'Two-bit shakedown'

June 4, 2003

Dear Sir,

As a potential cruise ship passenger to Bermuda I read your paper's articles about arresting Americans on cruise ships for small amounts of marijuana.

Sounds like a two-bit shakedown to me. It's just a way to make money off American tourists plain and simple. If Bermuda was as serious about drug importation as the judge in the cases claimed in all his pithy remarks during the trials then why is the fine $1,000 regardless of whether you import marijuana or cocaine or "magic mushrooms" as the articles say?

Seems like if you were so serious about it then you would jail people bringing in hard drugs but the fine is the same whether you bring in cocaine, hallucinogens or a gram of marijuana.

Maybe people should start taking you up on the 90 days in jail instead and fill your jails and cost you money instead of making it, and this would end quickly I bet. It is like a cottage industry for you.

And not only that, all the trials are conducted before the ship leaves. Why don't they just have the trials right on the ship and save people the inconvenience of going to the courthouse?

If you were so serious about drug importation then maybe you should make it a little less convenient?

But, no, you would not want the people to miss the ship because then they would have to stay in Bermuda and then what would you do with them? That would gum up the works as you would have all these people hanging around and that might interfere in your processing the next ship to come in.

The Police come right into your rented room with dogs and go through all your stuff without any suspicion that you are doing anything wrong. I don't use drugs but I certainly don't want the police in my room going through all my things on no suspicion of criminal activity.

Can't imagine that I would ever go to Bermuda now and I had been thinking about taking this cruise before.

I doubt what you gain by your "law enforcement" makes up for what you will lose by people not coming to Bermuda and not spending money because they refuse to have their civil liberties violated. I think many people would have the same reaction when they find out about this.

You hear about scams like this going on in some "banana republics".

Guess that's all Bermuda is too.

RICHARD FERRIS

Richmond, Virginia

Club deserves award

May 30, 2003

Dear Sir,

On Wednesday May 28, I went along to Paget to attend the "Open Houses" sponsored by the Garden Club of Bermuda.

I write this letter to applaud their hard work and superb organisation.. .it was the most delightful afternoon - well attended by both visitors and local people - the gardens and the flowers were a lovely sight and the inside of each of the houses on show, was beautifully presented - the ladies acting as stewards most informative and pleasant and the shuttle cars and taxis gave excellent service.

A very special showcase of Bermuda.

I would like to commend the Garden Club of Bermuda for an award from the Department of Tourism. They have been giving this very special afternoon tour for many years.

PATRICIA BURNS

City of Hamilton

Find the sociopath

June 6, 2003

Dear Sir,

Hopefully the Police will find the sociopath who killed the Hollis family's cockatoo and lock him up for a long time. In the meantime, the Hollis family should make a recording of parrots squawking and play it full blast to their neighbour every morning at 6 a.m. According to the law, this is acceptable because it is not music.

SADDENED

Southampton

Pick a new pseudonym

June 2, 2003

Dear Sir,

It has come to my attention that letters are being written to the paper being signed "Food 4 Thought".

Food 4 Thought is a catering company that operates out of St. George's, as does the phantom letter writer. The owners and shareholders do not accept responsibility for, nor do we necessarily agree with the letters appearing in your paper. May I respectfully request that the author of these letters please pick a different pseudonym.

PETER JOVETIC

Food 4 Thought Caterers

'Rude and ignorant'

June 2, 2003

Dear Sir,

I am not in any position to argue for or against Bermuda's expansion of commercial ties with Cuba; instead I welcome the opinion of those with knowledge on the subject and who can speak intelligently on the likely effects such expansion would have for Bermuda.

Instead of sending a less-than-subtle "message" to Denis Coleman to effectively "butt out" of Bermudian politics, Lois Browne-Evans should thanks the man for his insight and indications of what may lie in store for our Island if we pursue this policy of expansion. It is plainly embarrassing to read Dame Lois' nonsensical response to the US Consulate's take on the Cuba situation. Mr. Coleman represented his country's views in good faith - views that are backed by a direct line to the White House and a phenomenally successful financial career.

Dame Lois' remarks are both rude and ignorant and she has the gall to avoid responding to intelligent questions by this paper by invoking the justification of "etiquette". Etiquette! The woman is the very antithesis of etiquette.. and always has been.

The truth is that the PLP was unelectable with LBE as leader. res ipsa loquitor. This is a woman who accepts an honour - her Dameship - from a country that she has dubbed a colonialist oppressor and has spent a lifetime campaigning against in her bid for Bermudian independence!

On a more serious note, Bermuda's judiciary - an institution that has not been in the best of "health" - continues to deteriorate in integrity and voter confidence is at an all-time low; in no small part due to the politicising of the AG's office. Justice is no longer blind in Bermuda and various civil agencies are failing to perform their oversight duties - all of which continue to chip away at the moral fibre of the Bermuda of the past. Positions in the Smith government, such as hers, have been awarded on the basis of long periods of service to the PLP. The truth is that these long periods are euphemistically termed "service" when they should be called what they are - long periods of repeated failure. Such failure has bred discontent over the years and we now have a handful or so of malcontents in positions of power. This is not good enough!

It would take phenomenal acts of incompetence for any government to achieve the financial ruin of Bermuda - while the government of the past was in no way primarily responsible for our successes - the actions of a government today can be the proximate cause of Bermuda's undoing. What scares me is that as each day goes on I think that this government may actually be able to achieve this phenomenon.

NICOLETTE J. REISS

New York City

'Enough is enough'

May 31, 2003

Dear Sir,

General Elections can't come soon enough. The present government is an embarrassment.

What with the Minister of Tourism's false advertising, the Minister of Transport courting Cuba (what part of culture is trading buses and boats?), the Minister of Works and Engineering deceiving the public time and time again, the Minister of Immigration forcing a local clergyman on a reluctant congregation, the Minister of Health having dropped the ball in many, many areas of his portfolio, the Attorney General sweeping the illegal pyramid scheme and gaming machines under the carpet, the Premier herself living in splendid isolation; the Chief of Staff in his multiple roles hiding behind parliamentary privilege to name and shame. It goes on and on. And Bermuda needs five more years of this? Enough is enough.

KEEN OBSERVER

Getting cozy with Cuba

May 26, 2003

Dear Sir,

Who cares whether the US is right to make Cuba out to be such a threat the way they do? The Consul General made it pretty plain that the US didn't like the idea of Bermuda getting involved with the Cubans.

"You wonder," he said, "what's behind the thought process when you do something that goes against one of your closest friends with no apparent benefit to yourself. Is that not cause to wonder?"

The man's got a point.

It's not as if the PLP Government is responding to some deep-seated desire of the Bermudian people to pay homage to Fidel Castro. Does anybody care much? Castro was sort of a darling of the left back in the days when Che Guevara was around, and everybody had that poster of him in his beret on their walls in college. But the revolution sort of ran out of steam way back in the late '60s or '70s.

All that's left now is poor old Mr. Castro clinging to his dream, with nothing to show for it but a third world country that has to earn a living by being nice to the capitalists he wanted to beat in the first place. I mean, it's nice to go down there and be a tourist, and some people have business connections. That's fine, there are Americans who do that and nobody seems to mind too much. But when the Bermuda Government starts getting cosy down there, that's a totally different story.

What is with the PLP's thought process? I don't like the idea of swapping the United States as a close friend for Cuba. What do we get in return? They have nothing to give.

If ever there was something the PLP ought to be consulting the country on, it's this. The PLP should hold a referendum about it, and see how the people feel. But I'm not holding my breath, because they know they'd be lucky to get more than about a dozen votes for ties with Cuba.

MF

Somerset

Diplomacy gone wrong

June 4, 2003

Dear Sir,

Reflecting on the comments made by the United States Consul General recently concerning the proposed culture exchange between Bermuda and Cuba it would seem to me that the "diplomatic" approach should have been to have written a confidential letter to the Premier of this country, expressing such concern, as opposed to publicly commenting on Bermuda's politics.

I believe that should hold true for any "Diplomat" who is a guest in any country.

And, Sir, please don't label me as anti-American for expressing my opinion, nor should you consider me anti-British to suggest that it is about time that Government House be fully utilised to the benefit of the people of this country and the Governor be housed in a smaller house as opposed to that ten-bedroom mansion that is situated on several acres of land which is mostly occupied by two people.

NEVILLE T. DARRELL

Devonshire