The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth.....

REALLY?                                        WHEN? 

The SxmPerspective is aware that a small Island like St. Maarten is almost totally dependent on the USA economy. For us to survive it is important that we keep track  of what is really happening. We need to be able to adjust so that we are not disappointed when the dollars don't come rolling in.....

Let's start by not losing hope. The end of this terrible tribulation is coming. It's a cycle, even though it doesn't look that way..... right now.  It is not apparent yet because we are so aware that many people are misguided, that many people are angry, and that many people are full of hate and fear. And, unless we just look the other way, we can see that many people are suffering.
We are painfully aware that humanity is divided and in conflict, and our World has been turned upside down. Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
Today The "Right" has a different meaning as does The "Left" and the "Middle" is confused.

Study reveals historic highs in the racial wealth gap

If you have a sense humor checkout CHRIS ROCKS version as to why Brown and Black people are not Wealthy in the United States of America. (click on the back arrow to return to the blog)


The above Sounds like we need "Change." We do. But how do we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off after sooooo many set backs? What we experience are the natural karmic consequences of what we think, say and do, and we are suffering from the consequences of the greed, fear, vain folly, and corruption of human beings —
As the truly wise have always known, this World and all life on this planet are one interdependent ecosystem. When significant parts of it are badly damaged or in disharmony or out of balance, or there is widespread human pain, grief and suffering, it causes many different kinds of harmful effects around and within this planet. It is as if our whole world is like us, and when our body, mind and spirit-soul are not in harmony and well, we are troubled and suffer in certain ways. Consequently, Mother Earth suffers, and the body of humanity suffers.
This tribulation and madness need not continue, because it was caused by Man. And there is good reason to have hope and muster up our courage, because we can and will be liberated, if we chose to be. We can and will correct and cure what ails and plagues us, and we can and will get through this. In fact, we will make the World new, which is our destiny...... if we don't improve things we will not survive.  You see, the truth is in the air and is growing stronger, despite all the misguided, misleading and even deceptive efforts to kill it. The debt ceiling crisis is opening the eyes of those who are beginning to see that members of congress do not work for the people.
We who believe in the "Truth" have learned well from history, and we’ve done our homework. Thus our coming progressive success will be lasting, and not negated and reversed yet again by the deceptive forces that are driven by greed, self-interest, and lust for worldly wealth, power, and domain. Granted, not enough people are listen to this kind of talk, but that’s merely because we are not loud or aggressive or imposing.
People believe how and why the humble, gentle, peaceful and meek shall inherit the earth, but we are not acting accordingly so we sit and wait for someone else to save us. 

Unfortunately, many people still tend to listen to those who are loud and aggressive and militant, who seek power by exalting themselves and appealing to the group ego and to emotions, prejudices, and fears — which is why we are so divided and pitted against each other.
That is why it seems as if the truth may lose once again to the deceptive forces of greed and self-interest, and it may seem like a pipe dream to think otherwise.
After all, it is difficult for most of us to keep our spirits up when growing numbers of us suffer from so many terrible things. 
You are not alone. Many people of conscience and empathy find it impossible to ignore all the greed, corruption, hypocrisy, bigotry, deception, conflict, division, trouble and violence in countries around the world. It has a horrible impact on most of us, not only on our financial status, but also on our minds, hearts, and souls.
However, as soon as enough people get the message, we will be on our way toward a brighter future. It is not the Wealthy that build the World we live in, even though the Wealthy believe they did, and they can't control it with their Wealth forever. Increasingly over the last thirty years, America has become like it was in the 1920s, when the corruption of the wealthiest few was enabled and given free rein by irresponsible, self-serving, Laissez Faire government. That resulted in a very harmful economic collapse and a horrible depression, with increased poverty, hunger and homelessness.  
The reason we have been pushed backward is because many people have simply ignored the lessons of history and indulged in some very egocentric ideas designed to justify the wealthiest few. 
That is why so many have been led to believe that they should rule by "Divine Right," that wealth is their reward, and that the poor deserve their lot because they are just lazy and don’t have what it takes to be wealthy. 
That is one of the biggest reasons the rich have been getting incredibly richer while everyone else has become far worse off financially, and that’s one of the reasons there is so much conflict and division..
However, while the conflict is largely about money, it also about political power, land, territory, domain, natural resources, Control of food and water. And because people fight over such things we have increasingly been suffering from many terrible things in this long and terrible tribulation, which has been steadily increasing.
Even so, you can be assured that if the hypocrites who masquerade as good, do not completely expose themselves with their greedy, deceptive, malicious ways, they will be exposed by truth.  

It's Not the End of the World........ like some will claim, 

it's a cycle and all cycles come to an End.

"We can still believe that the truth will set us Free."

Always Make a Great First, Second and Third Impression.

How do you get rid of the nervousness of meeting someone for the first time?
The K.I.S.S. method (12 simple things to remember) can help! 

During the first 7 seconds of a first meeting we make no less than 11 judgments about each other, assessing in a flash everything from the other person's educational level and competence to their wealth and political stripe. Given the speed at which impressions are formed, it's no snap to control how you're perceived. Nonetheless, you can tip the odds in your favor by avoiding a few common mistakes and keeping some key concepts in mind. If you’re meeting someone for the first time and breaking the ice, you’re guaranteed to blow the competition away.

Polish Thyself

I know, you know. Neat, clean, impeccable, shined = Respect. When in doubt about the proper level of formality in dress for a first meeting, opt for the more formal. Check out PitBull's tie. i.e. these new age  millionaires have figured out that the more presentable they look the greater the opportunities.

Scan the News

Before your meeting, check out the headlines. Current events often come up in the course of a conversation. If you arrive for an lunch or a cup of coffee unaware that (Jennifer Lopez will soon be in the club every night Leading the Cougars on the dance floor) it's not likely you are up to speed on everything so pick one that you can show that you are rolling with the times. Hey.... return to Earth this is about the person you are meeting (not Jenny from the block) so reference the News and move on.

Watch the Clock

Being early is nearly as BAD as being late. Besides looking like you have nothing better to do than wait,  you risk making the other person feel rushed. If necessary, kill some time in a Mature Cinema around the corner..... No not a Harry Potter movie. Don't show up and announce yourself even 5 minutes early, just be on time.

Give Yourself a Speech

If you set your mind just right, your brain will steer you through most situations. Moments before the first meeting, give yourself a quick pep talk (practice in front of mirror if possible,) reminding yourself of your ambition: to convey, first, your enthusiasm about and mastery of your initiative, and second—and this is the part we often overlook—your respect for what the person you're meeting with has to offer. Lots of us are good at outlining our plans for World conquest, but less good at honoring the other person's importance to the scheme. He/she has to feel they are getting their props.

Flash Teeth

Before you're even greeted, smile. People feel more confident when they're smiling. You're upbeat, warm, delighted to be here. "Don't use a closed-lip smile. It can look smug."
Follow Covey's advice
We have no advice better than Habit #5 from Steven Covey's book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Pair that with the immortal words often credited to Yogi Berra: "You can observe a lot just by watching." People aren't impressed by the self-absorbed. So ask questions. Find out his/her issues.

Let Him/Her See Through You

"Many believe a poker face is a strategic advantage. But often, you gain credibility only when you're completely open. You want to achieve transparency, a sense that you're confident enough to be self-critical. If he/she accurately cites a shortcoming, cop to the flaw, but in a positive way: "You're right about that, and I'm committed to improving my softball skills." Awareness of both your strengths and your weaknesses makes you seem mature and ambitious, even if you're juvenile and lazy. 

Slow Down Just a Bit

When we're nervous, we tend to talk faster than when we're relaxed. Make a deliberate effort to speak just a little more slowly than you normally do. Also, modulate your voice, changing its pitch and volume, and vary your talking pace.

Expose Yourself (NO, not that way)

Don't sit with your arms crossed. It can come across as defensive or, even worse, judgmental.

Look, but Don't be a Starry Eyed contact shows that you're interested and, further, that you're not afraid they'll recognize you from the wanted posters they saw in the Post office. But holding their gaze too long can come across as intimidating. Every 5 seconds or so, break your glance off and peek quickly to the left or the right of the person.

Settle for Simple

This is not the meeting where you explain your theory of exactly how marketing has been transformed forever by Eminem. Go for clear. Save your fascinating, paradigm-busting insights for later.

Get Out of There, Gratefully

Be sure the meeting ends before the first awkward silence tells you it's been over for 5 minutes. Your exit sentence is built around a "thank you" sentiment, but you are not grateful because he/she's such a great man/woman and you're such a nothing (unless they are 30 years older than you). You're grateful because you've enjoyed exchanging ideas with another smart, busy person.

Become a Correspondent

In this e-mail era, the power of a note sent to their Facebook account is a follow-up that can be dramatic! A few words can conveys professionalism and thoughtfulness. To send an E-mail  you need that contact info, so if you don't have it. Check Facebook, it shows you are willing to contact them without seeming like a hacker. Avoid doing the hasty, which come across as an attempt to cross something off a to-do list.


Good luck, remember there are no "Do-overs" in the real World.

Spice up your life a bit!

I've decided to get a little Personal. If we are going to live "life" to the fullest we may have to change a few things.  While we ponder when to begin it becomes too late to do. ” — Quintilian

Let's talk about DATING in the 21st Century !

Here is the first problem...... you may have to change your focus off of the ONE thing that cause most breakups these days, therefore don't make it  the primary criteria of qualifying the next person you meet.

If you find yourself widowed, divorced or you just broke up with someone who was not the right one to go the distance with and are considering reentering the dating pool, you may find that the deep end of the pool is full of new criteria for meeting someone new.  And you need a wireless internet connection for virtually all of the social media out there. The average age on Facebook is 40, over 40 is the largest growing groups, kids are running to other sites because their parents are now hogging the site..... Cool.

When you dated the old-fashioned way, in your earlier life, you met someone you liked at school or work or in the frozen food aisle of your grocery store (the cold air made you start looking for a warm smile.)  You then pursued them by calling them on the phone (if you were lucky enough to procure their phone number through a listing in what they used to call “a phone book”) and asked them on a date for the weekend.  Or you sat around and hoped they would call you.   If you were in a dry spell, advice from well- meaning family and friends might have included things like “get out there and meet people!”

Today dating is not about getting out to meet people, it is about staying home and meeting people.  Dating today consists of sitting at your desk on your laptop or on your hand held device and searching for a new love or at least a strong like.  You find people these days by joining a dating site, reading their profile or scoping out their Facebook page and checking out their pictures, following their tweets, chat room instance messaging and Skyping (now you can talk and look at them at the same time.)   So before you even send your first text, to the smiling face that caught your eye, you can actually check them out.

Today you never have to leave the comfort of your own home to become intimately and emotionally involved with someone new or renew an old friendship after years of not being in touch, they will also feel more comfortable saying things to you they would not say in person.

For many people, this is a relief.  Shopping for a new date online is as easy as shopping for new shoes.   There are hundreds of sites for dating; you can meet divorced people, widows, married people, single people who have never been married and your kind of people who just want to meet you.
Looking for Love Online: Safety First
The great thing about dating online is that you get to choose a potential partner using your own criteria for success, before you even talk on the phone, much less meet in person.  This is a great improvement from the old “meet someone in a bar” technique.  Back then, if you met someone in a restaurant, bar or in a social gathering (particularly one where alcohol is served) you had the potential to meet someone who you might actually be attracted to. And frankly, by the time you are attracted to someone in person, it is already too late. At that point, all your criteria goes out the window.  Is he/she married already?  Do they have a prison record?  Ten children?  Who cares!  You are already so into them that you are willing to walk away from all of your own weeding out criteria.

But if you are not so lucky you will be sitting at the bar when you hear "Last call before we close." 

This is not the case online. You can send the "person of choice" a msg.... at 2:00am.
If you are looking for someone online you get to punch in a whole list of demands prior to a real-life connection.  You get to choose how tall you want them to be, their age bracket, where they live, what they do for a living, how much money they make, whether they have kids or pets or if they like to collect used vacuum cleaners as a hobby.

If you are lucky enough to find someone on-line who fits all of your criteria, then you have a match...... maybe!  Only then do you meet in person and determine if there is anything physical about your attraction to each other.  Do you meet and wonder what they look like naked or wonder how fast you can drink your coffee and get out of Starbucks and still be home in time for Jeopardy?  If you are willing to miss Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to drink coffee with this person, then you have a winner.  Here is someone who already meets your needs and you are hot for them.  This is a win/win or at least a good start.

If you are getting back into the dating game later in life, you have a choice, now. Take it slow or make your new full time job a search mission.  There are so many sites now to choose from, one only has to push a button to find the next love of your life or at least a good companion online. Try this one for example black people meet. It's also a fun way to see if your EX is out there looking, just like you are!

Was a crisis averted here?

American Aviation Department confused about classification Curaçao and St. Maarten

read the Amigoe article above.


Apparently the old Aviation Authority of the former Netherlands Antilles has been left intact and for good reasons: ( (1) As one of the deplorable legacies of our previous position as an Island Territory of the Netherlands Antilles, SXM never developed the infrastructure or the expertise locally to operate such an authority.

(2) It might have been the choice between a  joint Authority or have the Dutch send in their people to take charge of the show. Not a very good idea. The only flaw I see with my limited knowledge of the situation is the need for the Authority to receive permission to conduct audits etc, if my understanding of the article is correct. Air Transport Security is too vital and in many cases of to great an urgency to have delays built into the system of inspection and decision making. We need let the Authority do its work and report to the Minister. Then begin working on setting up our own Authority.

On another point: Of course the FAA is confused. The Dutch system confuses the Rest of the World over and over again. Things like reducing the age of consent to 12 years and turning the concept of a coffee shop into hard drugs retail stores etc.

I am sure members of the United Nations are scratching their heads wondering what the hell are "Public Entities" such Saba, Sint Eustatius and Bonaire?

WILLEMSTAD — Due to a misunderstanding last weekend, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) almost downgraded the classification of Curaçao and St. Maarten, the shared aviation category, from aviation category-1 to category-2. Such a downgrade would mean the end of flights from the islands to the United States. Due to intervention of the Curaçao Aviation Authority (CLA) and the Department of Foreign Relations, the misunderstanding was elucidated last Monday and the original classification (category-1) maintained.

The downgrade, of which there was a question, caused a commotion since last Thursday because category-2 is assigned to airports with a questionable status of operation. The FAA assumed that after the dismantlement of the Netherlands Antilles, the shared category-1 of Curaçao and St. Maarten was no longer applicable and that the two countries should have a separate aviation supervisory organ as well as a separate rating category. The CLA informed the FAA that they were still the aviation authority in the field of supervision and registration of aircrafts on behalf of St. Maarten and that the code-sharing agreement is still effective. A choice was made for this construction at the end of last year by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Curaçao and St. Maarten.

CLA-director Vilmo Pieter explains that the FAA was informed last year, even before the political changes. “Something apparently went wrong within their internal communication channels and these developments certainly surprised us. We now have an agreement for an audit before the end of the year – in accordance with the International Aviation Safety Assessments (IASA) – which is scheduled for September 12^th. However, before this audit can take place, Curaçao and St. Maarten are to sign a MOU because we don’t have jurisdiction on that island and require permission,” says Pieter.

The Daily Herald on St. Maarten states that at the time of the misunderstanding, the FAA had at least notified one of the large American airline companies – the US Airways – on the degradation, which had an immediate effect on the flights from local airline company Winair, suddenly having to transfer their passengers to other flights. Airline Company US Airways restored the code-sharing agreement of Winair on Tuesday. The circulating rumors last weekend that the airport of Curaçao would be downgraded also confused the local media, assuming the degradation was related to the state of the airport and the current independent audit by CLA. According to CLA-director, the newspaper Ultimo Noticia made a ‘rash report’ on the matter, mentioning old citations on the ‘deplorable’ state of the airport, linking it to the current audit. In view of this report, the director of Curaçao Airport Partners (CAP), Albert Brunner, listed the many investments during the past year in improving the airport. The CLA-report on the audit is still afoot. Only a ‘draft’ version was forwarded to the Ministry of Traffic and Transport.

Were we close to having the above airline as our main International carrier out of St. Martin?

What's the opinion of our SXM Ministry of Traffic and Transport on this above article....  I have not seen anything to date in the local News papers.. 

"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference." - Mark Twain

‎"There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem." 

Which one are YOU. Are you a thinker who focuses on the problem as stated and tries to synthesize information and knowledge to achieve a solution? Or are you one who just talks about what is wrong?

My attitude these days is to try and ignore annoyances this is why I take long walks up hill, especially after listing to people who are serving up lip service by talking about things they don't really  understand!
Everyday I see things on CNN or read something in the local News papers and wonder: Are these people dealing from a full deck? The World is full of complicated issues, which is a spaghetti bowl of interconnected problems. The economy in the Affluent World is still sputtering, energy cost is still sky high. Wars are still being fought in the Middle East where most of the fuel energy comes from. The debt ceiling in the USA is the current big issue, until August, and people are acting like it is their chance to grab the brass-ring. They are hoping to take advantage of a crisis to push forward their agendas.
In My opinion: Conservatives are Idiots, Liberals are Idiots any group that is stuck on some ridiculous ideology are, YES, IDIOTS. We have crisis after crisis because IDIOT-OLOGY (I just created a new Word and a name for the Tea Party platform) maybe I should run and Patton it. What does this have to do with the SXM Perspective? Everything... clear and simple. OUR World is tied to their World. Our Tourism economy depends on us being able to host more people than we did last year (give or take 2.2 million.) because the numbers that came didn't do what we hoped they would for our economy. Let me break it down for you 1.5 million of them will most likely not return this season..... They came off the Cruise Ships, looked around, and now they can boast about having been to St. Maarten without spending hardly anything.  A NEW set will come this season and do the same thing. Maybe the numbers will be greater (hopefully) we just have to wait and see because we have no control over what the cruise lines bring. The other 700 thousand came off of air-crafts, By the way  30% were transfer passengers to our neighboring Island they left without setting foot outside of our airport.  Simple math here, that is 210 thousand who also will most likely not return to stay on St. Maarten. Where am I going with this? We are living on HOPE. We are excepting this reality and thinking to ourselves, well it is what it is. We need to STOP and start putting your thought to work and start planning, we need to look at what can be done to improve our product to create new interest in SXM. Lip service will not get it done anymore especially in these tough economic times. The Opinion article in The Daily Herald addresses the concerns of a citizen who has identifies what he sees as the problems and offers some solutions.
The problem is...... we can make suggestions for improvements but we are.... POWERLESS to bringing about CHANGE. We do not have the resources to make it happen. The days when, word of mouth brought new tourist to Island are over. Those folks who came during the good times are now aging and traveling less and less.  The Man who has the Gold (Tourism property owners) will not invest in improvements to upgrade their product unless someone can assure them that they will recover their investments within one or two seasons. Look at how long it took Mullet bay hotel owner to cleanup the mess since Hurricane Luis.*(16 long years) So here we go again another off season where we should be planning to grab our share of a NEW Tourism Market  (travelers ages 25 -50) before someone else does, We are just sitting and waiting for Government to do the impossible with a budget that can't stretch but so far. Last time I checked they took months to come up with a budget that cannot do what is necessary to run this side of the Island....... properly. Thanks to a Budget agreement that was made prior to 10-10-10 which will continue to cause us more problems than it will HELP..... we are stuck. Unless we can renegotiate these Budget constraints. We can't borrow money to create new markets, so the NEW travelers could pick other destinations offering then packages that meet their needs. This means things may not get better, we may even get to the point where more businesses doors (in some areas) will be closing which will continue to have a domino affect. Resulting in a broken SXM Product!

Playing dominoes maybe the National pastime on   St. Maarten but it is now becoming the symbol of our economic forecast, unless we come up with some new ideas that we can implement within 4 months.....

On our local news front Holiday, Shigemoto, sign budget into law  This means we can borrow a whopping NAf. 117,334,209 million for 2011. Sounds impressive until reality points out that it is half of the price tag it will take to finish the New Administration building which we are paying for without using it. Even if 117,334,209 million was in US dollars it wouldn't be enough to do much because the New Government Administration built on the SALT pond  will probably have cost over runs because they will need to replace what is already rusting etc..... So there you have it folks. We need investment Capital  and new ideas to upgrade and maintain our Product SXM.  Back when Aruba got their new status they received millions in loans from the Kingdom government to build their tourism product. We are just asking for some consideration to be able to service ours, which by the way has better numbers to date than Aruba.... We have the superior LOCATION and a more diverse Island 2 for 1.  
This is a call to action. More suggestions are needed than just those in the article below.




Some suggestions for the long-term sustainability of the tourist industry 

The Revolution will not be Televised, because all Revolutions happen live!

Where will you stand during the Revolution?  And how many of us will stand for what is RIGHT.

1. People who do not have the power to decide their faith are not Free.
2. People who are divided can not stand together. 
3. People who believe that they need a superisory power to rule them will always look for someone else to provide for them, control them and reign over them.

Not to long ago I drove across the Border to the Northern side of the Island. As I approached Marigot I saw 3 armed members of the French occupation force. Two of them stood on each side of a vehicle with their right hands on their guns, talking to individuals in the vehicle. The third stood almost in the road with a AUTOMATIC weapon in a ready to shoot posture. I asked myself: Is this Libya, Iran, Iraq or St. Martin? This wasn't a SWAT raid on drug traffickers, this was a routine traffic control checkpoint, checking for valid licenses and insurance. Seeing this made my blood boil. If Tourist, on the Island, took pictures of this and  published it in a major magazine. I believe readers would wonder if this was the norm. The answer would be, YES. Is this a FRIENDLY ISLAND? Would they feel safer seeing that the Northern side of a Border-less Island have a "READY" to shoot, at the drop of dime, occupation force roaming the streets..... I don't feel safer, I feel under siege when I'm over there.
The Northern citizens/residence don't seem to have a problem with it..... Why is that? They are use to it and are powerless to change it. I had a problem with it because I'm not of that mindset, my vision of Freedom does not allow me to except it. Frankly I'm glad my Grandmother (born in French quarter) had all of her children on the Southern side of the Island. But are we really any different on the South side? Or are we under siege in a slightly different system?

The following was an address that I found interesting. I think you might hear a ring for "Freedom" in the message.    

July 1st, 2011 

Emancipation Day Address of Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell at Extraordinary Plenary Session of Parliament. Madam President, His Excellency drs. Eugene Holiday, Governor of St. Martin, Acting Prime Minister, Honorable Theodore Heyliger Honorable Members of Parliament, Colleagues in the Council of Ministers, Honorable Counselor representing the government in the North,  Dr. Louis Jeffry, Distinguished Guests,    Residents of our beloved St. Martin,  Ladies and Gentlemen:  On a day like this, 28 years ago, the Newsday of Jose Lake Jr., ran a front page editorial with the title, "Never Again!" The edition was commemorating the 120th anniversary of the official declaration of Emancipation on St. Martin, the southern half or what many refer to as the "Dutch side". Since that date, at least, there has been a clamor for July 1st, Emancipation Day, to be declared a national public holiday. Little did I know then that Providence would grant me the honor and privilege of being in a position to make it happen. From the moment I entered into government, priority number one for me was to make July 1st an official National Public Holiday. The process began in December 2010, less than two months after I took office. At the time, I signaled my intention to bring before Parliament a draft law that would make Emancipation Day, a national public holiday. The Council of Ministers approved the draft law more than two months ago. This draft law is making its way through the constitutionally mandated channels and I hope Parliament would be able to handle it when it returns from recess. In the meantime, however, recognizing the importance of this day for all St. Martiners, the Council of Ministers decided to grant all government workers the day off. I must also thank you, Madam President, for honoring my request to convene this Extraordinary Plenary Session of Parliament to mark this historic date. We have come a long way as a people, as a nation, in our eternal march towards freedom. But freedom is not free, as the saying goes, Madam President. Our enslaved ancestors knew that and never gave up the struggle to be free. At every opportunity, they took their freedom. Some of them escaped and formed thriving maroon societies far from the reach of those who had enslaved them. If we study the history of the maroons–and there were maroons in St. Martin also–we would better understand where our resilience and fighting spirit as a people came from. Emancipation, Madam President, did not come about as a result of a change of heart by those who enslaved our ancestors: it is the victory of the indomitable human spirit over the inhumanities and injustices of Slavery. What we are celebrating today is therefore the hard fought freedom of our ancestors whose struggle gave testament to the saying that "men are enslaved by force but remain slaves by choice." This is a powerful statement that should make all of us reflect on the constitutional path we have chosen. In two referenda six years apart, the people of St. Martin chose to remain within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a choice we need to revisit; it is a choice our leaders led us into. What will history say about our choice? What will our own children say about it? Would they be able to celebrate that choice as a victory? Victory over what? Victory over who? Slavery was an evil system of mad exploitation and dehumanizing oppression. It stigmatized both the oppressed and the oppressor. The effects of Slavery are still very much with us today. Its psychological impact still lingers on. It is like a deeply infected wound which we think is cured by bandaging it. The smell it oozes out alone is toxic. The only way for it to heal would be to cleanse the wound, sanitize it, disinfect it, and apply an ointment that may burn us, before drying it up. What we have been doing thus far, is seeking short-cuts to real and enduring freedom. There is no short cut to freedom, Madam President. There is no measure for it either. You cannot be half-free, somewhat free, or almost free: you are either free or not. And freedom, in my humble view, is the condition sine qua non for progress. No one understood this better than Frederick Douglas, who said: "If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle." Or as Peter Tosh would have said, "Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die." Madam President, may I emphasize here that for us on St. Martin, that struggle is not yet over. Our freedom is still a work in progress. We need a Redemption Song: Bob Marley's Redemption Song, so that, as he so beautifully sings, we can "emancipate ourselves from mental slavery" because "none but ourselves can free our minds." That emancipation from mental slavery must start in our schools. May I announce here before Parliament, Madam President, that one of my goals as Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, is to embark on a comprehensive revision of our school curricula so that our children would no longer be taught that Columbus "discovered" St. Martin when in fact he didn't even put foot on the island. We must not continue to tell our children we are from "the Dutch side" or "French side," but from St. Martin. Period! And if we want to be more specific, why not from Reward, Colebay, or Marigot, Grand Case? If we look carefully, we would see that St. Martin is lost when we say "Dutch side" or "French side." Our media must join in this struggle to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery by, for example, telling the truth about July 1st, 1863: our ancestors had actually won their freedom since 1848 at the very least, when the French abolished Slavery on all their territories, including the North of our island. I note with disappointment, and wish I could say surprise, at the fact that when I picked up the two daily papers this morning, there were no supplements on Emancipation Day, like I've seen on events such as the Heineken Regatta and Halloween. As we celebrate Emancipation Day today, we must remember the sacrifice of our ancestors by virtue of which we can walk around today without shackles. Let us, therefore, also resolve NEVER to lower our guards. Freedom that we fail to claim, freedom that we fail to defend and protect, is freedom lost. Let us pledge to work towards that freedom which is the destiny of all peoples and all nations: political freedom. If, as Lasana Sekou says, the Great Salt Pond is the cradle of our nation, that nation remains in gestation, and it can only be born when our own flag can fly high in the St. Martin blue sky, without being subordinate to any other flag, as the late Dr. Claude Wathey said at the hoisting of the St. Martin flag. And speaking of flags, Madam President, it is my intention to propose that Flag Day be merged with Emancipation Day since both are symbols of who we are. And who are we really, Madam President? All it takes for us to find the answer to that question is to flip through the pages of our history and culture. We are the salt of the earth, not just because we have numerous salt ponds that made the first owners of this land to call it Soualiga, land of salt, but also because in many ways, we are unique. We are so unique that we often ignore to name Francis August Perrinon among our heroes in spite of the fact that this famous abolitionist, son of a freed enslaved African woman, and a major shareholder in salt ponds on both halves of the island, was the first to introduce equal pay for equal work for all his workers regardless of their color, creed, status, class, or place of origin. We are so unique that the Ponum, our national dance, the dance of freedom, speaks of how "massa" had tried to hide the news of the Proclamation of Emancipation from our enslaved ancestors, who, like the Diamond 26, had, however, been fleeing into freedom in the North, 15 years before Governor Crol issued his proclamation, all the way in Curacao. Madam President, the seeds of who we are today can be found buried in our salt ponds and in our plantations; in our folk songs and wise sayings; in our cuisine and in our poems and paintings; in our labor and in our fete. We need to water those seeds so they could germinate into strong trees, like the flamboyant–the July or Emancipation tree. And when I say "we," I mean all St. Martiners: in the North and in the South; in the East and the West; at home and abroad; born here or born elsewhere. Emancipation Day is not for any one particular group of people: it is for all freedom lovers because none of us can truly be free until all of us are free.  Happy Emancipation Day! God bless St. Martin! I thank you.