Settling our differences

My old friend, Alfred “Jack T” Campbell once said, in response to a man who was espousing war with Guatemala, which was threatening to invade our country, “of course those six and one half million Guatemalans will be torn to pieces by us 150,000 warlike Belizeans.”

One hundred and fifty thousand citizens, if they were armed and united; disciplined and trained and resolute, could defend themselves successfully against 30,000 soldiers, which was the size of the Guatemalan army at that time. We could do so, if we were like Israel and, were supplied with the materiel de guerre by a friendly country like the United States of America.

The man who was taking the strong stand against aggression, was reacting against the policy of Premier George Price. Mr. Price was saying that we should extend the hand of friendship to Guatemala, because we were a British Crown Colony and, Britain was still a world power. Guatemala would have been very unwise to attack Belize, then.

The world has changed since we were a colony. Now, we have a world government called the United Nations, which is committed to preserving peace between its member states and, to do all in its power to help the less developed countries to improve their condition. We also have a regional body called the Organization of American States, which has the same commitment. Our best interests lie in cooperating with these bodies to achieve their expressed objective, which is that when there are differences between member states, they are settled peaceably. There is no other way to settle our difference with Guatemala but by submitting it for adjudication by the ICJ.

The people of Belize and the people of Guatemala elect men and women to form a government and give them the power to make decisions and act on their behalf in matters of state, which include making treaties and declaring war. To ask the people to decide, by voting in a referendum, whether or not to let the ICJ settle the Guatemala claim, is a choice of the Government.

Now the Guatemalans are having second thoughts about their agreement. They have postponed their referendum and decided to sabotage the process by playing on our government’s fear that there is a probability of a “no” vote in our referendum. We can’t afford a “no” vote and we will not have one, if our leaders are committed and resolute. We have to have our referendum. Not only is it right but, it is the only thing to do.

Abortion

If you believe in the Supreme Being, as we affirm in our Constitution, and that He made man and woman; and that He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply; and that He gave them the power of procreation, you have to conclude that the human and the Divine share in the creation of another human life.

This is a very simple thought, which could be expanded by a trained mind into a treatise. To what purpose? Simplicity will serve us just as well.

If you accept my premise, then you have to agree that nothing should be done by anyone to prevent or impede the process from conception to birth and, no one has the right to frustrate the purpose of procreation.

What, then, is our position with regard to the idea that a woman has reproductive rights, as adopted and defined in the U.N. Convention on Reproductive Rights? Our position has already been established by the first line in the Preamble of our Constitution: We affirm the Supremacy of God. So. Does a woman have the right to terminate her pregnancy? Decidedly, not. What she has, is a free will to choose good or evil. Abortion is evil. No good comes of it.

Women end their pregnancy for different reasons. Some are selfish. Some are desperate. Some are wilful. All need counseling. Many need help. What they don’t need and should not have is encouragement, as they are receiving in America.

Turning back the clock

The clock of Western Civilization is moving towards a society whose God is personal pleasure, and against self-discipline and self-control in matters of sexual gratification. What else can you say of the idea that, in order to prevent the spread of AIDS, condoms should be provided to children so that they can give free rein to their natural inclination to be promiscuous?

What else can you say of a decision of the Supreme Court of the great United States of America, which, in effect, legalized abortion? And, finally, what else can you say of the Western nations, once the bastions of the highest moral and spiritual values, now promoting what is known as the homosexual agenda – seeking to spread this kind of pseudo philosophy throughout the world?

The forces of darkness are coming together, represented by the finest legal minds, to pursue a judgment in favor of a lawsuit which seeks to declare our law against homosexual acts, unconstitutional. If they succeed, the clock will be advanced towards the spread of the doctrines of this false god.

The vast majority of Belizeans want the homosexual cause to fail. If they could express their preference in a referendum, the issue would not be in doubt. Government decisions reflect the will of the people and, in a case like this, so should the judgment of our court.

It will be a great victory for Right and Justice, moral and spiritual values and, the will of the people, when the clock of destabilization and destruction is turned back.

Cell telephone holders

People buy cell phones and pay for the service in order to be able to make calls when they are unable to make use of a regular telephone. Those of us who make calls to cell phone holders are under the impression that the facility is there so that the holders may be reached where there is no regular telephone. What is wrong with that impression? A lot is wrong with that impression, if my experience in calling cell phone holders is the norm. My experience is that seven out of every ten such calls are unsuccessful. It’s always a voice telling me that the party I am calling is … I never listen to the rest of the message, knowing it by heart, suggesting I leave a message, my name and telephone number, etc. The reason I don’t listen to the message is that I have no intention to do as suggested.

Cell phones are turned off for good reasons, like the holder is attending a meeting, or is engaged in some activity that demands their undivided attention. Some cell phone holders leave their phones at home and, on their return, go through the list of calls and decide which calls to return. There is merit in that practice, if they can be reached by regular telephone when there is an urgent need to get in touch with them.

Of all my children and grandchildren, all of whom have cell phones, only two of them have it on most of the time. The others have them turned off to save the battery. That is not a good reason. It costs very little to keep a cell phone battery charged, and think about the lot of frustration which the caller suffers when you can’t be reached in an emergency.