Lets change this

December 29, 2007

Dear Sir,

Please spare me some space to share my view regarding 'Bermudians Can't Drive' dated December 20, 2007. Thank you.

I feel that it was an insult to open Saturday's 'Letters to the Editor' section and read this article from a resident of the United Kingdom. Firstly, Anna Stevenson does not have the correct speed limit to be so critical and secondly, she stated that she and her elderly husband were "driving their car on a blind bend".

When did the law change stating that visitors were not allowed to drive cars? Is there a place where we, locals, could rent a car for a week or so? I would really have appreciated this knowledge when my car was in the garage for a couple of weeks and no 'loaner car' was available. I am non-knowledgeable of this and would like some feedback please.

This woman has stated that she had visited Bermuda on six previous occasions. I can now understand, if these visitors are driving on our roads, why so many things regarding courtesy and the like, are not being adhered to. This must be attributed to too many unfamiliar persons driving on our little roads when they are only supposed to be riding bikes.

I am writing this letter because this person and the person who has the car that allowed her to drive, should be penalised. Some law has been broken. Yes?

I have been operating a public bus for over 22 years, now, and never have heard of the speed limit being "22". Driving is very cumbersome and draining nowadays, to the regular drivers/users of our roads. It's like, people don't see the centre line and thus are always over the line. Those 'Big Jeeps" are the main ones. I encountered just yesterday, a new silver car with a left hand drive, on Cedar Avenue indicating that they were turning just after passing the Dundonald Street junction and thank God, I saw a car exiting Beacon Street so I watched this car swing back and then make the turn onto Angle Street near BPSU's Club.

Well, some of the unbelievable things I have seen occur while driving up and down our roads can finally make sense to me. Could it be that the persons operating these vehicles doing unusual things are other foreigners who are non-knowledgeable and causing so much stress to the Bermudians who knows when the bends are coming up and who are familiar with our laws of the road?

I received a certificate, in 1999, from the Transport Department – (TCD) for 'safe and courteous driving 'of Public Service vehicles (Taxi included) for over 20 years, so I am not just talking off the top of my head about these more frequently seen incidents on our roads. Maybe the "C" for 'Control' should be put back in TCD.

To me this is very troublesome and needs to be addressed by the Transport Department. I will in the future, be forwarding the vehicle numbers to this Department when I see things unordinary and I am going to propose that the other Bus Operators and Taxis Operators and other daily users of our roads, to do the same. Persons are being allowed privileges which could be detrimental to the welfare of road users in our Island and this needs to stop! Bermudians need to really stick together and reveal the unusual incidents seen, that are attributing to unhealthy conditions in our neighbourhoods, on our roads and in general, to persons in positions who can do something about them. These incidents are the veins that run into bigger conditions. We need to start now and move to making our Bermuda safer in 2008.

Change, we must! It should no longer be considered being a prick by passing on information or our opinions and for standing up for what one believes is right and deservedly ours. For us to remain passive, we allow mole hills to become mountains and as tradition states, Bermudians say, 'Oh, Well, it's done now'. Let's change this, starting with this insult from a lady from Kent.

So thank you, Mr. Editor, for printing Mrs. Anna Stevenson's article of criticism. Wishing Bermuda a very blessed, healthy and prosperous 2008. Share the Love!

KATHY LANDY

Devonshire

Join the Big Conversation

December 29, 2007

Dear Sir,

I feel it incumbent upon me to respond to Joan Skinner's letter to you which was published in your paper on Saturday, December 29, 2007 for several reasons. The first reason is because I know Mrs. Skinner personally, although I have not had a conversation with her for several years. In fact, for a while, Mrs. Skinner and I worshipped together and I always found her to be a very open, honest and pleasant person. It is apparent by her letter that our relationship was purely casual as it never became apparent to me that Mrs. Skinner was "nervous" around certain people.

The second reason I feel it necessary to respond to Mrs. Skinner's letter is because she has described me, and other PLP candidates as "self-serving" in addition to suggesting that we are/were looking "to lining" our pockets. I take extreme offence to both of Mrs. Skinner's suggestions. I know all of the people who were PLP candidates, some longer than others; however it would be difficult for me to accuse any of them of being self-serving. As I understand it, "self-serving" means "serving one's own interests, especially without concern for the needs or interests of others". Maybe Mrs. Skinner can explain to us why she sees any of the PLP candidates, those who were successful at the polls on December 18, and those of us who were not successful, as serving our own interests without concern for the needs or interests of others. Maybe she would also like to explain to us why she views the PLP candidates as "self-serving" and not the UBP candidates.

Mrs. Skinner may be like many other Bermudians, both white and black, who assume that by being a Member of Parliament one lines their pockets. I always considered Mrs. Skinner to be an intelligent woman and I am quite surprised that she would think that earning a yearly salary of approximately $50,000 is a way to line one's pockets. Is she suggesting that the reason that Michael Dunkley, Grant Gibbons, Patricia Gordon Pamplin, and others in the UBP who chose to be candidates/Members of Parliament is because they saw it as a way of lining their pockets?

Mrs. Skinner also suggests that PLP candidates are not concerned about "the future of their children, and how their future fits (sic) into this Island". I can assure Mrs. Skinner that the main reason I chose to be a candidate for the Progressive Labour Party and a member of that Party is because I was extremely concerned about the future of my children, and now my grandchildren. My own children, who are now adult men, grew up under a UBP government and our struggle was considerable. My sons were educated in a system designed by the UBP, which we can now all agree was dysfunctional at best.

However, in spite of the dysfunctional and racist system under the UBP Government, and because of my concern, both of my sons are college graduates. I know that Mrs. Skinner has a son who was born in the same era that my sons were born, and in fact studied the same discipline as my younger son. If Mrs. Skinner is interested I would be willing to share with her my son's curriculum vitae to date so that she can see the privileges that have been afforded her son that weren't afforded my son. After that comparison she may be able to understand the term "white privilege".

Last, but not least, I take offence to Mrs. Skinner's statement that "Dr. Brown, whose mother was a UBP parliamentarian, has managed to divide our people so decisively, that unification seems a very long reach". As Dr. Eva Hodgson has said on so many occasions, Bermuda was divided racially long before Dr. Brown was born and as I see it, as long as we have people who think like Mrs. Skinner, Bermuda will be racially divided long after Dr. Brown has passed on. Dr. Brown's mother, or his aunt, Mrs. Gloria McPhee, being a UBP parliamentarian did nothing to obliterate racism in Bermuda during their lifetimes. In today's Bermuda, there are more Black UBP Parliamentarians than ever before, yet racism is alive and well.

I would like to suggest to Mrs. Skinner that she become a part of the "Big Conversation" as she seems a perfect candidate. I would also suggest that she obtain a copy of the book "When Race Becomes Real", read it, digest it, so that she would cease to be "nervous" around certain people. I invite Mrs. Skinner, once she has participated in the "Big Conversation" to have small conversation with me, so that together we can help move Bermuda forward.

LAVERNE FURBERT

Hamilton Parish

Not taking chances

January 2, 2007

Dear Sir,

What the lady involved with Crime Stoppers fails to recognise is that it isn't so much that the name (of the witness or witnesses) won't be mentioned that scares people. It's the fact, that Police can't patrol all aspects of the Island which means, once the suspect realises someone leaked out information that he or she was probably there, that area will become a target and unless that area can be patrolled 24/7, that witness is a sitting duck.

How many cops are willing to stick around one area continuously after a witness tells what they've seen considering they probably have families of their own to focus on? Maybe the witness won't have to worry but, considering people got shot around the 25th of last month, they're not taking chances either way because they fear for their lives.

SOMETHING2THINKABOUT

Pembroke