There are occasions in life when nonsense can and should be avoided. One such occasion now presents itself. It concerns certain asinine opinions that one J. Richard Blankenship has voiced and published concerning certain conditions that are said obtained in The Bahamas.
In this regard, it is interesting to note that some Bahamians say that J. Richard Blankenship the former U.S. Ambassador reminds them of a nightmare that just would not go away. Try as they might to put this man out of their mind, he insists on coming back.
In its latest revelation, the Blankenship nightmare surfaces in the form of a letter he wrote to the Washington Post newspaper but which was not published in the U.S. but sent to the newspapers in the Bahamas and published. In it he is highly critical of certain aspects of life in The Bahamas.
Some Bahamians believe that his opinions could have an adverse impact on The Bahamas. They are now so fumingly angry with Blankenship that they are calling on the government to do something to mitigate the impact of this Blankenship nightmare.
One opinion puts the Blankenship matter in this frame, “the fact that he is now using the Washington media and letters to influence senators, as has been reported, to voice his concerns about The Bahamas, is reason enough for the government to take note and do whatever is required, to set the record straight with regard to the claims being made by Mr. Blankenship.”
We suspect that this is an over-reaction.
Quite frankly, we do not buy the argument that somehow and that by some means, Blankenship has so much influence with president Bush and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush that he – meaning Blankenship – could somehow cause hurt and harm to come to The Bahamas.
Conversely, we do most sincerely believe Blankenship is a continuing embarrassment to these two consummate politicians.
It would be safe to say that Blankenship was a complete embarrassment to the people who sent him to The Bahamas. This singularly incompetent man managed to embroil and so misconstrue his mandate – as United States Ambassador to The Bahamas – that he was eventually persuaded that he should resign.
We thought that once he had done the right thing, we would hear no more from this man.
We were mistaken.
Apparently convinced that his opinions do matter, Blankenship has recently surfaced with opinions concerning The Bahamas. To say the least, these have not been flattering.
While Mr. Blankenship has a right to his opinion, we do not believe that he has a right to tell lies on The Bahamas. Whenever this happens, those aggrieved should work to set the record straight.
Of far more importance to us is the current reality that the United States is now well represented in The Bahamas. We need not belabour this point.
Suffice it to say that the relations between The Bahamas and the United States are today at an all time high. Mutual respect seems to be the order of the day. While there will be some tension on this or that issue, both countries have deliberately shied away from delving into issues that involve local matters.
What matters to most Bahamians and their American counterparts are issues that affect their well-being and livelihood. These would – obviously – involve security and development issues.
In a letter to the Editor, U.S. Charge d’affairs, D. Brent Hardt quotes the current Ambassador saying, “the United States enjoys one of the closest and most successful law enforcement partnerships in the world with The Bahamas.”
The United States Government in a report issued in Washington on March 1 praised The Bahamas for its continued cooperation in the global fight against drugs and money laundering.
The telling point they make is that “The Government of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas cooperates closely with the USG to stop the flow of illegal drugs through its territory, to target Bahamian drug trafficking organizations, and to reduce the domestic demand for drugs within the Bahamian population.”
This is one of the real measures of the depth of the friendship between The Bahamas and its great neighbor to the north. J. Richard Blankenship’s views are simply irrelevant.
Editorial from The Bahama Journal
