Reconsider BAN

October 12, 2005

Dear Sir,

While I applaud Takbir Sharreiff and the newly formed Bermudians Against Narcotics (BAN) for their intentions, I think that their aim is slightly off-target. Recreational drugs are not the root cause of the social problems generally associated with them: violence, gangsterism, crime, etc. If this is the attitude that BAN takes, it will undoubtedly become another name in the long list of those who tried, and failed, to fix Bermuda?s social ills. Mr. Sharreiff would do well to examine his own statement in the article: ?The number one factor behind the problem is greed. (Selling drugs) is a very lucrative business.? This is the most accurate and important fact BAN should be aware of. My question is: Why is the drug trade so lucrative? The answer is that the market for drugs in Bermuda is very large. The most common illicit substance, marijuana, is enjoyed by people from all walks of life. Enjoyment of recreational drugs is not limited to thugs and homeless people.

The people that smoke ganja include lawyers, bankers, construction workers, police, members of national sports teams, and even (believe it or not) politicians. The people that use these drugs are just as successful in their fields as those who choose not to use drugs, and they are not seen throwing bottles at police or fighting in bars any more often. What?s more, they are not seen on Court Street buying their drugs. In all likelihood, these transactions mostly take place in their homes, at their places of work, or in their cars, and are handled with the same degree of professionalism as any trade made on the open market. So calling for a crackdown on the usual list of suspects (Court Street, Cambridge Road, ) will do little to solve the underlying problem and will only contribute to incarcerating already troubled youths, who are predominantly black and quite possibly from underprivileged backgrounds. As Mr. Sharrieff states, the cause of the problem is not the drugs themselves, but the lust for the money earned by selling them.

There are a few ways we could put a stop to this black market trading, and therefore hopefully end the violence and abuse that is associated with it too. We could pour billions and billions of dollars into a War on Drugs, and hope to stop all drugs coming onto the shores of the island. The United States have been trying this for over 20 years to little effect. We could imprison everybody that uses, sells, or looks like they enjoy recreational drugs for lengthy periods of time. The United States also does this, and has a disproportionate number of young black men in prison to show for it, but not much in the way of success at curbing drug-related problems. These ideas have been tried here already and apparently are not working.

Or, we could do the sensible thing and follow suit with other progressive nations in the world like the Netherlands and Canada. We could decriminalise the possession of small amounts of drugs, as well as make it legal for a person to have a certain number of plants in their house for personal use. We could fund education and harm-reduction programmes in schools, prisons, and the workplace so that people knew exactly what they were getting into should they choose to use recreational drugs. We could lessen the severity of punishments meted out for possession and distribution of drugs. In countries and areas where these laws have been enacted, the police have been given more time to crack down on serious crime, otherwise innocent people have been allowed to contribute to society as they always have, and violence and gangsterism has declined.

Government funds have been diverted from the enforcement of archaic laws towards education and other social programmes (and we all know that the money could be better used towards affordable housing, environmental work or, heck, why not give the cricket team some more money on top of the $11 million they just received?). My final concern about the article is the vigilante tone attributed to Mr. Sharrieff. It is the job of Customs and Police to go after criminals and the community deserves to rely on them to enforce our laws. If we all take the law into our own hands, Bermuda will become a frightening approximation of Lord of the Flies. I appeal to Mr. Sharrieff and BAN to consider my letter, to rethink their position, and to take a place in Bermuda?s history one who made a change for the better.

Blackberry moments

October 14, 2005

Dear Sir,

It?s strange but I also had a dream the other night just like your correspondent, The Limey. Mine was about the same matter but the dream was a bit different. At first I thought I was having a nightmare. There was Tony Brannon banging away on his computer keyboard looking most distressed. A few minutes later his computer made a sound telling him that an e-mail had arrived. As he read the e-mail a quizzical look came across his face. ?What?s this?? he said to himself. ?An e-mail from the Premier?s Blackberry. That was a fast response!? As he read the e-mail you could see Tony getting visibly angry. ?I can?t believe that he has written this. Man this is soo racist! There?s got to be an explanation.?

Tony then picked up the telephone and dialled a number. It was the Cabinet Office. He asked for Premier Scott and spoke with Mr. Scott?s assistant. Tony told her he needed to meet with the Premier on a confidential matter of some importance. She initially told him that the earliest she could schedule a meeting was in a week but Tony pressed her that this was a matter of some importance to the Premier, a matter that could be very embarrassing to him. She was able to find an opening for the next day. The next day Tony arrived at the Cabinet Office and was ushered into the Premier?s Office. They shook hands and sat down. ?What can I do for you Mr. Brannon?? the Premier said. Tony handed the Premier a copy of the e-mail he had received and said. ?Mr. Premier, I think you need to look at this.?

As the Premier read the e-mail, you could see the colour disappear from his face as the Premier looked down. The Premier looked up and said: ?Mr. Brannon, I owe you an apology. I don?t know what got into me when I wrote that e-mail. It?s been a tough week with people constantly dogging me and your e-mail was the last straw. I must have inadvertently pushed the wrong button on my Blackberry. But that doesn?t excuse what I have said. Please, I hope you will accept my sincerest apology. I truly regret what I have said and done. I also appreciate your coming to see me directly. Thank you Mr. Brannon.?

I could see that Tony was taken aback by the apology. Clearly the Premier was sincere in what he had said. Tony looked at him and said: ?Thank you sir for your apology. I appreciate your sincerity. You know we all have ?Blackberry moments?. There are times that I have said things and acted in ways that I have regretted. In fact, come to think of it, the e-mail that I sent you was not very civil in tone or content. So I will apologise for that.? ?Thank you for your generosity, Tony.? The Premier said. ?I hope we can get along better in the future. Please as a gesture of goodwill, let?s shake hands.? And the two men shook hands and smiled at each other.

?Now that you are here, let?s spend some time talking about tourism. It is clearly something that you have a passion for,? The Premier said. And the two men spent 45 minutes talking about tourism and how it could be improved. Much to their surprise they discovered that they had many of the same ideas and thoughts about the industry. ?You know Tony; we need your help in reviving tourism. We may have different political philosophies but we all have to work together. Let me set up a meeting of the two of us with Dr. Brown?. Beep! Beep! Beep! At that point my alarm went off and I woke up.

JJ Soares is not a racist

October 11, 2005

Dear Sir,

I have known Dr. J.J. Soares since 1971. At no time from that point until the present have I ever heard him say anything racist. To the contrary, I have heard him defend people of all races and backgrounds. He is one of the most honourable people I have every met. For him to have been attacked, and then for his attackers to accuse him of saying something racist, is not only preposterous but disgusting. I?m at a loss for words. If this is what happens to the good guys.

Reflection on housing

October 10, 2005

Dear Sir,

What a sad state Bermuda is truly in. The only sites our Government has found to build houses for Bermudians is at the dump and on top of 100 year old ?flat tops?.

IN PLAIN VIEW

Smith?s Parish