Dangerous dogs or Fierce Protectors - Where is the line drawn?

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” Mahatma Gandhi once said. The country’s current progress is not my place to judge but I do have some issues with the Dangerous Dogs Act 2000. First of all, what constitutes as a “dangerous dog”? What breed do we consider so dangerous that law must be put in place to keep the lovers of these dogs away from them? The “dangerous” species, as announced in the bill drafted in June 2000 but made into law in August 1 2012, are Pit bull terriers, Fila Brasileiro and Japanese Tora. These species have been responsible for murders but only because their owners wanted them to be protectors of their property. A dog is only what it is groomed and /or conditioned to be. An unruly dog is a direct product of an unruly owner. Therefore, in the same manner it is a crime to punish a person for a crime they did not, it is the same case to punish an animal for actions they were conditioned to do, intentionally by the owner or otherwise. What is even more surprising is that the Trinidad and Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA) and the Animal Welfare Network (AWN) agreed with this when it is blatantly ignores the rights of the animals the swore to protect and goes against their “mission”. The Dangerous Dog Act of 2000 states in Section 10 subsection (b) states that “dangerous” dogs are to be “branded onto the pinna of the ear”. The treatment is reminiscent of ecomienda system practice in All dogs cannot be ranked on a danger level because of their species. Though there are certain distinguishable features between certain species such as the pompek and the pit bull that may cause the pit bull to look more intimidating, both species can be considered dangerous because of their ancestral background to the wolf. By the manner, all dogs have the potential to kill but the interference of man is the factor that crosses the silver lining.

300 INDIAN NURSES A TRAVESTY!

I am all for democracy. It lets us know that we have a say in how our country is governed and in our futures. In the last general elections in Trinidad & Tobago, the people wanted a change (and rightly so) the then ruling PNM leader (Mr Patrick Manning) had lost his bloody marbles and was making a set of half assed decisions in the running of the country. General Elections were called and the people voted. The change that the people wanted was the coalition government of the People's Partnership. It was the opinion of myself as well as alot of others that this new government had no clear direction and were flying by the seat of their pants. Time and time again since their ascension into government, these people have proven that they are not thinking of the people that voted them into office or even the other citizens of this country that didn't, they are thinking of only their needs and 'fire bun' the rest of us. It might be argued that all governments serve their own purposes and 'steal' from the people. The thing, to me at least that was 'supposed' to be different about this government was their promise of being for the people of this country and to be finally putting the citizens first. To this writer, I have seen little to no evidence of this. The price of the basic necessities have gone up (sugar is now $5 a lb and flour is now $4.50 a lb). Crime has not been dealt with in the least with drastic actions like the curfew being put in place while our oh so "smart" and i use that phrase very sarcastically, scrambled to come up with a short term, stop gap plan to 'appease' the masses. This member of the mass was not appeased or satisfied. Another area in which this government planned to 'better' our lives was in the area of health care. I, again have seen very little evidence of this and with news surfacing now of 300 ill equipped Indian nurses to be brought in to "help fill the need" in our health care system. Reports are also surfacing that she plans to slash the salaries of the local nurses, and she also plans to place these "Import Nurses" into hdc houses that were allegedly assigned to the nurses of this country, health care professionals and more importantly CITIZENS of this country. Come on people of T&T, open your eyes and see that what our 'loving' prime minister is doing is not to our benefit but to hers, and say something, do something. As citizens of this fair country we cannot allow this travesty to occur. Your voice is your strength. Use It!

Here's what I think

This blog will be the means by which I make my opinion (get it right, my own personal take) on the issues that are prevalent in my country on a day to day basis. It is not intended to anger or even 'bash' any group or persons and to that end I will try to be as politically correct as possible. Enough with the niceness lets get to the matter at hand.Homosexuality is an issue (for some people) that has been sweeping the world stage. There are those quarters that say it is a disease to be treated, while another quarter says it is biblically wrong. Still yet another quarter says that they don't care either way and the fourth (yes the fourth and final) quarter doesn't agree with it but doesn't disagree with it. Sounds confusing doesn't it. Well let me break it down for you. There are those medical professionals that believe that 'homosexuality' is as a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain. This faction believes that with the right combination of drugs (aka treatment) a person can be if not cured then 'chemically persuaded' to become straight again. The second quarter wholesale doesn't not in any form or fashion countenance homosexuality and believes that all 'gays' should be penned, shot and generally treated badly. The third faction just doesn't care and goes about their business with no solid opinion either way on homosexuality and its moral ramifications. The fourth and final quarter of the population just doesn't like homosexuality but doesn't 'not like' gays. That was a mouthful so let me say my piece. I grew up with a strong christian background. I went to church (maybe not as often as i should have) and I gained a small bit of understanding of the bible and what God says on the matter of homosexuality. He doesn't like it (to say the least) and destroyed an entire city back in biblical times. Does this mean that God hates the gay community? No. far from it. but he does not like homosexuality and when the time comes, he and he alone will judge. Not you, or me or the president of the US but God, he alone is fit to judge. As for me, I cannot and am not in a position to judge someone who is gay. Its not my place to judge them or anyone for that matter and but do i agree with their lifestyle, no! and I never will. That doesn't mean that I cannot be friends with them or enjoy the work that they do. One of my favorite singers of all times is Elton john. I have loved him and his music since i was a little girl before i knew about homosexuality. At the end of the day we each must make our own personal choice as to how we deal with our feelings on the issue of homosexuality. As for me, I will not judge but in the same light, I cannot support.