Turn up your hearing aid

March 22, 2008

Dear Sir,

In response to Sen. Wayne Caines' statement that "Government is doing everything it possibly can at this stage to assist in educating the public to get people to understand the (use of the) road is a privilege", you need to turn on or turn up your hearing aid. You aren't listening. You are speaking to deaf ears when you talk about the concerns of road safely because the driving public both cars and cycles know there will be no follow up in terms of police presence on the roads to stop the speeding and consequently the accidents.

If you really want to get the attention of the public and especially the speeders, put together an enforcement programme whereby the speeders are stopped, arrested and fined severely. At the same time, the speeders vehicles are impounded until the fine has been paid and time off the road has been fulfilled. The Bermuda public transportation system works just fine and perhaps having to take a bus or taxi will further reinforce your objective.

Actions speak louder than words. If you really want to get serious about curbing the number of accidents and deaths, put some teeth into a sustained programme, show Police presence (which currently there isn't any) other than uttering words that no one is listening to.

An example of this government/police inaction took place at Horseshoe Bay on Friday when about four to five cops were sitting on their bikes in the parking lot while about 20 young folks on cycles with outrageously loud mufflers (isn't that against the law?) went speeding up the hill. Shouldn't they have been stopped? Not a single movement by the Police, and you wonder why no one is listening.

So put your actions where your words are... Tune in to reality and turn up the hearing aid.

GIB

Flatts

Astounding words

March 23, 2008

Dear Sir,

I have heard so much about the speech that Barack Obama made in Philadelphia on March 18 that I went online and downloaded an advance copy. As I read through it, I was astounded at the power of what he said. Some have equated this with many of the great speeches in American, if not the world. I am not a scholar or a historian to be able to comment on the relative greatness of the speech, but I do know that I was very moved by what was said in this speech. I would encourage each and every one of you to find a copy of this speech and read it, and then read it again.

I know that this was a speech given by a man running for the office of President of the United States, but I did not take it as a political speech. Rather, I looked on it as a source of inspiration for all of us to take a serious look at what was said and apply it to how we deal with each other on our little island home of Bermuda. There is no question that there are differences on where we have come from, where our ancestors have come from and all of the hardships that many of our ancestors have suffered. But we can look at what was said in this speech, look into our hearts and then begin the healing process of coming together which is absolutely essential for Bermuda to move productively into the future.

Every one of us, or our ancestors, have all come from different places, at different times and by different means. But, what we all share is the desire to have a good life for our children and ourselves. The only way we are going to really accomplish that desire is to make an effort to stop the negative, sometimes hateful, messages that abound every day and start to understand a little bit about each other, one person at a time, and that we share the dream of a better life in the future.

Most of us are pretty nice people, once you get to know us. Think about it. If every one of us tried to get to know every other one of us, we might begin to figure out that we all want the same thing. Too hard, you say. Well, try an experiment. If you ride the bus or ferry to work, try to get to talk to the person next to you. It doesn't have to be a heavy duty, in depth conversation. Just try to have a simple dialogue to pass the time and meet someone new. Don't ride public transportation to work? Then chat up someone sitting next to you at TCD, or the doctor's office, or wherever. What a concept. We might just get to know each other a little better. Who knows, we all might just find out that we aren't that different from each other after all, and we might just be a little richer for the experience.

To paraphrase a famous quote, "There are no strangers, just friends I haven't met yet."

For those interested in reading the speech online, I looked at an advance copy at http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977287846

JACK DURNER

Pembroke

Where's the apology?

March 23, 2008

Dear Sir,

Well here we are coming up to the one-year anniversary of the Horse and Buggy accident that Happened at the opening night of Harbour Nights.

My family and myself were involved in the accident and were very lucky to have walked away from it. My little fella was in his stroller at the time and my husband lifted him out of it so he could see the entertainment. Had he not done so I fear perhaps he might not be here today as he was in direct line of the horses and buggy. His stroller was completely crushed and was found right beside where the buggy was turned over.

My husband took a hit in the shoulder from one of the horses. Our daughter and myself were knocked to the ground. My daughter bleeding from the head and I with injuries to my knee, arm and foot. I am left with a life long injury to my knee. Our daughter cannot be anywhere in a crowd as she starts to panic.

Our little fella shrieks at the sound or sight of the Gombey Dancers as he connects them with the accident. Before this he loved them. Now my reason for writing to the editor is just this. I am appalled that there has never ever been a public apology or a written one. It seems as though it has been swept under the carpet. I have never read or heard of even who was responsible for the accident.

How very sad. The topper was when we finally were released from the hospital later that night we were escorted to the accounts office to pay our medical bill. I was lost for words. The funny thing is we live here. In closing if there are any of the accident victims reading this I do hope all of you are healing.

KATHY MACDONALD

Pembroke

An intelligent approach

March 21, 2008

Dear Sir,

Freedom of speech without retribution is the basic underpinning of any democracy and every citizen should have the right to exercise his or her feelings toward any subject or person regardless of their position. If Bermuda is a democracy which is questionable of late, I plan to exercise this right. Over the past several months the Bermuda Government should be ashamed and embarrassed over some of their utterances and actions. More specifically, someone in Government wants to deport a newspaper sports reporter for making critical comments about the abysmal performance of the football team and their less than stellar performance while representing the country.

They performed in less than a satisfactory manner and should be chastised, not honoured by an arrival parade that was not covered by the media.

Add to that the further statement by this upstanding government representative that perhaps the "boys" should go after said reporter. That's really a very grown up and intelligent approach. The handling of the cement silos at Dockyards and specifically the treatment of Jim Butterfield is totally disgraceful and smacks of greed and collusion. Why did he have to move the silos based on the master plan for this area; yet, the new owners don't? Give us come credit, we're not stupid and understand the underlying motives for these actions.

The Government's actions made Mr. Butterfield make the statement that he would not make any further investments in Bermuda. How could you be so dumb to attack a man who has done so much for this country? The handling of term limits and workplace equity drives a further spike into the international business community and has prompted them to look at other alternatives that could cripple the Bermuda economy. Perhaps the movement to Dubai has already begun. Is that what the Government is wishing for? Give your head a shake gentlemen and start listening versus shooting off your collective mouths.

ANGRY

Flatts

Sparrow or kiskadee?

March 25, 2008

Dear Sir.

Well Bermuda, spring is upon us. Are you a Sparrow or a Kiskadee? I know what you are thinking. What kind of question is that? Over the next few weeks or so you are going to see the sparrows flying to and fro building their nests. Whilst the kiskadee sits on the electric wires waiting for the sparrows to finish so that they can take over the nests. That is outright criminal. Why don't the kiskadees build their own nests?

That very same question can and should be posed to the average Bermudian who is house hunting. Why haven't they built or acquired their own home? Especially if they have been around for 40 or more years. The majority of Bermudians that own their own homes did not wait for Government to build them a house. They found out what it takes to acquire a home whether it be building it or buying the completed product. And they set some goals and set about reaching them.

They did not cry poverty whilst parking a $40,000 SUV outside of someone else's rented house. Licence fee of $1,400. Two and three trips a year. All the while crying poverty. I know this doesn't describe every Bermudian that is in need of a home. But it does fit quite a few of them. Leave the expensive cars in the dealers showrooms and buy the cheaper ones if you have to. If you can pay off a $40,000 car in four to five years, you should be able to save quite a few thousand on a cheaper car and half the license fees. Housing is not a government problem. It is Bermudian problem. And it is going to take all of us to solve this problem.

Let's talk about the church's role in this housing crisis. The Anglican and the little Pink church on Church Street have put up two office blocks within the last couple of years. The Anglican Church is also putting up the building going up across from the ferry terminal. The Anglican bishop Ewen Ratteray says that he is leaving Bermuda because he cannot afford to live here. The two office buildings that his church has built or are building will not help the housing crisis. In fact it will make it worse. Because for every new expat worker in these buildings there will be required a house for them to live in. So my message to you the churches are use your land bank to house your fellow Bermudians. Or are you like Cain? Not your brother's keeper?

So I'll ask the question again Bermuda. Are you a sparrow or a kiskadee? Are you going to wait until the government builds your nest. Or are you going get around to building your own or helping others to acquire their own. I'll say it again it is a Bermudian problem not a government problem.

LESLIE JAMES SMITH

Sandys