Costs of playing cowboy

January 1, 2002

Dear Sir,

I was wondering (hopefully, I guess) when George W. is going to come out of this John Wayne wet dream he's having before it's too late and he realises that pretty soon Joe Public won't stick his nose out side the door to spend ten cents - let alone a dollar.

Here's a man who must be aware his nation's economy is headed for the tubes, and he's still playing cowboy.

I was about to add: "The yanks can sure pick'em "...but of course, in this case they didn't did they?

JACK GAUNTLETT

Sandy's

You're shutting me out

January 7, 2003

Dear Sir,

I use a motorised wheelchair for mobility, and have done so most of my life. I've travelled to many places, but no place or people ever touched me as deeply as Bermuda.

Last June I made my 14th visit to Bermuda, but my first since Margaret Carter passed on. Most of my visits were in the 70s and 80s, though the Bermuda Government brought me in 1991 to talk about the ADA at a conference there.

Last year I came by boat for the first time. The good I saw was that there were, not only more kerb ramps than before, but better ones. I rolled my wheelchair from the boat immediately to the Princess Hotel with very few problems.

I always stayed at the Princess before and made that walk in reverse many times, often illegally in the street but, determined to get into Town! I was so happy to be there.

However, the sidewalks are the only good I found. Places that used to be accessible no longer are because step(s) have been added. All of the new places were inaccessible. I had difficulty finding a store I could shop in, or a restaurant to eat in (except the Princess). Streets and businesses I knew better than here in the States were now foreign to me.

St. George's was even worse. I sat like a pathetic bad puppy outside shop doors while my friend brought items to the doorway for me to see to purchase. Often I encountered others in wheelchairs being treated the same way. I never felt so unwelcome in my life.

This was especially disturbing to me because Bermuda is in my heart, it's more my home than Connecticut. I'm always bragging about it, sending tourists there, and my house is Bermuda from one end to the other.

I remember when the mall in St. George's first opened and Margaret proudly showed me where the ramps were incorporated so that I could get into the shops and restaurants. Those ramps are gone. I couldn't even get into the Tourist Bureau or Town Hall in St. George. I was ashamed of "my home" and felt unwanted.

Was all the good Margaret did buried with her? There are more disabled and seniors travelling now then ever. Are we not good enough for Bermuda? Our money is worth the same! Bermuda is the only place I know that's moving backward in terms of access for the disabled, whether tourist or resident. That arrogance does not make friends, and doesn't represent the people I've met there.

I'm going to give it one more try because I still love my Island and have friends to visit there, but if there's no move toward improvement, I'll have to regrettably look elsewhere - as in a painful divorce.

PHYLLIS ZLOTNICK

Manchester, Connecticut

Volunteers make the season

December 13, 2002

Dear Sir,

'Tis the season to be jolly'...as well as reflect on our progess in the year gone by.

Looking back at the time spent at the Hospice, I would like to to take this opportunity to give a personal thank you to all of our volunteers who have given us tireless service over the years. When someone takes time out of their busy schedule to give service to people who need help; that is a very special someone. To be honest, without our volunteers, our reputation wouldn't be as good as it is.

Speaking of volunteers, we had 20 full time staff members from The Bermuda Regiment under the direction of Lt. Col. Edward Lamb, come to the Hospice on December 4. They painted, cut, cleaned out hedges, scrubbed and all in all brightened our day.

This tremendously improved the appearance of our grounds. Since I wasn't on duty the day they visited, I would like to thank the men and women of the Regiment for their great support.

Once again, thank you VOLUNTEERS for your dedication to giving us your service.

DEBBIE CHASE

Clinical Coordinator

Agape House

Nigeria not always sad

December 17, 2002

Dear Sir,

I read the opinion of Gavin Shorto in your Monday December 16 editorial about Nigeria, and would add while I am sorry to report that the situation in Nigeria is indeed terribly sad, one must bear in mind that it was not always so, according to my African and mideast studies.

Going back to the earliest 60s, Nigeria was the most populous African state with a population of about 55 million, conceding that accurate statistics outside of the then Rhodesia and South Africa were often highly conjectural.

When Nigeria achieved independence on October 1, 1960 the expectations was that it would be the most stable of African states as her leaders were generally moderate and cultured men, with a maturity that other African countries lacked.

The city of Kano goes back over 1,000 years but Nigeria like other African countries is beset by complex problems requiring the ingenuity, drive, enterprise and probity which Africans are still struggling to deal with.

There are the usual tribal divisions,complicated in Nigeria by a religious/racial dichotomy, between what was back in the 60s a relatively stable and unified North. And a tension - riven Christian south.

Dr. Azikiwe, the President, was so concerned by the problems of tribalism, that he proposed a system of tribal regional autonomy to cope with it. He stated in January 1962 that "tribal unity" in Africa was impossible and that the intermixing of tribes and races caused "conflict of languages and a clash of cultures".

His remedy was "the creations of a federal system of Government which will concede the coexistence of all Linguistic groups and grant them the right to co-exist on basis of equality within a framework of political and constitutional guarantees, that would protect their individual freedom under the rule of law; and thus preserve and sustain the particular linguistic groups from extinction.

By preserving the linguistic groups of Nigeria and conceding them local autonomy of some satisfactory sort, an athmosphere of respect for that customs and traditions can be created wise words which the world should have heeded.

BILL COOK

Paget