Parsons taking us for fools
THE EDITOR, Sir: S FAR as the case involving the Reverend Al Miller is concerned, I must say that I don’t really believe the man’s argument that he was trying to avoid bloodshed by taking then fugitive Dudus to the American embassy, for at least two good reasons.
First, the reverend told us that he was acting with the full knowledge and consent of the Police High Command. Of course, since he made that claim, the police have flatly denied that they gave any agreement to such a scheme. Now, clearly, someone is not telling the truth here.
However, isn’t it a bit strange that the police would give the reverend permission to frustrate its efforts to find Dudus when the police were doing all they could to find him? After all, why would the police do that?
Also, if the reverend is telling the truth (and I am not here saying that he isn’t), why did he not get this commitment from the Police High Command in writing – to protect himself?
Then there was Dudus’ wig. Now, the objective of any disguise is to deceive. If the reverend was really acting in agreement with the police, why would he try to hide Dudus’ true identity with that wig when he was stopped on that highway? You know, come to think of it, it is a wonder the reverend did not dress up Dudus in eyelashes, high heels, lipstick and a dress, too!
AI think the reverend should consider himself very lucky that he was not sent to prison. Then again, maybe it is not luck – as in Jamaica, it would seem, small people usually get big sentences, while big people usually get small sentences.
UNRESERVED SUPPORT
However, notice how the reverend’s congregation and many other church leaders gave their unreserved support to the convicted clergyman? The reverend’s flock is a very good example of why I continue to maintain that many of our churches are nothing more than centres of mind control.
As for his fellow church leaders, their unqualified support lends much credence to the saying that ‘birds of a feather flock together’!
However, with this fiasco behind the reverend, I would like to suggest two things to our pastors: If you really want to help the police in the way that the reverend claimed he was, for Pete’s sake – get the police’s consent in writing!
If, on the other hand, you want to attempt to pervert the course of justice (and I am not here necessarily saying that this is what the reverend was doing), be creative.
The next time I see any church leader on my television set telling me to be a lawabiding person, I will have my salt ready to sprinkle on the set! MICHAELA. DINGWALL michael_a_dingwall@ hotmail.com Kingston