Let Daryl do it
GENE AUTRY and I won the first three games against Dessie and The Dunce, bringing forth my usual taunt, “Half-Way-Tree! Next stop Telephone Company.”
That was then. Names change, but Carlton Crescent is still a landmark.
Regular kibitzer, ‘Haemorrhoid’, didn’t like domino derision. He predicted that, in the NFL, ungentlemanly conduct would one day draw a flag. Everybody knows Haemorrhoid. Ernest H. Flower was a lazy Articled Clerk who continuously complained about “piles and piles” of files on his desk. His Conveyancing mantra was: “All I want is a clean sale!” So we converted his middle initial into a very visual nickname. He knew not dominoes but, with hilarious shaggy dog tales always handy, was a welcome spectator.
Haemorrhoid immediately launched the saga of the Young Gunslinger:
“A young man in the Wild West wanted to be the best gunfighter alive.
He practiced every day but knew he was missing something that would make him the best. One night, while sitting in a saloon, he spotted an old man who had the reputation of being the greatest gunfighter in his day. So the young fella told the old man his dream.
The old man looked him up and down and said, ‘I’ve a suggestion that’s sure to help.’
‘Tell me,’ said the young man. ‘Tie the bottom of your holster lower on your leg.’
‘Will that make me a better gunfighter?’
‘Definitely!’
The young gunman did as advised. Then, in a flash, he drew his gun and shot the bow tie off the piano player.
‘Wow! That really helped. Any more suggestions?’
‘Yeah, if you cut a notch in the top of your holster, where the hammer hits, the gun will come out smoother.’
‘Will that make me a better gunfighter?’
‘It sure will.’
The young guy followed the recommendation; drew his gun in a blur; and shot a cufflink off the piano-player.
‘This is really helping. Is there anything else?’
‘One more thing,’ said the old man, ‘Get that can of axle grease over there and rub it all over your gun.’
The young man didn’t hesitate but spread grease just on the gun’s barrel.
‘No, the whole gun, handle and everything,’ said the old man.
‘Will that make me a better gunfighter?’
‘No,’ said the old man, ‘but when Wyatt Earp gets done playing that piano he’s going to shove that gun up your rear end, and it won’t hurt as much.’”
Haemorrhoid’s tall tale reverberated in my head as I read the wild speculation generated by Daryl Vaz’s USA visa returned with a strange annotation.
On November 10, 2019, after Daryl’s visa was revoked in the context of Vaz being a former USA citizen who renounced citizenship to serve his country, I wrote ( Gleaner: ‘Visa revocation is not just a Vaz problem’):
“For something like this to come out of the blue; for the Jamaican government and people to be so blind-sided by this hostile action against Jamaica is something our government should pursue with aggression and commitment. Daryl shouldn’t be hung out to dry and asked to pursue a personal mission to have his visa returned. This is NOT, and can never be, a personal matter.”
NO RIGHT
Now USA has performed a foreign policy pirouette, using whatever CYA technique it chose, Jamaican citizens must realise they’ve NO RIGHT to question USA’s visa/immigration decisions. It’s USA’s country. We also know USA has NO RIGHT to use visa politics to influence Jamaica’s Cabinet selection without good reason given to the Government. So, unless YOU have evidence of ministerial misconduct, don’t allow USA visa policy to mislead you into rumourmongering or conjecture.
Unprovoked, unjustified attack on someone you don’t know without first acquiring effective CYA gear (especially against lawsuit) isn’t a good idea. Who knows? That someone might turn out to be Wyatt Earp.
Meanwhile, Daryl has a job to do. Let Daryl do it.
Peace and Love!