Dear Sir, I think these mud slinging ads from our new tourism ministry are immoral, obscene, and not at all funny.

Imagine the ridiculousness of offending New Yorkers in this manner, especially our target market: well-heeled Long Islanders who might have considered booking a vacation to our beautiful shores prior to all the controversy.

As if tourism in Bermuda isn't suffering already, what with all the numerous hotel closures, threats of strike action, and less than healthy passenger loads on flights to the Island.

David Allen should get on his hands and knees and plead for forgiveness on this short sightedness! If not for the saving grace of international business I dare say, Bermuda would have long ago gone the way of Montego Bay, Jamaica: (ie. curfew at 9:00 p.m., shanty towns with dirt roads, decapitated vehicles without doors, and an open air drugs mart on the "High'' Street!!) DEEPLY CONCERNED Warwick Kudos for the cops Dear Sir, The following was sent to the Commissioner of Police and copied to The Royal Gazette .

Dear Commissioner, On Wednesday, March 31 1999, my wife, Kathy and myself were spending a leisure-type day on the Island while visiting friends in Paget and we decided to go to Dockyard and do some browsing and shopping.

While we were shopping, a Police officer approached us and asked us if we were the Booths. We were requested to come outside with him so that we could talk in a more comfortable area.

The first thing that ran through our minds was that Kathy's father had taken sick and we had to get home ASAP. He advised us that Kathy's sister Bonnie had contacted him and that she wanted us to contact her right away.

The officer then proceeded to take us back to the Somerset Police Station and it was there we learned that the officer was Chief Inspector Sinclair White.

The Inspector did identify himself while at Dockyard, but my wife and I were so shocked just by the fact that a Police officer was looking for us we did not get his name until were back at the station in Somerset.

I am also a Police officer back in the United States and I at first just thought that one of our friends on the Island was trying to pull a joke on us and have some fun. This we did find out was not true.

We have visited the Island many times and enjoy our stay each and every time we come. My observations of how your officers handle themselves with the mass amounts of visitors is a credit to you and your department.

While at the Police station Ch. Insp. White placed a call to Kathy's sister, Bonnie, and it was at this time that we learned that Kathy's brother, Tom, had sustained a stroke and had a blood clot near his brain and they did not give him much time.

It was requested we try and leave the Island one day earlier then we were scheduled and go to the hospital in Boston to visit with him. Chief White assigned P.c. Tankard, Sharnita, Badge 709, to transport us to Paget so that we could start to pack and go the airport to see if we would be lucky and get off a day earlier.

This was not available to us as there were no seats available on the airlines that we flew in on (Delta) and there were no cancellations.

This letter and a brief update on what had happened should explain to you why we are taking the time to express our thanks to the Bermuda Police and to the above mentioned officers under your command of what an outstanding job they did showing compassion to visitors in a time of need.

A little up date on my brother-in-law Tom. He is out of the hospital and resting the best he can. He is on medication and doing his visits to the hospital and doctors to monitor the severed artery in his neck.

He has his blood checked weekly due to his medication and cannot do any strenuous activity. This has been tough because he is a very active person.

On behalf of my wife and I we say thank you to your officers under your command.

MR. NEVILLE A.

(RUSTY) BOOTH, JR.

West Warwick, R.I.

Leave our school alone June 24, 1999 Dear Sir, First and foremost I would like to take this opportunity in thanking Mr.

Standfield Smith for doing a remarkable job at our school, East End Primary.

Many thanks to the dedicated teachers, students and parents who continuously strive for excellence at our wonderful school. We should all be proud.

The purpose of my letter is to thank the Ministry of Education for once again letting our school body down.

Last year two key individuals were removed from our school and placed at other schools.

Not only did they remove our Principal, they also removed our Deputy Principal. That was a double blow for us, so we were left with two voids at our school.

Now they told us not to worry, you'll have a replacement, that's when Mr.

Smith came aboard as an Acting Principal.

Over the last year Mr. Smith has done a remarkable job, as I stated above. We are sorry to see him leave, but to our surprise we have no principal to replace him as yet.

What baffles me the most is that the Ministry continuously states that they have our childrens' best interest at heart. I personally feel they don't quite understand what that means.

How can you have a solid foundation going and expect to get good results if you are continuously chumping and changing? It's not fair to the teacher, the children or the parents.

There are several people at East End Primary who are very upset with the way the Ministry is handling this situation. I resent the fact that they're continuously using East End Primary as a stumping block for individuals getting their feet wet, drying them off and moving on.

I understand it's no fault of the Principals' because some have no choice in the matter. Why does East End Primary have to be the chosen guinea pig.

Mr. Minister please, first and foremost, give us a permanent individual who loves and respects the interests of our children, someone who can interact with the teachers, the children and also our parents on a professional and friendly level as did Mr. Smith.

Please let us continue to be the unique, family-orientated school we are known to be. Stop trying to corrupt our school. Our children and teachers do not deserve this treatment.

VERY DISAPPOINTED PARENT St. George's Time to hang 'em high July 1, 1999 Dear Sir, I, as a voting member of the community, have a real problem with taking the death penalty off the books.

We are a people who are independent. In this I mean we run our country by a democratic process, which means we vote for the people who we feel will best run our country.

I do not feel comfortable that we are even considering discarding the death penalty. I would also like to know when will it ever be enforced. There are times when the death penalty should have been enforced.

Do you recall the death of the little girl whose father drowned her. He failed to do so the first time but succeeded the next. Do you recall that he was given life imprisonment for this hideous crime? I cried many tears over that little innocent child who didn't have a chance.

Can you imagine her fear. My God, what has our country come to! There should be no question that he should have received the death penalty.

People ask `why'? That would not bring the child back to us'. Well, they're right, but we would not be paying for him (to live in jail) right now.

Do you recall the man who was convicted of beating his two-year-old son to death? Can you imagine that innocent child's fear. Where do you think that man is now? He's in prison, living the life. Eating three squares a day, probably making furniture and getting paid for it. What a laugh.

Do you recall the lady who was beaten to death by two men in Dockyard? She was a dear, sweet lady, I knew her. Can you imagine her fear. These guys are in prison today. Probably playing football daily or even going swimming.

How dare these people get away, literally, with murder. And they get away with murder because we are afraid. We are a people who do not stand by our convictions.

What are we afraid of? Are we afraid that rioting may begin and we do not have the Police coverage to deal with it. Well, we have Great Britain to rely on for help. We have the Bermuda Regiment to help us. Or don't we believe in them either? At the very least we should insist that these murderers have a life of hard labour. Of course we would have to have them chained together like a chain-gang, working to re-build our burnt schools, painting our schools (when school is closed), re-rebuild our roads, dig trenches with an axe, no power equipment allowed, pick up trash throughout all Bermuda, no trash bags allowed, carry it.

All of which should be done in the heat of summer. These murderers should be helping to replace some of the money we as hard working, law abiding citizens are paying to keep them alive.

I do believe in human rights. Everyone has a right to live and work and be treated fairly. But, I do not believe that these murderers have any rights.

They gave up their rights when they took others' lives.

Let me close by saying I want a return for my tax dollars. I am a law-abiding, hard working Bermudian, and I pay my taxes. I insist that the new Government do something drastic about this situation, or they will not get my vote next time.

M. DUBOIS Pembroke