Checking the grammar

July 8, 2010

Dear Sir,

I hesitate to correct anyone on grammar issues but with students reading The Royal Gazette it's important that newspapers don't make grammatical errors. A frequent error by The Royal Gazette is using plural instead of singular nouns. Today's sports section has a headline "Bermuda show fight but still lose etc." That is a terminological inexactitude. The headline should read "Bermuda shows fight etc. Bermuda is singular, not plural. For students benefit please use some form of grammar check.

ARCY DUBYA

Paget

Editor's note: It is common practice for newspapers that follow British style to treat sports teams as collective nouns. Although Bermuda is singular, the players making up the Bermuda team are plural, thus "Bermuda win". This practice is not followed in US newspapers and remains a subject of lively debate among newspaper grammarians.

Seeing through visor ban

July 7, 2010

Dear Sir,

Please allow me one final response to the proponents of the tinted visor ban such as "ban the visors" and Mr. Ray. As I stated in my previous letter we already have a ban on firearms, but people are still using them! It is naive to think that simply banning something will lead to a change in behaviour. The point that I was trying to make is that the persons responsible for these shootings have already shown a disregard for life and society's laws, so what makes you think that they will follow the law in regards to not using a tinted visor when carrying out these crimes? If the intention is to kill, why would they be afraid of using an illegal visor? If firearms can be smuggled here so easily, how will we be able to stop a tinted piece of plastic from getting in?

We can ban dark sunglasses next, and all types of masks (halloween, dust, etc), but all we would be doing is disenfranchising and alienating law-abiding citizens once again, and the criminals carry on as usual! The criminals do not respect or care about the law! We need to get back to being a community that cares about each other and takes interest in what's going on in our neighbourhoods. These are our sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews, cousins, and neighbours committing these crimes and it's up to us, the families, to stand up and be honest about some of the negative behaviours going on.

DAVID WILLIAMS

Sandys

Childish behaviour

July 6, 2010

Dear Sir,

Manners! I was shocked and disgusted to read in the July 1, 2010 Royal Gazette, that Home Affairs Minister Sen. David Burch tore up and returned a letter, written to him by the Mayor of Hamilton, Charles Gosling and sent it back to him in pieces! I have never seen such a display of rudeness, disrespect and childish behaviour from anyone, let alone a representative of government. I want to cry when I think that this type of ill mannered behaviour is permitted. All I can say is "God help us all!"

M.L.TRIMINGHAM

Smith's parish

P.s. Why can't we all work together and form one party whose only interest is the well-being of Bermuda and her people?

Rest the racecard

July 4, 2010

Dear Sir,

It would appear that the only person fixated on race in the row over GlobalHue's performance is the Premier himself. I offer his own words as proof... "If you are not the biggest known on Madison Avenue, you cannot have brains? Mr. Coleman happens to be a black gentleman who owns a very successful ad agency that has done excellent work for Bermuda's Department of Tourism.

"I find it ironic that certain members of the Opposition never fail to malign companies doing business with this Government that are owned by blacks or that are owned by whites who are friends of this Government. That is very tragic?"

The above quote from the Premier represents the first time race was used in the conversation. The opposition is critical of GlobalHue because of the lack of a proper tendering process and their iffy at best performance since then. This use of race by the PLP to deflect attention from the real pressing issues and answers that the people of Bermuda need is getting old. Someone needs to inform them that there are 52 cards in the deck... please give the racecard a rest.

CLINTON J.A. PAYNTER

St. George's

Police weren't interested

July 7, 2010

Dear Sir,

What has happened to The Police Service? I have just hung up the phone after speaking to a female Police Officer at Somerset Police Station, it's 6.25 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7, 2010. I explained to her that I had just returned home from South Shore Warwick, where I noticed an almost new motor scooter hidden in the bushes with the registration plate missing. I was immediately told there was nothing the Police could do if the registration plate was missing. I explained that there was the make and other identifying marks on the bike, to which she again said: "There's nothing we can do."

I then said: "If I steal 20 bikes and take them to South Shore, take off the registration plates and leave them to be stripped, you are saying there's nothing the Police can do?" She replied: "Yes Sir, that's right." I am sure this is a stolen bike and as the Police have no intention of helping the owner recover their bike. I will see if I can help! If anyone has had an EVT bike, white colour with a black plastic carrier box on the back stolen, please feel free to contact me at 737-3483 and I will be more than willing to show you the location of this bike. Regardless of whether the bike had a licence plate or not, in my day we would have taken the callers name, location of the bike and checked it out.

DAI JAMES

Ex-Cop!

Warwick

An incompetent government

July 4, 2010

Dear Sir,

In response to Leslie E. Swan's (June 28) reply to my Letter to the Editor, I was not speaking for, nor on behalf of black/white Bermudians, I was making a (factual) comment only. This Government is an embarrassment not only for their racial remarks, but their total incompetence.

Would a competent Government:

• Spend so much money on consultants if they had the skill sets required and knew what they were doing;

• Repeatedly revert to the racecard to avoid legitimate accountability;

• Revert to elitism/cronyism to secure their support base and ensure only a select few are rewarded for their "loyalty".

• Repeatedly overrule the processes and procedures of the Island to benefit their own agenda (SDOs), not to mention every project is over budget and by millions! (OK, I will give credit for one project coming in on budget).

• Threaten either outright (Larry Dennis) or via innuendo (Customs) anyone who holds this Government to the same standard as any other person; I will go so far as to say with authority that the gatherings that took place a year ago June were on the most part white, because it was admitted over and over again by the blacks that they did not dare show their face for fear of reprisal. So much for freedom of speech. Nevertheless, the support from the blacks on the sidelines encouraging those who did have the courage of their conviction to make a stand were hailed for doing so. Does the fact that many blacks are intimidated by this Government not make one proud?

• Not respecting the will of the majority (gaming; now the bullying tactics with corporations of Hamilton/St. George); What part of NO is this Government not understanding?

• The audacity to justify racial nonsense as 'payback' when speaking of about any situation, and more specifically the outrageous treatment of Jim Butterfield and his cement business is beyond logic.

• Refrain from giving the seniors a meagre increase in their pensions when apparently $800,000 is available to spend on, yes consultants, to take over the corporations!

Regarding my race, I am of the human race. Since I absolutely believe that we are all created equal, (meaning one race has no higher/lower value than any other). When we chose to allow others to rule our thinking, or worse, permit our own thinking to assume how others feel about us, then we are indeed slaves. We continue the cycle by teaching our children to think as we do and we wonder why there is no progression and we are in a never ending cycle. As Dr. Phil would ask, "how's that working for ya"?

Again I repeat, Wake up Bermuda! The group The Bermudians and Forum for Change, where are you? Get your voices back and get out there. Come on Opposition, get some teeth and stand up to these losers! Kudos to Bob Richards and Louise Jackson for finding their voice and standing for what is right. DAB, do any of you have a backbone? Speak up! Speaker of the House, shame on you for not chastising the inappropriate behaviour by allowing such rhetoric spewed by Derrick Burgess and others. Typical of the PLP's brow beaten representatives in not daring to oppose or stand against what they know in their heart and mind is wrong.

BERMUDA RISING

Pembroke

Save Island's soul

July 5, 2010

Dear Sir,

It is not my usual practice to write letters to the editor of any newspaper. It is even more rare for me to pen a note to The Royal Gazette, given that I live half way around the world. My background is: I was born in Bermuda, have relatives still living there and there may even be some friends who remember me. For the past 44 years I have lived, with my family, in both New Zealand and, currently, Australia. Whilst I have been away from "The Rock" for many years it has not diminished my affection, and loyalty, for the country of my birth and upbringing. It, therefore, concerns me that, according to media reports, it would seem the current government is determined to force the populace into doing whatever it wishes thereby totally ignoring the hopes and desires of the people. The latest insult being the planned takeover of The City of Hamilton.

A cynic might suggest there is an ulterior motive contemplated by your current premier. Indeed, he and his supporters have, apparently, completely overlooked the fact a government is elected by the people and for the people not, as it would seem, for the gratification of the governing body or individuals within that cabal. May I suggest, at the next election, Bermudians vote to more evenly balance the scales of government and rid themselves of this disease which now eats at the very soul of the Island. It is worth remembering: "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing (Edmund Burke 1729-97)"

RALPH LAWTON AAII, AIINZ

Pakenham, Victoria

Australia