Larry was a good friend

April 29, 2008

Dear Sir,

I just read your article about the sad death of Larry Thomas on Saturday morning.

Larry was a very good friend to me and our team while we were working and living in Bermuda on the Thyssen trial.

He always had a smile on his face and a big hug when I was feeling down.

I was hoping to catch up with him when I returned to Bermuda for a holiday.

Please pass my condolences on to his wife and family.

The good always go first.

STEVE TROMAN

London, UK

Improving road safety

April 29, 2008

Dear Sir,

The Government's response to the most recent and tragic death on our roads is that the Junior Minister for Transport felt "helpless".

Such a remark is a sad indictment of the current administration and its apparent lack of plans to improve the safety of Bermuda's roads. Surely by now the Government would have come up with a concrete plan to try and solve the problem of speed, drunk driving and general recklessness on Bermuda's roads. Rather than advising motorists to "heed the warnings", the Government should introduce legislation to deal with the issues.

The following initiatives (each of which was contained in the United Bermuda Party's 2007 Agenda for Change) may not have saved those who have sadly died on our roads in the past few months, but I believe they would have gone a long way to saving the lives of others in the future:

(i) Introduce speed cameras on our roads.

(ii) Work with the Police Service to establish national policing priorities to ensure the public's concerns about…traffic are dealt with.

(iii) Review road-maintenance policy and implement recommendations to improve the condition of our roads and keep them in satisfactory condition.

(iv) Work with the union to expand the bus timetable to later hours to reduce the number of drunken drivers on our roads.

(v) Commit to a visible police presence on the streets of Hamilton and in every parish, daytime and nighttime.

(vi) Establish performance indicators to measure and improve police performance – this would have included the traffic division.

(vii) Increase the Police presence in neighbourhoods by restoring the community beat officer programme with a full complement of officers – such an initiative would give intelligence to officers about speedways in Bermuda and encourage residents to make reports about stretches of road where speeding is a serious issue.

(viii) Equip every Police patrol vehicle with a GPS-based computer aided dispatching system to ensure rapid response of nearest available units to scenes of crime and traffic accidents - this would ensure officers would be better able to respond to incidents of drunk driving and speeding.

(ix) Undertake an immediate review of the police service manpower levels – this would include the traffic division.

(x) Expand the CCTV camera network and improve the monitoring of the cameras – this could be used to monitor certain roads where speeding is prolific and could be used to identify drunk drivers before they cause an accident.

Rather then feeling "helpless" perhaps the Government, and more importantly the Minister and Junior Minister of Transport, can take a page from the positive initiatives proposed by the United Bermuda Party which would improve road safety – initiatives that were accepted by more than 47 percent of the voting public.

MICHAEL M. FAHY

Chairman

United Bermuda Party

Where are we being led?

April 12, 2008

Dear Sir,

One more time as I sit and ponder on the Government of this island it really disturbs me. Over the years each party talks of Bermuda for Bermudians and the workforce grows, but not with Bermudians. It grows with imported labour. Let me say right now that is not the healthiest growth product, Government must learn to put its own people to work for a healthy workforce. Not only put us to work, but we ourselves must learn to become a productive workforce.

If I must spell it out I am talking of the persons of colour in this country. We are the only ones that are always saying that we want, give me or what the government is not doing, but what are we doing to help ourselves.

Let me hasten to say that Dr. Brown is not in the least upset about this, because his bed is being feathered very well at our expense. If some of us were really paying attention you would have known his intent when he undermined Mr. Scott to take Government. He lives in a house of mirrors and has not learned what it is that servants do for the people if and when they are elected by the people. You see Dr. Brown if you would follow the example of CHRIST you will learn to serve by being others-centred and not self-centred. Your wants are outgrowing the wants of the people, but if you get a chance read Proverbs 16:18-19.

I wonder when will Dr. Brown's wants stop and what will his next want be. At this time it is a new golf course and this comes on the heels of Tiger not coming to our shores as he predicted and ended up with MUD on his face. I told him at the time he mentioned it to me that Tiger was not coming, but he, being in his own little world of pride was as deaf then as he is now. So what happens to try to clean his face? He puts the whole country in debt by rebuilding Port Royal. What I am saying is "How deep a hole are we going to let Brown dig before we say enough is enough?"

At this time there is talk of a transparent Government and Brown says he is cutting back on some things. He talks of saving a dollar and spends thousands on his travelling and I know for sure he and his entourage do not stay in a Motel 6 hotel. Transparency, I would really love to see the bill for those accommodations and I think that the people would like to know what we are paying for. But this one thing I know, that his imperatives are not supported by his incentives because there is a 'his and ours'. As Colossians 2:8 writes it "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ".

Readers these are not my words, but the words of truth so please in future look and let us examine ourselves as well as those we are choosing to lead us as 2 Corinthians 13:5-13 tells us. Read this and take a good look at those that represent us. Our motto is "Quo fata ferunt" and in truth I WONDER where are we being led. God be with you and your leaders and the peace of God live in you always.

ARTHUR E. W. (SCOPSIE) HASSELL

Soccer player choices

April 23, 2008

Dear Sir,

I would like to offer my opinion concerning the present selection of players for the National Soccer Team. Most of Bermudian soccer players are always highlighted, and recognised in so many clubs around the Island. From the fact of your surname being a………..or a…… Feel me? I don't want to call any family names (smiles), because this is a small community. What about players in the lower leagues that are doing just as good or even better. Let that sink in for a bit. Then you wouldn't have to worry about players not putting down for their country (not representing by taking the opportunity at hand as a major accomplishment).

My scale is at a major imbalance due to my logical over standing of this un-Bermudian-like action. One should've been taught that anything that comes with hard work should be cherished, and the accomplishment looked at a Goal achieved. Am I in another world? Or is Bermuda Another World.

DESAI MARDEL JONES

Sandys