I refer to your article headed `Premier Smith officially dedicates Commissioners House', which appeared in the May 29 Royal Gazette .

To begin with, Dr. Edward Harris, Mr. Paul Leseur and all of the others who were involved in this major undertaking should be congratulated on a job well done.

This certainly is the Crown Jewel of the Dockyard complex. It is really worth visiting and everyone should make a real effort to see if for themselves.

Reverting back to your article, you should have also mentioned that Premier Smith was very late arriving. We see no excuse for being so late as she has a secretary, a driver and a Chief of Staff to ensure that she is at all function on time.

The result was that some 220 people who were attending the opening had to stand around waiting her arrival. I understand that this is not the first time she has been late.

I WAS THERE Pembroke Driving into poison May 23, 2000 Dear Sir, Does anybody notice the huge amount of fumes, dioxins, carbon monoxide and carbon particles they breath every morning as they drive to work? Does anybody care that they are breathing this poison every day? All vehicles are guilty, including mine.

What choice do I have? I would think that this is an issue that would be front and centre with the ministers responsible for our environment and transport.

Dear ministers, what is being done to address this? BEN FAIRN Warwick When laws go too far June 5, 2000 Dear Sir, I am a firm and unmoving believer in individual rights.

I view laws that are in place to protect people from themselves as unconstitutional and a violation of basic human rights -- with the exception of those that protect people judged incapable of taking care of themselves.

On the other hand, I support fair laws that protect people from people. We have universally demonstrated that for we humans to live together, with some fashion of peace and tranquillity, they are necessary. So I support law and order.

There are a couple of things that are being done in the name of law and order that I believe goes beyond the boundary.

First, on the dog issue that is currently taking centre stage. People who have dogs must be held responsible for their proper care.

However the rules and laws must not so unreasonable as to immediately disqualify ordinary citizens of meager means from ownership. They can love dogs as well as anyone and that would be a violation of their individual rights.

The part of legislation that says that dogs must be tagged even when on the owner's private property is way off the scale. PRIVATE PROPERTY means just that.

I decide what happens on my private property, and unless my behaviour or practices causes harm to someone beyond my boundary, or someone invited onto my property, it's none of anyone's business, including Government.

What comes next, legislation for the bedroom? With the exception of everyday normal, friendly, peaceful co-existence, keep off my property.

Secondly, I have noticed an increased Police presence, and the random stopping and checking of individuals in their cars and on their bikes. This is law and order in practice and I think it's a good thing. However, I have been checked three times in as many months. This goes beyond law and order and passes on into harassment. A good thing allowed to go bad.

One has to remember that there are some who only drive to town, sit on a bench all day and then drive home. Then there are others who either through necessity or desire, are driving all the time.

Should this segment of our citizenry be subjected to continuously being stopped and asked to produce their papers? I did not mind one little bit the first time and was mildly amused the second time, but by the third time I was beginning to get a bit annoyed.

We are required to display a number on our vehicles so that they can be readily identified; a good and fair law. Is it then too much to ask for that law to work in my favour (since it must be there to protect my interest as a citizen) and be used to identify me as having already been stopped and asked to produced my papers and that everything was in order and I should be allowed to go on my way unmolested? Finally, I see we are still persecuting a niche of our tourism industry because they choose not to use the legislated drugs. The last one had around a thousand people in his group. Nice going guys.

David (Allen) is going to need more then the Gombeys to get them back.

Importation of marijuana should be illegal, (we should be producing our own, it grows nicely here) but I think simple confiscation is enough. In the interest of our image within the diverse, sophisticated travel industry, don't you? AL EASTMOND Devonshire We're all one blood June 4, 2000 Dear Sir, At first I was not going to answer Pisces ( The Royal Gazette June 2) as I found Pisces' reply to my letter had nothing to do with what I wrote.

But, after some thought, I decided that I would try to clarify some of the points that Pisces completely missed.

Pisces incorrectly states that I wrote, `More than half the black population of Bermuda, as well as some whites, have come from the West Indies.' What I wrote was, `Does this person not realise that more than half of Bermuda's black population, as well as some whites, have bloodlines that run through the West Indies?' Which means that a large percentage of Bermuda's population, like it or not, do have links to the West Indies -- the same way, as I am sure, Pisces has links to somewhere else other than Bermuda -- unless of course, like Topsy, Pisces just `grewed!' I find Pisces's statement about people from the West Indies coming to reside in Bermuda a bit confusing and mind-boggling. I never once mentioned anything about West Indians living in Bermuda.

Pisces wrote in his/her letter of May 2, that Bermuda does not need to link itself to the West Indies because we might tarnish our good name. Pisces also made the unbelievably appalling statement about poor modern-day Africans, who would give their eye teeth to have had their ancestors shipped under any circumstances to the West, so that they could today enjoy the `good' life.

My reply was mainly directed to those two statements.

I would like to know the following! Would Pisces have wanted his/her great-great grandmother to be forcibly uprooted and torn from her family, have a chain put around her neck and ankles, thrown into some filthy hole of a slave ship, transported to some unknown land, so that they (Pisces) could now enjoy the `good' life: In all honesty, I don't think so.

What the Pisces-like minds of this world do not realise is that there is still a lot of emotional hangover from what happened back then... and don't tell me to `get over it'.

One should never `get over it',' but one does go on with life and does not let this hamper their future. Tell the Jews to get over Hitler! Tell the Native American Indians to get over the slaughter of their people! My great-great grandmother, Mary Warfield, as a nine-year-old child, along with her 12-year-old sister Mahaley, were kidnapped by raiders from the yard of their home in the Potomac, Maryland, area while their mother stood helplessly by.

These children were taken to Charleston, South Carolina, where they were put on board the slave ship the Enterprise , to be transported to Virginia. But, as fate would have it, this ship was blown off course and ended up in Bermuda waters.

When the Enterprise arrived in Bermuda, slavery had been abolished eight months prior, and these people, after a week-long trial which was brought about by the intervention of the Friendly Society, were set free.

Hence, the start of our family in Bermuda. When I think about this, it does not make me happy to think that because Mary Warfield was shipped under these appalling, inhuman circumstances to Bermuda, I am enjoying the `good' life.

Definitely not! It deeply saddens me! But Pisces cannot understand this, otherwise they would not have made such an insensitive statement.

Back to people from the West Indies living here in Bermuda. Since Pisces seems to be stuck on the West Indies, I would like to inform Pisces that we have people from every corner of this Earth residing here, so how could Pisces just pick out the West Indies? I am wondering if Pisces lives in a cocoon or, if Pisces has convenient blinders on! Pisces needs to have a good, long, hard look around to see reality as it really is, and when Pisces does, they will see that this world is full of people from everywhere.

We are all from somewhere else and according to science, we all go back to Africa -- including Pisces! So Pisces, you may not want to be linked to the West Indies, but guess what? You may be linked to me, consequently, linked to the West Indies! Now wouldn't that be a hoot? Mr. Editor, since Pisces thought it was so important to ask, and I quote, `Why have they (West Indians) come to Bermuda? Could it be that Bermuda is better?' I have to ask Pisces, `why the heck do you think all of these `other' people from every nook and cranny of this world have come to Bermuda?' Do you think it is for medicinal purposes only? I don't think so! Sir, I think it is grossly unfair that your paper still allows people to hide behind an assumed name to vent their frustrations and venom! Letters writers like Pisces only further adds to the divisiveness of Bermuda and her people.

And to Pisces, next time, please stick to the subject, don't confuse apples with oranges! PAT FERGUSON Warwick Sexual fiasco on Front Street May 30, 2000 Dear Sir, For many years I have attended the Bermuda Day Parade and have enjoyed the many floats, bands, majorettes, and gombey groups.

During those years I have been disturbed by the vulgar sexually explicit lyrics of many of the dance tunes. I have been even more upset that pre-teen and teenage girls have been trained to act out in dance the words of these tunes.

This has to be considered training for sexual activity. To me this is a more insidious form of child abuse than a simple disciplinary spank or smack.

It is a joke to have a month to bring awareness to preventing teen pregnancy coinciding with the fiasco on Front Street every May 24.

IVAN FRANCIS Bermuda Day deserves better May 29, 2000 Dear Sir, I realise that my last letter has not yet been published but I hope that both it and this will be eventually.

I recently attended CURE public meeting and am prompted to ask a series of questions: Why is it that those who are so angry and frustrated by the continued impact of racism do not give the support by their presence to the efforts to change society? Why is there so little consistency? The efforts which are being made by CURE could have similar impact to that of the Theatre Boycott and Universal Franchise. That is obvious from the tremendous resistance that we read about every day in the media. It is as great as it was to desegregation and Universal Franchise. Yet those who would benefit do not show their support by their presence and I wonder why? When NAR was initially launched in 1989-1990 800 people were at the first meeting and 200 people joined. Even though NAR has been effective enough to ensure the establishment of a Human Affairs Ministry and then CURE by a UBP Government with which the PLP Government can make real progress, sustained support has been limited. Why is this? Bermuda Day has made me raise similar questions. What is the purpose of Bermuda Day? Is it supposed to reflect some kind of commitment to and pride in Bermuda? IF so that is not what was reflected in the Bermuda Parade.

The PLP victory is said to have given many people a sense of belonging to Bermuda for the first time. In fact we gave ourselves a holiday, at least the Government did. Does our support of the PLP and Bermuda and therefore the Bermuda Day parade mean only partying, picnicking or "self-expression'' which sometimes borders on being vulgar or provocative? Is there anything that the Government can now do to communicate that more is expected than just enjoying a holiday in response to their victory? How can it put out a call to ensure that there is a recognition that self discipline, self sacrifice and hard work is also necessary in response to a PLP victory.

How would such a challenge impact on the parade? I know that floats are expensive and time consuming and I confess that I have participated in making a float only once and while it was fun it was very time consuming.

Can the Government appeal to black clubs? I realise that they have very little money but they all have Bingo nights and crowds attend. Can they put aside some of the funds from Bingo nights and begin now to solicit support from their younger members to plan now to build a well presented float.

The criticism of the float by the Filipinoes is unjustified unless there are many more Bermudians doing much better. If the Bermuda Day parade is as important as I have assumed, the Government might also support it by making the materials or flowers imported for the parade duty free.

Unlike the past, not every black child goes to Sunday school, but there are a few black churches with Sunday schools and Youth Ministries. How can this Government motivate them to show their appreciation for a PLP Government by participating in the Bermuda Day parade in a dignified manner which reflects hard work, self discipline and self sacrifice and perhaps also be an opportunity for some kind of testimony? The Bermuda Day parade seems to me to make all kinds of statements about who we are as a people because we are on display for both tourists and ourselves and when I recall other parades I am not encouraged.

It is even possible that if the Government encouraged different groups to see this as an opportunity to show their pride in Bermuda they might even get financial support from the exempted companies that we are told pour millions into Bermuda, even thought it may be through other avenues.

PLP supporters expected a lot from this Government but even if we do not get what we hoped for might not this Government still point out that we have some obligation to shoulder some responsibility to help to build a better community and to respond in some way other than by giving ourselves a holiday, partying and picnicking.

Nothing worthwhile is accomplished without time consuming hard work, self discipline and self sacrifice. We also often hear about what we should be doing for young people, but should not young people be taught to make serious contribution to their society, irrespective of what is done FOR them.

I believe that the Bermuda Day parade is important because it is the only occasion when we are invited to participate collectively and to express ourselves as a whole community.

It is difficult from Cup Match because then we are only asked to turn up. But Bermuda Day requires much more from many more. It is not merely an opportunity for self expression that is sometimes neither beautiful nor uplifting.

I wonder how many of us felt any real pride in our Bermuda Day parade, at the very beginning of this Millennium, as a whole and not just one or two items.

Of course, I may be attaching more importance to the event that the Government itself since I am told that only four people were involved in the PLP float.

I have written as if the responsibility lies with the black community alone.

The black community is in the majority and it was primarily the black community which brought PLP to power.

It is also the black community which turns out to watch the parade. However, there are about eleven thousand white status Bermudians who chose to become Bermudians, even if we are a majority black community and I certainly believe that they have some responsibility to participate in this event.

We are often reminded of the significant contribution which these Bermudians make to the Country. However, because we are such a divided community their contribution is often evident primarily in those things that are of interest to the white community and it is not too much to ask that they participate on this one day to an event that is called BERMUDA DAY and in which such a large percentage of the population shows an interest.

EVA N. HODGSON Crawl Playing immigration red card May 22, 2000 Dear Sir, Perhaps you will be kind enough to convey the following message to Mr. Shaun Goater through the letters page of your esteemed newspaper.

Dear Mr. Goater, What a fantastic season! Year after year you have proven your self to be a most valuable and productive resource for all of the football clubs that have employed your considerable talents.

The success that you have achieved this year must represent the pinnacle of your career. Not only did you win over the demanding Manchester City fans, but your twenty-ninth goal of the season against Blackburn Rovers, in the final game of the season, probably secured promotion to arguably the most prestigious football league in the world.

That achievement will ensure that you go down in the annals of footballing history. Congratulations! I should think that the club chairman, the "gaffer'', the other players and the fans think that you are worth your weight in gold. All of them will be salivating at the thought of next season's fixtures against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and, not forgetting, the great Manchester derbies. It will be just like the good old days! Unfortunately, it is my duty to inform you that our records indicate that you have been working in England for twelve years and our new immigration policy dictates that we are unable to renew your contract.

I should point out that your employer made a good case for your continued employment but we feel sure that City can find a replacement amongst the local lads who play for the pub teams that knock a ball about on a Sunday morning.

Please accept my apologies for the fact that you will no longer be part of the team that you have helped move into the big league.

However, I am sure that you understand that immigration policy is rather like football; sometimes the referee makes a mistake and pulls out the red card! Yours faithfully ANON