Open Letter to Doc Margo Seymour

I have never seen a more insidious, evil, spiteful woman in all my days....

OK - I frightened myself there...whew... (repents of my sins)

Listen this foolishness has been carrying on long enough now, the PLP is the government!!! Nothing you can say or do is going to change that! I see you keep wanting to 'report' Perry Christie and the PLP to CNN, Obama and all foreign leaders.

Whut Da Hell???? I wish you could call Obama so he could tell you where to get off at!!

And you work for the government? Do you want to be fired?

I have the opportunity to work and interact with Federal employees everyday. I have also worked with Secret Service, FBI and US Marshals. The one thing I have learned while conversing with them is it doesn't matter who is the government - they work and support the OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT! It doesn't matter which party they are affiliated with.

You should be glad that Perry is not answering your nonsense.

Side note - Calling the sitting Prime Minister SCUM and other diatribes that I would not repeat is disgusting and very disrespectful!

I seem to remember your Papa publicly firing ZNS people who spoke against him. When it is your turn, please do not be around here crying about victimization. What world are you living in? Your vitriolic posts do come with consequences and I hope you are ready to reap what you have sown.

If you were close enough to see the 100 dollar bills why did you not take a photo. Why is it that your WORD, is enough for the Zoinians to eat up every word! Where is the proof? In this day and age why can't we find one verifiable iota of proof...like the person that has received one of these 100 dollar bills. Bahamians are not that loyal, we will talk about stuff. Why are you the only one that has seen the sitting PRIME MINISTER on the ground in Abaco personally giving out money?

I am here to let you know how immature you present yourself to be when you throw tantrums and make statements like...I want to tell all the leaders around the world that you are the worst Prime Minister in the Bahamas... Really NOW... WHO THE HELL ARE YOU????? Really....

I think the popularity of the Zone as affected your mental acuity. You need to step back and take a moment to collect yourself and press the reset button.

Delete your silly group and regain some self respect...

But I know it wont happen, but one can only hope.

Imagine

Imagine a school system where Elementary school starts at 8:50am(Bus Pickup is 8:05am) and exits at 3:25pm, Middle School starts 7:45am(Bus Pickup is at 7:10am) and exits 2:45pm and High School starts at 7:13am (Bus Pickup is at 6:30am) and exits 2:00pm.

Imagine a school system where the grading system looks like this..

    A  (93-100) = 4.0
    A- (90-92) = 3.7
    B+ (87-89) = 3.3
    B  (83-86) = 3.0
    B- (80-82) = 2.7
    C+ (77-79) = 2.3
    C  (73-76) = 2.0
    C- (70-72) = 1.7
    D+ (67-69) = 1.3
    D  (64-66) = 1.0
    F  (below 64) = 0.0

Note there is no D-, E, E+, E-, F, F+ or F-....63 is a failing grade.

Imagine a school system where you can track your child's progress online, get weekly grade and homework reports sent directly to your email and send emails directly to your children's teachers and get a timely response.

Imagine a school system where above average students are put in advanced classes that challenge them to think critically at a young age and the work they do is 1 grade above them.

Imagine a school system where if your child is late or absent you get an automatic call from the school asking for an explanation. Consecutive absences without explanation will result in a visit to your home to find out what is up.

Imagine a school system where Teacher Parent conferences are MANDATORY, just so the teacher can give you an update on your child's progress personally.

No, this school system is not imaginary - this is the school system that my children attend in the US.

Is there anyone concerned about the state of our education system? We get so exited come election time and we throw around statistics about which political party built the most schools.

Um when was the last time ANY political put an extreme emphasis on Education in the Bahamas? I mean like spending 100 - 200 million dollars to totally revamp the system and drag our education system into the 21st century!!!!

Anyone know?.... ANSWER - NONE!!!!!!!

Yet we wave or pom poms and shake our cow bells at the rally and and laugh at silly puns - two legs good four legs bad - hand in the cookie jar - monavie and we scream and laugh like we have no sense....

Meanwhile Johnny and Sue are being promoted thru a failed school system to graduate not even with the equivalent of a GED and landing in a competitive job market looking for a job. Johnny and Sue applies for jobs they should be qualified for (after all they have just finished 12 years of Education) and being denied because they do not have the basic, rudimentary skills required to hold the job!!!

Johnny gets frustrated and turns to a life to crime to make ends meet and Sue starts to make babies like there is no tomorrow looking for someone to support her.

Meanwhile the general populace gets all up in arms when a company wants to bring in an educated expat to do the job!

WAKE UP BAHAMAS!!!!

If this doesn't turn around where will we be in 10 - 20 - 30 years. We are not producing an educated force that can sustain economic growth in our country. We can build up our country and have it look like Metro cities of the world...New York City, Chicago...etc, but unless we fix our education system... the Status Quo will remain the same.

Who Are You? ... Really?

In our society many people claim to be Christan...well let us examine that claim for a few minutes. I will try not to get to 'preachy'...lolz!!!

Let me prefix this with a quote from the Apostle Matthew - Judge not, that ye be not judged .... so I wont pass judgement on anyone. Instead I will present a point of view and allow you to be the judge.

Bahamians always talk about our country being a Christian nation. Well....lets see here.

I will type two words that show who are really Christian in this country....Haitian and Homosexual.

Never in my life have I seen so called Christians who have no compassion towards people who Christ say we must love!

The Haitian immigrant problem is a serious one in our country, but who should we really be mad at? The people who flee poverty, despair, deplorable living conditions; and are basically fleeing out of necessity? You think these people want to leave the home of their birth?

Who we should be mad at is the politicians whom we vote in election cycle after election cycle that do not enforce the laws on our books. We should be mad that after all these years we do not have a proper Navy to patrol our waters.

I am a descendant of a Haitian immigrant and I don't allow this fact to cause me to lean one way or the other. My Grand Father immigrated here in the 50s. Back then times were different. Fun Fact - He was a Numbers Man in Nassau...LOL! It just goes to show how many families in the Bahamas are descendants of Haitian Immigrants.

Reflect on these passages for a minute...

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "And a second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." ( Matthew 22:37-40)

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." ( John 13:34-35)

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward in heaven will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." ( Luke 6:35)

Oh my...WHO ARE YOU REALLY????

I am not saying we should give illegal Haitian immigrants a pass, but rather, if you are a Christian you should not look down and despise them, because if the shoe was on the other foot, you and your children/family would be on a boat heading to Haiti - or landing on a beach in South Florida in the dead of night.

Anyways enough about that...now on to Homosexuality...

This is one word that invokes a wide variety of responses in our community, but lets address it from a Christian point of view. Now I am what some might call a conservative Christian and I believe according to the bible, homosexuality is wrong, but I don't let this affect my interactions with someone who is gay. I work Downtown DC!!!!! I would be in trouble if I had issues with gay people!!! LOL!!!

BUT...last time I checked God doesn't put any weight on Sin. There is no such thing as a big sin or a little sin. According to the bible there is only one BIG sin that you cannot be forgiven for and that is Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost according to Mark 3:29.

This is here is the biggest problem some Christian Bahamians have; we assign 'weight' to sin.

In 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 it says this - 

"9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Wait a minute sweethearting, drunkards, swindlers, thieves, homosexuals...all lumped into one!!!!??????

Geesh that is half the Bahamas right there!!!!

Anyways to wrap it all up, God does not force his will on no man. He allows us to make our own choices.

Christians, stop trying to force your viewpoint on other people. Every man must make up thier own mind regarding their faith. Change your tone, pray for our brothers and sisters, talk (NOT BERATE) to them and you may be able to get your point across. Otherwise be quiet. :)

We should love everyone equally in this world, after all if you are a Christian didn't Christ love you..in your mess?

Who Are You Really??? Who Are You?

**Disclaimer** This post is intended for those who claim to be Christian.

Social Degradation

Now I was inspired to write this post after a friend of mine inquired as to what this new phrase Cutta  was all about back home.

The very first post on the thread gave this definition.

In the Bahamas, Cutta is used to label any side-woman or sweetheart a Bahamian man may have. Cuttas are used for one thing, casual sex, which is called cuttin. There is no love involved, eye contact is strictly prohibited and afterwords the cutta must find her way home.

Cuttas may be obtained by setting a trap, using a thigh snack from the popular Bahamian restaurant, Bamboo Shack & a $5 phone card.

Optional ways to drive a cutta is to be in possession of a honda or maxima.

Guy 1: Yeah bey, i just come from dealin with a cutta.

Guy 2: For real? who, takisha? You give her a thigh snack again ehh?

Guy 1: Yeah jedd, that was a $5.50 well spent, if you catch my drift!"

Now I am sure there was some small modicum of satire and sarcasm in that answer, but the more I read it I realized that it was 100% truth and a very candid and honest answer.

What have we come to? I remember while growing up you would hear stories about young women who you could carry to burger king or pepper pot and that was all that was required to get some action. The young women in question back then were classed as hardcore 'jungaliss'. Now it seems that this is the in thing to do - it would almost seem that if you are refereed to as a cutta, it would be a badge of pride!

God help us if this generation of cuttas are supposed to carry us into the future.

In this STD laden climate, why is all this casual sex going on. Anyone remember the UNAIDS 2010 Global Report...here is an excerpt...

"In The Bahamas there were an estimated 6,600 people living with HIV in 2009. This figure is up from 5,900 recorded in 2001. The UNAIDS figure is an estimate. The range of possible infections in The Bahamas in 2009 is from 2,600 to 11,000 people, said the report."

Think about that for a second or two... In 2010 there were possibly 11,000 people walking around with HIV.

Some people would argue that these so called cutta's are practicing safe sex. If that was the case why do we have all these single young mothers in our land. Here is another thought - would you knowingly have PROTECTED sex with someone that is HIV positive (since we have all this confidence in safe sex)

As an aside I don't understand how anyone would be having sex without protection in this day and age. It is like having a gun with one loaded bullet and playing a game of Russian roulette. 5 chances to commit suicide.

What does the future look like for these so called cuttas? Not bright I tell you. Unfortunately due the the social degradation of our society - there will always be men available to service these so called cuttas...and there will always be cuttas - young girls who want those fancy things in life and the easiest way to obtain them is to become a cutta!

The disintegration of social values in our society is very disturbing, but not surprising. From what I have seen the worst is yet to come....

State Of Play

Now I have not blogged in a bit, been busy with life.

But I have very disturbed and very much saddened by the State Of Play we find our Bahamas in. I cannot believe the rhetoric that I am reading online regarding our Olympic athletes.

Let me prefix this by saying some of the FNM faithful have done more to HURT our chances of healing after this election than anyone has ever done in the past.

Whatever happened to being Patriotic, you know... about being a Bahamian and cheering for your COUNTRY - regardless of your politics. We should take a page out of our close neighbor’s book. The USA does not care who is in office - the cheer their hearts out because they are American and Ecstatic to have their athletes perform on the Global stage. It is the one time when it doesn’t matter if you are Republican or Democrat - they are ALL Americans.

This notion that because the PLP won the election, our athletes are suffering some misfortune is highly ludicrous and very offensive to the blood, sweat, tears and hard work our athletes have put in to make this far. You mean to tell me the past four years of training have all been for naught, because a particular party won the election. I mean some people are HOPING that no one wins any races or competitions because that would give the PLP something else to celebrate. SERIOUSLY!

I have seen a wide variety of reasons why our athletes are not doing well - one fella said that he was told by God this would happen and how he is so hurt by this... if he really believed in God and this was his will, why are you hurting about it? Please for the love all that is Righteous and Holy, leave God name out ya mouth when you are SPEWING political rhetoric. If he really knew God, he would know that He is not the Author of confusion.

Meanwhile our Athletes are giving their all when competing and are 100% committed to winning these competitions.

We want to talk politics… OK - which party was in power while these athletes were preparing for the games. Were they provided every advantage while training? Did our Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture provide any support for these athletes while they were training?

Hypothetical thought - What would have happened if the FNM had won the election?

- Would Arianna have swum a faster time because the FNM won?
- Would Anthonique have a medal in the 200M?
- I suppose Michael would not have had that false start...
- I suppose Superman would have had knees of steel...

You see how this cheapens the effort and history making results of our Olympic athletes?

Our country will NEVER heal if this rhetoric continues unchecked. The FNM leaders are content to sit on the sidelines and watch their followers run amuck!

But the populace needs to take a stand and separate themselves from the political state of play we seem to be embroiled in... because if it continues we are NEVER going to move forward as a country.

So when our athletes come home please welcome them with open arms and celebrate them like champions - because just making it to the Olympics is a HUGE accomplishment!

Time to Heal Bahamas - Not Divide - The PLP is the Government for the next four years. Get over it and move forward!

And NO.. I am not PLP..I am BAHAMIAN!!!!

CULT VIBES

CULT ~ An instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers.

Das My Papa.

What would cause otherwise ordinary people to become so infatuated with a man? The behavior of the FNM fanatics are borderline cultist.

When I looked up the word Cult and I had to read the definition twice! I mean it described the FNM crazies to a T!!!

Na Vait!!!!

Ya mean to tell me that the FNM has morphed into a cult! One only has to look at the most popular FNM Heavy group on the internet to find this strange phenomenon - MAN Worship. This particular group is named The No Spin Zone - but the group has more Spin than a washing machine on the Final cycle! All one has to do is say something negative about Papa and the big guns come out. God help ya if you cannot withstand the scathing attack that ensues.

I have read and listened with great bemusement at the calls for Papa to not resign…even the calls to return to lead the party. What is the matter FNMs? You mean to tell me there is not one qualified person FIT to lead your party into the future! Man let Papa retire in peace.

I recall the FNM convention in 2005 where Papa said he had no intention on running and all but assured Tommy that he was not going to run. Poor Tommy!! What a stigma to have attached to your persona.  I felt so bad for him, but the cult had spoken and they wanted their demi-god back in charge. That was the beginning of the end for Tommy, he would forever be known as the man who was doing such a poor job that the people wanted their beloved Papa back.

I watched with amusement when Papa kicked the entire FNM in dey hip and resigned immediately following the last election. The man was so dry eye and matter of fact you had no choice but to laugh! Some of the people in the crowd uttered that phrase that has forever become synonymous with the last election cycle. DAS MY PAPA!

LOL - man ya papa just abandoned you - You are now essentially now an orphan and you still talking fool but das ya papa!!!! CULT VIBES!!!! - LOL

The FNM is at a crossroads - There is another Hubert in charge now - along with a deputy who thinks she should be in charge. What a time we live in, the FNM is in a state of confusion. When you have senior officials in the Party anonymously talking to the newspapers about the divide within the party, you know that the FNM is a turbulent state of transition. I wonder what will happen during the next election cycle...will PAPA have to play the role of savior again and return to frontline politics in some form or fashion to ensure a victory at the polls?  - you can rest assured if he was to return in any way, he would be welcomed with open arms by the FNM faithful and once again the phrase will ring out...DAS MY PAPA!

: Disclaimer

The aforementioned views are those of one man - and he could care less if you agree or disagree...I know I stepped on some a ya toes - but if you are guilty of CULTIST VIBES, please cease and desist immediately, refresh your mental acuity and deprogram your mind from the Papa worship!

DAT EIN YA PAPA!

My Bahamaland.... Le Sigh..

So I contemplated for a while what my first post on this blog should be.

I have no shortage of thoughts swirling in this cavernous head; that’s for sure, but here goes.

I have figured out what is wrong with our great country, my Bahamaland.

Everyone who has some modicum of sense, everyone who has the solution to our social ills, everyone who knows what it takes to effect change in our country, everyone who....well you get the picture. All of these IN THE KNOW people are NOT in a position to help or to introduce or effect change.

Where are they you may ask?

I will tell you - they are all scattered around the Internet on various Blogs, Discussion Sites and Facebook.

And then there are those who have just plain given up and fled the jurisdiction. Now I am one of those that have fled the jurisdiction, mainly because I can do better in Uncle Sam's Country. I left for monetary reasons, others have just left because they are fed up with the state of decay we seem to be in.

I wonder what can be done to transfer the thoughts, ideas, ideals, solutions of this 'limited population set’ and have them materialize into actionable plans and projects.

I know our current Prime Minister loves to appoint committees and boards and such. We need a FRESH Thinkers Committee. This committee would be comprised of all these 'lay' people; with ideas that will move our country forward. 

Another thought, what is the incentive for Bahamians abroad to come back home and contribute. I could rant and rave about all the reasons why the Bahamian Diaspora would not return - but I won’t.

I remember a recent conversation I had my Mother-In-Law where I stated that I don't think I will ever come back home -to live that is. I can tell you that conversation did not go to well. But when I weighed the pro and the cons - the cons won out by a LARGE margin.

Anyways enough digression...

We need to find a way to transfer these good ideas to reality - then maybe things would start to look up in our land of Sun, Sea and Sand!!

I will end with a quote from Bill Maher - We need more people speaking out. This country is not overrun with rebels and free thinkers. It's overrun with sheep and conformists.