In the Jamaica Observer of Thursday, January 22, 2009 Michael Burke Joined columnist worldwide commenting of the swearing in of Barack Obama: “So Barack Obama
This content is restricted to site members. If you are an existing user, please log in. New users may register below.
4 Responses to “It’s a Small World Mr Burke, and Jamaica’s Part of it”
Kindly note that the following response to my article was received from Michael Burke on January 23, 2009 at precisely 9:34: 44 P.M. in my personal inbox.
Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please read below:
Both of your letters to the Observer were forwarded to me and perhaps for all I know the Observer might publish one of the two. Your problem seems to be that you do not like my column of January 15 primarily because you are one of those who want to interfere with Jamaica’s domestic issues. Are you a Jamaican or are you a foreigner? The whole cliche and well worn line about age of technology and all that should not be used as an excuse for bad manners and butting into other people’s affairs. If you do not understand what is bad manners and what is good is bad enough if you are a foreigner. but if you are a Jamaican then shame on you. And if you are a Jamaicans I was not referring to you at all in the article eavesdropping on domestic issues”.
In case you do not know Barack Obama is an international issue, and I tried to answered the two idiots, you being one of them, who childishly responded that I should not comment about Obama. Grow up, Joshua Spencer!
How come you are a lecturer and you cannot understand clear messages? I browse foreign papers but I do not interfere in domestic issues, such as tow people ina community fighting over fence line. I write to Jamaicans and I will continue to do so. It is not everything that i dislike about the Internet, but I was highlighting one of them. Just like it is not everything that i cannot stand about you but there are some, such as your naked support for McCain over Barack Obama using all sorts of excuses but the real reason being you did not want a Black Man in the White House.
If you are a foreigner I do not want you telling me what to do. As I wrote, Our leaders have fought too hard to have anyone reinforce us in mental slavery.
One of the many things that i do like about the Internet is the fact that when idiots like you write if the newspaper does not have space for a response from me i can answer you directly. And if I have any more nonsense form you I will clutter up your email with all the responses that I got re ëavesdropping”and most of them just simply loved the article and felt that it was time that somebody answered people like you who are nothing but busybody’s using the online as an excuse to give your unwelcomed interference’s.
In case you do not know, the regular paper edition is the online edition. I am not resigning from the paper and if the paper does not want me then i will go because there are several media houses, particularly on the internet that want me. Incidentally, the Observer has kept me on until now almost 11 of my almost 21 years of writing has been with this paper, because i carry the Thursday edition. Maybe you want me to go so that you can get the spot. You would probably be dropped in no time because you could not replace my following. You see my knowledge of history is respected worldwide , yes, thanks to the internet.
But that does not mean that i cannot criticize it. Maybe you want me to go so that you could get the column slot. But perhaps you would be dropped in no time because you probably could not replace the following. And as I implied in that eavesdropping column, you have to be on spot in Jamaica to understand certain things. And how come you Americans claim to be Democrats and then you want to silence me just because your disagree and jsut because of your prejudice in believing that you are better than Jamaicans?
I have a cell phone just like you perhaps do but do you like everything about it? Do you like the fact that people can call you any time and do you like the fact that cellphones go off in public places even in church? It is the same with the online edition.
Like I said, you are offended because you are a nosy person. perhaps you didn’t not have the good fortune of being trained to know what is your business and what is not. And as an adult it is difficult to teach you because after all one cannot teach an old dog new tricks
Michael Burke
I responded to Mr. Burke advising that I was 100% Jamaican. I also advised that I was an acquaintance of his brother Comrade Paul Burke in the eighties, then President of the National PNPYO and that I was introduced to him by my then friend and comrade, the Late Dr. Norman Buchanan.
I have not heard from him since.
Joshua Spencer