If a crane falls in Bermuda

March 7, 2005

Dear Sir,

Near the centre of a major building site stood a 100-foot high crane with a boom which could reach the furthest extremity of the site. The foreman ordered one of his workmen named Horton to operate the crane even though he had no instruction or experience as to how it worked.

Shortly after the crane began operating, it toppled over sustaining serious damage and causing many hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to several of the buildings under construction. It was only as a result of remarkable good fortune that no one was killed or seriously injured.

When the inexperienced crane operator was asked why he had agreed to take on the job he said: "I wanted to show everybody how tough I am."

When the foreman, named Scott, was asked why he sent an unqualified man to do such a job he said: "I am proud of what I did and I will do it again."

WILLIAM M. COX

Devonshire

Smoked out in Bermuda

March 7, 2005

Dear Sir,

On Sunday, March 6, I had dinner at Pickled Onion. At the start of my dinner, two gentlemen who were previously at the bar decided to have dinner and were escorted to the table behind me. Shortly thereafter, one lit a cigarette.

The cigarette smoke bothered me and also bothered a young girl in the party next to me. Someone at her table said "there is nothing we can do". I disagree.

Wasn't there something we did about drunk drivers? Wasn't there something we did about paedophiles? Wasn't there something we did about segregation? Voices made it known that we had had enough!

A current television commercial states how one voice could make a difference. Make it known to your Parliamentary representative; to the managers/owners of the establishment that you do not want to breathe harmful second-hand smoke. If legislation can be passed in Ireland banning smoking in pubs, surely Bermuda can pass legislation to ban smoking in public places.

Here in my voice

WANTING A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

City ofHamilton

A series of church crises

March 4, 2005

Dear Sir,

The Anglican Church in Bermuda seems to stumble from one needless crisis to another. Some time ago the Immigration Department threatened the rector of one parish with arrest if he conducted a service for another parish, then without a priest. This was clearly a flagrantly unconstitutional interference by the Government in the freedom of worship of both the priest and the congregation involved.

The Bishop merely bleated.

Before then the Bishop, despite any amount of sound advice to the contrary, used the Immigration Department as a weapon to force an incompetent priest onto an unwilling parish. The result was the near destruction of the parish.

It has yet to recover.

Now the Bishop is once again using the Immigration Department as a weapon to further damage his church. Arguably the best-loved and most able priest in the Anglican diocese of Bermuda is being run off the Island. His parishioners are up in arms and the Anglican Church will, once again, suffer a crippling blow at the hands of its own Bishop.

The Bishop seems bound and determined to render unto Caesar not only that which is Caesar's but also that which is God's. I don't know if there are procedures in the Anglican Church for getting rid of incompetent Bishops, but now is the time to find out.

For myself, I am now, like many other disillusioned Anglicans, worshipping elsewhere.

DOWNE FOR THE COUNT

City of Hamilton

Why lose Canon Tilson?

March 3, 2005

Dear Sir,

Sunday February 27th was a very sad day at Holy Trinity Church in Baileys Bay. We heard our beloved Minister read out an announcement that he was having to leave Bermuda because he didn't have the support of the Bishop in obtaining renewal of his work permit.

Apparently the Bishop is of the opinion that we need a change. No, we don't need a change, we were perfectly happy with Canon Tilson. Now we are all very sad and disressed.

Why is this happening? I really don't understand. Bermuda will suffer a great loss when Canon Tilson and family leave.

FRENE COOK

City of Hamilton