Meetings… and taking cover

As your Eyewitness wrote yesterday, the CARICOM HOGS – no insult intended!! – met in St Kitts for the 50th time since the regional block was set up back in 1973. It was also the first time in a decade that ALL the heads of the full member states showed up!! But in following the goings-on, your Eyewitness could be excused for having to CHECK(!) as to whether Barbados’ Mia Mottley – fresh from her second clean sweep at the polls – was there!! He finally spied her all the way at the end of the concluding group pic – with just a suggestion of a wry smile!
What’s going on? She’s usually at the centre of goings-on – not only hobnobbing with all and sundry but also making assertive announcements about where the group’s headed and suchlike – whether she was the Chair or not!! Your Eyewitness had noted she’s developed a close familiarity with our own Pressie – but this time, they weren’t caught in a single shot!! Pressie seems to be chumming up with that young PM from Grenada. Was it just youthful commonalities, and is Mia not with it no mo’? What’s going on? Is Mia – who many thought was using the CARICOM bully pulpit for a run as Secty-General of the UN – getting bashful??
Then it hit your Eyewitness!! US Secretary of State Rubio was in attendance – and Mia clearly knew from what direction the (powerful) breeze was blowing!! This US Administration has made it clear that CARICOM’s in a hemisphere that’s THEIRS – with all that entails. If there was any doubt as to how far America was gonna go to make that point, the EXTRACTION of Mad Maduro by using military means clarified the answer!! Mia and her departed buddy Ralph Gonzalves from St Vincent – who had been booted out electorally! – were part of CARICOM’s woke leadership who were given to taking pot shots at the US – especially this Administration!!
But it’s now clear that – if Mia hadn’t seen the error of her ways – she certainly wasn’t gonna bait Uncle Sam’s plenipotentiary!! So here it was, T&T’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar took centre stage as she reiterated her firm support for the US’ actions – pointing to those actions finally putting a dent into Mad Maduro’s drug runnings and criminality out of Venezuela!! And she wasn’t diffident about the hypocrisy of most of the CARICOM leaders – no names mentioned, but they knew who they were! – in excusing Mad Maduro’s excesses because of Petrocaribe benefits!!
While Pressie has to be more circumspect because of the diplomatic value of CARICOM’s 15 members for legitimising the upcoming ICJ ruling on Venezuela’s border controversy – there was no doubt left after his remarks as to where we stood!!
We and Kamla are in America’s corner!!

…with the big enchilada!!
And that we’re SEEN as being in that corner was demonstrated conclusively by the announcement that Pressie and Kamla gonna be meeting President Trump himself next week in Florida – most likely at Mar-a-Lago!! Now this is a VERY big deal in the grand scheme of things, if you don’t mind!! Pressie said the agenda’s gonna focus on “security” matters – which is no surprise seeing as how Venezuela’s present quietude can’t be taken for granted!!
This is an opportunity for T&T and us to have the US provide us the arms and materiel to pose a credible deterrent to the numerically larger Venezuelan forces!! The Yanks have done it for Israel for decades – as we well know in the present!! Why can’t we be their Israel in the Western Hemisphere?? Think about that!!
We’re right next to Venezuela and smack on top of Brazil – the top two powerhouses in South America. A suitably armed and equipped force in here can really become a strategic counterpoise!!

…and payments
What’s this fuss some are making about the amounts the DPI owes the Stabber for advertisements?? Haven’t the other two dailies declared that they’re also owed monies in the same range??
DPI’s an equal opportunity welsher!!