No obscene gestures

June 9, 2010

Dear Sir,

I understand that the media will provide pictures wherever possible to highlight a printed article, but don't you think publishing photographs of people making obscene hand gestures is inappropriate as we have young people who read the papers too? I thought the first one I saw a few weeks ago was an oversight by The Gazette's editing team, then I saw the one today (June 9, 2010) regarding a drug smuggler. Good way to set a good example to the youth of Bermuda. Just a thought.

CLAIRE L. ALMEIDA

City of Hamilton

Why apologise?

June 8, 2010

Dear Sir,

There is a saying, "Out of the mouths of babes comes the truth!" Senator Marc Bean is a babe when it comes to politics; therefore, his comments regarding the educational system are true. The only thing wrong with his comments is that he graded the system too high and now I read in today's Royal Gazette that he has apologised for making these comments because he has upset his colleagues and party members. Senator Bean's comments were: "My Government, from 1998 to today, has failed. I give my Government a triple F and although the education system was put in place before the Progressive Labour Party was elected into Government, the party had not done enough to improve it. It's like we bought a house built on sand and instead of fixing it we've changed the curtains and we've changed the tiles."

That statement was the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so why would he apologise for that? This is another failure of some PLP Senators, Ministers, MPs and supporters — they do not stand for the truth, and too many justify wrong. So what really happened here? Did he apologise because his colleagues and party members were so upset with him, or was he told to apologise or else and if they were upset with him for telling the truth, then it is obvious what sort of mindset we are dealing with here. I personally do not trust anyone who at first tells the truth, and then when their back is up against the wall, retracts that statement to cover themselves. I also don't trust the person that tells deliberate lies to cover themselves or to advance their position.

Sen. Bean recently called a group of people protesting the possible rape of Southlands "pimps and prostitutes." What does he think his retraction makes him? What does it make Wedco and the Government in the Jim Butterfield cement company affair? Pimps and prostitutes! Surely, one cannot trust a pimp or a prostitute as they are only out to get all they can. That's why they are pimps and prostitutes! Unfortunately, integrity, honour, and the like are sorely missing in leadership and in society today and too few seem to care. We all make mistakes and at times say the wrong things, but when deliberate absolutely no excuse.

PAT FERGUSON

Warwick

A surprising view

June 8, 2010

Dear Sir,

After reading the article on the front page of the June 4, 2010 edition of your paper, I would like to comment on Senator Marc Bean's statement regarding the place of the woman in a family. While I applaud the Senator for seeking to discuss the hugely important issues of race, education and culture, it is surprising in 2010 that there is still a perception, or an expectation, that women should be the "centre of the family unit" and that a union in which the woman is more financially successful somehow dooms the marriage to failure.

The fact that women are still not in positions equal to men in most of the world's political and business institutions, including our own, is what the Senator should focus on.

Women have come a long way but clearly not far enough when men in our community cannot respect them for their achievements, but rather deride them because they might earn more than the man they choose to live with. Perhaps he should look more closely at why women remain the apparently lone centre of the family unit, despite equal or greater stress in their work life than their husbands/partners. Why are those men not sharing that responsibility? Or is that the fault of the women too?

ROBIN MAYOR

City of Hamilton

Bean's political claptrap

June 8, 2010

Dear Sir,

In The Royal Gazette of June 8, 2010, PLP Sen. Marc Bean apologises to his party colleagues for lambasting their education policies. Why does he feel a need to apologise when indeed he is speaking the truth? Perhaps he went along with the apology to position himself for the next election; to ensure he gets a constituency. In his "declared apology" he has also tried his best to gain favour by demonising the United Bermuda Party by saying the PLP Government "since 1998 [has] striven to overcome the failed education system, the economic inequity and the institutional racism that they inherited from the former Government.".

Sir, this is total rubbish and political claptrap. I expected better from a young political hopeful. Obviously, he has taken dictation from the PLP spinmeisters and the truth has once again got buried beneath hogwash. The facts clearly show that prior to 1998 the graduation rates at our high schools were higher than they are now. In addition, economic opportunities were greater for many because the governments of the day insisted on open tendering and the spreading of contracts widely within the community, with particular emphasis on small businesses. This stands in contrast with the few who benefit from Government handouts today.

Sen. Bean's assertion that the United Bermuda Party Government was responsible for institutional racism is simply more bunk, for it was the same government that passed the 1981 Human Rights Act that has protected the rights of Bermudians ever since. I haven't, by the way, seen or heard of one conviction in our courts where institutional racism was alleged. Telling the truth does not require an apology. The truth will set you free. The Senator was "free" for a couple of days until PLP handlers got hold of him.

ALLAN D. MARSHALL JP

Hamilton South

A man of the people

June 9, 2010

Dear Sir,

I would just like to say that I lend my full support to UBP candidate Jeff Sousa to be selected in his constituency to be the UBP runner in the next General Election. I canvassed with him and saw for myself the warm welcome he received in his community. He is a native to the area. His family was the first family on Burnt House Hill within his constituency. His place of work that he built up himself is also in Warwick. I know he is the best candidate. He is easily approachable, level headed, and a very hard worker. He will stand up for the people of his constituency and for Bermudians at large. He will make a great candidate and heal the wounds caused by his shallow predecessor. I ask that people judge Jeff not by his UBP predecessor. He is a man of the people.

ROBERT DAVIES

Devonshire

11 signs of The End

June 8, 2010

Dear Sir,

You know you are living in the last days when:

¦ $800 million and debt are mentioned in the same sentence as Bermuda.

¦ Dolphins have more expensive digs than most Bermudians

¦ Gambling machines are considered a new revenue generating stream for sports clubs.

¦ An antiroyalist accepts a Queen's Honour. Oh my!

¦ The PLP have more foreign consultants than that other party did.

¦ Under a PLP government approximately 30 percent of your workforce is on work permits.

¦ A Radical Doc swims in harmony with a Capitalist Swan. Hmmmm!

¦ A doctor denies more times than Judas.

¦ Nixon could teach our politicians a thing or two about ethics.

¦ When Cuckoo and CoCo are synonymous

¦ A Champagne Dame makes a doctor look lame...

CAPTAIN WILLIARD

Pembroke

On the verge of a new age

June 5, 2010

Dear Sir,

It is with sadness that I have witnessed the comments in the media recently about the childbirth situation here in Bermuda and specifically about home birth. It seems that despite attempts to bring the various stake holders together, the opinions of many are as polarised and uncompromising as ever.

If we acknowledge that birth is a life-changing event and that the care given to women and their partners during labour has the potential to affect them physically and emotionally in the short and longer term, we as professionals are beholden to do everything we can to ensure that how a baby is born and the environment in which it is born is the best it can be.

The home birth/hospital birth and midwife/obstetric care debates are ongoing throughout the developed world. They started with the recognition that the medicalisation of birth decades ago seemed to bring huge benefits improved maternal and infant mortality rates but for a while the excitement of technological change drowned out the emotional and psychological needs of the mother and child. Thus the protocols for modern childbirth were established: it worked, it improved death rates, but it didn't, on the whole, encourage a holistic approach, so many sought alternatives to a process they saw as alienating and controlled by the medical profession.

In contrast, in the four years that I have been involved in childbirth in Bermuda I have seen the obstetricians listening to women, offering more choices and changing practice to accommodate desires. I believe we have obstetricians who recognise the value of midwifery care and the benefits of supporting physiologic birth but who also have to work in an environment governed by protocols and the pressures of medico-legal requirements and threats. I have seen the hospital endeavouring under the excellent guidance of Janet Whelan and Christine Virgil to bring more women-centred care; trying to bring together and unify the midwifery staff who come from differing training and birth culture backgrounds. I am not saying that there is no room for change, and I suspect they would be the first to admit it, but change is afoot.

I have also seen the homebirth movement develop. Largely due to the laudable desire and efforts of Sophia Cannonier Watson to create a safe homebirthing environment in Bermuda and take it out of the realms of an underground situation, she has secured the services of a very experienced midwife who has made great efforts to meet all the stakeholders here involved in childbirth to reassure and communicate with them. We know that research shows that in low risk women, homebirth is as safe as hospital birth.

We also know that if something goes unexpectedly wrong during labour at home the outcome for the mother and baby could be worse than if they were in the hospital with access to specialised care. It is holding these two facts in balance that is so essential to those on both sides of the debate. It should also be acknowledged that although ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) does not support homebirths, the RCOG (a similar organisation in the UK) has drawn different conclusions.

"The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) support home birth for women with uncomplicated pregnancies. There is no reason why home birth should not be offered to women at low risk of complications and it may confer considerable benefits for them and their families. There is ample evidence showing that labouring at home increases a woman's likelihood of a birth that is both satisfying and safe, with implications for her health and that of her baby".

From my perspective as a nurse, childbirth educator and doula, I recognise a priority for evidence-based care. These were the conclusions of a report which looked at the current state of maternity care in the USA:

"Evidence-based maternity care uses the best available research on the safety and effectiveness of specific practices to help guide maternity care decisions and to facilitate optimal outcomes in mothers and newborns. Although the field of pregnancy and childbirth pioneered evidence-based practice, resulting in a wealth of good guidance for evidence-based maternity care, there remains a widespread and continuing underuse of beneficial practices, overuse of harmful or ineffective practices, and uncertainty about effect of inadequately assessed practices." ("Evidence Based Maternity Care: What is it and What it Can Achieve" Childbirth Connection, The Reforming States Group and the Milbank Memorial Fund 2008)

We need to recognise that often the usual ways of practising frequently do not reflect the best evidence about safe, effective maternity care. Those who seek alternatives are often doing so in recognition of this and in exasperation that their needs are not being acknowledged or respected. I would like to think we may be on the verge of a new age in childbirth here in Bermuda. It may be that both sides will have to compromise, to agree to differ but also to recognise value in each other's positions. I believe we have the potential to make Bermuda a centre of excellence in the area of childbirth, giving women the options they deserve, in an evidence-based maternity environment. The potential to improve maternity care here is within our reach, but none of us can do it alone.

FIONA DILL

Pembroke

Just too big

June 10, 2010

Dear Sir,

All credit to Sir John Swan ... I'm not sure how he did it but I must assume that the now almost complete monster building at Spurling Hill does have every permission required by law. It seems most of us have been struck dumb with its sheer size It may well be "green", which is commendable, and I don't mind the blue windows but it is just too big. It does not fit in with anything and ruins the Spurling Hill/Middle Road entrance to town. And the views from Harbour Road. Perhaps the planners could just admit they made a mistake. It's not the first and I'm sure will not be the last. But what a legacy to Sir John!

TONY P

Smith's

Practice what you preach

June 9, 2010

Dear Sir,

Last week, a group of presumptuous door-to-door preachers parked their cars in front of our home and in front of the neighbour's driveway. They collected their Bibles and literature and begin to walk away from their vehicles. When kindly asked to park somewhere else, I received a quick and smart response, "The owner of the house said we had permission to park here!"

The lady never once asked if permission was granted and assumed that the home belonged to someone else. In actual fact, the homeowner is our deceased father who can only be reached at his current resting place. I really wished the lady hadn't been so quick to respond. I wish she had thought about what she was saying and just spoke the truth. How upsetting it was to know that a pushy preacher thought they had the right to park on private property and then lie about the permission to do so. Perhaps she should practice what she preaches!

WATCHING FROM THE TOWER

Smith's

Where is the outrage?

June 9, 2010

Dear Sir,

I was interested to see by the addresses given in the Legal Notices of Intended Marriage published today that out of 47 overseas couples travelling to Bermuda for destination weddings, 42 are living together already. Disregarding the minute possibility that one or two of these couples may be living together in chastity, that means that almost 90 percent of this group of "Wedding Tourists" are to put it bluntly fornicators.

So I ask: Where are our unappointed watchdogs of sexuality, the Church Lobby? Where is the talk of protests to protect Bermuda's spotless morality? Where are the offers to counsel sinners so they can repent of their wrongful lifestyle? At the very least our churchmen could "enter caveat" with the Registrar General to stipulate that these marriages should not proceed until the question of prior immorality is resolved. When it comes to religious policing of tourism, what's good for the gay goose should be good for the guilty gander.

MARK BURGESS

City of Hamilton