Horrified by golf project

March 16, 2006

Dear Sir,

I am both horrified and "ticked off" to hear of the planned Golf Villas development at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel. This development should be stopped dead in its tracks, otherwise a grave precedent will be set for other properties to follow suit.

At a time when development is consuming our small island and reducing what little green space that remains, Bermuda can ill afford to give up such a large track of greenery to residential development, particularly of the sort that will make no dent whatsoever on our own lack of affordable housing for Bermudian families.

The Fairmont Hotels were just recently sold to new owners from Saudi Arabia, and I doubt very much that this re-development project was in any way a deal breaker for the new owners. The whole project should go back to the drawing board with Government stating very clearly that the golf course is "out of bounds" with regards to any part of it being developed.

Quite frankly I am shocked at the lack of backbone by the Government to stand up to this type of corporate greed which would see a large portion of recreational space eaten up by concrete. And in my opinion, the UBP Opposition Party needs to take a firmer "No Development" position on this issue, because that would be the right thing to do.

ALLAN D. MARSHALL JP

Smith's Parish

Backing for editorial

March 9, 2006

Dear Sir,

I refer to your editorial of March 9 and most strongly support your ideas for further enhancing the great many benefits that could quite easily be available to many of our young people already at risk of "going off the rails" if we are simply willing to go beyond traditional concepts.

If as many as possible of our young people (and including girls as well as boys) who are either flirting with lawlessness, falling afoul of the law, but not yet swallowed up by deep seated criminality, were to now be conscripted into an even more disciplined "Outward Bound" type of training programme run by the Regiment, (and ideally also embracing "blue water" sail training), instead of being given reportedly meaningless probation, conditional discharges or unsupervised "community service", then a significant number would very soon be saved from a wholly negative life of self pity, selfishness and self destruction.

In such an event we would no longer be seeking budgetary support to but scratch the surface of drug dealing gangs fighting for "turf" in a rapidly diminishing already tiny recreation space shared by so many, because the only turf we would instead then be seeking to resolve is that which our cricketers should most positively be using at the next International contest of sportsmen.

Imagine $350,000 being instead allocated to the Bermuda Regiment to seed such a programme? The potential for an explosion of the most enormous practical benefit would be heard for generations to come.

TED GAUNTLETT

Somerset.

March 14, 2006

Dear Sir,

I hope you will allow me some space to express our gratitude to the individuals who signed the Amnesty International Bermuda letters of appeal, on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8th, at our campaign table at the Down to Earth Store.

We collected 183 signatures for cases on women/children in Peru, San Salvador and Myanmar (Burma). Of particular interest to all those who signed the letters, was the case of a three year old girl in Burma who had been taken into custody together with her mother, and kept confined at a police station, separated from her mother.

We are extremely happy to report that on Monday, March 13 we received news that the child has been released to her relatives, although the mother is still under arrest.

We are encouraged to know that the people of Bermuda feel a sense of outrage at the human rights violations suffered by women not only in Bermuda but all over the world.

We hope that many more people will attend the Women's Expo at No. 1 Shed on Saturday April 1st, organised by the Women's Resource Centre, where we will invite the public to stamp their hands on a banner to support Amnesty International's Campaign "Stop Violence Against Women".

LUCY ATTRIDE-STIRLINGSection Director

March 8, 2006

Dear Sir,

On February 27 2006, Mr.. Calvin Smith wrote yet another "Opinion" that indicated his true feelings towards those of us that are not "African Bermudian" or of West Indian heritage when he said "If we [presumably African Bermudians did not have such carefully developed fears of West Indians, we would not be flooded today with Asians who do not seem too anxious to befriend black Bermudians. Instead we could be flooded with people who look like us and who share our common history and ancestry."

Unfortunately the continued and increasing use of such diatribes from Mr. Smith and his political cohorts is an all too common practice in Bermuda and should come to an end. Influxes of persons of different races is a very good thing for Bermuda, exposing Bermudians to different ways of thinking, different foods, different religions and different cultures and adds to the vibrancy of the Bermuda community. Mr. Smith should open his mind to the new experiences that "Asians" can offer and rather than criticise he should be thankful for the contributions that "Asians" and other non-Bermudians make to Bermuda.

I must remind Mr.. Smith of Section 8A of the Human Rights Act 1981 which says, in part, as follows: "No person shall, with intent to incite or promote ill will or hostility again any section of the public distinguished by colour, race or ethnic or national origins...publish or display before the public, or cause to be published or displayed before the public, written matter which is threatening abusive or insulting..being matter or words likely to incite or promote ill will or hostility against that section on grounds of colour, race or ethnic or national origins..." Although the intent behind Mr. Smith's ranting is unclear, his comments are certainly insulting, and likely to promote ill against "Asian" on the grounds of race or ethnic or national origins. Perhaps Mr. Smith believes that the Human Rights Act 1981 is meant to only protect "African Bermudians" from the racism of "Europeans."

What is perhaps the saddest part of all, is that too many Bermudians, both "European" and "African Bermudian" sit idly by and say nothing when those around them espouse such views as those clearly enunciated by Mr. Smith. I hope however that there are some people in this community who are as disgusted as me by Mr. Smith's remarks. Mr.. Editor, I hope you hear from them.

March 14, 2006

Dear Sir,

I was delighted to see such a fantastic photo on your front cover (close up of a humpback's fluke) yesterday and hope to be able to get out on the water to see the humpbacks soon. They are truly magical to watch even if most of the time we can only see their blow holes and a puff of sea spray.

I wanted to let everyone know that any photographs of tails (the underside of the tail which shows the black and white pattern) can be sent to Rosie Seton who manages the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue and she will have the tail identified. This is very useful for scientists who are keeping a close eye on the population, which fortunately appears to be recovering from the effects of whaling.

Ms Seton's e-mail address is rsetoncoa.edu

Along with the photo(s) people should send the location (coordinates if possible) and the time and date that they took the picture. Ms. Seton should be able to reply and let people know where their whale has been spotted before, which I am sure will interest many. A couple of years back I photographed a "new whale".

I would also like to encourage anyone who will be going whale watching this summer in their own boats to keep their distance. The humpbacks are now returning from their breeding grounds with calves and disturbance caused by boats being too close to pods of humpbacks has been known to seriously distress them and may result in the death of a calf, which has to remain close to the mother at all times. I can't tell you how many times I have seen local boat owners pursue these elegant giants at great speeds just to get up close to them.

Once you are within a reasonable distance please stay back, turn off your engine and let them come to you. If you chase them they will swim away and your experience with them will be short and disappointing. Humpbacks are known to swim away from the sound of high pitched outboard engines.

Have fun out there!

March 11, 2006

Dear Sir,

On behalf of the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps, I wish to thank the Bermuda community for their support of our recent tag day. Their kind contributions will be going towards our annual operating costs as well as our Sail Training and boating safety programmes. We would also like to extend a special thank you to all the businesses who allowed us to tag at their locations, and an extra very special thank you to Mr. Gregory Cody and Chameleon Digital Press, for coming through for us in a crunch when our official tag supplier failed to supply us on time.

For your readers who may not be familiar with our charity, the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps, founded in 1966, is an organisation with which young people can readily identify themselves, and in which, by incorporating the high standards of the Naval way of life, they can develop the qualities of self-discipline, leadership, and a sense of responsibility to the community.

The Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps is made up of three headquarter units, TS Bermuda (Spanish Point), TS Venture (Somerset - reopening soon) and TS Admiral Somers (St. Georges). Activities include basic nautical training, seamanship, leadership training, parade and ceremonial training, sailing, canoeing, international exchanges and much more.

We are always looking for good men and women to become instructors and uniformed officers. The personal commitment required is only 2 to 3 hours weekly and the occasional weekend and the benefit of knowing your contribution enhanced the life of a child is very rewarding. Interested persons should contact us directly via the information provided in our website (link below).

We also welcome new Cadets to our ranks. Children and young adults, aged between 9 and 18, who have a love for the water and might be interested in joining the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps can check us out on-line at http://www.seacadets.bm or visit either of the open units on Friday evenings between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., or contact myself directly at sccbdaseacadets.bm.

March 12, 2006

Dear Sir,

I hope you will allow me to respond to Senator Calvin Smith's recent Opinion piece entitled 'Some Black History I Had Forgotten.' If I may summarise, his argument was basically that our society perceives all things West Indian ? and by association, Blacks as a whole, to be inferior. He caps this off with what can only be described as an unnecessary slight against nebulous 'Asians' (I say nebulous because there are a lot of Asians, such as Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, Burmese, Thai, Malay, Indonesian, Papuan, Polynesian, Filipino, Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Han Chinese, Uighers, Koreans, Japanese and so on ? Senator Smith makes no distinction). If I have interpreted his argument correctly, or at least how most people have done so, Senator Smith has only added to a trend quite prevalent within certain factions of our Progressive Labour Party, a trend full of phrases such as 'People that look like me' 'Our turn to rule' 'Plantation questions' 'House niggers' and so on. For want of a better name I will call this trend racialism. O, brave new world that has such bigotry in it!

Racialism is not even a backwards step for the party of progressive labour ? the foundation of the movement is best found in Dr. Gordon who led the fight for labour and for racial equality. His battle cry was nothing less than 'Liberty, Equality and Justice!' He did battle with the racial oligarchy (rule of the rich) of his time.

What Dr. Gordon fought for was not the right to replace old masters with new, to replace rule of the rich whites with rule of the rich blacks, nor with rule of the rich irrespective of race.

Statements such as 'People that look like me' was not one of his slogans, rather it was a slogan of those he opposed.

He fought against racialism, be it white racialism, black racialism or other. Nor did he simply fight to replace one oligarchy with another ? he sought to destroy oligarchy altogether, to destroy the relationship of master and slave, employer and employee, the whole class relationship of our society.

Freddie Wade, the late leader of the Party and its most obvious moral and political figurehead since Dr. Gordon did not ignore this legacy. Wade instead picked up Dr. Gordon's own battle cry of liberty, equality and justice, and argued for a society where race, class, sex, privilege and connections no longer corrupted and perverted our society and development as a people. He specifically fought against the cancer of racism that infects our nation, be it black, white or other. Nor did he neglect Dr. Gordon's call to destroy the very class relationships of our society.

Their dream, the dream of progressive labour, was to build a better world for all.

Senator Smith and others within the party of progressive labour, these reactionaries who cloak themselves in the rhetoric, symbolism and heritage of progressive labour, of Gordon and Wade, are perhaps the greatest enemies of progressive labour. Not only do they renounce in practice the heritage of Gordon and Wade, they actively disgrace their legacies.

This racialism is not a step backwards for the Party; it is a step in completely the wrong direction and the Party risks stubbing its toes, even stumbling, at the polls.

Racialism is a dead end for progressive labour. Do these bigots think that the workers fought in the name of liberty to enslave themselves to a new master?

Do they think so much was sacrificed for equality so that the races could be equals in tyranny? In the name of justice do we bring back to life the sins of the past? No! A thousand times no! Those who advocate such are no friends of progressive labour but are regressive oligarchs. Their remarks might make them giants or Gulliver's in the eyes of the rabid reactionaries, but they lower themselves to less than pygmy or Lilliputian in the eyes of the worker.

Their ideology is the acme of illogic. Perhaps they think that we will fall for their ruse and blame all our social ills on the scapegoated Asians?

Perhaps they wish to deflect their betrayal of progressive labour by distracting us with so much racial foolishness? Too bad. No more deluded by reaction, on tyrants only we'll make war. Racialism, sexism, and the oligarchy that tries to hide behind them are our tyrants - we won't allow them to divide us anymore. We renounce the heritage of racialism, of 'People that look like me.' The heritage we embrace is that of Gordon and Wade: Liberty, Equality and Justice!

J. STARLINGHamilton Parish