May 29, 2002

Dear Sir,

I applaud Winnae Wales Lugo's reply to ‘Family Planning' (May 28). People like Family Planning really annoy me because they are so narrow-minded and prejudiced. Ms Wales was correct - what right does he/she have to question the right of her children - or any child - to exist on this Earth? It's no wonder so many of our young people fail when people like Family Planning consider them a burden, and feel that they should never have been born.

Yes, some people do need to learn to use protection, but who are you or anyone else to question who those people are without knowing their circumstances? Your viewpoint is obviously based on racial assumptions. It never ceases to amaze me how a white woman can walk down the street with a baby in her belly, one in her arms and pushing one in a stroller and it's like: “Oh-how cute”. Yet if a black woman is seen doing the same thing it's like “Doesn't she know anything about birth control?” It seems that if a black woman dares to have more than two kids never mind four, five or more - she's committed some type of crime. Oh, and of course she just has to be on welfare!

Certain people in our society - and some black people are just as guilty of displaying this type of mentality towards other blacks - need to get rid of this mind-set. Black people deserve to have and enjoy a family as much as white people. We may not be as privileged as some of you, but most of us have good jobs, work hard and bring home pay cheques that in other parts of the world would be considered very large.

However, this country is so motivated by greed that it's hard for the average people to even survive. If we all waited until we were zillionaires with waterfront mansions we'd never become parents. Do only wealthy people deserve to have a family? Who are you to deny the average person that right?

I know that some of you with your Neo-Nazism attitudes think that the less of us you see around the better, and as much as some of you wish that we'd simply disappear off the face of the Earth, it isn't going to happen. We are here and we're not going away regardless of what people like you wish. So, mind your own business and as Ms Wales stated, if you have a problem with other people's reproduction issues, take it up with the Almighty.

MOM

(Mother of Many)

Hamilton

June 7, 2002

Dear Sir,

Home schooling should be done by the parent of the child or children. Alternative schooling is that of teaching someone else's child along with your own in a group. That would make it a school which should then be regulated by Government to see that education, safety ,and a host of other needs are being met.

Perhaps one needs to define the term home schooling. In the US (Florida) for sure, you may only teach your own child in Home School.

KAE FOGGO

Florida

June 9, 2002

Dear Sir,

According to Matthew Taylor's story, MPs in Bermuda will not be tested for drug use. The story is quite amusing, really, especially for this US citizen.

Your island is beautiful and peaceful, and your people are friendly and dignified. However, it appears that conservative dignity on the part of your society is not equal to intelligence on the part of your leaders.

I say this because your leaders, and as far as it can be extended, your society, have chosen to follow the tragic and harmful path set by the leaders of the US government when it comes to drug policy. Here in the US, the government spends more money annually, and defends vociferously an indefensible policy of drug prohibition. Your government, despite its tradition and conservatism (and presumed intelligence) follows that same stupid approach that has been failing steadily for about 87 years in this country.

Providing urine samples is extremely undignified and debasing. I know because I have been forced to do so by this US government. Whatever dignity might be present on your fabled island is being eroded quickly by following such a mindless policy (and comical, I must admit) as drug prohibition.

RICHARD SINNOTT

Fort Pierce, Florida

June 4, 2002

Dear Sir,

I should like to echo the feelings of your correspondent, Bernard Chatterley of Suffolk, England, expressed in his letter in today's edition of The Royal Gazette.

Mr. Chatterley points out, quite rightly, that Mrs. Cherie Blair is most certainly not the ‘First Lady of the UK' ... not by a long shot!

I am wondering whether the feast in honour of Mrs. Blair, hosted by Premier Jennifer Smith at Camden House, was paid for by the Bermuda taxpayer. If so, how much did it cost? Could we, the taxpayers, be told how much was spent on liquor to give Mrs. Blair a good time?

I am also interested in knowing whether any United Bermuda Party parliamentarians were invited and attended. (If John Barritt and Michael Dunkley attended, they had better come around and calm me down before the next Election.) Or was this strictly a PLP banquet?

As Mrs. Blair was in Bermuda on business that involved a legal case in our courts, I would like to know if any members of the Judiciary, and/or the Attorney General, and/or any of the AG's staff attended this banquet. And did they raise a glass to Mrs. Cherie Blair?

Mrs. Cherie Blair may well be a very sweet individual who has been taken advantage of by Bermudian politicians quite unexpectedly. If, however, Prime Minister Tony Blair knew of this banquet at Camden House before his wife left for Bermuda, I believe the British taxpayers would do well to demand an explanation from the Prime Minister.

ROSS ELDRIDGE

Devonshire

Dear Sir,

I need to bring to your notice what CableVision customers have to undergo and to so-called “valued service” we are paying for.

Last evening after coming home after a hard days work I found out that I had no Cable TV. Since for the last two weeks Cablevision had been disrupting my service for periods of two hours at a time (blaming it on some new cables they are laying in Pembroke) I expected the connection to come on after some time. However when checking again the next morning I found out that we still had no connection.

I sent my husband to check out the wiring and he found out that the main connection had been completely cut off. This main connection branches out to two separate lines, one for the lower apartment and one for the upper apartment (which we occupy). The tenants in the lower apartment moved out a couple of days back so our guess is that the wrong wire was cut to disconnect their service and our Cable connection was cut of as well.

After bringing the above incident to the notice of the “Customer Service” representatives at CableVision their attitude was that of complete indifference. First of all they insisted that the connection was not cut off (according to their records), then they insisted that the earliest date they could come and investigate was two weeks from now. Further they seemed “surprised” when I asked for a refund for the days without cable. After taking time off from my employer and going to the office of Laffan Street I was able to get a fresh date which the representatives stated as “some time tomorrow”. She further stated that I was “lucky” to get such an early date.

One would think that after making such obvious mistakes CableVision would be apologetic and rectify the damage immediately. However the response I got from them was that of absolute indifference.

After seeing recent articles in your paper about the Honourable Minister's comments on the poor service provided by CableVision I thought I should bring to notice how matters seem to be getting from bad to worse. I sincerely hope that arrangements will be made to bring a new cable company into the scene soon so that the public will be provided with a better service.

A CONCERNED CUSTOMER

Pembroke

More Elbow room needed

The following was sent to Mr. Alex Scott, Minister of Works & Engineering and copied to The Royal Gazette.

Dear Minister Scott,

It is exciting news that Works and Engineering are widening the steps at Elbow Beach public side and fixing the drainage problem, which has existed there for many years. Hopefully this will eliminate the problem and make it safer for visiting tourists' and locals' alike entering the Beach.

Elbow Beach, in our opinion, is one of the top beaches that Bermuda has to offer its tourists and locals alike. My husband and I walk at Elbow almost everyday for exercise and we see many passengers off of the cruise ships using Elbow and renting chairs and umbrellas on this beach.

We are writing to you to suggest that something urgent be done about the bathroom facilities at this beach. Right now, what we have there are two portable bathrooms that are an embarrassment to our wealthy Island and Elbow Beach. Proper facilities should be in place at this popular beach for our tourists and locals alike.

We understand that space is limited at this site. Our suggestion would be to approach Elbow Beach Hotel and see if an arrangement could be made where Government could build proper bathroom and changing facilities on a strip of their property adjacent to the portable bathrooms that now exist. We have noticed that the Elbow Beach Hotel is not using this strip of property. It would also eliminate the problem that Elbow Beach Hotel might be having of locals and tourists, who are not staying at their Hotel, using their facilities on the Beach.

Bermuda's best features for our visiting tourists are its beaches and it is so important to have proper facilities in place.

We thank you for your consideration and would like to receive your comments and thoughts on this issue as soon as possible.

STILL HOPEFUL

Smith's Parish