You are the ignorance that has strangled the world we live in and it is time you open your eyes and realize how foolish you have truly been.

Sharon was not telling a short story to run off her mouth. She seeks to raise the awareness of mental health illnesses throughout the Bahamas and through graphical illustration break the stigma which society has placed for these people.

Mental Illness are psychophysical manifestations of pathological changes within our brain. Take Parkinson's disease, which society openly accepts, for example. This disorder of the brain is a progressive degradation of the neurotransmitter Dopamine producing pathways within our brain resulting in loss of control over our movements as its primary symptom. But Schizophrenia, which society has a stigma towards, show an over production of the same neurotransmitter Dopamine resulting in the positive symptoms of the disorder; hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders. This condition is a physical pathological change within the brain that a higher power for all extensive purposes cannot wish away let it be church, yourself or whatever you see as a high power as your poorly written response below attempts to given an excuse in support of your poorly tasted and written comment here.

You have mentioned that you have read short but good stories in the above comment and I will ask that you read further short but good medical articles, case studies and journals to educate yourself on the true nature of mental health and many other topics you always shoot off your mouth with. And then and only then may you call us Comrade because at this point you are neither a friend, ally or colleague. Elevate yourself from your simplistic thoughts. Until then your constant use of the word Comrade only emphasizes your pompous nature and inform readers of the poor often negative caliber of comments to follow.

Have a good day.

I find it highly rediculous that possession of cocaine allows a man to be fined and released by the court ($500) and in a previous case possession with intent to supply ($5000). Where as possession of Marijuana with a conviction results in prison time. I truly hope its not just me who can see the grossly unjust skewing of our laws for "particular dangerous drugs" which a person cannot overdose on, does not make you violent and in some countries used as medicine for various conditions with greater efficacy and little to no side effects than prescription medications.

I know I am a bit late however I would like to point out to you that there are several problems with your statement. Most importantly "The word of God does not call us to be rational thinkers". And the dark ages return where sharia law and the crusades were lawful because it was an understanding of the word of God without concern for Rational Thinking.

Next personal use of weed was never addressed in the Bible and truth be told Asprin and vitamin tables could do more harm to the body than marijuana ever could and it really shouldn't be illegal.

Homosexuals will continue being homosexual, we as a society shouldn't incarcerate them for making a life choice. The issue of gay marriage can be debated but truthfully it doesn't affect my life so it doesn't matter for me.

Prostitution however is a tricky topic. 1) It poses a very real Public Health risk. 2) There is no government on earth that can stop it. 3) It is considered one of the oldest professions. 4) In Amsterdam where prostitution and drugs are legal there are substantially lower crime rates and prostitutes are required by law to have medical clearance to work and as such there are significantly lower STI transference than other countries where prostitution is illegal.

I'm sorry but logically addressing issues and solving problems is the right way to go not blindly saying the bible says no, sticking fingers in our ears and saying la la la la.

Can I ask everyone two questions: Why was gambling made illegal in the first place? And If a law is wrong should we follow it no matter how wrong it is or should we seek to change it?

But pilgrimagerock, the question of gambling is not one of morality it is one of choice. In all honesty choosing to gamble should not make you a criminal. Laws should not be made to please the church because this would only seek to shelter, limit and control the population. Laws should be made to ensure the safety and protection of the public.

The difference is that speeding may result in MVA and your death or the death of someone else. That is why it is illegal. It is a public safety issue. Stop comparing potatoes and tomatoes you'll just show your ignorance.

OH I understand this point completely. My statements merely leads to state that this is a step in the right direction. The issue of casino gambling may be addressed at a later date, however the action of legalizing numbers sets precedence for the legalization of gambling across the board for Bahamian citizens.

Such as?

The Bahamian people are like an Elephant restrained with a rope and spike. In the words of Bob Marley we must ***"Free ourselves from mental slavery"***. With this thought in mind I've tried to look at this situation as objectively as possibly however I've heard arguments that if gambling is legalized we might as well legalize murder and robbery attempting to draw a line between apples and oranges or more so attempting to taint the public's view on legalization. And worst there are many people like user: John who would hypocritically vote no, even if they were willfully engaging in the activity and everyone else in this country who would criticize and attack Pastor Hall for his freedom of speech and opinion. The sad part about all of this is that for a large portion of our population believe that by legalizing numbers we will create an addiction for our people. ***The truth however shows that those persons who would be addicted already are and the effort placed into the vote no campaign should be used to fund programs to guide those persons to a healthy balance in their life.***

***The campaign is not one of religious beliefs or morality but instead one of the rights of the people of The Bahamas.*** 40+ years ago it was thought that the Bahamian people should not and as such was made so that they could not gamble within our own country. However tourist are free to do what they want. It has always been evident that foreigners retained more rights and privileges within the Bahamas but the question is why? Why should the government and least of all the church dictate to me or you or any Bahamian how we should spend our money to the point of making it legally reprehensible. There has been zero cases of prohibition working throughout history and this prohibition on gambling has been failing for many years. Each year a new number house opens up to capitalize on this booming marking now that there is a push for legality. But even when it was illegal there were number men on the block taking numbers from everyone, church goers, policemen, lawyers and teachers. Blocking this referendum would only drive the number houses back underground where the possibility of taxing its earnings and using it as extra revenue for the good of this country can never happen.
By opening up this possibility we as Bahamians may have other opportunities to excel. Take for instance the game of Poker, internationally recognized and respected but yet if we were to host a tournament no locals may enter despite how skilled they may be. And this is a shame.
***We as Bahamians and citizens of the World must move away from this linear thinking and see the big picture and realize that not everything that is illegal is right*** because just a short time it was illegal for black men and women to vote or own property.