More buses neededJune 15, 2002Dear Sir,Transportation has just got worse for people living at the East Side of Somerset. The last bus for the day to Hamilton leaves around 8.15 a.m. and now we are to have fewer ferries just as the tourist season has begun! They are not in a hurry and enjoy the leisurely trip calling at the various stops.

Sometimes I come across visitors waiting at bus stops on East Shore Road and Sound View Road and have to tell them there are no buses to Hamilton after 8.15 a.m. There is no indication that this is a fact and I'm sure this leaves a bad impression.

A number of elderly people live on the east side of Somerset and they have a walk of about a mile to get to the main road for a bus. Surely a few buses could be routed via Sound View Road during the day, I'm sure they would be well used if people knew they would be running.

BETTY HART

Somerset

Save the home schoolsJune 10, 2002Dear Sir,I would like to thank you for the opportunity to discuss the problem our home schools are facing recently. First, let me put in writing my daughter, Ciara's story.

She attended Paget Primary for two years and was struggling in everything she did. When she finished Primary Two, my cousin approached me about home school. She knew how Ciara was finding it difficult, not only with academics, but socially as well. She was constantly picked on and teased by her classmates so that her self esteem was zero. She didn't want to go to school, and every day was a battle to get her up and ready.

I was not sure about Home School because I didn't know enough about the programme. Mrs. Zuill sat with me and went over the curriculum and how things work. We then gave Ciara a diagnostic test which proved that she was functioning only at Primary One level.

In her first year with Mrs. Zuill, she completed a year and a half's work, thus bringing her almost to grade level. By the end of her second year, I pulled Ciara out of the programme because financially, I couldn't afford the books and all the other costs.

I placed her in Dellwood Middle School where she lasted only one month. The teasing and aggravation from other students started almost immediately. Ciara complained every morning of some ailment as to why she couldn't attend school. I pushed her anyway.

Shortly after her first couple of weeks of school, Ciara was diagnosed with diabetes. She spent a week in the hospital. At that time, my cousin, Mrs. Zuill, visited her often, bringing books so that Ciara can do some school work to try to help pass the time. Ciara enjoys The School of Tomorrow's curriculum and expressed to me that she wanted to get back in the programme.

Knowing that I could not afford to pay her, Mrs. Zuill accepted my daughter back without any question or discussion about payments. The comment thats about people starting home schools for the money is definitely not applicable here. Mrs. Zuill has opened her heart and her home to my daughter and it has made all the difference. She helps her to monitor her diabetes during the day and I know that she has Ciara's best interest at heart.

If she is forced to reduce her numbers, I fear that Ciara may be among the first to go since I do not pay, even though Mrs. Zuill has not said who she will have to let go. I cannot imagine her facing public school again, and with her illness I am afraid, not only for her mental state, but also her physical well being.

Ciara's attitude towards school has made a complete turnaround. I no longer have to fight to get her up mornings. Her marks are 85 percent and above. I am confident that she is mastering everything presented to her as she can not progress in the curriculum unless she achieves 80 percent or above on her test for each book.

I am a single mother with two children trying my best to ensure that they do things in their lives differently than I did. Ciara has a wonderful opportunity to get an excellent education and possibly go further. I truly hope that the Government will look favourably on these wonderful supervisors who have opened their homes to include children that my not have normally had the opportunity to get this kind o fine on one attention that so many need. I know my circumstances would never allow me the luxury of staying home to home school my children.

In the last couple of weeks, I have read how the Government is concerned with health and safety issues in the home schools. Well, let me say that I would dread sending my daughter to CedarBridge where stabbings and sex in the bathrooms occur.

I know that one of the requirements for a home school to get a license would be the number of bathrooms in a home. Think about how many children attend CedarBridge. Can somebody tell me the ratio of toilets to children in the public schools? I do not think ten children to one bathroom is bad. I know it is clean and has soap, toilet paper and hand towels, which is more than I can say for certain schools around the island.

Please, Mr. Minister, we need further discussion on this matter with all concerned, parents, students, and supervisors. Certainly this government, that promised to be for the people, has not forgotten all of us who voted them into power. We need to come up with some alternative solutions to this licensing of home schools. I know speaking for myself, I could not possibly feel good about placing Ciara back into a system that did not work for her.

CARMEN MARTIN

Freedom from religionJune 11, 2002Dear Sir,I was interested to read Gavin Shorto's column on slavery in the modern world and its prevalence in countries with Islamic governments. With the exception of the idiots in Northern Ireland and the Basques, the common denominator of terrorist activity around the world is that all the terrorists are Muslem extremists. In countries where religious freedom is constitutionally guaranteed it is 'politically incorrect' to single out a religion or point out that fundamentalists who think that their own religious beliefs should be imposed by law are a grave danger to any community.

The bitter truth is, however, that fundamentalism — the acceptance of one of the many forms of scripture as the incontrovertible, literal truth — is doing untold damage and is responsible for millions of deaths annually. The mindless political campaign waged by the Pope to prevent condom use wherever he has enough political clout will be largely responsible for the death from Aids of tens of millions of men women and innocent children. The vicious campaigns waged by the religious fundamentalist 'right' in the United States result in the occasional assassination of medical practitioners who perform legal abortions and random murders of gays. The greatest of these evils by far is Islamic fundamentalism, which has become an imminent danger to the entire free world.

The worst of this problem is the silence which has overtaken moderate Islam — if there is such a thing as moderate Islam. Silence denotes consent. The sad fact that slavery is still endemic in Islamic countries and that terrorism worldwide is carried out by Moslem fanatics and promoted and financed by Islamic governments should be enough to condemn the whole Islamic faith in the eyes of the right thinking people everywhere. That Islam condemns women to a life little better than a life of slavery is another blot on the face of Islam. Islam may well be a way to find God. It is not, however, an acceptable lifestyle for anyone in the form in which it is enforced in Islamic countries.

The simple fact is that religion enforced is not a religion at all. No one can be forced to believe anything. Children can be taught to believe what is wrong and frequently are. Three generations of children in the Soviet Union were taken from their homes and taught Soviet Communism as a religion. It worked. Constitutions that guaranteed freedom of religious practice would do even better to guarantee freedom from the religion of others. The rest of the world will end up having to fight a war against Islam because Islam believes that its faith not only can be enforced, but should be enforced on everyone. Such a religion is not religion at all. It is force, not faith. The mere fact that a religion must rely on force of law rather than powers of persuasion condemns it as a failure.

There are several churches here in Bermuda that might heed that. What is the matter with their powers of persuasion that they so readily confess failure? If their preachers were any good or their 'truths' were self evident, everyone would follow them and believe. They don't, however, and our constitutional protections should keep us free of this constant political interference. Taken to an extreme the logical end of such political interference is inquisition, terrorism and slavery.

APOSTATE

City of Hamilton

Sir Mick? Shocking!June 16, 2002 Dear Sir, I have just been perusing the Saturday, June 15, 2002, edition of your newspaper. In particular page 8. Imagine my shock, and horror, horror I say, to read that the Queen, on the advice of Tony Blair, has knighted, knighted I say, that Mick Jagger hooligan.

Is this Sir Michael Jagger not the same cur who relieved himself, relieved himself I say, up a gas station wall back in the 1960s? A man who is giving Brigham Young a run for his money in the wives-and-children race. A man who mumbled his way to millions.

I am, frankly, almost too upset for words. However, I wanted to tell you that in order to protest this preposterous action by the Queen, I am returning to Buckingham Palace my own articles of knighthood, the ceremonial sword, the sash, the garter, and that silly hat with the feather, and the coat of arms with three dachshunds rampant on a field of daisies.

I'm returning it all to the Queen, postal charges to be paid at the Palace. It is the only right thing to do.

SIR ROSS ELDRIDGE (Mrs.)

Devonshire

P.s. Whoops! I've just been told that I got my knighthood from a completely different Queen. I guess I'll hold on to everything. Wait, I will send the silly hat to Tony Blair. He deserves that.