March 15, 2005

Dear Sir,

I just finished reading the "News from around the Courts" section in today's .

In the court case reported by Jesse Moniz, I was most disturbed by her reference to Mr. Julian Hall as Hall through out her reporting. But in every reference to Mr. John Campbell she prefaced his name with Mr.

Could this be total contempt for Mr. Hall or a little bit of racism surfacing? Just wondering.

It has been the tradition of for decades not to give honorifics to defendants in criminal trials.

March 16, 2005

Dear Sir,

As a Bermudian studying in the US, I have been following the Press coverage by your newspaper of the closing of Trimingham's. There are several matters which raise concern creating doubt, in my view, regarding your objectivity and your responsibility to inform and educate.

First, the inappropriate linkage of the Government policy regarding the sale of land by Bermudians to non-Bermudians with the ability of locally incorporate companies to own land. Your inability or unwillingness to separate and distinguish individual transactions from commercial capabilities is puzzling. As difficult as it may be for you to accept, the records show that the Bank of Bermuda is a local company under the law which is a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC (very recently). Further, you chose not to remind your readers that the Fairmont Hotels, Elbow Beach, Cable & Wireless and TeleBermuda are all local companies, which are foreign owned, and control significant acres of Bermuda property.

Your portrayal of the Bank of Bermuda's ownership of the Trimingham site, as a new reality was at best intellectually dishonest and at its worst wantonly inflammatory.

Second, you made no mention of the many black-owned business which have closed over the years. Such enterprises as The Recorder, Bassetts Mineral Water Company and Metro Bottling Company seemingly did not merit front page coverage or your remorse. In addition, your editorial bemoaning earlier days when a sympathetic banker would have assisted Trimingham's through challenging periods is at odds with current realities. Trimingham's announcement states that their decision to wind down operations was made after careful deliberation. I believe today's bankers are required by their shareholders and regulators to be pragmatic and prudent.

Third, you missed the opportunity to encourage new entrepreneurs to step forward with their ideas for retailing in the 21st Century. The new Bermuda requires new paradigms and your newspaper has fallen short of the mark!

A BERMUDIAN

Nashville, Tennessee

March 24, 2005

Dear Sir,

Around November last year I came across a six-foot wooden red cross with signed business cards saying that the signees were 'unashamed to be Christian'. I saw this cross in the Church Street entrance to the General Post Office. As a non-Christian citizen of Bermuda I was quite offended to come across such an object in such an obviously public Government institution. As the Christmas holidays were approaching I didn't want to kick up a scene and cause offence to my Christian brothers and sisters at such an important religious festival for them. Foolishly I thought that perhaps the cross would be removed by twelfth night after Christmas along with Christmas trees and other decorations. It is still there in the post office. Additionally I have noticed that some news broadcasters have taken to wishing all a 'God Bless' at the conclusion of their news broadcasts.

My fellow citizens, I am sure that no harm or offence was intended by such gestures, but quite honestly, I am getting a bit offended. Let's take the cross in the post office for example. There are at least three churches, including the beautiful Anglican cathedral, within less than a few minutes walk from the post office. Would not these places of Christian worship be much more appropriate locations for a six foot obviously Christian cross? I have no problem with the particular message written on this cross about being proud to be Christian. By all means, let the Christians be proud of their faith. I am sure the Bermudian Muslims are equally proud of their faith at the Masjid Mohammed on Cedar Avenue. I myself am equally unashamed of being an atheist. I do however quite resent being made to feel I am a second-class citizen in my own country by virtue of my beliefs not necessarily conforming to the Christian majority. I understand this topic is a sensitive one, but I hope my Christian brothers and sisters will understand I am not asking them to question their faith. My opinion is that as long as you honestly try to practice what you preach (that is, don't be hypocritical in your faith), and keep your faith for the home or your places of worship (temple, synagogue, church, tabernacle, mosque or what have you) then that's just great. But why the need to intertwine the church with the State? The net result is that you are alienating the non-Christian population of Bermuda (a sizeable minority at 20 percent). By combining the Church with the State you are sending the message to us non-Christians that our beliefs are somehow immoral, inferior or illegitimate ? we are rendered second-class citizens in our own state. I, for one, am one non-Christian who is getting fed up with the creeping Christian theocracy here and I am requesting now, as politely as I can, for you, my Christian relatives, to be mindful of other beliefs and keep your faiths to yourselves.

It is quite a simple principle really. You keep your faith to yourself, and I keep mine to myself. I won't try to convert you, so don't try to convert me. You want to worship your God. Great. You have a church, please use it. You want to wish me God bless? Do it silently. Is not your God omnipotent? Surely he can hear your silent prayer as well as a verbal one. Should God exist and choose to answer your prayers of looking out for us, he will, and at the same time your silent prayer has offended no one. Want to win converts? Do more than pay lip-service to your faith. A thug wearing a cross round his neck while he beats and robs someone (an extreme example, I know, call it poetic licence) does little to win converts, but a simple act of kindness without a word of evangelism does wonders. Should it really be necessary for me, a non-Christian, to remind some of you that it is your own book that stresses the importance of keeping the inside of the bowl clean as being more important then keeping the outside clean?

To the Postmaster General ? who is ultimately responsible for the cross in the General Post Office ? I'm sure you meant no harm by your actions. Unfortunately though, you have insulted all the non-Christians who use the postal service. Please have the cross removed. I'm sure one of the nearby churches will be happy to house it. To the newscaster, please keep you well-intentioned blessings silent. The non-Christian and majority moderate Christian population will no doubt thank you, even if the extremist try to shout us down.

J. STARLING

Society for a Secular Bermuda

March 24, 2005

Dear Sir,

Having read of CURE's Memorial to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, I have to respond and ask the question. Why have only a memorial for the atrocities committed in Africa? If this is the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality why not include a memorial for the 3,600 people killed in Northern Ireland? The 3,000-plus people in 9/11, the three million Jews that were sent to the gas chambers under Hitler's regime. Shouldn't it be also "God bless Northern Ireland", "God bless Spain", after the Madrid train bombings?

What about Iraq and the regime disgusting, narrow minded and cruel that none of the above (except Africa of course) are hardly ever mentioned when racism is talked about in Bermuda. To everybody at CURE, racism isn't just about injustices in Africa. It's about everyone, black and white, who have been hurt by prejudice. It seems to me that black Bermudians have an incredibly small and narrow view point on racism and don't understand (or wish to) look at the broader picture.

March 28, 2005

Dear Sir,

I hope this letter triggers a reply from the medical community. Does a patient have control of their medical records, or does the doctor have exclusive rights to them?

I know of several instances where patients have elected to seek further treatment here and abroad, and have been hindered in getting this treatment because the local doctor will not furnish the patient's medical history. I await an answer to this problem.