July 18, 2005

Dear Sir,

In Charles Dickens's immortal "A Christmas Carol", on his death bed, Jacob Marley says to Ebenezer Scrooge: "Save yourself, before it is too late". My wife and I wish to deliver that same message to the people, and especially the elected officials of Bermuda.

We just completed our eighth, and longest, trip to Bermuda. We have been visiting Bermuda for 35 years, but after we booked our trip last April, and started reading about the crime conditions in Bermuda, we began to question our decision. Although we had a wonderful vacation, and stayed at the probably the best accommodations we have we have ever utilised on the Island (The Hamilton Princess and the Pompano Beach Club), we feel that our most recent trip might be our last!

Why? Three main reasons:

First, for the first time in all of our trips, we were nervous about walking the streets of Hamilton, in daylight, at 8.30 p.m.! After having a wonderful meal at a restaurant in Hamilton, on our first night, we found ourselves looking over our shoulders and in doorways on our walk back to the Princess. Never before were we worried about crime in Bermuda. And then the stories in The Royal Gazette showing the almost daily attacks on residents and tourists had us wondering whether we should even leave our hotels at night! And the fact is, many, many tourists with whom we spoke voiced the same opinion: they told us they had already made their decision: they are "never coming back"!

Are you and your readers aware that in some places, like Puerto Rico, resorts are surrounded by ten-foot high chain link fences topped with "razor wire", and that guests are picked up at the airport, taken to their resorts, and told it is to dangerous to leave the property until they go to the airport to fly home? Is that what Bermuda is coming to? If you do not take control of the crime, you will be come an "offshore banking and insurance haven" and little else! You can forget about your tourist industry!

Second, since it was our anniversary, we decided to take a carriage ride. The driver was wonderful, the evening was cool, and the horse was well cared for, actually enjoying himself as he sped up without urging to climb a hill. But as we rode around Hamilton, we again felt unsafe, and the graffiti on signs, walls, sidewalks and pavement, made us think that we were in an inner city slum! Shame on you for allowing this! Shame on you for not cleaning up any that is not prevented before it happens.

Third, for the first time in all our trips, we did not rent motor scooters. It was not our fear of riding them or having an accident as we rented one just last year. However, in the last year there was an obvious change as we saw in the three days we spent in Hamilton and on some short trips by taxi. We decided we did not want to subject ourselves to the discourteous drivers, "hot rodders" and the challenging attitude of the younger drivers in "souped up cars" with music blasting and bass thumping. (Even our state of Florida has passed a law that prohibits the sound of a car stereo that can be heard from more than 25 feet away!) We also cannot believe the number of vehicles on the road! Doesn't Bermuda have a one house/one car law? Have that many more houses been built in the last year(s)?

We have always regarded Bermuda as "our piece of Paradise", and have been willing to pay the price for the safety and courtesy we have always found. But there are many other beautiful (and less expensive!) places we can go if safety and courtesy are taken out of the equation!!

Bermuda, as Jacob Marley said, "Save yourself before it is too late"!

DAVID AND LOUISE KINGSLEY

Plantation, Florida

Congratulations!

July 30, 2005

Dear Sir,

Hey, now, St. George's, Wellington Oval must have been rockin' and bowl'n these past two days! That is a great start to the 2007 World Cup!

It took a few years to get the steam back in that engine, but the fuel of a future World Cup in Bermuda was enough.

Congratulations from your fans in Canada (who wish they were there to see it!)!

MARN AND JER

Hamilton, Ontario