Stop this pollution

July 1, 2003

Dear Sir,

The daily RG is now full each morning of the promises and commitments made by PLP and UBP candidates. Notably absent is any sincere undertaking with respect to Bermuda's only true capital, the environment. What good is a willing, even perfectly educated workforce, when the land we all share, the air we breathe and the water we drink becomes progressively more degraded and polluted?

Even as I write this I can hear the droning of W&E cutting down and radically de-branching mature trees. What once were shaded beautiful roads, paths and parklands have been so denuded, (this process even continuing through the hottest summer months) that soon the soil will be eroded and arid beyond recovery, the birds so robbed of their roosts and protective foliage, the tree frogs so crisp, that we can only enjoy totally artificial and songless, squarely trimmed outdoors.

A man wearing a protective mask can be seen at all times working his way along main access roads throughout Bermuda, driving his van slowly while spraying a particular weed killer - a chemical salt compound, which effectively dehydrates or burns the 'unwanted' roadside greens. It does much the same to lizards and tree frogs that get doused. What we have now on a formerly lush St. David's Road is singed verges and dusty earth and stones, which are no longer held in place by the roots of plants.

Well I suppose it improves visibility for the deafeningly noisy motorcyclists driving at breakneck speed. A definite vote catcher for the PLP.

FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BETTER

Pembroke

Time to free ourselves

June 18m, 2003

Dear Sir,

I cannot any longer endure the crass stupidity that I am experiencing around the issue of giving/selling buses etc. to Cuba.

The mentality that prevails (and Dale should be ashamed of himself) is one that has been engendered and nurtured from as far back as when slavery was introduced to this Island. It is the servile mentality of the local white merchant class, (later embodied into the UBP) who, when it commercially suited them, have always been the willing sycophants of the almighty American dollar extolled over and beyond principles of Independence, freedom and strength of one's convictions. This is the same mentality that has made ogres and bogeymen of issues like Income Tax, Independence and relations with Islands to the south of us, our Caribbean brothers and sisters, in a racist attempt to separate us. You never heard this same 'white South Africa' against the human rights and freedoms of blacks in that country did you? Nor a peep from the Gordon-Pamplins and Jahmall Simmons of Bermuda about their mother country, Britain's selling of arms to that regime?

Speak one on one with any of these individuals and they could not tell you the difference (or whether there is a difference) between communism or socialism except for the versions they have been fed by their masters. When are black people going to truly educate themselves free from the dictates of their white masters? When are they going to think for themselves? Their brainwashing and indoctrination into myths of Western democracy and Anglo-Saxon values is deep and frightening. When will these lost sheep free themselves from mental slavery and run the affairs of their own country free from 'mother' Britain?

THE SHADOW KNOWS!

St. George's

Denied a basic right

July 2, 2003

Dear Sir,

Yes, nearly 100 percent voter registration is admirable! It certainly shows that the people of Bermuda - myself included - do wish to exercise their civic duty and VOTE! My family ensured that we were registered many moons ago - only to be outraged to find out that we are being denied the right to vote because of our work and vacation travel plans booked many months ago!

We are leaving the Island on July 11, returning on July 26, and although we have tickets to prove our travel times, we have been told that we cannot exercise our vote until July 17, 2003.

July and August, around the globe, are accepted times for summer vacation, and in particular, family travel. As I expressed my frustration to the Registrar's Office, I was told that there were hundreds of other people in the same predicament. It does make one wonder about the choice of election date. Was it set to exclude anyone?

So, as you can gather, I can't get excited anymore when I hear about the near 100 percent voter registration. It means nothing if you can't exercise the right to vote. If you share in this predicament, please make your views known to the Editor, and/or to the Registrar's Office at 297- 7655.

HOPING TO VOTE

St. David's

An inspiration to youth

June 30, 2003

Dear Sir,

On behalf of the primary three classes at Warwick Academy, I would like to publicly thank Mr. Mike Bierman (owner and president of Bierman's Building Supplies), for his help and support.

For the past three years now, Mr. Bierman has welcomed these young children at his facility with open arms. He has gone out of his way, giving up his time to take us on tours and providing us with materials to complete science projects back to school.

Mr. Bierman is committed to inspiring young Bermudians in the areas of math, science and technology and to opening student's eyes to the needs of Bermuda's industries such as engineering and construction. In his words, "there is more to Bermuda than banks, insurance and international business".

I feel that Mr. Bierman has the right approach in providing on the job training for those qualified. Bermuda's children are more than capable but not everyone is cut out for the world of business. Thank you Mr. Bierman for inspiring and paving the way for our children to enter the world of industry.

MAGGIE RICHARDSON

Primary three teacher

Warwick Academy

PLP has learned nothing

July 30, 2003

Dear Sir,

Last weekend I was asked why I thought that we needed a New United Bermuda Party Government and what was so wrong with the PLP?

On the surface, that is an easy question to respond to but there are deeper issues to consider.

On the surface, it doesn't look like we are any worse off than we were before. But I think the biggest change has been in our social fabric - our sense of fairness and our sense of community. The PLP may well have been the promised saviour of black Bermudians but it hasn't turned out that way. No, far from it - they have managed to split this community racially and they have managed to show that all they care about is greed and corruption. No question about it, black Bermudians in Bermuda and probably the rest of the world have not been treated equally for hundreds of years. But the PLP way is not the way to make all those years go away - although I accept that we had to see them in action to believe it.

The UBP of my father's day was a great political machine when it came to running the business of Bermuda - give it some credit for making Bermuda one of the wealthiest and most successful country's in the world - but it either lost or never had or never recognised a social responsibility.

The other thing that concerns me is the PLP's lack of any real competence in running a Government. Sure, they were the Opposition for a long time but for much of that time they were paid Parliamentarians. I would have thought that they might learn some things about running the machinery that makes Bermuda tick ... but, no, they decided to throw the baby out with the bath water and re-invent the wheel.

I try to think of any major (or minor, for that matter) thing that almost five years of PLP rule has accomplished. Can you think of anything? What have they done to improve the lot of black Bermudians, what have they done to improve the life of any Bermudian ? Seriously, what have they accomplished? They say they need another term - why, to keep on doing the same things? All I see is greed, corruption and incompetence.

Tourism is collapsing around us; they wont/don't talk to the media so we never know what they are doing except when they decide to leak something in their own interest; education is a mess; capital building projects are run with a degree of incompetence not seen in many places in our world; and as above, our social fabric is split like never before.

Sure, international business continues to grow. But believe me when I say that growth is in spite of the Terry Lister Gang not because of it! If you really think that the PLP has anything to do with the growth of international business ... well, I have a bridge that's for sale. There's been a lot of talk about whether the New United Bermuda Party really is New. Take a look at the people running for them and listen to what they are saying. No Party can ever prove anything - competence or a changed philosophy - unless they are truly given a chance to show it. Talk is cheap - whether you believe them or not. I look at the slate for the UBP and see not only a fair smattering of business competence but an even larger smattering of social conscience.

When I look at the PLP slate I see mostly the same old tired faces, the same old words and the same old tired ideas. They didn't make any effort to learn anything during their years of sitting and criticising and, when given a chance, they did nothing with it ... except for themselves. You will decide how you want to live and under what kind of Government but if this is what we are to be for the next five years - it's a sad day for us.

FOR A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Southampton