By Yves Ephraim
WHAT PRICE ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY FOR A US VISA?
I am not asking about the actual price for a US VISA application which could run you at least US$185.00 plus airfare to Barbados, local transportation and accommodations.
I am actually talking about how much are you willing to pay for the convenience of a visa at the expense of sacrificing your birthright, freedom, dignity and sovereignty?
This is a question worth pondering deeply.
When I mention birthright I refer to our ability to say no to being made a dumping ground for refugees;
Freedom refers to not giving up our biometrics freely to foreign powers to surveil our citizens. (Will Antigua and Barbuda authorities have the same ease to access US Citizen’s biometrics?)
Dignity refers to our ability to go about our business, standing tall, without fear of being bullied for who we are.
And finally, sovereignty refers to our right to refuse what is not in our national interest.
All of these must be defended in order to keep them.
Having a US Visa does provide convenience, but what exactly will you lose by not being able to travel to the US?
Lets us suppose that the United States after having reached full greatness decided to completely shut the doors to all Antiguans and Barbudans, what would you do, then? By the way, this is not as far-fetched as you may think.
Would your life fall completely to pieces? Would you lack alternatives?
What is your reaction to the prospect of losing your visa?
If your reaction is total panic, could it be, as Bob Marley articulated, that your mindset is a product of mental slavery or is it just an example of the Stockholm syndrome?
For the sake of preserving your birthright, freedom, dignity and sovereignty, are you prepared to suffer hard times?
This is the quintessential question we all must answer.
Your answer will reflect to what degree you cherish your freedoms!
Whether Antigua and Barbuda remains a sovereign nation or become the hopeless footstool of the neo-colonialist powers, will ultimately be determined by our collective answers.
Unlike our African ancestors, they were not presented with a choice of travelling to be a slave or remaining in their own land.
We have a choice.
Do we become slaves with our creature comforts or remain freemen with hard times?
Taking a stand will require sacrifice.
Are we ready to trade in our visa for hard times?
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Some of you all have your dual citizenship ie American and US so there is this flex. I so want Trump pass a decree making it mandatory for all green card holders to reside in the US let’s see people’s true loyalty.
Semper Virens
There is a saying ” if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”.
Well the relationship has been broken with the US and Antigua, and it definitely needs to be fixed, because it’s that important.
Forget visa for now, because that’s just a negotiation like any other the Chinese or anyone else have done with their MOU’s, but how are we going to fix the relationship, because been able to get back the visa deal would not fix it.
This relationship is vital, and it wasn’t always a ” transactional relationship” that it has become lately.
We have a government that has inserted itself in other major nations affairs, and that’s why we are here, seemingly about to sell our souls to US, when we never had to do that to garner our relationship.
All the US has asked or expected from the US for decades now, is that we stay out of their way on the global seen, but now we have a leader who has dabbled with the enemy, in China, Venezuela, Cuba, and a few others, the US are now forced to make it a ” Transactional Relationship” because we have GB taking gift from the enemy and forcing the hands of the US.
The same as the EU and Canada are forced to make it such same ” Transactional Relationship”.
Well it wasn’t always so. Americans always loved us/carribean because we were nice, honest and beautiful people, but that has changed because we have leaders who have being sleeping with the enemy for the past 20 years or so.
The question is, how are we going to fix this relationship, not just get back Visa’s, because don’t get it twisted, our relationship with the US is tantamount.
Here is a question. Does Antigua wants the US as a Enemy or a Friend?
It cannot be both, so answer wisely.
I’ll leave it at that.
We are a dot in the sea and on the map. We produce nothing. We have no gold or oil. So shut the hell up about independence, freedom and sovereignty. All figments of imagination. And stop talking about the Motherland. Africa is in the same position. And most Africans in Africa yearn to go to the US. Remember the Cameroonians who risked death and some drowned, to get to the US. What are we really giving up. 75% of so called Antiguans and Barbudans going back to the 60s have been conveniently born in the USVI and the US.
So we have to take in a handful of refugees. So what? They are human beings. Illegals are just poor people who go to another country where they think the grass in greener. Thousands of illegal Antiguans are in the US. Like most illegals they work hard, pay taxes and are honest and hardworking.
@Islanman26 – what world do you live in or are you from? Take a read of Jamaica’s Kincaid book and you will understand how American’s felt about us. Take a listen to conservative media and you will hear it being made clear that the US has had enough of non white immigrants. Trump himself has made clear that they more want people from Europe. They have engaged in policies that not only stop regular visitors but also international students. Let me end by quoting their prez: “When I said, you know, ‘Why can’t we allow people to come in from nice countries, I’m trying to be nice,’ … Nice countries, you know like Denmark, Switzerland? Do we have any people coming in from Denmark? How about Switzerland? How about Norway?” “
The quintessential thing is sacfifice. Many sees the US as they next best thing to Heaven and would suggest that we do whatever it takes to have our visa access restored. But down the road, other issues are bound to pop up. Like the US is asking every Caribbean country to accept refugees. Dominica accept, Antigua and Barbuda…..well I don’t even know what our leaders are saying, Grenada and Guyana are pondering. Since the US gonna take over and run Venezuela, why not send them all there.
@ Tenman.
Trump is not the entire US. And I do understand the racism that exist in this world. I am speaking from the standpoint of the relationship of nations, not necessarily the color of someone’s skin.
As a Government, what are we going to do, play the victim like we’ve been doing for years, or go forth in our convictions as to who we know we are as carribean people?
Most Americans have seen the people of the Caribbean as very nice decent people, and even though we know that they don’t think of us as equals all the time, we still have governments to run and our nations to move forward.
We can’t change the hand that have been delt to us.
That’s where my gist was coming from.
But I understand the emotions in the direction most people will take your argument. My argument is that we have to choose our partners wisely pertaining to these current events. And for the record, I’m not talking about selling our souls, so I hope you don’t think I’m suggesting that, but we must act to mend the breach.
Stay current Tenman.
Happy to see you back though.
When our past and present leaders are figured in international scandals that involve passports, money, guns and human trafficking, what negotiating power do we have! We are at the mercy of the man with the big stick. They are like wimps when summoned to appear for their dress down and then talk down to us with nothing but lies. The shit hole people are preparing to accommodate unknown refuse and as one poster said, ‘whether we like it, they are coming and we can do nothing about it because the boss has already decided that we are taking them, so get used to it’. Those people are in the majority by far and that’s just why we will forever be Shit Holes for the man with the stick.
Gaston is getting some clever advise that sound skillfully indian, he is conflating his failure with the ransom of the citizens.
He purposefully throw the deportees narrative out in the public domain to create the impression that it is not his mismanagement that caused us vida issues, but make it look like it’s a punishment for not accepting deportees, and you know the Americans CIA will pay him or anyone else well to do their biddings, but trump is a redneck and don’t love black people so he will still speak to him as a dog, wait a minute, Gaston did call himself a dog.
In this part of the world, many may see America as heaven. Perhaps it is because of the glorious opportunities that one get. Opportunities always come with a cost.
America has began the ball rolling to jack the price should you want the glorious opportunities that they have to offer. The real question is, which metropolitan country will be next to follow suit America to regulate their immigration status.
It is sad to say but the facts are the facts. As imigrants coming these smaller islands, we have to blame ourselves. We have a tendency to migrate to these metropolitan countries and take with us our poor habits & culture to the bigger cities & communities thus causing a degree of inferiority.
Have no choice we must try to always be on the good side with uncle sam we are nothing but a little tiny defenseless island in the Caribbean….We must make deals with the US or we all suffer….
“it may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”
Island America mostly got it goods from China, and bought oil from Venezuela for decades maybe even longer only Cuba it cut off because they were unhappy they revolte and take back their once the USSR fell they took that opportunity to put more pressure on Cuba by put sanctions the state ships that trade with Cuba can’t enter the US for 3 months and also apply that to companies that attempt to do business or send things to Cuba even during COVID when a Japanese company tried to send medical aid they threaten that company so they didn’t send anything to keep relation.
The most famous relationship Antigua had with the US was being in debt to the IMF and compare that to the China who built the ports, and provide loans the government choose China because that was beneficial to the nation not the US most of out relationship with the US are with private companies and through government agreements.
We use Cuban medical brigade because that’s a nation that is internationally recognised for its quality medical programme that produces leading numbers in doctors per capita and been doing so for about half a century for a low-cost that would benefit Antigua not because what it would do for the US or internationally.
Venezuela Provided oil and have good relationship with Antigua being in the region and had large reserves for a long while it wasn’t even the only country we buy oil from we basically get it from everyone in this region.
Truth seeker, Saying most Africans yearn to go to America I don’t about that one they go to their former coloniser because they left and keep the nation with regions of poverty and corruption dispte Africa having the most resources in world only a few benefit from it and extracted from that country extremely cheap even at a present of that item bought elsewhere so like Antigua there are few opportunities. I do agree the people being deported are people a lot aren’t even undocumented and just in-between the process with many being abducted outside courts for citizen processing which was stated as legal from supreme court which is why I don’t even support the action and allowing them to ship them off is wrong to me to complying with that is what I disagree with I’ll admit the counter to that is just allowing them to have a safe place is valid but it’s something I have to think about more.
@young Communist.
And you will be fool to not choose them as the lesser of both evils.
Life is played out in front of us young man, it’s a fantasy or some history book you read, it’s what’s directly in front of you.
You are given choices every day,and those choices must be made, like it or not.
Antigua must make the correct choice here, and it’s not to be the enemy of a country that’s a stone throw away.
But I see you get your pigheadedness from GB, and that’s why we are here today
@young. Meant to say *it’s not a fantasy*.
And these are all constructive criticism by the way,nothing personal.
But you get the gist.
@islanman26 you are a traitor and a house slave 🤮 you are disgusting and disgraceful how can you call Venezuela the enemy? You are wicked and evil just like the orange man. If you can’t stand for something you will fall for anything. White man lover. You are sick and very very very stupid.
@Huummm.
And why are you forgetting the Chinese, the Russians and the many others that have stake their claim in our little island, all conspiring against the country that have meant more to us than any other on earth?
I don’t hate Venezuelan people, I just know the political this political state right now, that Maduro had to go, in the interest of its own people and the interest of the rest of the Caribbean.
So don’t put words in my mouth guy.
I speak not for the ignorant, but for those who has a idea about the true nature of our politics right now as we speak.
@Islanman26, The lesser of the 2 evils here are the countries that supported Antigua in it’s time of need and provided traded that benefited both nations in oppose to the nation that is threatening to and has Abducted a leader of a foreign state, stealing oil and are opening just for running their country in a way they don’t and trade with people they don’t agree or have a party that history said to be socialist, striving to be socialist or have a socialist revolution. It’s funny how the US is said to be the beacon of “democracy” when they actively overthrew and are overthrowing countries for their own interest and a system where people don’t agree with what their government do most of the times.
Not only that even if you don’t look at that and just think about it being China vs US, China just have better tech in almost every field especially in green energy like solar and nuclear, and is actively building Antigua vs one that is trying to use Antigua as an army trying to stop Antiguans from entering being talked shit about the region and people I would say the lesser evil is China there as well.
And yea it’s chill nothing has been taken personal I only call you out when I disagree what you say/ if you say something factually wrong not because who you are.
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