Don't feel too badly about the situation. Up here in Marsh Harbour we are suffering daily power cuts. Imagine how that feels after being without power for 10 months and having had power reconnected to your property a few weeks ago.

You are so right. When in history have we witnessed whole nations destroying themselves in an effort to contain a disease? The consequences in economic terms are terrifying. There is much confusion and misinformation compounded by an incredible willingness by politicians to copy the actions of other countries without taking into account local conditions.

Let the old head speak: fifty years ago it was tempting to become involved in student protests in the U.S. and I remember distinctly telling fellow students how much I supported their position but I was there to obtain my degree and not to be deported. Those protests were related to the very unpopular war in Vietnam and I still recall the National Guard soldiers driving around the campus in Jeeps and warning students to be in their dorms by 10 p.m.
Those were the days.

Yes John: An excellent book about Lincoln and the situation in which he found himself at the conclusion of the Civil War (or the War Between the States as it is also known) is "Team of Rivals". I can't recall the author right now but the book is quite a read for anyone interested in that area of history.

In response to "Honestman"'s comment posted earlier: In line 15 you couldn't have expressed it better and I quote "Overall, the government is doing a good job in suppressing the virus and the public..." There can be little doubt that you have written the truth. Thank you very much.

In response to Jim: Cuba is only one of many countries charging a fee for air traffic services in their airspace. The logic behind the system is to provide for the safe separation of aircraft at various flight levels within that country's airspace. It is not a perfect system but is a lot safer now with TCAS. However, the country offering the service must maintain a high standard of professionalism in order to avoid close calls and catastrophic collisions as have occurred in Brazil and in Europe above the Swiss/German border years ago.

They mention such trivial measures in the hope that you will be satisfied and not ask for or even expect something more substantial like a pay cut for members of the House. Notice that the politicians did not offer even a symbolic pay cut as an expression of solidarity with or support for the struggling masses. Truly the poor have no champion.

Perhaps the ruins of that test oil well drilled in the middle of the Cay Sal Bank back around 1958 is still indicated as a hazard to navigation on nautical charts. For those who may be geographically challenged, the Cay Sal Bank sits off the north coast of Cuba roughly midway between Andros and the Cuban coast. I have to assume that the results of the test well were not encouraging. Be that as it may, it is undeniable that the discovery of oil has led to great prosperity for some nations and great suffering for others. Oil wealth can be used to enrich an entire nation or it can be squandered in orgies of corruption or wars.

Last summer in Abaco was nothing but a long series of rain and thunderstorms separated by a few days of relatively stable weather. Then the hurricane struck. Later, on January 30th of this year, a tornado came out of a thunderstorm in the early morning resulting in the destruction of an unoccupied RV just south of the ruins of downtown Marsh Harbour. I tremble to think about this summer with such a level of destruction still apparent both in central Abaco and in eastern Grand Bahama. Another such season and we are done.

It is very likely that race has little to do with a thirst and a taste for power. The temptation to appear large and in charge is difficult to resist. Most of the poltical class lack a wider perspective of history and of current affairs and view unfolding events and/or crises through the prism of anticipated effects upon their class or particular interest group. As one example, events both previous to and subsequent to the Mexican Revolution of 1910 are very illustrative of this point.