The Tribune

By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

AS the Coronavirus pandemic continues here in the Bahamas, this week’s ‘Corona Chronicles’ showed a track meet at the courthouse, pastors securing the bag first, and the fact some of us don’t know the meaning of ‘quarantine.’

•THE RUNNING MAN

We all saw the viral video circulating on every form of social media, showing a man (Ash) at a liquor store (Made Men Sports Bar) selling alcohol and an unmarked police vehicle at the establishment.

Considering Ash’s seemingly tight knit relationship with the government, being a former ‘star witness’ and all, one might wonder if the name of Ash’s sports bar, ‘Made Men’ is a reflection of how Ash really feels, or at least how this administration has made him feel.

There can be the impression he is a made political crony, and is above the law, like so many political cronies before him.

Ash appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis on Monday, and after sprinting the 40 yards from the police station to the courthouse, in 4.1 seconds, (a time NFL scouts would be drooling over) clad in a black hoodie and surgical mask, free of handcuffs, shackles and a police escort (which is the usual protocol for court) and was charged with violating the national curfew and operating a non-essential business on April 17.

After pleading guilty to the charges, Ash, was fined $2,000 or nine months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) for count one and $5,000 or one year at the BDCS for count two, and after paying his fines, in the blink of an eye the ‘Bahamian Flash’ was gone. (I wonder if Ash can run that fast with a pocket full of ‘shingles’ though?)

Now if that wasn’t enough, I further scratched my head when I saw Minister of National Security Marvin Dames comments in this weeks Tribune, regarding the whole Ash incident and Ash’s appearance in court, without handcuffs or shackles, and with no police escort, when asked if Ash received preferential treatment Dames called the suggestion ‘ludicrous.’

Say what now Marvin?

I’m quite sure there is a line a mile long, queuing up as I type, of offenders trading stories, with the ‘cuff marks’ to prove it, who are ready to call ‘BS’ on your dismissal of the whole preferential treatment question.

•PAY PAL PASTORS

After wishy-washy responses, or in some cases none at all, to several recent issues of national importance, I must say I’m a bit amazed that clergymen have so much to say in regards to ‘tithes’ and their continued payment by their congregations, despite social distancing protocols.

Several churches have gone completely digital in order for their worshipers to conveniently pay tithes.

This week alone I’ve observed multiple ‘Pay Pal Pastors’ pop up all over social media, instructing members of their various congregations on how to pay their ‘tithes’ on line.

I understand that the various churches need their ‘tithes’ to operate, however all I’m saying is, in all of your ‘religiousness’ and with the same conviction, speak out or take action against every day atrocities here in the Bahamas that go unchampioned, such as crime, guns, ‘sweetheartin’, child molestation, human trafficking and the list goes on and on. Don’t be selective, even though you want your members to be selective paying their ‘tithes’ on line with those $25, $50, $75 and $100 donations.

Watch it, Sebas, now the pastors them online to!!

•STAY AT HOME

quarantine

/kwrntin/

noun

a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed. “Many animals die in quarantine” verb put (a person or animal) in quarantine. “I quarantine all new fish for one month.”

In case some of you don’t know the definition or meaning, there it is courtesy of Google.

So please all of you out there, and you know who you are, if you’ve been treated by a doctor and quarantined then please stay at home.

Sharing isn’t caring in this case, it’s being thoughtless and selfish.

We as a nation don’t need it to come down to having to identify those infected with COViD -19.

That opens up too many doors for too many things down the line.

So again, if you have been quarantined stay inside for the prescribed period of time.

Now is not the time to be selfish or adventurous, we want our lives to return as close to normal as possible, as quickly as possible. For those of you ignoring your quarantine you aren’t helping the process and you are most certainly not being cute.

Stay yinna boungies inside!