There’s no denying that the vast majority of people in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) cheered with national relief when the British intervened this week to oust our hopelessly dysfunctional and terminally corrupt government. Not surprisingly, our ousted premier jeered with selfish grief: The British still think that there are none among us who… Read more.
Archives for March 2009
Britain Suspends TCI Constitution After Commission of Inquiry
In a November commentary, I made the case for suspending the TCI Constitution. I argued that local officials have fostered a culture of “corruption and serious dishonesty.” And that this has been self-evident for years. Britain suspends TCI Constitution Yesterday, the British government finally released Sir Robin Auld’s Interim Report. It delineates the findings of a Commission of Inquiry into… Read more.
UPDATE: In Pakistan, the restoration (of judges) portends civil war
When President Zardari’s government forces and Nawaz Sharif’s opposition protesters clashed on the streets of Pakistan over the weekend it confirmed this prediction I first made over a year ago: Having rid the country of bogeyman Musharraf (who at least enforced some degree of stability), Zardari and Sharif now seem determined to plunge Pakistan into sectarian political warfare… Read more.
Madoff qualifies his plea with an appeal based on the customary principle of moral relativism…
Even though an incorrigible shyster, Bernie has a point. After all, he got rich by embezzling and mismanaging only billions of dollars through his Madoff scheme; whereas, Wall Street bankers got rich by embezzling and mismanaging trillions through their predatory mortgage lending and other schemes. Yet the bankers are not only getting away scot-free, the government has… Read more.
Trouble on the march in Pakistan … again
History repeated itself in Pakistan yesterday as thousands of lawyers from cities all over the country mounted another “Long March,” which they hope will end on Monday with a sit-in at the parliament in the capital, Islamabad. And, like last year, the clarion call this year is for the president to reinstate all judges sacked… Read more.
World Kidney Day
Today, Kidney foundations around the world are marking World Kidney Day by raising awareness about the importance of early and comprehensive screening to combat kidney disease. And special efforts will be made to educate people about the correlation between high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. I am especially interested in participating in this awareness campaign… Read more.
Congress passes $410 billion pork-laden budget, which Obama will hold his nose and sign
President Obama insisted that he was supporting this bill to fund government operations for the current fiscal year, which began last October, only because it was the most expedient way to close the final chapter on the Bush administration. Nevertheless, even members of his own party ended up ascribing to his administration all of the pet… Read more.
Obama lifts restrictions on funding for stem cell research… Now what?
Yesterday amidst considerable fanfare, President Obama signed an executive order making federal funds available to “vigorously support” new research using embryonic stem cells, which scientists argue hold the key to finding cures for everything from Parkinson’s disease to diabetes and paralysis. Of course I have no idea how any of this is supposed to work.… Read more.