According to the recent article published by The Nassau Guardian on July 6, 2012: “We Care” is “a coalition of web shop owners”.
Let’s be real, it is common knowledge that many of these “web shops” facilitate the illegal playing of “numbers”. The “We Care” group, though holding themselves out as legitimate entrepreneurs has in my humble opinion during recent news coverage, directly implicated themselves when identifying the true nature of their business: illegal gambling.
Clearly, they are seeking to legitimize their ill-gotten gains and do not care and are not genuinely concerned with the development of our Country as they claim to be. They are nothing more than an organized group of “web shop” bosses, (“Organized Crime Bosses”), under the umbrella of ‘We Care’, who once covertly, but now openly, engage in the illegal numbers racket.
The idea of Organized Crime Bosses meeting with Christian Leaders to discuss the possibility of legitimizing an immoral behavior is repulsive, reprehensible and offensive to many Christians in our great nation.
The Bahamas Christian Council’s unified position has been clearly and unequivocally articulated by President Dr. Randolph Patterson: the Christian Council vehemently opposes gambling in The Bahamas. This position is consistent with the views of almost every major mainline denominational leader. Who then are these 20 prominent local church leaders who have drank the cool-aid prepared by Dr. Phillip McPhee?
Their claim to have contributed $1 million to fund various organizations and sponsor community programs, do not in any form or fashion justify or make more noble or legitimize the unsavory activities of these Organized Crime Bosses, who are alleged to have made hundreds of millions of dollars off the backs of Bahamians. No more so can we rationalize, justify or legitimize the criminal activities of men such as Pablo Emilio Escobar, the boss of the Medellín Crime Family, who although responsible for the construction of many hospitals, schools, churches and football fields in Columbia, is credited with the murder of many innocent people and the destruction of millions of lives and families.
No amount of money that these Organized Crime Bosses say they invest for the benefit of our people can turn their evil to good, or erase the stench of their guilt, or their contribution to the deterioration of the moral foundation and conscience and the corruption of our society.
How pretentious are these unscrupulous Organized Crime Bosses to act as though they are interested in the betterment of our society, bragging about the money they have contributed while all along raping us of our moral virtue and perpetuating criminal activity, please!
One cannot on the one hand commit a crime with such arrogance, blatantly showing contempt and disrespect for our laws and then on the other claim to be sincerely interested in the development of our nation and the common good of the people. What hypocrites!
They are criminals, plain and simple, and should not be applauded for attempting to bribe our society; instead, they should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. How dare they openly expose themselves without respect for the rule of law or remorse for the crime they have committed against society?
I pray that they would all repent and ask God to forgive them for their sins. I challenge them to depart from evil and do good, and in true repentance and an act of generosity, if that’s what they are really all about, turn over all of their ill-gotten earnings to the Government of The Bahamas to be used for the benefit of our people and our Country’s national development.
Hopefully, the Attorney General’s Office and the police, who have the right under our existing “proceeds of crime” regime, with the assistance of our courts, to seize personal assets gained by illegal means, are paying close attention to how these Organized Crime Bosses are incriminating themselves. Where these assets are hoarded abroad, I admonish our law enforcement officers to seek the assistance of other countries, with whom we have a treaty or arrangement that would result in these assets being confiscated.
How is it that this special “privileged” group of Organized Crime Bosses can call press conferences and make statements that obviously implicate them as operators of illegal activities, while the people we depend on to protect our rights and enforce the law stand idly by, seemingly powerless and unable or unwilling to make any arrests? Why is this tolerated? Has criminal immunity been granted to “numbers” racketeers and Organized Crime Bosses? If so, pray tell us, who gave them this immunity and under what authority. I cry SHAME!
To this end, I am seeking an explanation from our Ministers of National Security, the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner as to
(i) why the business licenses of these“webshops”have not been cancelled and the appropriate fines have not been imposed under the Business License Act,
(ii) why these web shops have not been shut down, and
(iii) why warrants have not been issued for the arrest of these Organized Crime Bosses?
The law is clear: the numbers rackets that are operated as “web shops” are illegal. Then I say, ENFORCE THE LAW. How embarrassing it must be for law enforcers to subject themselves to such blatant disregard for the rule of law. We, the law-abiding citizens, deserve an explanation from the authorities on this matter.
Bahamas Harvest Church Official Position on Gambling
Gambling undermines everything the Bible teaches about how to obtain wealth and prosperity. There are basically three ways in which we obtain wealth:
By working for it (Genesis 3:19)
Genesis 3:19 (New International Version) 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.
By love gifts (Matthew 2:11)
Matthew 2:11 (New International Version) 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
By inheritance (Proverbs 13:22)
Proverbs 13:22 (New International Version) 22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.
To attempt to obtain wealth through any other means, such as gambling is immoral and dishonorable. Compulsive gambling (such as playing “Numbers”) can destroy an individual just like alcohol and drug abuse. Gambling is wrong.
By: Pastor Mario Moxey
Bahamas Harvest Church
