SIXTY TWO MURDERS and half the year ain't gone yet. At least 62 more to go before December 31, 2015. Isn't it time to dig deeper and find out who (or the real motive) is really behind theses killings? Or do we really want to know. A stronger Bahamas cannot continue to lose more than 120 of its citizens to murder each year and not even know the motive behind more than half of them. Especially as the killers are getting bolder as if begging for something to be done to stop they. This is out of control !

You asked " Isn't it time to dig deeper and find out who (or the real motive) is really behind theses killings? Or do we really want to know?". With reference to the Bible, please note that in the book of I Samuels 4:3 a question similar to what you are asking was asked by the 'elders of Israel'. But it was more than 20 years later, in chapter 7:3-4, that the question was responded to in the right way and the appropriate action was taken to remedy the persistent social and spiritual decline. No..., the turn around is not yet. We have not yet begin to "lament" our state of affairs. At the moment, we just got our 'carnival' started, and, junkanoo is fast on the way.

Never mind our 'political leaders' who show daily that the law holds no standard or consequences for them; only for us, the grassroots and marginalised. There are no consequences for wrongdoing from the highest office in the Country.

But to begin a response to your query, as far back as 2010 (no later than July, 2011) I have personally appealed and written letters to heads of the judiciary, both the Supreme Court & Court of Appeal, noting, citing and warning them of the conduct of their officers who continually cause darkness to prevail where the light of hope should have been burning bright. There is no longer any faith, or confidence, in the legal system. And as to finding resolution and resolving issues, it is pitched dark up in there!!!

Too many times, both directly and indirectly, everyone of us (young and old) have seen that there are no consequences for the evil doers who are of certain socio-political affiliations. Hence, the attitude from those who feel marginalise 'when the water banks of their mental shores break' can be summed up to say, "why waste my time and frustrate myself further?". He/she takes the matter into their own hands in hopes of exacting their own view of justice. You may not like the way they are going about it, but, until they become convinced of a higher standard of persuasion, their perception is their reality.

This is what happens when a society is afflicted by the very harmful failings of its Courts and entire Criminal Justice System. As the adage goes: "For justice to be served, the incarceration time must match the serious nature of the crime!" But sadly, the recent Budget Speech said absolutely nothing about the long standing need to expand our seriously over-crowded Prison System. For past decade or more, those charged with serious offenses like murder, rape, armed robberies, armed home invasions, etc. have been given bail due in large part due to our over-crowded Fox Hill prison which must now let one criminal go free in order to make room for another. This over-crowding problem obviously compromises the crime deterrence objective of our entire Criminal Justice System. More importantly though, by turning a blind eye to this problem, Christie and his merry band of Cabinet dimwits have created the perfect environment for the spawning of a new cottage industry known as "Justice for hire" aka "Murder for hire" aka "The $1,000 hit man." Christie, as PM and Minister of Finance, should be ashamed of himself for once again not having addressed this entire problem in his annual budget speech. Voters who have family members suffering under the very horrible conditions in Fox Hill Prison, or who have family members who have been gravely harmed by anyone who should not have been out on bail, certainly should not be voting for any PLP candidate come the next general election.

You speak of "the long standing need to expand our seriously over crowded Prison System. For past decade or more, those charged with serious offenses like murder, rape, armed robberies, armed home invasions, etc. have been given bail due in large part due to our over crowded Fox Hill prison which must now let one criminal go free in order to make room for another. This over crowding problem obviously compromises the crime deterrence objective of our entire Criminal Justice System.".

You, like the Ingraham and Christie Administrations, is blind to believe that an expansion of our criminal justice system is indicative that we are on the road of success. How could this be? A friend from Trinidad once said, 'Should our leaders, who are leading, turn around and notice that no one is following, they ought to then realise they are only out on a walk'. But indeed, our leaders are leading and the murderers, rapist and armed robbers etc etc... are following!!!.

Friend, is it the fact of the "serious offences" that is cramping our Country? Again, you are blind if you think so. The cramping starts with hateful and unforgiving attitudes. When he sat on the bench as Acting Justice, Mr. Malcolm Adderley was heard to quote, "the law must serve as an end, and not be an end in itself". Stop your hate for the 'criminal', rather, employ your energy and resources to preventing the 'crime'.

However, the leaders cannot teach the people better if they don't have the message of life to live better. They can only give of what they've got!!!

Swift Justice...sad thing, we will see 135 murders at this pace, no commissioner of police in sight, no minister of national security in sight....

Allyson Maynard-Gibson is the most incompetent, unproductive, inefficient and ineffective Attorney-General our country has ever had......as a result we have "Swift Justice For Hire!"

About this 'Swift Justice' idea. If 'justice delayed' is 'justice denied', how could it be rational to go to the other extreme of the pole and claim success? This asinine pursuit is so typical of a cosmetic, or rather, a knee-jerk response.

If no one in the entire Bahamas has a copy of it, or, have never read or heard of it, I have a copy and I have fully read, understood and appreciate the principle enunciated in Aristotle's Politics. There is a 'mean' in everything that we do. In other words, we should seek out and find the 'median' in our actions before embarking. Going from one extreme to the next will prove as counter-productive as the other. There is a careful calculation to be employed in all that we do.

One ought to appreciate what is being compromise in this pursuit of 'Swift Justice'. Those persons who instituted it, have not, or, are still yet incapable of fully appreciating the social ramifications of such a juvenile and asinine idea.

Actually...at this rate...40.5% the way through the year, you are now up to 153 murders by year end.

The question is who is benefiting from over 100 Bahamians being killed, most in cold blood, over the past 10 years. It is said that to solve a crime you should follow the money trail. But this is a matter of national security at the highest level. Even the Prime Minister realizes he is not safe and hence he has more than quadrupled his security detail. The rest of us (commoners) do not have that luxury so we must stay in this Bahamian game of Russian roulette and see who the next bullets are for. But yet many are becoming numb to the reality that around 150 People will be killed in this country this year and less than 15 of the killers will receive a jail sentence.