The Editor, Sir:

In your April 10, 2007 edition, you published a report quoting Pastor Phillip Phinn as stating that God had ordained Portia Simpson Miller to be leader of Jamaica for at least another seven years.

Events subsequent to the September 2007 general elections seemed to have interrupted that timetable as far as Mrs Simpson Miller's leadership goes.

That report also quoted Pastor Phinn as saying the Democrats would take the White House and that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton would be the next President of the United States. Since Barack Obama has been elected in a so-far undisputed landslide it would take a remarkable confluence of circumstances for Senator Clinton to be named president over Obama, over Joe Biden and over Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives as allowed by the US Constitution.

When one considers that another set of "prophets" - apparently outside the Phinn camp, had declared in 2007, as published in your newspaper, that a woman would be the next president of the United States, either there is a serious spirit of delusion affecting sections of Jamaica's church community or the United States of America is in for some major political convulsions.

What an interesting time we live in?

- C. Barnswell, barnswellc@yahoo.co.uk

Note: Reader Barnswell is correct. The Gleaner of Tuesday, April 10, 2007 did publish a story under the headline "Prophet Phinn declares election victory for Portia". The story also stated: "He also prophesied that the Democratic Party will take the United States White House and that Hillary Clinton will be president". In this instance the prophet was only half right.