High of 85 Low of 74 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should continue to exercise caution over open waters. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 MAJOR (BUT NOT TERMINAL) PROBLEMS ARISE AT NEW AIRPORT LOCAL | PAGE 3 NEW HOME FOR CAYMAN OLYMPICS ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 OPERATION TEMPURA Against legal advice, ex-governor pursued probe BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former Cayman Islands Governor Stuart Jack decided in early 2008 that there should be a “full investigation” of a police-directed entry into a local newspaper publisher’s of- fice, contrary to legal advice that stated such a probe would not be in the public interest. The then-governor’s decision to pursue the infamous Operation Tempura investiga- tion is revealed in a now-unredacted review of that probe done by a U.K.-based Queen’s Counsel in 2011. The review document – to- taling more than 180 pages – was partially re- leased in 2016, but was made fully public this week following open records requests by the Cayman Compass. The Operation Tempura investigation lasted more than two years and cost the Cayman Islands more than $10 million. No one was convicted of any criminal wrong- doing after two Grand Court trials connected with the case. In September 2007, the Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service high command authorized a warrantless search of former Cayman Net News publisher Desmond Seales’s office, using former Net News employee John Evans to ef- fect the search. The search was undertaken to determine whether Mr. Seales had engaged in a “corrupt relationship” with Deputy Po- lice Commissioner Anthony Ennis, exchanging sensitive police operations information that senior officers believed might have placed other RCIPS officers in danger. It was later re- vealed that then-Police Commissioner Stuart Kernohan and his Chief Superintendent John Jones organized the search. FIRST WHISTLEBLOWER LAW TAKES EFFECT Personal Insurance Shrink your insurance bills in 2018! Save up to $400 on home and motor insurance! Pay up to 15% less for comprehensive insurance. Low deductibles too! Ask BritCay for a quote! BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd: insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky cgigrp BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Nearly four years after former Complaints Commissioner Nicola Williams decried a cul- ture of fear within the Cayman Islands gov- ernment service, the British territory’s first law solely aimed at protecting whistleblowers – those who report wrongdoing within organi- zations – takes effect. The provisions of the Whistleblower Pro- tection Law (2015) come into force Feb. 1 – about two and a half years after lawmakers passed the bill, consolidating various earlier legislation which sought to offer similar pro- tection and which was largely viewed as inef- fective by Ms. Williams in her extensive 2014 report on the issue. The job of receiving and reviewing whistle- blower reports falls to the newly created Om- budsman’s office, which will add the responsi- bility to its three-person team already tasked with handling complaints made against gov- ernment agencies. The whistleblower reports will be handled separately from civilian com- plaints made against police officers, Om- budsman Sandy Hermiston said Tuesday. Ms. Hermiston said her earlier experience in Alberta, Canada with setting up a whistle- blower program showed that there likely will not be an abundance of complaints coming in right away. If a flood of complaints does sud- denly come in and more help is needed, staff will be hired, she said. “I have confidence that there are a lot of people here in Cayman [who] are trying to do the right thing,” Ms. Hermiston said. “We need to work towards a culture of accepting or encouraging people to raise problems or concerns.” The first step, Ms. Hermiston said, is not necessarily running to the Ombudsman’s of- fice with a list of complaints. An effective Prosthetic leg donation changes teen’s life Teenager Renaldo Taylor hugs his mom Remona Wellington, right, and prosthetist Laura Ryder at the physiotherapy unit at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Ms. Ryder donated and fitted an artificial limb for Renaldo after the boy’s leg was amputated below the knee last year following a July road accident. For more on this story, see page 5. PLEA FOR PATIENCE OVER AIRPORT LINES JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Immigration officials are asking for pa- tience from passengers amid concern over long lines at Grand Cayman’s airport. Record visitor numbers have put pressure on the facility, which is midway through a $55 million upgrade. The partial opening of the new arrivals hall last week does not appear to have eased the pressure. Images sent to the Cayman Compass showed lines stretching from the steps of the plane to the entry to the new hall, Saturday. Passengers said it took several hours to get through the line and airport bosses acknowl- edged that visitors faced a two-hour wait at peak time. One passenger, on a Delta flight, report- edly fainted while waiting in the hot sun. A spokesman for the airline told the Compass Wednesday that Delta was discussing with airport bosses ways to improve the situa- tion and ensure the health and safety of ar- riving passengers. The Department of Immigration said it was virtually at full staff Saturday, with 11 of the 12 available booths in the immigra- tion hall filled. Acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith said all 12 available booths would be filled this weekend. He said staff were skipping lunch breaks to ensure full coverage at peak times. The de- partment has also hired three “ambassadors” to assist with passenger flow. A separate line has been established to fast-track special needs passengers and those who require ad- ditional assistance, including the elderly and passengers with infants. Mr. Smith said, “As this was our first Saturday in the new hall, we recognize the frustration of the traveling public having PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - THURSDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) 12 STRONG (R) 12:40 VIP I 3:45 I 6:40 VIP I 9:45 WOODY WOODPECKER (PG) 1:00 I 3:05 I 5:10 I 7:15 I 9:20 THE COMMUTER (PG13) 12:25 I 2:55 I 5:20 I 7:50 I 10:20 THE POST (PG13) 1:35 I 4:15 I 7:20 I 10:00 DEN OF THIEVES (R) 12:40 I 3:35 VIP I 6:40 I 9:35 VIP JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (PG13) 1:15 I 4:00 I 6:50 I 9:35 CUBA FORMALLY INAUGURATES U.S.-SPONSORED STATUE HONORING INDEPENDENCE HERO HAVANA (AP) – President Raul Castro and his ex- pected successor attended the formal unveiling of a U.S.-sponsored statue of independence hero Jose Marti on Sunday in a sign of Cuba’s focus on main- taining ties with the United States despite a chill in re- lations under President Donald Trump. Castro and Vice Presi- dent Miguel Diaz-Canel sat in the front row of the sunrise ceremony along with Democratic mem- bers of Congress Barbara Lee and Karen Bass of Cal- ifornia and Kansas Repub- lican Roger Marshall, who were the highest-ranking Americans at the ceremony. Castro makes relatively few public appearances, en- dowing the ceremony with a stamp of particular im- portance in a country where the movements of high offi- cials are closely scrutinized for clues to government plans and intentions. The bronze statue of Marti on a rearing horse was funded with $2.5 mil- lion raised in the United States in a project started by the Bronx Museum of the Arts, which has long- standing ties with Cuban state cultural institutions. The 18.5-foot long, 8-ton work is an exact copy of a sculpture installed on the south end of New York’s Central Park in 1965. Sunday was the 165th anniversary of the birth of Marti, a renowned poet, journalist and fighter for Cuban independence who was fatally wounded in an 1895 battle for indepen- dence from the Spanish. Female defendant suffered ‘revenge porn’ Ex-boyfriend reportedly posted photos after break-up CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A female defendant had no conviction recorded against her for damaging her ex-boyfriend’s car after Mag- istrate Valdis Foldats heard that she had been the victim of “revenge porn” before she committed the offense. The 29-year-old woman had previously pleaded guilty to causing damage to property. Crown counsel Darlene Oko said the defendant and the complainant had been in a relationship and the com- plainant ended it. Some time later, he lent his car to a co- worker. After she returned it, he saw that a rear tire was deflated, the interior was “soaking wet” and the exte- rior was scratched. He asked the co-worker what had hap- pened and she said she did not see who did it, but she believed it was the defendant. The court heard that the cost to repair the damage was $1,950. Defense attorney Kathleen Ryan did not disagree with those facts, but explained the background to them. She said the defendant and the com- plainant had been in a rela- tionship for three years. They had worked at the same place and were friends at first. After the relationship broke down, the woman went to the man’s residence and asked him for the money she had lent him – some $4,000. “He denied owing it and said ‘get out,’” Ms. Ryan told the court. The woman said she was going to the police, but the man called police before she got there and he reported that she was harassing him. Five days later, “revenge porn” was posted on the workplace video chat room. “She became the victim,” Ms. Ryan said of her client, and the only person who would have had those photos was the ex-boyfriend. Co-workers told her there were others and she went to her boss about the matter. The boss said he was sorry, but he could not do anything. The defendant became angry, confused and frus- trated. Out of shame she quit that job. Fortunately, she was able to find another job and continue supporting her child. She also contributed to the financial support of her mother and her sister’s two children. “She regrets what she did, that she lost control, regard- less of what had happened to her,” Ms. Ryan said. Ms. Oko pointed out that there had been no men- tion of “revenge porn” in the woman’s interviews after her offense. “I’m a little concerned that it’s being mentioned now,” she said. After hearing further from Ms. Ryan, the mag- istrate said it might have been because of embarrass- ment that the defendant had not talked about that aspect of the matter. He thanked the woman for her guilty plea and co- operation during the prep- aration of a social inquiry report. Contacts in the com- munity had described the woman as a responsible person and excellent worker, he quoted from the re- port. She had told the social worker, “I wish I could take it all back,” expressing regret for her actions. Given the complications regarding the money alleg- edly owed to her, the amount of damage, and the fact that the ex-boyfriend was no longer on island, the mag- istrate said he would not order compensation. Instead, he granted a con- ditional discharge, with con- ditions including 20 hours of community service and counseling if recommended by the officer overseeing her case. He said no con- viction would be recorded against her. Dump truck rolls over quarry embankment at Spotts Terminal JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Kenworth dump truck loaded with shot rock tipped over a quarry embankment opposite the Spotts Terminal Wednesday morning. The driver of the 21-ton truck was not injured. A group of cruise ship passengers arriving from the Carnival Para- dise and Eurodam boats were on hand to witness the accident. The driver told the Cayman Compass he was heading from Frank Sound to George Town at around 10:30 a.m. when the acci- dent took place. When he ar- rived at Spotts Terminal, he said, he was stopped by po- lice to give way to a tour bus, he said. A second tour coach also pulled out, and to avoid hitting the bus full of pas- sengers, he swerved to the side of the road opposite and stopped, he said. At that point, the embank- ment beneath the truck gave way and the vehicle rolled over and came to rest against some trees, after which the driver climbed out the cabin. The truck could be seen with its undercarriage and tires exposed as passing mo- torists and tourists stopped to inquire what had hap- pened. No other vehicles were involved in the incident. Police and a crowd of onlookers gather in front of a truck that overturned opposite the Spotts Terminal. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY ‘Wear Red Day’ slated for Friday Cayman Heart Fund is inviting the public to wear red on Friday, Feb. 2, to help mark Heart Month. Cayman’s “Wear Red Day” was set up to help raise awareness about car- diovascular disease and its effects. “Heart Month is a fan- tastic way to remind ev- eryone to focus on their hearts and encourage them to get their families, friends and communities involved,” the Cayman Heart Fund stated in a press release. The charity, which has been in operation for 11 years, is reminding people to speak to their physi- cian about their risks and know their numbers by checking for blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar levels, weight and BMI. The Cayman Heart Fund is asking people to wear red on Friday in school, at work and around the neighbor- hood to raise funds for the cause. Funds raised sup- port fitness programs, edu- cational sessions and health screening events. For more information on how to get involved, contact the Cayman Heart Fund at info@caymanheartfund.com or 916-6324. Spectators attend a ceremony to unveil a replica of a New York statue of Cuba’s independence hero Jose Marti in Havana, Cuba, Sunday. – PHOTO: AP3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 CAYMAN LOCALS APPRECIATION Valentines Day Special This Valentines, show your love and appreciation by giving the best, Stunning and unique EFFY designs from New York’s #1 jewelry design house. Receive $100 off any purchase of $500 or more* Visit EFFY jewelry for a free Effy Pendant, no purchase necessary! 19 Fort. St, George Town, Grand Cayman Offers valid now thru February 14th *discount not applicable to clearance selections or promotional items RUBY Diamond Cluster Earrings set in 14K White or Yellow Gold .47 Diamond Cluster Ring set in 14K White Gold Diamond Ring set in 14K White, Yellow & Rose Gold $595 $995 $750 Or free diamond and gemstone earrings and pendant with any purchase over $1500 (your choice of Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald or Tanzanite) SENTENCING ADJOURNED FOR ESTELLA’S MURDER CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Kirkland Henry and Larry Prinston Ricketts had their sentencing adjourned until next week Friday for the murder of Estella Scott- Roberts on the night of Oct. 10, 2008. Chief Justice Anthony Smellie made that decision after hearing that Mr. Henry may have mental health is- sues. Mr. Ricketts was present in the dock, but not Mr. Henry. A prison guard advised that Mr. Henry had refused to appear in court or via video link. An attorney who spoke with Mr. Henry by phone earlier this week said he thought his case was fin- ished and he had been found not guilty. A psychologist giving ev- idence via the video link in- dicated that Mr. Henry had isolated himself for some time and had no contact with anyone outside the high-risk unit. Provisional diagnoses had been made by psychiatrists visiting the prison, but an examination for mental fitness would re- quire a trip to the hospital. The chief justice was hearing sentencing sub- missions because he had conducted the men’s trial without a jury at their re- quest and he found them guilty in February 2010. At the time, the only sen- tence for murder was life imprisonment. Since the Conditional Re- lease Law came into effect in 2016, anyone receiving a life sentence must be given a specific number of years to serve before they can apply for release. For murder the sentence must be at least 30 years, although a judge may adjust that if there are aggravating or extenuating circumstances. Mrs. Scott-Roberts was abducted, robbed and raped before her murder; her car was then set on fire with her body in it. She had been last seen walking to her car after a “girls night out” celebration of her 33rd birthday. She was well known in the community for work in establishing the Crisis Centre as a safe place for abused women and helping to formulate the Cayman Islands National Plan for Gender Equality. A week after her murder, the an- nual Silent Witness March attracted 2,000 participants. At the time of their crimes, Mr. Henry was 27 and Mr. Ricketts was 25. Chief Justice Smellie said he would order a more comprehensive report on Mr. Henry’s condition by the end of next week and he adjourned the matter until Feb. 9. “We’ll see where we go from there,” he said. New headquarters for Cayman Olympics SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee has a new place to call home. The committee has pur- chased a new building in Cayman Business Park thanks to grants from the International Olympic Com- mittee and the Pan American Sports Organization. Donald McLean, presi- dent of the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, said that the building cost $345,000 to purchase and another $25,000 in renovations to make it ready for operations. The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee plans to move in at the end of February, giving the organization its first permanent home. “It just gives us more ca- pacity and more flexibility,” said Mr. McLean of the new “Olympic House.” “We don’t have to go around begging offices for a conference room when we need to have annual meetings or when we need to have training sessions. It will just make us a better na- tional Olympic committee.” Mr. McLean, who recently was elected to his fourth term at the head of the com- mittee, said government had agreed to waive the stamp duty related to the purchase of the premises. When he first began at the committee, said Mr. McLean, business was taken care of in meetings held around the kitchen table of the former presi- dent. Mr. McLean went on to donate his own office space to the committee, and he said moving into a new home is just a sign of the or- ganization’s maturation. The Olympic committee currently has two full-time employees, and Mr. McLean hopes to add a third at some point in the near future. The committee’s new home will allow for a library and a re- source center on site, which could in turn increase the ef- ficiency of the organization and its workers. “We’ll have a permanent home,” he said. “We’ll have a place where the national federations can have meet- ings. We can also do training programs and anti-doping courses there.” Mr. McLean, who has been president of the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee since 2005, said that the initiative to pur- chase Olympic House was approved by the general as- sembly of sports organiza- tions in Cayman, and he also said it was approved by Pan American Sports Organiza- tion and by the International Olympic Committee as an appropriate use of funding from various grants. “We’ll ha ve a permanent home. We’ll have a place where the national federations can have meetings. We can also do training programs and anti-doping courses there.” DONALD MCLEAN, president, Cayman Islands Olympic Committee Cayman Business Park will be the new home of the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee. For murder the sentence must be at least 30 years, although a judge may adjust that if there are aggravating or extenuating circumstances.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS The Compass published, with some reluctance, an article and photograph on Page One of yesterday’s news- paper, which depicted, verbally and visually, an incident nothing short of misery at the newly opened arrival hall at Owen Roberts International Airport. Our initial reluctance stemmed from our awareness that any enterprise as complex as the opening of a new airport facility is going to have glitches, snafus and, inevi- tably, some confusion and missed cues. “Opening nights,” on Broadway or elsewhere, rarely go according to script. Nevertheless, we were hopeful that there would be a simple cause – perhaps mechanical failure of baggage conveyor belts – to explain the long lines of arriving tourists snaking from parked planes, into the airport proper, through the immigration checkpoint, on to baggage retrieval and customs checks, and eventually off to various resorts, hotels or other final destinations. Alas, we learned that, unfortunately, there was no “one-off” mechanical failure. In all businesses, managers strive to identify something called “single points of failure,” that is events, equipment, or circumstances that can bring operations to a grinding halt. In newspaper pub- lishing, for example, one might be a catastrophic break- down of a printing press that cannot be repaired with parts available on the island. Or, heaven help us, someone neglecting to order a sufficient supply of paper or ink. In the instance of Saturday’s breakdown of systems at the new arrivals hall, there was no “single point of failure.” Indeed the ostensible problem – long lines of unhappy tourists – was, in fact, simply a manifestation of a multitude of operational mishaps – many of them ema- nating from bad (or nonexistent) planning, others simply from bad luck. Missteps and miscues piled upon each other, creating, in Minister of Tourism Moses Kirkconnell’s words, “a perfect storm”: An airport under construction, one of the busiest travel days of the season, six planes landing almost simul- taneously, and on and on … And yet, much of what our arriving guests (because that’s what they are, guests) were forced to endure could have been avoided, or at least mitigated, by effective planning and foresight. Everyone knew, for example, that a large number of large planes was scheduled to arrive in a very short window of time. Nothing is more predictable and, frankly, easier to plan for than airplane arrivals. Flights are generally scheduled weeks, if not months, in advance. And certainly airport officials knew that last week was the “grand opening” of its brand-new, and, yes “grand-new,” arrival terminal. Saturday, the busiest day, predictably was “showtime.” Prior to “opening the curtain” on a facility that Minister Kirkconnell, the entire airport staff and indeed all of Cayman should be justifiably proud, the “basics” should have been attended to. For example, the terminal should have been over- flowing, not just with arriving passengers, but with an overflow (more than needed) of immigration officers, baggage handlers and customs officials. Instead what visitors faced was the opposite of what they should have expected and certainly deserved. To their credit, Minister Kirkconnell, Airport Authority CEO Albert Anderson, Acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith and other airport brass and staff were in nonstop meetings yesterday to deal with what is obviously an intolerable situation. Not to contribute an additional “dark cloud” to their deliberations, but they need to consider the following: • What if it had rained Saturday afternoon? These hundreds of tourists would have been drenched • What if hadn’t rained, but the sun came out and the temperatures rose to tropical torridity? Remember, they were lined up outside with no shade, standing on heat-radiating asphalt • How will they deal with the frail and the elderly, many of whom cannot, orthopedically, stand in line for two to four hours? And finally, since we’re at it and since officials rejected our recommendation (along with many others) to include covered jetways in their renovation plans, how will the airport address the constant spectacle of deplaning pas- sengers struggling down the equivalent of a flight of stairs, unwieldy carry-on luggage in one hand, briefcase or purse in the other while, at the same time, acrobati- cally struggling to hold on to a shaky railing? C’mon, Cayman. We need to, and can do, better than this … Major (but not terminal) problems arise at new airport Frederick Douglass, a champion of individualism WASHINGTON – It was an assertion of hard-won per- sonal sovereignty: Frederick Douglass, born on a Mary- land plantation 200 years ago this month, never knew on what February day because history-deprivation was in- flicted to confirm slaves as non-persons. So, later in life, Douglass picked the 14th, the middle of the month, as his birthday. This February, remember him, the first Af- rican-American to attain his- toric stature. In an inspired choice to write a short biography of this fierce defender of indi- vidualism, Washington’s lib- ertarian Cato Institute com- missioned the Goldwater Institute’s Timothy Sandefur, who says that Douglass was, in a sense, born when he was 16. After six months of being whipped once a week with sticks and rawhide thongs – arbitrary punishment was used to stunt a slave’s dan- gerous sense of personhood – Douglass fought his tor- mentor. Sent to Baltimore, where he was put to work building ships – some of them slave transports – he soon fled north to freedom, and to fame as an anti- slavery orator and author. His 1845 “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is, as Sandefur says, a classic of American autobiography. Abolitionists such as Wil- liam Lloyd Garrison said there should be “no union with slaveholders,” preferring disunion to association with slave states. They said what the Supreme Court would say in its execrable 1857 Dred Scott decision – that the Con- stitution was a pro-slavery document. Douglass, how- ever, knew that Abraham Lin- coln knew better. “Here comes my friend Douglass,” exclaimed Lin- coln at the March 4, 1865, re- ception following his second inauguration. After the as- sassination 42 days later, Lincoln’s widow gave Doug- lass her husband’s walking stick. After Appomattox, Douglass, who had attended the 1848 Seneca Falls Con- vention on behalf of wom- en’s suffrage, said: “Slavery is not abolished until the black man has the ballot.” If so, slavery ended not with the 13th Amendment of 1865 but with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Douglass opposed rad- ical Republicans’ proposals to confiscate plantations and distribute the land to former slaves. Sandefur sur- mises that “Douglass was too well versed in the his- tory and theory of freedom not to know” the importance of property rights. Doug- lass, says Sandefur, was not a conservative but a legatee of “the classical liberalism of the American founding.” His individualism was based on the virtue of self-reli- ance. “He was not,” Sandefur says, “likely to be attracted to any doctrine that subor- dinated individual rights – whether free speech or prop- erty rights – to the interests of the collective.” Although Douglass en- tered the post-Civil War era asking only that blacks at last be left to fend for them- selves, he knew that “it is not fair play to start the Negro out in life, from nothing and with nothing.” A 20th-century Southerner agreed. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson said: “You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race and then say, ‘you are free to com- pete with all the others,’ and still justly believe that you have been completely fair.” As Martin Luther King knew: In 1965, he met Alabama share- croppers who, having been paid all their lives in plan- tation scrip, had never seen U.S. currency. Peonage had followed slavery in share- cropper society. By the time of Douglass’ 1895 death, the nation was saturated with sinister sen- timentality about the no- bility of the South’s Lost Cause: The war had really been about constitutional niceties – “states’ rights” – not slavery. This, Sandefur says, was ludicrous: Before the war, Southerners “had sought more federal power, not less, in the form of na- tionwide enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act and federal subsidies for slav- ery’s expansion.” Nevertheless, in the South, monuments to Confederate soldiers were erected and Confederate symbols were added to states’ flags. In the North, the University of Chi- cago’s Charles Edward Mer- riam, a leading progressive, wrote in a widely used text- book that “from the stand- point of modern political sci- ence, the slaveholders were right” about some people not being entitled to freedom. As an academic, Woodrow Wilson paid “loving tribute to the virtues of the leaders of the secession, to the pu- rity of their purposes.” As president, he relished making “The Birth of a Nation,” a cel- ebration of the Ku Klux Klan, the first movie shown in the White House. Douglass died 30 years be- fore 25,000 hooded Klansmen marched down Pennsyl- vania Avenue. That same year, Thurgood Marshall gradu- ated from Baltimore’s Fred- erick Douglass High School, en route to winning Brown v. Board of Education. Dou- glass, not Wilson, won the American future. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Douglass opposed radical Republicans’ proposals to confiscate plantations and distribute the land to former slaves. Sandefur surmises that “Douglass was too well versed in the history and theory of freedom not to know” the importance of property rights.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 Donated artificial limb saves young Caymanian from lifetime disability TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Renaldo Taylor and his mother walk through the door, like any day after school. The 16-year-old crosses the room, pulls out a chair and wonders what he’s going to say about his left leg. He does not have one, not below the knee, but anyone watching would never guess as much. He has adjusted smoothly – almost effortlessly – to a prosthetic, walking with no more than a hint of a limp. An observer would have to know about the artificial limb to spot any irregulari- ties in Renaldo’s gait. And while the circum- stances of his loss are grue- some to contemplate, the larger story is the com- passion that enabled Re- naldo and his mother Re- mona Wellington, 38, to gain an expensive medical mech- anism – and, more impor- tantly, a chance for a life largely unhindered by med- ical complications. Compassion, in this case, has a name: Laura Ryder, 63, from Fort Myers, Florida, who has built, she estimates, “thousands of prosthetics; between home and Cayman, about 200 per year.” Certified at Seattle’s Northwestern University in 1985, Ms. Ryder worked in Florida with an orthotist she calls only “Ron,” whom she met at Miami’s Jackson Me- morial Hospital. “Ron” did a series of clinics, including the Cayman Islands Hospital, and in 2005, invited Ms. Ryder to join him. “He did bracing,” she says, supplying upper and lower body supports to help manage movement and aid rehabilitation, “and he wanted a prosthetist.” He quit the Cayman Is- lands Hospital in 2007; Ms. Ryder remained, visiting every six or eight weeks. She met Renaldo in August 2017, just after his accident. On Friday, July 21, Re- naldo helped himself to a dirt bike, roaring off on a joyride. According to police reports, “officers responded to a two- vehicle collision in Breakers,” saying “a motorbike traveling east had collided with a Su- zuki vehicle heading west.” The Suzuki occupants were largely unharmed, but, the report said, “the juve- nile male who was riding a bike was transported to the Cayman Islands Hospital with injuries to his left foot and shoulder.” “I was scared to death,” said Ms. Wellington. She was on her way home to Frank Sound from her West Bay Road office, after 8 p.m.: “I got a call from a neighbor. She said there had been an accident and it looked like Renaldo. She said ‘it seems his foot is hurt, but he’s all right.’” She went “straight to the scene,” finding her son in a ditch “holding his injured foot.” “I tried to stay calm,” she said, as police and fire ser- vices attended the accident; the ambulance arrived min- utes later. She rode in front as technicians bandaged his foot. “It was all ripped up, the foot, his toes, every- thing. There was blood drip- ping from it.” Renaldo speaks with little emotion in retrospect, but calmly adds a final awful de- tail; “I could see my bones.” His memory is not of fear or shock, but of the air-condi- tioning: “I was freezing. They cut off my clothes.” The pair spent two hours in the emergency room as doctors cleaned the grime and gravel, the blood and shattered bone, then sent him to the surgical ward as they prepared the operating the- ater, where surgeons tried to save the foot – in vain. They tried again on the next day, Saturday, – again in vain – and telephoned Ms. Wel- lington on Sunday. “They said they might have to amputate,” per- forming a “BKA,” below the knee amputation. “We said no,” Ms. Wel- lington said, “I asked about Miami. I called Health City. I sent pictures. They all said they would probably amputate too. “When the doctors ex- plained what would happen if they did not amputate,” – infection, sepsis, pain, per- manent disfigurement – she and her son agreed. “Even the church came in and helped,” she said. Renaldo returned home after 10 days, immediately hopping around the house, boxing on one foot, but en- during the discomfort of crutches: “I was getting so depressed,” he said, unable to sleep, coping with “phantom pain” – aching and stinging in a missing limb. Ms. Ryder and Renaldo met in late August, she said, on a routine visit. “He was a good kid. He was only 15, which is a tough age anyway. He was respectful and quiet, and no one was helping him. “When I meet someone, sometimes it just hits me. I liked him, and I said I’d do anything to make him a leg.” Building a prosthetic is part technical skill – requiring careful measurements and, like bespoke clothing, a fitting – and part art, accounting for height, weight, age and life- style habits. Building a limb for a BKA does not require a knee joint, but ankles are themselves complicated. A prosthetic for a BKA costs between $10,000 and $15,000 in the U.S., between $20,000 and $25,000 in Cayman. Ms. Wellington’s in- surance company declined to pay anything, citing the cir- cumstances of the accident, leaving her to face $80,000 in overall medical fees. Renaldo’s voice changes when he discusses Ms. Ryder, who recognized the family had little money and no in- surance. “She took me seri- ously and talked to the insur- ance company,” he said. Ms. Wellington said Ms. Ryder “liked Renaldo and said she was not going to have him suffer.” Six weeks later, Ms. Ryder called the family, saying she was not coming to Cayman without the prosthetic. When she arrived, Ms. Wellington said, “I was so excited.” Renaldo quickly “figured it out by himself,” Ms. Ryder said, discarding crutches, finding his balance, walking naturally and, just as school resumed in September, re- turning to Cornerstones, a di- vision of the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre. “It’s fine,” he said, indi- cating he probably has more friends now than before the accident. His only complaint is that he cannot play basket- ball as readily as he swims, boxes, dives, and plays squash, rugby and football. “I used to do track and field, but this thing is not made for running,” he says, musing “maybe I’ll do blades.” Ms. Ryder is a step ahead of him: “He’s not ready for sports construction, but I’ll fit him for a sports leg, a run- ning prosthetic,” called a “J leg” after the curved blades made famous by South Af- rican Olympic sprinter Oscar “Blade Runner” Pisto- rius, who had dual BKAs at 11 years old. An invoice never arrived from Ms. Ryder, and while the family still faces formi- dable obstacles, Ms. Welling- ton’s relief is plain: “I’m so proud of him.” Renaldo Taylor, 16, tries out his new prosthetic leg at the Cayman Islands Hospital’s physiotherapy unit, as Laura Ryder encourages him. “When I meet someone, sometimes it just hits me. I liked him, and I said I’d do anything to make him a leg.” LAURA RYDER, prosthetistThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, FEB. 1 STOP NOW AND PLAN (SNAP): 13-week program teaching children with behavioral problems, and their parents, to make better choices in the moment. Starts today, 5:30-7 p.m. Family Resource Centre at Compass Centre, North Sound Road. For further information, or to register, email frc@gov.ky or call 949-0006. FRIDAY, FEB. 2 WEAR RED: Wear Red for heart disease and the Cayman Heart Fund. A heart-inspired dress-down day for charity. February is Heart Month and today is Cayman’s Wear Red Day, an initiative to help raise awareness about cardiovascular disease and its effects. Wear red in school, the workplace and neighborhood and raise funds for the Cayman Heart Fund. Contact the Cayman Heart Fund at info@caymanheartfund.com or 916-6324. SKATE PARK FUNDRAISER: Hope Academy and Black Pearl Skate Park are raising funds for a new school playground, scholarship fund and other school improvements. $15 for park entrance, a helmet and choice of skateboard or scooter. $7 for those with own equipment. SATURDAY, FEB. 3 RUM TAILS: Annual Rum Tails event, in aid of charity group One Dog At A Time, takes place 1-4 p.m. at Cayman Spirits Company on Bronze Road, North Sound Road. The show will include a dog agility demonstration and competition with prizes for first and second place. The show will also include best rescue, best toy, best trick, best puppy and more. There is an entry fee for each class with certificates for top three places and a prize and rosette for the winners. Refreshments on sale. VEHICLE LICENSING: The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing advises that the Crewe Road office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon for all services, except vehicle inspections and drivers’ examination. BEACH CLEANUP: Plastic Free Cayman, in conjunction with Red Sail Sports, is having a monthly cleanup at SafeHaven. Come anytime from 8 a.m. to noon. Check out their Facebook page for more event details. MONDAY, FEB. 5 ART AND MUSIC BY THE SEA: Art and Music Festival at Pedro Castle. 5:30-9 p.m. Sponsored by Visual Arts Society, Cayman Art Festival, Jacques Scott, AI Rentals and Mike’s Ice. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7 SMALL BUSINESSES: Small businesses are encouraged to sign up by today for the Student Consulting Program, a partnership between the Ministry of Commerce, UCCI and Cayman National Bank. Small business owners are matched with a team of students, enrolled in UCCI’s upper-level entrepreneurship and small business management course, to help solve a business challenge. Interested small businesses are asked to email thais.ducent@gov.ky. BABY SHOW: On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the 51st Agricultural Show. Registration is now open for boys and girls age 0-48 months. Registration forms must be returned by Feb. 7. For information, contact Eziethamae Bodden at 929-9932. SATURDAY, FEB. 17 FREE HEALTH CHECK: The Lions Club of Tropical Gardens presents free health checks with Dr. Mani for vision screening; Dr. Taylor of CTMH Doctors Hospital for general health talks; HbA1c check for known diabetics, provided by the Diabetes Association. Nutritional talk, blood pressure and weight checks will also be offered. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. George’s Anglican Church Hall, upstairs. SATURDAY, FEB. 24 BRAC SPRING FLING: The Brac District of the National Trust’s annual fundraiser Spring Fling is 6 to 10 p.m., Brac Trust House, White Bay Road. Good food, good music, and a live auction. Tickets are $20 each, Split the Pot tickets are $5 or 3 for $10. Everyone welcome. GENERAL INTEREST FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Persons receiving permanent financial assistance benefit must be re-assessed if they have not been assessed since July 1, 2015. Get a form from the Needs Assessment Unit via email nauinfo@gov.ky, on the www.nau.gov.ky website or from the district Community Development Officer. The completed form/supporting documentation must be returned to the NAU by Friday, March 30. An appointment will be scheduled as necessary. Failure to comply will result in payments initially being placed on hold. For further information, contact the NAU immediately on 946-0024 or 948-8748. SOLAR IMAGING: An exhibition of digital solar imaging in Cayman by Dr. Bill Hrudey. National Gallery, Esterley Tibbetts Highway. LOBSTER SEASON: The open season for lobster runs until Feb. 28. Bag limit is three per person per day or six per boat per day, whichever is less. Minimum size is a 6-inch tail length. No taking lobsters from Marine Protected Areas. Only spiny lobster may be taken. No wearing gloves while snorkeling. No taking of lobster (or any marine life other than lionfish) while scuba diving. CONCH AND WHELK SEASON: The open season for conch and whelk runs until April 30. The legal limit for conch is five per person per day or 10 per boat, whichever is less. The limit for whelk catches is two-and-a-half gallons in the shell, or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks, per person, per day. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. OPEN CANVAS: Every Wednesday. Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant located in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee. Easels provided for artist of all levels to come out and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Email info@visualartcayman. com or jar.was@gmail.com. MUSEUM TOURS: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Mondays, 7 p.m. For details, contact Virginia Castillo at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at ADACI’s office, 4th floor Cardinall Plaza, 30 Cardinall Ave., GT. All are invited to attend. Call 924-4170 or email info@adacyman.com. GRAND CAYMAN TOASTMASTERS: Club meets each Thursday 6 – 7:15 p.m. on 3rd Floor, George Town Public Library. Visitors and guests welcome. Local contact is George R. Ebanks, 322-9369 or Grand Cayman Toastmasters club on Facebook. Email info@ toastmastersclub2686.org. ROTARACT BLUE OF CAYMAN: Meets Wednesdays 6 p.m., at Royal Palms Beach Club, West Bay Road. Contact rotaractblue@gmail.com or www.rotaractblue.org. LEO CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, contact Secretary Letisha Allen at 924-2819. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, email LionsClubGCM@hotmail.com. THE LIONS CLUB OF TROPICAL GARDENS: Meet every first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Elizabethan Square (corner unit next to the MLA’s office). Members of the public are invited to attend. ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN SUNRISE: Service club meetings 7 a.m. every Wednesday at George Town Yacht Club, 612 North Sound Road. website at www.rotarysunrise.ky or contact info@rotarysunrise.ky. KIWANIS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 12:30 p.m., at Britannia Golf Course Restaurant. Projects include promoting well- being of children in the community and schools. email president@kiwanis.ky or view www.kiwanis.ky. OPTIMIST CLUB: Meets first and third Thursdays at the Hibiscus Conference Room, George Town Hospital at 6:30 p.m. Amelia optimistcayman@yahoo.com. THE MODEL AIRPLANE FLYING CLUB: Meets Sundays 2 p.m. at the J. Bodden Marlpit/Old Raceway. Call 916–2327. PARENT AND TODDLER PLAY GROUP: For children from 2 weeks to 4 years. Meets Mondays 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the South Sound Community Centre. Children must be accompanied by parent or helper. Toys, activities, light refreshments provided. $6 per session per family. Email sspg@foxwood.ky. HEARTS THROUGH HANDS: Meets Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Family Life Centre, Room 10, Academy Way. Women make crafts for charity and missions. Call 946–3067 or 947–1863. THE WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE: Breastfeeding Clinics every Thursday 10 a.m. to noon in the Women’s Health Centre. No appointments, no fees. Phone 244–2649. CAYMAN BRIDGE CLUB: Meets Tuesdays 7 p.m. at Comfort Suites, West Bay Road; Fridays, 9 a.m. at the Rugby Club. For further information, contact Helen Haines at 947-3217 or Alex Wood at 947-3693. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. Friday is ‘Wear Red Day’ to raise awareness of heart disease and the Cayman Heart Fund. - PHOTO: CREATIVE COMMONSThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Cash or Card accepted, All sales nal. No returns or exchanges, Same-day pick up. Veteran U.K. Metropol- itan Police officer Martin Bridger was dispatched to investigate the situation and quickly disproved allega- tions against Mr. Seales and Mr. Ennis. Unredacted re- cords show Mr. Bridger, as early as October 2007, drew the Cayman Islands solic- itor general’s attention to the Sept. 3, 2007 newspaper of- fice entry indicating he had “concerns” about it. Legal advice given by spe- cial counsel Andre Mon Desir regarding the Sept. 3, 2007 Net News entry indicated there was “insufficient evi- dence” to establish that Mr. Seales’s office had been bur- gled. However, Mr. Mon Desir advised that there appeared to be a separate case that could be investigated against the senior RCIPS officers who directed the search. “Having arrived at this ev- idential position, Mon Desir advised that it would not be in the public interest to pros- ecute either Evans, Jones or Kernohan for any criminal offenses arising out of the events of Sept. 3, 2007,” ac- cording to the review of Op- eration Tempura penned by Ben Aina, QC. Attorney General Samuel Bulgin, whose office directed criminal prosecutions at the time these events were oc- curring, advised in a memo to the Operation Tempura in- vestigation team that any de- cision to proceed with the in- vestigation of the Net News office entry was “one for the [police] officers.” “On Jan. 25, 2008, Gov- ernor Jack, having seen the advice of Mon Desir and the attorney general’s memo, de- cided that there should be a full investigation into the events of Sept. 3, 2007,” Mr. Aina’s report further stated. Some of the reasons given for the former governor’s de- cision are documented by Mr. Aina’s review, based on a March 2008 report of an ap- pointed body which oversaw the Tempura investigation between 2007 and 2008. Mr. Jack’s commentary indicated he, as well as members of the Operation Tempura over- sight group, was concerned about community confidence in Cayman’s judicial process if the probe did not continue. “When it becomes public knowledge that the inves- tigation was discontinued without being fully investi- gated, it may very well pro- mote feelings of suspicion and of impropriety by the governor’s office and the ju- diciary,” the oversight group report stated. “It is our be- lief that the potential impact of halting the investigation at this stage [January 2008], based on the advice of one person [referring to Mr. Mon Desir], could be interpreted as capitulation by the gov- ernor’s office and be subject to adverse criticism both na- tionally and internationally. “We believe the circum- stances of this case could lead to allegations of state interference [with] freedom of the press. “Finally, if the events of Sept. 3, 2007 are not pro- ceeded with, the two re- maining suspects are both Caymanian and therefore such a decision will un- doubtedly attract allegations of racism in that U.K. offi- cers being investigated by officers from the U.K. have been allowed to walk free be- fore a full examination has taken place.” The last comment is a reference to former RCIPS Deputy Commissioner Ru- dolph Dixon and former Cayman Net News employee Lyndon Martin, who were both separately under in- vestigation by the Operation Tempura team. Both men were acquitted after jury trials in late 2008. whistleblowing process, sim- ilar to a complaints process, should be able to resolve complaints internally. To that end, the Cayman Islands government has set up its own hotline for re- porting fraud or wrongdoing by its employees, separate from the Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service or the ombudsman’s office. The hotline reporting ser- vice, operated by local ac- counting firm KPMG, allows anyone to report incidents of fraud or to “blow the whistle” on suspected unethical acts or maladministration within the government. Tips can be phoned in to a 1-800 number or emailed to a secure ad- dress that KPMG operates. “Whistleblowers who use these platforms will have complete anonymity and will therefore be protected,” a government statement noted. “All claims or allegations made will be investigated by the Internal Audit Service.” How to ‘whistleblow’ Anyone working in the Cayman Islands, whether in government or the private sector, can make a report or disclosure of suspected wrong- doing to the ombudsman’s of- fice or to a practicing attorney. The Whistleblower Law re- quires all such complaints be kept in strictest confidence. The ombudsman’s office will essentially be given the powers of a court in investi- gating reports of wrongdoing and monitoring compliance with the law. If evidence of wrongdoing is found, the om- budsman can either refer the matter to the person respon- sible for internal discipline [in administrative cases], refer to the commissioner of police [if criminal wrongdoing has oc- curred] or to the governor [if the wrongdoing was com- mitted by a high-ranking gov- ernment official]. The legislation seeks to prevent public and private sector employees from making frivolous complaints or reports that are designed to embar- rass their employers. Reports of wrongdoing will not qualify for protection against retalia- tion unless they are made “in the public interest,” according to the legislation. In addition, if it would normally be an of- fense to disclose information or if the information disclosed is considered legally privi- leged, the person disclosing it would not be protected. Whistleblowers who dis- close information deemed to be in the public interest get specific protections in the law against what is termed “det- rimental action” – retaliation – by their employers. Detri- mental action can include actions causing loss, injury, intimidation, harassment, discrimination, disadvantage or any adverse treatment. The legislation makes it a criminal offense to take detri- mental action against an em- ployee who discloses wrong- doing. The offense carries a penalty of a prison term of between two to five years. Damages can be paid to an employee who has been victimized, and employers can be held liable for retal- iatory actions taken by their agents or other employees against a whistleblower. The legislation gives the government service the added option of transferring a worker who has reported sus- pected wrongdoing, to another department if the person re- quests it. In such a case, the government chief officer must believe that the worker has or will be retaliated against if they were to remain in the department where they re- ported wrongdoing. to contend with exces- sive waiting periods ema- nating from the long lines and passenger overflow from our hall.” Even in the context of a busy peak season for Cayman, Saturday was a busy day at Owen Rob- erts International Airport, with multiple planes ar- riving within a short pe- riod of time. It is not clear if any late or unscheduled arrivals contributed to the logjam, but Mr. Smith said it was an unusual situa- tion and that wait times had generally not been ex- cessive during the busy season so far. “We apologize for the un- fortunate delays,” he said. “It was an odd occurrence since operations have con- tinued to run smoothly de- spite the increase of ar- riving passengers. “We sincerely ask the traveling public for their continued patience as critical works continue at ORIA.” He said the space inside the immigration waiting area would increase once construction work is com- pleted to break through the wall to the old baggage collection area. Officials from the Cayman Islands Airports Authority were unavailable Wednesday to answer fur- ther questions on the long wait times at the airport and other issues related to the new arrivals hall. A spokeswoman said they would address those con- cerns later this week. Michael Thomas, cor- porate communications di- rector with Delta Air Lines, confirmed officials from the airline had been in touch with authorities in Cayman about the long wait times. He said, “While immigra- tions processing is coordi- nated through the Cayman Islands Airports Authority, Delta is committed to en- suring our customers have an enjoyable travel expe- rience throughout every step of their journey. We are working closely with the CIAA regarding the re- ported long customs queues at the airport to take care of our customers and provide constructive solutions to re- duce wait times.” Tourism businesses in Cayman said they were aware of the situation but were understanding of the issues. Theresa Leacock-Brod- erick, president of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, said, “We ap- preciate the challenges this expansion project pres- ents, particularly at a time when the country is expe- riencing record arrivals. We remain confident that the government is addressing the situation as best and quickly as possible. “We are in regular com- munication with senior of- ficials to [give] immediate feedback from the insight gained from our relation- ships and interactions with our visitors. In fact, discus- sions were occurring over the course of the weekend, so I know that the situation is being closely monitored by the ministries involved and that all proactive mea- sures will be taken to re- duce the inconveniences. “The Cayman Islands Tourism Association will continue to assist, particu- larly with our accommoda- tion members, to communi- cate with our visiting guests in assuring them the project is progressing on target and that any current inconve- niences will not recur on their return visit next year.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 First Whistleblower Law takes effect Plea for patience over airport lines CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Operation Tempura: Against legal advice, ex-governor pursued probe CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Mon Desir advised that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute either Evans, Jones and Kernohan for any criminal offenses ….” REPORT BY BEN AINA, QC, on Operation Tempura Record visitor numbers have put pressure on the facility, which is midway through a $55 million upgrade.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS FEMA not cutting off aid to Puerto Rico The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it is not cutting off aid to Puerto Rico despite reports that it intended to do so. A spokesman said FEMA will wind down food and water distribution as stores and markets come back online, but will continue to distribute aid to needy towns for the foreseeable future. Trump address warns of immigration, touts economy WASHINGTON (AP) – Ad- dressing a deeply divided na- tion, President Donald Trump summoned the country to a “new American moment” of unity in his first State of the Union, challenging Con- gress to make good on long- standing promises to fix a fractured immigration system and warning darkly of evil forces seeking to un- dermine America’s way of life. Trump’s address Tuesday night blended self-congratu- lation and calls for optimism amid a growing economy with ominous warnings about deadly gangs, the scourge of drugs and vio- lent immigrants living in the United States illegally. He cast the debate over immi- gration – an issue that has long animated his most ar- dent supporters – as a battle between heroes and villains, leaning heavily on the per- sonal stories of White House guests in the crowd. He praised a law enforcement agent who arrested more than 100 gang members, and he recognized the families of two alleged gang victims. He also spoke forebodingly of catastrophic dangers from abroad, warning that North Korea would “very soon” threaten the United States with nuclear-tipped missiles. “The United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud that we do more than any other country to help the needy, the strug- gling and the underprivileged all over the world,” Trump said. “But as president of the United States, my highest loy- alty, my greatest compas- sion, and my constant con- cern is for America’s children, America’s struggling workers and America’s forgotten communities.” Trump addressed the na- tion with tensions running high on Capitol Hill. An im- passe over immigration prompted a three-day gov- ernment shutdown earlier this year, and lawmakers ap- pear no closer to resolving the status of the “Dreamers” – young people living in the U.S. illegally ahead of a new Feb. 8 deadline for funding operations. The parties have also clashed this week over the plans of Republicans on the House intelligence com- mittee to release a classified memo on the Russia inves- tigation involving Trump’s presidential campaign – a decision the White House backs but the Justice Depart- ment is fighting. The controversies that have dogged Trump – and the ones he has created– have overshadowed strong eco- nomic gains during his first year in office. His approval ratings have hovered in the 30s for much of his presi- dency, and just 3 in 10 Amer- icans said the United States was heading in the right di- rection, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Re- search. In the same survey, 67 percent of Americans said the country was more divided because of Trump. At times, Trump’s address appeared to be aimed more at validating his first year in office than setting the course for his second. He devoted significant time to touting the tax overhaul he signed at the end of last year, promising the plan will “provide tre- mendous relief for the middle class and small businesses.” He also highlighted the de- cision made early in his first year to withdraw the U.S. from a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade pact, declaring: “The era of economic surrender is totally over.” He spoke about poten- tial agenda items for 2018 in broad terms, including a call for $1.5 trillion in new infrastructure spending and partnerships with states and the private sector. He touched only briefly on is- sues like healthcare that have been at the center of the Republican Party’s policy agenda for years. Tackling the sensitive im- migration debate that has roiled Washington, Trump re- doubled his recent pledge to offer a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young immi- grants – but only as part of a package that would also re- quire increased funding for border security, including a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, ending the nation’s visa lottery method and re- vamping the current legal immigration system. Some Republicans are wary of the hardline elements of Trump’s plan and it’s unclear whether his blueprint could pass Congress. “Americans are dreamers too,” Trump said, in an ap- parent effort to reclaim the term used to describe the young immigrants in the U.S. illegally. A former New York Demo- crat, the president also played to the culture wars that have long illuminated American politics, alluding to his public spat with professional ath- letes who led protests against racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem, declaring that paying tribute to the flag is a “civic duty.” Republicans led multiple rounds of enthusiastic ap- plause during the speech, but for the opposition party it was a more somber affair. Democrats provided a short spurt of polite applause for Trump as he entered the chamber, but offered muted reactions throughout the speech. A cluster of about two dozen Democrats, in- cluding members of the Con- gressional Black Caucus, re- mained planted firmly in their seats, staring sternly at the president and with- holding applause. After devastating de- feats in 2016, Democrats are hopeful that Trump’s sag- ging popularity can help the party rebound in November’s midterm elections. In a post- speech rebuttal, Massachu- setts Rep. Joe Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Ken- nedy, was seeking to undercut Trump’s optimistic tone and remind voters of the personal insults and attacks often lev- eled by the president. “Bullies may land a punch,” Kennedy said. “They might leave a mark. But they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defense of their future.” The arc of Trump’s 80-minute speech featured the personal stories of men and women who joined first lady Melania Trump in the audience. The guests in- cluded a New Mexico po- liceman and his wife who ad- opted a baby from parents who suffered from opioid addiction, and Ji Seong-ho, a defector from North Korea and outspoken critic of the Kim Jong-un government. On international affairs, Trump warned of the dangers from “rogue regimes,” like Iran and North Korea, ter- rorist groups, like the Islamic State, and “rivals” like China and Russia “that challenge our interests, our economy and our values.” Calling on Congress to lift budgetary caps and boost spending on the military, Trump said “un- matched power is the surest means of our defense.” Trump’s biggest for- eign policy announcement of the night concerned the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which former Pres- ident Barack Obama tried but failed to close. Reversing Obama’s policy, Trump said he’d signed an executive order Tuesday directing the Pentagon to keep the prison open while re-examining the military’s policy on detention. Trump said he was also asking Congress to ensure the U.S. had needed powers to detain Islamic State group members and other “terror- ists wherever we chase them down,” though it was un- clear whether he was refer- ring to a new war powers authorization or some other mechanism. Trump also said he wanted Congress to pass a law ensuring U.S. foreign aid goes only “to America’s friends” – a reference to his frustration at U.S. aid recip- ients that voted at the U.N. to rebuke his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Is- rael’s capital. Mrs. Trump arrived at the Capitol ahead of her hus- band to attend a reception with guests of the White House, but she rode back to the White House with him. It was the first time she was seen publicly with the presi- dent following a report that his lawyer arranged a pay- ment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, to prevent her from talking about an alleged af- fair. Daniels denied the affair in a new statement released hours before the speech. President Donald Trump arrives before the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday. – PHOTO: AP Trump signs order to keep Guantanamo Bay open WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump has signed an executive order to keep open the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, marking a formal reversal of his predecessor’s eight-year effort to shut it down. Trump made it clear during his campaign that he wanted Guantanamo to re- main open and to “load it up with some bad dudes,” but he has not yet sent a new de- tainee to the facility. The order, which Trump signed Tuesday night, says the U.S. maintains the option to detain additional enemy combatants at the detention center in Cuba when lawful and necessary to protect U.S. national security. It requires the defense secretary to rec- ommend criteria for deter- mining the fate of individuals captured by the United States in armed conflict, including sending them to Guantanamo. “Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil,” Trump said. “When possible, we have no choice but to annihilate them. When necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy combatants.” “In the past, we have fool- ishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terror- ists only to meet them again on the battlefield, including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, who we captured, who we had, who we released,” he said, referring to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The office of the Director of National Intelligence said in its most recent report on the subject that about 17 percent of the 728 detainees who have been released from Guantanamo are “confirmed” and 12 percent are “sus- pected” of re-engaging in mil- itant activities. But the vast majority of those re-engagements oc- curred with former pris- oners who did not go through the security review that was set up under Presi- dent Barack Obama. Trump’s order says this review pro- cess would continue to be used to determine whether detainees should be held. Practically, not much is ex- pected to change with Trump’s new order, said Lee Wolosky, who was Obama’s special envoy at the State Department for closing Guantanamo. “But as a symbolic matter, it changes a great deal because the two presidents before him were trying to close Guanta- namo because they recognized that it was a detriment to our national security,” he said. 9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018 Remembering our Special Angel, the “World Boss” Mark Travis Seymour “AKA” Hubba… Happy Birthday in Heaven Feb. 1. 1976 – Jan. 28, 2017 Forever in our hearts Your family; Tesia (TJ) (life partner), Miyah (daughter) and D’monte (son) Partings come and hearts are broken, Loved ones go with words unspoken, Deep in our hearts there’s a memory kept, For a partner and father we’ll never forget. Some day we hope to meet you, Some day, we know not when, To clasp your hand in a better land, Never to part again. Lonely is our home without you, Life to us is not the same, All this world would be like Heaven, Just to have you back again. We will always love you and Be strong for you to the end Our partner, our father our best friend Til we meet again UK lawmakers debate leaving aging, crumbling home LONDON (AP) – This is not a metaphor: Britain’s Parlia- ment is a mess. The 19th-century building is crumbling, leaky, infested with vermin and riddled with asbestos. Fixing it will take years and cost billions, but experts say the alternative could be catastrophic. After years of dithering, lawmakers are set to vote Wednesday on what to do, and there’s a good chance they will opt for more delay. Experts have issued in- creasingly urgent warnings about the state of the neo- Gothic Parliament building, one of London’s most famous landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reports have sounded alarm bells about leaky roofs, tempera- mental steam heating, anti- quated plumbing, crumbling stonework and ventilation shafts clogged with old pipes, wires and asbestos. A 2016 report commis- sioned by parliamentary au- thorities said the building is at risk of a flood or fire that could leave it uninhab- itable. It advised members of the House of Commons and House of Lords to move out for six years for reno- vations, estimated to cost about $5 billion. Caroline Shenton, former director of the parliamen- tary archives and author of “The Day Parliament Burned Down,” said that without major repair work, Britain could lose “the most iconic, fa- mous building in the country.” “It could just simply be a utilities failure that brings the whole thing to a halt – the electricity goes, the water stops working, the loos stop flushing,” she said. “But something more catastrophic could happen.” David Leakey, who retired last year as Parliament’s head of security, has said that without major work Parlia- ment could be “another Gren- fell Tower” – the London high- rise that burned down last year, killing 70 people. Despite the warnings, law- makers have put off making a decision. Some worry the public will resent the ex- pense. Traditionalists are re- luctant to leave the historic Commons and Lords cham- bers, the subsidized bars and restaurants and the riverside terrace with its magnificent view across the Thames. Some modernizers think a permanent move to a new building – perhaps even one outside London – would make politicians less out of touch with the people they serve. Lawmakers will vote on several options, from agreeing to move out by the mid-2020s to deferring a de- cision for several more years. The seat of Britain’s gov- ernment has stood on the same riverside site for centu- ries. The oldest surviving part of the complex, Westminster Hall, is 900 years old. But the current building, designed by architect Charles Barry, was built after fire destroyed its predecessor in 1834. Shenton said authori- ties had debated what to do about their aging building for years before the 1834 blaze. She hopes today’s politicians learn from their predeces- sors’ indecision. “Nobody could make a decision,” she said. “In the end, the decision was made for them.” Workers stand on scaffolding for repairs on the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday. Experts have issued increasingly urgent warnings about the state of the neo-Gothic 19th-century parliament building, and lawmakers are set to vote Wednesday on what to do about the crumbling, leaky, vermin-infested building. - PHOTO: AP Britain’s May focused on post-Brexit future in China BEIJING (AP) – British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday called for ex- panding the “global stra- tegic partnership” between the United Kingdom and China, at the start of a visit to the world’s second-largest economy focused on hashing out new trade arrangements once the U.K. leaves the European Union. Meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, May re- ferred to “a golden era” in relations between the two countries that London hopes will bring vast amounts of new job-creating investment from China’s fast-growing global firms. “This is an auspicious time of the year to … think about and consider how we can build further on that golden era and on the global strategic partnership that we have been working on between the U.K. and China,” May said. Officials oversaw the signing of a raft of agree- ments covering trade – in- cluding the import of British food products to China – investment, ed- ucation and other areas. More than 155,000 Chi- nese students now study in the U.K., according to the British government. Brexit appeared to figure prominently in the talks and May said that as Britain pre- pares to leave the EU “we are committed to deepening our strong and vital partner- ship” with China. “And that relationship is indeed broad and deep and delivers benefits to both countries,” May said. As Britain prepares to leave the EU, “we will become a country that is able to op- erate an independent trade policy and is able to sign free trade agreements around the rest of the world,” she said at a later question-and-answer session with Li. Li said Brexit would not change the basic trading relationship. “In EU-U.K. relations. We will have assessments and discussions in our trade re- lationship to take it for- ward,” Li said. As she makes her China visit, May’s job is under threat from rivals within her Conservative Party, who are divided over whether to make a clean break with the EU or seek to keep the closest-pos- sible economic relationship. May insisted to reporters flying with her to China, “I’m not a quitter.” She said there was “a long-term job to be done” by her government, ac- cording to the Press Associa- tion news agency. “That job is about get- ting the best Brexit deal, it’s about ensuring that we take back control of our money, our laws, our borders, that we can sign trade deals around the rest of the world,” she said. “But it’s also about our domestic agenda.” In her meeting with Li, May said the two countries, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, were also cooperating on North Korea and other se- curity challenges. North Ko- rea’s nuclear weapons pro- gram, she said, is “illegal, reckless and poses an unac- ceptable threat to interna- tional security.” Li said they also dis- cussed overcapacity in the steel industry, while May said an agreement had been reached to open China to im- ports of British beef this year. Business deals worth more than 9 billion $13 billion would be announced before the end of the visit, May said. May also expressed sup- port for British involvement in the “Belt and Road” ini- tiative, China’s mega-plan for trade and infrastructure links across Asia. However, she said re- lated projects needed to ad- here to established global business practices. Beijing has been criticized for un- dermining those rules by agreeing to finance major in- frastructure projects on con- dition they were awarded to Chinese companies without entertaining bids from competitors. “We’ve discussed how the U.K. and China will continue to work together to identify how best we can cooperate on the Belt and Road initia- tive across the region and en- sure it meets international standards,” May said. “We will work together to encourage free and fair trade, ensure a transparent, rules-based multilateral trading system, and build an open global economy that works for all.” May first visited the cen- tral industrial city of Wuhan on Wednesday before trav- eling to Beijing for talks with Li. On Thursday, she is sched- uled to meet with President Xi Jinping, whose 2015 state visit to Britain helped propel what China refers to as the golden era in ties. May is being accompa- nied on her visit by 50 British business leaders, including the chief executives of Jaguar Land Rover and drug firm As- traZeneca. She will also visit the financial hub of Shanghai before heading home Friday. Bolstering ties with China became more urgent after Britain voted in 2016 to leave the EU, compelling it to forge new trade agreements out- side of the 28-nation bloc. British exports to China are up 60 percent since 2010, and China is expected to be one of the U.K.’s biggest for- eign investors by 2020. British finance minister Philip Hammond visited in December, pledging to pro- mote London as a center for transactions in China’s yuan currency and announcing up to $35 billion in support for British businesses involved in the Belt and Road initiative. But May appears more cautious about embracing Chinese investment than her predecessor, David Cameron. She annoyed Beijing in 2016 by temporarily delaying ap- proval for a Chinese-backed nuclear power plant in south- western England. A 2016 report advised members of the House of Commons and House of Lords to move out for six years for renovations, estimated to cost about $5 billion.Next >