No dealings with Cuba

April 2, 2003

Dear Sir,

I see by today's Royal Gazette that Dr. Brown proposes to support the Communist Government of "Fidel Castro" by supplying them with our buses free of charge. Why should we, "Bermuda", do this for a country that has kept its people suppressed for years?

Dr. Brown should go to Cuba and work for what they pay Cuban doctors, the equivalent of US $50 per month. Dr. Brown is also proposing a regular charter flight between Bermuda and Cuba. Would this charter be run by his namesake, Murray Brown?

Bermuda should have nothing to do with the venture that Dr. Brown is proposing until the Cuban people are free from Communism.

BERMUDIAN

Paget

Dangerous driving

April 9, 2003

Dear Sir,

Today was a beautiful day (Wednesday, April 9, 2003) up until I witnessed the following tragedy.

I was en route to town from St. David's and was a quarter mile from the Aquarium (around 3 p.m.) when I saw four beautiful ducks trying to cross the street. I slowed to let them cross over to my side of the road, the bike and other vehicles behind me also slowed. The bus coming from the other direction (having just passed the Aquarium) failed to stop much less slow down. I believe that the bus driver had at least ten seconds to react before he/she hit all four ducks head on. I noticed the distance and speed with which the driver was doing and am positive this horrible scene could have been avoided.

I am an animal lover and understand that sometimes they die because they dart out into traffic, ducks do not `dart' out - these four were trying to find safety. It was obvious what was happening.

I was horrified to see the bus hit two, roll over one and send the last one over to me (which was decapitated). I was so upset I did not get the bus number nor see clearly who the driver was - you know who you are. I am sure you will have some reason for your actions.

I will not be able to drive along that stretch of road without seeing the images all over again in my mind. Until time fades the memories I will be left feeling sad.

I see how these drivers "hook" around corners and do speeds that are unnecessary on our roads. I have been scared many times with the closeness they have come to myself and other motorists. They may be aware of the size of the bus they are driving and feel there is no problem - but what about the other people on the roads who are left shaking their head and mouth hanging open at the nerve?

Slow down or there will be more animal and human deaths due to the reckless driving of some of our bus operators.

I LOVE DUCKS

St. David's

Outraged by arrest threat

April 12, 2003

Dear Sir,

Along with hundreds of other Christians in Bermuda, I am outraged by the audacity displayed by some of the representatives of Bermuda's Government and certain people appointed by them to carry out civil service in this community. Their service is anything but civil! Obviously power has gone to the heads of certain people; control is their "game". In Iraq we are witnessing what can happen as a result of a person becoming obsessed by power and control rather than working for the common good of humankind. Power and control "games" are dangerous and must be nipped in the bud if Bermuda is going to be a beautiful place to live or visit.

Perhaps we should demand that instructions given by Jesus Christ - instructions that have existed and worked well for 2000 years - should betaken into account in Bermuda's Immigration regulations as they relate to the employment of expatriate clergy.

I refer to the instructions of Jesus as recorded in St. Mark chapter 10, vs.15. He said to His Apostles (and our priests are successors of the Apostles): "Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all mankind." Ever since Bermuda was colonised, dedicated priests, including Canon Alan Tilson, have followed these instructions and Bermuda has benefited in countless ways from having the presence of priests from other lands in our Island.

Priests who come to Bermuda to minister to our people, frequently do so at great cost to themselves, leaving family and friends behind as they answer the `call' of the God they serve.

At a time when violence and disrespect are at an all-time high in Bermuda, elected and appointed officials appear to be contributing to the problems. Children learn by example - and the example that all too often is being set is one of disrespect. The Bishop of the Anglican Church deserves an apology for the way his ministers (including the priest who was willing to come to St. Paul's Church in Paget) have been treated by the Department of Immigration.

Canon Tilson is owed an immediate apology and must be given assurance that such atrocious behaviour will never be repeated.

AN OUTRAGED ANGLICAN BERMUDIAN

Smith's Parish

Fight for real freedom

March 31, 2003

Dear Sir,

Who is next on the list of naughty nations that sponsor terrorism? Iran? Syria? I can't imagine the script needed to build a pretext for an invasion into neighbouring Middle Eastern nations. Colin Powell did a fair enough job when he accused Syria of supplying Iraq with those dangerous weapons, known as night vision goggles.

How has Iraq been spending their money? They can afford WMD but night vision goggles? Absolutely out of the question! I applaud Colin Powell for correctly labelling that as an act of aggression.

Shame on Syria! To think that they should not make it harder for Iraqi troops to get shot in the dark! I see probable cause here, so let's just invade Iran and give `em a good spanking! And while we're at it, we can invade Iran. We can get `em for something like selling jet fuel behind the scenes to Syria for their Air Force. What? It sounds better then the night vision story!

And where exactly are Iraq's weapons of mass destruction? That still is the primary reason for Bush's invasion isn't it? I am sure they'll turn up somewhere - conveniently. That is unless there is a surety that the world will soon become so bored with viewing this war that they would forget what the purpose was in the first place.

My heart is heavy from viewing the news of children who are being made fatherless - for nothing; first Afghanistan, now Iraq.

The war on terror has afforded a tremendous amount of leverage to invade the Middle East. Men and women are dying and there has not yet been a single terrorist attack since 9-11. There has been a multitude of terror alerts but no terror attack, it justifies the restriction of more rights and freedoms in the US.

Mr. Bush refers to the terrorist as those who "hate our freedom". That is not the primary concern of a terrorist. Every day, more liberties are being surrendered in the United States, which contradicts Bush's statement; to whom was he referring when he made it? Was it to the terrorists or some other group? It's the government that is taking freedom away. Could he have been referring to this mysterious shadow government that he activated in 2001?

The staggering amount of surveillance and spy technology that has exploded across America since 9/11 would earn George Orwell the status of a prophet, if not a god! How can one attack on American soil, as tragic as it was, justify this operation? Bush said the war on terror would last for one hundred years; this means the arbitrary invasion of any nation by the US, based solely on the pronouncement of guilt.

Where is Osama Bin Laden? When did he fall off the radar? At least it can be said with more or less certainty that he was responsible for something, but, as it stands, he cannot be found, and so all eyes have turned on Iraq, a nation responsible for zero attacks on American soil and who presently posses zero weapons of mass destruction, but is presently receiving the same medicine as did Afghanistan by a simple pronouncement of guilt.

The "war on terror" should be renamed the "war on freedom" because that's what the Americans should be fighting for in their own homeland. Secondly, the only acts of tyranny, which should be clear to anyone is the cold, calculated strikes on two countries, (so far) where it has yet to be proven that they are responsible for anything.

Third, the seemingly endless terror alerts in the US sound very much like another textbook attack is imminent, where something significant must be blown up to keep everything from unravelling, and to assert the belief that terrorists from Iraq, Syria or some other Middle Eastern nation are responsible.

Touching upon the issue of this mystery virus, which is spreading around the globe, how convenient that its sudden appearance coincides with the start of the war? What amazes me is that there is no known cure for it. Think of it, a disease, for which no cure is known to this technologically and medically advanced society can stop, just pops up out of thin air and spreads like wildfire.

A wise man once said: "In war, the first casualty is always the truth." I believe the powers that be need better writers for their replacement scripts.

V. L. YOUNG

Southampton

Sea mail in the Triangle

April 10, 2003

Dear Sir,

I thought that you would be interested in the latest mystery within the Bermuda Triangle. Ships and planes have mysteriously disappeared and now the mail. Air mail is reasonably prompt under the supervision of British Airways but surface mail seems to be subject to the same mysterious activities that have plagued the island for some time.

European surface mail is shipped through Miami and onwards to Bermuda, differing from the normal ocean freight route to Bermuda, a fact that is strange in itself.

Stranger still is the five-month backlog that is held up on the docks due to a late payment for shipping, regardless of the senders having paid the necessary postage. But who can be sure that it was not the result of the strange gravitational pull that has plagued Bermuda's past.

The Post Office cannot illuminate the problems fully: does this mean that the post will be thrown into the sea with the rest of the wrecks? We shall wait and see.

ADDRESSEE UNKNOWN

City of Hamilton