Protests in US universities

THE EDITOR: With Trinidad and Tobago’s long-branded and apparently accepted Third World mentality, I’ve always presumed US citizens were generally more intelligent and/or knowledgeable than we Trinis.

Given Trinidad and Tobago’s political divide, it seems neither side can say or do anything without the other construing it as damaging, counterproductive to development and even tearing apart our much-admired togetherness in the process.

Over the last couple of days however, I’ve concluded that they (US citizens) are no more politically intelligent or co-operative than Trinidad and Tobago politicians and citizens.

Looking at international news, we are seeing students at various universities across the US (some of them foreign citizens) waving the flags of foreign countries and demanding the USA’s support of Israel in the Middle East conflict be halted immediately.

In 2020, after the US presidential election, diehard supporters of the losing political party invaded the US Capitol in Washington, home of the US Congress – seat of America’s very democracy – attempting to overturn the results of that election. Today, students of universities and other foreign citizens are protesting against procedures that has the approval of US directives and are waving the national flags of countries that have denounced the US from time immemorial.

In light of the protest by these students and more so by those who has demonstrated a hatred for democratic America over the years, it must be asked, where are those rigid Americans who stormed the US Capitol in Washington claiming defense and respectable procedure of their democracy?

Where are they now? Are they not seeing foreigners chaotically interrogating established US consensus?

Given Trinidad and Tobago’s horrible murder toll and the failure of our two foremost political parties and people coming together to help solve this problem, are we not on the same level with America’s politicians and citizens?

Were they (the 2020 Capitol invaders) hypnotically taking instructions from their leaders but are realistically a bunch of cowards and/or opportunists just like some of Trinidad and Tobago’s politicians and their diehard followers?

LLOYD RAGOO

Chaguanas