Royal request

September 15, 2002

Dear Sir,

Would The Royal Gazette please stop identifying a few easy to quote monthly individuals - Toppy , Rolfe, Walton - as "political activists".

Not one of them has any political base or anything to demonstrate except their own ego.

WATCHING

Paget

Shame on them

September 15, 2002

Dear Sir,

So, the Corporation of Hamilton has added yet another Desmond Fountain statue to the City Hall fountain. Now there are three white children represented.

Thus the Corporation compounds its total lack of sensitivity to the diversity of Bermuda.

Shame on them.

WATCHING

Paget

What is really free

September 15, 2002

Dear Sir,

So what is this nonsense Dr. Ewart Brown trumpets on your front page about the parties on the new ferries being free? The company which built them provided $50,000 for "entertainment". Where did the money come from? The Bermuda taxpayers.

It would make me much happier if the company had reduced the bill for the boats by $50,000.

Makes me wonder what else the company provided "free".

WATCHING

Paget

Answer me this

September 12

Dear Sir,

I have just read the letter to the editor by Mr. Toppy Cowen and I have a few simple questions that I would like for Mr. Cowen to answer.

1) When has he ever been a champion of the people as he intimates in his letter?

2) Why did he not show the same strong support for Sir John Swan during the 1995 Independence campaign that forced Sir John to retire from politics? Could it have been that he himself opposed Independence but is now realising that there in no other possible leader for his party?

3) If he is so concerned with the average person, why does he not throw his hat into the political ring and run his campaign on how if elected he would stand and serve the average person?

GUILDEN M. GILBERT, JR.

Nassau, Bahamas

Help our people first

August 27, 2002

Dear Sir,

Migration of other ethnic groups to Bermuda has put a strain on the social strata we have come to know as the Bermuda way of life. Diversity has been linked to immigration policies.

Bermuda covers a land mass not equal to the United States, but, is equal to the United States perhaps in opportunity for some ethnic groups.

As diversity continues, so does continued controversy in Bermuda.

Who is benefitting the most from this diversified community? One cannot help but look around Bermuda and see who is prospering at a tremendous growth rate.

Is it a coincidence the Immigration door has opened wide in the face of diversity, or is this done by design? If so, a new plan has to be designed for the refugee Bermudian in the face of diversity.

Interaction by these groups are not visible on a day-to-day basis as these ethnic groups stick together as immigrants do when migrating to the United States.

Be careful Bermudians that you are not being sold a bag of spoiled goods. First and foremost we need to be vigilant about helping our people and not sending a message out that we are the melting pot of the United Bermuda States.

BERMUDIAN

Devonshire

Constitutional control

September 2, 2002

The following was sent to The Governor and copied to The Royal Gazette.

Dear Sir,

I should be grateful if you would use good offices to ensure that before any changes are made to Bermuda's current Constitution, proper procedures are in place to cover both the present proposals and any future proposals for amendments to the Constitution.

This I respectfully suggest should be done as the first item on the agenda at a Constitutional Conference to be held at the earliest opportunity. I believe that this should be a 21st Century model Constitutional Conference in that it should be open to the public so that all Bermudians are given the chance to be made aware of and understand the reasons for any changes that are contemplated and indeed an opportunity to have some input if only by private submissions.

If the current proposals submitted by the Boundaries Commission with respect to the number of Members of Parliament and the constituency boundaries are accepted, then it would seem desirable for the Speaker of the House of Assembly to be chosen from other than the elected members of the House since otherwise the voters in the Speaker's constituency would be unrepresented.

I do not believe that Bermuda's Constitution should be amended piecemeal. It is important that proper procedures are in place for the future so that we will never again go through the recent and current debacle. It is just not good enough for the British Government representatives to state that a Constitutional Conference and Referendum have neither been ruled out nor ruled in! A Constitutional Conference is essential and any Referendum held thereafter should require a two-thirds majority. However, it may be that if a transparent and open Constitutional Conference is held it may be obviate the need for a referendum.

ANNE PEARSON

Hamilton Parish

Watch out for children

September 16, 2002

Dear Sir,

Please allow me to respond to Mrs. Margaret Dyer-Forster and her preconception of Childwatch. I believe that Mrs. Forster may not be aware of the reasons preceding the formation of Childwatch, nor the group's objectives. I ask that she and others read them and having done so, if they have concerns as to our purpose, please feel free to assist us with what we consider to be the most pressing social problem in Bermuda, our children.

I feel that while Mrs. Forster may have valid concerns she might serve the community better by not slamming the very people trying to improve the situation.

1. The children of Bermuda are in crisis.

2. Bermuda is providing alliterative schooling for out of control children.

3. Mothers are being taken to court because they cannot ensure their children attend school.

4. The new Westgate correction facility is full. My visits there show me that eight out of ten inmates had no meaningful involvement with their father.

5. Children raised without the benefit of a father in place are more likely to commit a crime, achieve a lower standard in education, become involved with alcohol and drug abuse, to commit suicide and to have children out of wed lock.

6. President Bush budgeted $315 million for a programme to bolster fatherhood and marriage to tackle social ills "all societies recognise that raising children requires more than one parent". [Monitor week June 7-13, 2001

7. We at Childwatch have undertaken to play our part in making our Island home a better place in which to live, by addressing problems. Not by treating the symptoms, but to tackle the root cause. Almost all that ails Bermuda can be eased by improved parenting skills. Childwatch while supported by a broad cross section of the community male, female, single married and divorced, have been denied charity status because we had, it was thought, no charity purpose. So, we press on regardless in the knowledge that it is not the victory but rather the fight. A fight worth winning for our children.

Why we formed:

To address issues pertaining to the unjust treatment of responsible and caring fathers in relationship to their parental rights over the welfare and the day to day upbringing of their children and to bring focus and improvement on the enforcement of the custody laws.

Mission statement.

Childwatch recognises that both parents are vitally important to the child's well being and is dedicated to bringing responsibility, accountability and equality to both parents so that they share equally in the parenting and support of their children.

Objectives:

Keep the children's well being the focus of the parenting for both parties.

To champion the child's right to enjoy equal access to both biological parents.

To satisfy in the eyes of the law that either a mother or father can be equally effective primary caregivers.

To promote fair and unbiased judgments in child custody case.

To ensure that fathers are given equal opportunity to provide a positive male role in their child's day to day life.

To educate society on the vital role and significance of the father in the child's life.

To mentor and lend support to the disenfranchised fathers who are trying to take a positive roll in their child's life.

To provide mediation for couples and in particular fathers, so that the children are as unaffected as possible during a separation or divorce.

C. FISHER

Protect our rights

September 16, 2002

Dear Sir,

It seems to me that instead as far as Cablevision is concerned it should be understood that although they have their demands in the new contract we also have ours.

Before any deal is signed make sure there are clauses that state the contract can be broken if they do not uphold good service, nevermind service in general for paying customers. No Spanish stations, no situation where one day you have ESPN and one day you don't. Minister Webb - protect the consumers rights!

TIRED OF LOUSY CABLEVISION

Pembroke

I want what I paid for

September 17, 2002

Dear Sir,

If Cablevision decides to `pull the plug' again will they not be in breach of contract with all of their subscribers? Given that we the subscribers are paying for services one month in advance, surely Cablevision is contractually obligated to continue to provide those services - at least until the end of the month paid for.

PAS

Warwick