AS you drive down Shirley Street, a large screen blocks off the view of construction of the new US Embassy. A new era for the embassy – one which we’re sure those behind its construction will hope will be a bright one.
But as the foundations of a new embassy are being built here, the foundations of democracy in America itself have been crumbling.
Yesterday was a day of shame for the US – and it was a day of shame in which its own President, Donald Trump, was directly complicit.
Protestors trying to keep Trump in power despite his election loss to Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in Washington. Elected representatives – including Vice-President Mike Pence – had to be evacuated to safety as windows were smashed, doors forced open and in poured this motley collection of conspiracy theorists and white supremacists and all manner of people claiming the word patriot but acting like anything but. Protestors is too mild a word for them. Thugs, fascists, hatemongers, racists – take your pick.
Earlier in the day, Trump attacked his own Vice-President, saying “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done” – in other words, he didn’t play ball with Trump’s fantasy to overturn a legal election.
And yesterday morning, he urged his followers to march on Congress.
Well, that they did. The sitting President urged his followers to march on the Capitol as part of his effort to undermine a legitimate vote.
After the chaos of people smashing their way into the Capitol, after a woman was shot and killed inside the building, after elected representatives had to scurry for cover taking with them the vital documents needed for the transfer of power process, after all of that Trump tweeted out a video in which he said of the protestors: “We love you – you’re very special.”
His daughter, Ivanka, sent out a tweet, later deleted, addressing them as “American Patriots”.
Yesterday’s chaos falls directly on the shoulders of the US President – and those around him who encouraged him, excused him or failed to stand up to him. He has come to power through encouraging the racists, encouraging resentment, encouraging hate – and in a few short days he will take his leave with a legacy of destruction of the reputation of a nation revered as the leader of the Free World prior to his arrival.
America has fallen far under Trump’s presidency. It has a long way to go to rise again. But though Trump may soon be gone, watch for those who follow his path. Watch for those who lie to your face and call it the truth. Watch for those who stoke people’s fears and insecurities, and never let them anywhere near power. There are those here at home who would do the same, and we should be on our guard.
Perhaps then it can indeed be a new era for all of us – one where we do not let these charlatans and con men take away the democracy that is our most precious possession.
It is a lesson for all nations.
Death penalty
The president of the Christian Council seems to think the solution to the spate of murders over the New Year is a more civilised form of killing people.
Bishop Delton Fernander seems to think capital punishment is the way forward – as if members of gangs aren’t facing their own form of capital punishment every day on the streets without the nicety of a legal process.
Indeed, Bishop Fernander seems to be concerned about the method of execution, wanting us to “figure out what works in our context” before saying “Our neighbours to the north, they don’t do the heinous act of hanging by rope but they do the lethal injection”.
Bishop Fernander wants a “strong deterrent to our young men taking lives” and wants research to be done on the topic of lethal injection.
He might be busily wondering about the method of dealing out an eye for an eye but there already is significant research on the death penalty that shows it has no particular deterrent effect on crime. For example, in the US – those neighbours to the north he’s referring to – states that have the death penalty have a higher murder rate than those without it.
We absolutely want to deter young men from committing murder – but talk of a death penalty is not tackling the issue, just exacting revenge. There are root causes far more important to tackle, dealing with the matter before the trigger is pulled rather than facing up to the aftermath.
Let’s talk more about that – and not whether a rope is too cruel.
Comments
KapunkleUp 3 years, 11 months ago
Death penalty.... in lieu of that have a 24 hour loop of Parliamentary TV playing for a month.
GodSpeed 3 years, 11 months ago
This is what happens when you don't ensure election integrity. America could have the most secure elections on the planet but the Dems don't like that way. No thumbs dipped in ink, no voter ID (that's racist apparently), mail in ballots that any one can find... fill out and drop in the mail box to be counted without even as much as signature verification. Dead people voting, underage people voting, people voting more than once, ballot counters on camera counting votes multiple times after getting rid of poll watchers. Now 75+ million Americans don't even trust the vote. US elections are a joke and they need reform, even Bahamian elections have more integrity.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Says who? 60 cases filed, 60 cases lost. No fraud. Period. Stop taking the word of a pathological liar.
GodSpeed 3 years, 11 months ago
Nobody is claiming that there was no fraud, it's all documented. What they claim in defense is that the fraud was not "MASSIVE" or "WIDESPREAD" fool. But of course they didn't investigate or audit the ballots to know the extent of fraud and just forced Biden in. Counting "all the votes" the legal and illegal ones. That's a joke of an election.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Nothing dumber than a trumpie... Sheesh...
GodSpeed 3 years, 11 months ago
lol you're the dumb one, what exactly do you think will be better for the Bahamas under Biden and the open borders American Socialists? More Haitians, Cubans, Dominicans etc. coming here to get to the US? US Democrat presidencies are notoriously hazardous for the Bahamian economy and the timing could not be worse. Guess MSNBC didn't tell you about that.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
I know of two actual voting fraud cases. Lol. Two idiot trumpies were arrested for voting twice... Lololol!!
moncurcool 3 years, 11 months ago
Totally delusional and void of reality
Proguing 3 years, 11 months ago
Yes that is correct and this is not new, remember Bush and Al Gore votes in Florida?
Robinette Biden said that Bush stole the election:
In a reference to Al Gore, who introduced Biden at the Washington, D.C., event, Biden said, "This man was elected president of the United States of America,"
https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/joe…
You can't make this stuff up!
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 11 months ago
Please...spare me the tears. Where was the outrage when BLM were rioting, looting, and burning entire city blocks down over several months during the summer. Remember Portland? It is so sad to see the Bahamian media pushing the left-wing agenda in the past few months, do you really think that red team or blue team makes a difference? The peasants will kill themselves fighting for in the name of Trump or Biden (or whoever else), while both will eat caviar and drink champagne laughing at the fools willing to die for them. America has had a show democracy for quite some time now, nothing but theatrics. The whole system needs to be overhauled.
As for the death penalty, why not? Makes a lot more sense than paying for a lifetime of meals for a two or three time murderer/rapist. The question is moot considering that the Pricy Council will overturn the sentence regardless. The crime situation in the Bahamas is never going to get better. Any sense of civilized culture or society was destroyed when Pindling let the Escobars and rest of the Colombian drug cartels destroy our nation's culture and tradition with cocaine and the money associated with it. Crazy to think that you used to be able to leave your doors unlocked at night in Nassau. It is a hopeless case trying to ever address the crime situation as the culture is unlikely to ever improve.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
There were no large screens block off the mainstream media's unobstructed vantage viewpoint of a political regime's obsession for power since May 10, 2027. - Shakehead a quick once for upyeahvote, Twice for not?
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Officially the worst president in history. 016 to 020 will go down as the most embarrassing 4 years in US history...
Dawes 3 years, 11 months ago
Really? So the internment of the Japanese Americans during the 2nd world war wasn't as embarrassing. Slavery wasn't as embarrassing? What happened to the Native Americans wasn't as embarrassing? I think you have exaggerated a lot in your statement to make you feel right on. Yes Trump was bad (especially the last 8 months) but to say the last four years are the most embarrassing is pathetic.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Yup. 016 to 020. Dumbest president in history. Most embarrassing 4 years period.
Dawes 3 years, 11 months ago
there we go, showing you can only think about yourself and how you feel. I literally showed you 3 times when the US was in a worse position then it is now and you only thought of yourself. Well done.
GodSpeed 3 years, 11 months ago
that person can not form an argument, only make stupid one liners.
Proguing 3 years, 11 months ago
Yes he did not start a war like his predecessors and instead brought home soldiers and signed a bunch of peace treaties, how shameful...
Dawes 3 years, 11 months ago
Watch for those who lie to your face and call it the truth. Watch for those who stoke people’s fears and insecurities, and never let them anywhere near power. So basically the tribune is telling us to watch for our politicians and our media as all of them lie
happyfly 3 years, 11 months ago
Faceless evil multinational corporations and crooked-as-a-dog-leg politicians - 1 point - Average American sick of watching their quality of life eroded by the communist-controlled globalists - 0 points. The mainstream media distracted us all with their relentless crusade against the Trump persona whilst the swamp made sure that nothing changed. Last year many millionaires became billionaires and our elected representatives moved about freely and gave themselves pay raises.....whilst we all suffered under lockdown and bickered amongst ourselves about whatever the talking heads on TV told us that day. I guess in the end, people really do only get the government that they deserve....
JohnQ 3 years, 11 months ago
Selective outrage is occurring in the United States as we type. When Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Minneapolis, Kenosha, St. Louis, New York City, Richmond, and DC were being burned, vandalized and looted by demonstrators, where was the righteous indignation? Where were the masses (not just one or two), talking about how terrible politically-based violence is? They were absent. The news media made excuses and called it "mostly peaceful" protesting. Political leaders (mainly Democrats) excused the behavior because they believed it would help their political ambitions. But now, when the same behavior (and it is the same) comes from some members of an opposing political viewpoint, suddenly there is widespread outrage about how terrible it is. Unlawful behavior was condoned during the summer and it should not have been. The double standard is obvious and does not promote a unifying message.
Here in the Bahamas, there is also a double standard and selective outrage. We are not immune from division.
Proguing 3 years, 11 months ago
Yep, the BLM and antifa “peaceful protesters” who spent their summer rioting, looting, burning and pillaging have mysteriously disappeared since the election, I wonder why?
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
For the record, 93% of BLM protests were peaceful, the one's where violence broke were due to trump's orders. Get your facts straight before you post...
Proguing 3 years, 11 months ago
Go tell that to the family of 77-year-old African-American retired police captain David Horn, who was fatally shot after interrupting the burglary of a pawn shop during riots in St. Louis, Missouri.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Well one thing good came out of it. Not only is trump now completely irrelevant so are his supporters. Good always wins...
American Airlines pilot shuts trumpies up on a flight. Shut the hell up or I'll land this plane in the middle of Kansas and strand all of you morons... Lol. Airline totally backed up their pilot after... Absolutely brilliant...
Proguing 3 years, 11 months ago
Keep on dreaming and stop watching Disney movies, Lol
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Lol. You trumpies really aint the sharpest knives in the drawer. Lol. Those idiots that stormed the capitol all over social media posting pictures and bragging. Lol. Now they're all being arrested. All because they believed trump's lies about the election being stolen. Lol. Truly the dumbest people on earth....
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
January 7th, 2021
Mexico: ok we'll pay for the wall....
Canada: we want one too...
Lol...
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