Tourism takes community

December 29, 2003

Dear Sir,

It seems a never-ending game with the race card being played by our Governments past and present, in one way or another, to keep this community at odds, never more than now it seems! Meanwhile individuals spreading the gospel of racial separation either continue to focus on themselves and their own personal goals or are happy to lay back and watch while a community dies around them.

The separation of whites and blacks throughout Bermuda has caused the deterioration of any hope we have had to build a community together, hence our rolling over and taking the easy road of big business.

So why would a Government today even entertain the idea or rebuilding a tourism trade, with all of the hard work and lack of guarantees that it comes with, especially when they have all they need guaranteed with overseas companies knocking down the door to get in bed with us?

Never mind the fact that tourism is not something you can just turn on like a tap then open the floodgates and expect a culture to welcome them in, let alone a small divided one.

Unless you have a community that's willing to work together to build the hotels, support the businesses and carry it through with a sense of pride you will end up with a very short-lived gamble.

To make tourism work you need a community that enjoys working it or you need a community that can't afford to lose it.

Bermuda has neither, we don't work together as a community (white and black) and we have no fear of losing it because we already have the perfect fallback.

You've got to give some credit for the forward thinking of the "powers that were" from many years ago who saw the inevitable breakdown that was taking place within the tourism industry and decided to shape a new future for Bermuda in the form of an "Overseas Tax Evasion Centre".

Some would say "we sold our souls to the devil" for any easy out and now we want it back.

Let's drop the race game and build one community instead of two. There will never be a successful rebuild of tourism unless we can work together as a society to rebuild it together.

No change to Front Street, no casino, no new hotels are going to last unless you have the desire of the people to build it, work for it, and maintain it together.

Do it with a divided people and sure it will work for the short term and those who get in early will reap the many rewards but it just won't last and we will be back scratching our heads.

Get me outta here

December 1, 2003

Dear Sir,

My eyes really must be deceiving me this morning. Are we living in democratic Bermuda, or communist China? I am referring to the article entitled 'Failing parents face more than a trip to the principal's office.'

Some of the 'rules' that parents are expected to abide by are downright ridiculous and unrealistic. I agree with attending meetings, ensuring homework is done and assuming the cost of any property that your child destroys. But attending one-half day in the child's class? 'Accompanying students on at least one field trip'.

C'mon, that may be possible for some, but certainly not all of us are able to do that-whether we want to or not. Furthermore, how many of these field trips are actually educational? Certainly the ones at my kid's school!

Moreover, some people may not even have their own transportation ? how would that work if everyone is travelling by car?

In case some of you in Government are not aware, some of us go to that place everyday called work. Not all of us are able to get time off at will. What about those people who have three, four or five children ? has anyone considered that? Are you going to dictate to us when we attend to these duties? Who is going to coordinate and keep track of all this stuff? Certainly not those lethargic folks at the Department of Education!

You cannot dictate to people how to be a good parent. Being a good parent is a 24-hour-a-day job ? what happens to these children when they go home, some to ten people living under one roof.

Is the Government going to come into people's homes and monitor what goes on there? Where does it all end? How about issuing breeder's licenses to people before they're allowed to have children ? that would take care of the problem once and for all!

The parents of Bermuda should be very concerned about the recent development in this country. We are slowly but surely losing all of our rights, and are being legislated to death. Some things you cannot and should not legislate.

You cannot legislate what will make a good parent. The only ones who will be affected by this are the ones who genuinely care, and are doing their best. The ones who don't care will be defiant, say 'so what' and keep on going what they're doing.

I for one am so disgusted with this country, and the way that things are going, that I hope to not even live here in the near future. Poverty, homelessness, failing tourism, gangs, drugs, murders, racism, hatred... the list is endless.

Bermuda is going to self destruct , and I for one don't want to be anywhere around when it happens.

P.s. This impending piece of legislation was mentioned at a PTA meeting at my child's school in the last school year. The majority of parents there ? good parents who were doing their duty by being at the meeting at start with ? vehemently objected to parts of it (the ones who didn't think it was some kind of misprint, that is). Typically, the government just went ahead and passed it without further consultation with the ones it would impact ? us, the parents.

On the mark

December 29, 2003

Dear Sir,

I was happy to read the interviews of Sir John Swan in your December 29 edition of . Many of the comments of Sir John were similar to mine regularly expressed in my frequent correspondence to and other publications over the 20 year period 1978 ? 1998.

Just a few months ago, Sir John stated publicly that the people had turned against Sir Henry Tucker in the early 70's because he was far sighted enough to see into Bermuda's future and governed himself accordingly.

There were times when your company would not publish my letters or even call me. Once when I questioned it, a foreign reporter told me I was 'cutting too close the to bone' as he put it.

Getting back to Sir Henry, during his time as manager of the bank he wisely backed such black entrepreneurs as Adderley Bros., Mr. Robert Trew and partner Mr. Eugene Curtis, Sir John Swan and others and he was not let down by any of these gentlemen.