Where?s the input?This letter was sent to the Sustainable Development Roundtable and copied to The Royal Gazette.

September 1, 2006

Dear Sir,

I very much appreciate your sending me an invitation to one of the Sustainable Development Public Meetings, but ...

It is my belief that if we are to take these Public Meetings seriously, we MUST believe that the Government is being honest in its intentions.

The out-of-the-blue Government announcement yesterday regarding the Hospital redevelopment strikes me as ... ?have your say (at these meetings), BUT we shall carry on regardless!? It comes across as just another one of those ?... we don?t care what you think?! pronouncements.

When I see the likes of Stuart Hayward involved in such meetings ? and Stuart has been a passionate proponent of this aspect of Bermuda?s future for more years than most of us care to remember ? it saddens me that such ardent and honest efforts continue to be thwarted.

And I say that because it?s all very well to have a Government Sustainable Development Unit , but if, even before their SDU meetings have run their course, the public?s input is rebuffed, rejected, ignored, (the Independence public meetings and the Referendum issue fell foul of this, too), then what hope do we have of ever having a voice; or, just as importantly, of ever having serious issues given the widest public airing possible. Simply put, the holding of each of these meetings is more and more being seen as a ?red herring?.

This Government continues to make it clear it is not interested in yours or my input; in essence, their agenda excludes that of the Bermuda populace. Unacceptable!Soon after writing this, the Government announced its Cabinet re-shuffle. I have a big problem with members of Cabinet purportedly being obliged to vote along party lines. That?s all well and good on day-to-day issues, but on something as major as this, it?s simply not acceptable! Those members are there ?for the people?, not their party. So, why are we holding these sustainable development meetings? This Government has no intention of ?...involving each and every one of you ...? as referenced in the Premier?s campaign ad for sustainable development. It?s a complete whitewash!

Don?t want cable upgrade

September 5, 2006

Dear Sir,

I just received a phone call from CableVision. I was informed that my current service is being upgraded to digital cable and when could they come out to put the new box in for a $40 charge. (They did not ask if I wanted to upgrade or if I could install a cable box myself).

My response, I want the same channels for the same price, they can?t do that, so the cable service will be turned off at my house. How many households just went and accepted the higher cost for TV? This got me thinking.

Do I need digital cable? No, not when the current service is providing everything I need.

My $800 analog TV/single tuner/analog sound and locally purchased is not good enough.

Since the phone calls are going out, that must mean most analog cable customers are upgrading and paying more or getting less whether they want to or not.

Bermudians always feel that they have no real options, but to accept higher cost.

Well, I?m not going to be forced to upgrade. One person is not going to stop the forced upgrades, but if all of us analog customers say no, maybe cablevision will leave the service on, maybe not.

I hope all you digital cable customers know that as Cablevision loses customers that can?t or will not pay more, they will make you pay more. Don?t complain about it later on when the time to object is now.

If, by some chance, I do get digital cable, I will write another letter. Don?t count on that happening, unless my wife forces my wallet open, and I just don?t see that happening.

ANNE

Hamilton Parish

Homosexuality is wrong

August 23, 2006

Dear Sir,

The following is in response to letters from Pat Brown (August 10) and Jennie Watlington ( August 18) published in today?s .

The Gospels do in fact, condemn homosexuality. See Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:09, I Timothy 1:19-10 and Jude 7. These passages have their roots in God?s instructions in Leviticus 18:22 - ?and a male who lies with a male as he lies with a woman: both of them have done an abomination, they shall certainly be put to death, their blood is upon them.?

In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, Almighty God ? King of the Universe ? is giving instructions to a redeemed people on how to walk out a redeemed lifestyle Genesis through Deuteronomy is replete with God?s teaching and instruction by was of object lessons ? which we might not necessarily grasp right away but which we should obey just because He is God.

Jesus Christ did address sexual relationships. In Matthew 5:27-28 He referred to male and female and we can see that marriages are to be built on faithfulness. In Matthew 19:1-12 He told the religious leaders, ?Did you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female and said ?For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, so that they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate?.

The parties to a sexual relationship? A male and a female. Options? Marriage or celibacy. Jesus referred back to the instructions given by God for walking out a lifestyle from God?s point of view. Where in the Scriptures did God ever change His viewpoint on these matters? Note that Jesus did not teach from the King James version of the Bible or from the New Testament.

He referred to God the Father?s instructions to people He had redeemed. (This also applies to anyone today who decides to submit to God?s leadership over our own, or the ?modern? viewpoint). The ?New Testament? was written some time after Jesus Christ physically walked the earth. The King James version of the Scriptures was translated into English in 1611 ? two years after Bermuda was colonised. I understand that as much as 85 percent of the ?New Testament? is a commentary on the original Scriptures.

Mr. Editor, the Scriptures do not condemn any temptation to disobey God. It condemns the act of disobedience. The Scriptures assure those who decide to submit to God?s leadership: ?No trail has overtaken you except such as is common to man, and God is trustworthy, who shall not allow you to be tried beyond what you are able, but with the trail shall also make the way of escape, enabling you to bear it.? (I Corinthians 10:13) Mr. Editor, our part is to just do our very best to line up with God?s viewpoint.

Dealing with seizures

September 1, 2006

Dear Sir,

I commend the quick actions of the people on the bus when the driver had a seizure. I would like to point on an inaccuracy in your article though. Your article stated that two woman ensured that the driver did not swallow his tongue. Perhaps the most persistent myth is that a person having a seizure can swallow his tongue. It is not physically possible to swallow your tongue. The tongue, if relaxed, could possibly block the breathing passage. The way to avoid this is to turn the person on their side so the tongue falls away to the side of the mouth. The way to care for someone having a seizure is as follows:

1. Stay calm.

2. Note the time.

3. Prevent others from crowding round.

4. If necessary gently lay the victim flat on their back

5. Put something soft under the person?s head ? like a jacket or cardigan ? to prevent injury.

6. Only move the victim if they are in a dangerous place, such as in the road or at the top of stairs.

7. Move things away from them if there is a risk of injury.

8. Do not attempt to restrain the convulsive movements.

9. Allow the seizure to take its course.

10. Do not put anything in the person?s mouth.

There is no danger of swallowing the tongue and teeth can easily be broken.

When the seizure has stopped:

1. If possible roll the person onto their side into the recovery position.

2. Wipe away any excess saliva. If breathing is still laboured check that nothing is blocking the throat, such as dentures or food.

Stories about people who save a life by keeping the person having a seizure from swallowing their tongue are not only inaccurate, but also damaging. They produce a whole new set of misinformed people. If people would like to learn more about how to react in an emergency situation I encourage them to contact either Bermuda Red Cross or St. John?s Ambulance for CPR/First Aid courses.