Thanks Ced I can always tell when I am right on an issue you ignore the meaty facts and try to chew on a bone that you feel you can play with to find a frivilous argument. As I said at the end of that very post, you wouldn't read it through before you commented. you were trained to talk not listen.
Meat for men bone for dogs.

Lincoln:

I was told many years ago that he who throws mud is losing ground. Clearly, you have lost ALOT of ground.

Cedric I know you didn't really read post number 85 so I will repeat an important part of it for you.
Legal means in writting; Illegal means Bad writting. in its root meaning. Sorry for being to deep for you.
luv ya
That finals it for me. Admit it Cedric, you loose this one. Give up, you are drunk on holy water and it has clouded your judgement. We all see your bias and disagree with you.

I was told many years ago that he who throws mud is losing ground. Clearly, you have lost ALOT of ground.
Hey, Lincoln was right. you did it again. You ignored the meat and chewed on the bones. I think you broke your teeth on it because your argument lost its bite.

Cedric is entitled to his opinion just as you, me and every other bahamian is. It is all only opinions, its not going to go before parliament or anything.

peace out..

No, CG. My public opposition to gambling is from a socio-economic viewpoint because it is that viewpoint that the government will listen to above that of my Christain faith. The socio-economic arguments are borne out in the historical experience of gambling like the Hobby Horse Race track which you know about first hand (I've heard the horror stories).

Point taken and understood.

You are right...we are not a theocracy, but a democracy. Democracy does not mean unbridled freedom of choice/expression for everyone. For example, I would like to drive at 50 miles per hour on JFK drive but the law says 45 is legal so I will be penalized if caught driving at 50 mph. Democracy means "people rule" or rule by the people. Further, it means that the view of the majority determines governance for ALL, including the minority. Any arrangement where everyone has an equal chance to make a fool of himself is anarchy, not democracy. And trust me CG, while the "freedom and equality" of anarchy sounds noble living under such an arrangement would be utter madness.

Here I meant, to make a fool of oneself by throwing away a weeks wages on the turn of a card. When I was in the States sometime ago, friends took us to a Casino. I joined in the gaming, just to be a good guest. As I set $20.00 on number 7, at the roulette wheel (and the small ball dropped into the number 8 slot!) I thought to myself "I could have dropped that money in the toilet, pull the handle and watched it cycle the bowl and had the same results!" I said to myself, under my breath, "Fool!" That is what I meant. Sorry for not making that clear.

It is my view that the widespread greed, materialism and get rich quick without working for it attitude that seems to pervade our nation no doubt translates into the clear majority of people desiring to be able to legally gamble. However, they do not know how to bring their will to bear in a representative democracy, something Americans know very well..

I agree! I know a person who is planning his retirement based on his winning the Lottery! I told him he had a better change of dying of Frostbite, in Nassau, in the middle of August, than he has of winning the jackpot.

In Buddhism there is advantageous money and non-advantageous money. The former, one works for, the latter falls into ones hands by gambling, inheritance etc. It never seems to "last" as long and does not give one the dignity of working for it and there are often many dangers in this money.

Obviously, I will continue to speak publicly against gambling in all forms but if it is legalized, so be it...that's democracy and I know I'm in the minority, and I will still continue to speak. .

Good for you!

CG, I believe the vast majoriity of the same people who salivate about wanting to gamble legally in The Bahamas are also adamant about keeping "an abiding respect for Christian values" in our Constitution's preamble. I can see why we "Christians" confuse you as a Buddhist, and I apologize for our inconsistency. CG, one would have to do Biblical gymnastics (without success) to try to show gambling your money to win other people's money as a Christian value. "Give" without seeking anything in return is a Christian value, not "take" by gambling what you have to try to be enriched by other people's property without working for it. The former is fueled by selflessness while the latter is fueled by selfishness and greed.

The Christian, with a large "C" never confuses me. The christian with a small "c" always does! Alas, there seems to be more small "c's" than large "C's." Yet, inconsistency is not restricted to your faith. There are small "b" Buddhists too!

I know Christians, Buddhist, and peoples of other faiths who give and give of the money they work for but they never seem to run short. (I should quickly add that they don't give to "get." They give it give!) It seems that real unselfishness has its own rewards.

I totally agree with you. But if we win this fight, others may try to fight other laws that should be imposed, such as a very common one where people run red lights after 12 midnight. I travel alot after midnight, and maybe 1 or 2 out of say 100 stop for a light, or stay at it until it turns green. There are so many others also, that people may choose to fight against. Why can a police motorbike drive in the middle of the road, when in all reality a regular motorbike should/cannot. Unless that police has a siren on he is also breaking the law, overtaking with oncoming traffic and on double lines. There are alot of little laws that people may choose to fight after this is won.

But saying that, its worth the struggle, to win freedom to gamble, as it is a freedom for us as Bahamians.

On the red light issue. Late in the evening or in the early part of the morning I am not sitting on a red ligth when there is no traffic. I have told my children this as well. Its better to live and pay the fine than to be robbed and killed on the corner waiting for a light to change.

Someone also said something about equal rights I agree equal rights. Every place in the law and constitution where ever you have male, female, man or woman should be replace with human. The only classification should be with immigration laws that should make clear the rights of foreigners in our land. But not giving them more rights than a Bahamian.

its people that dont stop for red lights at night, that have ended up killing other innocent people, this has been the case many times in the recent past. You may be the few that take their time properly, and go across, but being a night owl myself, the majority just go, dont stop, maybe slow a littlem but even with cars coming, they go in front of them. I agree its dangerous to stop at 'some' of them, eg. Montagu/East Bay light. But if you are out at that time of night, you are taking a chance anyway. The majority of people out driving after 12 are drunk anyway. I dont slow down at a green light, just because someone else wants to run the red light, and if they hit me, Ill pave the road with their face, and also, If i choose to stop at a red light and wait for green, thats my choice, as its the law and the right thing to do.

Try and run a red light in the US after 12 and see what happens.

can someone please tell me which political party was in power when this
lottery & gaming act was passed as law?

maybe the UBP did not want black bahamians in the casinos, but what if the PLP passed this act?

i can't remember who was in power then. can you?

dont know, would be interesting to know though.

Question, do the people have a vote on laws, or does the government make the laws without a vote, that sounds to me more like communism?? The current government is getting cosier with Castro, maybe we will become a communist country after all!

can someone please tell me which political party was in power when this
lottery & gaming act was passed as law?

maybe the UBP did not want black bahamians in the casinos, but what if the PLP passed this act?

i can't remember who was in power then. can you?


I would like to know that too! Perhaps someone could call the Gaming Board and ask them. I would but I have just spent two days trying to reach another important government office. I am "Bahamian Phoned" out. I need a rest.

dont know, would be interesting to know though.

Question, do the people have a vote on laws, or does the government make the laws without a vote, that sounds to me more like communism?? The current government is getting cosier with Castro, maybe we will become a communist country after all!

As I understand it, Parliament and the Senate can and do pass laws without a vote of the people. We vote to put those folks there in those offices so that they can do just that. (In Parliament at least.) If they have to run to us each time a new law was proposed what do we need Parliament for?

It was instructive reading Cassius Stuart's presentation on the constitution and how in fact the government is given authority by the supreme law to discriminate in certain cases. This furhter suggestes to me that this supreme law in not sacred but simply serves the needs of the day. Last time we tried to amend it certain people were up in arms talking nonsense about it being sacred. Can anything created and administered by man be sacred? What absolute rubbish.The constitution and all statute laws simply reflect the values and the prejudices of those who wrote them. It is analagous in my view to Christ's admonition to other silly people in another time that the Sabbath was made to serve man's needs and not the other way around. Let us agree to fix what is wrong and eliminate discrimination from the constitution in all forms if we really abhor discrimination

Lincoln:

I was told many years ago that he who throws mud is losing ground. Clearly, you have lost ALOT of ground.

Hi Cedric the person throwing is trying to share ground because the receiver has just lost the ground they had it sank when the world went from being flat to being round.

Hi Cedric the person throwing is trying to share ground because the receiver has just lost the ground they had it sank when the world went from being flat to being round.

Vicky you are so right! Your comment made my day.

Vicky you are so right! Your comment made my day.

I think you are approaching this from the wrong angle. The laws against Bahamians gambling are legal, but are they right?

At one time, slavery was legal, not allowing women to vote was legal. Child labour was legal, but was it right? Where any of those things right? Of course not!

Laws change, they adapt, they evolve. They are not set in stone. If you wish the law to change, attack it from the angle that it is legal but is it right?