Self-proclaimed thug, Stanley Perinchief, got the maximum allowed under current law for his admitted, unabashed cruelty to a defenceless animal.

Sadly, there is no added punishment that can be meted out as a result of his total lack of remorse and his disrespect toward the judicial system.

Fortunately, public outcry has been loud and clear, and I can only assume Government and, particularly, Minister Hodgson heard its citizens' outrage and are, at this moment, convening to prepare legislation to make significant changes to the laws against animal abuse.

While `thug' Perinchief may be locked up for 18 months, no-one should be lax where the safety of their pets is concerned. Unfortunately, there are more like him still among us, as he will be out again before we know it.

I urge all reputable breeders, the SPCA and those who must seek to find new homes for their pets, to make certain that the animals placed always have the safety of the inside of the home when unattended. If Bermuda can not make this little Island a safe haven for `those who cannot speak for themselves', then Heaven help us all.

On behalf of my most cherished pets, thank you Dr. Ware-Ceiters for all that you have done to save Max, and countless other animals.

MARIA M. ZAYATZ Hamilton Parish Succession of choices October 19, 2000 Dear Sir, Your editorial entitled `The Right Choice' of October 18, while complimentary and recognising the foresight of people dealing with international business policy issues during the past years, contains some statements that are misleading.

In the matter of Bermuda's positioning vis-a-vis international standards being set by international bodies, Bermuda has not made one right choice but a succession of right choices.

We chose initially to deal realistically with the international issues placed before us by publicising the high standard that apply in Bermuda and assuring international agencies, including foreign Governments, that we would continue to apply high standards in the future.

The latter course requires awareness, flexibility, resources and a recognition that we have no long-term future based solely on perceived tax advantages.

Bermuda has built on past success and worked hard to convince business interests domestically that we should follow the path of high standards, and to convince regulatory bodies abroad that we will follow it. Accordingly Bermuda was not "fortunate'' as your editorial states.

We were given a "clean slate'' as a result of very significant efforts made to position the country appropriately. In fact we have been given several "clean slates'' and we have to continue working to keep them that way.

Your editorial suggests that Bermuda has a "status as low tax jurisdiction''.

Bermuda is not viewed internationally as a low tax jurisdiction but rather as a no tax jurisdiction. The only taxes that really count in this discussion are income tax and withholding tax and we have neither.

Our payroll tax in its present non-discriminatory form is seen by international business as a factor that adds to the cost of doing business in Bermuda, but is currently discounted by international Governments and the OECD.

Your refer to `taxation demands of international organisations'. This is another misleading phrase. The international organisations such as the FATF, the CFATF, and the FSF have never demanded taxes from Bermuda or the companies carrying on business here.

It has been their thrust to establish standards to ensure that criminal business activity such as money-laundering is not conducted within our jurisdiction, but that if it should be, there will be no difficulty in obtaining information to deal with the crime.

Various national governments elsewhere, personified by the OECD, are concerned that our business environment permits taxes to be evaded or avoided that those Governments consider should otherwise be paid to them.

They therefore wish to have access to information about nationals of those counties that relates to the tax liabilities of those persons, and wish to see agreements in place to permit the access.

You have contrasted Bermuda's position with `the difficulties that the Bahamas and other independent nationals are now having'. The Bahamas are certainly attempting to react quickly and positively to the negative ratings that they have received recently from international organisations.

This is being done in an effort to ensure their continued existence as a substantial offshore financial centre. While we may be better placed than a number of independent countries, the Financial Times of October 17 lists 37 jurisdictions enjoying a variety of constitutional positions that are potentially exposed to `counter measures' from OECD member countries, and of course Bermuda is not named in that list.

The United Kingdom government and the governments of the Overseas Territories have commissioned the firm of KPMG to conduct the review of the financial services sectors of the OT economies that was promised in the UK White Paper `Partnership for Progress sand Prosperity'.

The results of that review are overdue according to the timetable set at the beginning of the process. The review was to determine the extent to which the UK Overseas Territories adhere to accepted international standards in the financial services sector and to make recommendations where they do not. This could include recommendations for setting new standards.

The recommendations will inevitably present choices to Territories' Governments. It is important to our future to know what choices Bermuda will face and how well our past actions will serve us.

PETER HARDY Control drugs in sport October 18, 2000 Dear Sir, Back when I was coming along, the daily newspaper could well have sported the headline `Bermuda football drowning in booze'.

As a matter of fact, it could have been expanded to read `Bermuda sports drowning in booze'. I don't know how old Clinton Smith is or what kind of exposure he has had to the community club scene, but from his myopic comments I would guess that his involvement in community clubs is very limited.

From the age of 13, I was hanging around these same clubs that Mr. Smith is talking about, from the Devonshire Recreation Club to the Spanish Point Boat Club, and everything he has said about marijuana applied doubly to booze, with one exception.

The adults at these events would never condone nor stand still for underage persons using drugs -- alcohol or otherwise. However, the adults, players as well as spectators, indulged liberally, before, during and after the events.

If the horrific effects of alcohol did not kill sports then, the very much milder effects of marijuana will not kill them now. I said this before and I will say it again, any adult who provides social drugs of any sort to minors should be put in prison.

There are two distinct types of sportsmen. There are those who take their sports seriously and work very hard to excel. They do not use any form of social drugs, they eat properly, exercise regularly and train, train, train.

If Mr. Smith is suggesting that these individuals can be made to ingest anything that will get in the way of their pursuit of excellence, he does not give them much credit.

On the other hand, there are those who play sports just for the fun of it.

Should these people be held to the same strict standard as those who wish to be serious contenders? Should they be banished from playing their favourite sport because all they want is to have fun and nothing more? If this is so, then Mr. Smith is right. Sports will die, and he will be one of the killers.

Marijuana use, like alcohol use, must be strictly controlled so that minors do not have easy access to it. Legalising and industrialising marijuana, and placing it under the same controls as alcohol is the only effective way to do this.

You would think that from all of Mr. Smith's observation he would have come to the conclusion that a significant number of people want an alternative social substance that does not produce the harsh effects one gets from alcohol consumption.

In closing, I am willing to bet that Mr. Smith has never been to Amsterdam.

Because marijuana is decriminalised in Amsterdam, there are strict controls placed on its use that can be, and are, enforced. Further, for Mr. Smith's information, Dutch school children consistently score at the top end of world wide science and mathematics tests. Not exactly, what one would class as `retarded'.

It is good that Mr. Smith has the courage of his convictions and is not afraid to speak up. However, I would urge Mr. Smith to enlighten himself in the area of social clubs and drug use and abuse. Much of what he said to your newspaper is outdated propaganda.

AL EASMOUNDO Devonhire Let's send them sailing October 20, 2000 The following was sent to Mr. Robert Horton, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Public Safety and copied to The Royal Gazette .

Dear Sir, I refer to yesterday's article in The Royal Gazette `Government explores all options in effort to ease burgeoning prisons population' and respectfully offer the following suggestion as but one way in which the overcrowding could be alleviated: Government most urgently expedite a programme of meaningful community service (the present organisation is evidently grossly understaffed or is otherwise unsupported) whereby debtors and traffic offenders etc. etc. could instead work off their obligations via various public works projects (e.g. road cleaning, hedge trimming and painting public schools etc. etc.) In order to refocus responsible behaviour patterns, Government needs to urgently initiate vigorous character training initiatives via highly disciplined sail training programmes (for both males and females) to bring about a quantum positive shift in behaviour patterns presently instead leading to traffic violations and family support avoidance.

Such programmes must then be administered by specialists trained to bring out the best in people under often extremely demanding conditions. To this end, those entrusted in applying such discipline would have complete authority equating with that of a national emergency.

After all, the many ways in which some citizens are completely avoiding their responsibilities today (e.g. speeding or drug abuse) can only be seen as nothing less than a national emergency if we are to even begin to recover societal values formerly taken for granted.

Indeed, if such programmes were now initiated the need for prisons for all but the most hardened criminals would automatically become substantially reduced.

The requisite sail-training vessel could very easily be obtained for no more than $1m to $1 1 m, and we all know how effective sail training is, as witnessed by the wonderfully successful `Tall ships 2000' event.

Alternatively, we could simply pay Jamaica to subcontract out the care for our more serious offenders. Those that survive such incarceration would almost certainly never again offend here.

However, if we instead fail to most urgently embrace positive character training on a non-partisan basis for all those of our young people so obviously at risk we instead risk Bermuda becoming another Jamaica where at least 65 percent of our population will be then urgently seeking to emigrate from here in the same way as an equal majority of Jamaicians are reported to be so doing there.

In conclusion, I enclose herewith brief details on the type of vessel which could immediately be available to us if we are in fact now able to muster the moral will to forget partisan bickering and simply at least try to refocus many of our critically endangered youngsters on the many wonderful opportunities still present today before they get into difficulty.

With every good wish for a better future for all, I remain.

A.E. (TED) GAUNTLETT, F.R.I.C.S.

Editor's Note: Mr. Gauntlet's enclosure was a brochure for the tall ship Eye of the Wind , which is offered for sale for 700.000.

Rude, not race the issue October 19, 2000 Dear Sir, This morning (Saturday, October 19), I witnessed an incident which bothered me well into the evening to the point where I felt compelled to write this letter.

At about 10.15 a.m. I walked into the People's Pharmacy on Victoria Street.

While in the store, I was approached and asked whether or not I had parked my vehicle in the parking bay designed for disabled persons as there was someone outside in need of my space which was being occupied.

I replied that it was not me. However, the driver of the vehicle was being sought by Mr. Pearman, father of the store's owners.

About a minute or so after I was approached, I went to the check-out counter to pay for my items. There was no-one at the counter but a black male. He was very tall, thin, bald, and relatively young.

Mr. Pearman approached him and respectfully asked him in a very quiet tone if HE was the driver of the vehicle in the handicapped bay. (I believe the vehicle in question was a Jeep).

The young male replied that he was. Mr. Pearman, still calm, then asked him why he had parked there as the spot is reserved for handicapped customers.

There was no apology or haste to move the car. Instead, the young male responded angrily by telling Mr. Pearman that he is man just like him and questioned Mr. Pearman as to why he couldn't pull him aside to ask him, and told him that if he had done so he would have moved the vehicle.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and was about to show my support to Mr.

Pearman by telling the young male that he was clearly wrong. But the black male's voice began to escalate.

There happened to be a white man standing next to Mr. Pearman at this time but before Mr. Pearman could even respond, the black male began shouting racial abuse about how Mr. Pearman was disrespecting him and how he would have been treated differently if he was white.

At this point, the black male's voice had escalated and I chose not to say anything to him because for the moment I truly sensed that he was going to strike a blow to Mr. Pearman.

The black male was enraged. He grabbed his purchases and stormed out of the store shouting, `this is what I mean about black people'.

As a 38-year-old black woman, I was insulted because I do not think he represented the black culture in a way that we would want to be represented.

I've yet to figure out exactly what he did mean about black people by his departing comment.

Most importantly, this young male disrespected a senior member of our community for absolutely no reason at all. The teaching of respect for my elders has never left me. My heart went out to Mr. Pearman.

I also felt badly for the white man who did not deserve to be subjected to this abuse. The racial comments and hostile behaviour are a clear examples of the actions which have been accepted as the norm for so many people in our community and cause for the rapid deterioration of the fibres of this Island once envied for its spirit of embracing everyone because they are people first and foremost.

This incident had nothing to do with black or white but was clearly a case of right versus wrong. I do not know Mr. Pearman personally but I called later in the evening to see if he was alright.

But perhaps if the young `man' in question reads this letter, or if someone has heard him brag about hid disrespectful conduct, he should perhaps do the manly thing and offer Mr. Pearman an apology for his inappropriate behaviour.

MRS. S. SOMNER Southampton