January 3, 2006

Dear Sir,

In my early childhood, I attended church services at Salvation Army and even at an early age I came to appreciate the help they gave to the less fortunate. So the personal impact on me and the significant social and spiritual contribution to the Community that the Salvation Army has made is remarkable.

When I became Premier in 1982 housing was a very critical issue. I realised that there were people who just needed shelter and something to eat. When I looked around at the various organisations, it was the compassion and organisational skills of the Salvation Army that I turned to. I asked for their help to assist the needy who were in no position to help themselves. Without hesitation the Salvation Army agreed to enter into a cooperative relationship with the Government. The Government built the shelters on North Street which are run by the Salvation Army at reasonable cost, particularly compared to the cost of any other facility offered by Government or any other organisation. The shelters are clean, disciplined, efficiently run and provide meals to many who would otherwise go hungry.

My other experience with the Army was with those who had problems with alcohol and drugs. Many years ago, the late Dudley Butterfield donated a building to the Salvation Army now known as Harbour Light for the residential treatment of alcohol and drug abuse. It was one of the first residential treatment centres in Bermuda.

The Salvation Army has shown by their respect for the less fortunate, their proven ability, their compassion and their selflessness and spiritual mission that they are quite capable of filling certain aspects of the Community's social needs void that the Government is unable to fill.

We must stop the hypocrisy and help those institutions that have and continue to provide much needed help to generations of Bermudians. The Government has a moral imperative to do so.

To anyone who for political or other reasons attempts to discredit, diminish, demean or confuse the public about the outstanding work of the Salvation Army, I say shame on you.

December 23, 2005

Dear Sir,

How anyone could go public with an idea that bartenders should be held responsible for drunken drivers is preposterous. Anyone who drinks more than one to two drinks per hour is more than likely over the limit and if you get into/on to a vehicle and have an accident you deserve to be prosecuted, you will be driving drunk.

To state that only people that are legless and cause accidents are the problem does more harm than good. Until the legislation on this matter gets more teeth people wont stop, it's an old habit and old habits die hard.

Dear Sir,

The front page article in today's Royal Gazette about St George's revitalization sparked my interest.

I have long thought that much of our current infrastructure is being left to rot and ruin with St George's and Dockyard high on the list. Both of these locations have so much potential yet each year they seem to fall further into a state of disrepair. To use a current phrase, there is No Pop; there is No Sizzle in either location.

At least we have someone who cares enough in St George's to try and get that town turned around but I think Mayor Jones has set his sights too low. If he thinks DisneyWorld is a 10, he should not be prepared to settle for a rating of 5, he should be shooting for 15.

I would encourage Mayor Jones to look at the town of Leavenworth, Washington as an example of a town that turned itself and its image around. Leavenworth was a timber town in the Cascade Mountains which had fallen onto hard times but the city fathers with the full endorsement of the population turned it into a booming summer and winter tourist destination. Today Leavenworth is a Bavarian-styled village with Tudor-work, window boxes and medieval decorations. Even the gas stations announce their prices in gothic style lettering. It took a couple of decades to redevelop Leavenworth but it has been done with an eye to detail and quality, avoiding the cheap kitsch that you sometime find in the Disney type locations.

The Bavarian village theme works for Leavenworth because of the natural backdrop of the Cascade Mountains just as a Civil War era seaport or something earlier would work for St. George's. It also works because the entire population and every business have bought into the theme 365 days a year. St. George's comes alive on the National Trust evening, but even that is disappointing as some many of the retail businesses close their doors at the normal time, ignoring the hundreds of potential shoppers.

I would also encourage Mayor Jones and the West End Development folks to have a look at the wonderful redevelopment in Toronto's distillery district. Some forward thinking business people in Toronto turned an ageing and dilapidated collection of buildings and warehouses, which judging by their appearance are about as old as Dockyard, into a collection of art galleries, boutiques, coffee houses and eateries.

This area has the Bohemian feel I believe Mayor Jones is going for. Before we have a group packing their bags and booking flights, examples of the redevelopment in Leavenworth and Toronto can be found by surfing the web.

December 20, 2005

Dear Sir,

I wish to thank Mark Selley and friends for the wonderful Christmas party on December 18 at the Ozone club for special needs children and adults.

Mark I read in the paper that you were a little disappointed in the turnout. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and so did my family!

My son Jeffrey Medeiros is a 14-year-old handsome boy with Autism and Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. I came very close to losing my gentle giant last year when he underwent a very risky spinal surgery at Boston Children's Hospital. I am so thankful to have him with us today and every day is Christmas to me. I live for and treasure the time that we have together as I know that one day he will not be with me. As a mother it rips my heart to shreds when I see my son suffer ? even when he has a smile on his beautiful face.

When I see people give of their time freely to help those who are less fortunate ? it almost gives me hope that this world is not such a bad place after all. We all need to stop complaining about the little things and look for those good people to enrich our lives.

This is the first time that we attended your Christmas party and I do hope it will not be the last. As long as my son has life in him I am committed to giving him the best possible life ? no matter what. I saw that same commitment in the people who were at your party helping out. Your elves deserve our appreciation. To make the afternoon a totally smashing hit, you appeared out of no where in your Santa suit and again the happiness that I saw on everyone's faces was so wonderful! As I looked around at all the happy faces I felt such a sense of peace. Everyone was so happy. They were dancing and eating and having a good ole time.

It almost made me think that these children and people with special needs are Bermuda's forgotten. Very sad indeed. It gave me such joy to watch everyone acting freely with no cares. To the helpers ? you all did a fantastic job at the Christmas party. You served the people with all sorts of special needs with a smile and you gave them an afternoon of pleasure. Everyone maintained their dignity and had fun.

As the mother of a very special boy I can say that his life has made me a better person, despite everything. I have learned to accept people for who they are and what they have to offer. I have learned that unconditional love is the best kind of love that anyone can have in their heart! I am blessed for having Jeffrey in my life and would have it no other way (except maybe the terminal part of his illness).

My hat goes off to all the nurses and caregivers who work at places like the Mid Atlantic Institute. What strong people you are to work each and every day with people with special needs. It is not an easy job and I would bet that there are days you feel unapprecated. I do not think that most of us really truly stop long enough to think about those who are less fortunate than ourselves The special people who give of their time to care for those who are sick are truly remarkable. I admit that I did not realise the difficulty of caring for a terminally ill child until it happened to me. I have seen first hand how cruel and mean some people are to special needs people. In my own life I have some family members who have actually indicate that my son is no longer welcome into their home on the account that he is in a wheelchair without even batting an eye.

Mark ? I do pray that God gives you the strength to have this party every year. You make people happy ? even if it's for one day out of the year. To all of you with special needs that missed the party for whatever reason ? hopefully you will be able to attend next year. This is the one afternoon that you can be at a function and be accepted for who you are and for your limitations!

I also pray that each person ? whether they believe in Christmas or not ? stops for that one day and look around at the many blessings in their lives. Stop wanting material things and be thankful for the little things like good health, wonderful friends and supportive loving family. Not all of us have this gift so treasure what you have. The material things do not matter without love, family, good health and friends! Sometimes a kind word or smile can mean the world to someone who is living with an illness or caring for someone who does. May all of us have a peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year!