Today, 49 unarmed, defenceless men, women and children engaged in religious activity in 2 mosques in New Zealand were brutally and callously slaughtered by one or more white supremacist, racist, fascist extremists.
The savage immigrant-hating gunman livestreamed his deadly gun assault and massacre of worshippers at a Christchurch mosque.
This is the latest atrocity committed by extreme right-wing elements claiming to be defending people of European descent from being ‘replaced’ or crowded out by immigrants or immigrants.  
This particular xenophobic supremacist bearing all kinds of symbols of Hitlerite fascism, even claimed that his mission of hate and barbarity was approved by another racist who slaughtered 77 people, including mostly young people in Norway in 2011.
His “manifesto” even suggests that he found support in Donald Trump’s apologist statements describing US white supremacists as ‘having good people among them’.

The New 21st Century Fascism

Many think of the fascism of the Axis Powers which arose in the 1930’s as well as the rising fascism of the present period as being about murderous crusades carried out under the inspiration of dogmas of various types.
Frequently, it is suggested that some individual or group or a whole society becomes or became lunatics and begin killing people.
The suggestion is sown that fascists are just some heavy-booted, lunatic fringe and fascism exits when people are physically killed.
 To be real, however, we must recognise that once we believe something or accept a statement, position, analysis or concept without questioning the fundamentals involved, the soil of fascism is fertilised.
For example, “A view of the world is presented that is centred on fears of “national suicide” and civilisational decline, in which whites are demographically overwhelmed by “inferior” peoples, minorities and immigrants” as a 2016 publication titled “No, this isn’t the 1930s – but yes, this is fascism, pointed out.
The bogeyman of ‘international communism’ and the racism of non-Aryan inferiority of the 1930s and 40s are today’s Islamic terrorism and xenophobia “inferior” peoples, minorities and immigrants threatening the ‘replacement’ of the white ‘civilisation’.
The essence is the same unfounded cultivated fears of national threat that is used to promote appeals to ‘patriotism’, defence of the homeland, safeguarding the nation against immigrant or refugee take-over.
This Nazi ideological conditioning is the veneer for the descent into a ‘democracy’ reduced to the tyranny of shrinking minorities who find emotional satisfaction in a violent, resentful rhetoric while their narrowly-elected representatives strip away their rights and persecute their neighbours. 
This is the danger is we accept that vicious extremists and terrorists like this shock trooper who began his video-broadcast slaughter with the words “Let get this party started.” are “nationalists” of some kind, or defenders of some ‘threatened’ minority, or some righteous crusader against Islamic extremism.
Racists and fascists and the champions of xenophobia and hate who are their apologists have nothing good or useful to offer society or the world.
Seventy years ago, the world celebrated the defeat of fascism and vowed never to allow its return. Those who are compromising with its rise today or refuse to condemn it outright are exposing our societies and the world to grave danger.
Racists and fascists must never be allowed to inflict that kind of damage on humanity again.
Racists and fascists (however they disguise themselves) have NO right to speak or organise. No quarter must be surrendered to them, nor their savage potential underestimated.
 
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting for
Democratic Renewal of
Our Society and Against
Racism and Fascism of
All kinds.
15 March 2019

Over the two days of our Carnival, I have read many interesting comments on the state and direction in which THE Trinidad Carnival is being taken.
I was intending to discuss much of this feedback from the children’s mas to the Dimache Gras to the Carnival days until I heard the NatSec-Comms-Junior Min in the OPM at today’s post-Cabinet media conference speaking in support of the proposal by the Commissioner of Police about cutting the hours of the Carnival. (I will make those other observations later on)
The Minister elaborated on the ‘plan to disrupt’ the Carnival which amounted to ‘certain criminal elements’ who went to Ariapita Avenue throwing bottles and started to rob people and pickpocket. The music was shut down by the CoP. No one was arrested, according to the Minister because it was too dark to identify the perpetrators.
This ‘disruption’ of the Carnival at a particular location in a single part of the country has been escalated into a suggestion by the CoP for “reasonable shut-off times for future Carnival celebrations” and now a proposal by the Minister for a ‘shortening of the Carnival Proclamation’.
The Minister’s argument is all about ‘national security’ which considers there is “no need to go all the way to midnight on a Carnival Tuesday”.
The Minister then proceeded to cite ‘the national security forces’ who claim that ‘in no other country in the world, including in Rio…across Europe, etc. do you have such an extended period of operations from Carnival Thursday…”.
So, what he and his national security forces are seeking is that the Carnival Proclamation should end the Carnival at 9;00 pm on a Tuesday from 2020.   
Well, before I examine this argument further, let me remind the Honourable Minister that according to the Pub­lic Fes­ti­vals (Car­ni­val) Or­der, 2019, Carnival 2019 Car­ni­val, 2019 com­menced at 4 am on Mon­day March 4th and ceased at mid­night on Tues­day March 5th. This is pretty much the same as it has been since the birth of THE Trinidad Carnival back in the colonial days following the Camboulay.
But, the Minister went to explain that, despite the Proclamation, the national security ‘locked down’ the arteries into Port of Spain and stopped and searched people while the sun was ‘already up’. So, the police delayed the start of Carnival and then ‘shut down’ the Carnival practically shortening the Carnival contrary to the law – the President’s Proclamation.
Now, they want to officially codify this action by cutting down the Carnival.
This sounds like the last lap for Las’ Lap, the last jump for mas players and participants in the Carnival to the hour of midnight on Carnival Tuesday.
I well remember my father and his friends, after playing mas in town (POS) enjoying coming back to Tunapuna for a hometown las’ lap jump up to end off the rule of the ‘merry monarch’. I also had the experience of playing pan ‘till the police stop we’ at midnight giving revellers the full extent of the Carnival enjoyment on the Eastern Main Road in Tunapuna.
If Messrs. Stuart and Griffith and the Cabinet have their way, this aspect, like so many that have already been gutted from THE Trinidad Carnival will also be a thing of the past.
After all the guntalk about not letting a small handful of criminal elements ‘run tings’ and not negotiating with terrorists, gang leaders etc; after all the ‘cockroach’ talk, are we now being asked to surrender another aspect of our greatest national festival and our culture and way of life to the miscreant minority of criminality?
The hours of THE Trinidad Carnival is not a matter of national security, nor are we to define our Trinidad Carnival by what they do in Rio or in Europe or as some radio-callers argued today, by when they does shutdown the Parkway in New York.
THE Trinidad Carnival, what we once called the Greatest Show on Earth, is our unique creation, our unique contribution to world culture about which we boast and which we declare has spawned Trinidad-style Carnivals e the world over.
Now, because of social decay, criminal activity and ‘national security’ considerations, are we, as a nation, to complete the emasculation of our Trinidad Carnival and turn it completely into just another carnival in Trinidad?
The people of this country have fought against ‘national security’ law and order directives to defend and preserve the right to beat drums and play pans in THE  Trinidad Carnival. From the Canboulay Riots in 1884 this Carnival has had to be defended by the People.
In 2019, it looks like if this Trinidad Carnival is to last beyond 2020, the people must resist this latest attempt to make this the las’ lap for THE Trinidad Carnival using ‘national security’ to denigrate our socio-cultural identifier as a nation.
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
 
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting Against
the Modern-day Captain Bakers
for the Camboulay
7 March 2019


J'Ouvert Barre Yeau
Performed by Roaring Lion / Lyrics by Raphael De Leon
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
I'll tell you a story you do not know
It's about Carnival and Calypso
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
It is the folksong and ballado
That beautiful island of Trinidad
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
Every year there's Carnival don't forget
That is Trinidad national fete
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
On Carnival morning six bell chime
And every one there would start to rhyme
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
Jump your jump, dance your dance is bacchanal
Play Mas Monday morning Carnival
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
Jump in the line and breakaway
Shake your hip, believe and faint away
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
Jump in the line and smack your lips
Roll your eye, roll your head and shake your hips
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux
Monday morning on parade
Everybody mad playing masquerade
...
J'Ouvert barre yeau par levez lamain asseux yeaux

Headline: “‘Time for action’: Pence whips up Venezuelan crowd in Doral, pledges continued support”
Speaking to a rally in the largest community of Venezuelan Residents in the US in Doral Florida on Friday 1 February, the US Vice President declared “Let’s be clear. This is no time for dialogue. This is time for action. And the time has come to end the Maduro dictatorship once and for all”.
The US continues to beat the war drums in their efforts to lay the groundwork for military intervention in Venezuela.
A week ago, as the Wall Street Journal confirmed, Pence called Juan Guaido and gave him the signal to proceed to declare himself “President” of Venezuela and promised full US support.
On the eve of the anniversary of the first election of Chavez to the Presidency of Venezuela and another call by Guaido for mass demonstrations on the anniversary, Saturday, Pence was beating the war drums to an audience of Venezuelan immigrants.
The attempt to finally crush the Chavista regime after 20 years of a “crusade for democracy” including military coup attempts in 2002, 2009 and the latest coup in 2019, as well as numerous attempts to assassinate Chavez then Maduro, the US declares NO MORE TALK!
THE DEMOCRACY THAT THE US WANTS FOR VENEZUELA
The democracy that the US wants for Venezuela is like what we are told is democracy in TT and so-called Western countries.
The nature of this so-called democracy that we live under is this. 
The political parties, on behalf of the rich and powerful 1%, use their party-in-Power status to deprive the Majority of the body politic, We the People, of any role in decision-making. We are reduced to voting cattle to support one or the other of their 2-party monopoly PNM-UNC.
That is the “democracy” that the US and the elite in Venezuela have been trying to restore since the Chavistas began giving decision-making power to the people in the communities in Venezuela. 
That is the real sin of the PSUV which built on the Barrio Assembly of Caracas which emerged in 1991 in organisational forms including the communal councils in the communities, co-operative councils in the workplaces  and social programmes known as “missions”.
Whether you like or support Chavez or Maduro or not, the fact is that the empowering of the people which they began to introduce is what the US and the rich and powerful elite in Venezuela have tried to reverse over all the years since Chavez was first elected, with coups in 2002 and 2009 and now in 2019 and assassination attempts – perhaps the tools of ‘democratic freedom’ that the anti-Chavistas claim they are about.
The empowerment of the people is what those who claim to be champions of democracy NEVER WANT TO HAPPEN!
CONSTITUTIONAL COUP  
This time they have used the claim of constitutionality and legitimacy by having the President of the National Assembly declare and install himself “President” at a demonstration that some claim is really a Cabildo.
Hiding behind Article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution and falsely claiming the “Right to declare himself President “, Guaido under the direction of the US administration, claims ‘legitimacy’.
But examination of Article 233 shows the President of the National Assembly CANNOT replace a sitting President in Venezuela AFTER HIS INAUGURATION. Once the President was inaugurated, it is only the Vice President who can replace a President who is ‘permanently unavailable’ according to the Article 233.
See analysis of Article 233 here: http://clydeweatherheadsite.net/…/the-unfolding-situation-i…
Whether one supports Chavez Maduro or the Chavistas or not, NO ONE can support the IMPOSITION OF ANY GOVERNMENT IN ANY COUNTRY BY THE US OR ANY OTHER BIG POWER.
THE TIME FOR TALK AMONG THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE TO CHART THE WAY FORWARD FOR THEIR COUNTRY CANNOT BE ENDED BY US PRESIDENTIAL DECREE!!
 
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting for
Democratic Renewal of
Our Society
 
2 February 2019