Story was misleading

April 20, 2010

Dear Sir,

As host of the recent meeting of the Anglican Primates Council and a newcomer to Bermuda, I was dismayed by the misleading article about this event in the April 14 edition of The Royal Gazette. The article says that the Archbishops met "to discuss their disapproval of a Lesbian Bishop". This is simply not true. While they do hold to traditional Christian beliefs and oppose this election, their purpose was to discuss the critical issues they face on a daily basis in their respective regions such as AIDS, poverty, tribal reconciliation, and the recent massacre of 500 Christians in Nigeria by Islamic fundamentalists. Furthermore, this was an opportunity for them to strategise about how to promote Church growth, evangelise youth, and stand together for Biblical fidelity.

During their meeting with Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, they expressed their admiration for Bermuda and their concern over the recent violence on the island, promising to keep this matter in prayer. The week ended with a public forum at Willowbank.

Anyone who attended knows that the discussion centred on the transforming nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a shame that their goodwill was met with such biased reporting.

EMMANUEL A. KAMPOURIS

Retired Chairman and CEO of American Standard Companies

Erosion of rights

April 15, 2010

Dear Sir,

My husband and I recently started looking to purchase a home. We obtained a mortgage pre-approval but, as we're both over 40, we only qualify for a 20-year term. If we wanted to buy a home, it would have to be now or never. This is where the "Alien Licence" comes in. Although my husband is a born and bred, black Bermudian male who has worked tirelessly in blue collar jobs all his life, his rights have now been eroded for one simple reason – he fell in love with me – an expatriate. The price of our union is that he now has fewer rights in his own country than even someone who has acquired status here. That's right – because of who he decided to marry, he now has less rights than someone who was not even born here but who has lived here a certain number of years. A Bermudian married to an expatriate only stands a chance of buying property in their own country if no other Bermudian or status holder bids.

When we finally found a home to bid on – a very humble condominium of less than 800 square feet (being all that we could afford) we decided to make an offer. Knowing it would be difficult financially, we were prepared to make the sacrifices and it was wonderful to see my husband so happy knowing that his dream of owning a home in his own country might finally be a reality – something he had wanted all his life. After nervously going back and forth with counter-offers, an offer came in after ours, the only difference being no Alien Licence was required. So our offer was dropped. What this means for all Bermudians married to expatriates is that, when bidding on a property, your offer will go to the bottom of the pile if the licence is required, because an Alien Licence makes the offer less desirable (it's not only the buyer that must wait for the paperwork; the seller is also held hostage, as his money can't be paid until the Licence is granted. Apparently a process that was supposed to have taken three weeks is actually taking up to three months or more).

Sellers can't wait this long – especially if the funds from their sale are needed to purchase another property. This wake-up call has left us deciding if we should move to Canada or perhaps just buy in Canada as, even if we don't move there, we would be able to rent out the Canadian property and no licence would be needed. Thank goodness my husband won't have to be referred to as an "Alien" on the property documents and our marriage, our legal union, is recognised there. Amazing that my husband, who has never lived a day in Canada, has more rights there than here, in his own country.

It's heartbreaking for him to now be treated as a second-tier Bermudian (a "mud-blood") with his rights as a born Bermudian diminished to the point where he can no longer stand shoulder to shoulder with his own brothers. Heartbreaking to have worked his whole life in the only country he's ever known to now be discriminated against solely because of who he fell in love with.

This policy only serves to throw a road-block in the way of Bermudians who choose their own country.

It's amazing to have a policy in place that would make it hard for a Bermudian to invest in his own country, especially at a time like this where Bermuda should be encouraging housing starts and investment in the country. Perhaps the recession isn't too much of a concern here.

As housing starts are a major economic contributor, Canada, I'm sure, would certainly welcome us investing over a half-million dollars of money there, money that would have otherwise have been invested in Bermuda. It makes me wonder how many others have also given up and done the same. At our age, we want our home together and, at least if we take our hard earned money to another country, we'd stand a chance of competing on a level playing field.

ALIEN-ATED

St. George's

Land policy is misguided

April 17, 2010

Dear Sir,

It seems to me that the Government is barking up the wrong tree with the registration of property when it comes to those Bermudians with foreign spouses. I think that most agree that fronting needed to be unwound and that the move toward that was right minded.

I don't really know what the motivation of the spousal move is all about but I find this micro-managing to be insane from many angles, especially in a world using competitive devaluations to attract foreign investment.

The real threat to an increase in foreign land ownership is the basic management of our education system, economy and finances. The irony in all this is that Government is fighting the wrong battle and will in time have to re-open the foreign direct investment window and plead for foreign exchange reserves through selling Bermuda real estate. If our finances eventually crowd out our international business and with it our foreign exchange reserves, we will be left with nothing to do but sell our resources.

We do not suffer from twin deficits at this point as they do in the United States. We do have a worrying budget deficit but our balance of payments is still in surplus. We have run a balance of payment surplus for years and at this point it would take close to a decade to deplete them if international business collapsed and we still had to import goods paid for with foreign exchange.

This Government has shown us that it is able to govern when revenues far exceed expenditures but we are now seeing that it really is hard to govern, hard to keep everyone happy and to do it all with long term stability. We need good Government more than we ever have at this juncture and it seems to me that there need to be more selfless hard working statesmen at the helm. Bermudians need to demand good government, especially those who are the most vulnerable to the lean years.

BRIAN WAY

Paget

Luxury versus necessity

April 16, 2010

Dear Sir,

I have just watched the news report on the gentleman with Cerebral Palsy who needs money to repair his electric wheelchair. I feel absolutely outraged that this man has to effectively beg for something that should just be a given. Why does he have to sit outside Cafe Paradiso with his cap in hand when our Government officials are swanning round in over-sized vehicles to carry their over-sized egos?

I noted that on one of Dr. Brown's all-taxpayers funded trips to the UK, his hotel bill for one night was almost $5,000, which is approximately the amount this man needs to repair his wheelchair.

An electric wheelchair for this man is his only means of transport. It is a necessity. Being driven around in a blacked-out SUV or an over-sized BMW is a luxury.

Please could you print the account details for donations? I hope Government steps in so a situation like this never happens again.

SHAME ON YOU

Warwick

Bring back hanging

April 16, 2010

Dear Sir,

Bermuda, like the rest of the world, seems to be dealing with modern day pirates walking the streets and terrorising the righteous. I think it is time to bring back the appropriate punishment – "dancing the hempen jig" at Dockyard. Bring the gallows to Dockyard and let the pirates beware of a swift and final end.

It is time all of us took back civilization…

JAMES A. TOLLEFSON

Middletown, Rhode Island

No to larger ships

April 17, 2010

Dear Sir,

Blowing up parts of the island to allow bigger ships to visit is not the way forward.

I was dismayed to hear that anyone would consider this a viable option. It is unfortunate that an expensive (to the taxpayer) study needs to be commissioned which will surely reveal what most of us already know from common sense – widening Town Cut will only have negative implications environmentally for St. George's Harbour and town, and the thousands of visitors will exert too much pressure on the limited infrastructure and resources of this small town. I understand the mayor is under a lot of pressure from local retailers but the long term solution is hotels in St. George's and stepping up development of the Baselands to establish a community there, made up of locals and visitors, who will then use the commercial centre in St. George's.

Large bullying cruise ship companies such as RCL and Carnival have been telling small islands what to do for years which in the Caribbean have been blowing up reefs to allow for the Panamax ships. Some with a longer term view have resisted and instead ask ships to moor a little way out and then ferry passengers in. This preserves the integrity of attractive harbourfronts and also allows locals and visitors alike to enjoy unobstructed views of the harbour, conducive for harbourside development such as restaurants and the like. Bermuda is a unique high-end brand and the brand is the most important thing. Preserve its long term integrity, and you protect the end product. I understand that struggling retailers and other stakeholders in the tourism industry have shorter term views, but we risk losing something we have spent years building in Bermuda's reputation for quality and style.

The industry is struggling now but every industry has swings and roundabouts – people will always come back to quality. Cruise ships are necessary but we must limit the power they exert over us as a small island.

ADAM F

Pembroke

A friendly reminder

April 18, 2010

Dear Sir,

The Bluebird Society would like to offer a friendly reminder to all proud bluebird box owners that it is very important to monitor one's bluebird boxes throughout the season or they become nesting sites for their nemesis, the house sparrow. The bluebird-nesting season runs from March to July.

It is advisable to monitor your boxes every three to five days. If you come across a sparrow's nest then please throw it out. (A sparrow's nest is untidy and often made of grass, feathers, plastic, and paper. A bluebird's nest is very neat cup shaped nest often made from dead casuarina needles). Visit bermudabluebirdsociety.com for a complete guide on combatting the sparrow and helping the bluebird.

So please clean out those Bluebird boxes in your yard (wash with a weak solution of bleach or pour boiling water through it, helps to eliminate mites), monitor diligently and give those beautiful Bluebirds a much better chance of survival.

STUART M. SMITH

Southampton

Concerned by attack

April 20, 2010

Dear Sir,

I am concerned about an incident I heard about at Sandys Middle School. This eleven-year-old was approached by another boy who wanted his cell phone case and asked him if he could have it. The boy told him no, which did not sit well with the one who had asked for it. He told about seven of his pals and they beat and kicked the first boy. Some of the kicks landed in his stomach, and they took it anyway. For their punishment they were given an in-school suspension.

The boy could have suffered internal bleeding. This may seem minor to the violence we are experiencing in Bermuda today, but something like this needs be looked at with the view to these boys ganging up on the eleven-year-old could consider themselves as being in a gang. My question is this – are these boys also given counselling to show them why this was wrong and to ascertain if they are a gang?

CONCERNED

Warwick

Nothing has changed

April 20, 2010

Dear Sir,

Back on July 29, 2009 you printed a letter of mine titled "Weak UBP hurts us all". In the letter I voiced my opinion that the UBP had become a weak opposition and how a weak opposition does not benefit Bermuda. I specifically mentioned their constant criticism of Government policies and legislation without bringing forward any productive alternatives. Mr. Sean Pitcher, UBP Chairman at the time, responded to my letter (his letter published in The Royal Gazette on August 6) by indicating the UBP had offered suggestions and ideas to the Government and he even went as far as mentioning a few. In his letter he also identified some reforms the UBP would undertake, if in power. He finished by saying "It is a tough challenge, but we're working on it". Apparently Mr. Pitcher realised the UBP was not up to the challenge as he resigned as chairman and helped form the Bermuda Democratic Alliance less than two months later.

Has anything changed since my initial letter? The answer is no. Sen. Dunkley has addressed the rising gun/ gang violence by suggesting we adopt an approach similar to some cities in the US. This approach, other than having a fancy tag name, is simply tougher policing measures. The UBP Deputy Leader, MP Trevor Moniz, has recently come out about the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Amendment Act 2007 calling for an extension to the deadline, which happens to be June 22. Again two pence short and three years too late. Not surprising he seems to have always done better creating friction within his own party than providing good legislative debate. The UBP leader, I don't know what he's thinking as we don't seem to hear from him very often and when we do there is really not a lot of substance to what is said. Oddly enough one of the best and most concise statements he's ever made was when he was speaking out against comments made by Mr. Moniz last year. Conclusion, nothing has changed and if you can't act as a good and strong opposition why should anyone believe you could form a good government?

JAMES JACKSON

Devonshire

Praise for Belco

April 23, 2010

Dear Sir,

Kudos to Belco for charging fearlessly into the 21st Century.

My meter reading gets transmitted electronically; my e-mail bill arrives the next day; my bill is settled automatically by direct debit two weeks later, thus ensuring that I never miss my five percent discount; and I can access my account on-line whenever I like.

As Aleksandr Orlov would say, "Simples".

Yours feeling empowered,

ANDREW R. DOBLE

Hamilton Parish