For the last two weeks and for the rest of this month men all around the world will be rejoicing in the glory of that one event we wait 4 years for, and that is the world cup. The world cup is an event we have to wait for with bated breath as for the month that it goes on for, battle lines are drawn, bandwagons are ridden  and everybody becomes a football fan and a football analyst even if you dont watch football for the next 4 years. Such is the level of fanaticism that comes with the world cup. But alas since the world cup has began we the public have started to overlook a number of issues which I hope is really only a temporary thing and that we will continue to press on these issues. Issues such as:

The state of Emergency

Many of us seem to have forgotten that we are still under a state of emergency  and that our police force is currently still at war with the criminal forces in Jamaica, the state of emergency has also gone on for just about a month also which is the constitutional limit for it to continue without a parliamentary vote on the issue. While we can rejoice in the fact that this war is what has led to the recent fall in crime in our island. We still must police our government and not allow them to go act without the public backing. There is also the issue of the early operation in Tivoli Gardens and the numerous people who lost their lives as a result of the operation. We must remember that invistigations into the operation are a necessity to ensure that the police and soldiers acted well within their rights and did not violate any human rights laws or committed any blatant murders as well. This issue is far from finished and must be placed under heavy scrutiny.

The lies of our Prime Minister

This is closely related to the previous issue but it is so important that I think it deserves its own subtopic. We as a a country must not... no we cannot forget that our Prime Minister has lied to us. He has lied to us about the government's involvement in the dudus issue, he has lied to us about the inclusion of the Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips firm in the government's lobbying efforts and has probably lied about a number of other things too but which have yet to come to light. We the public should still be pushing for Bruce Golding's resignation as he has certainly lost any level of moral authority to truly lead our country.

The BP Oil Spill

I have never really written on this issue directly, as a matter of fact it was really a more of a side note in another article on the possibility of Jamaican oil being found. However We must not forget that the gulf of mexico isn't really that far from Jamaica, and all that oil that is continuously spewing out is going to spread and reach further into the caribbean, sea thus affecting... yes, you guessed it Jamaica. Maybe its about time Jamaica have a say on the issue before it reaches us, after all it has reached as far as the florida pan handle, we aren't that far off.

Dudus is still at large

Need I say more...?

**Taken from Jamaica Observer

JPS wants a rate increase again

The price of fuel has fallen in Jamaica, the exchange rate has more or less stabilized and JPS has reported a nearly 700% growth in profits... I'd like that to sink in for a moment before I state that despite all of this, the JPS is putting in a request to the Office of Utilities Regulation for an increase in the amount they get to charge for their service. Its not because of an increase in operating costs or even because of exchange rate problems... nothing at all, its really just because they can. Why can they... because it is in their contract... truly a move which can be seen as nothing more than one which is done in spite to the Jamaican public.

**Taken from Jamaica Observer

Of course there are a number of other issues as well but these are just the issues that are at the forefront of my concerns. But alas maybe a distraction from our economic problems is exactly what we need.