Sordid political trend

March 15, 2006

Dear Sir,

The backlash that Calvin Smith is feeling from his Opinion piece a little while ago was predictable, and his subsequent letter to the Editor was at the very best inflammatory. He richly deserves what he is getting. I chose at the time not to respond and wait to see what the reaction would be. As for myself I had 100 words on a piece of paper in less than five minutes and did not send it out.

Instead I decided to reflect on what was being said and more importantly try to understand what we collectively can do to get away from the racial overtones to our daily lives. There is no easy answer, and like many Bermudians I find it thoroughly offensive to be pilloried every day for something that I was never involved in. When I criticise or question I do not do it because of someone's race, I do it because I am not receiving the level of information that makes me feel comfortable.

Leadership comes from the top and the really sad part of this sordid racist political trend is that it is not part of the make-up of the Bermudian people. They are far more gracious and graceful than the example that is the PLP which has become the public persona of Bermuda. The continuing and jaundiced racial invective of the PLP is a classic defence by a government that lacks the ability to properly manage the affairs of Bermuda. Calvin Smith has chosen to defend this trend and by inference accepts the racist mantle. The people of Bermuda do not deserve these insults.

I have a disability and yes I do understand what discrimination is like and how hard I have been made to work to prove that I am up to the job, but I do not spend everyday of my life looking for someone to blame for my situation. When I am asked a tough question I do not respond by saying ‘oh it's just because I am disabled that you ask that question'. I have however had to put up with rebuffs like ‘there's nothing you can do for us because you are disabled' when applying for a job; ‘no we cannot give you that bank loan because you are disabled and you may not be able to earn a living and pay it back'; ‘no you cannot take the golf cart into the rough because you're disabled, ‘you have to stay on the path and walk to your ball'; ‘no we cannot rent you a car because you are disabled and we cannot get insurance for you'; ‘yes we will sell you life insurance but you will have to be loaded 100 percent because you are disabled'; ‘sorry, sir, it is too expensive to make our restaurant disabled friendly, you'll have to go somewhere else'.

Given the choice I would rather be black and fully fit, rather than white and disabled, and for sure if my attitude and performance are what is expected of me then respect will follow whatever my racial background is.

PHIL CRACKNELL

City of Hamilton

Clean-up needed

Dear Sir,

Having been to Bermuda before, I wanted to show my wife and six other members of my family your beautiful Island.

I tell people, how nice and polite the people Bermudians are and how lovely the Island is.

We had come to Bermuda for our niece's wedding.

My older brother has lived in Bermuda for 50 years.

I was surprised at the state of the Aquarium Museum and Zoo, walking around the zoo area.

The leaves and bird droppings were everywhere.

Rubbish bins were over full, they could not have been emptied for days with only a hand full of visitors around in late September.

The seats and benches were dirty and needed painting. Being a retired bar steward and having worked in a bar for 47 years, I have seen a lot of drunks.

But it was not nice to see the drunks who sit on the seat near the road at the Hamilton ferry terminal.

I know some will say how can I talk like this living in England, well I am ashamed of this country (England).

What with the swearing and unruly children.

No respect for parents or others.

Dirty toilets.

I could go on but your Island is beautiful your shop workers respect the customers.

My wife had not been to Bermuda before, she wants to save money so maybe we can visit your Island again.

She always tells people about your supermarket in Hamilton with all the cooked food on offer.

GRS JONES

Bury, St. Edmund's Suffolk

Take more care, please

March 8, 2006

Dear Sir,

First let me say that I am a strong supporter of law and order and the Bermuda Police Service in their efforts to stamp out lawlessness which is becoming to relevant in this little Island of Bermuda. I hope that this letter of constructive criticism will be addressed by the Commissioner of Police and whoever is in charge of the Police driving programme, because what happened this past Sunday evening, March 5, on Marsh Folly Road is totally unacceptable.

Because of poor judgment and bad driving, not only were the lives of the two officers put at risk but the lives of any pedestrians who may have been at the exact place when the Police vehicle crashed into the wall.

It was a miracle that they spun around after the impact because I don't think they would have survived that 50-foot drop which would have put them on top of the house below the wall on Perimeter Lane and possibly taken someone's life in that dwelling. The roads were wet and slippery on Sunday and more care should have been exercised by those Police officers who were in pursuit of machete wielding thugs who I am sorry were not caught and no doubt are having a big laugh at the expense of the Police. In closing, the driving habits of some of our Police officers must be thoroughly looked into and addressed.

MARSH FOLLY ROAD RESIDENT

P.s. With good weather, I hope Works and Engineering will soon replace the portion of wall that was demolished because it is a danger to the public for it to be left open.

A better location

February 28, 2006

Dear Sir,

After reading the article on Monday I felt obligated to write this letter. I am a practising physician and have been back in Bermuda for four years now. I have worked in several hospitals in the United States and feel very comfortable in stating that our hospital is way below the level of quality for an equivalent hospital that serves a population of our country's demographics (size and economics). By maintaining that the hospital remain where it is, the Government is committing us to a healthcare nightmare. KEMH needs a replacement ASAP before something bad happens (again). By building on the current site, the time line and cost will be higher than the current projected numbers (as history has proven on other projects of similar size), and the burden to the patients will be considerable, since they will have to be cared for on an active construction site. If you think that traffic would be bad at the Arboretum site, try using a hospital while it is undergoing extensive construction.

I disagree that the move to the Arboretum is not feasible, and is probable the most viable plan from a present and future “healthcare” point of view. The initial plan was to only use a portion of the space (mostly the wooded hillside), the rest of which would not be touched, and would be accessible to the patients. We would actually gain “open space” since the current site could be reverted back to the botanical gardens.

As usual, in the end, the decision will end up affecting those who are financially not capable of going else were for the health services. The Government must remember that sometimes, unpopular decisions are not necessarily the wrong decisions. Healthcare can be better here but not if we continue down our current path.

DR. HENRY DOWLING

City of Hamilton

Change your ways

March 13, 2006

Dear Sir,

I was in Cooper's Harbourside on Saturday and was flabbergasted when a staff member “sitting” in the changing room area told me that I was only allowed to take two items into the booth at any given time.

This meant that of the five items I had, I would have to return three to the clothing racks outside, go into the changing room, try on the two I had, get dressed once again, return to the clothing racks, pick two more (from where I had returned them) and repeat the entire process again. Assuming that the reason the young staff member was sitting there was to assist shoppers in this process, I asked her if she could hold onto the three items and hand them to me once I had tried on the first two. “No” I was told bluntly, followed by the reason Coopers is doing this is because sales ladies do not have time to “run” to the changing rooms and back.

Sir, I have been shopping at Coopers for about four years now and I have NEVER seen sales ladies “running” to the changing rooms to assist customers. Which is why customers always took about five items in the changing rooms in the first place. I can't think of a single woman on this Island who does not go clothing shopping and takes a number of items into the changing room at any given time. Who on earth decided on this new rule? A man? Obviously this person has no idea what clothing shopping is all about from a women's perspective.

I left Coopers Harbourside with only two items, whereas I could have bought five. I just did not feel like going through the motions of getting dressed, returning to the clothing area to hopefully find where I had returned the other garments and repeat this process a number of times. Also: What on earth do I do with the first two items, which fit. Do I return them to the shelves in the hopes that they will be there once I have finished trying on things?

I can only see this new “rule” affecting your sales in a negative way. I would like to make the following suggestions: Why not pay the young lady “sitting” in the changing room area to actually help customers. Is that not what customer service is all about? Alternatively, why not allow women to take a minimum of five garments into the changing booth and supply each with a tag (stating the number of clothing she has), a tag which is returned to the young saleslady “sitting” outside who then checks that the same number of items that went in, leave the changing room area.

This is what they do in many countries I have visited and it appears to work. Hoping you'll consider doing something, as I would like to remain,

AN AVID SHOPPER

Halt these plans now

March 19, 2006

Dear Sir,

As a member of the Fairmont Golf Club and as a neighbour who lives on South Shore, I object strongly to the plans to reduce the acreage of the golf course and build the golf villas. This beautiful golf course is the only one of its kind in Bermuda. It is also a course that busy people appreciate because it can be played in two hours. I was under the impression that this area was supposed to be retained as open green space and that it was to be available for use by all Bermudians.

We seem to be building condos or the equivalent all over the Island, causing our green spaces and recreational areas to become a thing of the past. I cannot believe that tourists who love the old Bermudian houses and buildings will view all of these developments as improvements. The charm of Bermuda has always been its people, its beaches and its country surroundings. Once the green areas are gone we will never get them back.

Has any thought been given to the increase in motor vehicles resulting from this construction?

I find it hard to believe that tourists who have found Bermuda too expensive and service not as it used to be will suddenly come flocking to a small golf academy when they are a dime a dozen in the US. I hope that Planning will give serious consideration to the need to preserve our environment.

LYNN DOYLES

Southampton