Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Bias versus Coldbloodedness

It is absolutely amazing how the Member of Parliament for western Kingston, Desmond Mckenzie  can be accusing Velma Hyton, former Counsel to the 2002 commission of inquiry into events at Tivoli Gardens in 2002, which led to the death of some 27 persons, of only bias.

This arose from Hylton saying in 2002,  'In my respectful submission, if the women and children deliberately put themselves between the law-and-order forces ... to enable those gunmen behind them to fire at the security forces and to fire at civilians, I for one, do not understand why, in all circumstances, they cannot return the fire.'

Now that Hylton has been appointed as one of the Commissioners to look into events in 2010 in that same area, which led to the death of perhaps, in excess of 100 persons, some 42 of whom the Public defender said were executed., there is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Hylton is far too cold to be considered for this Commission especially as it was reported elsewhere that some of the kids ranged from ages 6 and 12! For do kids of that age fully understand the implications of life and death and even where they do, did they have a say into whether they were to become human shields or not? As to the women, has Ms. Hylton ever heard of excessive force?

Quite, frankly, I think Ms. Hylton would have even made the blood of the British in 1865, run cold, for as history tells us, they did not take kindly to Governor Eyre's excessive force in the Morant Bay rebellion, especially after a soldier admitted, "we slaughtered all before us… man or woman or child".

On the other hand, George Zimmerman was recently invited to a gun show to sign autographs.


 Maybe Ms. Hylton will be similarly celebrated one day!

3 comments:

Barry said...

1865 is the year the American Civil War ended.

AGL said...

The problem here is How can one tell if the women and children in this situation were being used as human shield were there on their own free will..That is the million dollar question..

joan williams said...

Hopefully a Commission of Enquiry will determine where human shields were there voluntarily. I steadily maintain however that children are not in a position (not considered mature enough in any civilised society) to "volunteer"!