Meanderings…in Int’l law

One of the characteristics of the times is the appearance of a crippling dogmatism in arguments that really don’t allow an exchange of views that may allow growth in the perspectives of all involved. And that’s what a discourse should be all about, innit? ‘Cause if all of us knew everything with absolute certitude – being, as such, Gods! – then there would be no arguments since we would all have the same facts about the subject at hand and operate like the said Gods!! The problem for most of us, unfortunately, is that the internet – especially now with AI bots like ChatGPT – throws out so much data, which we take as “facts”!!
Take the writers who’re challenging not just the incumbent AG but decades of judicial practice – at all levels of the profession – to assert that the Government’s absolutely wrong in this matter of extraditing Sanction. Man’s sorry a55 to Miami, USA, where pertinently, a warm (VERY WARM!!) welcome awaits him in the Southern Circuit!! Now most of these writers could be paid by the tax thief – but their arguments don’t become less snotty and presumptuous by saying they’re singing for their supper. They should at least sing with some kinda harmony!!
So what’s their argument?? One of them – with an obviously fake name since our legal fraternity is so small and inbred and therefore known!! – is typical and starts out by quoting Article 2 of the 1931 Extradition Treaty between the US and Britain. He writes (correctly) that this defines the treaty’s territorial application as “Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and all parts of His Britannic Majesty’s dominions overseas other than those enumerated in Article 14.”
Now what did this fella understand by the above, which in his estimation doesn’t include British Guiana, which was then a Crown Colony of Britain – recently made so in 1928, to be exact!! He wrote, “Article 14 explicitly lists the Dominions eligible for accession, such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. British Guiana is conspicuously absent.” And that’s also correct!! But BRITISH GUIANA was not a “Dominion” – and in fact it was only in the same year, 1931, that the enumerated colonies were made “Dominions” – with a capital “D” by the Statute of Westminster to give them increased sovereignty – and thus the need to exclude binding them to an extradition treaty!!
Article 16, which he also mentions, covers and enumerates “Protectorates” – which British Guiana also was not!! We were, as mentioned, a “Crown Colony” like Barbados and Jamaica, which also didn’t need to be enumerated since they were “parts of his Britannic Majesty’s dominions”.
This is the import of the common “d” of Art 2 – simply meaning the lands over which the King had unbridled sovereignty!!

…of a Judge
There’s the expression “sober as a Judge” – signalling that emotions shouldn’t influence their decision-making!! They should be guided solely by legal principles, precedent and logic!! But since we know decisions of Judges are overturned every day of the week – we know they also aren’t Gods with infinite knowledge. This justifies the need for “Appellate Courts”. So your Eyewitness arrives at passing strange Judgement – by a presumably sober Judge – that definitely needs reviewing!!
Is the Judge really serious when he ruled that the GRA can’t review an assessment made by one of its officials on the duties on a car or taxes on a property?? So how come citizens challenge assessments of the GRA for one reason or another?? Like PNC’s Chicken Man and that $100 million tax bill he successfully challenged and had written off??
Does it have anything to do with the Judge’s (sober?) conviction – displayed in a placard in 2015 – that the PPP’s ontologically corrupt??

…Police
Your Eyewitness does believe that we gotta return to basics with the GPF. When it was founded, the colonial Government rejected the community-based, avuncular “Bobby” on the beat – choosing the armed goon who’d defend the status quo!!
More community-based Police!!