Why not call it Searchlight

Wow! How time flies. Ten years ago we, as in Oscar Allen, Doc Fraser, Renrick Rose and your’s truly were all writing foh the NEWS. We had some concerns about what we felt was ah trend that the paper was taking, and presumptuously invited ourselves to ah meeting with the owners ah the paper to discuss the matter. In our letter of invitation we indicated that we go hold off till we meet with them. We never got the quote-to-see of ah reply and that was the end of an Era, Errah or what-eh-fah!{{more}}

It was like desperation foh us four. Ah real smoke-screen where “ House full, kitchen full and yuh still can’t catch ah spoon full”! Nuff thing to write bout, but no pen, no ink and no paper dey! It was Oscar Allen who called us to-gather and suggested we do ah monthly or fort-nightly bull-it-in and distribute it foh free. Lots ah talking went on, we Search our thoughts before we finally see the Light and Renrick said “ Why not call it Searchlight”!

They say all ventures got teething problems, well Searchlight had ah full mouth, real Dent-all Problems. We went straight into publication and discovered that we started before we ready. Is like we never knew we was suppose to do ah whole set ah Studies, Fees-ability, Marketing, Projection etc. But worse of all we didn’t have the capital to start ah newspaper, and we discovered that when we couldn’t find space to hold unsold papers and outstanding bills! Nothing was going right. One negative Banker was overheard saying that Searchlight had only ah matter ah weeks before they close down. But Bankers can mek or brek yuh, and as Kaisonian Sulle say “in this whirl is who know yuh” thanks to great bankers like Francis Bowman followed by de Earl of Crichton and the banking oops, backing of one Norma Keys-her we stayed ah-float. Like the Psalmist David did in times of trouble, we called upon the Lord foh help and invited Father Tuss to come and Bless the business. From the moment he left the building, instantly there was ah turn in events! And so we give God all, every ounce ah the praise!

Foh my own part, ah write foh the fun of it. Ah believe that there is humour or laughter in the very worse situations and, if only we can get our people to loosen-up, humble-up and smile at ourselves at times, then there will be less hatred, less anger, less reason to spite one another. That is why ah write and that is what my writing is all about. Ah try to be balanced. There was ah time when ah uses to be more aggressive, getting par-annoy over every lickle issue, but over time we all mellow; some say age brings reasoning. Polly-ticks gets most ah me attention, but ah come to the conclusion that in these parts, all the Pull-it-tek-all Parties and dey leaders is the same. Leaders like ah paradox unto them-selves, big promise of ah change that remains the same. It’s becoming cents-less to big them up one week just to cut them down the next. When Joshua was there, de masses saw in him the reincarnation ah the Joshua of Jericho fame. Cato boasted as having the strongest Guv-ah-mint in the whirl; but it was Mitchell who accomplished that feet. And when we thought we had rid ourselves of an era of I-man-is-him to usher in “to-get-her now”, hail, de Come-red is here! And believe me it will get progressively worse. So my articles will continue to be fair and fearless as ah ask the Lord to tek control ah my pen. Congrats Searchlight and many thanks to all supporters.

HE DID IT GOD’S WAY

Ah don’t believe that the Catholics fully appreciated the accomplished mission of Pope John Paul II. He was ah great Spiritual Father on earth. While other heads ah Religious Organizations preferred to be silent and compromised their soul on matters ah sin and immorality, the Pope was always clear in his vision and remained firm, consistent and correct in his condemnation. Correct because he based all of his decisions on the inspired word of God. He was fearless and held ah fixed position on almost every conceivable moral issue. When others compromised on Homosexuality, the Pope condemned his own Priests. The same could be said of Abortion, Same Sex marriages, Wars, Hunger, Terrorism, Injustice, Rights, Freedom, the evils of Cap-it-all-is-him, Fast-is-him, Common-is-him, Race-is-him and whatever Is-him. He hungered foh Peace and in the process made an all out effort to reach out to everyone, Moslem, Hindu, Jew. He not only sought forgiveness of the Jews who can never forget Hitler’s Holocaust, but first forgave the man who shot and almost killed him. He was ah man of God. Frank Sinatra summing up his own life said, he did it his way, which is no way. Pope John Paul did it The Lord’s way, and this is The Way!

SOUFRIERE YOUNG BLOW UP DE PLACE

Ah want to tell Miss Sofia Young how she mek me feel proud Tuesday night meking ah name foh She-self, She-Mom and She-country! Ah believe that when Sofia’s Mom gave birth to her, she told the Nurse that her baby’s name was Soufriere, but her Mom said it so fast that the nurse wrote down Sofia, or maybe the Nurse couldn’t spell Soufriere. But that Soufriere Young is ah Volcano. From the day she first step on ah Basketball Court she simply erupted and is nothing but fire and brimstone she giving them. Thanks Soufriere and tell yuh Mom we enjoyed watching her bad behave-yah on the side-line during the match, she must be think she been in Layou with Hollis and them. But that is Vincy foh them, all de way!

DE COME-RED KNEE BUCKLE

Lie-Za give me ah story bout how de Come-Red got his knee damaged, but ah tell her she got to write that she-self. First she say that is not ah thing more than when they tell de Come-red that NDP had ah mass-if crowd at Kill-Kwah Sat-dey night, that he started to shake, the shaking was so sudden, it mek his knee buckle. Ah tell she ah got ah different slant, and that is he is not aware that he is much bigger and heavier now, is not like the days when he could ah stan-up and wind his way up and down, round and round de house. That’s when she rudely said, with his size plus ah bad knee now, is no way he could even stan-up to say he go wind his way round the House as Louis Straker said.

Nah bother wid dem Come-red; we know yuh announcing de date soon, and yuh only resting de knee foh de Race.

And with that, ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.