What would Mr. Wade do?

April 24, 2007

Dear Sir,

I have sat pondering about whether it was right to rename the Bermuda International Airport the LF Wade International Airport and came across a writing of Ira Philip in the Mid-Ocean News in which he penned “

—special honours and distinctions should be reserved for exceptional people who die in the service of their country, and moreover, whose lives deserve to be prominently highlighted for their extraordinary contributions”. Having read what I can find about Mr. Wade, I can agree that he should be recognised as a person who clearly made an extraordinary contribution to Bermuda. He should be applauded and remembered. I was then left thinking about whether Mr. Wade would be satisfied with the performance of the PLP since taking Government in 1998 and more recently under the leadership of Dr. Brown. Mr. Editor, I ask that you and the readers of this newspaper consider these quotes attributed to Mr. Wade in a book edited by Dale Butler, published in 1997 prior to the PLP’s election victory in 1998 and think about how they apply to the PLP:

They have “—failed to address the problems of the country because...They really don’t care about Bermuda and its people— The— real concern is to hang on to power in order to service themselves, and their close supporters—They are out of touch with the reality that exists in Bermuda today. Too many Bermudians, of all walks of life, have found themselves in a position where they are unable to satisfy their needs.” (What would Mr Wade say about massively increasing MP’s salaries, the granting of larger than necessary cars to Government Ministers, Berkeley, the BHC scandal, first class travel with champagne and the apparent need to mislead)?

“— you must operate for the benefit of the people of the community — Government members have to be seen to behave in a manner which is above board and fair.” (What would Mr. Wade say to Dr. Brown’s “regime” awarding lucrative government contracts to Correia Construction, E. Michael Jones being awarded a lucrative tourism contract or Jennifer Smith’s “regime” awarding a massive contract to Pro-Active and giving very favourable terms on the Coco Reef lease to a known PLP donor to name but a few)? “I am so accessible constituents often walk right into my house—” (What would Mr Wade say about Dr Brown building a fence around his house, or police accompanying Dr Brown in public and Dr Brown’s presidential style motorcade)?

“The Progressive Labour Party is totally free of vestedinteres>.” (What would Mr Wade say about the Medical Clinic closing when you consider Dr Brown being on record as saying “I still have in mind the establishment of a private hospital — that’s still on my list for Bermuda.”)?

It seems that the PLP is not abiding by Mr. Wade’s musings: “We cannot stand idly by and watch our fellow-Bermudians suffer any further under a regime, which is self-centred and self-interested with its own private agenda, insensitive to the negative impact on the general public.”(Did Dr. Brown consider this when giving authority for his Colonel to call Club Med residents “monsters”, or when he tells us that Southlands is actually good for Bermuda, or when he makes the police service, judges and school students sit in mould infested buildings but spends tens of millions on football and cricket to gain votes)?

Mr. Editor I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Wade would be very upset about the direction the PLP has taken since coming into power and that he would have tried to do something about the cronyism and laziness that exists in the Brown “regime”. Perhaps the following quote, in which Mr. Wade was making reference to the PLP, still applies: “Over time, I’ve become more and more intolerant of laziness, slothfulness and lack of commitment ... I’ve become intolerant, especially with those who don’t see clearly the need for change — having an understanding of the size of egos of the people who run for politics—I am mindful of the limited options available for me to discipline.”

Mr. Editor, is it not a bit hypocritical for Dr. Brown of all people to unveil such a tribute to a man like L. Frederick Wade? From what I have read of Mr. Wade’s life, Dr. Brown and Mr. Wade could not be more different. It makes me realise that Dr. Brown will stop at nothing to fool the voter. Mr. Editor, this voter will not be fooled.

MICHAEL M. FAHY

Hamilton Parish<$>

Preserve Southlands

April 29, 2007

Dear Sir,

Each time I visit Bermuda, there are fewer places to enjoy: places where I can avoid noise from aircraft, cars, mopeds, trucks, construction equipment, “party” boats, jetskis, and boom boxes; places where I don’t see buildings, signs, tourist attractions, litter, retaining walls, failed luxury hotels, power cables, smokestacks, docks, and roads; places where I can sit in peace, watch a shorebird skitter along the oceanside, listen to the trees rustling in the wind. Each year, Bermuda looks more like Hamburg than heaven. It failed to retain the natural beauty that enchanted me, enriched me, and showed me the gifts of life.

I wonder if Mr. Christensen has ever seen a warbler; almost 40 species of those colourful songbirds visit his backyard at Southlands. Can he name and identify the native and endemic plant species flourishing there? He has belittled Southlands, so we know his answer. He couldn’t care less.

Man has wiped out an untold number of plants and animals; they’ll never be seen by our grandchildren. Shouldn’t there be a moratorium on development in Bermuda’s green, open spaces? Shouldn’t SDOs be quashed in a court of law? Shouldn’t Bermuda preserve Southlands as a nature sanctuary rather than sacrifice it?

My impression of the before/after shots of the Southlands proposal was that a mad scientist wanted to build a hideous experimental hospital there for testing anti-psychotic drugs. If the Southlands catastrophe is permitted, the only species Mr. Concretesen will be able to identify will not be a pepper tree; it will be a bored, stupefied zombie with not a single thought for the future of our planet, mouthing on a straw, oblivious to the sacrifice of nature that this stark development caused.

Why not build the next SDO-sanctioned luxury hotel on top of Bermuda’s parliament buildings? The moneygrubbers who want to enjoy it and its cash flow can then be alone in their world, utterly bereft of values, awareness of nature, and taste.

I will not be returning to Bermuda as a tourist to watch the last vestiges nature be annihilated.

(JADED) GREENBUG

Tokyo, Japan

Help me find my friend

May 2, 2007

Dear Sir,

I’m from the United States and have been thinking about a friend called Lynn who lives in Bermuda. I never knew her last name. We first met as teenagers (I’m 52) when she would visit her aunt in Brooklyn, New York during the summers. I lost contact with her. Back in the 1980s she came to my Grandmother’s apartment (who raised me) to see me 12 years later. My grandmother called me to inform me that Lynn was there and wanted to see me. I was married and she told me that she was engaged and I was happy for her. This was about the autumn of 1980. My grandmother passed soon after and years have gone by and I relocated to another town and have not heard from Lynn again.

This lady was special and deserved the best life offered her. I want to be careful sir, I don’t what her to get into any trouble if she is married, I’m not looking for romance but just wanting to hear from her as do my other pals from back then. She’s the only one that I have not heard from and I need to know how she is. Secondly I just want to tell her “thank you” for being my friend and liking me for who I was. Sir, as we live this life you know it’s rare to have people who were so genuine. I pray that you will be able to assist me. A lot has happened since I last saw and talked with her. My career and calling etc. My name is Caesar Cabiness, and my e-mail address is nupraize[AT]aol.com. My home phone number is (718) 347-1957. Note: She (Lynn) may not remember my last name either. Just By Caesar. She would be about 49 to 51 years old.

CAESAR CABINESS

New York City<$>

A note of thanks

May 2, 2007

Dear Sir,

The Board of Director’s of Habitat for Humanity Bermuda would like to thank the American Consul General, Mr. Gregory Slayton and his family, for helping to arrange the wonderful concert at the Bermuda Anglican Cathedral on March 27, 2007 featuring the Harvard Krokodiloes, the Radcliffe Pitches and the Harvard Din & Tonics. The concert raised some $4,369.55 that included a generous matching donation of $2,200- from the Consul General Mr. Slayton and his family.

Habitat wants to thank the Bermudian public for their generosity and support for our work here on the island. It is the hope of all involved that the concert will become an annual event. Again, we convey our heartfelt thanks to the American Consul, the hardworking Consulate staff in particular, Astrid Black and Gemma Newton, and all those who attended. Thank you for supporting us as we strive to ‘build houses, build communities and build hope’.

LARRY Q. WILLIAMS

Executive Director

Habitat for Humanity

A history lesson

April 21, 2007

Dear Sir,

The question of the closure of the Medical Clinic at the hospital is a matter that should have been decided on its merits alone. Instead, we have seen it take on ugly political and racial aspects. Dr. McPhee has put forward his personal views, to which he is entitled, but as a minority of one. Unfortunately, his distorted opinion has been given undue prominence by Government, having published his letter as an open letter to the public at large. My position at the time required that I be neutral for we operated along democratic principles that required majority support.

My personal view was, and always has been, that all clinical care should be in the private sector. Therefore, I thought clinical care at the Health Department should be transferred to private practice and we should not create a third level of care by starting an Indigent Clinic. There was not the political will to terminate the clinical services, rather than the public health activities, started by Dr. Simon Frazer and there was no budget to finance an alternative to the ‘Clinic’ idea.

I was aware of Dr. McPhee’s opposition to the concept of the clinic, which he presented eloquently but I recall no other expressed antagonism to the idea. The situation was that the hospital Emergency Department was swamped (over 50 percent) by non-emergent attendees who used the hospital as the source of their primary care. These non-emergent people attended the hospital for various reasons including being destitute, those having no physician, people having no insurance, those whose physicians were unavailable, and those who preferred to “drop in” to ED when the spirit moved them. It is likely that some patients (white and black), in most of these groups, were rejected by their physicians (white and black) for inability to pay.

It was my experience, growing up in Bermuda, that white and black physicians generally had practices composed of a varying proportion of patients from both races. I would argue that those rejected for lack of ability to pay probably suffered economic rather than racial discrimination. So, the Bermuda Hospitals Board decided, on the recommendation of the Medical Staff Committee, to create the clinic that is now the subject of such controversy.

Initial medical staffing was to be by all the General Practitioners on the hospital staff, for which they were to receive no remuneration. Over time lateness and failure to attend resulted in the Board contracting with a series of one or two physicians to be provide clinic services. They were to be paid a modest sessional fee by the Board and continuity of care improved.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Medical Clinic attendees seem to be comfortable with, and appreciate, the care they receive at the clinic it still seems to me that they would be better cared for in the practices throughout the community, like everyone else, providing a means of paying for that care is devised. It seems that government is now offering such a solution to this problem. It is to be seen whether such a plan, once implemented, functions satisfactorily.

WILLIAM R. COOKE MD FRCPC

Paget<$>

Little or no regard for us

April 13, 2007

Dear Sir,

I would like to express my opinion regarding the behaviour of Premier Brown since he forced his way into office, another unelected ‘Premier’ I might add. Your article in today’s paper (13th April) about his speeding and flashing brigade down south shore road highlights the ridiculous behaviour of a man on a power trip. This man is not the President of the United States or the UN, and therefore does not require the sort of entourage that he has built around him.

I live overseas at the moment and keep up to date with events in Bermuda through your paper and also through my family and friends back there. I have to say that every day I read your paper there is another article about the Premier, and I use that term loosely, in which he behaves completely out of control. It stems back to the waiter he had deported off the island for passing a remark, which I wont go into here for obvious reasons, to him pushing himself into the limelight about the PGA Grand Slam of golf being brought to the island, which he almost ending up blowing — by the way — by mouthing off about it too soon to get himself into power.

Having his ‘security detail’ survey restaurants before he enters, changing the name of the national airport, his party telling expats to shut up and stay out of politics to this latest debacle. Being Tourism Minister surely he can appreciate how the international businesses, with the massive influence of ex-pats, have made Bermuda into the powerful economy it is today and yet he wants to change that just because of his personal views, of which I think most people are quite aware what they are. This is a man who has no regard whatsoever for the people of Bermuda.

Speeding along south shore just because he thinks he is the saviour of Bermuda is not the sort of behaviour anyone with the slightest regard for others would do, particularly given the amount of road deaths on the island. Does he need to be escorted off the tarmac at the airport because he does not want to interact with other Bermudians, or is it because he cannot find his way into the terminal on his own?

His ego is inflated beyond belief and perhaps that is why he needs the roads cleared before he passes. This man is not taking Bermuda in the right direction and people need to speak up and voice their concerns. He may think that his behaviour so far will intimidate the people of Bermuda, but he is sorely mistaken as he will soon find himself back in the position where he belongs, out of the spotlight.

RONAN

Ireland<$>

The Bible is clear on gays

April 11, 2007

Dear Sir,

There has been much publicity and resulting opinion about the impending arrival of ‘Rosie’s gay cruise’. Some of it is opposition, and some of it is opposition to the opposition, even by those who appeal to ‘the Word’. The Word of God (both Old and New Testaments) clearly deems homosexual acts as immoral. It is incumbent upon God’s people, who know the Lord, to oppose what is wrong. And in this case it is not discriminating against individuals, per se, but rather opposing a hugely public display and promotion of homosexuality.

Of course we are to come alongside the sinner, to love them, to gently rebuke them and encourage them, etc. And, yes, when we go back to the Word we see that Jesus certainly did that. But we also see that Jesus confronted unrighteousness, oft times publicly. (There are many examples.) And, with love and humility, that is the right thing for Christians to do as well.

KIM

Southampton