March 31, 2004

Dear Sir,

I feel that instead of the police going nuts over the seatbelt law thing, they ought to wait for any cell phone driver and pounce only when that person happens to drive past.

Since a lot of these people tend to drive around they'll be noticeable unless their cars are too dark to really see inside to know what they're doing.

That way they can rid Bermuda of this dangerous habit on the road.

March 29, 2004

Dear Sir,

Why wasn't the talk on the so-called People's Show not about sex addiction? I mean in today's paper that was on the front page as well as on page 6.

There was more talk about Cuba than anything else and what's worse, Everest was cruel to some people. Let the person speak their opinion first. If the person is just simply blabbering, then cut them off (some of the people have good points which ought to be heard). Others are unfortunately political but then again, some people don't mind political talks (I personally am not one of those people).

March 1, 2004

Dear Sir,

What extra rights do these types of humans really want? I mean it's bad enough that some people think the world started with Adam/Steve instead of Adam/Eve and that what they do, they claim it's OK.

These people are unholy and yet, they want more rights? Personally, I don't think they should get any extra rights simply because of their practices.

March 25, 2004

Dear Sir,

You will I hope have paid attention to the hearings on the post mortem on the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

The revelations by Richard Clarke on the ill-conceived war on Iraq which, made the world less safe and as we now know there were no WMD as was pointed out to you before. And, of course, no connection at all between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein whatever.

As Richard Clarke, who was in charge of security through four presidents with 30 years experience, said, the American people deserve the truth, so Mr. Zuill do the Bermudian people and they will not get it from Mr. Roth as you should now know, in you next correspondence with him you may ask him why it took three hellfire rockets to assassinate a cripple in a wheelchair and other bystanders leaving morning prayers.

March 23, 2004

Dear Sir,

You have to love politicians for their chutzpah. Sometimes they are so transparent in trying to confuse their electorate that you wonder what they are thinking. Such is the case of Mr. Calvin Smith's recent letter to the Editor supporting the Independence decision by General Election rather than by a referendum. It is a classic example of why Bermudians should not trust politicians of any political persuasion.

Representative democracy, where you elect a politician to represent you in Parliament, is a compromise over a far purer form of democracy, participative democracy. In an ideal world we would not have politicians and each of us would participate directly in all decisions concerning our community. Clearly that is not possible at this time, so we compromise and elect politicians to represent us. The process of choosing those politicians to be in charge of our community affairs, a General Election is itself a compromise for participative democracy. A referendum, in contrast, is an exercise in that purer form of democracy, participative democracy. To promote decision making on key issues facing a community such as Independence by a General Election rather than by a referendum is implicit support for less democracy. It is defending the indefensible.

Why then would politicians try to defend the indefensible? The answer is quite simple ? power. It is usually the motivation behind most politicians' actions. Independence will give politicians more power over the resources of our community and over us. Getting to Independence, however, may be problematic particularly if the decision is made by a participative means such as a referendum. It may be easier to get this decision through a General Election where the issue can be fudged with all the other issues of leadership and performance.

I agree with Sir John Swan that we should have frequent referenda as in Switzerland. Bermuda is a small community and there is absolutely no reason why the citizens of Bermuda should not have a greater direct say in the running of the Island through referenda. The time is not far off where this could be achieved at a minimal cost using computers and the Internet. Internet voting is a very real possibility provided the security issues can be overcome. When that happens we may be able to dispense with politicians as we know them and achieve true participative democracy. Now that's an idea that can't come soon enough!

In the meantime, we do require politicians and as long as we require them, we should always remember that politicians should never be trusted. As Mr. Smith showed in his letter to the Editor, politicians will inevitably follow their own self interest even to the point of defending the indefensible. That is why it is so important that we get our constitution in order before we move to independence. We need to safeguard ourselves and our democracy from those we choose to represent us.

March 17, 2004

Dear Sir:

This letter is in response to the so called warning from US Consul General Denis Coleman. You are a guest in my country. You have no right threatening us with your scare tactics, you cannot bully us around as you did (you meaning the US Government) in Haiti and other countries too numerous to mention.

You need to clean up your own back first, for example Canada has air travel to Cuba and does business in Cuba, has tremendous investments there. I don't hear you attacking Canada. You cannot tell us (Bermudians) who we can or cannot have relations with.

I will take a few minutes to show you and the Bermudian people just how phoney your Government is. The US Government and businessmen do business with Communist China. I don't hear you threatening US companies for doing trade with China. I hope when the Premier Alex Scott meets with you to discuss this matter. If he doesn't appear as a "wimp" instead I hope he uses some of my statements and make the Consul General realise the UK is aware of Bermuda's relationship with Cuba. I will be paying close attention to the talks between the Premier and the Consul General.

The US Government's foreign policy needs a makeover. I would imagine the UBP opposition encouraged the Consul General to make that statement to make the PLP Government look bad. I hope the entire PLP Ministers urge Alex Scott to speak his mind and tell it like it is.journalist Matthew Taylor wrote about Opposition Cultural Affairs spokeswoman Louise Jackson, and I quote: "We have got a lot of baggage with Cuba". Unquote: You got it all backwards, Mrs. Jackson, it's the US government whose carrying the baggage ? Communist China. So Bermudians do not let the UBP or Denis Coleman scare you ? as long as the UK Government feel the PLP is on safe ground in its dealings with Cuba, you can tell yourself its alright.

March 25, 2004

Dear Sir,

The Teen Haven Tag Day was held on February 27 and 28, 2004 and as always the response from the community was encouraging.

Special thank you to Mrs. Karen Hayes-Williams and the Bermuda Junior Service League for coordinating the Haven appeal letters to the business community. For many years the Bermuda Junior Service League have assisted us with the project and we greatly appreciate your dedication and support. We would also like to thank Ms Claire Bean, Ms Ella Pitcher and Mrs. Geraldine Perinchief for coordinating the tag day in St. George's, St. David's and Somerset parishes respectively.

We also express gratitude towards Mr. Gerald Smith, Mrs. Vera DeShields, Mrs. Velma Small, Mrs. Sonia Williams and Bermuda Housing Corporation, Mr. Steve Wilson and Mr. Willard Fox, (Bermuda Physical Handicap Association), Ms Movita Roberts, Mr. Earlston Simons, Ms Barbara Thomas, Ms Jessica Pearman, Altrusa Club, Orchid Charity Club, Bermuda Professional Women's Association, Somerset Lioness Club, Delta Sigma Theta, Kiwanis Club of Hamilton, Pembroke Rotary, Big Brothers and Sisters, Bermuda Red Cross, Bermuda Police Cadets, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho, St. Paul's AME Church ? Young People's Division, Bermuda Sea Cadets, Bermuda Institute students, and the many individual taggers, who volunteered their time to assist us.

Teen Haven, which is operated by Teen Services, is the only residential facility on the Island that offers accommodation to homeless teen mothers and their children. The Teen Haven programme receives no direct grant from Government, therefore the proceeds from the tag day and the appeal letters will help us to meet some of our financial obligations.

There is a shortage of affordable housing in Bermuda, and consequently facilities have to make drastic decisions regarding their living arrangements. Facilities are being separated, homes are overcrowded, and children are bearing the stress of homelessness.

We at Teen Services/Teen Haven believe that every human being deserves the right to live in a safe home environment with his or her families.

Once again, on behalf of the board, staff and residents of Teen Haven, we would like to say thanks Bermuda for your support. We look forward to your continued aid and encouragement.

NINA JONES, MSW

March 22, 2004

Dear Sir,

Last May, my father spent three months in the hospital. During that time I spent endless hours walking through Botanical Gardens only to feel great disappointment in the state of our gardens and the lack of care that was being put into this once beautiful space. I took my father in his wheelchair through the gardens to reflect on his days with his fellow mates who worked so hard to bring Botanical Gardens to the standards it was once known for. He was moved to tears by his fond memories of all those men who have now left the Island or have since passed.

Again, my father is back in the hospital and again I find myself back at the Botanical Gardens. This time, I was overwhelmed with joy to see such a huge difference. It is amazing to see the job that's been done with the park. Now that my Dad is out, my first trip was to take him back to the gardens, and his eyes lit up. He said there continues to be "a lot of work to be done", but the improvements are clearly visible and appreciated. Even the bird cages, which have been empty for years, the same cages my kids would go to on Sundays to feed and admire, are seeing new life.

I want to thank everyone who worked together to bring the great memories back and as Easter approaches, I am delighted and proud that the deserted Botanical Gardens will once again be a place fit to be enjoyed by families and visitors.

March 25, 2004

Dear Sir,

Calvin Smith delivered another interesting treatise in his recent letter, explaining why he supports Independence. I quote from his letter.

"Secondly, there is the overly optimistic view that "Independence will bring harmony between the races". History simply does not support this view. Former British colonies that entered into Independence with large minorities, often lapse into a series of destabilising confrontations. One need only recall the continuing confrontations between Canadians of English and French descent. Then there is the serious conflict that exists between Guyanese of African and Indian descent. Clearly, if harmonious relationships do not exist between antagonistic groups before Independence, evidence abounds that it is very difficult to secure such harmony after Independence."

This startling, and somewhat frightening, series of 'facts' from Mr. Smith suggests only one thing to me.

We should all vote 'No' to Independence, and we should all be allowed to do it by referendum to avoid being hoodwinked by devious political trickery into something most of us do not want.

PHIL CRACKNELL

St. George's

March 22, 2004

Dear Sir,

This letter is in response to the parents whose children did not obtain placement in St. George's Preparatory School.

I would like to first of all commend the Minister and the Ministry of Education for their decision to alternate the P1 class; it should have been that way from the inception of the smaller P1 class. I believe one of the parents made a comment in a Press statement that it should not be called the Public School System but the Ministry's School System. To that I say the Ministry must work for all of Bermuda and Bermuda's children and in this particular instance they must do what is in the best interest for all the Eastern Zone children and schools. It appears these parents are of the view that the Ministry is only working well when the Prep receives everything their way.

If the Ministry was to give in to these parents the consequence would be that the Ministry (and ultimately the taxpayer) would have to pay for an additional salary for an additional teacher for the Prep, as the Prep has to have a second P4 class in September, so the Ministry would have to pay for either another P1 or P4 class teacher. This makes no sense when there are other excellent schools in the Eastern Zone that can accommodate the students that did not receive their first choice of placement. Thus, if the Prep is given a second P1 class as well an East End Primary, ultimately that will mean there would be other P1 classes in the Eastern Zone that are not full. Further, it is my understanding that the students that did not receive their first choice of Primary School were offered a place in the second choice. That being the case, if anyone has to travel 'across the bridge' to school, it may be because their parents made the choice to select a school across the bridge as their second choice.

Further, I have heard comments that with the continuing development of Southside there is a need for a second P1 class at both the Prep and East End Primary. At this stage I believe there are sufficient places in the Eastern Zone Schools to accommodate the current demand. In the future if demand shows that there is insufficient space in the Eastern Zone Schools then we may have to revisit this issue. Should that day come, ALL the stakeholders should be consulted as it should not be a foregone conclusion that the Prep will automatically be given an additional class. Moreover, if the Prep is the only school receiving a second P1 class it will ultimately end up as a two stream school; if the day comes that the Ministry/Government determines there is a need for a two-stream school for the St. George's area then ALL the schools in that area should be considered and then an informed decision made as to which school should become two stream.

For the time being however, I believe that the second P1 class should be shared between ALL the Eastern Zone single stream schools, alternating a year at each school. That was how it should have been done from the outset but Government changed their mind and allowed only the Prep to have the second P1 class. Parents need to realise that ALL the schools in the area are excellent because there are many perpetuated misconceptions throughout the St. George's community and they need to stop, and alternating the second P1 class is certainly a step in the right direction.

A ST. GEORGE'S PARENT

OF AN IMPENDING P1 STUDENT