May 22, 2012Dear Sir,I recently shared my thoughts about an article which was written by Jessie Moniz about the former Collector of Customs, Winifred Fostine-DeSilva. One of your readers by the name of “Sweet Onion” is of the opinion that by me showing support for my husband in a letter to the Editor, I have ‘cut off his b***s’. I would like to point out that the last time my husband checked, he still had b***s.Sweet Onion asked where my husband’s voice is in all of this. Obviously, Sweet Onion isn’t familiar with the fact that Civil Servants are basically gagged, and the voice of a civil servant is supposed to be the Union (BPSU) which is the sole bargaining agent in respect of officers of the Civil Service. The unfortunate part is that not all members receive adequate representation and in addition, not all Civil Servants are BPSU members … my husband is a living example.Sweet Onion is also of the opinion: “There is a time when you must step back and let a man fight his own battles.” Sweet Onion must have had his/her head buried in the sand when my husband was fighting his own battle via the Supreme Court when the fiat was issued. I am quite familiar with the phrase “The pen is mightier than the sword”, but going to battle was not my intention when I shared my thoughts. I was simply sharing the other half of the story as I am aware that a half-truth is a whole lie. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth needs to be told! If Sweet Onion can’t stand to hear or read the truth then, perhaps, he/she should stop reading my letters. I, and only I, will decide if and when I choose to publicly support my spouse (pending the Editor’s approval of course). After all, aren’t we all entitled to freedom of speech?By the way, if the Progressive Labour Party can state: “We need each and every Bermudian to join us in our quest to build a prosperous and FAIR country that works for ALL people”, and I see unfairness, why not point it out? After all, even the PLP asks for volunteers to write letters to the Editor or to call Talk Shows to support them publicly, so why should I be limited in the support that I show for my spouse? Let’s not forget, “Charity begins at home”.JENNIFER CAINESDevonshire