Author: Rock Hackshaw

As the years have gone by I have come to a simple conclusion: people blog for different reasons; some of which aren’t healthy. This conclusion in itself isn’t profound, but it has been arrived at in some very hard ways, with some inner pain and through a lot of disappointing revelations. 

Recently, many people have called me to reiterate something(s) said to me years ago: “Ignore the fools who perpetually attack you on the blogs”. And in my last column I really felt I had finally gotten some kinda closure of sorts; but I was wrong: so let me try one more time. 

When I was invited to be one of the original members of Room Eight’s writer’s colony, I was apprehensive. This was primarily because I saw the way the “silly people” (I don’t want to go profane here /as yet) had behaved, on the blog then called “Politicker”.

In journalism school they warn you not to publish stuff that isn’t verifiable; since the stuff you publish could be false and the repercussions can be devastating at times. Thus as a journalist you should get at least two good sources before you consider going with any item. Funny thing is I have given this lecture to many a student, and yet I was guilty of this cardinal journalistic-sin recently. You see, I misinterpreted what a source told me about someone’s illness and wrote that the person had passed away. It was an experience for me (to say the least). To this day, I genuinely believe it was what I was told (or heard).

Room Eight New York Politics (www.r8ny.com) is the blog site where one of my Puerto-Rican brothers in activism (Manny Burgos) promised an early response to my last column on the Puerto Rican situation -relative to its future relationship with the USA. A good thing I didn’t hold my breath. So while Mr. Burgos tries to (re)fashion and (re)shape his arguments for Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state of these (dis)United States, let me give him some more to think about. 

Whenever you ask Hispanics about the current PR situation (as a ward of the USA), I invariably get an apology of sorts. No matter where the person originated (Caribbean, Europe or Latin America), I will hear similar things like: “Well what else can they do?” “They don’t have natural resources of any significance to fall back on”. “They need the USA; otherwise they will be worse off than any of the many backward(s) 3rd world countries in Africa”. “You want another Haiti in the Caribbean Sea?” “The people will suffer; there will be even greater poverty”. And so on, and so on.

Many folks complain that I don’t write enough about the happenings (and political gossip) in Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx: they are correct. I had always hoped that some activist type would come up on Room Eight New York Politics (www.r8ny.com) and cover those boroughs for us: but alas, it hasn’t happened yet.  In this “Vines” column I will try to touch on some races in the other boroughs folks; but you all know Brooklyn is where my heart is; after all, Brooklyn is my stomping grounds.

The laborious petition process starts in one month, and you can expect lots of action in the upcoming September primary races all over the city. In the immortal words (well, the gist) of Viola Plummer: Let’s pray that a few incumbents get “assassinated” or “whacked” (of course I am speaking politically/lol). 

Look, I wasn’t born on the island of Puerto Rico, or on one of those little islands situated nearby (like Vieques for example); so one can say I have no standing on this matter of PR’s relationship with the USA: and that’s fine with me. However, like most things political in nature, I do have a healthy opinion; and the last time I looked, I have a constitutional right to express that opinion: so afford me that luxury here folks. 

I was born in the Caribbean. On an arrogant island -of a little less than two thousand square miles- called Trinidad. It is part of a Republic named Trinidad and Tobago; since it has been historically coupled with the tiny Tobago (116 square miles) situated a dozen miles north. This coupling -like so many things Caribbean and Latin American- was imposed by European colonizers (the British in particular in 1889). It is undisputable that Europeans made the Caribbean islands, plus North, South and Central America their playground of sorts, from the fifteenth century onwards. In fact, as I write this, many of the European nations still attempt to maintain their antics through economics, religion, politics, militarism, one-sided diplomacy, duress, unfair trading arrangements, monetary policy and the like.

If you want to get a pulse beat on what’s really going on in Trinidad and Tobago society, then all you have to do get down there during the carnival season and go to the calypso tents. Calypso usually reflects the harsh realities of life in these twin islands; and sometimes they can be brutally harsh with their truths. During the past three carnival seasons, many a calypso singer has recorded his/her disgust with the leadership of Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the ruling political party (PNM). 

As I write this column, the naked truth is this: on any given day, you are about ten times more likely to be murdered in Trinidad than in New York. And if you compare crime stats coming out from the island(s) with those from England, then London is over 50 times safer than TNT; similarly situated (though lower) is Canada, Cuba and near every other state in the USA.

Those of you who have been following my columns and posts for the past five years must be aware that I have written many columns directly relating to Senator Kevin Parker’s explosive temper. Initially there were those detractors who would come up on the blogs to attack me for highlighting his lack of decorum and his uneven (sometimes volatile) temperament. And then there were those who suggested I was angry for not being the senator, since I did initially consider running for his seat (when newly created in 2002). I also demonstrated that he lacked integrity, for going back on his word during the early 2002 campaign for the 21st senatorial district. It was one of the reasons why I withdrew from the race back then. 

Andrew Cuomo is the present Attorney general for the state of New York. He has held this position since the first day of January 2007. He has done reasonably well for himself in this spot. He has avoided any personal scandals recently, and got sympathy from most folks when his high profile marriage to one of the “Kennedy” girls didn’t work out. C’est la vie! 

He is the son of a former three-term New York governor (Mario Cuomo-1983 thru 1994), who was the sweetest political speaker before Barack Obama.

Shoot! Mario’s speeches dripped saccharin. He talked about issues. He offered solutions to problems. He talked about social- justice and equality. He talked about poverty and civil rights. He talked about building a shining city on the hill, inclusive of everyone- no matter what race, religion, ethnicity or nationality; but he probably built as many jail cells as school-classrooms for that shining city: during his mediocre tenure. Still, his feel good speeches inspired New Yorkers to vote him into the governor’s mansion three times in a row. 

There has been a raging debate over immigration reform which has been taking place for too many years now. I have kept relatively silent for many solid reasons. One of which is the fact that I am foreign born. I didn’t want the silly people who troll these blogs to accuse me of some built-in bias.

Despite the fact that I do try to look at issues objectively for the most part, there are those trolls who just post crap in the threads for whatever reason their strange minds perceive. Recently, I was pleasantly surprised when V.J. Machiavelli told me to my face, that I am relatively open minded about most issues (or something to that effect); since VJ is one of those blog trollers I observe and study. He is very lucid when you meet him in person. He is nowhere near the silly and strange poster he sometimes projects.  I found him to be quite engaging: pleasantly so.

I have known John Sampson for near twenty years now. He is one of the most likeable politicians in Brooklyn. Period. He is not the type to make a lot of waves, nor is he the type to go looking for enemies, controversies or problems. He is essentially a diplomat. He is also a nice guy. He honestly tries to get along with all people. Unlike many elected blacks, he doesn’t harp on race and ethnicity – even though he skillfully played up his Caribbean-American heritage /ethnicity, to gain his initial victory fourteen years ago. His father was born in Guyana, South America; and his mother was an Afro from the South.