I have written many commentaries decrying the way natural disasters often befall those least able to cope. But this time it’s personal. Hurricane Dorian has wind speeds of [185 mph and gusts of 225 mph], making it the strongest hurricane in modern records [as it bears down on the northwestern Bahama islands of Abaco and… Read more.
The Bahamas
Hurricane Matthew
I appreciate your inquiries about how my family and friends in the Caribbean weathered Matthew. Even though proverbial sitting ducks, they all hunkered down, and we all prayed for the best. Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, slammed into the Bahamas early on Thursday and intensified as it barreled toward the southeastern… Read more.
Taliban Values in Paradise. Bahamas Votes ‘No’ to Equal Rights
In “Referendum on Equal Rights in The Bahamas Is ‘Unnecessary’, Despite Dame Sawyer,” May 18, 2016, I expressed misgivings about the country of my birth subjecting the constitutional rights of fellow citizens to a referendum. I reasoned, in part, that the rights of citizenship at issue are necessarily implied in existing constitutional provisions. Further that we only… Read more.
Referendum on Equal Rights in The Bahamas Is “Unnecessary”
Frankly, I am stupefied that this country of my birth is holding a referendum on June 7 to decide whether men and women should enjoy the same constitutional rights – primarily with respect to citizenship. Prime Minister Perry Christie presented the four amendments at issue during the launch of his “YES Bahamas Campaign – Equal Rights… Read more.
Hurricane Joaquin Leaves Death and Devastation from Bahamas through Carolinas
The world has been preoccupied in recent months with the man-made devastation still unfolding in Syria, which has triggered an unprecedented migration crisis in Europe. But Hurricane Joaquin is Mother Nature’s way of reminding us that she is capable of wreaking horrific devastation too. And, when Mother Nature charts her path of wrath, all one can do… Read more.
Tragic Death of Myles Munroe: Eulogize, Don’t Canonize, Him
The tragic death of Dr. Myles Munroe shocked The Bahamas. It evoked a national outpouring of grief that was unprecedented. Moreover, ongoing eulogies seem intended to put him on a fast track to sainthood. We should eulogize him, of course. But let’s resist the temptation to canonize him. This post is in that vein. Indeed, I waited this long to publish… Read more.
Petty Politics (and Homophobia) Bedeviling Equal Rights for Women in The Bahamas
In 2002 voters in The Bahamas rejected a national referendum “to change the Constitution to eradicate language that made men superior to women” – as the February 12, 2012, edition of the Nassau Guardian framed the issue. I was so shocked and dismayed that I wondered aloud if we were vying to become the new… Read more.
The Bahamas Is 41! Time to Grow Up!
The Bahamas celebrates 41 years of independence today. I heartily join in hailing our motto: “Forward, Upward, Onward, Together” … my Bahamaland! We are a nation of only 320,000 people. Yet not even the political and cultural hegemony of the United States can chasten our national pride. But this is precisely why we make such… Read more.
London Olympics: Day 14
To be honest, folks, I’m pooped. Watching (or staring at) as much streaming video as I have over the past two weeks is probably not good for my health … to say nothing of my already failing eyesight. Never mind the irony inherent in the cause for this being my addictive interest in watching the healthiest… Read more.
PLP Ousts Ruling FNM in The Bahamas
Even though we did not have the benefit of the type of scientific polling that made Sunday’s election results in France anticlimactic, the triumph of Hon. Perry Christie (left) and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) over Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and his Free National Movement (FNM) in parliamentary elections yesterday came as no surprise. Preliminary results… Read more.