Use the statistics

March 18, 2009

Dear Sir,

To Dr. Eva Hodgson, I am not put off by your comments. Just saddened that your general view of white people is so negative. I understand that your point of view is born out of personal experiences and a thorough knowledge of the persecution of blacks by whites. But to generalise and say apart from a few exceptions, today white people believe black people are irrelevant is not acceptable. No more than white people generalising about black people. I am not going to mention what they are as you have heard them all.

Minister Lister is an example of someone who has failed to get positions on company boards. I can only suggest you ask some of the companies that question. Do you think it might be his political views rather than his colour? How about asking Dr. King or Gerald Simons, or Gil Tucker or Tony Joaquin, Paula Cox etc. etc. how they managed to do better.

I agree there are still too few executives and owners of Bermuda businesses. That needs to be addressed. But a successful politician is not my idea of a man who has been taken as irrelevant.

My major concern would be if there is evidence that black Bermudians were not getting jobs or advancing in businesses because they are black. Those are the situations that need to be addressed.

Immigration has information on the hiring practices of all businesses that hire expats. A letter is sent to the Ministry explaining whether any Bermudians applied for the job and if so why they were not hired. This could be extended to show which applicants were white and which were black. This is specific information that can be used to determine who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

It could also be developed statistically to show how many black Bermudians are applying for skilled jobs, how many are being turned down. It could also show which category of job is not being applied for by black Bermudians. It would also show extreme cases where a company constantly turns down black people and employs white.

MICHAEL HARDY

Smith's

Trash is damaging Tourism

March 17, 2008

Dear Sir,

As a newcomer to beautiful Bermuda, I can't help but to notice a couple of things that rather unbelievable to me. First, it doesn't appear Bermuda has recycling programme and second is the way people drive.

Bermuda is too small to afford accumulation of disposable plastic and foam containers as well as plastic bags. They should be banned or taxed. Biodegradeable containers should be only allowed on the island as well as an additional fee imposed on import of plastic packaging containers, bags, etc.

This fee should be used to keep the Island clean and promote sustainability. I did not expect to see empty soda cans, plastic containers, bags and glass bottles along the roads, parks and beaches. This is damaging to tourism. Why in the world one would want to pay money to see it in Bermuda?

I am environmentally conscious and will be using a bus. Another reason – I did not come o Bermuda to die in a road accident. There got to be a way to enforce safe driving.

SAM WILDBERRY

Pembroke

Mugabesque

March 13, 2008

Dear Sir,

I was not surprised to read in Wednesday's copy of The Royal Gazette of the MPs' almost universal slamming of the writings of Adrian Robson in regard to the "performances" of the Under 19 cricket team as the first reaction of most politicians is to shoot the messenger rather than digest the message.

I was, however, bemused by Darius Tucker's description of Mr. Robson as "cowardly". Nothing could be further from the truth with regard to this fearless writer. Throughout the past twenty years that I have been reading his column Mr. Robson has "called it as he's seen it", without fear or favour. Furthermore, it might surprise the members of parliament that 99% of the time he is spot on with any criticism of sporting bodies or teams and those in the sporting world with their feet on the ground acknowledge that he is correct. Anyone who thinks praise should be lavished on the senior, female or Under 19 cricket teams must be living in cloud cuckoo land. We are rapidly becoming the laughing stock of the cricket world, setting negative world records at will. Perhaps the criticism of Mr. Robson is to divert attention away from the huge sums of money thrown at these unfit, underachieving cricketers and their vast travelling entourages by these same members of parliament.

Derrick Burgess, in his most Mugabesque mode, threatens to "rouse up my young folks to have him out of the country". El James, in similar vein, said "if this had taken place in another country it would have been another case". But, gentlemen, Bermuda is not North Korea, Cuba or Zimbabwe, at least not yet. The freedom of the press is still a cherished ideal in Bermuda – long may it remain so. Keep up the good work Mr. Robson.

AN APPRECIATIVE READER

Sandys

End all discrimination

March 13, 2008

Dear Sir,

This letter is addressed to the British MPs who made up the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee delegation which visited Bermuda last week:

Please use the recent and tragic death of the Eighth Grade boy who was killed for being gay in the USA as a guideline in your decision to legally protect the human rights of all gay and lesbian peoples in Bermuda and all UK Territories. Such protection in the legislation of Bermuda's Human Rights might have saved a boy like this from dying a tragic and senseless death had the Laws of a nation been in place to protect against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The killing of this innocent boy because he was gay is unacceptable in the world's eyes and countries like Bermuda with the UK flag and Queen present have a role and responsibility to lead by example and an opportunity with this review by the British Government, to teach Bermuda to foster relationships with all people. This includes every minority. This includes a country that is predominately black and a country that not only 100 years ago was fighting for similar rights to abolish discrimination against race.

Gay people are in fact, people with lives, emotions, feelings and hearts and the importance to assemble a home, free of discrimination under the Law. This could very well have been your son, daughter, aunt or uncle, sister, brother, mother or father that was killed because of a hate crime against someone for their sexual orientation.

I have witnessed firsthand countless cases in Bermuda where the Governments actions hurt the very fabric of its own people by the Government's unwillingness to address discrimination based on sexual orientation. I have seen grown men in groups beat another man for being gay in Bermuda in broad daylight while Police watched right across from the Hamilton Police Station. This behaviour is no different than a young boy dying in the U.S.A. who had not even graduated before his 13th birthday.

Gay people breathe the same air our creator himself put into the atmosphere for all people to breathe and share in the intricate and delicate fabric of life as we know it. To share in equal protection under the law is quintessential to protect Eighth Grade boys from dying senseless deaths. Let us pray and remember after all, a good mother and father had to burry their Son because we as a society told the boys who killed him that it was acceptable behaviour to discriminate. Not so different from being black is it Bermuda? There are so many similarities to being gay and to being black. How is it that we have lost sight of this in the year 2008? Both groups have been persecuted against their freedom to be as they are.

As a Country let us please start to heal the wounds of discrimination by letting our creator judge our global decision of equal treatment of all people both young and old.

In July of 2007, Rosie O'Donnell's cruise ship had to be cancelled from coming to Bermuda because children on the ship would be in jeopardy of their safety while being in Bermuda. This was again because of discrimination based on sexual orientation. This is again because the human rights of gay and lesbian peoples are not protected. The FCO has a chance to be a beacon of light and hope to end discrimination.

Please take the time to review all that is necessary to formulate a thorough and comprehensive agreement to treat all people equal under the law as a collective Government. Please remember the families of all of those who have died as a result of discrimination of any kind. Please let their deaths be our lessons learned and the hope for a better world of tomorrow.

OPPRESSED

Southampton

A clarification

March 19, 2008

Dear Sir,

Re: Letters to editor by Samuel L. Clemens. Kindly be advised that we are in no way related to, or connected with, frequent writer of letters to the editor using the name Samuel L. Clemens. It may be worth readers noting that Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30,1835-April 21, 1910) was a satirist, humorist, lecturer and writer better known by the pen name Mark Twain, hence the person writing these letters is probably using a pseudonym.

BARBARA AND NEIL CLEMENS

Warwick