December 17, 2009

Dear Sir,

I am not surprised in the least by the significant increase in violence that is playing out on our streets and in our neighborhoods. Only someone that is detached and disinterested would be. Unfortunately that club has a huge membership, including many current and former politicians.

The PLP who, just in case you've been hanging in Bora Bora for the past decade, have been in charge of this country for 11-plus years and have had considerable opportunity to shape and reshape the behaviour of those gangsta teens and young adults currently in prison and on the streets wreaking havoc. They have provided little to no leadership in areas that could have addressed these serious matters, while simultaneously raising the eyebrows of discerning folk, particularly when handling the country's dwindling cash.

I constantly hear our politicians state that parents need to play a more significant role in the development of their children and while that is true, it is something that the PLP knew when they assumed power. Given that as a backdrop, you would have expected this labour, left leaning, socially conscious party to place considerable and genuine interest and commitment in the development of our youth. They haven't and they should be ashamed. They have however spent a fortune in areas that are suspect at best. They have had a great time celebrating life on the countries dime while lives are being snuffed out all around them.

I am tired and truly disgusted with this governments amateur attempt at camouflage and political deflection. Blaming Government House for their failings is cowardly, absurd and discouraging. The PLP must lead from the front. They must spend less time investing in music festivals and more time controlling their/our controllables. I mean, really, you can like dolphins but so much. They should eliminate the sarcasm and hollow lectures and expand more energy on real programmes that can produce tangible results. It's past time that they encouraged real debate and accepted criticism without unleashing their blind attack dogs on those that would dare to question.

No longer can the PLP blame the UBP for the plight of our people, cause they now own the issues and have done so for quite some time. Their abject failure to address them will be their legacy and our recurring nightmare.

JUST SAYIN'

Hamilton Parish

When I grow up ...

December 16, 2009

Dear Sir,

When I grow up, I want to work in Government for Works & Engineering who fix stuff without planning approval and don't fix stuff that really needs fixing.

I would get to watch how we build enormous walls that take forever and repave roads with enough wasted manpower "to sink a ship". I can wear a free W&E uniform and only have to work a few hours to get paid for eight. I show up late because the supervisor is never there, take long coffee breaks, sit on the wall calling out to passing traffic, take even longer lunch breaks, go on walkabout and get paid overtime for doing exactly the same thing on weekends and Public Holidays. I would also get great employment benefits including Union membership and be paid when I take time off to attend meetings that disrupt the public. I could afford to retire early with a large pension, a fancy car and play golf every day at Port Royal with the Premier and his bodyguards.

I deserve all of this because I am a born Bermudian and entitled to all the social and financial benefits our PLP Government wants to throw at me. A Government that rewrote the rules on nepotism, spends money "like a drunken sailor" and enjoys the extravagances of a self-serving dictatorship (sic). Even worse, a Finance Minister whose head is so firmly buried in the sand, she seemingly is incapable of publicly condemning her colleagues' misbehaviour. I may be a major drain on the economy, but I've become a meaningful member of society in the eyes of my peers and get to live the Bermuda dream without doing anything or paying child support.

My second job however could be a bit more demanding. Running with the gangs, wheeling and dealing drugs, shooting at people who disrespect me and getting shot at by SWAT teams ... BANG! ... and I wake up from another improbable nightmare.

But nothing has changed. The economy is a sad statistic, Mills Creek still overflows and the island is now well and truly "out to sea" (without a paddle).

WHO'S KIDDING WHO?

Warwick

Go for self, young man

December 16, 2009

Dear Sir,

In response to your letter published on December 8 from successinbdahotmail.com, I know your pain and frustrations, there is a way for you if you can let go of your fear and come to the realisation that you were not educated, you have been trained.

Brother please, I am not trying to hurt your feelings, as a matter of fact your plight goes back to King Herod, "Kill all the male children" (to kill by the way also is to stifle you mentally, morally, spiritually or any way to cause you to be dysfunctional or nonproductive. That method has not changed, anything that is doing nothing is considered dead.

If you consider yourself educated than you should take what you know and "go for self". Create a job for yourself.

You may be more qualified than the person you are asking to hire you, you should be the one who benefits from what you know.

Rise, Lazarus, take up your bed and walk (Jesus)

Rise up black man, you can accomplish what you will. (Elijah Muhammad)

SAYEED RAMADAN

Smith's

Looking for toughness

December 17, 2009

Dear Sir,

An old adage states:

"When the going gets tough… the tough get going!"

Any tough politicians out there?

ALAN SKINNER

St. George's

A perfect symbol

December 19, 2009

Dear Sir,

On Friday evening my attention was drawn to a brilliant white light high atop Trimingham Hill. At first glance I thought it was a UFO, remaining perfectly motionless before suddenly darting away. That couldn't be because it remained stationary for too long and besides, I'm not sure of their existence anyway. Next, I reasoned it must have been a floodlight similar to those at the National Stadium, and that someone had erected it to provide light for an evening work project. Wrong again. On closer examination I realised that it was a giant, magnificent image of a star — the Star of Bethlehem — placed at an ideal vantage point shining from East to West over Hamilton Harbour. I marvelled at the thought which must have gone into this idea because there were absolutely no surrounding lights which would have detracted from the significance the originator intended to convey.

To my mind this wonderful symbol of Christ's birth could not have come at a more appropriate time in this tumultuous and rebellious period of our Island's history. My admiration and appreciation go out to the originator for the thought and attention to this endeavour. May its significance truly reach the hearts and minds of all who see it. I thank you.

GERALD L. YOUNG

Paget

December 16, 2009

Dear Sir,

I was appalled at the statement by Mr. David Chapman that, "In reality the visits of the British Monarch set us back as a nation more than they take us forward".

Does he not realise that the Queen is greatly respected, admired, and listened to throughout the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the World?

Bermuda is not a nation as it is not independent. It is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom with internal self-government.

The Queen's visit united all races in Bermuda as nothing else has and she therefore certainly "denoted oneness".

To say that "Bermuda society is far from being 'one' with its British colonial masters", is absolute nonsense. The Turks and Caicos Islands provide a good example of what Bermuda does not want to become!

Ranting about the "psychological wounds of slavery and colonialism in our community" is out of date thinking that shows a omplete lack of awareness of the real situation in our Country.

No one should try to mislead the people of Bermuda, especially its youth, by such a prejudiced article!

JOHN T. GILBERT

Paget

Take Queen off our currency

December 2, 2009

Dear Sir,

In response to "Curious", Wanda Brown, wife of the Premier, like Michelle Obama, wife of the current US President, is a US citizen and US citizens are not required to curtsey before the Queen. At the G20 meetings in London earlier this year Michele did not curtsey before the Queen "... It would be the right thing (for Wanda) to do," stated Curious. No, it's a breath of fresh air that she has followed protocol.

However, my question is, why is the Queen on our currency?

Scotland is not independent of the United Kingdom and its paper currency does not have the Queen's image as its legal tender. There appears to be no monetary reasons for Her Majesty's image on our currency, for example, we do not pay taxes to the UK Treasury nor to the Queen, and the UK does not pay us.

Moreover, is it not proscribed in our Constitution or any law, English or Bermudian. To our credit, Bermuda's currency holds its own internationally. In my experience, it trades higher than the US dollar, additionally, the Bermuda dollar can be exchanged very easily at bureaux de exchange and post offices overseas.

So, why is the Queen's image on our currency? Being the monarch of Great Britain or a sovereign head is not a reason because there are no plausible explanations that underpin that fact, such as legal or economic implications and, as the recession has reduced Britain's revenue base of taxes and weaken its currency globally we should be very thankful that our currency is not linked to the pound sterling. But is the Queen's image on our currency nothing more than a tradition? Then it's a tradition that can be phased out without any negative ramifications monetarily, economically, socially and politically as being a British overseas territory does not require that the image of the Queen remain on our currency indefinitely.

VALIRIE AKINSTALL

London, UK

Editor's Note: Ms Akinstall says she has been able to exchange Bermda dollars at a much higher rate than the US dollar in London and has also been able to buy Bermuda dollars there. That may be so, but officially the Bermuda dollar is fixed at $1.0043 to the US dollar and cannot be traded outside of Bermuda.

December 18, 2009

Dear Sir,

When I arrived back on the late American flight from JFK on Thursday, December 3, I found to my horror (at that time of night) that my car had a flat battery.

However, little did I know that help (in abundance I might add) was alive and well at the airport. Firstly Calvina Wade from Airport Security went out of her way to find a cab driver with some jumper cables. She found Andre Nesbitt (Taxi#1432) who gave them to me with profuse apologies that he couldn't stay but to take the cables and call him when he could pick them up. She then found another cab driver, whose name I unfortunately didn't get, but he drove a white cab. He drove to my car in the long term car park but unfortunately couldn't reach because of other parked cars. Calvina, not to be defeated, went and got help from the Police Department.

My sincere thanks to both taxi drivers and of course to Calvina. What an asset she is to the airport.

CAROL CARVALHO

Southampton