A United Corruption?

The Proceeds of Crime Act for Anguilla will provides a scheme to trace, restrain and confiscate the proceeds of crime. The new Act also will provide a scheme that allows confiscated funds to be given back to the Anguillian community in an endeavour to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of crime on Anguilla.

Sometimes I'm inclined to believe that many of our people are using the words "love for country" loosely, without taking careful consideration of what these words actually mean, and what their historic characteristics really are. When you study the historic nature; motive; objective; and results of our ‘so-called revolution’, you may want to change those words to their rightful meaning.

To understand our so-called ‘Anguilla professionals’ dissent; you must study their history and the characteristics of the individuals crying fouled. These are the same dodgy ‘all of self’ suspects who have forever benefited from the said ‘proceeds of crime’ (corruption), and the very loopholes from insufficient or ineffective legislation… or none thereof.

A Proceeds of Crime Act is best described as an exposing corruption legislation. On Anguilla this will affect the average accountant; politician; attorney; bank; minister of religion; businessman; civil servant and 'many' who have benefited from the proceeds of crime – directly or indirectly.

Now that our government has decided to take the bull by the horn, these same corrupted elites are busy trying to taint our government as incompetent. And as such - politically - our government is forced not to make competent legislation or lose the next general election.

However, the British Government has rescued Anguilla in 1969; the 1980 Constitution; and they will have to rescue us again with a Proceeds of Crime Act in 2010; regardless to government.

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity” – MLK

With the lost of windfall moneys from the Transhipment Scheme and very low taxes, the recovery or confiscation of such proceeds of crime will help enable government to finance specific areas where funding are urgently needed. Example - the government may approve a program for the expenditure, in a particular financial year, of money standing to the credit of the Confiscated Assets Account (CAA). It will be up to the government to use this windfall money wisely.

The government may also approve equitable sharing payments to be made to other jurisdictions in recognition of the effort involved in joint investigations or prosecutions of unlawful activity; and vice versa.

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption obliges States to share profits of crime where assistance in the recovery of those profits contributes to legal enforcement cooperation.

The ball is in our court and the opposing team is us - so play professionally well, being fully aware that we can only outplay ourselves.

We all love Anguilla…

A Proceeds of Crime Act for Anguilla?

An Act (Legislation) critically vital in establishing the power of recovery of assets/property obtained through ‘unlawful conduct’; which must not be confused as simply tricked law specifically targeting Anguillians per se, except those associated in such unlawful conduct or criminal activities - will be a Proceeds of Crime Act, and must be accredited for what it is.

This piece of legislation will provide confiscation orders in relation to ‘persons who benefit from criminal conduct’; and restraint orders to prohibit dealing with such assets/property; allowing the recovery of such assets/property which is or represents assets/property obtained through ‘unlawful conduct’ or which is intended to be used in unlawful conduct.

However, there will never be a flawless piece of legislation or government policy and this is of no exception. Therefore it is crucial that we dissect and understand its significance when concluding our objectives. The result can have us remained black-listed/dodgy; finally destroying reputation and our relationship with the rest of the world, or to comply and be in good standing with. This legislation has no room for watering-down therefore; there is no simultaneous having your cake and eating it.

The main provisions of this legislation create special powers in the recovery of assets/property obtained through unlawful conduct. This will introduce a new power of civil recovery to allow the government to recover – by a civil action in the High Court the proceeds of criminal activity.

The tension here is that civil rules of evidence and procedure apply, meaning that to establish that a crime ("unlawful conduct") has taken place the government needs only prove their case on the balance of probabilities, not on the usual criminal law standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

These would-be introduced powers for the Royal Anguilla Police Force (RAPF) and Her Majesty Customs (HM Customs) are primarily to seize cash they believe is crime related and to secure its forfeiture in a court proceeding. This will enables court to freeze a suspect's assets/property at the start of a criminal investigation.

It allows the court to make statutory assumptions in non-drugs cases, that all of a defendant's assets represent the proceeds of crime. In essence, simply changing the burden of proof.

And yes, legal burden generally shifts under certain circumstances example, where presumptions operate. Other exceptions from the general rule include:

• Common Law: insanity under the M’Naughten rules;
• Express statutory exceptions: an Homicide Act - where diminished responsibility is raised as a defence;
• Prevention of Crime Act – where the accused relies on a defence of lawful authority or reasonable excuse in response to a charge of possession of an offensive weapon;
• A Prevention of Corruption Act – where a gift is given or received by a public official, it will be presumed that the gift was given or received corruptly unless the contrary is proved by the accused;
• And it is implied that by virtue of the Magistrate Court Act, that where the defendant relies for his defence on any exception, exemption, proviso, excuse or qualification, the burden of providing that he falls within that exception, proviso, excuse or qualification shall be on him;
• And then there are the strict liability cases…

These exceptions are illustrative examples only; as research suggests that up to 40% of defences tried in Courts impose a legal burden on the accused; and this piece of legislation is simply another.

But do the benefits outweigh the burdens?

The Proceeds of Crime Act will simplify the requirements for convictions for ‘money laundering’ and ‘frontiers’ (fronting) by removing the requirement to prove what the crime was. It simply has to be proven that the seized money is the proceeds of crime. It will allows investigators to seek court orders requiring financial institutions and banks to identify all accounts of people ‘under investigation’ and provide transactional information on suspect accounts for a ‘specified period’.

It places greater obligation on the financial sector to disclose suspicious transactions and places an onus on any professional working in regulated industries to immediately report to the regulation authorities any suspicion they have that anyone they talk to may have committed a criminal offence.

It allows the government to precribe the form and manner in which these disclosures are made therefore expanding the law on money laundering to cover any crime rather than just drug-related offences, in essence, targeting all proceeds of any criminal conduct that would be an offence in Anguilla.

This will provide wide-ranging powers by authorities to deprive these criminals of their main motivation – their money and the property they have accumulated through their illegal activities.

The legislation will introduce overall surveillance/policing or a negligence test, meaning a professional working in a sector regulated by money laundering regulations (such as banks and other financial institutions) can commit a criminal offence for failing to report money laundering if there are ‘reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting’ that it is taking place. Failure to report will result in imprisonment.

However, there is a defence to these offences in certain circumstances, primarily authorised disclosure, which creates a consent regime where an individual or business reports any suspicious transaction and waits for specific consent before completing the transaction.

So… like every law, there goes the loophole.

These new offences have caused outrage in the professional community, with attorneys arguing that the legislation would force them to breach professional privilege and act against the interests of their own clients. They argued that the act is too broadly drafted that professionals, fearful of prosecution, would send law agencies a flow of useless reports relating to trivial breaches of the law.

So-called civil rights enthusiasts argued that this legislation will run the risk of undermining key criminal procedural protections and lacked sufficient safeguards example, in relation to the civil recovery orders, that it is wrong to give the state a power to opt for extensive confiscation of defendants' assets in circumstances where it does not have sufficient evidence to prosecute them in the criminal courts and is an unacceptable blurring of the civil and criminal law.

They further argued that although the action for civil recovery is not classed as criminal, and indeed is intended to circumvent the criminal process… its punitive nature means that, as a matter of principle, criminal type safeguards are warranted.

Now, we know that our populace is generally law-abiding and uncorrupted and will never get involved in any such unlawful conducts… ‘never have and never will’.

Are you aware of anyone involved in Racketeering; Money Laundering; ‘Fronting’; professionals knowingly - presently or previously - doing work for clienteles involved in any such unlawful conduct; Government ministers, Heads of Departments or Civil Servants receiving unlawful underhand payouts; God’s Purse-snitchers (church corruption); fishermen benefiting from surprise catches believe to be proceeds of crime waiting for a pickup on the open seas; business fake intakes and banking inconsistencies etc…let the authorities know and they can act under this propose legislation when accent.

Is Corrupt-de-Don corruption free enough to be tasked as our Corruption Tsar; fully well aware of his-story? While he remains quiet on such pertinent issues; Ms. Lolita Davis-Richardson and the ‘rest’ suspects continue to embarrass themselves.

As there will never be a perfect piece of legislation, my pledge is that if we care about Anguilla, we must support our government on this one. A Proceeds of Crime Act is good for the eradication of hidden criminal activities, the cleansing of our tarnished Financial Services Industry (half of our overall industries), and the next generation survival.

We must all work together for the success of Anguilla on a whole or we all will perish together as fools.

Let us stop being tribal with our trivial ‘Politricking’ and all hands on the Plough for the best interest of Anguilla.

We must be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Youths march Wednesday to educate others on June 10th 1967 coup attempt

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 9TH 2009 (CUOPM) – The failed attempt by the People’s Action Movement (PAM) to overthrow the lawfully-elected government of Premier the Hon. Robert L. Bradshaw on June 10th 1967 will be observed here Wednesday.

Young Labour – the youth arm of the governing St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party announced Tuesday, it will stage a march through Basseterre on Wednesday 10th June - 42 years to the day.

“We will march under the theme: “Faces Change: Philosophies Remain,” said Keisha Archibald in a press release.

“It is mainly to educate the young people of St. Kitts and Nevis and to bring to their attention the involvement of the People’s Action Movement to seize power by the bullet instead of the ballot,” said Archibald.

“The Youths of the Labour Party view it as our duty to alert our young people and others who were not around at the time, to this dark episode in our political history. We believe strongly that although there are new faces in the People’s Action Movement today the philosophy of the PAM party in introducing violence into our political system remains the same,” said Archibald in the statement.

The March will move off from in front of Masses House at 4:15 P.m. on Wednesday 10th June and travel down Church Street into the Bay Road via College Street, up Fort Street, turn west into Cayon Street and return to Masses House.

Members of the public can join the march and are asked to wear black T- shirts or top.

The Youth Arm said the June 10th 1967 event has been the subject of discussion among young people on Facebook and Hi5.

The June 10th event has been documented by Anguillian authors Nat Hodge and Colville Petty. In their books and other written articles on the Anguilla Revolution they wrote that the attempt to overthrow Bradshaw on June 10th 1967, was the brainchild of Ronald Webster and a prominent Kittitian politician, Political Leader of the People’s Action Movement, Dr. William V. Herbert Jr.

According to their publication: “It (June 10th 1967) had two principal objectives which were interrelated: Firstly, the defence of the Anguilla Revolution. Secondly, the overthrow of Robert Bradshaw’s government and its replacement by one sympathetic to Anguilla’s cause.

Ronald Webster, leader of the Anguilla Revolution, was fearful of an invasion from St. Kitts and reasoned that the best way of preventing it was to attack St Kitts before St Kitts attacked Anguilla. On the other hand, the sole objective of the prominent Kittitian politician was the removal of Premier Bradshaw. To this end, he thought it expedient to use the ‘armed might’ and revolutionary fervour of the Anguillian people to assist him. It was not difficult for him and Webster to join forces because both of them had goals, which, they envisaged, could be accomplished by defeating their common enemy: Bradshaw.

Detailed plans for the attack were worked out in Anguilla, St Kitts and St Thomas, Virgin Islands. They were fine tuned in Anguilla. To quote Clarence Rogers: “[The prominent Kittitian politician] discussed the details . . . with me again in Anguilla around 7th June. He came by mother's house, in East End, between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm, where he sat on her bed and drew a plan showing where the men should land and the places to attack.”

Whilst in Anguilla, the prominent Kittitian politician also discussed the plans with Joshua Gumbs who claimed: “At about 10 o'clock one morning in early June 1967 [he] passed by Lewis Haskins machine shop, in Corito, where I was doing repair work on some engines and asked me to captain the boat which was to take the men to carry out the attack on St Kitts.” Joshua declined. In his words: “I said Doc, I am very sorry. What we did, we did it [the Revolution] for Anguilla. If the Kittitians want the Government out they must do it themselves. I am sure that the Kittitians wouldn't want us up there to shed their blood.”

The plans included capturing Bradshaw and his deputy, Paul Southwell, and taking them to Anguilla; the announcement by Ruby Gumbs, over radio station ZIZ in St Kitts, that the new Premier was the prominent Kittitian politician; the demolition of the Defence Force Camp; the capture of the Police Headquarters; the destruction of the Power Station; the blowing up of the fuel depot and the capture of the Revenue Cutter used by the Police.

As part of their preparations for the attack, several of our men underwent shooting exercises at Junks Hole Bay. United States mercenaries conducted the exercises. According to Ruby Gumbs the prominent Kittitian politician remarked: “If the boys continued to shoot the way they were doing at Junks Hole, with the help of the PAMites in St. Kitts, they can overthrow the Government in St. Kitts.”

The June 10th 1967 event was recently mentioned by prominent Kittitian historian, Sir Probyn Inniss.

He said that despite the armed attack to overthrow the lawfully elected government of then Premier Robert Bradshaw, the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla leader remained strong and resolute.

“I was in awe of the physical and moral courage of this gentleman (Bradshaw). Both his moral and physical courage were tested sorely in the wake of 10th June, 1967. Because when details of the plot were revealed, it turned out that he (Bradshaw) was, to be humiliated, put on trial and eventually killed,” Sir Probyn told a packed congregation at the annual Requiem Mass held in the St. Paul’s Anglican Church to pay tribute to late stalwarts of the Labour Movement.

Sir Probyn, Senior Partner in the Law Firm, Inniss and Inniss, proffered that a crisis of this magnitude would have destroyed a lesser man.

“Nevertheless, Mr. Bradshaw remained strong and resolute. It is the measure of the man that he was able to put all of these traumatic events behind him and chart a course towards Unity in the society,” said Sir Probyn, a former Governor of the State, who served as Permanent Secretary, Crown Counsel and Teacher.

Choose your friends wisely

It's been said that the company he keeps knows a man. That adage has been used by mothers for as long as there have been teenagers – to help them learn discernment when choosing their friends.

Most of us can recall a time when our parents warned us to ‘choose your friends wisely.’ Suffice it to say, they were referring to the way in which others would judge us in accordance to our friends, as well as the influence our friends would have upon us.

Well, nothing could be more indicative of this sort of relationship than the one formed between Ian Donaldson Mitchell, Harry Wiggins, Palmovan Webster and the Anguilla Progressive Party- (APP) - Anguilla Pimps & Prostitutes.

Whether the APP wants this their endorsement or not, they have gotten it.

Certainly many in the APP will be quick to distant the correlation between them and their associations, and that they did not solicit their support… all but a joke really.

But we flock all the birds of one feather together… the flock that never had the interest of Anguilla at heart.

A vote for Ms. Palmovan Webster is a vote for Harry Wiggins and Ian Donaldson Mitchell.

But again… perhaps it is unfair to suggest that the association is synonymous… but it seems to me that the mere fact that those Vermin wish to endorse the APP is indicative.

ENFORCING DIGNIFIED LEADERSIP FOR ANGUILLA

Individuals who are willing to take on responsibility, regardless of title or role, must know that moving forward involves initiative; clean hands; confidence; vision; commitment; taking dedicated action; an artistic quality and encouraging others.

The challenges and opportunities of today’s marketplace require prepared leadership with clarity, confidence and efficiency to take us forward. We strongly believed that the quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves and not simply sufferers of self-impotence syndromes.

Unpatriotic, sleazes, unqualified, ill-equipped, disorganization and traits of a tribalistic-disposition have plague democracy on Anguilla for too long now.

This petition is a first in a movement to elect qualified and dignified men and women in an aim to select competent leadership on Anguilla

This will ensure that the work of the People is properly done and done properly.

Mr.Rodney Rey (past school principal and retired Permanent Secretary) is an excellent example of Integrity in public service. He is knowledgeable, dedicated, and has performed with distinction.

The whole of Anguilla respects Mr. Rodney Rey. Let Mr. Rodney Rey know that we cherished his commitment to Anguilla’s continued success.

The first 150 Anguillians to sign this petition by May 31, 2009, may empower Mr. Rodney Rey to represent us in the Road South Constituency in 2010.

Anguilla needs Mr. Rodney Rey.

Sign this petition now and encourage others!

Let him come with clean hands

Mike Gapes is a British MP and chairman of the United Kingdom's Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee which has been examining the governance of the 14 Overseas Territories.

Mr. Gapes said on the 23 April 2008 following trumped-up corruption allegations after submissions made by Mr. Ian Donaldson Mitchell and Mr. Harry Wiggins: [1]

"On Anguilla the committee recommended the (UK) Government should encourage the Anguillian Government to introduce anti-corruption measures and to hold an independent inquiry into the allegations that the Ministers accepted bribes from developers."

The Government of Anguilla said they were 'not disposed to sanction a system of governmental accountability based on gossips, rumour and unproven innuendo'. They requested the Committee provide more evidence in relation to the allegations.

This is the said Ilford South Labour MP Mike Gapes who is alleged to claimed £22,291 ACA in 2007-8, but insists he has not claimed since giving up his rented Westminster flat in 2008.

He said he no longer expects taxpayers to foot the bill and backs calls for a review of the expenses system.

Equity said it best: if one wants to come into equity, let him come with clean hands… lol

Now with all this UK Parliamentary corruption exposed; Mitchell and Wiggins gone underground.

However, Palmovan surfaces!

I hope Brent realises that Obama had to denounce his spiritual leader.

We love you Brent however, analyse your associations carefully.

There are some unexplained coincidences.

Set of sleazes could be!

Elections

Anguillians undoubtedly need to turn to their Almighty God in prayer to ensure that our plans and priorities are rooted in His will. Psalm 32:8: “I shall instruct you and teach you the way to go.”

In the 'Purpose Driven Church', Rick Warren uses a surfing analogy – “It is not our responsibility to make waves, but to recognise how God is working in the world and join Him in the endeavour.”

One adored charismatic politician once said to me, “Never underestimate the intelligence of the electorate”. He then went on to say that the will of the people is the will of God, and Politicians are often the Pawns in the game of politics… not necessarily the players.

Democracy guiding philosophy is that people should have decision-making power in proportion to how much they are affected by the decision. I must be honest with whom I chose as my caretaker for the future advancement of Anguilla… and so should you.

This is why for my choice for continued leadership and stability for taking Anguilla forward is grounded in the Anguilla United Front Government (AUF).

In a dream world I envisage such governance for Anguilla:

• Mr. Colville Petty
• Hon. Ms. Keesha Webster
• Hon. Mr. Mc-Neil Rogers
• Hon. Mr. Victor Banks (Chief Minister)
• Mr. Rodney Rey
• Hon. Mr. Edison Baird
• Ms. Sharon Richardson

In an Anguilla reality there is no alternative but an AUF Government.

Elections must mean more than just a slogan called ‘change’ or ‘trading places’. The Anguillian electorate have long come to the realisation that political-catchphrases are borderless and infinite; and a distant relative to pragmatism.

We are not surface deep.

For this simple reason, I am not prepared to danger or risk gambling Anguilla’s future with ‘re-colonist racist influences’; misguided; disingenuous; unpatriotic; unqualified; financially-starved and ill-prepared candidates for leadership.

It’s time we put political childishness and personal differences aside and unite for a continued strength and endurance. It’s not the time to auction your children’ future to visionless and clueless bidders.

I strongly believed that the quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves and not simply sufferers of self-impotence syndromes.

We have done it right for over 40 years and I have never underestimate your intelligence.

You have the decision making power.

Don’t ‘vote-for-cup’.

Standards or Hypocrisy?

The Freedom of Information Act disclosures have especially galled the Anguillian electorate at a time of rising unemployment and economic hardship and undermined government’s efforts to distance itself from its aristocratic image.

Thanks to Mr. Ian Donaldson Mitchell CBE QC, and Mr. Percy Thomas, Anguilla elected officials are under attack from the public over their expense claims and had to line up to start paying back thousands of dollars of public money in a bid to assuage voter anger over the scandal.

Seriously imagine if our elected officials were allowed to exploit the system of parliamentary allowances to subsidise their lifestyles.

Imagine if our Chief Minister, Mr. Osbourne Fleming announced that his cabinet ministers have been misusing allowances and would repay thousands of dollars of questionable expenses.

Imagine if, according to an Anguillian News Paper, our elected officials claimed taxpayers' money for such things as cleaning moats and swimming pools; repairing tennis courts and installing chandeliers in their houses including furniture (scatter cushions, a king-sized bed, leather rocking chair and a flat-screen television, stereo equipment and Kenyan carpets) and fittings; groceries including pints of milk, fluffy dusters, lavatory rolls and chocolate HobNobs; claims on expenses for hotels in London but slept in Slough with friends; mowing and rolling paddocks and overhauling a tractor mower; and the list goes on.

Or just imagine if Mr. Fleming had to claim for his chauffeur.

I can imagine Mr. Percy Thomas putting proposals to government for an ‘independent’ panel to examine our elected officials expense claims lodged over the last ten years and to ask for repayment in cases where he deems abusive. Or perhaps seeking Keithley’s permission for a 'gossip stroll' down the street on a Sunday evening after church.

Anguillia’s Chief Corruption Tsar Version (CCTV), Corrupt-De-Don, would say, “Its time to stop the talking, installed the endless committees to effect transparency and accountability and deliver real change and leadership on Anguilla."

Mr. Fleming would rebut – “leadership is me saying to all the political parties that they've got to act now and immediately to change the system and limit the damage expected in the future.”

Imagine if our Health Minister Mr. Mc-Neil Rogers said he would pay back EC$198,118.00 claimed for furniture and fittings for his home to try to win back the trust of voters in Valley North. What would squeaky-clean Eddie articulate?

Or the Hon. Mr. Victor Banks pledged to repay more than EC$61,750.00 to the taxman after he was criticised for not paying taxes on the sale of his family property.

Imagine if our elected officials claim millions of dollars in allowances and thousands of dollars in expenses for their homes and travel to and from their work.

Imagine our media coming down like a ton of bricks on our elected officials who have sought to ‘milk’ the system or defraud the taxpayer (you), profit for personal gain in the Property or Real Estate Market.

Imagine if all of this was not reality. Imagine this reality is in the United Kingdom; the architects of diplomatic transparency and accountability.

Oh sorry… it was transparent… and legal too… it just was a lil unethical!

But - why aren’t we debating such unethical behaviour in our British counterparts at least in our media? Is this Racism? Are they held by a different standard than us? Or monkey see and monkey should do?

With all this disquiet; where is our corruption-free technocrat - Anguilla’s CCTV?

Suddenly he becomes Miseducated and caught the Swine Flu!

The UK government appeal for death row Anguillian woman

The British Government has intervened in the case of a British (Anguillian) woman facing the death penalty in Texas, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Linda Carty was sentenced to death in 2002 for her part in the abduction and murder of a 25-year-old woman, Joana Rodriguez.

Carty, 50, was arrested and later convicted in connection to the kidnap and murder of Joana Rodriguez, who was seized alongside her four-day-old son by three men on 16 May 2001.

The baby was later found unharmed in a car, but Rodriguez was found dead, having suffocated after having duct-tape put over her mouth and a plastic bag placed around her head.

At the subsequent trial, prosecutors argued that the men were hired by Carty who, unable to get pregnant herself, intended to "cut the baby out" out of the woman and pass the child off as her own.

Carty believes she was framed for the crime by the three men who carried out the abduction due to her earlier work as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). But the DEA agent who recruited Carty was not interviewed over her claims.

Last week, the United Kingdom government sent an amicus brief to the United States Appeals Court complaining of lack of notification of the woman's arrest and trial and ineffective counsel.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman added that it will make representations against the use of the death penalty.

Carty was born on 5 October 1958 on the island of St Kitts to Anguillian parents and holds a United Kingdom Dependent Territory Passport and as such, British national's arrested should have been notified to the British Embassy under a bilateral treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States. She was a primary school teacher in St. Kitts and lived there until she was 23 years.

More than seven years after the death sentence was handed down, Carty case is now in the hands of the Federal Courts - the final stage in the appeal process. Texas is dedicated to the death penalty, and Carty could face execution as early as next year.

As Anguillians, why aren’t we seemed to be concerned?

The Pig That Flies

A British invasion was a British embarrassment; our residents regularly shrug off crime, corruption, constitution, drought, gridlock and serious risks. Anguillians are not easily rattled bout nothing.

But the outbreak of Swine Flu, which has killed an estimated 176 people in Mexico, is different. Residents are staying home in droves, and many are scared and confounded by the virus that has led authorities around the world to close schools, offices, bars, gyms, and commercial establishments, virtually halting daily life for millions.

With clear information hard to come by, rumours are flying and this pig-with-wings is destined to rapidly kill a dying world economy.

It is believe that this is the last days and the demons happen to escape their habitats.

Many hypothesize that the virus was created and hyped by Mexico's government to distract the population from some bigger scandal being carried out. Others argue the official death toll is being purposely undercounted to prevent alarm from spreading, and fearful patients with mild symptoms are flooding hospitals and clinics.

Some people around the world are going into a state of hysteria because they believe this thing is extremely serious and all or most of the sick patients are going to die.

Further complicating the cloudy picture is the information trickling from governments’ technocrats, which sometimes appears to conflict with reality.

Meanwhile, in Anguilla officials have predicted pandemic sick-leave call-ins from frontline staff that will further cripple the economy.

Can we really blame them?

Lord help us all!

IDM (In-Dementia-Mood)

Where were you when we needed you most I cried, with tears flushing from my eyes.

In the prime of your life you refused to sacrifice - to a people, a nation desperate for advice.

Fearlessly you robbed, you cheated, you’ve abused every loophole for years untold. You’ve ill-gained, oh! - how insane we must have been.

Your potential partner-in-crime said no, I refused to go through that door – I am in love with Wadadli, and with him I must be.

A perceived outstanding leader was you, from a queue we see, excellent you will be.

You sowed and sowed, luckily you are back at our door. You ruled and caused chaos while afar - but not in my nation poppa.

Like Swine-Flu - sick to a threatened pandemic... a new strain on familiar terrain. A colonial plan in your unclean hands... to control our blessed land.

Though think we are blinded and fast asleep, we are destined to defeat.

In the end my friend, to God you must repent - but I am sure he is not even your friend.

It must be hell here living in this Lion’s Den.

Stanford attempts to surrender in Texas

By Anna Driver

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Allen Stanford, the Texas billionaire facing civil fraud charges, attempted to turn himself in at the federal courthouse in Houston on Thursday, but was turned away because there is no warrant for his arrest, his lawyer said.

"There are all these rumors flying around about an indictment coming soon," said Dick DeGuerin, Stanford's criminal attorney. "We want the authorities to know that Allen Stanford is going to stand and fight, he's not going to run."

Stanford and DeGuerin went to the federal courthouse Thursday afternoon, but the U.S. Marshals would not take Stanford into custody, the lawyer said.

Stanford, who does not face criminal charges, but has said he expects to be indicted, will try to turn himself in again next week, DeGuerin said.

"I said to the marshals, if you get a warrant, give me a call," DeGuerin said.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Houston could not immediately be reached for comment.

Stanford, two other executives and three of his companies are accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of an $8 billion fraud involving high-yield certificates of deposit issued by Stanford International Bank in Antigua.

Stanford, a colorful financier and sports patron who owns luxury homes in the Caribbean and Florida, told Reuters in an interview earlier this month that he has done nothing wrong.