March 15, 2013Dear Sir,There seems to me there are two different kinds of disrespect. One, very serious, with very serious consequences, and the other should be dealt within the framework of the family, privately, before it gets out of hand and becomes a blatant disregard to our tourists and our welfare. The woman, being the homemaker and guardian of the family, and I might add the bread and butter on the table, should discourage their men from striking. I hesitate to bring humour into such a serious situation, but, if history repeats itself, way back wives withheld their favours till their men went back to work, and the strike was over in one day. I remember that as a fact, a true story.A striker must adhere and be loyal to his union, but he should also use his commonsense and weigh the consequences of his actions and not just follow, maybe too afraid to stand firm in his beliefs. The results of his vote and hundreds like him to agree to an instantaneous ferry strike, I see as the ultimate form of disrespect to our desperately needed tourist. This could bring this lovely little Island down, in short order. If we leave our tourists standing at the curb, they will not return. There are many other islands that are desperate for tourists and would welcome them and give them the hospitality that they deserve and that we should have given them.If this is what they are being led to do, strike after strike regardless, they will find that they will get their wish, which won’t be worth a damn, and they will be begging to find a job to put that bread and butter back on the table, and face their wives. Be patient, have faith, and wait, cooperate with the Government and be part of the recovery of your island so that we can all be proud to see a vibrant economy once again in Bermuda. It won’t be easy and it will take time. Give this Government a chance to show us it can be done, they will make mistakes and possible have poor public relations at times and slip ups, but if we back stab the recovery we will be treading water for the rest of time, and there will be no recovery. Governments are there to serve us and to guide, so give them a chance to do that.DIANA WILLIAMS