Sentence was unfair

July 18, 2007

Dear Sir,

While reading your "wonderful" newspaper I couldn't help but "spit" out some of my morning coffee reading the story "Samurai sword wielded in gang violence, court hears". After visually blocking out most of the story my mind seemed to focus on the words "Fairylands," "Samurai sword attack," "who wants to get chopped," "didn't see them as threat to society" and finally "she handed Chase Burgess 12 months for wounding with intent, six months for unlawful wounding and three months for going armed in public, all suspended," and what immediately came to mind were several high profile cases which were plastered for several days, I may add, to the front page of The Royal Gazette.

Not recalling this case ever reaching The Royal Gazette before yesterday's court decision, I called up several of my friends to ask if they had heard of the story before today. Three of them could not recall and one could recall but remembered the story only appearing very small and imbedded in the pages of your newspaper. So I ask the question, is there a systematic attempt by your newspaper to shield well-to-do families in Bermuda?

Often times I hear through your newspaper, at work and in the streets of this island that black people's stories of racism, favouritism and out right bias against them are simply 'figments of their imagination' or perhaps stories of folklore like that of the "40 Thieves" group that once ruled over this land. Well, here is a modern day example of what black Bermudians have been screaming (black rage I suspect you would call it) about for centuries. How does an incident, as serious as this one, not warrant an outcry from the public as much as the St. George's massacre and the CedarBridge Academy gang fighting? According to Mr. Lindo, witnessing a young man pointing and then swinging a Samurai sword at him states "does a lot of damage to your emotions."

I am certainly not implying blame should be directed squarely on your newspaper business but in fact Justice Simmons should also share in the blame. A biased judgment in favour of the defendant in this case only serves to fuel the racial divide among the tens of thousands of law abiding citizens of this island. I can more than guarantee you that the suspended sentence will not go down lightly in the black communities of Bermuda . I can hear the voices loud and clear from the bottom of Wellington Slip to the top of Beacon Hill .

I can vividly recall last summer people in the community discussing, with concern, about police officers patrolling summer camp grounds to 'confiscate' any persons in possession of knives even if they were being used to cut watermelon. That, at the time, I thought was a bit excessive and harsh yet Bermudian people made alternative arrangements before heading out of the house, so they could help tackle the larger problem of gang violence and potential injury/dismemberment to their children. Now, we have a case appear before the courts for what the law was drafted to punish yet the court system, through their decision, chooses to turn the other cheek and show compassion/forgiveness toward one of the son's of the "Captains of Industry!"

What concerns me is that a group of people in Bermuda who have the greatest ability to improve the racial divide, produce results that call into question who this island is truly 'set up' for. Please, my fellow citizens of Bermuda, let's challenge and ask questions of our leaders, whether it be in the halls of justice or on the steps of Parliament or even on the pages of the daily newspapers as to why things in 2007 remain so very similar to yesteryear.

ACTIVE PARTICIPANT

Hamilton Parish

P.s. Bermuda is dying for a Michael Moore styled investigative journalist! One who isn't scared to ask the tough questions and create balance among chaos

Editor's Note: The Royal Gazette first covered this case in Magistrates' Court when the accused first appeared on June 6, 2007 and there were three subsequent stories when the accused appeared in Supreme Court arraignments. The last arraignments appearance occurred on May 1, 2007, when the three accused pleaded guilty to the charges. At that time, July 17's sentencing date was set. The sentencing was the first occasion on which the full facts of the case were read out, beyond the actual charges. When the full facts of the case were known and the sentence was made, the story was on Page 1, along with a picture of the man convicted of the most serious charge. The story had added news value because the sentence, as the judge admitted, was likely to be controversial and is now being in fact being appealed, as we reported on Page 1 of the July 19 newspaper. It is hard to see, on that basis, how this newspaper attempted to "shield well-to-do families in Bermuda", if in fact the families of the accused are. Had this newspaper wished to "shield" them, the story would indeed have been placed on a back page of the newspaper, or not published at all, rather than put it on Page 1.

Respect is earned

July 12, 2007

Dear Sir,

As a simple Bermudian citizen and not the Premier's Press Secretary I do not agree why Bermuda has to follow other country 's protocol especially America. Is George Bush really the best example if you are trying to be a good leader of your country? Is he a President who listens to his people? Is he a President who has a clear grasp of the facts? When the UBP was in Government I don't recall the requirement that reporters had to stand when the Premier entered the room. No. Mr. Jones, it really does not bear repeating as you stated. You are overly enthralled with the American political system and its relationship with the press.

When the PLP came into power it was made a decree that reporters and others had to stand when the Premier and Cabinet Ministers entered the room. Just because in America this is done, do we now have to do it? I remember a Bermuda when a Premier was much closer to being a citizen when he rode into town on his own auxiliary bike. He was not chauffeured everywhere in a swanky Government car. There were no chief of staff, body guards, a Press Secretary standing up expert, a religious moralist anti- gay tourism campaign manager and a race division consultant.

I actually think that the style of past Bermudian Premiers were an example to the world. Let us lead the way and not allow American style politics be our example.

Some schools in the world insist that students stand up whenever a teacher enters the classroom ,and some schools allow the students to remain seated. This practice of showing respect is greatly exaggerated.

A teacher or Premier does not receive more or less respect if individuals stand or remain seated when they enter the room. One gains respect by their exemplary conduct which would inspire others. Mr. Press Secretary , Bermuda would be better served if you concentrated on weightier issues than about standing up.

I find it ironic that our Premier ,who appears to want to sever ties with Great Britain, is now asking, the Privy Council, the highest court in Britain to rule against the decision of his own land and the Court of Appeal, which was made up entirely of judges of Caribbean descent. Can you Mr. Glenn Jones, Press Secretary to the Premier, write about that?

Standing up for all reporters and good citizens.

JUNIPERUS BERMUDIANA

Sandys

Vote no on Southlands

July 27, 2007

Dear Sir,

Let's have a referendum on Southlands! My vote is no!

Don't cement up our beautiful shoreline for the sake of a handful of "Bermudian" management positions whilst selling our remaining resources to expatriates who will be filling 60 percent or more of the remaining menial jobs Bermudians do not want to do.

Government, please stop selling this as a job growth opportunity. We are not that stupid! If you wanted to create jobs, in the last eight years you would have concentrated efforts on developing hotel properties around Bermuda and even a few hundred yards from the Southlands development that remain derelict.

Environment Minister, please, hold your head high and look back on your accomplishments years from now by setting the most important precedent for Bermuda and what little resources we have left. This is what we, the people, have elected you to do¿preserve not exploit.

Bermudians are voting "No". Listen.

CONCERNED

Southampton

Dumping on the Base

July 11, 2007

Dear Sir,

I have to comment on the recent stories relating to the supposed polluting of the environment at the US Air Force Base during the 1960s.

I cannot honestly remember Mr. Slater nor do I know what his agenda is. If he is truly sick, I wish him well.

My recollection of the times is not to prove one thing or the other. I will write this, during the 1950s and 1960s, several departments handled the supplies brought into the base. Commissary supplies were handled by their personnel, the Base exchange supplies were transported from the docks by jitneys and trucks from the motor pool, likewise, liquor and related products were delivered to the class VI store, none of the above handled petroleum products or insecticides.

If my memory serves me correctly, the majority of oils and gases were contracted from Esso. If for some reason, a shortage occurred in the petroleum area, replacements were brought in via a cargo plane and delivered to the motor pool or sent to one of the warehouses.

There were two foremen of warehouses at the time. I was one of them and the other person (now deceased) was from St. George's. Apart from the above categories, we literally handled all other supplies used in the maintenance of the base proper and the repair of aircraft. The two of us liaised with one other when bulk items, i.e. paint, sheet metal and lumber and bags of asbestos were delivered to us by flat bed trailers and unloaded and stored by us in appropriate areas, from one end of the base to Coopers Island and Gate 3.

When a priority shipment of paint thinner, insecticide and Hydraulic fluid came in via military transport, they were clearly marked with diamond shaped decals or marked as flammable and stored accordingly. US warehouse personnel seemingly never contracted anything injurious to our health. Of course Agent Orange could have been shipped clandestinely.

My recollection of disposal methods are as such, the combustible debris was picked up from all over the base, taken to Cooper's Island, and dumped in a pit on the shoreline facing St. David's, this included household waste and debris from the various warehouses including the Commissary and Base Exchange.

Bulk debris from building sites was dumped in an area facing Castle Harbour. To accelerate the burning of these sites, used engine oil and JP4 was sprayed on them and fire was applied. Most times the Base fire department was in attendance. When one site or the other was full or stayed smoky for too long, heavy equipment from the motor pool was used to bulldoze it over, and a lot of it went into the ocean.

There were times the army detachment used their equipment to cover the burned waste and yes oil was dumped on the Island, we were told that it was used aircraft hydraulic fluid and oil from the numerous vehicle oil changes at the motor pool. I knew everyone who worked the warehouses at that time. Military and civilian personnel were very close, and perhaps some word would have gotten around that someone died a less than natural death even years later.

During the 1990s, it was reported that a sum of US$50 million was awarded to OHM Corp of NJ of which $33.5 million was for Bermuda alone, the base was to close in 1993. In concert with my fellow workers, a proposal was thrown out where we thought it would do the most good, we would act as consultants for a fee. By this time, I had retired from the Base after 20 years plus.

Some three to six months after that proposal was thrown out there, I received a call from a member of the public who bluntly asked me, why I was trying to get rich at Bermuda's expense? In fact the money was not coming from Bermuda and we felt that our knowledge was worth six figures. I know why our proposal was not accepted, the human mind does not come cheap.

E. RATTERAY

Warwick

Promise can't be kept

July 10, 2007

Dear Sir,

We know that a party platform is the document that tells the voter what a party promises to do if elected to office. My mother and many other seniors would have received a letter dated June 25, 2007 from the UBP. Covered were health care, rest home improvements, cost of living and personal safety.

Under personal safety, this promise is made, "A United Bermuda Party Government will take immediate steps to increase Police visibility and presence on the streets of Hamilton and in every parish, daytime and night time, seven days a week". Is this a promise to deploy police officers?

Yesterday, I called Dunkley Regime chairman, Mr. Shawn Crockwell, on his cell phone and asked him two questions:

Question A: Who wrote this June 25, 3007 letter?

Answer A: It was a joint effort.

Question B: Is it your promise that as Government you will increase police visibility and presence on the streets of Hamilton and in every parish, daytime and night time, seven days a week?

Answer B: That is exactly what it said, and that is our promise.

We believe that the Dunkley Regime have heard a cry from some Bermudians for a greater police presence on the streets. In response, the Dunkley Regime has promised that if elected they will increase police presence on the streets of Bermuda.

The process of sending Police officers into the streets is called deployment.

Under our constitution, the Commissioner of Police, not the political leaders, has the authority to deploy police officers.

When Mr. Crockwell called the David Lopes' early morning show on July 9, 2007, he said that we can't expect the Police to do things that are outside of their control.

We say that no one should expect the Dunkley Regime to increase police visibility or presence, because this is outside of their control or ability. Mr. Shawn Crockwell knows that, in principle, the Dunkley Regime have made a promise that the party chairman knows they will not be able to perform or to keep. They call it politics.

A rose by any other name is still a rose.

Dishonesty, untruthfulness, lies, corruption, disingenuousness, manipulation of seniors, or just plain wickedness, which is it?

On 1340 ZBM Radio yesterday morning, I heard Patricia Gordon-Pamplin say this: "There are things we cannot do as opposition, but once we become the government we will be able to deliver."

The statement she makes is a true one, but it does not apply to deployment. As the Opposition, the Dunkley Regime has no responsibility to provide resources to the Police service so that they can do their job. This will change if they become the government. When the UBP Opposition desires a police presence they must ask the police hierarchy for it. As Government this would not change.

Friends of mine, don't let Patricia Gordon-Pamplin and her crew deceive you into thinking that a vote for that crowd is a vote to empower the Dunkley Regime to increase police visibility and presence on the streets of Bermuda. That is just not true.

If you don't believe me, ask Commissioner George Jackson or Julian Hall.

How can the Dunkley Regime promise us that if we vote for them they will put more police on the streets if they have no control over the police? They are a bunch of dreamers and they better wake up.

This is a sad day. The UBP are the same people who want to expel the PLP government from office because of mere allegations of unethical behaviour. In light of their corrupt behaviour this is absolute rubbish.

EUGENE N. BRANGMAN

Sandys

Look at the plans, Premier

July 27, 2007

Dear Sir,

This is an open letter to Premier Dr. Ewart Brown:

Dear Premier,

Before you reassured the public yesterday at your brown bag lunch about the Southlands tunnel perhaps you should have looked at the development plans that were about to be broadcast to the entire island on all local TV stations the same evening in a Government TV programme that you yourself also appeared in. These plans clearly showed that South Shore Road will be going under several tunnels. In the broadcast The Minister of Works and Engineering also described the tunnels in depth and completely contradicted what you had said earlier in the day.

The fact that you are so mistaken about the tunnels leads me to beg the question. Have you actually seen the plans for this resort that is apparently of "national importance"?

Yours Hopefully,

LISA VICKERS

Smith's

Editor's Note: The Premier's Press Secretary Glenn Jones yesterday said the Premier may have misspoken at a recent public event on the proposed road plan for the Southlands Resort. Mr. Jones sad: "The Premier indicated, and I'm paraphrasing here, that hotel guests would have to go under South Road to get to the beach. That statement is incorrect. The road plans call for hotel guests to go over South Road on a pedestrian overpass. I hope this statement might clarify any confusion."

Ministers are developer's lackeys

July 26, 2007

Dear Sir,

The Bermuda Government misunderstands its role in the controversial Southlands development. Premier Brown and his Ministers are forcefully marketing the development against the tide of revulsion that most Bermudians feel over the project. This is a mistake. Government's role is to represent the interests of the populace and to exercise the sustainable development of our community, not to act as the developer's lackey. And certainly not to waste our tax dollars on showy TV productions justifying their anti-democratic actions.

I, like many Bermudians, am tired of being told that Dr. Brown knows what's best for me and my children.

GRAWLIX

Warwick

Speak up now on Southlands

July 24, 2007

Dear Sir,

Speak up Bermudians before it is too late.

I have heard the granting of the SDO for Southlands is imminent which I certainly hope is not the case as there are many things abhorrently wrong with the proposed development. An SDO should only be issued if the application is "of national importance". I certainly do not think Southlands fits this criterion. We do not need another hotel with fractional share/condo units! Off the top of my head I can think of several developments of this type already in progress or due to start (1) Lantana, (2) additions to the Reefs, (3) Sonesta/Wyndham (4) Southampton Princess (5) The Golden Hind Site (6) Belmont/Newstead (7) the new hotel in Hamilton (8) Club Med, (9) Ariel Sands and (10) Tuckers Point which is due to open in 2008. Southlands would mean an 11th hotel and expensive fractional share development!

How on earth is Bermuda's small infrastructure supposed to support all of these developments? We certainly don't have the tourism numbers or the local work force for all these developments. How exactly is this development suppose to benefit the average Bermudian and Bermuda ¿ hence the reasoning behind issuing an SDO? It appears the only people to benefit from the SDO are the developers. This seems to be a ploy (the fractional share units) to be able to sell Bermuda to foreigners bypassing the new laws that have just been put in place to stop this from happening.

Nelson Hunt, one of the three main developers, stated that the property was private property and the owners should be able to develop it as they wish. Well that is not exactly correct ¿ none of us have that right, we all have to submit plans to the planning department and adhere with the rules that are in place. Quite a large section of Southlands is protected by Section 34 agreements (put in place for a good reason and which the developers knew were in place when they purchased the land). The developers are trying to bypass the planning process and have these agreements overturned by asking for a SDO. If they submitted the plans that they have to the planning department ¿ as everyone else who lives here has to do ¿ they would obviously be turned down, the current plans do not adhere with a lot of current planning rules and I've not even mentioned that tunnel. People who live in that area imagine what traffic is going to be like while that is being developed ¿ you're getting a taste of what happens when the roads are partially blocked by the work that is going on in Paget at the moment, imagine if you couldn't even use South Shore Road for months.

Mr. Hunt stated that if we wanted to save the land to buy it! Well we should ¿ it should be purchased by Government and the public through the National Trust and turned into a park for everyone to enjoy. We all know that the three main developers are not hurting for money. I think it would be a show of good faith by them to prove that they care about the environment, as Mr. Hunt stated they did, to sell the land to the National Trust at a reduced price as Mr. Kevin Cross, President of WhiteCross Development did with the land in Southampton (absolutely amazing for a developer and applauded). One developer in particular has been very quiet and behind the scenes. Mr. Brian Duperreault should be ashamed of himself. I wonder what Sir Crispin Tickell, who was invited to give a talk about how Bermuda should protect their green spaces, felt when he found out that the chairman of the organisation who invited him to Bermuda is one of the main developers who is trying develop the last largest green area of Bermuda.

As a neighbour of Southlands I have objected to this development. I do not want to live next to or in a concrete jungle. Our little piece of Bermuda that my husband and I own (and believe me in comparison to Southlands we are a speck) will probably have more plants and trees around it than the entire Jumeriah Hotel will have.

All Bermudians who have a concern about this development need to start making noise and not leaving it for a select few to stand up for them hoping they will do it for them. Remember once it is gone it is gone ¿ there is no replacing trees that are hundreds of years old during your life time. You need to do something now to protect this land for you and for future generations.

R. POWELL

Warwick

Solar energy options

July 15, 2007

Dear Sir,

First let me say how delighted I was on July 10 to see the items regarding renewable energy. I have personally been campaigning for this for at least the last 17 years.

However, I am concerned that there still appears to be some confusion in the community about solar energy. This can do two things, one, by direct heat to Solar Thermal panels it will heat copious quantities of hot water; two, by use of an entirely different type panel, known as a Photovoltaic panel, it can generate electricity. The two are entirely different and not as yet interchangable.

Solar water heating is entirely free for every day that the sun shines for five or six hours. (once you have invested and set up the system). Heating anything by electricity is very costly in fossil fuels and dollars. The small amount of power needed to run the pump which carries the water up and around the panel is negligible but this can be run by a small PV panel too. The specially constructed solar hot water storage tanks have only one heating element in the top of the tank and are entirely redundant for about 90 percent of the year ¿ yes that does include the winter months when the sun shines. Solar thermal panels generally function well, without problems for as much as 30 years!

The nearest and most convenient place from which to buy your solar thermal water heating system is AET Solar in Jacksonville Florida (www.aetsolar.com). You can get advice, a good range of tanks and panels and prompt shipping. Their prices are very fair, the shipping costs are however likely to double the first cost, so be prepared!

Photovoltaic panels and wind generators are perfectly wonderful devices for doing anything other than heating water! You can run your compact fluorescent lighting, ceiling fans, house water pump, either from your house tank or your well, on a daily 24/7/52 basis as long as you have an array of batteries to store the energy in, so that it is available at night as well as in the day. In the event of a Belco outage this system can be switched to power your fridge too, giving you lights, fans, water supply and refrigeration for your food. Check the Internet for the nearest companies selling PV too. Put in FL 32254 (Jacksonville) and search to keep your shipping costs to a minimum!

Keep in mind that your solar energy will not be compatible with your household appliances, so you will need a qualified electrician to install an inverter and allied equipment to enable you to make full use of this totally renewable, non-polluting energy. The best way to achieve this is to buy the factory assembled kit. Additionally, keep in mind that in Arizona, California and various other States in the USA the grid accepts solar electricity and operates a reverse metering system. This is a well established technology and should present no problem to a company as influential as Belco.

I have been pleading for years for Belco or the Government to undertake to commit Bermuda to becoming an example for the world as a non-polluting community. It probably needs legislation to require Belco to accept input to the grid from the solar energy generated on individual homes all over the island, and then it calls for a far sighted company to import the panels in bulk to reduce the shipping costs of individual systems, either for thermal water systems or for electricity generation. Is it time for Besco to come to the wicket?

This may be my last hurrah, but I do hope somebody is listening! You may contact me if you need further information, but we don't sell or install any more, we have retired.

MARGARET FORSTER

Pembroke

Dejected by politicians

July 27, 2007

Dear Sir,

Having recently read both the text of the Premier's campaign speech and the current war of letters between Messrs Richardson, Simmons and Crockwell, I am quite frankly appalled at the state of politics on this Island.

For my sins, I am a guest worker (so please don't publish my name), and can therefore take no part in the forthcoming election when it is called, however were I a Bermudian I would be completely dejected at my voting options.

In a plea to these so-called politicians, rather than arguing in print whether it is nobler to commit multiple homicide, steal large quantities of narcotics or rob a bank, please could some of you actually discuss how you plan to turn around a failing public education system which appears to be the key reason for the widening gap between rich and poor?

I would like to think that all of you are in the business of politics because you love your country and not because you hate some of your countrymen, but as we draw closer to election time my optimism is waning.

Morality, accountability, honesty and discretion would be good qualities for election candidates, but for me the most important quality, especially on an island of this size, would be a love of your country, the only politician I have had the good fortune to really meet in my time here has been Dale Butler, and I would credit him with all of the qualities I've listed.

UBP, PLP, white or black, criminal record or no criminal record, please try and win this election based on policies and then do your utmost to keep your promises.

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS

Devonshire

Zoom is no bargain

July 25, 2007

Dear Sir,

Zoom or Bust! Or When is a bargain not a bargain?

My wife's step-brother and his partner recently visited Bermuda from Manchester, England. They had the holiday of a lifetime, buoyed by the best 12-day spell of summer sun this year and Horizons' wonderful food on two occasions.

Like all of us, they were thrilled to see airline competition come to part of the route they were travelling, from Gatwick to Bermuda. The alternative fare per person was about $200 cheaper each way which was more than enough to compensate for the free drinks on British Airways that are not available at the back in the Zoom 767.

The journey times, however, call in to question the honesty and integrity of the management of Zoom Airlines. Stated times for departure and arrival are almost never met. They're more often than not hours adrift. I could publish all their timing records but you can look for yourself on line at www.flyzoom.com and see for yourself their (post flight) admissions of their despicable record.

My wife's relatives were told the flight from Gatwick on July 8 would take off at 11 a.m. and land at 2.15 p.m. It took off at 1 p.m. and landed at 5.45 p.m. Work it out for yourselves and decide whether or not it's a better deal.

But first, add to that the return that Zoom said would take off from Freddie Wade at 7.30 p.m. on July 24 and land at 6.55 a.m. the following day. Online only, they later amended the estimated ETD to 8.20 p.m. and the ETA to 8.10 a.m. The actual: It took off at 8.15 p.m. and landed at 9.10 a.m., ten minutes after their connection to Manchester. I make that nearly nine hours flying time. No tail wind, I guess!

Upon late arrival the pair inquired of Zoom what they would do to make amends and, to fob off the tired couple, Zoom told them to check with the information desk at the airport. The desk party rightly suggested they check with BA, with which airline they held a ticket for a 9 a.m. departure to Manchester. BA firmly informed them that their e-ticket could under no circumstances be changed, offered them no alternative and charged them EACH $213.45 for the 29 minute airborne one-way flight to Manchester 5 hours later.

So, fly Zoom and you'll likely get a lot more time in the air for your money; but you might have to fork out the savings you possibly coveted on the connection you'll almost surely miss.

Is there a problem with overweight bags on the connection, though? BA lets you carry one bag of 23kg on domestic flights. Internationally, Zoom lets you have two bags up to a total of 20kg. Transferring on a different day European or UK connection from BA to BA could present a problem, too. You're allowed two 23kg bags from here to London in Economy but only one 23kg bag on the next unconnecting flight.

Have we made any progress, Mr. Editor?

TONY FORSTER

Pembroke