May 22, 2003

Dear Sir,

I was interested to read the comment in your newspaper today by Ellen Goodman who appears to be a journalist for one of the Washington papers. In her comment she asks what happened to all these weapons of mass destruction which (in particular) Colin Powell spent some time and effort convincing us existed in Iraq. So far - nada. (And General Powell was the one being touted as Mr. Believable!)

Now we hear whisperings that they may have been shifted to Syria. What does that mean? Bomb Syria when they get round to it? Is there oil in Syria too!? Ms Goodman's commentary is special, in my opinion, because she is actually questioning the validity, if not the honesty, of the current administration in the White House. We were, after all, treated to a masterful piece of spin doctoring. Better then anything Johnson/Nixon could have come up with during the Vietnam war years.

There was another letter to your paper by a man named Traver Alexander of Hamilton Parish - "The real reason for the war". I particularly admire Mr. Alexander for having the cojones - as an American citizen living on the Island - to speak out on the subject. Hope they don't hassle him at Kennedy next time he visits his folks back home.

Mr. Alexander pointed out that (in his opinion) the real reason for wanting to occupy Iraq was to gain access to what "we're now told" is the second largest oil reserve on the planet. Given the fact that those good 'ol oil boys in Texas backed George W. and shoehorned him into the White House in the first place, I suppose what is now happening in Iraq should come as no surprise. Wish I had some oil shares right now.

That the Americans won should be no surprise either considering the fact that their weaponry and technology, combined with that of Great Britain, was much the same as the green giant stepping on a pea. I'm not sure all that victory flag waving is as much ridiculous as it is downright embarrassing, given their obvious superiority in ever quarter.

Another thing, are we going after that nasty Mr. Hussein or not? I thought the whole idea was to "git 'm" as Little Bush so eloquently put it in one of his pep speeches back there somewhere. Surely if Saddam left with $1 billion in his pocket, he can get up to no end of mischief, wherever he is.

I could easily be argued that given George Dubyas lack of finesse as President, his chances at re-election were to be considered dubious at best. I am left wondering after this little PR job of a war if the whole show was to give him a leg up for a second term. That "stepping onto the deck from a jet number" was certainly a real cutie anyway. Have to admit, the man's spin doctors must be the cream of the crop over there.

Ms Goodman raises some very good questions about the moral character of the American public when they allow themselves to be conned by their government once again. Have no lessons been learned from the fiasco of the Vietnam experience? I thought they'd demand more accountability after all of that. Apparently not.

Now the Americans have been put on Condition Orange. That nasty Osama fellow is still at large. No, we didn't "Smoke 'im out" or anything near it. Bin Laden is still alive and kicking, or so we're all advised. The administration is putting the fear of God into every one over there, guaranteeing the further decline of the airline industry, not to mention tourism as a whole, while they're at it.

What does one do under Condition Orange? Used to hide in the basement back in those bad 'ol days of the nuclear threat. No matter that your house is vaporised above your head. Does one duck at a whiff of anthrax or borrow a hanky from a passerby? Is there a nuke hidden in that Coke machine across the street? That raincoat looks awfully bulky round the middle. Or, how long has that van stood in front of that courthouse? Dare we even drink the water? And so on...

In closing, I saw an astounding thing prior to this wonderful little war we've been so deluged with through the media about two (obviously highly placed) Japanese men being interviewed on TV. One of them came out with the comment about Mr. Bush to the effect that "He had the physique of a dinosaur, and the mind of a sparrow". Quite a statement when one considers that the US and Japan are supposed to be huggy buddies.

He also went on with the opinion that President Bush may just be the most dangerous person on earth at the moment. What "could" he have meant by that?

JACK GAUNTLETT

Sandys

June 2, 2003

Dear Sir,

Please allow me space to voice my opinion on what our current and soon-to-be elected leaders should consider when addressing the housing situation. As with most monopolistic environments, a lack of options allows sellers considerable advantages over buyers. Here are a few ideas:

a) Increase the value at which non-Bermudians are allowed to buy property on the island to, say, $5 million. At the present value, the rule does not seem to be having much effect. This will drive a wedge between the recently reported "average" (which I believe to be inaccurate, by the way) price of homes in Bermuda and those available to non-Bermudians. I believe non-Bermudians wanting to sell their homes on the Island will be forced to do so at a loss, leading to more options available to middle- and upper-income families.

b) Bermuda is not over-run by subdivision style housing and this approach to land development, if well done, could be used to increase the number of homes on the Island, cost and space effectively. Areas such as Tucker's Point and Southside should be used for this purpose, instead of building large, expensive homes that help drive market prices up. (The first proposal should open up enough luxury homes.) Giving people property but a limited number of options for their home keeps the prices in the neighbourhood low, while giving the owners incentive to keep the area well maintained. Community will be fostered. This proposal should help the first-time homebuyers who now are restricted to condominium purchases.

c) Government should purchase land (forcefully but fairly, if necessary) to build complexes similar to Sir John Swan's new building. This should (and can) be done in areas that are hidden by surrounding buildings or hills without claiming any more green space. I suggest hiring him on as a consultant. These condominiums could be built near the Berkeley/Belco area, for example. This proposal also helps the first-time buyer.

d) Government has somewhat addressed low income housing through building homes for rent. This could be furthered through purchasing homes or land in disrepair. A "strong-arm" tactic that could be used to make sale of such land more appealing to owners could include increased land taxes on properties due to their condition. Enough justification for me lies in the fact that these properties affect the value and image of neighbourhoods and may be a haven for "shady" activities. Therefore, the owners should bear responsibility or sell the property.

My other reason for writing is to gripe about the statistics fed to the public. They are always weak and without context. Why do we enjoy such "low" interest rates on the Island? The government seems pleased but I, and certainly others, am not. Providing some context through release of default rates would be nice.

By how much is the reported "average" cost skewed by outsiders. In other words, if we removed Tucker's Town residences from the calculation by how much does the average fall? Please give me statistics with some substance along with the headline worthy values.

OPINIONATED ONLOOKER

Pembroke

May 32, 2003

Dear Sir,

People will think I have nothing better to do than look out my window, and sometimes that is true.

However, I have had my view interrupted by what appears to be an abandoned motorcycle. Two weeks ago a blue Suzuki motorcycle must have come to grief out here near the junction of Montpelier and Middle Road in Devonshire. The bike appears to have a twisted front wheel, and, no doubt, had to be left on the sidewalk, about 50 metres from the junction, after the accident.

That was two weeks ago. A few days after the bike appeared, as it had not been collected, I telephoned the Police and reported it. They said that unless it had been listed "stolen" they could not do anything about it. I mentioned that the Bermuda Day Parade was coming up and a wrecked cycle would not be too attractive on the parade route. Tough luck.

The blue and white Suzuki motorcycle, licence plate U674, which has a TCD sticker indicating it was relicensed in April of this year, is losing bits. I actually saw an older couple arrive in a blue car, licence plate 29713, and, while blocking First Avenue with their car, go to the motorcycle and remove the licence plate. That was days ago.

What is going on here? How do I get rid of this eyesore? If the people in the car had some right to the cycle, why have they not had it picked up after two weeks on the sidewalk?

Taking the plate off it seems to be a sign that they're not going to do a darn thing. If they stole the plate... they were observed. I could describe the couple quite well. Perhaps the Keep Bermuda Beautiful people could get involved? Heads up! I suggest the owner of the abandoned motorcycle be nicked for littering at the very least and be charged the amount that it will cost to clear the sidewalk of his or her cycle.

ROSS ELDRIDGE

Devonshire

June 3, 2003

Dear Sir,

If Cablevision wants to redeem itself then the shows from long ago should be brought back.

Shows like 'Airwolf', 'Blue Thunder', 'Auto Man', 'Falcon Crest', 'Fantasy Island', 'Hardcastle & McCormick', 'Crazy Like A Fox', 'Battlestar Galactica', 'Six Million Dollar Man' and the 'Bionic Woman'.

In terms of Fresh TV, how about trying a variety of music like rap, reggae/R&B instead of just constant dance hall for the young folk?

YOU SHOULD TRY THIS

Pembroke

May 30, 2003

Dear Sir,

It is now over one month that a grey scooter has been parked on Langton Hill going up from St. John's Church in Pembroke with licence number 028 blue plate letter I.

This has been reported to the Police and to TCD several times but to no avail. Surely if the owner cannot be found the authorities could take action?

This scooter is a hazard as at night as the road is not well lit and could easily cause an accident.

CONCERNED RESIDENT

Pembroke