According to the Antigua Sun, Antigua has once again re-set its deadline for the conclusion of their negotiations for a settlement to their gaming dispute. The latest deadline is Agust 1.

The idea that this situation could have its third deadline in only a month had me completely flummoxed... so much that I began to wonder if perhaps it was me who was confused about the meaning of the word "deadline".

In search of the truth, I headed over to Dictionary.com, where I looked up the meaning of "deadline".

Here is a couple of offered definitions from the response:

1) the time by which something must be finished or submitted; the latest time for finishing something: a five o'clock deadline.
- Well, that kind of sounds like what I thought.

2) a line or limit that must not be passed.
- Yeah, same thing.

3) A boundary line in a prison that prisoners can cross only at the risk of being shot.
- That's a bit excessive in this context.

3) the point in time at which something must be completed.
- Yup. That's what I was thinking too.

So, to sum it all up, there is nothing in the definition of the word "deadline" that indicates that it means that a deadline is something that can be randomly scheduled again and again.

So it seems like Antigua's esteemed Minister of Finance and the Economy, Dr. Errol Cort, needs to update his vocabulary - or find a thesaurus.

Remember that old Monty Python skit where the poor shopper who wanted to purchase, I think, a mattress, learned that he had to take every number the salesman gave him and divide it by 3, while multiplying everything the other salesman said by 10?

Well this is kind of the same thing, except that whenever Dr. Cort uses the word "deadline", we should assume that he means "appointment" or "text message", or more precisely "appointment for humiliation".

So, according to that method, we should expect to see Antigua humiliated again on August 1. At which point Dr. Cort will schedule the next appointment for humiliation for two or three weeks in the future.

Now that we've figured it out, it makes this process that much more enjoyable - that is, if you enjoy seeing the complete emasculation of an earnest government official who only wants to see another government obey their obligations.

Personally, this is kind of like watching one of those movies where you are forced to watch the main characters make one bad decision after another. After a while it just gets painful.

Antigua has the power to make America listen. They were given the right to seek meaningful reparations, including IP-based industries like music and film.

I guarantee you that if Antigua moved ahead with its right to pirate music and movies, the American entertainment industry would kick up such a fuss that the US would be forced to bring something meaningful to the table.

But Antigua seems to be intent on squandering that powerful card in their hand. Instead, they seem to be allowing the Americans to belittle them by delaying the process again and again.

Finally, as I have mentioned before, I think the American plan is to delay the process until the inevitable change in administration that will follow the November election. Even if the Republicans win, it is unlikely that John McCain would continue down this ridiculous path.

Which means that the market will be a lot more likely to open in the spring.

At that point, every gaming jurisdiction worth its salt will attack the American market like a pack of wolves, leaving little Antigua and its online gaming industry in the dust.

Face it, Antigua. Time is short. You have spent millions of dollars fighting the good fight, and your American counterparts are simply delaying the process until a point in time when even a victory will be mostly meaningless to you.

You can't let that happen, Dr. Cort. You need to get aggressive and hit America where it hurts. You need to force the Americans to give you a rightful settlement and/or open up this market right now, while you still have a chance to compete.

The time is now, Antigua. Get tough!