Sir John was right

September 22, 2005

Dear Sir,

Sir John Swan hit the nail on the head. He said what hundreds and hundreds of people in Bermuda have been thinking and wanting to say for years. The PLP had a chance to be a breath of fresh air. They could have changed the course of this Island?s history for the better and for all Bermudians. Instead, they chose to change the fortunes of a few black Bermudians, although they tell us that they are doing it for all blacks. They have been the party of corruption, revenge, incompetence and racism ? yes, racism. It works both ways and their philosophy is that whites are irrelevant and so are the blacks that follow them.

In South Africa, white people trembled in fear of revenge and incompetence but Mandela proved that revenge didn?t have any place in his world. In Bermuda white people and a lot of black people trembled for the same reasons and their fears have come to pass. As John Swan said, in a democracy the people get what they deserve. The PLP has proved that you can get it wrong most of the time. There is no question that the PLP nor the UBP is, or should be, the future of this country. Too much baggage, too much image and too much of every decision being based on race. The future of this country is the Bermudians of both races who are under 40 and reaping the benefits of a successful economy (which has nothing whatsoever to do with the PLP and, in fact, is probably successful in spite of the PLP). When these younger Bermudians choose to stand up and embrace their responsibilities, we will move forward.

In the meantime, and notwithstanding what the supporters of the PLP say and dribble about on the talk shows, the UBP has indeed changed. It is not perfect and it is not stupid. The UBP has always been a party that has embraced both races; it has always been a party that has had it?s fair share of intellect; it has always been a party of decency; and it has always been a party which has made mistakes, done things wrong, and often favoured one sector over another. If there is anybody who can eliminate the question of race from the decision and believes that the PLP is anything but corrupt, incompetent and full of hate, then I have a bridge to sell you. Someone sent me a quote from a six-year-old girl and whilst it refers to ?love?, it could also apply to ?revenge? ? it says: ?If you want to learn to love better, start with a friend you hate.? Enough said.

A tribute to Dr. O?Connell

September 24, 2005

Dear Sir,

We first met Dr. Shaun O?Connell in September of 1974 when we began ?A? level math at Bermuda College. Shaun was bright eyed, idealistic and always had a smile as big as your life. He tried to implant his obvious love of math on us. At 17 and 18 years of age, we already knew everything about anything, but he didn?t let that stop him ? he tried to teach us anyway. We gave him the nickname ?Doc?. He will be ?Doc? to me forever. On a few occasions, when the work was done, or when he would be in that ?there?s more to life than math? type of mood, we?d sit and talk about life and what we had learned so far. It was his way of trying to connect to us and to Bermuda. We learned a bit about the man and what drove him to embrace life the way that he did. It amazed me that anyone would choose to circumnavigate Bermuda for fun and charity ? but that was the kind of man that he was. We came to love and respect this young white guy with the big smile. We also came to trust him.

Despite my best efforts to the contrary (I was in my rebellious stage) and the director?s insistence that I would not be successful ? I was told to drop math after the first year ? I passed Math ?A? level with a credit ? Doc was a good teacher. All of us moved on in life. Some went on to university. We all eventually entered the workforce and got busy building lives. I used to see Doc around Bermuda or hear of his exploits in the news. It came as a great shock to hear of his troubles at the Bermuda College. The view that Doc was a racist was not compatible with the man that I knew. I was not there to hear the alleged conversation but the accusations being made about a man that I now consider my friend were just too incredible to believe!

To see him vilified and lose his teaching position was painful to me and I knew it would be tearing him apart! Doc has been in Bermuda a long time giving to the community by way of his teaching ? it was his motivation. When you take that from a man, you take all but his life. Doc respected us as young men and women all those years ago ? he didn?t care that we were black. We respected him as a young wet-behind-the-ears teacher who had a lot to learn about life but had a lot to teach us as well. I didn?t fully appreciate what I had learned from Doc until years later (as is often the case with teenagers). Mathematically, we had a sound foundation and he managed to teach us other important lessons as well. Teachers like Doc are rare in today?s world. We need male teachers that care. It is my hope that this letter has the effect of lending support to his cause. I write not out of any ulterior motive but to support a man I consider a friend for life.

Tough questions

September 23, 2005

Dear Sir,

I have a few questions for the Bermuda Independence Commission and two questions for the Bermuda Government:

1. How many Bermudians and their families will lose their right to a British Passport? Why hasn?t the Commission been more direct on this issue? As it stands now, Bermudians have the right to study, live and work in Britain and the European Community. This is huge ? particularly for our young people.

2. Why has the Commission not told the truth regarding other countries using referenda? Knowing who the commissioners were I don?t believe that they, individually, did not know the facts regarding the use of referenda elsewhere.

3. Why did the Commission omit the UBP Opposition?s submission? We have two political parties elected by the people to represent us in Parliament. By omitting the UBP?s submission, the commission has ignored the rights of those people who voted for UBP representation. Why? How many other submissions have been omitted or ignored?

4. Did all the Commissioners sign off personally on what is clearly a flawed document? If so, why?

5. Why is the Bermuda Government opposed to a referendum to decide the Independence issue?

6. Why does the Bermuda Government continue to imply that independence will solve our racial/social problems when it has to know that this is not the case?

The right to live and work in Britain and the European Community is not something which should be thrown away without careful thought. Some of us will keep this right if Bermuda becomes independent, but many will lose it at the stroke of a pen. This doesn?t seem fair to me.

CNN doesn?t hurt tourism

Dear Sir,

So Delaey thinks CNN and their mention of hurricanes is the main cause behind Tourism collapse ? Well, I will agree that there might have been a few people who were scared off but I?m thinking he might not be addressing the real situation. No disrespect to Aunt Nea?s but me, Tom and Huck been coming here for years and we KNOW what the problem is..

I have an idea. No more Walton Brown surveys at the airport or however they do them these days. Find, say, 2000 tourists ? no, Walton, not business guys staying here at a hotel, real tourists. Give them each a survey form with a postage paid envelope addressed to the New York Tourism Office and just ask some simple questions ? nothing fancy, no deep multi-thought questions where you can get the answers you want to hear..just the following questions:

1) Did you think the airfare was too high?

2) Did you think the hotel rate was too high?

3) Was the service level lower than you expected?

4) Was the litter on the roadside more than you expected?

5) Were the service people (not the average guy on the street) that you met polite to you?

That?s all. Just those questions and if you see some sort of trend, then do another Walton type survey where you get what you want. Maybe those questions aren?t framed the way a researcher would frame them but they are simple questions and, in my opinion, the heart of the matter. Cost, service and image ? that?s what our problem is, not hurricanes.

I don?t know what the solution is but I do know that when you pay $500 to fly to Bermuda on a half empty plane, stay at a fancy hotel at a rate of $250 a night and often much more plus 17.5 percent on top, plus grats etc., where the service levels are very mediocre, where the roadsides are littered with more trash than you ever thought possible, where you met all those lovely Bermudians who were very nice and then some taxi driver told you not to sit on his beautiful taxi seats with your damp bathing suit and ruined it all, where for the cost of a very mediocre meal you could have flown to Hawaii and back... well, I think you get the gist. Just a thought... why do you think all those cruise ship passengers are happy... cost, service and clean. I?m staying in Hannibal from now on.

Lack of transparency

Dear Sir:

I refer to the article that appeared in Saturday?s ? ?Mystery over cost of reverse osmosis plant.? I suppose there are several reasons why the government, ?will not release information of the cost estimate for the construction of the 110,00 gallon Reverse Osmosis Sweater Treatment Plant.? The more they keep us in the dark the less explaining ?they? have to do. Who promised the people of Bermuda this government would be ?transparent??

The site of the new plant was a beautiful park on-the-water and favourite place for locals to swim. On close inspection there are no building signs usually required by Planning. No construction plan for the public to see. A new driveway was also created by huge machinery opposite the site. And of course no budget that we know about. Can you imagine the red tape residents would have to go through to do any building on this site? Chances are the application would go into file thirteen.

More disturbing. I was told at least six full grown coconut palms worth at least $10,000 each were cut at the bottom and the roots removed by payloader and sent to the dump. Those responsible for this shocking and appalling disrespect for our environment should note that the palms had probably been there for over fifty years and they should be held accountable. Can you imagine my wish-list for change if I found a gene in a bottle?

Southampton

Effort is half the battle

September 25, 2005

Dear Sir,

I find it hard to understand why there is so much surprise at our dismal tourist figures. Take a look at the product ? it?s tired, poorly delivered and ridiculously expensive. For example, I was at the bar of 9 Beaches a few Sundays ago and the service was noticeably poor, with miserable, disinterested surly barstaff with not a smile between them, that had absolutely no interest in serving us, dirty un-cleared tables everywhere with not a manager to been seen, and it wasn?t even busy! Is it any surprise they are in financial difficulty? We left thirsty, hungry and frustrated and have no desire to return.

Now imagine that I am a tourist taking that experience home with me. Really, it isn?t rocket science is it? Wouldn?t it make sense to have managers present while the place is going through its teething pains to ensure customers were being taken care of? Effort is half the battle in the catering business and nothing is more of a turn-off than an impolite or lazy server that thinks they are doing you a favour ? but to then have to pay silly prices for the experience? If this is typical of what we are selling we deserve failure. Signed,

Wither Bermuda?

September 21, 2005

Dear Sir,

The social degradation that exists in Bermuda is like a terminal illness that progressively threatens its very spirit. Like a cancer, these social ills are really manifestations of generational neglect and abuse of our social body ? the embodiment of family, community, and government. There are many ways we can react to this phenomenon. One way, of course, is to simply sit back and make obvious judgments about what has already occurred ... how shameful it is that ?hooligans? are destroying our paradise home and our precious Bermudian culture. Or we can attempt to investigate the root of the problem to bring about reformation.

The present state of affairs did not happen overnight. Certainly the older generation can testify of the seeds that grew into the cancer we now experience. So, we all understand there has been a gradual decline. What I fail to understand is why we only to try to fix the symptoms of the problem, but not the cause? Doing so only results in a temporary fix, much like sweeping dirt under the rug. By all means, deal with the symptoms of the problem. However, let?s not be so near-sighted as to deal only with these outward evidences.

The ?Powers That Be? need to prove they are accountable for providing long-term solutions. ?Accountability?, a word overused in political rhetoric mainly to direct blame in another direction, needs to hand a big mirror to our political leaders and a smaller one to everyone else. Does anyone know who is accountable for the increase in crime, the homelessness, and the miseducation of our youth? We punish the person who has committed the crime and we speak with disgust about the homeless, the drug addict, and the misguided youth; yet we fail to alter the system that creates and feeds these conditions. We all agree culprits must be held accountable for their crimes; do we also agree that we, as a country, need to be held accountable for complacently existing in a pig stye? In light of all this, can any of us judge?

Finally, who does Bermuda really belong to? Do most Bermudians have a stake in their own country? If most of us have no place to rest from our labours, I guess I have answered my own question. And if most Bermudians have no stake in their country, how can we expect them to have a desire to reform their country? Independence will not guarantee a reformed Bermuda.

Only when Bermudian-owned businesses are the rule, not the exception; when Bermudians own majority of ?The Rock?; when each Bermudian child is truly educated, not just generically schooled; when we have sincere concern, even for the guy who eats out of the garbage can; when we regain our self-esteem, culture, and true national pride; most important, when we return our focus to the plan of The Almighty for our individual lives; Only then would we would be on the golden path to empowerment. Only empowered Bermudians can reform Bermuda. ?There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society, with a large segment of people in that society, who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that they have nothing to lose. People who have a stake in their society, protect that society, but when they don?t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.? ? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Please tell me, what kind of Bermuda are we building?

VERITE

Devonshire