It would be difficult to say you are more wrong than usual because that is a very high standard for you to meet, but in this case, you may have actually raised the bar.
To suggest that "someone put me up to it" or that it was a campaign ploy of some sort for me to have written what I have is so absurd on its face as to be laughable. I realize that I don't prattle on every day like you do about everything there is to imagine with your homespun homilies, but I have made my opinions known often enough for the last 20 years or so for it to be crystal clear that no one puts me up to anything. I sign my name to everything I write and I stand directly behind everything I write.
As to the rest, I recognize again that often simple direct concepts elude you, so let me try to make my position plain and clear. Yes, in no uncertain terms I believe your elected government acted completely irresponsibly in denying access to the French. If the situation had been reversed, you would hear me condemning the French just as roundly.
Yes, I believe that law and order stand above all else in a modern society. I believe that when you sign up to live somewhere you agree to abide by the laws. At that same moment the government says to you " We will protect you from harm from the criminals." I believe that the SXM local government abdicated that responsibility to its citizens when it said to the French, "Get lost: not enough police? Tough luck." What they did at that moment has put every Dutch-side resident who happened to be on the French side in danger. There is no way to spin the meaning. The Dutch-side government sided with the criminals. If that concept eludes you, I'm sorry. I can't help you with that.
Yes, what I wrote and what I meant was explicitly critical of government. That's what opinion is all about. You don't like my opinion? Get over it! You don't think I have the right to express it? That's a different question and makes you even further out of touch than usual because, in the end, it's your government and your country. You get to run it like you want and continue to put up $250,000 flag poles when people had no roofs on their houses and that you can't fly a flag on for more than a few days without destroying it .
Or take 2 years (so far ) to fix an airport that is your life's blood. Or decide to hold elections every few months so anything that got started years ago now gets started all over again, so more consultants can be hired. Or allow caravans of 50 quads of tourists on vehicles not fit for road use to back traffic up for 1000 meters, and then complain about traffic congestion... the list is endless.
In the final analysis, Russell, it simply doesn't matter if the protestors are right or wrong
(and in this case, I was equally clear that I agree with them) it simply comes down to law and order , protecting your citizens and most of all, maintaining an intelligent relationship with the Government across the border.
Do I think the French will remember this? Absolutely. I would. And I would never forgive you for it. When your neighbour's house is on fire and he asks to use your water pipe to put it out and you rock back in your chair and say "Naw... not today", what do you think the reaction would be? Would he send you cake on Christmas? Not likely!
Steven Johnson
