A tourist who won’t returnApril 12, 2011Dear Sir,“A 43-year-old tourist received a hefty fine for importation after cannabis was found in his cruise ship cabin.”Bermuda can add at least one more tourist and most all of his friends and acquaintances to the no return column. Wayne contends that the US will retaliate if Bermuda does something sensible about destroying so many young lives and at the same time produce reinforcements for the gangs and criminal behaviour. What is left for these people to do after their life has been destroyed by placing a drug conviction on their record? Just to be clear about what is happening in the United States on this issue I will post the following. The source is Wikipedia.Alaska: One ounce usable. Alaska is the only state where possession of up to one ounce is legal.California: 8 ounces usable. A physician’s recommendation is required.Colorado: 2 ounces usable. A physician’s recommendation is required.Hawaii: 3 ounces usableMaine: Amended to 2.5 ounces usable. No state-run registry. A physician’s recommendation is required.Massachusetts: On November 4, 2008, Massachusetts became the first state to decriminalise marijuana possession passed by voter initiative.Michigan: 2.5 ounces usable. No state-run registry.Montana: 1 ounce usable.Nevada: 1 ounce usable. A physician’s recommendation is required.New Mexico: 6 ounces usable.Oregon: First state to decriminalise marijuana in 1973. 24 ounces usable.Rhode Island: 2.5 ounces usable.Vermont: 2 ounces usable.Washington: 24 ounces usable. No state-run registry.And Bermuda should be concerned about US sanctions because we strive to protect our people when they are doing the same for their people, many of whom would probably enjoy visiting Bermuda; but hey, according to Wayne we don’t need them because they are not the kind of tourists we want.All of these people from all over the United States and we don’t need or want them. Maybe then in all of our advertising we should just stipulate exactly what kind of people we want visiting Bermuda and what kind is not welcomed. Wayne I know you can do better than that; well I hope so anyway.AL EASTMONDDevonshireNew parking lawsApril 13, 2011Dear Sir,I wonder how many readers have fallen foul of the Corporation of Hamilton’s new parking restrictions at the General Post Office. We got caught on a Tuesday and paid a $50 fine, the first we had received in over 20 years. We had no idea that the Corporation had eliminated the free 15 minute parking in November 2010.To add insult to injury, we got yet another ticket on a Saturday. We read the new signs this time and it clearly stated that it was a Voucher Parking area but that it also appeared to be restricted to Monday to Friday as it further states “Mon to Fri, 8am - 6pm, 15 min max”. We assumed this meant that Saturday and Sunday parking was free. We were there for two minutes and the parking attendant was not to be dissuaded by our argument and we got another $50 ticket to pay. The second parking fine we had received in 20 years.I tried raising this with the Corporation but never got a response.We still talk to people who park there for 15 minutes without displaying, oblivious to this latest money grab. We understand that the Corporation has to make up for the money taken from them by the PLP Government but in all honesty, with higher charges for parking and the new fangled so called “Easy-Pay” parking device, the shopkeepers of Hamilton will be seeing a lot less of us from now on.ONCE BITTEN ...PembrokeThe ads are louderApril 12, 2011Dear Sir,Wow, CableVision and the other stations absolutely have to stop their abuse is turning the volume up for advertising on commercials.This is ruining our hearing and can be proven to do so through a rightful law put through legislation in California in the US.Please Government, pass legislation to protect myself and anyone else who feels the same way.DEAFENEDPaget