Confused by sentence

April 25, 2004

Dear Sir,

Who says that crime does not pay?

It would appear that on these so-called Paradise Isles it is possible to get away with anything from unpaid parking tickets to murder.

Now let me see if I have got this straight, a person can get a job in a Government office and over a short period of time that person can embezzle around $150,000 with a very good chance of not being found out.

I guess this is because with so much money being spent in all Government departments, the loss of a mere $150,000 could go unnoticed for quite some time. Now in the event that one should eventually get caught, that person could stash the money away, claim he had spent it all on drugs, do his three months in Westgate Holiday Camp, come out and pick up the loot, jump on a plane and be out of here.

However, we have been informed that if anyone else should try this sort of thing, they will be dealt with quite severely, which seems to be a contradiction or a discrepancy in the law. Why should one person get away with a slap on the wrist and another get a much harsher sentence for the same crime? Something is drastically wrong.

Of course, the ?in? thing these days is to blame it all on the previous Government!

SEEING IT AS IT IS

Pembroke

Surprised by sentence

April 25, 2004

Dear Sir,

Referring to Saturday April 24, of The Royal Gazette. ?Civil servant jailed for three months?

Judge: ?exceptional leniency?....

Let?s be honest. Remember the King?s son who was saved from a serious drug charge.

Judge: ?Other people caught stealing from the public purse would get a much heftier sentence...? I forget ...remind me... what game are we playing?

Judge: ?You are not the usual type who come before me.?

Aren?t we all different. Wolf in sheep?s clothing, maybe... stereotyping, maybe... breaking the fall, maybe?

Accused: ?I cannot believe I did what I did, but I did it because I was addicted.?

Remind me, how long did you do it for?

Accused: I?m very sorry, ashamed and embarrassed by what I did because of my addiction.?

Aren?t we all, after we get caught.

The powers that be need to understand that a person can and should be given a second chance, he can still serve his God, be made accountable for his actions, carry his own cross and still receive a justified sentence. I?m convinced the stage was set, long ago. The wheels are turning. We have some dangerous people in our midst.

Tax Commissioner ?most suitable for the job, not because of his knowledge but because of his compassionate, considerate and caring nature.?

I believe everything you say, but remind me, what department did he steal the money from? Tax Commissioner: ?His friends and colleagues will ?continue to hold him in the highest regard.? Unconditional love? Yes, I?m for that, and an appropriate sentence is justice.

Assistant Accountant General: ?Reliable and ideal employee.? What are the charges, I forgot?

Assistant Accountant General: ?They must have occurred because he was desperate.?

Do we know anymore desperate men or is he the only one? He did not get an Oscar but he did get a pat on the back and a smack on his hand. I?m convinced that, ?sophisticated fraud? and ?exceptional leniency? are related. This scene should have ended different. It?s probably because some people just do not care what the public thinks or feels. Are we that easy to defraud?

I heard it is a new law on the books... ?Only when it?s ?sophisticated fraud? do you get ?exceptional leniency.? Seems to me like some people are finally mastering the art of ?teamwork?. Now let?s sit back and observe how scenes two and three play out. Isn?t life just delicious.

FCW

Sandys Parish

P.s. Be careful what you say, your words might come back to haunt you.

A simple solution

April 24, 2004

Dear Sir,

Whenever the Smith?s Parish Council hosted meetings to discuss the Collectors Hill Junction, rows of chairs were provided, a microphone available, and the meetings always started on time. Not so last Thursday at the meeting called for by Works and Engineering. One hundred of us were left standing (some of us seniors) from 7.20 p.m. until 8.05 p.m. waiting for some action to begin.

All the four options presented by Works and Engineering would require acquisition of scarce farmland, a lengthy and costly process, and were typical W & E overkill.

Many of us agreed that the eastbound Number One route bus stop should be moved further west, and a lay-by with a sidewalk created, after which there could be a pedestrian crossing connected to the Apothecary sidewalk.

Re: vehicles exiting from AP Owen road. Any making a right turn go across the flow of westbound traffic, therefore a ?no right turn? sign should be erected immediately.

Alternatively AP Owen road could be made one way south. Surely a temporary legal right of way could be negotiated with the owners of the parking lot. The railings put in by W&E are a big improvement. The next step should be the painting of yellow lines, at the edge and centre of the road, and occasional police presence. We hope that personnel of W&E consider such suggestions. After all we the taxpayers pay their wages.

AJB

Smith?s Parish

Singing the song

April 25, 2004

Dear Sir,

It has occurred to me that one thing wrong with Bermuda College is the lack of a College Song which could be sung on important occasions.

Perhaps some enterprising student or member of staff, sorry faculty, could be prevailed upon to write one . It could contain lots of noble sounding phrases such as freedom of expression, appreciation for long and faithful service, contributions to the community, etc., etc., etc . The words and music might then be painted on a blank wall of one of the College buildings for all to see, a sort of musical mission statement!

On occasions like the one recently, when Dr. Shaun O?Connell, who has devoted the last 29 years of his life to his students , the College, the Bermuda Public Services Union, the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association and Bermuda society in general, was summarily dismissed for allegedly making racist comments during a private conversation with friends, the entire faculty could assemble around the wall and sing the College Song, say three times to get them in the mood.

Then suitably inspired, empowered and eager, if not a little confused, they could head back to their classes to inculcate the minds of Bermuda?s youth with the meaning of all those noble sounding sentiments !

MULLET

City of Hamilton

Insurers get it wrong

April 25, 2004

Dear Sir,

In my opinion it should be illegal for insurance companies to refuse coverage on any property because of where it is situated.

In addition, they should not be able to pick and choose which type of coverage they feel like insuring based on a property?s location.

Granted, I do not want to pay inflated premiums because someone has chosen to purchase a home or hotel sitting near the water?s edge and at a higher risk for damage during storms. I agree the premiums for these properties should be higher than those of us more protected inland.

However, as far as I am concerned, if these insurance companies want to do business on the Islands and make the gross profits they are making, then they must insure all properties for any and all damage suffered due to the risks associated with sometimes serious and unpredictable Island weather.

Businesses and homeowners alike pay millions in combined dollars every year for insurance coverage but may not make a claim for years. Where does all this money go? It should go towards the reconstruction of damaged property, by fire, by flood, by hurricane, or otherwise. Maybe these insurance companies should look at the salaries they are paying their executives before they start whimpering and refusing coverage to their paying customers.

PAY UP

City of Hamilton

A question of rights

April 20, 2004

Dear Sir,

I am replying to Pat Ferguson?s letter in today?s Royal Gazette of April 20, 2004, in which he/she in turn is replying to a letter written by Nikki Bowers. I didn?t get a chance to reply to Ms Ferguson?s original letter, but now that she is trying to backtrack on her original letter, I feel that I have to speak up.

I totally agree with Ms Bowers. Like her, upon reading Ms Ferguson?s letter, the very thought that popped in my mind was ?ignorant?. Some of the comments that he/she made fit this bill-namely that homosexuality is a choice, and that counselling can ?fix it.? I am not gay, but I do feel that in most cases homosexuality is not a choice, and in fact believe that 99 percent of people are born that way. In fact, most gay people state that they have known all their lives that they are homosexual.

I feel that most gay people are decent, law-abiding citizens who are at the mercy of the rest of us. What?s wrong with wanting to live your life in peace, and getting the same respect as everybody else? You say that other groups have been discriminated against. Well, the point is that we have recourse under law if we are discriminated against because of colour, sex, religion etc. ? what recourse does someone have if they are discriminated against because of their sexual orientation? That?s all they want, and that?s fair enough.

In closing, I firmly believe that nature has planned things the way they are to keep everything in balance. We have summer and winter. We have day and night. We have tall and short, fat and thin. We have white and black. Finally, we have heterosexual, and we have homosexual. There has to be a reason, even if we can?t understand it at the moment. It?s a fact that things that occur as destructive as a hurricane happen for a reason ? to keep everything in balance. So, whether we like some of it or not, everything that occurs on this Earth is part of a master plan.

EQUAL RIGHTS

Hamilton Parish

P.s. Believe it or not, I once shared the same mentality as Ferguson and others ? mainly due to what I was taught in church. However, there is a lot of enlightening information out there on ?gender identity? and what attracts you to the opposite sex, or the same sex - and that says that what you are attracted to is no fault of your own, and that we are all ?wired? either way at conception. There is also a lot of programming on this on the ?Discovery? channel. Maybe Ms Ferguson will catch some of it.