The bad-mind of Manning viewed from another angle.

 Then there's this view which, to me, best explains why Manning called the snap election:

• Realizing he was firmly penned by the combination of the impending no-confidence motion filed by then Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, together with
• the grim certainty of several of his own MPs aligning themselves with Dr. Rowley in solid determination to remove him as Prime Minister by voting in favour of the no-confidence motion and
• accurately assessing that, as with most leaders of government at mid-term, the goodwill of the population was solidly against him,

the man concluded he was a no-win situation, meaning that, regardless of which way he turned, his end as top honcho...any honcho...was coming sooner rather than later.

Confronted by such gloomy prospects, honourable men and women would hang up their guns and ride off into the sunset, leaving another to take charge. But no, not this man! This man was a bad-mind creature, one of the baddest bad-minds ever seen. It is that bad-mindset which soon convinced him that in no way must he go down without taking along his arch-nemesis, Dr. Keith Rowley, for, as the man said in his concession speech, his business is always what, in his mind, is best not for the country, rather for the People's National Movement.

It was the man's all-consuming disdain of Dr. Rowley and his consequent abhorrence of idea that, within his remaining lifetime, Dr. Rowley could become Prime Minister which drove the man to the go with the nuclear option ---use a sledgehammer to kill a sandfly.

Back in 1995, he'd used the State of Emergency sledge to stymie a similar plot against him. But that tactic merely interrupted the timing of his downfall. The man decided to avoid that course as, in his mind, going that route would not have eliminated all chance of Dr. Rowley ever becoming Prime Minister, after all, the man had to hatch a plan that he was absolutely sure would work and implement it before the no-confidence debate began.

No need to remind anyone that the man's bussing Dr. Rowley's ministerial throat was one of the what's-best-for-the-PNM things the man did.

The man found the sledgehammer with masterful Machiavellian dexterity ---knowing that the PNM stood not a ghost of a chance, he dissolved Parliament and headed back to the polls. You see, he knew what every non-PNM person knows ---with a single anti-PNM political grouping in the race, PNM would never, ever win an election...except they teef.

No need here to chronicle the events that followed the man's let-me-call-a-snap-election decision, except to say that the PNM will, if at all, not ever again see the interior of Whitehall till long after Dr. Rowley begins the long sleep.

Congratulations from me? What? Yall gotta be crazy!

Persons keep pestering me, "Richard! How come you've not yet extended congratulations to all the victorious People's Partnership candidates?"

My stock reply has been ---and shall continue to be: "Congratulations from me? What? Yall gotta be crazy! Winning the general election was NEVER the focus: setting this country on the right track was! Therefore, when the latter is done, then ---and only then--- shall you hear, or hear of me patting anyone on the back!"

Who's propheting (deliberate spelling) next?

Over the years, in a land far away, a certain individual, named Patrick Augustus Manning, was oft heard uttering that, for as long as another certain individual, named Basdeo Panday, remains Leader of The Opposition, he, Patrick, shall remain snugly in place as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

Recent tectonic upheavals indicate how comprehensively accurate, thus extensively self-fulfilling, such Patrician prognostications proved to be; and also make me wonder why we weren't seriously mindful of Patrick's prophecy long before such upheaval...or why he, Patrick, himself didn't.

But, say what: it's time to determine who's propheting (deliberate spelling) next; and of what.

This to Patrick, the self-avowed Christian.

Dear Patrick,

Invoking the tenets tabulated throughout The Testament ---you are, after all, a self-avowed Christian--- I'd strongly recommend that you confess your errancies then go...and sin no more!

Who shall be called to account for all this bloodshedding?

Come May 24th 2010, who shall be called to account for all this blood-shedding?

Calling Sprang! Calling Sprang!

The Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led political alliance continues to blossom while other political entities wither.

Case in point is the public meeting in George Earle Park last night, when a couple handfuls of persons bearing professionally-crafted anti-Volney placards were orchestrated to descend on the mammoth meeting.

If the intention of the arranger of that intrusion was to create a shock, then it's shocking, for the placards bearers, in agreeing to the task, were unnecessarily placing their lives and limbs at risk. Maybe Dennis "Sprangalang" Hall can enlighten us as to who was the grandmaster of the silliness?

There are election laws in place that forbid such provocative behaviour at campaign meetings, for such things have the proven tendency to turn quite nasty. Were the roles reversed, other political entities would not have lightly cottoned to such an incursion into their turf-for-the-moment. Thank God we are, at last, on the road to political maturity. Like I said, the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led political alliance continues to blossom while other political entities wither.

That is torture, plain and simple!

Re: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,120153.html

This cannot be true!

"...Normally at about 3 pm to 4 pm, the prisoners are transported back to prison, but yesterday the officers stood firm in their conviction that they would not transport the prisoners.
Five prison trucks and two vans remained parked outside the courthouses, containing prisoners from Princes Town and San Fernando Magistrates’ courts. At about 6.25 pm after consultation with senior officers of the nearby San Fernando Police Station, a contingent of police officers arrived at the courthouse to assist their disgruntled colleagues in escorting the prisoners."

And, if it is, it cannot be tolerated, for, regardless of whatever offence they may or may not have committed, to have human beings tightly-constrained for four hours in a poorly-ventilated, dimly-lit metal box in the blazing drought-induced tropical heat is nothing more than torture, plain and simple! It must not ever happen again! And those directly responsible ought quickly to be brought to book!