By John Skippings From Caribbean News Now

I remember well, as I am sure many others of my generation do, that great singing group, The Temptations. Among their many hit songs, is their circa 1970 “Ball of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today)”, reaching number two on the US R&B charts. Go here if you want to see the lyrics of the right then, and still right hit.

“People Moving out, people moving in
Why? Because of the color of their skin”

To date this year alone, more than 200,000 refugees have crossed the Mediterranean Sea in mostly rickety, overloaded and unseaworthy vessels operated by people smugglers, winding up mainly in Greece and Italy; although hoping to settle farther north in such more wealthy and more welcoming countries as Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

While in this process, the Mediterranean has become the final resting place of more than 2,000 of these refuge seekers. These poor souls are hailing in great part from Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Nigeria – that is, Africa and the Middle East.

In our own hemisphere, though to a much lesser scale, Cubans, Central Americans and Mexicans are making their way, with many dying en route, to the United States.

While these people are not running “because of the color of their skin”, per se, although they are all of the non-Caucasian persuasion; they are seeking refuge from wars, ethnic, tribal and religious conflicts and the persecution that goes along with it, and poverty and all the evils that it brings.

Somewhat ironic, though, is that, while they are seeking refuge in Europe, much of their problems are traceable to actions of European colonizers, in the form that is, of arbitrarily setting boundaries for the countries from which these refugees hail. Often pitting together tribes and religious and ethnic groups that for centuries have detested, and in some cases downright hate each other. Could it be said that Europe’s chickens are now coming home to roost?

“The sale of pills are at an all time high
Young folks walking round with their heads in the sky.”

While The Temptations may have been singing about illegal pills, which remain a big problem, according to a study by the Mayo Clinic, as far back as 2009, more than 70% of Americans were on at least one prescribed drug. Those most prescribed were antibiotics, antidepressants, and painkilling opioids — “known for their ability to produce a euphoric high, as well a debilitating addiction.” More than $2 billion were spent on prescription drugs in 2009, mostly on women and the elderly. These two groups seem like ATM machines for the pharmaceutical industry; and while in addition to in great part producing addiction, it cannot be disputed that life span is generally enhanced. The quality of life, however, is very often not.

The US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, recently approved the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin for use in patients ages 11 to 16 – See more.

Children will now be prescribed the medication that made addicts of such as Rush Limbaugh, the number one radio talk show host, after using it to treat his chronic pain following unsuccessful back surgery. Because he is very wealthy, he was able to check himself into addiction treatment. The parents of the 11-16 year-olds, for the better part, will not be able to do this.

Let’s hope the US Congress will prevent the addiction of the next generations solely for the further enrichment of the pharmaceutical industry. And, for the financing of the election campaigns of many of same congressmen. Ever noticed that what lobbyists pay to politicians – in actuality legal bribes – is but peanuts, compared to the billions reaped by the lobbyists’ clients? Yep, constituents are sold out for mere peanuts.

“Evolution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul
Shooting rockets to the moon, kids growing up too soon”

Innocent persons going about their daily lives, including kids in school, worshippers in their places of worship, shoppers at the mall, reporters doing their reporting, and so on, and so on, are gunned down on a daily basis.

The all too occasional massacre provides “Breaking News” and time filler for the various media for a weak, or two; advocates for sanity in gun ownership have their say; the “everyone deserves to have as many guns as he, or she wants” folks – including most of the US congress, although the majority of the people they represent feel that there needs to be gun control laws, say the usual “guns don’t kill, people do” rubbish. And that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution – very much debated, as to whether it refers to individuals, or states militias – guarantees the right of everyone to own a gun.

The US Congress and the gun lobby – never mentioning the millions received by the latter from the former; and the latter, raking in billions and billions of dollars in gun sales, rail on about the people’s right to bear arms. And the band plays on.

This while the victims obviously have no rights to not be gunned down, in their innocence, while in their pursuit of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” – as stated in the US Declaration of Independence. One must be led to wonder, just how much of those millions of dollars on the one hand, and billions of dollars on the other are merely blood money.

Perhaps, or at least hopefully, one day the elected ones will say, “I don’t want your blood money”, and deny virtual unrestricted gun ownership, while recognizing the universal right to not be innocently gunned down anytime, anyplace by someone that has a right to bear arms.

“So, round and around and around we go
Where the world’s headed, said nobody knows.”

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John Skippings is a former Director of Tourism and Chief Marketing Officer for the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board 1999-2003; and Tourism Marketing Consultant with the Montserrat Tourist Board 2004 – 2006. And has had a career in banking in The Bahamas and the US; he holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from Southeastern University in Washington, DC. Email: [email protected]

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Commentary%3A-The-Temptations%3A-%27Ball-of-Confusion%27-27450.html