Interesting omission

November 2, 2007

Dear Sir,

In today's Throne Speech the Government mentioned proposed amendments/revisions to 19 current Acts: Fire Service Act, Contributory Pensions Act 1970, Legal Deposits Act, Development and Planning Act 1974, Water Resources Act 1975, Bermuda Monetary Authority Act 1969, Anti-Terrorism (Financial & Other Measures) Act 2004, Proceeds of Crime Act 1997, Insurance Act 1978, Perpetuities & Accumulations Act 1989, Bermuda Trademarks Act, 1974, Base Lands Development Act 1996, Civil Airports Act 1949, Maritime Security Act 1997, Merchant Shipping Act, Education Act 1996, Bermuda College Act 1974 & the Scholarship Act 1958.

However the speech never mentioned the Criminal Code Act 1907, the Act that includes the 'antiquated corruption laws' which are at the heart of the BHC saga. Interesting.

Kent Smith

St. George's

'Caribbean mentality'

This was sent to Mark Surrette, president of Nova Scotia-based recruitment agency Robertson Surrette, and copied to The Royal Gazette. It refers to a story that appeared in last Thursday's Business section.

November 2, 2007

Dear Mr. Surrette,

Thank you ever so much for your kind and flattering words that you uttered with respect to Bermuda in the article below which appeared in The Royal Gazette, our daily newspaper. "Educated" and "civilised" is how you described us. Such wonderful compliments. However, as a Bermudian of Caribbean descent, I am somewhat confused about your description of the mentality of our kin to the south, namely the Cayman Islands, who you describe as being "less developed" and still having a "Caribbean mentality". I can only assume that this "Caribbean mentality" must be something awfully dreadful.

Being the sophisticated Canadian that I'm sure you are, perhaps you could explain exactly what you mean. To assist you in this endeavour, I have taken the liberty of copying in a number of leading reporters in the Caribbean who I am sure would be happy to assist you in getting the explanation out to all those companies in the Cayman Islands, BVI, Turks & Caicos, Barbados and Bahamas who I'm sure would love to utilise the services of your company. I have also copied in the Editor of our daily newspaper who could perhaps get the word out to all those Bermudian employers, particularly black HR managers of major companies, who are of Caribbean descent so that we can all hear your explanation in the hopes that we can all "cure" ourselves from this "Caribbean mentality" that you speak of.

Coconut Eater

London, Ontario

Dividing Bermudians

November 2, 2007

Dear Sir,

British abolitionists founded Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 1787 as a private venture for freed and runaway slaves and in 1808, after the British Parliament made the slave trade illegal, it became a British colony. In 1961 the British Parliament gave Sierra Leone an independence constitution which provided that any person born in Sierra Leone and having British nationality was entitled to Sierra Leone nationality.

One chapter of the constitution headed "Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual" sets out rights to which every person in Sierra Leone is entitled including freedom from discrimination on grounds of race meaning laws affording different treatment to different persons attributable to their race.

In 1962 the Sierra Leone legislature passed "An Act to Provide for the Amendment of Certain Sections of the Constitution" which provided that only persons whose father and father's father are of "Negros of African origin" were entitled to Sierra Leone citizenship.

John Joseph Akar was born in Sierra Leone in 1927 of an indigenous Sierra Leone mother and a Lebanese father. He was told the 1962 Act deprived him of Sierra Leone citizenship and decided to challenge this in the courts. The Constitution provided safeguards for the independence of the Judiciary but as in most African and Caribbean countries the Executive ignored these and appointed judges of their liking and Mr. Akar's appeal to the Sierra Leone Court of Appeal was thrown out.

Mr. Akar was able to finance an appeal to the Privy Council, which was heard in 1969, and it ruled that the 1962 Act "offends against the letter and flouts the spirit of the Constitution". It is clearly racist discrimination and not justifiable in a democratic society. It was ultra vires for the Legislature to pass such an Act and consequently it is null and void.

The PLP draft Workforce Equity Act 2007 has the purpose of "correcting the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by black Bermudians" and defines black Bermudians as being "persons of black African origin" ¿ whatever that may mean. The Bill clearly divides Bermudians into two groups being those of black African origin and all the others and gives privileges and advantages to the former and subjects the others to disabilities and restrictions.

The provisions for the "Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual" in the Bermuda Constitution are the same as those in the Sierra Leone Constitution and it would be wrong of the Governor to sign the Workforce Equity Bill if it is passed by the two Houses of the Legislature.

WILLIAM M. COX

Devonshire

Never said 'sorry'

November 2, 2007

Dear Sir,

I must reply to Mr. Calvin Smith's letter in today's "Letters to the Editor", regarding Bermuda in 1939 to 1945. Yes, "Bermuda was a war zone!"

After being a "Machine-gunner" in the BVRC from April 1939 to January 30, 1942, I was transferred to the BVE's.

In April 1942 I was "loaned" to the "Royal Navy", in the "Signal Distribution Office", at HMS Malabar (Commissioner's House).

In June of 1943, I was sent to the "Cipher Officer" at Admiralty House, Pembroke, where all messages were received and sent in various codes.

Also, received at about midnight, was a listing of all Enemy Submarines spotted that day, by three special stations, one in Halifax, one at "Daniels' Head" in Bermuda, and the third in Trinidad. The three would swing their "Sounders", as we called them, until they picked up the sound of an enemy submarine, draw a line from each station to the "Sound" and have the submarine spotted in minutes.

Many nights after passing a "signal", I have heard a Martin "Mariner", take off from the Naval Operating Base, to hunt for a nearby submarine.

One morning when there were about 40 ships practicing "submarine tracking" about 25 to 30 miles southeast of Bermuda, a U-boat surfaced, and when he saw so many ships, he promptly submerged into deep water. Luckily for the ships (US and RN) the sub-captain did not know that these were new ships, with new crews, and had no live ammunition aboard.

NO! I DID NOT GO OVERSEAS!

I joined the BVRC when I was 16, putting my age down at 17, and when Captain (later, Lt. Col.) J.C. Astwood saw me at my first camp (the first two weeks in July 1939), my age was then corrected.

When the first contingent was "called up" to go overseas, I was still 17, and one had to be 18.

When the second contingent was called up, I had transferred to the BVE's, and was attached to the Royal Navy, who would not release me.

At Admiralty House, we had a large map of the Atlantic Ocean, and we usually marked the positions of the submarines spotted in our area.

Many 'locals' would have had lots of sleepless nights if they had known that some subs were within firing range.

Regarding the locals pensions, I know that some of the sailors that I have kept in touch with, who served in Bermuda for two years, received a pension, and a medal, which I believe was a "western Atlantic" medal or star.

I, along with Mr. Calvin Smith, would also like to thank Ms Carol Everson for doing so much for the local soldiers to make their war pensions available to them, even if it is 62 years late.

I have been a canvasser for the "poppy Tag Day" for about 20 years. Almost five years ago, I had a stroke and an aneurysm; with a bill of over $118,000.

All of my insurance was used up, plus I had to pay over $41,000 of my own.

The BWV didn't even mention that they were sorry!

SGT. H.J. TATEM

BVRC & BVE

Paget

Fantasy Island

November 5, 2007

Dear Sir,

The things that politicians do and say to get votes are sometimes amazing. After reading the Opposition's political manifesto, I have dubbed them as the United Bermuda Welfare Party. If elected, I'm convinced that Bermuda would disintegrate into a welfare state. So after reading about some of their proposed freebies, I wanted to add a few of my own:

Why only give free breakfasts to children and free nursery to parents? Why not also give free lunch, free rent, free clothes and weekly free nail and hair appointments. At the same time, why not give free trips to the mothers while they're on their six month maternity leave? Also, when those of us who live in Constituency 10 miss breakfast we should be able to walk down to Dunkley's Dairy and collect our free food vouchers. With all of this free stuff that Mr. Dunkley and his party are talking about, we may want to change the name of Bermuda to Fantasy Island. I was also wondering who was going to pay for these freebies ¿ the guest workers? It looks like they will be the only ones paying taxes because the rest of us will be collecting our free entitlements.

It is said, 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is'. The words of a song by the late James Brown are "I don't want you to give me nothing, open up the door I'll get it myself". In other words, Bermudians have a long history of hard work and self-reliance. We don't want handouts, but a hand up. The welfare road is a dead-end street, it kills ambition, initiative and it kills dreams. So to Mr. Dunkley I say, show me some substance because my vote is worth more than a pie in the sky.

SHIRLEY RICHARDSON

Devonshire