Alleged Hate Crime in Paradise

ABC News ^ | April 11, 2006 | JEFFREY KOFMAN

[PallMal]

Homosexual acts (buggery) is illegal in Jamaica. I don't know what the laws are in St. Maarten.

[isrul]

"I hope they get well."

They probably don't think they need to be cured.

[BW2221]

St. Maarten is actually quite nice, particularly on the Dutch side. Typically they don't have much major crime, so I imagine their police are not well trained in cases like this.

[cyborg]

You've never been to St.Maarten. It's hardly a third world hellhole.

[cll]

I wouldn't categorize St. Maarten/St. Martin as a "third world hellhole". It's pretty nice, actually.

[cyborg]

Most of the crime committed in St.Maarten is done by illegal aliens fwiw.

[cll]

In fact, there's a Freeper cruise bound there. Check out:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1559308/posts

[cll]

This area is awash with illegals.

[cyborg]

You live down there? I've heard it's a big problem from some of my relatives.

[steveo]

Many years ago there were riots in Jamaican prisons because some group (govt?) wanted to supply condoms therein. Bad times. I can't imagine that gays don't know they're not welcome...

[cll]

Ping


"In fact, there's a Freeper cruise bound there. Check out:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1559308/posts "

[cll]

I live in Puerto Rico (U.S. territory), a few islands to the west of St. Maarten, but have traveled extensively between here and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and St. Maarten/St. Martin.

We all got miles and miles of open shoreline and island hopping is quite easy, both for tourists, smugglers and illegals. We don't have a pirate/bucaneer/rum runner reputation for nothing.

[MinuteGal]

Right now there are cruise ships headed for Italy where there is crime and hellholes. Cruises are headed for Alaska which is one of the most crime-ridden states in the union. Tourists are headed for Paris and London where there is crime and hellholes. Tourists are cruising the Greek Islands where there is crime and hellholes. They go to Egypt to see the pyramids and where hellholes abound.

There are hate crimes going on in Las Vegas, Miami and San Francisco, major tourist destinations.

I think everyone should eschew vacations and stay home cowering under their beds like liberals to avoid all impending danger and doom in the big bad world out there.

In a couple of weeks I and a great group of well-known freepers will be enjoying our fantastically fun-filled cruise with stops in the radiant and safe islands of St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the stunning Princess Cay beach in the Bahamas.

No guts, no mango daquiris.

Leni
(aka Bahama Mama, FReeps Ahoy 4 Cruise Coordinator)

[Graybeard58]

Hi Bahama Mama.

I'll have to pass on the mango daquiris but I'm with you! Raring to go!

Crime happens everywhere. I live in a small town, population about 1500 or so and we even have crime here.

[MinuteGal]

I'll also pass on the mango daquiris, thank you very much.

Bizzy Bugz is touting chocolate daquiris on the cruise, but I dunno. Maybe I'll let her buy one and take a sip of hers, heheh.

We may yet all end up in the infirmary in spite of our purest and best efforts to be temperate in all things, amen.

Leni

[cll]

No guts, no glory!

St. Maarten is wonderful, as is much of the Caribbean. The point I was trying to get across on this thread was exactly that. Next FreepCruise I hope ya'll make a stop in this beautiful "hellhole" I call home.

Cheers,

cll

[cyborg]

MG some people don't get out much. Anything outside of their town is a hellhole :(

[conservativeharleyguy]

Where exactly did I say "hellhole"? I said 3rd world.

I'm sure it's a lovely place.

My point was (and remains) that people in other locales are far less likely to tolerate some guy tongue wrestling with his boyfriend in public than they apparently are in Manhattan.

And, as is evidenced by the whipping they gave out, they are also apparently ready to kick him and his boyfriend's asses for fun.

I'm not condoning it, I'm simply saying that if one's inappropriate behavior in a foreign land gets them in trouble with the locals, I personally have little to no sympathy for them. Especially in a bar.

It sounds like maybe they were in a real bar (not an upper Manhattan socialite "club"), and pissed off the locals. Gee...that's never happened before, has it?

Hell, it'd probably happen right here in South Carolina tonight if they went to the wrong place.

I've traveled in some pretty strange and "austere" places, but I try to make it a habit to blend in as much as possible. When in Rome..... and all.

[InvisibleChurch]

nobody deserves that sort of beating

[cll]

You're right. It was the other guys who said "hellhole".

I wasn't even referring to the incident. I was just pointing out that many of the islands in the Caribbean wouldn't qualify as third world either. Many islands are under the dominion of first world nations (The United States, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and France) and most of those are affluent. Maybe not Hilton Head-affluent, but in comparison to some of our neighbors, we're years ahead.

And then again, France and The Netherlands might be turning third world themselves so there you go.