May 2, 2003

Dear Sir,

I note that the year's free telecommunications licence which was granted to Fresh Creations in June of 2002 is nearly up, yet still there is no programming on Cable Channel 3. I feel the community's interests would have been better served by continuing the Community Notice Board for the public until such time as Fresh Creations had been able to provide content for the channel. Instead all we see is the same tired logo in various hues.

Please bring back the Community Notice Board.

WATCHING

Sandys

Treat priests differently

April 29, 2003

Dear Sir,

The recent pronouncement attributed to the Minister of Home Affairs regarding the placement of priests who are Bermudian is one which causes me a great deal of concern and anguish. In general terms the protection of the rights of Bermudians is exactly as it should be - we should expect to be offered positions in the public and private sector for which we meet the qualifications required and where we satisfy all of the selection criteria. In matters of the church, however, it is not such an open and shut case, especially having regard to the selection of a parish priest.

The parish priest is responsible for the spiritual development and nourishment of his flock. It is through his ministry that he brings us to a love of Jesus Christ and we look to him to help us achieve that which we seek. He is our shepherd and leads us in the way to our Lord. He instructs us in our faith and helps those of us who struggle with some of its concepts to develop and strengthen our faith. His own faith serves as an example and it is his theological training that fits him to guide us.

The role of a priest in the context of a parish is a multi-faceted one, however, and the suitability of a priest for pastoral duties in any parish setting requires him to have many more qualities than just his theological training or past experience.

In order for a parish priest to be suitable to us we need to be able to establish a deeper relationship beyond the purely academic aspects of theology.

We need someone who is there for us from cradle to grave, he baptises us, prepares our confirmation, marries us and, ultimately, buries us. He is a marriage counsellor, a grief counsellor, a confidant and advisor for families with substance abuse problems, a pillar of strength for us when we face terminal illness, a resource for us in all manner of personal crisis we may face individually or as a family. We need to be able to love our priest and to feel that love reciprocated. We need to be able to trust our priest and feel that he will not betray that trust. We need to know that we can turn to him for comfort, healing and prayer. A priest, in effect, becomes a member of our family and our love for him is akin to that of a man for his wife, a parent for his child.

In the Anglican Church the selection process for a new priest starts with the members of the parish for which he is being sought. The parishioners seek a person in whom they perceive they can place their trust, with whom they believe they can develop and enjoy this deeper relationship. Once they have made their selection then it is referred to the Bishop who will, at the very least, satisfy himself as to the theological aspects of the applicant and who will ultimately be responsible for licensing the applicant to serve in his diocese.

Herein lies the difficulty. The qualities a congregation seeks in a priest are highly subjective. The rules that the Minister of Home Affairs appears to be asserting are purely objective - if he's Bermudian and a priest then he must be given the job.

This hard-nosed approach will likely result in the disruption of a congregation as its unsatisfied members move to another church where they feel they will be more comfortable and be better served. Surely the right of a congregation to choose its priest transcends the rights of a priest who just happens to be Bermudian?

I write this as an Anglican but I believe that the issues are universal and affect all denominations represented in the island. I guess it comes down to this - does the State have the right to interfere with the Church in the conduct of its affairs?

PETER NASH

Smith's Parish

April 27, 2003

Dear Sir,

In our free and democratic society we value our right to elect every four years or so our parliamentary representative. Those elected are responsible for forming a government, reviewing our laws and managing the civil institutions and facilities which we all share and use.

We do not welcome these public officials in our private lives or businesses. Certainly public officials should not encroach on our spiritual lives.

There is a great diversity of churches in Bermuda and congregations of each church should be free to select their own spiritual leaders.

A stable and good society needs the separate influences of a good government, a strong family and a supportive church.

It is not prudent for the churches to try and influence its members on their selection of Parliamentarians. Nor is it prudent for Government officials to interfere in the selection of spiritual leaders.

When the residents of an electoral district select a representative for their district that person has a say in the management of the entire island. Likewise a priest should and always has been free to preach the word of the Lord where ever invited to do so on our island.

Good and successful leaders of both the Church and Government can best promote harmony in our society when they concentrate on their area of responsibility.

The old philosophy of separation between Church and State is a wise and prudent one.

MILES OUTERBRIDGE

St. David's

April 23, 2003

Dear Sir,

I read, with interest the front page story of the Bermuda Sun today, 23 April.

As a matter of interest - I wonder if the Prophetees Alicia Perry who is visiting the Island from Washington D.C. (since March of this year!) who has visited with the Premier and various political and religious leaders, holding conferences and lecturing, holds a work permit for this purpose!!! If so, who applied and paid for it and is now paying her fees?

Different stroke for different folks?

WATCHING AND WAITING

Paget

April 28, 2003

Dear Sir,

I hope yesterday's shooting, has been an eye opener to us. It was both senseless and tragic. My condolences go out to the family of Shaundae Jones. And in my opinion it could have been avoided. Let me explain why.

1) The Commissioner of Police needs to get out his office a little more, because for some reason he believes that this Island has neither gang or gun problems. He also believes that he doesn't have a manpower problem. If this is the case then explain to the people of Bermuda why every weekend, your PSU (Police Support Unit) is constantly being called out to stop violent fights in and outside of nightclubs because a gang of guys from the East don't like a gang of guys from the West? If we don't have a gun problem, then how come this year along, one young boy was hit by gunfire three months ago from today and there were three reports made to Police about the sound of gunfire in the western parishes this week alone - including yesterday's fatal shooting.

If the police don't have a man power shortage, then why are there only one to three officers reporting to work in various stations on a night shift (12 am- 8 am), resulting in the previous shift having to stay on sometimes four to eight extra hours to compensate for lack of men power? (These statements are not fiction they fact) Commissioner Smith, I am not saying you're a bad leader, I just think you need to be a little more truth full with us when it comes to our safety.

2) Anthony Butterfield (Owner/manager at Club Malabar), your club needs to be shut down. In July 2001, when the club was Showtime, a fight started at that club which resulted in a young man losing his life at the Ice Queen.

3) Last but not least, to our current Government, (The Smith Government) please get off your high horse and do something for this country rather than yourselves. How soon we forget where we came from. In my opinion you have done nothing for this country. Why are you so anti-police? Why won't you do anything to help the men and women who try to protect this country?

Please increase their budget so that they may have the numbers and equipment to deal with the violence and crime that is poisoning our tiny island. Bermuda we can not put a price tag on crime. Shouldn't the Government be backing up the police rather than placing the blame for criminal activity on them.

Maybe because the Premier has never had the Laurels broken into or defaced, she thinks that Bermuda is still a safe place to live. Oh that's right I almost forgot she has police protection outside of her home 24 hours a day. Unfortunately this is not a luxury that we al can have. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that she shouldn't have this protection. After all she is the leader of the country. Even if most times she allows her Government to do more for them than they do for us. (I'll be voting for the party that has the people's best interest at hart this election year. Wake up PLP.)

It would not be fair of me to blame only the three above mentioned persons, for the increasing outbreak in violence. This is a community problem. Parents please talk to your children, find out what is on their minds. You'll only know their troubles if you ask them. Young brothers and sisters of Bermuda we need to come together and stop the violence, because if this country is to have any chance of survival you have to do your part.

If you know anyone who has excess to a firearm or weapon or maybe someone with a plan to harm others, it is your duty as a citizen of Bermuda to tell someone. Because if you don't you will have blood on your hands. I am sure that if Tekle or Shaundae where able to come back to us for only but a minute they would tell us to stop the violence, because they now know the pain and the grief that their meaningless and untimely deaths have caused to their families and the families of the ones who took their lives.

Nobody wins with violence. Let's not let these young men have died for nothing. If you're going to retaliate, do it by making a stand against violence and crime. Remember that you are our future and you are the path to a future for your children to come. Crime is something we all can help to kerb. It is not just the responsibility of the police to stop it.

Let's make this a safe and peaceful Bermuda for all of us.

J. SEYMOUR

Sandys Parish

May 1, 2003

Dear Sir,

I am writing to you in response to our Governor being "asked" to step down from the opening of this year's Agricultural Exhibition, which I still find difficult to have to now refer to as the "Annual Exhibition. I have a few questions that I would like to see answered and I am fairly sure that I am not the only Bermudian that wants these answers.

I would really like to know what purpose our Premier had for opening this year's Exhibition when tradition has always been for the Governor to open. This would not bother me so much except for the fact that it appears "no one" seems to know why our Premier did this.

What really intrigues me is that people have questioned this action, yet no reply has been given. Is it possible our Premier herself does not know why she decided to break Bermuda tradition? I have heard a lot of "talk" about this being an election year and this action being of a political nature.

I do not see how changing the name of our Exhibition or asking the Governor to step down from its opening has anything to do with our Premier's political popularity. Especially sine our Exhibition is not, nor ever has been, political in nature.

However, this letter is not intended to take any sides or to bad mouth anyone. I am simply curious as to why our Premiere took such an action and why she feels the need to keep her reasons, for doing so, a secret from our community. I have seen our Premier surround her actions in mystery before and then (in one case) deny them on live television.

If this was a political action, I feel justified in saying that I do not think it worked to our Premier's advantage. If it was done for other reason, then my one question still remains. Why?

TONY P. DESILVA

Devonshire