Bahamas Blog

There is a scrappy little WordPress blog called Bahamas Press. They print "news" on the Bahamas, usually controversial news spliced with a healthy dose of opinion. Despite the fact that the spelling and grammar is typically Bahamian (D+ mentality) I will give them credit for writing their own articles, even if they are usually based on already available information.

The funny part is that these knuckleheads truly believe they have a big audience, like the bloggy boys and bahamasuncensored think they do too.

All of them proudly claim to be the most read blog in the Bahamas.

It simply ain't so!

This is from the Bahamas Press website:

Quote:

But suddenly there appears this small voice (BAHAMAS PRESS), this little tool, bearing three stones and a sling. No, we are not afraid, we have now become the VOICE of 265,354 weekly readers. We have become the little DAVID here in The Bahamas for all whom find it difficult to SPEAK UP against the ‘WUTLESS MEDIA’ and the wicked dark spots in country.

That is hilarious. 265,354 weekly readers?! I'll bet they don't even get that many hits per week, let alone readers.

Want to know how many people really read their little blog?

Go here...
http://www.statbrain.com/bahamaspress.com/

...then laugh yourself silly.

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I saw this article in the Nassau Guardian about a drug dealing Bahamian pilot who stole an airplane and flew it to Jamaica to pick up a shipment of drugs.

As usual, the foggy-headed fools at the Guardian failed to get the story behind the story.

That a Bahamian drug dealer would steal a plane and fly to Jamaica on a drug run is not the story.

That the incompetent air traffic controllers in the Bahamas did not know that a plane had left their airspace is the real story.

Sure, the pilot is on trial for stealing the plane. But why weren't the heads of our civil aviation department called to the carpet?

They failed miserably, putting both the Bahamas and the United States in jeopardy.

What if the plane had been stolen by Al Qaeda operatives hellbent on delivering a dirty bomb to Florida?

I think the people in charge of civil aviation should be made to answer to this most obvious failure on their part. Frankly, I think there are some corrupt air traffic controllers, because this incident could not have happened if there weren't.

Talking about corruption in government. The pilot's name is Johnson. Aren't there some Johnsons in cushy high positions in the Ministry of Tourism and at BEC? Hmmm.

BTW - It will be a cold day in hell before the US agrees to let the Bahamas manage its own airspace. Clearly, we are not even close to being ready for that.

Quote:

Pilot denies stealing plane Pilot Jimmy Johnson denied stealing a charter plane when he appeared before Magistrate Carolita Bethel yesterday. Johnson, 29, was deported from Jamaica last Friday after paying a fine for illegal landing. According to Jamaican press reports, police found the twin-engine plane that belongs to Glen Pratt at an abandoned airstrip in Gimme-Mi-Bit on April 22. Johnson admitted that he piloted the plane, but Pratt reported the plane stolen when it vanished from an airport in San Andros. According to published reports, Bahamian authorities were shocked to learn that the plane had left their airspace without their knowledge. Magistrate Bethel revoked Johnson's $100,000 bail during a court appearance earlier this week. Johnson, who is on trial in connection with a 1,275-pound marijuana seizure in Andros, was not supposed to leave the country without first getting permission from the court. Johnson has another pending drug case that involves the seizure of 875 pounds of marijuana. By ARTESIA DAVIS, Guardian Senior Reporter

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I saw the article below in the Nassau Guardian. What bullsh**t!

There are few countries (outside of China) where the government allows such rampant violation of international copyrights as in The Bahamas.

That is why it is so surprising that, for the second year in a row, The Bahamas has been removed from the Special 301 list.

The Special 301 list highlights those countries that abuse intellectual property rights.

How did the Bahamas get off the list?

It must have something to do with all the alleged corruption at the US Embassy in Nassau, Bahamas. Apparently, there are both Bahamian and US employees at the Embassy who make "special arrangements" to compensate the criminal organization known as the Bahamas government.

A former embassy employee told me that they have a whole corrupt network at the embassy that can "get anything accomplished."

Apparently the corrupt US employees all have secret Bahamian offshore bank accounts and are privy to special "deals" related to US real estate investments in The Bahamas. All they have to do is look the other way when requested to do so.

I don't know. But it must be true, in order for the Bahamas to be removed from the copyright violations list. I mean, not a day goes by that I don't see fake Gucci bags at the Straw Market and stolen DVDs being peddled by criminals at local supermarkets.

Not to mention the fact that our monopoly cable company steals signals from the US and resells them to Bahamian television viewers.

Maybe Condi needs to take a closer look at the US Embassy in Nassau and do a little house cleaning.

Oh right, all the corrupt embassy officials are W's friends.

Quote:

Bahamas not on Special 301 list By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, Guardian Senior Reporter For the second year in a row, The Bahamas has been removed from the Special 301 list. Minister of State for Legal Affairs, Desmond Bannister, made the disclosure in the House of Assembly yesterday during his contribution to the 2008/09 budget. He explained that this is quite significant as The Bahamas has been listed for the previous six years. The Special 301 list highlights those countries that abuse intellectual property rights. According to Bannister, the country's intellectual property department was relocated to Appsley House at the beginning of May, where it now has more space to more adequately meet its mandate. He informed that the budget makes provision for the proper staffing of the department to populate its database. "This is critical to The Bahamas seeking a competitive advantage in this area, and it is worthy of note that when we came to office this department was some five years behind in the process," Bannister reported. Additionally, he said an advisory committee appointed by the minister has provided draft legislation, which is being circulated to industry partners for consideration. "It is anticipated that new legislation will provide for the introduction of the lucrative concept of registering service marks, which will have the potential of positioning The Bahamas in an even more competitive position, in an ever growing global environment, and pave the way for future internationally compliant intellectual property legislation," the minister said. He pointed out that the Registrar General has been given a mandate to undertake comprehensive reviews of modern copyright systems such as the Library of Congress in the U.S., and seek to implement a state-of-the-art copyright registration system in The Bahamas. Bannister went on to thank the U.S. government for assisting the various arms of government in the institutional strengthening of the various issues affecting intellectual property protection and enforcement. Already, officers from the Registrar General's Department, the Attorney General's Office, and other law enforcement agencies have been or will be sent on training courses on intellectual property enforcement and prosecution. As a result of these combined efforts and prolonged negotiations with the United States Trade Representative office, Bannister said The Bahamas, for the second year, does not appear on the Special 301 list. By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, Guardian Senior Reporter

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Both the Tribune and the Nassau Guardian print weekly columns penned by "young Bahamians". The Tribune has Adrian Gibson, who is at least worth reading, albeit with a grain of salt. The Guardian has a young man with the non de plume "Simon", who has been called "simple Simon" by a well-respected Bahamian blogger.

Both these young men are hopelessly naive. Their articles, like their unwitting mentor Larry Smith's articles (also in The Tribune) are wordy and pointless. What they write is not journalism because their stories do not uncover anything new. They simply rehash facts that have already been made public. If that is all a reader wants, one could simply Google the subject and they would find all they can read about it, some of which is the same information that Smith and his unofficial proteges rehash in their own words.

If their articles are supposed to be commentary, they fail miserably. Again, the authors simply rehash facts, they never come to any conclusions, which of course is the purpose of a commentary.

And, Simon, whose column is called "Front porch", seems obsessed with his thesaurus. In this article, it appears that he tries to use every "big" word he can find, just to sound intelligent. It doesn't work. And who is he writing to? The Bahamian public? You mean the ones with the D+ average? Hell, three-fourths of the country can't understand the words front porch uses, how will they ever figure out what he is talking about.

Check out this sentence:

Quote:

"This addictive violence has no panaceas. It requires longitudinal and latitudinal responses."

Okay, right! I mean the sentence makes sense, but the concept is so poorly communicated that few Bahamians would grasp the essence of his words.

It's time for real commentary, like you'll find on this website, instead of rehashing easily obtainable facts or babbling inconclusive drivel.

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Message to Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham...

Close the damn Web shops in The Bahamas.

What is wrong with you?

These places are illegal gambling establishments. And are now contributing to the violent crime plaguing the streets of Nassau.

Why is it so hard for you to enforce the laws we are paying you to uphold?

By next week, it will be painfully obvious to all involved that if the web shops are still open, then you, sir, are either incompetent or "on the take."

A foreign friend of mine asked a very good question for which I did not have an adequate answer.

He noticed, while reading a local newspaper, that the Bahamas police have a policy where, upon finding drugs in a home, the police will arrest all residents of the house.

Why then, upon discovering prostitutes in a West Bay Street hotel, is the owner of the establishment not arrested, or at least questioned?

Who owns the hotel on West Bay Street that is being used as a brothel?

Why is that person not in custody?

Are the cops corrupt or just hypocrites?

Proving he is out-of-touch and incompetent, National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest wants the media to lie about The Bahamas' crime problem.

Yet, another Bahamian politician wants to censor the media. One would expect an attempt at censorship by the PLP, but this is coming from an FNM, and the Minister of National Security, no less.

Tommy Turnquest, who was resoundly rejected by voters in his vain attempt to lead the country in 2000, has cautioned the Bahamas media against reporting on crime in the violence-plagued nation.

He apparently believes that accurately reporting crime is bad for tourism and that it would be better if the media lied about crime, swept it under the rug and misled tourists for the sake of our economy.

To hell with the safety of tourists. Let's just get their money, before they are attacked or murdered walking down Bay Street, eating at a Subway restaurant, strolling along Cable Beach, or just sleeping in their hotel room.

So, with murder out-of-control, armed robberies occurring on a daily basis and The Bahamas having the undistinguished title as the rape capital of the world, Tommy wants to pretend it ain't so.

And he wants the media to lie about it too. Reminds one of the time, in 2006, when Director General of Tourism, Vernice Walkine told a national television audience that "Mum's the word," when it comes to talking about or reporting on crime.

"People will generally assume we're safe, and it only changes when something happens and someone tells them otherwise," Ms Walkine said in an apparent attempt to muzzle crime reports so tourists would (mistakenly) believe they would be safe in The Bahamas.

Someone needs to inform these clueless clowns that crime is not something that will go away if you ignore it. Indeed it will only get worse, a frightening and very real possibility.

Unless, and until, every Bahamian comes to grips with what is happening around here, this country will continue to spiral downwards until anarchy and vigilante justice become the norm.

The justice system in The Bahamas is on the brink of collapse. Very soon, we will have kidnappings and terrorism like you see in Columbia, Haiti, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries where the only safe place is in gated compounds or under heavy armed guard.

According to Tommy Turnquest, the Bahamian media needs to "work with the government, in trying to show The Bahamas for what it really is: A peaceful and safe country."

I live in a house with bars on my door and windows, surrounded by crime and violence. Literally everybody I know has been the victim of crime and I am afraid to go out at night... and Tommy tells me this is a "peaceful and safe country".

A Bahamian blogger is reporting that there may be more than meets the eye regarding senior cop Keith Bell's resignation from the Bahamas Police prosecutions department.

The department was once headed by Bell, who blasted the judicial system after abruptly resigning a week or so ago, following many years on the force.

Well, apparently, a major shake-up is underway following an investigation into corruption in the prosecutions department.

The Bahamas Press blog says they have confirmed transfers of officers out of the prosecutions department as an internal investigation into the department is underway.

The blog suggests that authorities have no alternative but to initiate the transfers as evidence points to major corruption within the department.

A source close to the investigation reveals that scores of files allegedly have mysteriously 'gone missing' within the department creating frustration between the attorney general office and the courts.

"Murder, drug, rape and assault files all have alleged to have gone missing within the department with person having no clue as to where the files are," a source told the website.

"I want to save my job, but I cannot live and see my country fall into such wickedness. I would not live with my conscience sitting tight-lipped and saying nothing. I have seen where police prosecutors and personnel in the attorney general's office shred whole files with cases that were still pending. They have all cause[d] the judiciary to fall in[to] the collapsed state it is in today," the source added.

This would explain the Bahamian mafia's ability to thwart justice in cases such as the ones involving Greg and Tanya Cash, Leslie Miller, Lisa Wells, and to pervert justice such as in cases like the ones involving Ashley Newbold and big time drug dealers.

Today's Tribune newspaper...
http://www.bahamasb2b.com/news/story.php?title=Former-Cabinet-Minister-Says-No-Justice-In-Bahamas-1
has an article by John Marquis on Former Cabinet Minister Leslie Miller's frustration with the Bahamian justice system. Miller, whose son was brutally murdered by the son of a high-ranking PLP, blasts his crooked PLP colleagues for denying him justice in the five years that the criminal organization pretended to be a government.

Quote:

Mr Miller's heartfelt grief is painful in itself, but when you hear of the callous indifference of his political colleagues, the gutlessness of the political class as a whole, and the guile employed to deny the Miller family justice, you begin to wonder whether Bahamian society has any foothold on the future at all, and whether it has any chance of survival as a civilised nation. The minister's plight reaffirms what INSIGHT has proclaimed repeatedly - that the grasping, avaricious, self-serving ruling class of this country, with its manipulation of the justice system, and its ridiculous reliance on spiritual mumbo-jumbo, is driving the Bahamas into the ground. Mr Miller claims that both the then police commissioner Paul Farqhuarson, and head of crime Reginald Ferguson (now acting commissioner) were warned off prosecuting certain people by the Attorney General's Office after Mario died. This, he alleged, was because some of those implicated in Mario's death had strong familial links with high-ranking politicians and influential legal officials.

One officer in the police prosecutions department, #2039 Mackey, who worked within prosecutions for 10 of his 18 years on the force, has already been moved out of the prosecution department, following Bell's resignation from the Force.

More transfers out of the department will be done in the coming days, the source noted, "some officers, when the investigations are completed, will find themselves before a judge."

Bell abruptly resigned from the police force calling for an urgent attention to the judiciary in the country. However no word has yet suggested whether Bell resigned because of the results of the internal investigation.

One clue is that Bell left the force to go work for Franklyn Wilson, a Bahamian businessman who is so shady, so shifty, that he has earned the nickname, "snake". What kind of ethics does a man have if he agrees to work for a snake?

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Some idiots, claiming to be consultants, have published a "survey" saying that Nassau Bahamas is one of the safest cities on Earth.

Yeah, right! As long as you live in a gated community and your Haitian maid does your grocery shopping.

I can almost guarantee that the bozos who came up with the results of this survey have never visited Nassau, at least not in the last five years.

The Bahamas has the highest per capita rape rates in the world, a murder rate three times higher than Canada, and dozens of armed robberies and assaults every week. I don't know where these consultants got their information, but they didn't ask me, my family, or our neighbors.

I wonder how friendly these consultants are with the spin doctors in the Bahamas who try to put a happy face on anything in an effort to keep tourists from discovering the truth about our high-priced, crime-ridden, filthy destination.

I noticed that the consulting company, Mercer, is part of a big conglomerate of companies that is also involved in private banking and reinsurance, two industries with plenty of Bahamian connections.

It wouldn't surprise me if one of Mercer's sister companies ended up with a very favourable Bahamas real estate development deal in the near future.