I am appealing to the commissioner of police, once again, to stop the practice of strip-searching young Bahamian men in public. This is a counter-productive procedure that was used in apartheid South Africa a d raicially devided United States against black folk where they were racially profiled, then stopped and searched and thrown in jail for unsubstantiated violations. In South Africa Blacks were required to carry a national identification card. I the state made it almost impossible for a Black person to obtain one of these cards. But if an individual was stopped by police and did not have an ID card he was beaten, thrown in jail and sometimes he was never seen again. Never ever! In the US, blacks were racially profiled and stopped and searched by the police. Where it was convenient drugs or weapons were planted on these persons and they were thrown in jail. But the more significant impact was that every where you turn in the US Black folk were being stopped by the police, arrested by the police and thrown in jail by the police. Mr Comisdioner you claim that you are a decent man, and most people agree with you, but how can you justify using a (racially intended) policing tool that targets 95% of persons who are innocent and have committed no crime. What impact you think your public body searches have on school children coming from HO Nadh or DW Davis when they come home from school everyday to see young men spread eagle across vehicles and strip searched in the most demeaning and violating manner?
Do not let the controversy over who are seeking donations and what they are doing with them discourage you from making donations to the storm relief effort. It does make one skeptical of donating when you hear that some people may not be reputable or other organizations are discriminating as to how they make distributions of donated goods, but do not let the devil harness your desire to make a donation. If you have doubts about organizations you do not know about, then send your donations to the Red Cross or Salvation Army or even your church But in most instances, those who are involved with hurricane relief for the Southern Bahamas seem genuine, fair minded and sincere. Their desire is to help. So should be yours. I would not donate to an organization that is working under a political umbrella because that suggests separation. Make a donation still!
With all due respect to those who lost their lives on the El Faro ship. May their souls rest in peace. Eventually the government must make contact with the owners of the ship and request a full manifest of the cargo that was on board the ship in addition to an estimate as to how much fuel and other oil and contaminants were on board. This is not a small ship (count the space between 8 lamp poles) and eventually the fuel and other substances from its cargo will seep into the ocean. It is understood that there were some 294 vehicles on the ship, in addition to 300 plus, 40 foot containers. It may be four, five ten years when the sunken ship may not even be remembered when the leakages begin to wash ashore.
Basically the storm was hitting the Southern Bahamas two days before Bahamians in the rest of the Bahamas were made aware of what was going on. Persons in the House of Assembly were busy in argument about sending "selfies" of opposition members sleeping in the house, while the entire government seem to have fallen asleep on Joaquin. Local stations maintained their regular programming while the weather channel and Florida stations were reporting 20 foot waves in Long Island (according to boats men who were stranded there) and how the storm was battering residences and businesses on those island. It was surreal, the contrast to what was being reported on the weather channel and local Florida stations and what was going on in Nassau, especially. Even whilst the government was planning local assessment teams to travel South, the Weather Channel had already chartered a local Bahamian pilot and his aircraft and was reporting the massive and widespread damage that happened down South, Long Island especially. Fox and other local channels were not far behind. With live interviews from residents, including an 80 year old resident who endured and survived Joaquin. The weather channel also reported that the massive hurricane had wind strength of only 5 miles per short of being a CAT 5 before it lashed Crooked Island, Long Island and San Salvador. There was no loss of life and everyone who survived said it was only by the grace of God and because of his mercy. Perry Christie say after you been to God and pray, you have to come back to him to get things done because he is Prime Minister. The floor is yours Mr. Christie. You have many willing to help you Locally and from afar. Quit the talking (excuse making). And do the walking. Fix it Lord Perry!
The power of the Holy Spirit will not be denied. They cried out to God with water up to their necks, with winds ripping of their roofs, with rains driving the floods even higher and with everything around them destroyed and yet not only a single soul was lost. Father in heaven give me just a portion of the faith they had. Amen. You know what was on the mind of Perry Christie as he travelled and saw the damage and the miracles. ". When you go to your God and pray for something, you still have to come back to me because I is the prime minister." While our government was in the HOA taunting one another about falling asleep and sending selfies, Our God,who we serve,was busy saving souls. He didn't fall asleep, neither did he slumber, amen.
John says...
I am appealing to the commissioner of police, once again, to stop the practice of strip-searching young Bahamian men in public. This is a counter-productive procedure that was used in apartheid South Africa a d raicially devided United States against black folk where they were racially profiled, then stopped and searched and thrown in jail for unsubstantiated violations. In South Africa Blacks were required to carry a national identification card. I the state made it almost impossible for a Black person to obtain one of these cards. But if an individual was stopped by police and did not have an ID card he was beaten, thrown in jail and sometimes he was never seen again. Never ever! In the US, blacks were racially profiled and stopped and searched by the police. Where it was convenient drugs or weapons were planted on these persons and they were thrown in jail. But the more significant impact was that every where you turn in the US Black folk were being stopped by the police, arrested by the police and thrown in jail by the police. Mr Comisdioner you claim that you are a decent man, and most people agree with you, but how can you justify using a (racially intended) policing tool that targets 95% of persons who are innocent and have committed no crime. What impact you think your public body searches have on school children coming from HO Nadh or DW Davis when they come home from school everyday to see young men spread eagle across vehicles and strip searched in the most demeaning and violating manner?
On PM to sign orders allowing duty-free imports for relief goods
Posted 8 October 2015, 11:25 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
Crew of the SS El Faro as provided by Tote Maritime:
Louis Champa — Palm Coast, Florida
Roosevelt Clark — Jacksonville, Florida
Sylvester Crawford Jr. — Lawrenceville, Georgia
Michael Davidson — Windham, Maine
Brookie Davis — Jacksonville, Florida
Keith Griffin — Fort Myers, Florida
Frank Hamm — Jacksonville, Florida
Joe Hargrove — Orange Park, Florida
Carey Hatch — Jacksonville, Florida
Michael Holland — North Wilton, Maine
Jack Jackson — Jacksonville, Florida
Jackie Jones, Jr. — Jacksonville, Florida
Lonnie Jordan — Jacksonville, Florida
Piotr Krause — Poland
Mitchell Kuflik — Brooklyn, New York
Roan Lightfoot — Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Jeffrey Mathias — Kingston, Massachusetts
Dylan Meklin — Rockland, Maine
Marcin Nita — Poland
Jan Podgorski — Poland
James Porter — Jacksonville, Florida
Richard Pusatere — Virginia Beach, Virginia
Theodore Quammie — Jacksonville, Florida
Danielle Randolph — Rockland, Massachusetts
Jeremie Riehm — Camden, Delaware
Lashawn Rivera — Jacksonville, Florida
Howard Schoenly — Cape Coral, Florida
Steven Shultz — Roan Mountain, Tennessee
German Solar-Cortes — Orlando, Florida
Anthony Thomas — Jacksonville, Florida
Andrzej Truszkowski — Poland
Mariette Wright — St. Augustine, Florida
Rafal Zdobych — Poland
The following search-and-rescue units and crews assisted with the search:
- Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida HC-130 Hercules airplane crews
- Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews
- Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina HC-130 Hercules airplane crews
- Coast Guard Cutter Northland, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia
- Coast Guard Cutter Resolute a 210-foot medium endurance cutter, homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida
- Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton, homeported in Key West, Florida
- Air Force Rescue Coordination Center
- Air National Guard HC-130 airplane crews from the 106th Rescue Wing, Westhampton Beach, New York
- Air Force WC-130 Super Hercules crews from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
- Navy P-8 Poseidon airplane crews from Naval Air Station Jacksonville
- Air Force E-8C Joint Stars crews from the 116th Air Control Wing, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
On Search for 33 missing crew called off
Posted 8 October 2015, 5:05 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
Do not let the controversy over who are seeking donations and what they are doing with them discourage you from making donations to the storm relief effort. It does make one skeptical of donating when you hear that some people may not be reputable or other organizations are discriminating as to how they make distributions of donated goods, but do not let the devil harness your desire to make a donation. If you have doubts about organizations you do not know about, then send your donations to the Red Cross or Salvation Army or even your church But in most instances, those who are involved with hurricane relief for the Southern Bahamas seem genuine, fair minded and sincere. Their desire is to help. So should be yours. I would not donate to an organization that is working under a political umbrella because that suggests separation. Make a donation still!
On Salvation Army stockpiling supplies until after initial rush
Posted 8 October 2015, 4:54 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
With all due respect to those who lost their lives on the El Faro ship. May their souls rest in peace. Eventually the government must make contact with the owners of the ship and request a full manifest of the cargo that was on board the ship in addition to an estimate as to how much fuel and other oil and contaminants were on board. This is not a small ship (count the space between 8 lamp poles) and eventually the fuel and other substances from its cargo will seep into the ocean. It is understood that there were some 294 vehicles on the ship, in addition to 300 plus, 40 foot containers. It may be four, five ten years when the sunken ship may not even be remembered when the leakages begin to wash ashore.
On Search for 33 missing crew called off
Posted 8 October 2015, 3:51 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
Basically the storm was hitting the Southern Bahamas two days before Bahamians in the rest of the Bahamas were made aware of what was going on. Persons in the House of Assembly were busy in argument about sending "selfies" of opposition members sleeping in the house, while the entire government seem to have fallen asleep on Joaquin. Local stations maintained their regular programming while the weather channel and Florida stations were reporting 20 foot waves in Long Island (according to boats men who were stranded there) and how the storm was battering residences and businesses on those island. It was surreal, the contrast to what was being reported on the weather channel and local Florida stations and what was going on in Nassau, especially. Even whilst the government was planning local assessment teams to travel South, the Weather Channel had already chartered a local Bahamian pilot and his aircraft and was reporting the massive and widespread damage that happened down South, Long Island especially. Fox and other local channels were not far behind. With live interviews from residents, including an 80 year old resident who endured and survived Joaquin. The weather channel also reported that the massive hurricane had wind strength of only 5 miles per short of being a CAT 5 before it lashed Crooked Island, Long Island and San Salvador. There was no loss of life and everyone who survived said it was only by the grace of God and because of his mercy. Perry Christie say after you been to God and pray, you have to come back to him to get things done because he is Prime Minister. The floor is yours Mr. Christie. You have many willing to help you Locally and from afar. Quit the talking (excuse making). And do the walking. Fix it Lord Perry!
On Christie defends Joaquin response
Posted 8 October 2015, 3:31 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
So do we just leave the Southern islands for the Haitians then?
On FNM Deputy asks if we should rebuild after the hurricane
Posted 7 October 2015, 7:19 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
The power of the Holy Spirit will not be denied. They cried out to God with water up to their necks, with winds ripping of their roofs, with rains driving the floods even higher and with everything around them destroyed and yet not only a single soul was lost. Father in heaven give me just a portion of the faith they had. Amen. You know what was on the mind of Perry Christie as he travelled and saw the damage and the miracles. ". When you go to your God and pray for something, you still have to come back to me because I is the prime minister." While our government was in the HOA taunting one another about falling asleep and sending selfies, Our God,who we serve,was busy saving souls. He didn't fall asleep, neither did he slumber, amen.
On ‘I cried out to god and prepared to die’
Posted 7 October 2015, 12:54 a.m. Suggest removal
John says...
Did the US officially offer assistance to the Bahamas hurricane relief effort? If not why not
On Donations pour in to Save our South
Posted 6 October 2015, 11:05 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
The weather channel is reporting that Joiquin was 5 miles short of a category 5 hurricane before it hit Acklins, Crooked Island and San Salvador.
On ‘I cried out to god and prepared to die’
Posted 6 October 2015, 3:58 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
So has mayaguana been accessed
On HURRICANE JOAQUIN UPDATES
Posted 6 October 2015, 3:49 p.m. Suggest removal