Comment history

SandsMarco says...

Part 3:

***6) Here is where it gets real interesting, “You claim that Bahamians can control themselves and conduct themselves like any other nationality, Yes they can- but that would be the minority. That would be decent people who like myself”. Do you realize what you just said? You are saying that the “majority” or Bahamians are not like you. You are saying that the “minority” of Bahamians quote “That would be decent people who like myself” which in turn indicates that the majority of Bahamians are “indecent” yet you chose to begin your rebuttal by chastising me for implying that you are a self-hating black person , deeply ashamed of your own people and a sellout Uncle Tom and yet, you just stated on this website that you 1pnewman are in the “minority” of Bahamians who are decent people like yourself? You have just solidified what you portrayed yourself to be on your own. As for me, I will state again over and over that “the majority of my bahamian people” conduct ourselves accordingly and the same majority of Bahamians will never allow the “Minority” who do no conduct themselves accordingly from dictating our lives. Yet, because of the “Minority” that I feel accounts for persons who chose the wrong path in life, you feel that us “the majority” must ban our own selves from the fish fry, the bars, the clubs, out of fear of the “Minority” you might as well be the founder and create The Hermit Organization of the Bahamas. That is what using common sense is for as an adult, that is what using your street sense is for as an adult, that is what the security and police and defense force officers are for. There is no crime free country on this planet but yet because of crime, we must becaome a hermit? You might as well stay in your home, lock away from the rest of the world, The Bahamas is not the only country with young persons who negatively impact society, you might as well forget travelling, you might as well be a paranoid hermit in a straight jacket if you are going to allow the minority to dictate your life. I would not talk about the internet as a 5 year old can search ones IP address to see where one is located.
Are you truly listening to yourself?

7) Any person can “Waltz” into the casino now as we speak and if they are not following the rules and policies, they are thrown out an not allowed to return whether it be due to not paying their dues, fighting, drunkenness, dress code, cheating, that is nothing new, that is the case all over the world.

8) Which newspaper is not in the business to sell papers? Sensationalism is what sells papers, that is fact? Again, every excuse you use to justify discrimination is not limited to the Bahamas? Just how I can go onto www.tribune242.com , www.thenassauguardian.com , I can go onto any news website all over the world where casinos exist and where casinos do not exist where crime is also their headline story. You can’t be serious.***

SandsMarco says...

Part 2:

***Again I ask what scenarios?

Because one’s family member works on the tables, “ALL Bahamians should not be allowed to play in the Casino”? Do you hear yourself? Why don’t we then agitate for a law to prevent relatives from providing services to other relatives then, excellent economics, because if your relative serves you, what is going to happen, what will management (who also consists of Bahamians in the casino) “Infer”? Then you say “you know how bahamians go” again classing all Bahamians in a box, “how do we bahamians go”? again, so what if I chose to go to a table where a relative is playing at, so what if a non-Bahamian choses to go to a table where in many cases that non-relative dealer is more closer to them than their own relative. That is your right to go to any table you want whether the dealer is your relative or not. If the dealer violates the companies code of ethics, they are fired and depending on the severity, they are prosecuted by the law, if the dealer choses to through their job and their life away, they will have to suffer the consequences. Then you move on to the “lack of casino etiquette” and “locals along side their multi million dollar players” you claim you worked in a casino for 25 years yet you should know (at least if you were a pit clerk, pit boss, shift manager or dealer) again I would expect you to know that policies exist in casino all around the world which clearly states that there are various entry requirements for Table Games and the Slot Machines regardless of ones “nationality”. What casino is going to allow a 5 dollar minimum bid player alongside a 100 or better yet, a 1000 dollar minimum bid player. You need to “Get Real.” You then use the word “THEIR” to describe Bahamians conduct, “look at THEIR conduct in the nightclubs”.
You are responsible for how the world reading your posts look at you based on your own merit, you are responsible for how all look at you as.

4) I never knew your ethnicity until you just revealed that you are indeed Black however all Bahamians of all ethnic groups are not legally allowed to casino gamble in the Bahamas.

5) You say “You assume that because I didnt make one positive comment about Bahamians then ergo I must be a self-hating black person” I will go on record and say there is no assumption there, That Is Fact, You have yet to say one positive thing about Bahamians in your post that I responded too, no doubt about that whatsoever.***

SandsMarco says...

Part 1:

***Your attempt to portray me as some kind of Uncle Tom or sellout is pitiful. You assume that because I didnt make one positive comment about Bahamians then ergo I must be a self-hating black person , deeply ashamed of my own people……………………….
O really,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Out of respect for you my fellow brother/sister in humanity, I will respond.

1) You are not comparing a chain islands in the Atlantic Ocean to other islands in this hemisphere with a similar amount of citizenry as you say the country is too small, you are comparing a chain of islands to the United States of America with a population of almost a billion citizens whose casinos have been open from the time that Bugsy Seigel, Lucy Luciano and Meyer Lansky opened the Flamingo before I was born? What an excellent comparison,,,,right?

2) You used the words “Uncle Tom or sellout.”

3) I do not have the ability to edit your comments, what you put on the internet is there for all to see and in your post, this is what you wrote which sums up how you feel about Bahamians as robert sands clearly state “Bahamians ‘Not Disciplined Enough’ To Use Casinos, robert sands did not say “Some Bahamians” he said “Bahamians” …..scroll up and read the headline of this topic again, and worst of all, you agree with that statement “Bahamians are not Disciplined” referring to an entire nationality despite the fact that if you are a Bahamian like I am, then roberts sands is also referring to you 1pnewman as being “un-Disciplined” no matter how many years of experience you have in a casino or how “Disciplined” you may think you are, in the eyes of robert sands, if you are a “Bahamian” you are “Undisciplined” 1pnewman but let’s move on to your own comments as you chose to join the discussion and want to carry it further:

“Let me add my two cents to this issue, as someone who is Bahamian and worked in the casino industry for over 25 years. Mr. Sands . despite the outpouring of rhetoric from various readers, is totally right in his statement. Here is why; the Bahamas is too small a community to support locals playing in the casinos. Why you ask ? Simple. There are scenarios that would develop that would and could cause huge problems for the casino if for example Bahamians played on specific tables, won thousands of dollars and then it was revealed ( innocently ) that the dealer was in some way related to the player(s). Think what management is going to infer. You know how Bahamians go , ' das my cousin, man lemme play on her table ' To add to this many Bahamians do not know what casino etiquette is and that could lead to many incidents on the table that the casino would wan to evade. Lastly the conduct of many Bahamians , particularly the young is offensive to many. You only need look at their conduct in the nightclubs to see what might possibly happen on the tables. Management knows this and would want to make sure locals never played along side their million dollar players.”.***

SandsMarco says...

Part 5:

***I could post more of your comments which would possibly slow down this website but Wow, talk about being proud to be a Bahamian. With the above comments said, why would anyone want to apply to become a Bahamian citizen or visit the Bahamas? If it were up to you, not one tourist would come here based on your description of the Bahamian people and thank God. Not only that, are all of you included in your own above comments highlighting the Bahamian People whom “you know how they go?”
What about the staff and the moderators of this website tribune242.com who are also Bahamians? Are they included in your above comments and are they also un-Disciplined?
Are there at least “2” I repeat “2” things any of you can state that highlights the Bahamian people positively? What’s worse is the very same behavior you claim you want to prevent due to how you chose to prejudge what would occur if Bahamians were allowed to play in the casino is the same behavior you are engaging in with your comments of disdain against the Bahamian people. Not one positive comment about the Bahamian people. Not one. And yet, you are supposed to among the “Disciplined” Bahamian persons like robert sands who is in a self appointed position to state that myself and every other Bahamian is “un-Disciplined” and due to him being “the son-in-law of the most powerful political family” he has the right to determine who is ‘disciplined” and who is “un-disciplined”, that is Gospel? To the moderators of tribune242.com, I applaud you for allowing us an opportunity to share our opinions on relevant pertinent issues in the Bahamas in spite of some of the comments posted however, just as these select few persons who are consistently perpetuation anti-Bahamian slurs, please don’t punish the rest of us like how a small minority of persons sharing the same citizenship that I have are negatively impacting our society as I can say without any doubt that I Mr. Marco Sands publically state on my life that there are more Bahamians positively contributing to society than those who chose the wrong path and I will never lump any race, gender, nationality, religion in the same boat due to the individual actions of a few. Thanks God for Democracy because the Bahamian people are quite capable enough to decide that they want to be treated equally with non-Bahamians. I am done because I will not continue to dialogue with persons who believe that Bahamians are un-civilized and most worst of all “un-Disciplined”.***

SandsMarco says...

Part 4:

****Are there any Bahamians that exist on this planet (including yourselves) who are the opposite of the following:

1) “teenagers stabbing one another over a dice game”

2) “verbally insulted”

3) “drunk and incoherent”

4) “hoodlums”

5) “unruley, loud mouth ,dangerous”

6) “look at our hoodlums”

7) “ look at our hoodlums”

8) “These same hoodlums”

9) “there are no americans here killing us or chinese”

10) “robbing, raping, stealing and killing”

11) “not disciplined”

12) “Stabbings and gun fights would become the norm in our casinos”

13) “ trying to kill someone”

14) This one is really interesting “can,t be around civilized people”

15) “mass slaughterings”

16) “white people aren,t dumb they can tell when we don,t like them
and our smiling in their face just for their money”

17) “ armed police at the door”
Even one of your anti-Bahamian comments were removed, it is sad when one cannot show respect for a people despite the disdain they feel for them “1 week ago concernedcitizen This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.”
We have to follow the rules and guidelines of this website tribune242.com and respect their policies as it relates to what we post on their website especially if any posting is fiction, defamatory and untrue especially due to the fact that a law suit can occur and personally I comment the moderators of this website for ensuring that they uphold civility.
Again, another comment was moved: 1 week ago concernedcitizen This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
But yet, you feel that the rest of us Bahamians are “un-Disciplined”.

18) “we had our dope money round here”

19) “rather work for foriegners cuase we know we will get paid”

20) “our young and middled aged men are not to be trusted”

21) “animals! Keep them out of the casinos and yes out of anywhere our tourists congregate.”

22) “not trust worthy”

23) “ they'd rather fight than f-ck”

24) “real ugly ,cursing ,name calling ,stabbing”

25) “beat up the employee”

26) “You know how Bahamians go”

27) “Bahamians do not know what casino etiquette is”

28) “make sure locals never played along side their million dollar players.”

29) “ busted out bahamians”

30) “bum 20 dollars to get back on a table”****

SandsMarco says...

Part 3:

***Answer that question honestly. The same security officers that dealt with many unruly spring breakers when I was in a casino this past spring break are quite capable of dealing with any person (including Bahamians) who chose to act “Un-Disciplined”. Are you saying that in your “25 Years” of Casino Etiquette Experience, the casino security team that protected you and all others in the casino are incapable of removing any “un-Disciplined” Bahamian? Do you have that little confidence in your own casino security team? The same team who is supposed to be providing security for the non-Bahamians? I will ask all of you who are spreading an anit-Bahamian message?***

SandsMarco says...

Part 2:

***Just because they are your relative does not increase the probability that ethics violations will occur? A hotel employee who is a complete stranger can just as well violate an ethics violation for any numerous reasons that are too much to share. The front desk agent can upgrade you under the table, the bartender can give you more quantities of alcohol, the dealer can slip a card under the table literally, come on. No matter who much “Rhetoric” a small minority chooses to use to attempt to justify Discrimination against Bahamians will “Fail”. Then you say Bahamians dont know Casino Etiquette? Are you reading what you are typing on tribune242.com? What is Casino Etiquette 1pnewman? In my years of walking through the casinos in the Bahamas, I don’t see anyone sitting down humming Kumbyah? It is a loud festive atmosphere where people are screaming every other second, what casino etiquette? Again, Bahamians all already in the casino, they are not playing but they are everywhere else fully accessing the amenities of the casino resorts? What about you 1pnewman, are you included in the Bahamians whom you state as fact that don’t have Casino etiquette and are you an "un-Disciplined Bahamian?"***

SandsMarco says...

Response to 1pnewman Part 1:

Let me add my two cents to this issue, ………………………….

***Excellent, I would always prefer to converse with one who is clear on where they stand no matter how wrong they may be. No here is my “5” cents. You say the Bahamas is too small? To small compared to what? What or who are you comparing the Bahamas with as the Bahamas has approx 300 plus thousand citizens? Where are the facts from your study? Since we are going there, the fact that all of the countries listed above that I mentioned who do legally allow their citizens to gamble are either the same size or smaller than us with the exception of 2. Lets focus on TCI since we are talking about small. TCI allows their citizens to gamble in their casinos, they are smaller than us, why can TCI function and the Bahamas cannot if their citizens can gamble and are cannot? So what if your cousin, sister, mother, father or other relative is on the table that you are playing on? That occurs everywhere, my cousin is a dealer works at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in SF and when we as a family group went to SF two summers ago, on one occasion he was the dealer at the table my uncle chose to play on? If I want to go to my cousin who is the ticket agent at the airport, the customs agent at the airport, when I check into the hotel, when I go to the pool bar, when I go to the restaurant, when I go to the casino, the host at the night club at the door, that is my right. Since when in any business is it a policy that your relative cannot serve you? Since you have also joined the anti-Bahamian Bandwagon in an attempt to try to use such an excuse in the casino by prejudging, that’s what surveillance is for, that what’s security is for, when it is proven that you win, you get your money, if it is proven that ethics violations were committed, you are penalized by the policies of the business and the laws of the country? If the casino decides to go further and triple check to ensure that the jackpot winner is legit, that is their right, whether it was your relative who dealt to you or not. You cant be serious to use the excuse that because someone is related to you in a business, you should not be allowed to support that business, what kind of nonsense is that?***

SandsMarco says...

no excuse ,no wall of words or video,s ………………...

***Thank goodness for democracy and guess what else, Bahamians also spend money in the restaurants, conventions, rooms, night clubs and all other areas of the casino hotels and guess what else occurs, the same monies they spend in those areas also leave the country as the casino in one of the local resorts who I am absolutely sure of accounts for less than 30% of that operations revenue where as the bulk of the monies made in that operation comes from F&B, Rooms and Conventions but again, Bahamians spend monies there and that money Bahamians spend leaves the country. Ok, so let’s tell the Bahamian people to simply not spend their money in any business in the Bahamas where the money will leave the country, let’s do that then concerncitizen. Amazing***

SandsMarco says...

That was Atlantis, this additional statement was made months before Atlantis made their above statement:
→→→→→→→→→→Tue, June 2nd, 2009←←←←←←←←←←
***By candia dames ~ Guardian News Editor ~ candia@nasguard.com:
Baha Mar Chairman and CEO Sarkis Izmirlian said he would welcome Bahamians gambling in the Crystal Palace Casino at Cable Beach and thinks the government would benefit substantially from a national lottery.
In an exclusive interview with The Nassau Guardian, Izmirlian said given the substantial revenue shortfall being experienced by the government, a national lottery could be the way to go.
"It happens everywhere in The Bahamas," he said, referring to gambling. "You might as well legalize it and let the government benefit from those tax revenues."
Asked whether he would welcome Bahamians gambling in his casino, Izmirlian said he already welcomes Bahamians everywhere on the properties at Cable Beach.
"One thing that we've done, not just in the design of Baha Mar, but in the hotels today, is we've tried to embrace the community," he said. "I feel that some of the other resorts have turned their backs a little bit on Bahamians and some didn't even use the word Bahamas in their advertising. We're different from that; not only did we embrace the design and culture, but we want Bahamians to come in our resort."
Izmirlian said there are very few jurisdictions that don't welcome locals in casinos.
He added that gaming in The Bahamas continues to be hurt by outdated laws that fail to make the jurisdiction competitive.
"Our gaming laws in The Bahamas are just not competitive versus other jurisdictions in the U.S. and other places in the world, and we really need urgently to address our gaming regulations here in The Bahamas," he said, adding that Baha Mar supports a list of recommendations the Bahamas Hotel Association presented to the government.
"It's a detailed list of recommendations which we believe should be implemented as soon as possible. We need to be competitive on the types of games we can offer [and] how quickly we can implement new games as they become available on the market. And we also need to realize that there are certain residents here, whether it's permanent residents or others, who should be allowed to gamble."
He pointed out that American entertainer Patti Labelle was unable to gamble in The Bahamas because she was on a work permit for a concert.
"These sorts of things are hurting us and there are many examples of this," Izmirlian said.
"I think if the government wants The Bahamas to be competitive [in gaming], they need to implement these changes. Today, it doesn't make sense that we can't compete with jurisdictions that are right on our doorstep. If we're going to have gaming then we should be competitive and that's what I hope that the government will implement."***
What is the new excuse now concerned citizen?
Is it going to be HAI also "assured them its not even going to be on the ballot?