot, hot dhalpourie
Pacro and chip-chip water ----------------
Callaloo and dumpling, souse and black pudding.
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
----------- Scarlet Ibis, cascadu and Chaconia
Lagahoo, La Diablessse and the soucouyant
Heartbreak is called tabanca, true love is tootoolbay
Your friends will mamaguy you and you'll ramajay.
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
World famous Angostura bitters and puncheon rum
Carib Beer, Royal Extra, Sunshine and ---------
Wherever you may go let the people know
The best things are from Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
You celebrate Diwali, Christmas, Easter and Eid
Respecting every religion, colour, race and creed
O land of my birth, you're my heaven on earth
My twin island nation in the Caribbean.
Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
Oh Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
Oh Trinidad and Tobago, how I love you
Oh lord, no one will ever know!
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Thank you, unknown singer!
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.
Tony, you drunk again, why you drink again?
A man have a right to have some fun,
I must take one.
No one ever admits he is an alcoholic
He always have a reason for taking one
Chorus:
He takes one for this, he takes one for that
He takes one again and have me wondering
Who sick now, Tony? Who dead now, Tony?
Stop drinking, Tony, stop drinking daily
He said, Boy, you don't know between my toes have a big corn.
I got to take one.
Tony your birthday gone, why you taking one?
I bought a shirt and the sleeve too long,
I must take one.
When the weather is dry is a reason for getting high
And when there is pouring rain, Tony drunk again.
Chorus:
He takes one for this, he takes one for that
He takes one again and have me wondering
Who sick now, Tony? Who dead now, Tony?
Stop drinking, Tony, stop drinking daily
He said, Boy, you don't know between my toes have a big corn.
I got to take one.
Tony, I want to know why you drinking so?
You always have a nice excuse to drink the booze
Whenever somebody die is a reason for getting high
Whenever a baby born, Tony must take one.
Chorus:
He takes one for this, he takes one for that
He takes one again and have me wondering
Who sick now, Tony? Who dead now, Tony?
Stop drinking, Tony, stop drinking daily
He said, Boy, you don't know between my toes have a big corn.
I got to take one.
Tony, I feeling sick, run for the doctor quick!
Wait, let me take a drink of wine to cool my mind
Sickness does make me cry and that is the reason why
I must take a drink or two. I can't take it so.
Chorus:
He takes one for this, he takes one for that
He takes one again and have me wondering
Who sick now Tony? Who dead now, Tony?
Stop drinking, Tony, stop drinking daily.
He said, Boy, you don't know between my toes have a big corn.
I got to take one.
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.
Manchild!...[Hey!]...in the house! Yay! [Leave the Carnival] In defence of Carnival
Preacher, you looking for bacchanal, preacher, you really off base When you talking 'bout we Carnival, you say that it is a waste You criticising the wining, you say that it too vulgar But there's a part of the festival I want you to consider I singing this calypso to give you a new vision Call this your Carnival education.
Son, leave Carnival alone, preacher, leave Carnival alone! Joycelyn selling souse and accra in a booth by the Savannah Leave Carnival alone, leave Carnival alone! The money she make from vending, is she house she renovating.
[Check it out, check it out!] You look but you doh see [Check it out, check it out!] It's an economy [Check it out, check it out!] You focussing on the wining [Check it out, check it out!] When glorious things are happening Leave Carnival alone, preacher, we eating ah food right down to the bone!
In defence of Carnival [Leave the Carnival!]
Preacher, when you see the Christmas done, tune in, you go feel a vibe There is a creative explosion as my people come alive Is hundreds getting their food badge while others running a bar They say that poor people can't do business but I beg to differ We see Carnival as a business opportunity I can testify, it begins with me. See?!
Leave Carnival alone, preacher, leave Carnival alone! Ask the mas' men and musicians, they'll agree with my opinion Leave Carnival alone, leave Carnival alone! Machel just sing in a party. He shake he head though he sleepy.
[Check it out, check it out!] You look but you doh see [Check it out, check it out!] It's an economy that making a dollar [Check it out, check it out!] You focussing on the wining [Check it out, check it out!] When is a business plan that we working Leave Carnival alone, preacher, we eating ah food right down to the bone!
[Leave the Carnival!] Tell them again! Mister preacher leave the Carnival! [Leave the Carnival alone!]
This song is tying to paint a picture, a musical tapestry Praising positives in our culture, going beyond the boundary The boundary of those opinions filled with negativity Making a statement to represent we power and we glory The story of Carnival is truly spectacular It is time you take off your blinker.
Preacher, leave Carnival alone, leave Carnival alone! The saddest part of my story, I have to convince a Trini Leave Carnival alone, leave Carnival alone! Enterprise in all its glory, your prejudice won't let you see
[Check it out, check it out!] You look but you doh see [Check it out, check it out!] It's an economy [Check it out, check it out!] You focussing on the wining [Check it out, check it out!] when glorious things are happening Leave Carnival alone, preacher, we eating ah food right down to the bone!
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance! ..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Thank you, Manchild! I am listening to this song and actually feeling Trinbagonian Carnival sunshine.
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
Spoken:A father is the pillar of strength in a family. So it is written, so it shall be.
Early, early, five in the morning before the cock even start crowing
I would be wakened by a loud, loud rumbling
That would be mih Daddy car engine
By the time I run and move 'way the curtain
All I could see was the jalopy smoking
Then I would have to wait 'til the evening
When from work he would be returning
You see, times was hard and it was eight of us
But Daddy never complained, he never made or showed any fuss
From dawn to dawn he would toil, you know, he had to get that pay
Just so that his children could see a better and brighter day.
Chorus:
"Love family life," is what he used to say
Doh mind he working hard for a little pay
Together, together, together, together
He wanted to keep his family together
"Love family life," is what he used to say
The little pay he got went a long, long way
Together, together, together, together
He never wanted his children to stray [to keep us together]
On the right track, he told us to stay [to keep us together]
He did what had to be done to keep us together
He had to keep his family together
He had to keep his family together.
Once a barber, once a cane cutter, once a tailor, then taxi driver
A jack of all trades, that was my father
You could say he was a survivor
But he stumbled on the path through frustration
Into the world of alcoholism
That became a time of misery, Mammy had to hold on tight to we
But the birth of my lil sister brought a change in my father
Slow and surely he recovered as the main family caretaker
Then from dusk to dawn he toiled, again, for that little pay
Just so that his children could see a better and brighter day.
Chorus:
"Love family life," is what he used to say
Doh mind he working hard for a little pay
Together, together, together together
He wanted to keep his family together
"Love family life," is what he used to say
The little pay he got went a long, long way
Together, together, together, together
So many hurdles along the way [to keep us together]
For a guiding light he would pray [to keep us together]
He did what had to be done to keep us together
He had to keep his family together
He had to keep his family together.
Daddy! I know you do what you do, I know you did what you did all for we, all for we!
Mammy was a mother and teacher for me, my two brothers and my three sisters
Making sure we all got to school, education was the golden rule
She never passed primary education but she wanted more for she children
Always trying her best to understand, bright like any mathematician
And Mummy toiled every day, teaching us in her special way
And when the day was done, she'd read stories and sing us songs
Then from work my father would come and in her hand put that little pay
Then she stretch and stretch to ensure we had a better and brighter day.
Chorus:
"Love family life," is what he used to say
Doh mind he working hard for that little pay
Together, together, together, together
He wanted to keep his family together
"Love family life," is what he used to say
The little pay he get went a long, long way
Together, together, together, together
So many turn their backs on him [to keep us together]
When for help he went asking [to keep us together]
He did what had to be done to keep us together
He had to keep his family together
He had to keep our family together.
Mammy! Wey you do!
Now mih father gone and he leave we,
I'm not saying he was the best Daddy
But he was simply the best that he could be
And of him I have great, great memories
Showing me life's battles can be won
From behind the barrel of a gun
Of the many other things he taught me then
A real man have to mind all he children. Yuh hear mih!
Most times when a father's absent, children grow misguided and delinquent
Single mothers try, that's the truth, but as a father, she's a substitute
Pity the children without a Daddy and that voice of authority
Each parent has a role to play to provide a better and brighter day.
Chorus:
"Love family life," is what he used to say
Doh mind he working hard for a little pay
Together, together, together, together
He wanted to keep his family together
"Love family life," is what he used to say
The little pay he got went a long, long way
Together, together, together, [together]
If we want to fight crime holistically [to keep us together]
Put back the father in family [to keep us together]
And he will do what has to be done to keep us together
Fathers will keep their family together
Fathers will keep their family together
He had to keep our family together.
Anyhow and any way!
He had to do it, he had to do it....
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Thank you, Rikki Jai. I am bowing low. This is a moving and inspirational song, made even more so because it is a story of the struggles and love within a family with which many Trinbagonians can identify. Your appreciation of your parents and the care that they took of you is such a beautiful thing to witness.
I agree with you that a father's presence in a family makes a difference - a good father, that is. Think for example of some of the children who have been victims of abuse in our society and one thing that many of them have in common is the absence of their fathers and the presence of a fourth party who may resent the offspring of another man. I am not saying that all "stepfathers" are unkind to the children that they inherit and I am certainly not saying that all biological fathers are better fathers than "stepfathers".
Rikki, I had parents like your parents, and as I listen to this song I am reminded again of how lucky I was. Thank you for this song and its uplifting and positive message. The songs of complaint about our society's ills have their purpose but we should remember also to acknowledge and give thanks for all the good that persists.
Blessings to you and your family.
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.
ON REACHING FIFTY By Singing Sandra (2012) Written by Christophe Grant
When a grown man turning fifty, he should be fully independent With his own money, moving thrifty, lord, and king of his tenement So Trinidad and Tobago, you set sail in '62 But when I check out your ship and cargo, I feeling like deja vu We boast we have we own anthem, we even boast we have we own flag Some say money is not the problem but something making mih country drag.
Answer mih question, please [Why you still in your Mammy house?] Oy, you don't have your own damn keys! [You still in your mother house] You ent have no blinking shame! [You still in your Mammy house] Mampoule man must be your name! [You still in your mother house]
'Cause your police chief is Canadian, your national dish is KFC And look how dem judge in London making final decisions for we The youth taste of art and culture shaped by hip hop and BET But you boasting to all and sundry, this year you turn fifty.
No! I can't respect that no how! [You still in your Mammy house] Oh, to foreign masters you bow [You still in your mother house] You down on your hands and knees [You still in your Mammy house] To hang a man, you begging, "Permission, please." [You still in your mother house]
Shame! Shame, shame! Shame, shame! Shame, shame!
Like some love the breeze up in London while they scorn we own CCJ And when you ask them what's their position, "That's not a priority," they say We who gave the world Sir Hugh Wooding, Telford Georges, De la Bastide To their judgement we must keep bowing, most insulting indeed! They don't believe in the death penalty, Constitution, ent give a fig So why to their counsel we must be privy, Just to breathe their cold air and wear a wig?
Answer mih question, please [Why you still in your Mammy house?] Oy, your death penalty, they freeze [You still in your mother house] You ent have no blooming shame! [You still in your Mammy house] Manicou man must be your name! [You still in your mother house]
'Cause your youths love all things Jamaican, the road march king is Movado Ask ------------ distribution who making all the dough? The youth's sense of high adventure is Flugtag by Red Bull And they turn their back on their culture and no kaiso tent can't full.
I can't respect that no how [You still in your Mammy house] Fifty years old, yet to others you bow [You still in your mother house] You down on your hands and knees [You still in your Mammy house] To pull a cow, look you begging Red Bull, "Please, please." [You still in you mother house]
Shame! Shame, shame! Shame! Shame, shame!
Don't tell me 'bout golden anniversary 'cause this looking more like brass The liberty is a forgery, somebody change the anthem fast And our twin nation supposed to stand side by side But the THA jurisdiction, up to now they cannot decide According to Orville London, somebody yanking the chain Granted power by the legislation, must still answer to Port of Spain.
Answer the question, please! [Why you still in your Mammy house?] You don't have your own damn keys! [You still in your mother house] You ent have no blinking shame! [You still in your Mammy house] Mampoule man really your name! [You still in your mother house]
'Cause we chase 'way the Scarlet Ibis, when last you see a cocrico? The manatee, that hardly exist, Chaconia also We plunder the environment in our greedy haste for money But we boasting to all and sundry, this year we turn fifty.
I can't respect that no how! [You still in your Mammy house] Your natural beauty you rape and plough! [You still in your mother house] Keep cutting the mangrove down! [You still in your Mammy house] To build your Hyatt and your MovieTowne. [You still in your mother house]
'Cause the pirates out of control [Shame!] The murders out of control [Shame!] The children out of control [Shame!] The drug trade out of control [Shame!] Corruption out of control [Shame!] ------- out of control [Shame!] The economy out of control [Shame!] The country out of control [Shame] Don't colour me orange, color me GOLD!
Trinidad, I shame! Shame, shame! Lord, I shame!
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance! ..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Kaiso, Kaiso, Kaiso! Thank you, Singing Sandra and Christophe Grant. Although I do not support capital punishment, I get the broader point that is being made and I will be thinking about this song for weeks...the music, the lyrics, the delivery, the ideas. Well crafted songs like these that make you think, that make you bow down before calypso, are too few these days.
Singing Sandra, I will never stop singing your praises. Stay true to this sacred vocation because whenever you sing, even if as a voice in the wilderness, I feel all that is strong and righteous in our nation encircling you to dance.
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
Today I am remembering with parting blessings, little Josiah Governor, who died last Friday. He is being laid in his final resting place today following a funeral service at Simpson’s Funeral Chapel on the Eastern Main Road, Laventille. The service starts at 10:00 a.m. and the burial will take place at the Tunapuna Cemetery. SOURCE
Rest in Peace, Josiah.
Please let his story, like those of too many other children gone before him, motivate us to be more humane in the way we treat our children.
.............................................................................................................................. "Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
RED, WHITE AND BLACK By Gary Jackson (2012) Spoken:This is what I meant when I gave the nation as its slogan for all time: Discipline, Production, Tolerance. Our national flag belongs to all of us, our national coat of arms with our national birds. Inspired therein is the sacred trust of all our citizens. So it is today, please, I urge you, let it always be so. Let us always be able to say with the psalmist: "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."
Words of the founding father. Yeah, gimme the music!
Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black
Oh yes, I remember liming on the main road whole night Me, you, Chin and Dougla, everything was all right All this talk I hearing lately 'bout racism and ethnicity Can't destroy the love deep inside of me For my beautiful twin island, Mother T&T.
Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T.
T&T, T&T, children of mother T&T
So much to unite us and bind us as one people To me it's more than obvious, we are inseparable Ain't nobody like we, J'Ouvert morning, come, you go see No race, no class, no envy Is pure love, children of Mother T&T.
Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T
Oh yeah, oh yeah!...
Let me tell you the only way to go forward Is to love one another, love one another... oh yeah Love one another, love one another.
Let's take Trinidad and Tobago higher.
Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T
On this grand occasion, fiftieth anniversary Time for deep reflection as we celebrate the journey Kaiso, steelpan, chutney Crab and dumpling, pelau, roti Laventille or Caroni, Pure love, children of mother T&T.
Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black Gimme the red, white and black, Mother T&T
T&T, T&T, children of mother T&T Spoken: I know we may come from different fathers but that is no reason to keep us apart. Trinidad and Tobago, it's time that we start. We heading for a new future and we could only do that together as one people. Mother Trinidad and Tobago, love you! Yeah, yeah! Mother T&T, T&T, T&T, children of Mother T&T. Blessings!
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
If you haven't already seen Carlisle Chang's account of how the colours were chosen for the national flag of Trinidad and Tobago, then have a listen to the video below.
Outside of our national flag, I first heard this particular combination of red, black and white being referred to in Juan Luis Guerra's song,"Naboria daca, mayanimacaná"- a song about Caribbean First Nations conquest and genocide - where he uses the Taino words "ris, yu, peiti" meaning "red, black, white."
More recently I was reading an article by the archaeologist Arie Boomert, "Crossing the Galleons' Passage: Amerindian interaction and cultural (dis)unity between Trinidad and Tobago." Journal of Caribbean Archaeology, 2010, and I discovered more mentions of red, black and white, this time referring to the colours found on the pottery of First Nations peoples in Trinidad and Tobago"
"Pre-fired painting in red, white and black remains typical...."
"In Trinidad the earliest Saladoid pottery is known only from the southwesternmost part of the island. This Cedros complex is typified by relatively thin, well made ceramics including predominantly round or oval flaring open bowls and dishes, restricted bowls or jars, inverted bell-like bowls, keeled bowls or jars, and bottles showing painted, incised and modelled decorative motifs, for instance comprising white-on-red and rarely white-and-black-on-red painted designs..." SOURCE
I pleases me, even if the similarity is only coincidental, to think that the choice of colours for our flag was not a coincidence but proof of guidance by a persisting Amerindian esthetic or spirit. This land is red, white and black on so many levels.
Creation of the National Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Carlisle Chang
.............................................................................................................................. "Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
Now that the silly season gone, Time for we country to move on With smiling and coconuts, Got to let the healing start.
Chorus: 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country Show your Trini spirit, time to bury the hatchet All ah we is Trini and we love we country Hold the other flags back, wave the red, white and black 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country So let the whole world know we are Trini to the marrow.
Now is not time for pettiness Got to fix we country business Now let's work and doh complain So Trini love will flow again.
Chorus: 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country Show your Trini spirit, time to bury the hatchet All ah we is Trini and we love we country Hold the other flags back, wave the red, white and black 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country So let the whole world know we are Trini to the marrow.
When I say Trini you must know That I also mean Tobago Now, captain rev the engine This ship ready for sailing.
Chorus: 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country Show your Trini spirit, time to bury the hatchet All ah we is Trini and we love we country Hold the other flags back, wave the red, white and black 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country So let the whole world know we are Trini to the marrow.
So glad we in a democracy We following the majority We are happy and we are celebrating Unite for the country to win.
Chorus: 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country Show your Trini spirit, time to bury the hatchet All ah we is Trini and we love we country Hold the other flags back, wave the red, white and black 'Cause all ah we is Trini and we love we country So let the whole world know we are Trini to the marrow.
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance! ..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Thank you, Rajin Dhanraj.
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
Como la luna que alumbra | Like the moon illuminates Por la noche los caminos | the roads at night Como las hojas al viento | Like the leaves in the wind Como el sol espanta al frío | Like the sun dispels the cold Como la tierra a la lluvia | Like the earth to the rain Como el mar espera al rio | Like the sea awaits the river Asi espero tu regreso | So I wait for your return A la tierra del olvido. | To the land of forgetfulness.
Como naufragan mis miedos | Like my fears are destroyed Si navego en tu mirada | If I look into your eyes Como alertas mis sentidos | Like my senses are awakened Con tu voz enamorada | With your beloved voice Con tu sonrisa de nina | With your girlish smile Como me mueves el alma | Like you move my soul Como me quitas el sueno | Like you make me lose sleep Como me robas la calma. | Like you take away my composure.
Tu tienes la llave de mi corazon | You hold the key to my heart Yo te quiero | I love you Mas que mi vida porque sin tu amor | More than my life because without your love Yo me muero | I die. Tu tienes la llave de mi corazon | You hold the key to my heart Yo te quiero | I love you Mas que mi vida porque sin tu amor | More than my life because without your love Yo me muero | I die.
Como la luna que alumbra | Like the moon illuminates Por la noche los caminos | the roads at night Como las hojas al viento | Like the leaves in the wind Como el sol espanta al frío | Like the sun dispels the cold Como la tierra a la lluvia | Like the earth to the rain Como el mar espera al rio | Like the sea awaits the river Asi espero tu regreso | So I wait for your return A la tierra del olvido. | To the land of forgetfulness.
Tu tienes la llave de mi corazon | You hold the key to my heart Yo te quiero | I love you Mas que mi vida porque sin tu amor | More than my life because without your love Yo me muero | I die. Tu tienes la llave de mi corazon | You hold the key to my heart Yo te quiero | I love you Mas que mi vida porque sin tu amor | More than my life because without your love Yo me muero | I die.
Yo te doy... Oye! mi corazon. Oye! | I give you ...Oye! my heart. Oye!
Tu tienes la llave de mi corazon | You hold the key to my heart Yo te quiero | I love you Mas que mi vida porque sin tu amor | More than my life because without your love Yo me muero | I die. Tu tienes la llave de mi corazon | You hold the key to my heart Yo te quiero | I love you Mas que mi vida porque sin tu amor | More than my life because without your love Yo me muero | I die.
Yo me muero... | I die
Colombia! Tierra mestiza. | Colombia! Land of mixture. Mi Colombia, mi Colombia, tierra hermosa | My Colombia, my Colombia, beautiful land Llena de mares, llena de montañas | Many seas, many mountains De pajaros, de pajaros...aye! de arboles | many birds, many birds...aye! many trees... Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance! ..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
My heartfelt thanks to all the Colombian musicians and performers and technicians who were involved in the production of this Playing For Change video. Quite stunning! At the start of the video it is stated:
"No matter how much division and struggle we face in life, we can always persevere with the power of music and love."
We have both in abundant supply in Trinidad and Tobago - love and music. Thanks to all the cultures that bless this land. Special thanks to those that do not erect enclaves, but mingle to embrace and to create and to enhance a common homeland.
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
T&R River, I tried leaving a comment on your blog but I kept getting the message that there was an error with my submission. Thank you for this post! Blessings .............................................................................................................................. "Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
HAR TARAF HAR JAGAH
Performed by Lata Mangeshkar and Jagjit Singh Album: Sajda
For JosiahGovernor
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi
Phir bhi tanhaiyon ka shikaar aadmi
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi.
In every direction, every place, there are several people
Even then, man is a victim of loneliness.
Subah se shaam tak bojh dhota hua
Subah se shaam tak bojh dhota hua
Apni hi laash ka khud mazaar aadmi
Apni hi laash ka khud mazaar aadmi.
From morning to evening, he is burdened
A man is a grave for his own corpse.
Phir bhi tanhaiyon ka shikaar aadmi
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi.
In every direction, every place, there are several people
Even then, man is a victim of loneliness.
Har taraf bhaagte daudhte raaste
Har taraf bhaagte daudhte raaste
Har taraf aadmi ka shikaar aadmi
Har taraf aadmi ka shikaar aadmi.
In every direction, there are paths running
Everywhere, man is a victim of man.
Phir bhi tanhaiyon ka shikaar aadmi
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi.
In every direction, every place, there are several people
Even then, man is a victim of loneliness.
Roz jeeta hua roz marta hua
Roz jeeta hua roz marta hua
Har naye din naya intezar aadmi
Har naye din naya intezar aadmi.
Everyday he lives and everyday he dies
Every new day is a new waiting for man.
Phir bhi tanhaiyon ka shikaar aadmi
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi.
In every direction, every place, there are several people
Even then, man is a victim of loneliness.
Zindagi ka mukkaddar safar dar safar
Zindagi ka mukkaddar safar dar safar
Aakhri saans tak bekaraar aadmi
Aakhri saans tak bekaraar aadmi.
The fate of life is journey after journey
'Til the last breath, man is always without peace.
Phir bhi tanhaiyon ka shikaar aadmi
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi.
In every direction, every place, there are several people
Even then, man is a victim of loneliness.
..............................................................................................................................
A Note From The Gull
Thank you, Lata Mangeshkar and Jagjit Singh.
I am deliberately returning to "Sajda" tonight to settle my troubled heart and I dedicate this song "Har Taraf Har Jagah" to Josiah wherever he is now beyond the pain of this world. I read that Josiah wanted to become a police officer and I find myself wondering if this desire was inspired by his own situation of powerlessness and pain. Did he see police officers as superheroes who could protect the weak and stop the abusers in their tracks? Could he have wanted to be for others the protector that he never found in those who surrounded him? It is this aloneness that is brought to mind by the lines:
Har taraf har jagah beshumar aadmi Phir bhi tanhaiyon ka shikaar aadmi.
In every direction, every place, there are several people
Even then, man is a victim of loneliness.
I did not respond well to the news of Josiah's death. Since my post, I was relieved to find the article below by an unidentified author. I wish that I had been able to write it because it addresses with empathy the roots of the problem rather than the fruit. Josiah's abuse and death, the dysfunctional family into which he was born and the neighbourhood which harboured his abusers are all fruits of a violence that is systemic in our society.
It helps nothing to simply respond with anger like I did, if we are not going to do something, no matter how small, to start addressing the underlying causes. Yes, some may say that it is the anger of others that is needed to shock the dreamers awake. We all share this society and at some point we have to tell those who have become too comfortable with their "issues" that society is no longer going to be their enablers, that they also have responsibilities as adults to find a way to address their problems. But anger can lead us to respond rashly and anger also fades after a while and very often when it is spent we find that we have not moved forward but have slipped back into passivity to await the next trigger. It is the thoughtful analyses of people like the author below which should be solicited and used towards creation of support systems to help those who feel that they lack the tools to help themselves.
Amidst the regrets and recriminations heard every time a child is murdered, many persons invariably hasten to make a distinction between "discipline" and "abuse". Yet the reality is that most abusers do not know when they are stepping over that blurred line, and so "disciplinarians" can easily become child-killers in a society where corporal punishment is widely approved.
In the case of six-year-old Josiah Governor, who was beaten to death last Friday, reports suggest that the alleged killer used to beat the boy to do better in his schoolwork. If so, the perpetrator was performing an act which 98 per cent of parents and teachers, according to a 2004 survey headed by Prof Ramesh Deosaran, approve. This, along with distrust of the police, is why Josiah's neighbours, despite hearing the child's cries over many months, never reported the matter to the authorities.
Yet the neighbourhood was only the last set of adults to fail Josiah. Even the circumstances of his birth made it more, rather than less likely, that the odds would be against him as he grew up. His mother was in her teenage years when she conceived him, and so little more than a child herself. Josiah's biological father abandoned him when he was still a baby, hence further weakening the child's family network. When Josiah's mother formed a relationship with another man, this created another downward spiral for, while there are many good step-parents, adults who are not biologically related to children are more likely to abuse them.
In an interview with the Express yesterday, Josiah's paternal grandmother revealed that she was aware of the abuse her grandson was experiencing — indeed, the child had begged her to take him into her home. But, when she threatened to report the abuse to the police, the grandmother was told that, if she did so, she would not be allowed to see Josiah. So she kept silent, and now her grandson is silenced forever.
In this death, therefore, the whole society is culpable. Josiah's family failed to fulfil their most basic duty — protect the life of their child. The community failed him, by refusing to get involved even to the extent of reporting the matter to the police. The teachers at Josiah's school failed, either by not noticing that anything was wrong, or failing to deal with the issue if they did notice. The social services failed from the time Josiah was born, by not identifying the mother and her baby as at-risk. And all the adults in Trinidad and Tobago who believe corporal punishment is justified have tacitly contributed to the cycle of violence which all too easily leads to the killing of children.
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.
Dona la pace, dona la pace ai nostri cuori, oh Signore!
Dona la pace, dona la pace ai nostri cuori, oh Signore!
Resta qui, insieme a noi, resta qui, insieme a noi.
E la pace regnerà.
Give peace, give peace to our hearts, O Lord!
Give peace, give peace to our hearts, O Lord!
Stay here with us, stay here with us.
And peace will reign.
Dona l'amore, dona l'amore, ai nostri cuori, oh Signore!
Dona l'amore, dona l'amore, ai nostri cuori, oh Signore!
Resta qui, insieme a noi, resta qui, insieme a noi.
E l'amore regnerà.
Give love, give love to our hearts, O Lord!
Give love, give love to our hearts, O Lord!
Stay here with us, stay here with us.
And love will reign.
Dona la pace, dona la pace al mondo intero, oh Signore!
Dona la pace, dona la pace al mondo intero, oh Signore!
Resta qui, insieme a noi, resta qui, insieme a noi.
E la pace regnerà.
Give peace, give peace to the whole world, oh Lord!
Give peace, give peace to the whole world, oh Lord!
Stay here with us, stay here with us.
And peace will reign.
Dona l'amore, dona l'amore al mondo intero, oh Signore!
Dona l'amore, dona l'amore al mondo intero, oh Signore!
Resta qui, insieme a noi, resta qui, insieme a noi.
E l'amore regnerà.
Resta qui, insieme a noi, resta qui, insieme a noi.
E l'amore regnerà.
Give love, give love to the whole world, oh Lord!
Give love, give love to the whole world, oh Lord!
Stay here with us, stay here with us.
And love will reign.
Stay here with us, stay here with us.
And love will reign.
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.
"The 11th Commandment" by Collin Raye | Uploaded by lokngid
WARNING SIGNS OF CHILD ABUSE
Abused children often show sudden and marked changes in behaviour that are tell tale signs that they may be abused. Some behavioural signs to look for are:
• Withdrawal from activities, friends and family; • Display of inappropriate/overt sexual behaviour; • Unusual interest in, or avoidance of all things of a sexual nature; • Visible sadness; • Poor hygiene, unkempt appearance, malnourishment; • Marked decline in school performance; • Self-destructive or self-abusive behaviour or suicidal thoughts; • Aggressive or disruptive behaviour; and • Avoidance or dislike of visiting a particular relative or family friend.
Anyone who observes these behaviours in a child must notify the school principal/teacher/social worker in your community, or call Childline at 131 or 800-4231. SOURCE
REPORT ALL FORMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OBSERVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY!!
For victim, perpetrator and third party advice call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (868) 800-SAVE (7283) for 24-hr telephone counselling, support and access to safe accommodation.
Call the police, even if you are more comfortable making an anonymous report. Anti Crime Hotline: 555
.............................................................................................................................. "Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
POLICE are probing the death of a six-year-old Laventille boy who was reportedly beaten to death by a male relative for not doing his homework.
Homicide detectives were up to late last night at Herman Scott Road, taking witness statements and searching for clues at the home where Josiah Governor lived with his 22-year-old mother and the male relative.
According to neighbours, the frail child would be constantly beaten by the 25-year-old relative and for not doing well academically with one neighbour saying that the suspect was a "bright boy" and the child was a slow learner.
"What that child could do to get licks like that?" one neighbour asked as members of the media spoke to neighbours who gathered near a parlour discussing the matter.
They said they were accustomed to hearing the child's screams, but no one ever intervened.
Lystra Salazar, a neighbour, said one time she threw a big stone on the roof of the home because she was tired of hearing the child screams.
"Them living here years now and he accustomed beating the child. One time I wanted to call the police but my mister tell me no. Last time I couldn't take it and throw a big stone on the roof," Salazar said.
Another neighbour who wished not be named said she would normally hear the child and the child's mother "bawling"but never thought to intervene because she "not getting in man and woman business".
Police said the child was taken to the Besson Street Police Station around 3 p.m. yesterday by the two adults who asked that the child be taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital. The officers who noticed the child was unconscious rushed the child to the hospital where he was reported dead on arrival.
Officers believed the child was beaten with a blunt object as there were several marks about his body. The child was brought to the station, police say, wrapped in a piece of cloth.
Police are awaiting autopsy results before determining whether the killing can be classified as a murder. The couple are assisting police with their investigations.
Sometimes, I am really sorry for us and what we have become. Aided ably over time by those who have had the power to contribute significantly to setting the tone and direction of our society, we are now all hapless children it seems. Every time there is another injustice, the babies begin to howl and wail in their cradles. No one responds out of genuine concern, and if they do, the concern has a time limit of three seconds. The babies continue to fuss, perhaps adding some coughs and frantic kicking for effect. If there is a response, we are told either to shut up and stop making noise or to direct our complaints to the previous caretakers. If a slap upside the head can be executed without leaving much of a mark, the hot spots are the targets of choice. An equally careless caretaker may throw us a pacifier coated with something sweet but injurious or sing us some vapid lullaby composed on the fly about what Santa will bring us if we don't pout. Most of us eventually cry ourselves to sleep with feverish brows, tear-stained cheeks and with rum or an unfinished prayer on our lips...six of one, half a dozen of the other, some may say.
Battered woman syndrome be damned! I am not waiting for the results of any autopsy. I charge you all with murder - woman, man and neighbours.
I am remembering the story about Sabrina Lalla-Mitchell and how she was stabbed to death to the rhythm of her co-workers' cowardice and her "husband's" rage. Same story, but this time the lifeless body is that of a tiny broken dove, another frail, defenseless child who did not have a fighting chance against the blows of an adult.
On three occasions in T&T, I was present when crimes were in progress and I did not stand by. I didn't even have the option of simply making an anonymous phone call to the police. People asked me after the first occasion if I was not afraid that my face would be "marked", meaning remembered by the criminal for later retaliation. That thought had not even crossed my mind when I had intervened and if the opportunity were to present itself again, I would not think twice to jump in. These neighbours however, sat on this situation for a period of months if not longer and enjoyed the sweet luxury of:
- witnessing that the child was frail and would be constantly beaten for homework and playing too much SOURCE - becoming accustomed to hearing the screams of both the child and the mother - growing tired of hearing the child screams - observing the child “flying” through the window of the home before landing on the rocky ground almost 12 feet below SOURCE - choosing deliberately not to intervene - assessing that the suspect was a "bright boy" and the child was a slow learner - musing about what that child could do to get licks like that - recalling wistfully that "one time" they had ALMOST called the police - pretending that a mister's "No" has ever stopped a woman from doing what she is determined to do. - choosing to communicate jungle style, despite, I am sure, having possession of more than one cellphone, by lobbing a big warning stone onto the roof of the house of horrors - mumbling about the travesty of interfering in "man and woman business." - congregating AFTER the fact near a parlour to discuss the matter as a community. - deciding only AFTER the death that the male relative would not be welcomed there anymore. Apparently the relative had crossed a line by killing the child. Before that his abuse could be tolerated by all. "You can’t kill little children and women. That not right."SOURCE
Who named this child? Who valued this soul enough when he came into this world to name him so beautifully? For Christians, this name, Josiah, is not a frivolous name. This name coming from the Hebrew literally means "healed by Yahweh" or "supported of Yahweh." Where was Yahweh, you may ask, when His child was being pummeled to death? He was persistently in the ears and voices and the hearts and the hands and the bodies of the community of persons who are now pretending that they did not know what God expected of them. They were fully aware of that child's distress and chose not to come to his assistance.
This is not God's handiwork. It is society's.
This is not Mr. Gibbs' doing, although by the time the murder statistics come out for the first quarter, most would have forgotten, or will choose to ignore the fact that this murder, as well as many others included, can be traced directly back to our own sins of omission and commission in the formation of our children. It is more convenient to put the blame on the Commissioner, even more laughable in this instance because Mr. Gibbs was imported from another society. Perhaps if we must blame him, we ought to accuse him of not hiring a team of ace psychics who can predict when and where every crime will occur in T&T so that the police officers can arrive on the scene an hour before instead of after. But we remain babies and babies, you see, cannot be expected to fathom such complexities. They just need their excreta to be removed and their bellies to be filled in a timely manner.
Josiah was another test and we FAILED! His mute, dead body lies as our conviction and punishment.
I still love you T&T but you have to take the lead, I mean, YOU, the people. You will be respected only as much as you respect yourselves.
Some time ago, Minister for Youth and Gender Affairs, Verna St Rose-Greaves announced her Gatekeepers Initiative. In the scheme, twenty persons "from each of Santa Cruz and Covigne Road, Diego Martin, would be trained as “Gatekeepers” on a new $3.2 million, three-year pilot project. They would become the “eyes and ears of their communities”." SOURCE
So much and too late for Josiah, but Minister St Rose-Greaves, while other communities wait for formal training, couldn't your office, together with the Police Service organise some informal community meetings using the social wardens throughout the country to remind people about how they can and must try to make a difference when they observe that their neighbours are at risk? It seems ridiculous that we should have to be taught how to find ways to love each other but for better or for worse, this is the world in which we are to be tested.
.............................................................................................................................. "Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.Mweh ka allay!Guanaguanare
Time to ease yourself from the struggle, time to ease yourself from the stress
For so long we fighting this battle and yet we life in a mess
All where we turn now is drug abusion, so much young girls in prostitution
Tell me what is your expectation for the upcoming generation?
We blame it on world leaders, them is the first we does see to blame
And yet still we living in poverty and we lifestyle it is a shame
'Cause this man does feel that he dreader and this one does feel that he dread
But you could never know who's the dreadest man 'til you hear that one ah them dead.
Chorus:
Keep a clean heart and a clear conscience
This war and violence, it really don't make sense
Keep a clean heart, make sure your conscience free
You good in words and deeds, then you could jump and spree.
If your heart clean, put it in the air! Hear why...
Too much raping, too much kidnapping, child pornography pictures snapping
And if we live till 2K11 what the hell you think going to happen?
When fathers raping their daughters, mothers raping their son
Ah set ah five year old now in primary schools, they done know how to use a gun
Some fellahs doh want no hard-earned money, tiefing is dey only resort
But is to see them early Monday morning in a jail van going to court
And from that nothing them boy achieving, is everything they does loss
So is time to put down your gun, put down your knife
Give praises to de Boss!
Chorus:
A clean heart and a clear conscience
This war and violence, it really don't make sense
Keep a clean heart, make sure your conscience free
You good in words and deeds, then you could jump and spree.
If your heart clean, send it to heaven! Eh!
Single mothers, absentee fathers, our homes are run by the youth
While we chase the almighty dollar, the TV is we substitute
As we put up towers and buildings, calling them Centres of Excellence
Our children keep making children, though some talking 'bout abstinence
While we dream about 2020, I does pray for the good old days
Today in this land of plenty, poverty will leave you amazed
While we keep searching for an answer, more than cancer under the knife
For a group talking 'bout "Aspire" want to ambush the unborn life!
Chorus:
A clean heart and a clear conscience
This war and violence, it really don't make sense
Keep a clean heart, make sure your conscience free
You good in words and deeds, then you could jump and spree.
Clean heart!
You got to be good in all that you doing, keep God in your heart day by day
You can't sit down every day skylarking and weekend expect to get pay
Some fellahs don't want no hard-earned money, them only intend to rob and shoot
But them is the first, if you hear them saying,
"Police fighting down the ghetto youth."
I does 'fraid to put on mih TV, the way how this country confused
Because I sure every day you sure to hear 4-5-6 murders on the news
They say things will be getting better but things only getting worse
And the way how I see things going right now
Like mih country bless with ah curse!
Chorus:
A clean heart and a clear conscience
This war and violence, it really don't make sense
Keep a clean heart, make sure your conscience free
You good in words and deeds, then you could jump and spree.
If your heart clean raise it to heaven When your hear clean you does dance. So my heart is clean so watch me now!
Raise your clean heart to the heavens!!... Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance!
..............................................................................................................................
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation
Blessed be my beautiful people
Blessed be the day of our awakening
Blessed is my country
Blessed are her patient hills.
Well, Mister Politician, with your right hand you swore honestly With Bible in hand or with the Qu'ran, you pledged to serve we A committed man with religion, you once used to be But when the Treasury band pass by your station, man, you get greedy So you -------- and you feel as man you get 'way scotch free No Integrity Commission can't touch your stolen money But you still must face something higher than any Commission And that's the punishment ------ the calypsonian.
When you see Pink Panther and Cro Cro Name you a thief in their calypso As they pass that sentence on your head You'll be called a big thief until you dead And when you dead, there's still no relief People will call all your generation thief So before you join politics, you must know In Trinbago, you must bow down to calypso!
Well, Mister Politician, you join the band to rape the Treasury Kickbacks and grease hand from them businessman have you now wealthy Up in Switzerland a big million you stash 'way tax free But the calypsonian ----------------------------- Mister Politician, what you have done calls for harsh treatment --------- granting you no bail is soft punishment Charging you a fine mix with cat o' nine is like mashing your toe But you will feel the blow when we jail you in calypso!
When you see Duke and Valentino Find you guilty in their calypso All in India where them CD's go They'll call you a thief and a scamp also People will dance to their tunes in Toronto And call your name as a pappyshow No future can't save you from that spirit blow This ent chutney, you know, you must bow down to calypso!
Well, Mister Politician, the calypsonian throughout history Has fought corruption from parliamentarians and skulduggery British governors, prime ministers have all felt its weight Albert Gomes, ----------, Eric Williams, they were laid out straight Sparrow punish Patrick Solomon for freeing his stepson And the whole world still 'fraid Karl for his laws on sedition And in history all children will learn that Chambers duncey And Gabby destroy Tom Adams in Bridgetown city.
When you see Brigo and King Sparrow Name you a scamp in their calypso Is best ten cobo pee on your head You'll wish the hangman hang you instead For when King Sparrow say so, is so If Sparrow lie, is still true you know. Look, Black Stalin make Dhanraj Singh know You can't play macho, you must bow down to calypso!
Well, Mister Politician, the queen of England respects kaiso She and Prince Charles know what they'll undergo if they tackle Crusoe Colin Powell know that kaiso is the unwritten law So he let Bush know he does sing kaiso before he fight war Mister Politician, the great Imam, Reverend Farrakhan Got his strength and determination from being a kaisonian Kaiso make Eric Williams bawl out, "Let the jackass bray!" So who the hell is Jack Warner, he's a small fish, I say.
If kaiso was born in America George Bush would be humble as ever Whenever he open his mouth in Congress Aloes woulda hit him and give him bless You might get 'way with bank accounts in Scotland Bank under wife name up in London But once you live here in Trinbago We come like the Pharaoh, you must bow down to calypso!
Source: The lyrics posted on this blog are often transcribed directly from performances. Although it is my intention to faithfully transcribe I do not get all the words and I have a knack for hearing the wrong thing. Please feel free to correct me or to fill in the words that I miss by dropping me a message via e-mail. I'd be forever grateful. Thanks in advance! .............................................................................................................................. "Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
Every year, the State Department issues reports on individual rights in other countries, monitoring the passage of restrictive laws and regulations around the world. Iran, for example, has been criticized for denying fair public trials and limiting privacy, while Russia has been taken to task for undermining due process. Other countries have been condemned for the use of secret evidence and torture.
Even as we pass judgment on countries we consider unfree, Americans remain confident that any definition of a free nation must include their own — the land of free. Yet, the laws and practices of the land should shake that confidence. In the decade since Sept. 11, 2001, this country has comprehensively reduced civil liberties in the name of an expanded security state. The most recent example of this was the National Defense Authorization Act, signed Dec. 31, which allows for the indefinite detention of citizens. At what point does the reduction of individual rights in our country change how we define ourselves?
While each new national security power Washington has embraced was controversial when enacted, they are often discussed in isolation. But they don’t operate in isolation. They form a mosaic of powers under which our country could be considered, at least in part, authoritarian. Americans often proclaim our nation as a symbol of freedom to the world while dismissing nations such as Cuba and China as categorically unfree. Yet, objectively, we may be only half right. Those countries do lack basic individual rights such as due process, placing them outside any reasonable definition of “free,” but the United States now has much more in common with such regimes than anyone may like to admit.
These countries also have constitutions that purport to guarantee freedoms and rights. But their governments have broad discretion in denying those rights and few real avenues for challenges by citizens — precisely the problem with the new laws in this country.
The list of powers acquired by the U.S. government since 9/11 puts us in rather troubling company. Assassination of U.S. citizens
President Obama has claimed, as President George W. Bush did before him, the right to order the killing of any citizen considered a terrorist or an abettor of terrorism. Last year, he approved the killing of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi and another citizen under this claimed inherent authority. Last month, administration officials affirmed that power, stating that the president can order the assassination of any citizen whom he considers allied with terrorists. (Nations such as Nigeria, Iran and Syria have been routinely criticized for extrajudicial killings of enemies of the state.) Indefinite detention
Under the law signed last month, terrorism suspects are to be held by the military; the president also has the authority to indefinitely detain citizens accused of terrorism. While the administration claims that this provision only codified existing law, experts widely contest this view, and the administration has opposed efforts to challenge such authority in federal courts. The government continues to claim the right to strip citizens of legal protections based on its sole discretion. (China recently codified a more limited detention law for its citizens, while countries such as Cambodia have been singled out by the United States for “prolonged detention.”)
Arbitrary justice
The president now decides whether a person will receive a trial in the federal courts or in a military tribunal, a system that has been ridiculed around the world for lacking basic due process protections. Bush claimed this authority in 2001, and Obama has continued the practice. (Egypt and China have been denounced for maintaining separate military justice systems for selected defendants, including civilians.)
Warrantless searches
The president may now order warrantless surveillance, including a new capability to force companies and organizations to turn over information on citizens’ finances, communications and associations. Bush acquired this sweeping power under the Patriot Act in 2001, and in 2011, Obama extended the power, including searches of everything from business documents to library records. The government can use “national security letters” to demand, without probable cause, that organizations turn over information on citizens — and order them not to reveal the disclosure to the affected party. (Saudi Arabia and Pakistan operate under laws that allow the government to engage in widespread discretionary surveillance.)
Secret evidence
The government now routinely uses secret evidence to detain individuals and employs secret evidence in federal and military courts. It also forces the dismissal of cases against the United States by simply filing declarations that the cases would make the government reveal classified information that would harm national security — a claim made in a variety of privacy lawsuits and largely accepted by federal judges without question. Even legal opinions, cited as the basis for the government’s actions under the Bush and Obama administrations, have been classified. This allows the government to claim secret legal arguments to support secret proceedings using secret evidence. In addition, some cases never make it to court at all. The federal courts routinely deny constitutional challenges to policies and programs under a narrow definition of standing to bring a case.
War crimes
The world clamored for prosecutions of those responsible for waterboarding terrorism suspects during the Bush administration, but the Obama administration said in 2009 that it would not allow CIA employees to be investigated or prosecuted for such actions. This gutted not just treaty obligations but the Nuremberg principles of international law. When courts in countries such as Spain moved to investigate Bush officials for war crimes, the Obama administration reportedly urged foreign officials not to allow such cases to proceed, despite the fact that the United States has long claimed the same authority with regard to alleged war criminals in other countries. (Various nations have resisted investigations of officials accused of war crimes and torture. Some, such as Serbia and Chile, eventually relented to comply with international law; countries that have denied independent investigations include Iran, Syria and China.)
Secret court
The government has increased its use of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which has expanded its secret warrants to include individuals deemed to be aiding or abetting hostile foreign governments or organizations. In 2011, Obama renewed these powers, including allowing secret searches of individuals who are not part of an identifiable terrorist group. The administration has asserted the right to ignore congressional limits on such surveillance. (Pakistan places national security surveillance under the unchecked powers of the military or intelligence services.)
Immunity from judicial review
Like the Bush administration, the Obama administration has successfully pushed for immunity for companies that assist in warrantless surveillance of citizens, blocking the ability of citizens to challenge the violation of privacy. (Similarly, China has maintained sweeping immunity claims both inside and outside the country and routinely blocks lawsuits against private companies.)
Continual monitoring of citizens
The Obama administration has successfully defended its claim that it can use GPS devices to monitor every move of targeted citizens without securing any court order or review. (Saudi Arabia has installed massive public surveillance systems, while Cuba is notorious for active monitoring of selected citizens.)
Extraordinary renditions
The government now has the ability to transfer both citizens and noncitizens to another country under a system known as extraordinary rendition, which has been denounced as using other countries, such as Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan, to torture suspects. The Obama administration says it is not continuing the abuses of this practice under Bush, but it insists on the unfettered right to order such transfers — including the possible transfer of U.S. citizens.
These new laws have come with an infusion of money into an expanded security system on the state and federal levels, including more public surveillance cameras, tens of thousands of security personnel and a massive expansion of a terrorist-chasing bureaucracy.
Some politicians shrug and say these increased powers are merely a response to the times we live in. Thus, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) could declare in an interview last spring without objection that “free speech is a great idea, but we’re in a war.” Of course, terrorism will never “surrender” and end this particular “war.”
Other politicians rationalize that, while such powers may exist, it really comes down to how they are used. This is a common response by liberals who cannot bring themselves to denounce Obama as they did Bush. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), for instance, has insisted that Congress is not making any decision on indefinite detention: “That is a decision which we leave where it belongs — in the executive branch.”
And in a signing statement with the defense authorization bill, Obama said he does not intend to use the latest power to indefinitely imprison citizens. Yet, he still accepted the power as a sort of regretful autocrat.
An authoritarian nation is defined not just by the use of authoritarian powers, but by the ability to use them. If a president can take away your freedom or your life on his own authority, all rights become little more than a discretionary grant subject to executive will.
The framers lived under autocratic rule and understood this danger better than we do. James Madison famously warned that we needed a system that did not depend on the good intentions or motivations of our rulers: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
Benjamin Franklin was more direct. In 1787, a Mrs. Powel confronted Franklin after the signing of the Constitution and asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got — a republic or a monarchy?” His response was a bit chilling: “A republic, Madam, if you can keep it.”
Since 9/11, we have created the very government the framers feared: a government with sweeping and largely unchecked powers resting on the hope that they will be used wisely.
The indefinite-detention provision in the defense authorization bill seemed to many civil libertarians like a betrayal by Obama. While the president had promised to veto the law over that provision, Levin, a sponsor of the bill, disclosed on the Senate floor that it was in fact the White House that approved the removal of any exception for citizens from indefinite detention.
Dishonesty from politicians is nothing new for Americans. The real question is whether we are lying to ourselves when we call this country the land of the free.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University
I have often found myself wondering if any reflection and self-examination was possible and Jonathan Turley's article has renewed my faith. I wish with all my heart on behalf of that country and the rest of the world, that the conscious people of USA can find a way to eventually elect a leader who will speak the truth, no matter how unpleasant, to the sleepwalkers who are forever damned it seems to not think for themselves but to provide the Pavlovian responses to the usual vulgar and baseless utterances of those who are violating them and laughing all the way to the banks or wherever it is they go to celebrate the Orwellian nightmare that they have created.
Trinidad and Tobago, be vigilant.
"Patria est communis omnium parens" - Our native land is the common parent of us all. Keep it beautiful, make it even more so.
Blessed is all of creation Blessed be my beautiful people Blessed be the day of our awakening Blessed is my country Blessed are her patient hills.
Lord, Please walk beside me through this day. Clear the heavy air with the lightness of Your Presence. Guide my hands and steady my heart that I may give comfort when I cannot give hope, that I may give relief when I do not have a cure, and that I may radiate Your healing peace when the limits of science, time, and the human body overwhelm us all. Amen
Source
Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Ámen
