Wow

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

This may heat things up!!http://www.abacouncensored.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=108&sid=439e99be9656658ccf5e79b1947d4c02 :eek:

[rgroseclose]

Thank you for posting this article our family has visited TC since 1963 and I remember many of these events including Haraldo Rivera interviewing this Mercenarey about taking over ABACO does any one recall who hired him.

[Abacoparrott]

to tell the terrific Abaco people how to run their country so I'll just dream about that article for the next month.....Ken

[SamFamAustin]

LOL, after reading it I was going to suggest that our little island (South Padre Is, Texas) break away from the Union and become a banana republic, which it really is anyway.

Interesting reading, though!
Sam
:D

[coolchik]

Wow. I just googled the name mentioned in the article, Mitch Werbell.

The last decade of WerBell's life was filled with sufficient adventures and misadventures for the lifetimes of ten men. In 1973 WerBell began a "New Country Project" for a group of capitalist revolutionaries on Abaco Island in the Bahamas who wanted to shed the bondage of Nassau. The secessionists believed that the black population of the tourist islands was turning whites off and that sparsely settled Abaco, with a lower profile of blacks, could become a haven for investment money in gambling casinos, resorts, and housing restricted to the wealthy. The new currency would be called the rand, not in emulation of South Africa's medium of exchange but in honor of Ayn Rand, the dowager empress of rugged egoism.
WerBell sounded out his contacts in the high Arctic of the CIA and the State Department. He got the word that there would be no great American objection, provided there was no violence. WerBell was confident there would not be. He proceeded to sign up Soldier of Fortune-supreme Robert K. Brown to recruit a dozen Vietnam vets as the nucleus of an Abacoan standing army strong enough to dissuade Bahamian Premier Lyndon Pindling from invading with his own puny armed services. The date for seccession was set for New Year's Day 1975.
However, three months before liberty day WerBell was indicted in Atlanta, and the plan had to be canceled.

What paper was that in, btw?

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

It appears to be the "Insight" section of the Tribune, but I've been unable to cross-reference it by Google by use of the by-line or paper so far.

[floridaskater]

Did I miss something? The article seems to imply the MH airport project is off. Or did I read this wrong? I always thought the airport project was tied to the elections and even possibly Bakers Bay.

Unfortunately much of the taxes sent to Nassau is from foreigners who may not see or feel the same pinch as the locals. It's a complex issue to try an solve.

[PELLUCID]

Here's a link to a column written by Nicollete Bethel, Director of Culture for the Bahamas:
http://nicobethel.net/blogworld/?p=26

It was written about three years ago. I haven't seen much progress toward local government since then.

In my own view, many of the changes desired by Abaconians could be accomplished much more simply, without the overhead of independence or federation. Organizing the Abacos in a fashion similar to a US county or municipality, where an elected council has the ability to collect its own revenues and set its own budget, would do the trick. It would require some changes to the national constitution.

Any time I've mentioned this concept to a Bahamian, the reaction has been skeptical. I'm not sure why. I have met plenty of citizens in the Abacos who would do a fine job of administering a local tax base and budget, if given the opportunity.

If this thread gets any more political, it might need to be moved to a more appropriate forum.

[DrRalph]

Bob, you are indeed correct, this belongs on "The Rant."