They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. If that is the case, you should like The Gantt Report even more!

I was burnt out a little bit after the 2006 elections so I took a little break to keep from burning up!

I also applied for a government job and you know how honest workers get treated by devilish employers. So, that was another reason for the break in continued columns. Haters try to use this column as a reason not to help me, employ me or work with me all of the time.

Anyway, I'm going to resume writing, at least until I find out if I'll get the government job I applied for. If I get it, perhaps my son, Lucius Gantt IV, will resume The Gantt Report.

While on vacation I visited several foreign countries. I went to St. Maarten, Mexico, Belize and the Cayman Islands.

The weather was great in the Caribbean but the people are catching hell there just like we are catching hell here.

We African-Americans don't control anything in America but the people of African descent in the islands have the power of land.

Many island families and individuals hold large parcels of land in paradise. However, large corporations and developers are stealing the land daily.

More must be done to insure that native islanders benefit from island development. Islanders must be given the resources to develop their own land or agreements must be put in place wherein the native islanders can joint venture with foreign businesses that seek to develop on the islands.

One thing I learned on this particular trip is when I say I visited the country of St. Maarten, if fact I'm not telling the whole truth.

When you visit St. Maarten, you really are visiting Holland, also known as The Netherlands.

St. Maarten and all of the other countries in the Netherland Antilles are under the control, so to speak, of the Dutch government. St. Maarteners don't have a St. Maarten passport, they have Dutch travel documents. The same goes for residents of Aruba, Bonaire and other Dutch controlled islands.

Government and community leaders in Curacao are opposed to Dutch control but so far they are the only Netherland Antilles island to stand up. The central issue involves island debt and if you're interested in the details of the issue please consult someone more knowledgeable than me or search the countries and their issues on the Internet.

Meanwhile, I'm back from a brief but needed vacation and once I take a deep breath I'll get back to doing what God wants me to do, telling the truth about the world we live in. (Gantt's new book "Beast Too: Dead Man Writing" is coming soon. Contact Lucius and find out more at www.allworldconsultants.net)