Dis week was eye openin in ah way dat only eye openin tuh Trinis livin abroad who does get all dey news from de Trini media. Dey does den find deyself in T&T wid snippets ah newspaper headlines fightin fuh dominance in dey head tellin dem tuh be frighten. All on ah flight tuh Piarco from wherever.

Ah tink ah know one such Trini.

Eef somebody take an next person who doh know anyting about Triniland an drop dem in de country, eidder island, dis parse week, would dat unknowin person see crime, murders ah mean eh, as de cripplin, life-style alterin phenomenon it is? I seriously tink dat person would see de amount ah cars on de road an how Trinis does drive as de most immediate issue de country had tuh deal wid. It hard tuh miss.

Fuh who readin about what is now 3,000 plus murders over de larse ten years, how much is seein all dat traffic ah distraction?

Why so much people on de roads anyway? Dey eh supposed tuh be behind dey burglar-proofin, scared tuh venture out?

I was wrestlin wid dem same questions. However, I eh put up no big fight. De reality is dat people goin about dey daily lives an not openly scared. Dat is ah welcome realization in ah strange kind ah way.

Maybe I was de strange one watchin tong, Frederick Street, undulatin wid people: Takin een roadside vendors wid non-Trini accents sellin interestin gizmos like glasscutters dat does also open bottles an sharpen knives. Realizin de same vendors also sellin ah kind ah manual sewin machines no bigger dan ah stapler. Feelin sorry fuh ah man sellin tings dat does slice cucumbers, tomatoes an carrots buh eh gettin nobody tuh watch he demonstration so how he go make ah sale? Takin ah trip dong memory lane an buyin salted peanuts wid de skin orn from ah woman vendor. Admirin two very professional poleece officers in dey uniforms wid dey bullets-proof vests, dey gun-belt wid gun, handcuffs an collapsible batons. Radio pin on dey shoulder, dey backs up against de store wall an dey eyes scannin de crowd from below de brim ah de hats.

What was not tuh feel safe about? After all, life was happenin ent?

It was hard tuh explain tuh de people I was wid dat what ah was expectin tuh see an feel wasn’t what ah was feelin an seein. Dat eh keep mih from tryin doh.

Trinis, like people every place else, adaptable. Ah was assured dat eef anyting was tuh happen people would ah run an bawl like dey learn tuh do whenever de criminal element invade tong lookin tuh settle scores wid dey rivals. In de meantime, nobody wasn’t lettin no fear prevent dem from goin about dey business. Even de fella in he own world dancin tuh Soca blastin from roadside speakers.

Ah mention de conundrum ah was een tuh some ex-schoolmates ah mines ah lime wid. Tuh dem, ah take de long way arong tuh reach what dey does be tryin tuh convince people about: People eh hidin in foxholes.

All dat strange in ah way cause neidder mih schoolmates or de people ah was wid eh suggestin murders not ah problem, ah serious problem. Just dis week six dead in 24 hours. Look arong an see how burglar-proofin incorporated in home designs. I eh remember who, buh ah get tell dat even wid robberies, it not unusual fuh de robbers tuh decide tuh eliminate witnesses. Dat make it even more surprisin tuh find out dat dis one person leave dey heavy-duty steel front door unlock one night an dey eh die wid shock when dey find out de next mornin.

What mih ex-schoolmates say convince mih dat what ah tryin tuh explain is fuh de benefit ah who not livin dey life in T&T buh ah done say dat at de outset.

So what now?

Before ah could answer dat question ah have tuh tork about what look like de immediate issues in Triniland yuh eye seein widout doin any analysis.

Dat is where de massive amount ah cars an vehicles it have come into focus. Too many cars; too few roads; too many drivers leavin de personal safety up tuh udder drivers. Has dem quantities always been ah Trini issue? I believe so, however it have ah fundamental change dat maybe only Trinis livin outside de country might see right orf de bat.

I cyar remember hearin Trini tork about de consequences ah illegal activities, so hearin tork de fuss time about being fraid ah gettin wrecked almost floor mih. It might have wreckin in udder parts ah T&T buh I dey wid Tong Trinis. People, at least de ones I was dey wid, pullin into questionable parkin spots den pullin out wid de comment:

I have better tings ah could do wid dat $500.

Dat is how Trinis torkin now? Wow. Changes in de wind.

Dat is not de onlyest ting dat blowin in dat wind. I hear how people does hire maxi taxi, rent buses, even sleep in dey car tuh avoid dat $12,000 fine fuh drunk drivin. Who cyar find nuttin better tuh do wid $500 could find plenty tuh do wid $12,000, not so?

I eh worried about whatever fine tunin needed tuh make dem two penalties fairer. Is only two ways tuh change behavior—punish bad behavior an reward good behavior. Anyting dat keep de punishment in place.

De next change in behavior needed go have tuh come when radar guns reach. Dat go change how people wid lead in dey foot does drive. From what I see plenty plenty drivers have dat ailment. It was ah different experience as it eh everyday I does be in ah car speedin parse poleece on de highway. Dat was new an different. Definitely not right doh.

Someting else ah only want tuh mention in parsin: I eh tink ah go ever get used tuh not automatically bucklin up mih seatbelts when ah jump een ah car even eef Trini road safety laws say I eh required tuh buckle up as ah backseat passenger. Tanks fuh de parse buh no tanks.

Look how far ah drift from de original issue.

Yuh doh really know what goin orn unless yuh on de scene.

Given dat de facts ah what does be goin orn in T&T not in dispute I would ah be ready tuh argue wid dat person’s opinion not long ago. Now I eh sure. Especially how what ah see doh match wid mih expectations. Someting not right about not disagreein wid dat on de scene opinion. Does dat mean ah now drinkin de water an inhalin de air? Nah. Ah cyar see dat being de case. Does dat mean when facts not in dispute de issue is how yuh respond tuh dem facts?

Whatever de answer is mih head spinnin.

Maybe dat is what tabanca does do.