Random drug tests

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

Today's issue of The Royal Gazette regarding the creation of a “New Drug Ministry” quotes the Premier as follows - “The community will be most impressed and encouraged the Government is now putting full attention - a Minister for drugs.”

Let us pray the Minister will be AGAINST, and most definitely, not FOR drugs.

To this end may I suggest the first order of business on the Minister's “agenda” should be the imposition of random drug test for all members of Parliament on the Government side as has been the case for the Opposition for some time.

DAVID M. SKINNER

Smith's

Doctor didn't deserve this

October 22, 1005

Dear Sir,

Just another bit of support of the good Dr. J.J. Soares. From the time he took over from Dr. Eugene Harvey, I have come to know and appreciate this man who I have much confidence in. Dr. Soares has proven himself to be a man of integrity, kindness and fairness. It did not take him very long to win my confidence after I chose to make him my Practitioner when Dr. Harvey retired. Not only is he a man who listens but also a compassionate man. I am “hard pressed” to accept he is prejudiced and said or did those things those men claim he did. Besides to “gang up” on him the way they did in my opinion was inexcusable. He did not deserve to be treated the manner in which they treated him. The question begs answering as to why after beating the doctor they then proceeded to rob him while he was unconscious.

What seems obvious here, is a now too familiar “wild dog” gang like mentality that is in our society right now.

The judgments and sentences meted out in my opinion were not severe enough. A very strong message needs to be sent out that we here in this Island will not tolerate such behaviour. To Dr. Soares, I hope you consider your thoughts about packing up and moving out as you said you might do. I also hope and pray your healing is now fully complete and also you will find it in the kindness of your heart to forgive those men who did what they did to you. To those of you who beat up my doctor “shame on you”. I just hope the day does not come that this same doctor may have to come to your aid in his professional capacity because somebody did to you what you did to him.

ONE OF DR. SOARES PATIENTS

Smith's Parish

Unnecessary worry

November 9, 2005

Dear Sir,

Allow me to respond to Mr. Dobson's letter in yesterday's Royal Gazette.

If the H5N1 strain of avian flu reaches Bermuda, the vector(s) would be - in order of probability:

1) M+igrating infected birds landing in Bermuda and having close contact with local birds of any species.

2) Humans travelling to high risk areas in the East and having close contact with live infected bird(s)/humans working closely with birds and then coming to Bermuda and working with birds.

3) The import of live, infected birds.

My European veterinary colleagues are working from all angles to prevent the introduction into feral and domestic birds, particularly in Eastern Europe in areas close to Turkey.

Mr. Dobson's and unscientific targeting of the local pigeon (not a migrating species) and feral chicken in my opinion should be regarded for what it is: opportunistic fear mongering, which will give our residents unnecessary worry.

The effective measures the appropriate instance in Bermuda should take, include:

1) The immediate banning of importation of all live birds, including and especially psittacines.

2) Immigration/entry control of people who have travelled to or worked in those areas - mostly the Far East - affected by H5N1 to rule out contact with avian stock or those working closely with avian stock.

3) The careful monitoring of migrating birds landing or blown off course to Bermuda, to determine their point of origin (and in this area, Mr. Dobson could make a worthwhile contribution).

4) Routine sampling and monitoring of any lingering weak or dead migrating birds for the H5N1 virus.

DR. A. M. WARE-CIETERS M.R.C.V.S

Pembroke

Editor's note: This letter was copied to the Minister of the Environment.

Reinstate O'Connell

November 5, 2005

Dear Sir,

Some Bermudians found Premier Scott's recent e-mail reference to Mr. Brannon to be highly inappropriate, in fact, a racial slur.

The Right Honourable Alex Scott strongly denied the accusation, insisting that, far from being a racial slur, his comment did not even contain a racial reference, direct or indirect.

My husband, Sean O'Connell, after 29 years of dedicated service to the College and to the community, was fired for a totally innocent comment taken completely out of context, a remark that had no racial reference, direct or indirect.

Can we look forward then to the Right Honourable Alex Scott doing the right and honourable thing and supporting Dr. O'Connell's immediate reinstatement as a matter of decency and justice?

CELIA O'CONNELL

Hamilton Parish

We need to get tough

October 23, 2005

Dear Sir,

There was a time when the Police would impound our bicycles if they were making too much noise but now bicycles are making twice as much noise and the Police are doing nothing and this is one of the reasons why so many children what they want. What has happened to the Police? Why isn't the cycle squad doing its job? Are the Police afraid. Are they incompetent? If the Police and/or the Government do not do anything about this it will only further deteriorate a generation of children who already know that they won't get any licks in school. For some erroneous reason the Government outlawed licks in schools and let all the horses out of the stables, took away order and created disorder.

There is so much disorder that children are doing heroin at the age of 17. The horses are out of the stables and we need to get tough, real tough if we are going to save our children and our country.

UNITY SAVES

Sandys Parish

‘Momentum can't stop'

November 13, 2005

Dear Sir,

The Bermuda Against Narcotics rally ... was it an event or was it an initiative?

If it was an event, then 12 months from now nothing will have changed and some other group will be staging another event on the similar topic of drug dealers and pushers. If it was an initiative, then the rally was the first step. The rally on Court Street was said to be an overwhelming success, but I say an initiative is a very long way from success.

There are drug dealers and users in areas about this Island that will not and cannot show their faces on Court Street or anywhere outside of their neighbourhood. Some are prisoners in their own homes and, yes, some are prisoners of Her Majesty. They will never see or hear first hand what your rally was about. Every dealer and user in known drug areas in this country needs to and must see the people who spoke at the rally, their serious and positive attitudes about BAN.

Take the same rally you had on Court Street everywhere. This initiative cannot be watered down in any way and the momentum cannot stop. It must show the impact that was shown on Court Street and may need to be repeated so that we all get the message.

Remember, these people are habitual and addicted and some making a lot of money. To change this mindset will take consistent rallying. The fights against drugs over the years have always been looked at as just jokes and this cannot continue. Do all of you who spoke so passionately at the rally and who vowed to stand by Bermuda Against Narcotics want to be counted as just another joke? Answer yourself and be true. Take the initiative. Convince me and then I will help.

GERALD BEAN

Paget

Ill at ease?

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

I had nothing better to do this evening than to ponder the following:

Do we use the term ‘HSBC' when fostering palatable ideas and ‘The Bank of Bermuda' to convey less savoury ones?

During their respective November 3 interview, both Messrs. Butterfield and Gardner seemed very ill at ease in their task of promoting the new (second, Easterly) Monolith - or was it just my imagination?

STILL WONDERING

Smith's Parish

Coming to our aid

November 2, 2005

Dear Sir,

This should end the Independence issue.

What happens to Bermudians when ties with a global power are severed and become targets of kidnap for profit factions or hostage situations? Is anyone on this Island willing to put the fate of their loved ones in the hands of the boneheads running this Island (into the ground)? Who will come to their aid, Lt. Col. Cornrow, “beam me up” Scotty? Ha .. .it makes me cringe to think of the types waiting for England's comforting blanket of security to be stripped away from our affluent multi-racial society.

MORALITY FIRST

Devonshire

Wonderful performance

November 4, 2005

Dear Sir,

I am a Bermudian who now lives abroad, but have been here in Bermuda on a visit for a short while.

One of the reasons for my current visit has been to ensure that I was able to see the October, 2005 production of “Cabaret” staged by the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bermuda.

I would like to add my very positive comments about this cultural event which was excellent. The cast, production crew, orchestra and all the myriad of people who so willingly give of their time and talents are to be warmly congratulated.

Thank you G&S you are going from strength to strength. Please keep up the good work

PHILIP COPELAND

Costa Rica

Close the road

October 22, 2005

Dear Sir,

I would like to know why Alexandra Road that was closed for years at one end was opened some time ago? No one living near it and now is affected by the amount of cycles using it. They had no idea how many cycles would use it. They go so fast, just like jets at the Airport and many go on down the road to Forth Hill at the same speed. It is only for the Lord that some people have not been knocked down and killed. It should have a turn still or more and only walkers use it. Why was safety first not used? It will be too late if something is not done at once. Those that opened it please close it and do use your brains.

BRAINS

Devonshire

Playing by the rules

November 9, 2005

Dear Sir,

I wonder whether Mr. P's new Government propaganda television station will fall under the same political broadcasting rules as the local commercial stations. They are required during an election period to give the full right of reply to the Opposition. I won't hold my breath.

LC

Warwick

Traffic threats

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

There are many Driving Instruction Schools in Bermuda and as in all endeavours, there are some instructors who are better than others.

There are three practices that I notice while driving our roads that I believe are not discussed enough during the instruction phase.

Every day I come upon someone who is entering the major carriageway from a minor, and proceeds while looking steadily to their left when the initial traffic threat will be coming from their right.

Persons who stop their vehicles at night and leave the headlights on make it almost impossible for approaching motorists to see beyond the plane of those headlights. Someone could be standing in the road just back of those lights and motorists approaching would not see them until it was too late to avoid an accident.

I was taught many moons ago that when there was an obstruction on your side of the road then you waited until there was no conflicting traffic approaching and then and only then you would cross over the dividing line to pass the obstruction. Not so today, as it seems that the cars being driven by these drivers do not have brake pedals, because the drivers never stop for anything but just cross over to the other side, forcing oncoming traffic to brake sharply to avoid meeting head on. What makes it worse is that these drivers look at you with the attitude that you are at fault for not letting them have the right of way.

BILL NEARON

Pembroke

Buck stops at the top

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

What on earth is the matter with this country that has so much going for it? Mistakes, inaccuracies, lies, half truths, corruption, subterfuge, political spin, broken promises, gross over-spending and late completion of projects and so on and so on.

Then we, finally, have an apology from most of the members of BIC - why not all of them? And what an apology - blaming the whole referendum issue on “endless re-drafts and edits what had led to what it admitted was a misleading and inaccurate statement”. So whose ultimate responsibility is it to ensure that the document is not flawed? The Chairman, of course, and in this case someone who should know better - I hope he feels as foolish as many feel him to be.

Unfortunately, BIC is now disbanded and the accountability of the Chairman and committee members is presumably at an end so that blame can be placed on anyone or anything with impunity. Even more unfortunately this type of “passing off” seems to have drifted through the mists surrounding the Hill to “P” who is now blaming his Ministers for lack of performance. Surely the buck stops at the top and the Boss offers his head to the Executioner, not his underlings. One has to wonder who will wield the knife and rid us of this bauble and what “P's” response will be - “et tu, Brute”?

A. GOODFELLOW

Paget

Rain ... what rain?

November 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

After not being able to attend the Edinburgh Tattoo in 2003, I was totally elated to hear we were having one of our own and what an enjoyable event. Now, I really do not mind not being able to get to Edinburgh. But I do have the CD offered on their website.

I've since heard people talking about the rain on that last (Saturday) night. Rain? What rain? When you're having that much fun, rain pales to insignificance. I'm sure we all can recall other times in our lives when that was the case. The performers and organisers should be thoroughly be proud of themselves.

And now, after mentioning “performers”, where on earth was (steel pan player) Robert Symons? I can safely say that it had to be an awfully powerful reason for him not to have been included.

I can also safely vouch for his integrity, and therefore can't expect the official reason (for his exclusion) to be worth much.

C.K. SIMONS

Sandys