Wash the flea-bitten dog

December 8, 2006

Dear Sir,

Larry E. Smith goes to great lengths to regurgitate all the issues that slavery has caused to the ?black? race and the ?white race? in his support for the Ewart Brown meltdown in Parliament. The ?street talk? concerning this incident is that it was a carefully stage managed attack on Grant Gibbons, using supercharged racial rhetoric and threats of physical attack, including ?loading? the members of the gallery on the day. Mr. Smith finishes by using the tired old saying ?If you continue to sleep with dogs you?ll get fleas.?

The enlightened view is that the members of the black community who have chosen to take a different optic of life, than the propaganda of Ewart Brown, have washed the fleas off ?their? dog so that they do not keep biting them and causing infection, sores, and the resultant scabs. These members of the community should be congratulated for broadening their perspective rather than being pilloried for not drawing back into the blinkered hole with the dog with fleas.

We need economic balance

November 17, 2006

Dear Sir,

I found Dr. Grant Gibbons? recent remarks on race interesting for several reasons. Neither Dr. Martin Luther King nor Nelson Mandela were responsible for racism/segregation and therefore they could not eradicate it. Martin Luther King was assassinated and while there is no longer Government sponsored segregation and despite high flyers like Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, the black masses and the average black person in the U.S.A. still face many of the disadvantages imposed by racism, particularly in terms of housing and racism.

Fortunately for Mandela much of the rest of the world (with the exception of Margaret Thatcher) came to his aid and political change came to South Africa. But anyone who visits South Africa today very quickly learns that in terms of one?s daily life whites continue to live with luxurious excess of wealth while the vast majority continue to live with degrading poverty and whites show no interest in changing this tremendous economic disparity. Remarks by the Premier may or may not be helpful but it seems to me that Dr. Gibbons, as a white man, might address the white community to consider how they might bring economic balance to our community since our history of racism and segregation has ensured that whites are still enjoying all of the benefits that they derived from our past, while the majority of blacks still suffer from the numerous disadvantages imposed by racism and segregation. Especially since those of us who have lived much of our lives with Government sponsored racism, segregation, denial and exclusion will never be compensated or find justice.

Thirdworldisation

December 17, 2006

Dear sir,

Racial hustler Calvin Smith claims in his bigoted article (December 14) that ever since the arrival of the PLP, Bermuda hasn?t missed a beat despite the dire warnings of the UBP. What has he been smoking? Since I discovered in 2003 your wonderful newspaper I have had the same experience that Keanu Reaves had in the movie ?The Matrix? after he took the red pill. Being able to read on the Internet the local news of the day, the Pollyannish vision of Bermuda that I had created in my mind through the stories told by friends whom where lucky enough to have visited the island in the 1970s disappeared. The Bermuda, which as the only majority black country that wasn?t a third world dump, the Bermuda that was safe and classy, the Bermuda witch I have been dreaming off as a Toronto-born black Canadian to immigrate to when finally my finances would allow me to do so has totally disappeared!

From the brutal and savage murder of my compatriot Rebecca Middleton which I thought when I first heard about it was a tragic and awful but anecdotal crime, to reading almost on a daily basis accounts of PLP mismanagement, weekly drive-by shootings, rapes and all sorts of ghastly violent crimes which seem to happened with appalling regularity, to the constant obsession with Independence which I thought was soundly defeated in 1995 for the umpteenth time. (Alex) Scott and his PLP government was also afflicted by a pathetic and relentless dedication to ?third- worldise? Bermuda by connecting it with the rest of the Caribbean, black Africa and with the underbelly of the black American political derelicts (like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Lewis Farrakhan) at the expense of its European ties, is what the PLP as to show for an eight-year report card.

Bermuda has indeed lost its standing as a premier financial centre to the Isle of Man at the beginning of 2006 as reported by . The reason given was the financial and political corruption along with an unusually high level of drug consumption and trafficking couple with the vicious crimes that as overtake the island over the past two years. Is this Jamaica, Haiti, Harlem or south central L.A. that I have been reading about in the electronic pages of your great newspaper. No it is Bermuda! The Bermuda of the past eight years under the junta of Alex Scott, the PLP and now Ewart Brown.

The misery index

December 9, 2006

Dear Sir,

If it is indeed true that taxpayers contributed approximately $1.5 million to the most recent Bermuda Musical Festival and only achieved in the region of $800,000 from ticket sales the I think someone in authority needs to read Charles Dickens novel, David Copperfield, and in particular certain lines spoken by the character Mr. Micawber.

To help those who do not have a copy of the novel in question close to hand ? the lines to which I refer are: ?Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen (pounds) nineteen (shillings) six (pence), result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.? I do appreciate that many younger persons are not familiar with pounds, shillings and pence, but I think everyone can understand that to be happy income should always exceed expenditure, even if only by a small margin. Taxpayers? pockets are not a bottomless pit and I fear there is misery ahead.

More changes ahead?

December 19,2006

Dear Sir,

I am really surprised that Alfie (Eve) and Bummy (Calvin Symonds) have not realised what has brought about this name change to the Dudley Eve Trophy competition. Whenever there are persons with egos the size of the planet Jupiter, then there is a need to be constantly reminded of how important they are in the whole scheme of things. I foresee in the not too distant future, quite a few name changes.

Our popular half marathon should be changed to the Premier Marathon as should the Premier Cup Match be also played. I have from reliable sources of a contract soon to be signed with a major paper product company, for supplying the Civil Service with ten million rolls of brown bathroom tissue, to be used only on special occasions such as the Premier Christmas and New Year.

Wake from your slumber

December 18, 2006

Dear Sir,

Since Denis Pitcher questions my authority on Bermuda?s present racial climate, allow me to share my authority to speak. I am a born Bermudian who served 41 and a half years in the Bermuda Police Service. I have just recently migrated to Florida after retiring in May of this year. Surely that qualifies me enough. And I also believe that I may very well be a bit older than you, although that may not be so important.

As I address a response to you, first allow me to share a definition of slavery. Social institution defined by law and custom as the most absolute involuntary form of human servitude. The definitive characteristics of slaves are as follows: their labour or services are obtained through force; their physical beings are regarded as the property of another person, their owner; and they are entirely subject to their owner?s will. Since earliest times slaves have been legally defined as things; therefore, they could, among other possibilities, be bought, sold, traded, given as a gift, or pledged for a debt by their owner, usually without any recourse to personal or legal objection or restraint.

The practice of slavery dates to prehistoric times, although its institutionalisation probably first occurred in early historical times, when agricultural advances made possible more highly organised societies. Slaves were needed for various specialised functions in these societies and were obtained either through raids or conquests of other peoples or within the society itself, when some people sold themselves or their family members to pay debts or were enslaved as punishment for crimes.

But I don?t necessarily want to engage in a history lesson on slavery, let?s try and get to the root of the problem in our black communities. The problem is and has always been race and the unjust distribution of our countries wealth, power and resources. One race, the descendants of white Europeans, seemingly have checkmated blacks? efforts to improve themselves. The majority of Bermudian whites and those white Europeans (who have descended upon our island and enjoy the economic fruits) live in privileged conditions, control the larger proportion of ownership and control of Bermuda?s wealth, power and businesses, and with this monopoly of ownership and wealth, and it exasperates them (UBP) that they don?t have control over the governance of the country.

You see the dominant white society felt that by stripping the black slave of his humanity, all of his worldly possessions, his personal freedom, and keeping him hopeless that blacks would be forever non-competitive and powerless. Needless to say for centuries, the dominant society?s experiment in social engineering worked. You?ll note from my original letter that I never mentioned slavery was unique to blacks, but I asked the question, ?Why were blacks, above all other population groups, singled out for and successfully kept in slavery for such a protracted period of time??

You somewhat answered it yourself. We were chosen because of our strength and power. But the real reason Mr. Pitcher is simplistic, it is simply ?black labour, white wealth? and that mentality remains to this day. Here?s a history lesson for you Mr. Pitcher. Be careful how you misuse the word ?House Nigger? and especially ?Uncle Tom?. You see the character in Uncle Tom?s Cabin referred to as ?Uncle Tom? was a brave man with dignity who cared about his family and race.

The real villain was another black slave named ?Sambo?. Sambo was totally committed to the white master and used every opportunity to undermine the other slaves. Sambo, in many respects, was somewhat like today?s black conservatives. Sambo always followed the white slave master, Simon Legree, and offered to show him how to ?tree the coons? (other blacks). It was Sambo who beat Uncle Tom to death both for refusing to whip a black female slave or sell out his people. Uncle Tom tried to empower his people by understanding and beating the social and political structure whenever he could. Uncle Tom felt it was important to get his people across the river to freedom. He risked his life to do so. The Sambo character personified a very successful social control created by conservatives. He was such a successful phenomenon that the concept he personified became a greater danger to blacks than Uncle Tom and as blacks move towards structuring policies of racial accountability, it will be very important for them to know who helps and who hurts the race.

As I close, I want you to know Mr. Pitcher and Bermuda that I nor Dr. Brown (and I don?t have to defend Dr. Brown because he?s quite capable of defending himself) are not advocating hatred towards our white brothers, I?m simply saying this, ?to love black people is not to hate anybody, to love our redeemed blackness is not to be against anybody, it?s simply to be for ourselves and to desire for ourselves all that God has bestowed upon others?. Mr. Pitcher, do you have a problem with equity?

As soon as a black man (leader) attempts to balance the socioeconomic and equal opportunity scales, everybody gets bent out of shape and we?re accused of reverse discrimination, we?re accused of moral and criminal corruption. I lived it, Mr Pitcher, I?ve been there, having been promoted young and serving 33 of my 41 years in a leadership capacity. But I will not bore you with the details. In closing Mr Pitcher, are you implying that when the UBP were in power that they were angelic, without moral and political defect? If you are, you are na?ve and have been sleeping through a revolution. Wake out of your slumber. Thank you once again Mr. Editor for sharing this space.

Commendable

December 18, 2006

Dear Sir,

I do not often write letters of thanks. However the actions of Mrs. Jennifer Stovell last week at your Hamilton facility has encouraged me to send this letter. On Wednesday, December 13, I was informed by a family friend in Canada that he had posted some birthday and Christmas gifts for my six-year-old daughter. When my friend forwarded the Canada Post receipt via e-mail I noticed that the address was completed incorrectly (to the extent that I thought there was absolutely no chance of this parcel ever being delivered). I then went to your Hamilton facility and explained my predicament with Mrs. Stovell. Jennifer then took my details and said she would keep a lookout for my parcel and promised that she would call me if she came across it.

Considering the enormous amount of post you receive this time of year, and what appears to be only negative press that you receive, I left the facility without hope of ever seeing the package. However I am pleased to say that my cynicism was short lived as on Friday (December 15) I received a call to say that she had found the parcel and that it was waiting for me at the Post Office. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you formally, and especially Mrs. Stovell for her assistance. I am delighted to say that you and your staff have helped to make my daughter?s Birthday and Christmas. I have taken the liberty of copying this letter to the Editor of the . Thank you once again and Merry Christmas to you and your staff.

Give us access

December 14, 2006

Dear Sir,

I was disgusted the other day after I took my mother and my infant son into the new A.S. Coopers building. We walked through to see what it was like and took the elevator to the second floor. I asked the lady how we could get to Reid Street and she said ?over there, it is up the stairs?. I looked up the two flights of stairs and couldn?t believe how difficult it would be to get my infant son in the stroller up the two flights of stairs. Although the lady had offered to help, my 70-year-old mother had to lift one part of the stroller and I the other and up we went. Then we went to get a gift certificate from the Bookmart and had to again carry the stroller up about 15 stairs. I didn?t mind carrying the stroller up, but all I could think about was ?what does someone do that is handicapped?? I cannot believe our government?s planning department would give permission for a new building to be built without handicap access. And I cannot believe that businesses are not considering persons with disability. What do the elderly, handicapped and new mothers do? If people boycotted businesses because they do not offer access or demonstrated outside businesses, perhaps they would take note! Wake up government planning and businesses in Bermuda. Do your part and give us access!