Before taking another look the other day, I had long since forgotten for whom the obelisk in the cabinet grounds was erected. (I wonder how many residents would know!). Well, it was to memorialise the `public services and personal worth of Major General Sir William Reid, Governor (sic) of Bermuda 1839-1846'.

Not only is the word Governor misspelled but it is carved in stone -- something which we are often told is not the case these days.

On an entirely different matter: Things are looking up on the post office front. Last week a letter mailed in New York took just six days to reach my box. Coincidentally, mail from the Antipodes regularly gets here nowadays in six to eight days.

PETER J. WILLCOCKS Smith's Parish People in glass houses July 1, 2000 Dear Sir, I respond to a letter in your Tuesday, June 20, 2000, column, "Twinning is a bad idea''.

When I first read the letter, I thought it was a joke printed to amuse an otherwise serious, cultured, educated and responsible readership. I read it a second time and realized that the letter was serious.

I have never read such misinformed, bigoted, biased, misleading, and down right prevaricated stuff. "Magnolia Breath''? I have never heard of that.

Everyone in South Carolina hates everybody? A very broad statement. Obsessed over a hundred year old war? The only obsession is the liberal press that sensationalises the news in it's never ending quest to sell news as entertainment. "Ancestors of former slaves?'' Tripe. Deny entry to South Carolina passport holders? There is no such thing as a South Carolina passport. I am personally offended by this remark, particularly after visiting Bermuda for a week. No one asked to see my South Carolina passport every time I took out my Visa card.

And this person is a sometime resident of South Carolina? Why in the world would someone who obviously despises the people and place want to even go there? I'll bet the "sometimes'' is just enough to avoid paying any taxes in South Carolina. Here, we call that "freeloading''. And then to venomously criticise everything about the place that is providing roads, police, water, parks, beaches, etc. when this "sometimes'' resident wants to come here? I am a resident of South Carolina, having moved here from New York State (which makes me the "carpetbagger'' referred to, I guess) fifteen years ago.

I have not experienced the hate, obsessions, racism, petty prejudices, Bible thumping, Ku Klus Klan, and so forth represented to be so rife in South Carolina. All the rhetoric in the letter falls into the same category as "the worst poverty area is within 70 miles of Charleston''. Simply not true. I do not want to imply that South Carolina, or the United States, is utopia, we have our problems. We are trying to work through them, maybe not as fast as some people would like, but progress is evident. This type of bigoted, sensationalist, prevaricated, and twisted half-truths does not contribute to the solution. As a matter of fact, it is exactly this kind of inflammatory rhetoric that causes the problem. Of course, in Bermuda, no such problem exists, "we have a very genuine love and concern for each other regardless of race''. But wait, I read in this very edition, Page 8, "Cabbie fined for striking teen'', eighth paragraph, "...you f***ing black b***h''. Also on page 8, "King: Offenders ...", paragraph 4, "White people get off free all the time''. My goodness. Sure looks like the pot is calling the kettle black.

I would suggest that the writer put some effort into reducing the problems at home before being so vocal about the problems of others.

Something about "casting the first stone''.

I am appalled that a respectable public forum such as The Gazette would even consider publishing such drivel, much less unsigned, but I am not surprised that the writer refuses to take responsibility by signing the letter. Bubba is going to come to Bermuda for deadly reprisals? Carrying the writers logic to its conclusion, Bubba is not smart enough to even know where Bermuda is, much less figure out how to get there.

C.L. WILLIAMS Simpsonville, SC Out of control July 2, 2000 Dear Sir, Last week, walking through the Botanical Gardens, I saw a cat, some distance away, with something between its paws. I passed by, but something turned me around to go and investigate. It was a bluebird! I very much hoped it was a fledgling learning to fly, as it could only cover a foot or two at a time. I took it home with me. Several calls to caring people later, followed up by visits, I learned that the bluebird was an adult male with, obviously, severe problems. The bluebird ended up in the unbelievably skillful and caring hands of a local vet who was able to pinpoint a gaping hole under its feathers. He anaesthetised the bird, no easy task, I am sure; he stitched it up, which I've been told by somebody else is like trying to sew together a wet Kleenex; he then administered antibiotics. Still, the odds were not good, and very very sadly, the little bluebird succumbed to his injuries the following day. One can only hope that somehow the feeling of caring transmitted itself during that last 24 hours ...it was surely preferable to the torment of a teasing cat.

I was appalled to learn that there are feral cat feeding stations within the Botanical Gardens, a public park belonging to all the people of Bermuda. I understand that the Administration does not sanction these feeding stations, but neither is anything being done to eliminate them.

I have no problem with `at home-cared for cats', but it would seem that we are all being held to ransom by some of the members of BFAB who are over-zealous and intimidating. There is absolutely no way that packs of feral dogs would be allowed by run loose, why in the world should that principle not be applied to feral cats as well. There are laws governing almost everything else in Bermuda, but cat enthusiasts plead, `oh, but you can't control cats'! Some people actually do manage to control their cats, and perhaps if they can't be controlled, they shouldn't be allowed. Licensing cats wouldn't be a bad beginning.

In the meantime, we know that one little bird was a loser; but if we don't take a stand, not only will the birds be losers, but all of us who will realise that our lives have been sorely diminished by the lack of beauty and song which, so far, we have been able to take almost for granted.

SADLY ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE Devonshire Reverend hits back July 5, 2000 Dear Sir, I write with reference to the article that appeared in the June 23, 2000 edition of the Bermuda Sun entitled "Send Them Home''. With regard to the aforementioned article, I would like to suggest that its title was a classic illustration of poor and irresponsible editing. It was unduly provocative, inflammatory and divisive, especially in light of present immigration sensitivities. One would expect a newspaper that claims to be a "friend of the community'' to share the disturbing truth in a much more gentle manner.

Consequently, the truth that was being communicated got lost because of the inflammatory title.

I was further disappointed to note that the article, in great part, painted all recent arrivals in the Portuguese Community with the same stroke of the brush. In my assessment, the word "some'' was very under-employed. As a result, and rightfully so, some members of the Portuguese community, who have and continue to contribute significantly to our Island, were deeply offended.

Again, something one would not expect from a paper that claims to be a "friend of the community''.

Having stated the above, I have not, and will not, back down from my position (and I am not speaking on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church of Bermuda, but as a Bermuda Clergyman) that some of our migrant families who have not and will not shepherd their teens, because of their consumption with work, ought to be invited to leave for their own benefit. Inadequate emphasis was given to the pastoral benefit of leaving for those families who find themselves working endlessly on this Island. While they are exercising their strong work ethic, attempting to accumulate materially for their families, their families are being lost from neglect and absence of shepherding. And so, their material gain will be for naught.

Mr. Editor, may I be a lone voice making an appeal for responsible journalism that does not distort, sensationalise, and that gives equal emphasis to the unnoticed good that continues to exist.

REVEREND GLEN P. BAPTISTE C.R. RECTOR Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of Bermuda