In the quiet of our homes we each have been expressing what we all have been feeling. The feeling that the Country is heading in the wrong direction, that the criminals are out of control and that the Bermuda we know and love is swiftly becoming a distant memory. We all see this happening and for a long time we have been quietly hoping that this dismal situation would sort itself out. We all see this happening and many of us have hidden our fears, our worries and our anger and pretended that everything is OK. In the words of Paul Laurence Dunbar:

It has been said that "all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing". For too long good men and women of conscience have pretended everything is right with this country when in their hearts they know better. For too long good men and women of conscience have compromised their core values and called it "being patient." For too long good men and women of conscience have stood silent and done nothing while injustice, immorality and corruption have flourished. For too long good men and women of conscience have stood silent and done nothing. The time is now for Bermudians of conscience and faith to be .

Many Bermudians are facing hard times just to survive. As a Member of Parliament people stop me on a daily basis on the street that has something to say about these issues. You can see and feel their pain and frustration on their faces as they try to hid their agony behind a smile.

Who is listening to the cries of those who are hurting? Are we willing to give up our core values all for the cause of tolerance? Are we willing to pay the price and stand up for what is right? Are we willing to sell off our children's future all for the almighty dollar? Are we just willing to hide behind our doors, go into our offices and ignore the problem? Is this what the people of Bermuda want? I do not think so, than it is time to be "Silent No More".

Throughout our history, Bermuda has produced strong community, political, business and religious leaders. Our country has produced Bermudians with vision, integrity and purpose. Leaders who stood up for what they believed in and fought for justice. The prosperity of our people, the Bermuda that we all love and believe in is the fruit of the seeds of leadership planted by those men and women of vision that had the courage to stand up for what was right.

The Bermuda that we believe in is in jeopardy because from Court Street to Front Street many people are silently compromising their values. From Parliament Hill to Scaur Hill many politicians, business leaders, and church leaders have chosen to tolerate the darkness growing in our midst instead of acting as a guiding light for the country. We must be

We must be when it comes to our educational system. The PLP may pat itself on the back when half our children fail to graduate from public schools but Bermudians of faith and conscience know better and every Bermudian deserves better. The PLP continues to waste millions of dollars on the Berkeley Project ? money that could have been spent on affordable housing, securing the health of our seniors and reducing crime.

But where is the outcry, where is the outrage? Where are the men and women of faith and conscience? We must be We must get back to basics, instructing our children in the 3RS, providing them with loving yet firm discipline. All combined with dedicated qualified teachers endowed with all the tools they need to educate our children and create a world-class education system for our people

We must be Silent No More on tackling basic needs. Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. The higher needs are esteem and self actualisation. Maslow, however said before these needs are meet we have to fulfil the basic needs of .

We have a serious affordable housing problem, which is creating enormous stress, and families are moving from pillar to post. Siblings are frequently separated from each other and their parents. Children are going to school hungry, and parents are arguing and fighting all night, creatingan atmosphere that is not conducive for learning.

How can one of the richest countries in the world allow these basic needs to go unaddressed? Affordable housing and the social ills facing families must be addressed, as they lead to other problems within our community. Save our children and we can save our nation.

We must be on crime. A young man recently told me that prison does not deter individuals from committing crimes. Many celebrate when they go back into our prisons. He said: "It is almost like a welcome back celebration." With the rise in gang violence and the increasing brutality of attacks upon our women, our seniors and our children we must eliminate the emotion of fear that everyone is experiencing and place it back where it belongs, in the heart of the criminal. But we can't do that when people are afraid to speak out, afraid to condemn and afraid to stand up for what is right.

I am one that believes in restoration and that people can be changed. My Christian beliefs tell me that man can be changed through the transformation of the heart by committing their lives to a higher calling.

However, I also believe that once a person knows the difference between right and wrong, and they choose wrong, then they should suffer the consequences. Government has a responsibility to protect its citizens, and prison should not be a holiday camp.

We live in an age where protecting feelings is valued more highly than speaking the truth. We tolerate injustice, dishonesty and immorality. We need to break free from the shackles of fear and complacency and stand up for what is right.

As Thomas Jefferson proclaimed: "In matters of fashion, swim with the current. In matters of conscience, stand like a rock."

Will you tell your children and your grandchildren that you stood by and silently watched their birthright be squandered? Will you tell your children and your grandchildren that you were too afraid to fight for what is right? Will you go to your grave filled with regret knowing that you should have and could have done more to save our country? It's time is now and need is great for strong, moral leadership. It's time for the people of Bermuda be