There are times when I’d rather say what’s on my mind to a tree, or a farm animal, or just a couple close confidential friends while we are sharing a few drinks. It’s just an uncomfortable game for me to get so up to anyone. But what do you do when you see someone or some people shredding the chances for your country?

The way our country is set up, a lawyer has all the run in the world, and if that lawyer also happens to be a politician they are absolutely in an advantageous position. It’s just absolutely despicable the way these lawyers and politicians hide behind/take advantage of the law. The life and deeds of a politician are public property because character is essential in a leader. Yes, it is wise for a politician to defend his reputation against all accusations. But hiding behind the law for every little misdemeanor is a dishonorable defense for people who aspire to lead.

I’m beefing about an apology Mr. OJ Elrington, with the huge threat of a lawsuit, wrung out of Mr. Albert Vaughan. I don’t know what Albert said/wrote that was so offensive to OJ. There was a snippet that it had to do with an accusation about the use of public property, namely a park. I’m pretty sure Mr. Vaughan didn’t accuse Mr. OJ of murder. If he did, we can’t know because OJ forced Albert Vaughan to expunge it.

If OJ hadn’t obliterated the worth of his word for political gain, all he would have had to do was declare Mr. Vaughn as an irresponsible person with the truth. But, if you twist facts, apply spin to suit your personal agenda, your truth suffers. The consequence is that your word doesn’t value much. So you are forced to hide behind the law.

The first time I heard OJ speak was on a call he made to the KREMWuB. He spoke on a national matter and I agreed with much of what he said and I thought his voice sounded very sincere. He soon became regular fare on the talk show circuit. I listened to him at other times when he called the WuB, and I also heard him sometimes when he was on the Wave Morning Show, and on Wave’s Wednesday night Lik Road show.

This OJ guy may be the most beautiful human being in God’s eyes, with quantities of the right riches stored up, but his substance here quickly degraded. It didn’t take long for me to realize that he was a lot of facade, just another educated Belizean after milking the system, not fixing it.

It is such a disappointment when a young, educated Belizean turns out to be a sham. An educated person is an international citizen. The US will open the wall to let them in. Those of us who aren’t highly educated, or have an extremely valuable skill, or can’t provide a service that is in short supply in the US, we have to beg and bow to get in, or sneak over the wall.

Educated people know where their next meal is coming from. They have enough independence to be brave. Naturally, we expect more from them.That’s why it hurts when they bring the same old game. OJ twists everything for party political gain. OJ doesn’t question his party about anything. I find that so very disappointing.

One night I heard him say on the Wave Wednesday night show, the one he co-hosts with Brother Kenworth Tillett, that he used to say that he would never become a politician. The way he said it, you understood that he was saying that he didn’t respect the way we conducted our political business. Well, he didn’t throw his hat into the ring to change things. So then, he is now what he detested.

Some things are not for public consumption. We all do have some little private spaces, all of us. But we should not be forced to be shy about politicians and their usage of public spaces and properties.

No, I do not know for sure that the charge wasn’t murder, or rape. But I strongly doubt that. If it was, I expect I too will apologize to OJ. But we’ll never know. The threat of a lawsuit effectively shut out any possibility that anyone of us can judge Mr. Vaughan, a politician himself (elected City Councilor), and his political musings/charges.

If this is the cheap game we are going to play, OJ shouldhave brought a lawsuit against Dr. Carla Barnett too, for some pretty tough things she said during her recent political campaign in Freetown, the one OJ contested and won. It might be that Carla didn’t get dreg before the courts because she is a UDP. This Elrington young man is really immersed in the partisan game.

He should apologize, if he thinks himself so Mr. Honest and Pure. Dr. Barnett told Channel Seven:  “I didn’t intend and I do not intend to come in and play the game the way men play the game. Because that’s not what I think I ought to be doing. But I do know that I stand up and defend myself. For example, earlier this morning our DPM was in the line campaigning with people about to go in to vote and I had to tell him no. We had agreed that that’s not going to be done and so he is not doing it anymore.”

She also told Channel Seven: “You asked me on Friday when we talked whether or not I was playing the game the right way and maybe it is that I was not playing the game the right way because it’s clear that if you play a clean game you can’t (win)…Of course it’s a fair contest in the sense that we don’t really have rules. So you play the rules the way you see it fit…I would hope that at some point it becomes a way of doing it that women are able to play the game on an even field.”

Yes, Mr. OJ, you should answer that.

OJ Elrnigton is the one who has ticked me off at this moment but my annoyance extends to all politicians and lawyers who use their knowledge of the law or their money to stymie the discourse of the people. No democracy can grow if politicians are allowed to hide behind the law.

There is too little scrutiny of politicians in Belize, and now the politicians who are lawyers are moving to increase their insulation. OJ is sending a message to frighten us, a message which is that he will not be scrutinized. The end game here is more protection, more insulation for politicians. What the heck they need more of that for? We are tired of this warped kind of politics in Belize. We should pass a law against any lawyer/politician hiding behind the law. Defend yourself with your word, not your robe.

This OJ is not too old, so there still is hope for him. The first penance I suggest is that he apologizes to Mr. Vaughan for forcing (he threatened lawsuit) him to apologize. Then he should ASK Mr. Vaughan to retract what he said, if it wasn’t true. If indeed it is an accusation that is the worst, murder or rape, I will apologize.

Brilliant syndicate

When we were children we joked that one of our tribes sat upon a fence pondering how to make a dollar out of fifteen cents. The tribe was big in business, money making.

Well, last Tuesday Mr. Ervin Perez taught us how to spin straw into gold, on the WuB. Once in my life, I joined a syndicate. But I had to get my share up front because I didn’t see the possibilities in it. This innovative syndicate that Ervin described is just the most sensible thing, for all involved, and the icing on the cake is that when the syndicate’s cycle is complete there is capital formation. It is absolutely BRILLIANT!