U.S. General: Belize is important to U.S. security

The two day meeting of U.S. and Central American military brass ended today in Belize City and before the assorted generals and colonels jetted back to their respective bases the press was given a brief update. For General John Craddock, head of the U.S. Southern Command, Belize and Central America play an important role-in both their internal security and that of the United States of America.

Gen. John Craddock, Commander, U.S. Southern Command
"For a lot of reasons, Belize is in a strategically critically important location. If you look at this region, it is a transit zone. A transit zone for what? For transnational threats, it's traffickers of drugs, of ammunition, of money, of people. From that perspective, they move through this region and Belize is strategically located here and that's important to the United States because it's part of our security as well as the security for the nations here in the region. So we value the fact that we have a good relationship with the Belizean Defence Force, we have a good relations between the two nations. We want to continue to develop those relations, encourage as much as we can to grow and be mutually supportive. Whether or not that leads to increased U.S. presence, only the future will tell."

Stewart Krohn
"General you are no doubt aware of the Guatemalan claim to Belize's territory. At conferences like this you work closely with all governments and militaries of the region, does the U.S. military have a position or is the U.S. military playing an active role to discourage any military conflict between Belize and Guatemala?"

Gen. John Craddock
"The differences between countries or differences that arise over time for various reasons we respect that, the fact that they are sovereign nations and that they will at times have different perspectives on what's right and what's wrong from those perspectives. We don't want to take sides; we won't take sides. We know that reasonable people will address these issues in a responsible fashion and that they will be worked out accordingly. We want there to be security and stability in the region, we look at it from a collective perspective and we would hope that that would be the end state."

Getting in bed with the devil.

Just wanted to throw this out there remember back in 1991 a dictator decided to take back some of his claimed territory and he invaded one day. does anyone remember this ???

Attempted to invade to be a lil' more precise. We evacuated Cayo to Corozal but nothing happened.

How comes we are so important now to the US? (oil)

SIN

Important NOW, you need to do I bit more research on what important is. The US in many ways has helped many Latin American states and continues to do so. It is not just something that has come about because of "oil". Look back before Belize was Belize and you will see that Honduras and the US have been friends for a long time. What gets me is that everyone sees "OIL" as the main reason to bash the US and its consumption. While China sits on huge fields and has equaled the US consumption in the last few years. They continue to grow.
But that's besides the point the US consumes allot of energy but then again allot of Belizeans are in the US and so many want to get here. While some may not, those that I have known would give a kidney to get here why? The US is just that US and you and I are US no matter what state we live in.
If you're just looking for help then let the British Back in to protect and train. Make the world England right?

John,

Nobody asked for help.

FYI: More people are "fleeing" the US now than ever before due to your great leader and his success in turning the majority of the remaining nations against him and the USA.

The US always has an alterior motive(s).

SIN

Recent History: United Fruit, Sandinistas, Contras, Ollie North (in dear old Belize), Bay of Pigs (launched from Guatemala) and lots more but I've got to run catch the plane to the caye. I'm actually partial to Gurkhas.

If the Belize dollar goes belly up due to corruption and greed...then who will most likely bail the GOB out? I think the GOB has their sights set on getting all of the Belize "oil" money before anyone else does. It will be interesting to see if the price of fuel in Belize will go down over the next few years due to the new oil find.

Usual extreme reply Clover. So I guess building the largest US Embassy in Latin America, here in Belize, was decided on a whim. Thanks anyway, you and your fellow tax earners are paying for it. Feels good being a cog?

I know the US would not like to get involved - in anything. Well hell, look at Sudan - people who need help -vs- Iraq (sovereign nation) people who didn't want help, but someone helped themselves to the entire region.

Taiwan has and will continue to help GOB financially, they have bailed us out before - not the US.

One to grow on folks.

SIN

That's twice I've missed out.

Well we enjoy paying for the new building just about as much as you enjoy paying for phone service...electric...and lets not forget Social Security, or the Phone Company or one of the other dozen things that line the pockets of the GOB. Before you go into the US money issues.... refer back to who will bail Belize out.
For forced occupation you should look to the mother England for the original blueprint for taking over the world but now its called "History" not and Invasion. You should know this one it was British Honduras right? So is Belize really its part of Three Sovereign Nations or was that just History?
All in All Belize in general and Ambergris direclty should look up and be glad someone cares to even bother with the well being of your nice little beach front lot. Now you have oil to go with that sun use it wisely.

Hasta La Proxmia

SIN-
Forgot this one, are you sure nobody asked for help? You read a lot of history or access to other nations archives? Who is it that writes History? Hell you dont even know what your own GOB is doing other than looking for the ="Bling Bling" or a "Bust off"

SIN, the oil that Belize has is of little interest to the USA...I think if our entire know reserves were all "harvested" right now it would provide enough energy to power the USA for 1/2 a day.

I've said it before...the oil is not going to bail Belize out of its problems. Only a government that is willing to govern properly can do that. Nice pipe dream.

A U.S. military presence in Belize is a good thing and it should be welcomed if it happens.
It would be a boom to the economy (would make the oil rev look like dresser change).
First rate medical/health care would be available to ALL Belizean citizens.
Education facilities would be vastly improved.
Immediate response and support in the event of a hurricane.
Many Belizeans would be employed in support roles at way above standard salaries.
Law enforcment and criminal investigation would be vastly modernized and improved.
The list of positives is long. They far out weigh the negitives.
Most of you on here probably don't realize this fact; when the British Forces reduced their presence in Belize, many businesses also closed. PG turned into a ghost town over night.

Is first rate medical health care available to all Americans? OK, didn't think so.

US style education? Shootings and metal detectors in schools? No thanks, not for my kids.

Hurricanes! Are you kidding me! Katrina....helloooo!!! NEMO is fine, we handled Mitch, Keith and Iris 110% better than your Katrina. Please leave us be with hurricane repsonse.

Beieve it or not, Belize may just be able to take care of themselves. Just a lil' tid bit for ya to chew on.....if Belize wasn't so close to NAFTA and the US, do you think Belize would have a drug problem? (think before you immediately react....take time to respond)

SIN

The reason why I think Belize is so important to the US all comes back to Drug Trafficking.

We wouldn't be important if the US would stop consuming big amounts of illegal drugs. The drug trafficers are all hungry for the green dollar.

Belize would onlyy be about 1/2 its size if its friendly neighbor to the west were to exercise its claims on Belize. It and has even repeated those claims in recent years.

International rumor has it the reason for a big new embassy in a disputed area was to deter the issue at the low key request of the GOB.

If Belize didn't have friends it would get its ass kicked in about five minutes.

"NEMO is fine, we handled Mitch, Keith and Iris 110% better than your Katrina. Please leave us be with hurricane repsonse." ....as a Belizean I think that's a fecal statement, SIN. We got an awful lot of help from countries such as the USA after "our" storms.

Just because you now hate your native country please don't conduct a war on it on Belize's (or my) behalf.

Belize has first rate medical? What does a nurse make per year there? And why does everyone I know in San Pedro go to Merida to get advanced medical treatment? And why are the doctors in Belize in dire need of supplies?
And how much does a teacher in Belize make per year?
And I know a lot of Canadians buy a lot of drugs also.
GWB has a LOT of policy problems at home and abroad but I think he doesn't have a clue where Belmopan is, nor cares, oil or not. GWB's neighbors in Midland have that much crude under their ranches.
How much money does it take take to run a country with 250,000+ folks in it? DO the math, someones gett'n rich...and it sure as hell isn't the people.
And SIN...who buys most of the time shares and real estate in San Pedro?
Just my late night thoughts....

One more thought...medical care is available to ALL people in the US, legal or not, in an emergency situation. That policy severly impacts the health care system in the US. Too much ER space taken up by too many idiots that can't do simple things for themselves to cure their simple ailments.

SIN...come to LA and ride along for a few shifts at my fire dept. I'll show you some things that will open your eyes A bit about US health care.

Excuse me a minute...I just fell off of my soapbox and have to go to the ER....

On all counts, well said reaper.

I agree with Reaper on the medical care. I work in an ER and we turn away NO ONE!!! We wrote off over $100,000 on ONE patient last year, and have many patients who come to us because they couldn't pay. All anyone has to do is appear at a "not for profit" hospital and you will be treated, no questions asked as to ability to pay.
When we speak to other about going to BZE to live, their first questions is "what about medical care"? Luckily, we are both very healthy, but I think if we had any issues that required medical continuation, we'd choose to stay in the good ol' USA. But, although we have our problems here, there are problems in Belize as well. Corruption in the government is everywhere, but seems more pronounced in Belize than in the US. And, when it's discovered, at least the US prosecutes or takes some sort of action, not just ignoring it. But, we have uncle george to deal with, and he's not my favorite person right now, so even though we are coming to Belize, we are NOT "fleeing"...just going to live somewhere else for a while.

Reaper as always you're posts dead on. Thank you!

reaper, take SIN withyou to the ER and get that USA bug outta his ass!

SIN, I don't know who wrote this, and I'm sure it's meant to be taken "tongue in cheek" but is rings with truth. Gives you "anti-American" people something to think about, even if you don't agree. It's said that Robin Williams wrote this, I've also heard that George Carlin wrote it. In any event, it's quite imposing.

"I see a lot of people yelling for peace
but I have not heard of a plan for
peace. So, here's one plan."
"The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past &present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the
rest of those "good 'ole' boys", we will never "interfere"again.

2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, South Korea, the Middle East, and the Philippines. They don't
want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave.We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will
be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.

4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D"and it's back home baby.

6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while..

7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go
somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is
stolen or given to the army. The people who need
it most get very little, if anything.

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building
would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is
ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?

"The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' "

Of course, the wonderful thing of being an American is that we can vocally agree or disagree with our Government, and not have to suffer as a result. Not so in mamy other parts of the world. Yes, we are kinda screwed up at the moment, but things have a way of changing, for the better most of the time here. Just wait for the next election, and thank God we have the right to change it. It seems that most of those against us are those who have never appreciated what we have. Funny that for every person trying to leave the US, five or more are trying to get in. Must be somethng to it, then, don't you think?

Hope this helps your way of thinking....

Don't waste your time on SIN, S&S , he is an America hating leftist that has past over the edge. That was agood read though but it dont sound like either of those that you mentioned, especially Carlin, he's a sour-ass leftist like SIN who could not possibly make a positive comment about the US, IMNSHO

LOL "10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is
ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan"

I dunno, ask the american native indians to see if they should not apply your same logic.... TO YOU ... Center of the universe.

LOL

"Law enforcment and criminal investigation would be vastly modernized and improved"
Where do you guys dream the crap up ? You do realize that because you pre-empted a country it does not give you the right to believe you can force your way in anywhere. YEA Belizean's gone love that one.. You mean that the usa is going to improve law enforcement and c.i. in a country that is not their own ? Just to clarify what you said about the center of the universe..

EDIT: It would be a super big economy though .. When the brits were at 1300 soldiers and 4 harriers , they contributed 8 per cent of the belize G.N.P.

I guess some of ya'll missed the point (reaper).

Don't get excited Chris, I don't wage war or even fight, it's all too short for that. Only the smart choose to peruse all facets of a situation. It would take a fool to believe any super-power's involvement in a developing country is 100% beneficial for that nation. Everything comes with a cost. Do we need a list?

SIN

"I see a lot of people yelling for peace
but I have not heard of a plan for
peace. So, here's one plan."
"The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past &present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the
rest of those "good 'ole' boys", we will never "interfere"again.

Whom from the list above was given assistance by the US and were considered an ally as well? I guess they only started doing "bad" things after they fell out with Uncle Sam.

SIN

I just have a small contribution I would like to add. After driving for three days into Iraq in a convoy we reached our destination. After we released our convoy to the responsible personnel we turned around and waited for the return trip. My gun crew was resting and a local came up to me. At first I was apprehensive and he showed me he was not a threat. He came up and held out his hand and I shook it. This man was I would say in his late forties maybe early fifties. In the best English he could muster he told me thank you for freeing his people. This took me by surprise and touched me deeply. I asked this man if he disliked us being here. He replied that he understood what we were doing and that was good. He then told me that he had three children one girl and two boys and they were finally going to school again after a long time. He said that after many years that finally the children on Iraq would have a chance to get old in his country. He told me another story that I won't put here because of its graphic nature of what happened to one of his female cousins. By this time I was doing the best I could not to break down. In looking back I can see that even though there are some in this world that do not see or hear for that matter the good we do around this world and can only focus on the things like oil and the like. Well I can say this until you have looked into the face of a truly grateful father thanking a complete stranger for freeing him you will NEVER understand.

I am sorry if this is not rite on point but I think it needed to be said anyway. Sometimes the cover of the book reflects not what's inside it.

J D

Great post JD. My stepson that resently returned from spending a year in the tel afar area of Iraq said the following article is more of what should be reported. Thought you might like it.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1128/p01s02-usmi.html?s=t5

What was the point I missed?
Lets let ALL of the countries that support Belize stop sending money and other aid.
Let Belize pay off ALL of its debt alone.
Let Belize defend itself.
Then when no one travels there because the drug lords are battling for control, the Guatemalans are fighting for their land back and the economy is reducerd to rubble, I'll see SIN out fishing to feed his family. Because no one will be buying time shares, and property on AC will be worth nothing.
Every time I fly to Belize there are missionary and religious groups coming down to build housing, schools or orphanages.
The GOB can't even afford to pay the fuel bill for the fire trucks in San Pedro.
The doctors on the island are in dire need of medicine and supplies.
The BDF air wing has 4 planes. 3 fly, none shoot.
The USA and GWB may have some horrific policies now, but that doesn't mean USA involvement is always a bad thing.
My God SIN...You are buying me a LOT of Belikins when I see you next month! You just turned me into a ranting lunatic!!! :rolleyes:

Mr.Payne, my dad was Native American Indian, and That makes me 1/2. I am not exactly happy with the way we've been treated, but it's improving, ever so slowly. This is not the venue to discuss our history...that is a total different subject. In any event, we will support our countries efforts worldwide. We are still American Citizens, and proud to call ourselves such.

Did i lie ?

edit:
If you are not with us, you are against us.
If you are not against us, you are with us.

In your opinon , do native americans believe the first line or the second one.

SIN, now you're acting like you're on drugs. Seems a bit early in the day for that. Are you really suggesting that going after Hitler was a BAD thing?

Some interesting analasis:

The GDP of Belize is approximately 1/11,000th of that of the USA.

Bill Gate's Net worth is about US$55BN.

Let us imagine that Government of Belize ministers and their cronies have embezzeled $400 million from Belize in the past 5 years. It's not out of the question...the Novello bus loan scandal was $20 million US on its own. And that was just one single item.

Let's say that a certain government minister (with a first name that sounds like someone barfing) has acquired through his office a minimum of $10 million U.S. for himself and his cash-heavy wife. People in Belize know that this is a VERY conservative figure but we wouldn't want to exaggerate here.

This means that in terms of GDP, if Minister Vomitname had done the same thing while he was a U.S. cabinet member in the White House, proportionate to the GDP of the USA, his net worth would be $110 BILLION dollars, stomping all over Bill Gates' paltry fortune.

reaper, I'm sorry to say it's not a question of "the government of Belize can't afford it" ...it's more a question of "members of the government and their cronies are stealing it."

Typical Chris. I said not to react but rather respond. Kinda like meds, you don't want a reaction rather you should respond - it is so much better.

Don't misquote me or reorganize my statement. No refernce to Hitler was made. It is fact that many of these evil dictators are either helped or assisted by the same country that latter finds reason to de-thrown them.

Oh yeah, my post, and Chris what is your point anyway? Still pissing up a rope about the GOB thing? Stick around, things will get worse before the get better. I mean we are so worse off now than 25 years ago (1981). :rolleyes:

So I take it you do you drugs later in the day?

Ever person risking their lives in Iraq has all the reason to be proud of what they are doing. They were sent there for the wrong reason though. That is evident - GLOBALLY. But what about the people in Sudan and Chad, they don't count. Things are SO SO BAD in Cuba (not really) why don't we free them too?

It's ok for an American President to falsely acuse a sovereign nation, invade, kill thousands of people (including young GI's not old enough to drink a beer), kidnap it's leader (no matter how vile) but NOT OK to have an affair with an intern? Wow, where do I sign up?

SIN

Hey Chris, relax bro, you can put down your calculator now.

Your already signed up SIN, please stay there we have am ample supply of "your kind" right here and the more that leave the better!

I'm a voter in Belize and I'm not happy with my government, are you Ok with that, SIN, or am I only pissing up a rope? So it's OK for you to criticise your government but not OK for me to criticise mine?

"No reference to Hitler was made"....re-check your post.

Mr. Payne, I think most Native Americans believe the second item. We don't feel the government is AGAINST us, just not as quick to respond to our needs as we'd like. But, who feels they are first in line when you are dealing with a government, except the lucky wealthy ones? We are not as bad off as a lot want to think, but worse off than we want to be. So, what is your point?

An apostle who did not understand said the first line: If you are not with us, you are against us.. President bush used this line a number of times,in doing so aliented entire countries.

Jesus said the second line and encompassed all people and alienated no one.

SIN, so should the USA go into Chad, Sudan, Cuba? Do more wrongs make a right? And didn't Bill Clinton bomb Iraq for 8 years? Was he wrong as well?

Tell you what, Clinton was an OK president. And I could care less about his blowjob.

And please don't put words in my mouth, At no point in this thread did I say it was OK for the USA to do any of the things you accuse it of.

I'm sorry I made the drugs joke. As you know, I'm the opposite to you, very anti illegal-drugs, and a non-user of said illegal drugs.

Chris,
I read every paper online at least once a week regarding the GOB and the very trustworthy ex-mayor of Belize City!

If 170,000 tourist arrive and depart at Goldson at $35usd a person. 5,950,000usd per year.

How much real estate is sold per year in Belize in usd? Add that 15% for the stamp tax. Maybe 6 0r 7 more million usd per year?

Not taking in Customs, sales tax, hotel tax, which I understand the BTB gets...What are we talking about in basic revenues?

How much can it cost to run a country with 250,000+ residents properly and lawfully???????????????????????????????????

I was amused by the new "waste management company" contract.

It seems to never end.....

Reaper, just a smaller scale of what happens in most if not all governments.

Just think if the US was not playing the World's policeman and taking over nations (GWB today, "I believe we will win in Irag", sounds confident and still justifying the war three years later) how much tax dollars would be saved. US Citizens (like my relatives) would not have to work until May of each year - JUST to pay THEIR TAXES! Imagine how much more money they could spend on vacation in countries like Belize (no less invest in prime oceanfront real estate)!

Reaper, I like you comment about the drug runners. Kinda ironic when you think about it. Thinking is a good thing to do before speaking, or in this case posting. If the 10% of the World's populations (the US) didn't consume 80% of the all the illegal drugs produced GLOBALLY, there wouldn't be drug runners (spuring abuse) in Belize.

FYI: Emergency medicine is a tiny part of healthcare (relating to an earlier post).

Hey but who am I to judge, just 2/3 of the US feels GWB IS NOT DOING HIS JOB. They must hate the US also, nah, probably just it's evil ruler.

Chris, why only Iraq and not these other poor nations, oh I forgot, they don't mean shit to GWB, no money in it and Congress wouldn't aprove it cause' they aint got no WMD, but neither did Iraq, vexing??

When everyone in the US is working, above the poverty level and healthy - then I can see them assisting others to copy their democtatic way of life.

SIN

chris

You forgot to mention that you don't whore around either.

Sorry, your ole' lady said she really needed the cash. I had to even ask for a refund. Sad.

Looser.

SIN

SIN,
GOB corruption IS proportionaly larger.

So the US buys 80% of the drugs world wide. I wonder how many Belizeans are in that count. Or Belizeans on vacation in the US buying drugs...hmmm...

FYI-Emergency medicine is a HUGE part of healthcare, but what would I know after 26 years of riding around on a fire truck answering thousands of EMS calls in a big city....

GWB lied to all of the world, and if you want to discuss that over beer at Pedro's no worries, I just can't type that fast for that discussion!(you're buying!)

America let African war lords go crazy on Slick Willies watch. Wrong, but so did the other industrialized nations.

Everyone in America won't be above the poverty level because of many factors, ie. mental health issues, education, work ethics, etc. But most people that want to work for a living prosper in America.

I worry about the US and its direction, leadership and finances.

I want to run for president on the 'Get a F@#*'n JOB!" platform. Just because you disagree with a president doesn't mean you hate your homeland.

I have a strong feeling that 80% of all illegal drugs are not consumed in the US. Give us some verifiable stats!

From Pirates of the Caribbean:

Will Turner: You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you.
Cap'n Jack Sparrow: That's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?

Koncas



Is it 4:20 yet?

Submitted by sinpedro

Pass the kind please.

Roll roll your blunt,
lick it at both ends.
Light it up,
take a puff,
and pass to a friend.

SIN-P

Buy you herb from Tim in Belize

SIN, I don't know why you're arguing with me about the USA and Iraq. At no time in this thread have I brought the subject up.

SIN, I think you have a point about the need to stop U.S. citizens using illegal drugs because it would be a possible solution to Belize's drug problem. I trust you will be setting an example especially now that you are to become a family man.

Belikin Bill, I want to make it clear that I don't use illegal drugs. I never forgot to mention anything else.

Have you guys been drinking and posting?

Ok Clover, will have a full report for you in the AM, time to hit Fido's and chat up some lovely visitors.

SIN

Chris you're making it personal, cuidado migo, getting "pissed" in public (English for shit faced drunk) is as illegal as smoking weed or blasting a big line of Peruvian flake (not to mention driving after a stop at the pub). Don't be so self righteous, it's so........British.

SIN, you're right, I am being self-righteous, I do feel rather too comfortable that I don't smoke weed or snort coke. I really shouldn't feel so proud of myself for not being a drug user. What was I thinking.

Chris

I did not say that you use illegal drugs nor did I in any way mean to imply it if you thought I did. I am against them even more than you. You should be proud.

This thread leaves the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea.

So, gentlemen, are we talking all drugs? Alcohol? Caffine (my personal fav)? Chocolate? Does asprin count? Or just the ones you don't use?

Belikin Bill, sorry, you missed my point....I was trying to laugh along with your whoring post. Read yours first then read mine again..

lawcucui, I think I have made it clear in most of my references to illegal drugs that it is ILLEGAL drugs I'm referring to. Can't speak for anyone else.

Law - I seldom do caffine, chocolate or asprin. And contary to my name, I don't keep alcohol in my home and never drink and drive. I do have plenty of other vices, like wasting time posting on here to much Is krispy kreme donuts a vice? If someone sets down a warm dozen of glazed ones by me I will eat them all

Hahaha, Reaper is so right; after I cancelled my DirecTV; LMAOL (laughing my Ass off Loud). I'll be watching the next episode tomorrow!
Love you guys!!!!

People that post things like that shows you rarely leave where ever you are, yet you are in san pedro everyday. When you have to point out how you have helped, then it was not help at all, just an expectation of return.

Yea right, that would explain you telling me to take my seat.

Which one are you clover boy?

if you are not against us, you are with us.
if you are not with us, you are against us

Or do you not see a difference ?

your nietzsche is showing...which explains you lack of a sense of humor.

It must be cool to be able to gas 150,000 of your own people and have people still on your side when a good president ( GWB ) comes and kicks the shit out of you

Clover, still working on stats.

Chris I am proud of you too, a model citizen. I know your Contributions and Donations line on your Profit and Loss must be huge as your concrete convictions must force you to donate at least 10% of your profits to NA & AA and probalby even REMAR. I am also proud that you never drink more than the legal limit, 1 beer per hour, which would be just as illegal as smoking a joint. Good man! Hope it don't rain, you might drown.

SIN

So your a fat krispy kreme pig Belli Bill, too funny, I can see when the envy comes from. She really should have given you more hugs as a child.

SIN

Having spent more time working in Central Africa, Sub Sahara then I care to remember, SIN and JP, as with most by the way, don't have clue on the amounts of U.S. Gov. sponsored (paid) Aid and humanitarian support that goes into the region daily. Unfortunaly, alot in a futile attempt to make life a little better for the African people. Of course, no one mentions that the presence of EU nations in the region is 99% military. Purely protecting their own assets.

SIN, JP, all you know is what you see on CNN, again, like most. Also, all you know about the Belizean economy is what you see here in SPR. The rest of Belize "ain't so very good".

Myself, like the majority of Belizeans hope and welcome expanded U.S. presence in Belize.

I'm Belizean by the way.

Thats me

"He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other."

"A good example is the best sermon"

SIN, I am leaving you with the last word. You're still a buddy.

I want to assure all board users that SIN talks a lot more sense in real life than on this board.

Being belizean and living all your life in the usa ?

then you do not see a difference ? or do you choose to not see a difference ?
humor me.

Here's one for ya' to run with:

George Price: "Tourism is whoreism"

What would make him state such a thing?

SIN

makes sense to me, however i find it hard to believe he would of used those words

"run with"? where...to the toilet with severe cramps?

No JP, been here a long time. Not the point anyway.

Short...see what I mean...just like watching Point/counterpoint...

All we would have had to do was Bomb the crap out of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria, and a few other places with...

Playboy and Maxim magazines.
Jenna Jameson videos.
Hot pizza and cold beer.
Pamela Anderson posters.
Pork ribs.
Jessica Simpson videos.
Rum and Cokes.
a few hundred Corvettes.

Osama would have come out of his cave and the rest of the gang would surrender faster than a Frenchman!!
:p

Mandel, Jay R. Persistent Underdevelopment; Change and Economic Modernization in the West Indies. Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach, 1996. 190 pp.

Mandle presents a convincing picture of economic conditions and prospects in the West Indies in a compact treatise. It may also qualify as an economic history of the region in brief. The West Indies are defined as the Englishspeaking Caribbean, including Guyana.

The theoretical underpinnings of Mandle's work may create some perplexity in the reader's mind. The analytic framework, we are told in the preface, is rooted in Marx and Simon Kuznets. But it is not Marx the revolutionary socialist, or even "the young Marx," that either Kuznets or Mandle relies on, but rather Marx the capitalist, the one who appreciates the model of modernization based on private, that is bourgeois, industrial enterprise: "capitalism compels all nations, on pain of extinction, to adopt the bourgeois mode of production" (p. 4), wrote Marx in the Manifesto. At the same time Mandle dismisses the "neoMarxists," especially those who assume that there is a necessary cause and effect relationship between underdevelopment in the periphery and the development of the metropolis.

What readers may recognize as a Marxist approach is the reliance on history. Six of the nine chapters deal with the past. Two of these deal with the colonial period and the plantation system, when there was a clear relationship between underdevelopment in the West Indies and industrialization in England. The way Eric Williams describes it in his History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago (albeit not everyone would agree) is that the relationship between colony and mother country remained detrimental to the colony, not so much because of any intent to maximize exploitation, but rather because of racism and a muddle-headed colonial administration.

Mandle reminds the reader that the United States supplanted Great Britain as the dominant economic power in the region, but the political consequences of this shift are hardly mentioned. In his chapter on the failure of the socialist road to modernization (Chapter 6), Mandle discusses Guyana, which "allied itself with revolutionary forces and thus risked antagonizing the major conservative power in the region, the United States" (p. 114). As for the Grenada Revolution, it "came to an end", states the author succinctly (p. 112), this time without bothering to remind the reader that the final blow came not from the Coard faction's coup against Maurice Bishop, but from the United States Marines. Experiments in the introduction of socialist economics failed in the English-speaking Caribbean, we are told, as they seemed to have failed in Cuba. The reader still does not know, however, whether socialism is inherently utopian, or whether its failure in the region is due to the presence or proximity of the United States.

If the socialist experiment failed, so did "industrialization by invitation" (Chapters 4 and 8). It failed because of the small size of the island economies concerned and the failure to federalize upon decolonization. It failed particularly because of the lack of a competent, well-trained workforce, whether at the managerial or at the technical levels. It failed even where attempts were made to relate industrialization to available resources or to the island-country's natural endowments, as in the case of the Point Lisas project in Trinidad, which was predicated upon the availability of inexpensive oil and gas. It might be noted, however, that the author's obituary of the Point Lisas project may have been premature. Indeed, one shortcoming of this publication is that, although published in 1996, the statistics and analysis, with one exception, do not extend beyond 1991.

In other words, the prospects are not good for the West Indies. Yet Mandle sees a glimmer of hope in the Caribbean diaspora. Admittedly, the diaspora drains brainpower from the West Indies, since it is the better trained and more enterprising West Indians who are most likely to leave for Canada, Great Britain and especially the United States. But, Mandle argues, these persons have not severed all ties with their homeland. They create a demand for West Indian products in the "North". Moreover, it might be possible to persuade them to spend longer stints of time upon their visits "home" and contribute their skills, their technological know-how, to promote the process of modernization.

This may sound a bit far-fetched, but the fact is that the migration of populations has been insufficiently analyzed as a factor in North-South relations. Xenophobia and the redoubled vigilance of border-patrols notwithstanding, people of the South are streaming northward, beginning with those who live in contiguous areas: North Africans to France; Turks and the people of the Balkans to Germany; Mexicans, Central Americans and West Indians to the United States. These populations are not necessarily the best educated (the West Indians may be the exception); but, in any case, they become more or less integrated while maintaining links to their respective homelands. In certain ways it is imperialism in reverse, which may some day result in a narrowing of the gap between the "developing" and the developed worlds.

Mario D. Fenyo (NOT SIN)

yup, right as usual K man!

where's the picture klc?

seems you boys & girls have some technology issues,....hold on. Let's try something else.

Worked here

YO.... I moved my family here in 1991 and I still don't understand why people from The United States are called EXPATRIOTS???? I asked a counselor from the embassy shouldn't that mean that they were patriotic in the first place???? Oooooppss my age is showing. Belize has been transporting Marijuana to America for longer then you know.it kept everyone mellow and working things out in peaceful attemps but my friends... the big problem is not by land we all know it's by sea from further south.... I would believe these drugs do mostly reach America where the US is happy to keep it's voting public NUMB & STUPID. Obviously. Didn't the DEA roadblock but that ??? in your mind? anyhow this should really be on a Chat Board and wouldn't it be wonderful for BELIZEANS born and raised here to voice their response. Peace and love and I'm happy to be in this country. It's still a growing nation.

May all your cheese be flavorable. May your island be as you wish. These are a changing days. Let's hope for the best.