It is usually hard to prove connection between certain messages and the action of people who may have heard those messages. That's partly why the argument that seeks to connect 'violent Jamaican homophobia' with the lyrics of Dancehall artists can be so contentious. That argument is not what I'm about today though.

Listen nuh, I got a pleasant and encouraging email message this week from Dominic Jones, a proud Jamaican living overseas, who was recently home for Christmas. He was sharing his pleasure at seeing ads on local TV by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) encouraging Jamaicans to exercise caution on the roads and obey traffic laws. And he was particularly pleased that they NRSC chose to use two comedians to push the positive vibes about not drinking and driving.

I actually think they are a very apt choice, because those two comics are among a very small minority of men who you will never ever see around a steering wheel while intoxicated. Why? They neither smoke, nor drink any form of alcoholic beverage. Their only form of intoxicant is hilarity!

Jones went on to note that the past Christmas holiday period "was a bit better in the road-accidents area" and suggested that maybe the messages were having a positive effect. What unnu tink? Is there a connection?

Hey, a next thing. Unnu must hear by now 'bout what gwaan last week in the US. The story is all over the news about a gunman who fired at Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as she met with constituents outside a grocery. The senseless attack killed a chief judge and five others, and injured several people including the politician who's now battling for life in a hospital. That is sad eeh?

assassination attempt

But hear this, according to what I've been reading, the assassination attempt happened in a one of the areas that Sarah Palin had on a list of 'targeted seats' as she encouraged Americans to 'take a stand' against the Obama government in the recent November 2010 election. And interestingly, the targeted seats were depicted on a map on Palin's Facebook page with that 'plus-sign-inside-a-circle' thingy, that we know as the crosshairs of a gun scope.

Also, the man Giffords beat to win her seat is Republican challenger Jesse Kelly who, in his quest to unseat her, held fundraisers where he urged supporters to help remove her from office by joining him to shoot a fully loaded M-16 rifle. He, by the way, is a former Marine who was pictured on his website in military gear with an automatic weapon in hand, to promote his event.

Naturally, as they search for answers, some people have openly wondered whether the gunman's action may have been fuelled, to some extent, by the atmosphere of intense conflict, divisiveness and combative symbolisms. In response, John Ellinwood, a spokesman for Kelly, insists that he can't see any connection. You see any?

Talking about connections, there's a Jamaica ex-soldier living in Canada, Wayne Bowen, who, since leaving the JDF, has stayed far from guns. He's actually an excellent chef who puts on a big banquet twice a year and caters for weddings and dinner-dances, and so on, in between. Well, after a series of very successful events put on by his WSB promotions, Bowen has now established himself as an effective promoter of live comedic events in Toronto with his unique brand called 'Laughstration'. He insists that a feast of fine food and the sound of healthy laughter go well together and, for him, that's the best connection.

I think so too. How 'bout you?

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