Rules mean nothing

February 11, 2008

Dear Sir,

Not being the sharpest pencil in the box, I need for someone to explain to me what has transpired with regard to the handling of the "drunken" ferry pilot.

Captain Pearman is piloting a Marine and Ports ferry carrying untold number of citizens while under the influence. He wasn't considered drunk because according to the BIU president, Mr. Chris Furbert, he was able to stand, subsequently crashing the ferry causing damage which we the taxpayers will ultimately be responsible for the repairs.

We hear in the next breath from our esteemed Premier who also doubles as Minister of Tourism and Transport that "Our position has been and always will be, zero tolerance for any employee who endangers the safety of the public while on the job."

The net result is that the "drunken, but still standing employee" is given another job or else we will bring the ferry transportation service to it knees through our actions.

What really should have happened is that the Minister of Tourism and Transport, aka the Premier should have gotten some guts and stuck to the original decision to sack him.

The message that is send is that rules don't mean a damn thing. What a great message to send to the youth of the island who already have total contempt for authority.

Very disappointing and just goes to show you how far the Island had degenerated.

DISGUSTED IN FLATTS

Mayor admitted mistake

February 13, 2008

Dear Sir,

I hear there is a plot afoot to persuade the Mayor of Hamilton to resign. I suggest that those members of the Corporation that voted for the hare-brained idea of removing the Society of Arts from the city Art Centre resign instead.

Mr. Medeiros had the courage to admit that he made a mistake in not vetoing the idea in the first place, and there is no doubt that there is something seriously wrong with a group of councillors that can even think up such a preposterous idea.

It boggles the mind that some people are in a position to remove a purpose built city art gallery and convert the area into offices.

Stay put Mr. Medeiros, and let us hope that the disgruntled members of the corporation will resign instead.

E. RABEN

Paget

Hall is on the money

February 15, 2008

Dear Sir,

For what it's worth, I thought Julian Hall's three-part series, "The House that Jack Built", was right on the money.

My only complaint is his use of the phrase "white supremacist oligarchy". Personally, I don't think the Forty Thieves of yesteryear were smart enough to warrant the title – but I guess it has a ring which appeals to some.

When Sir Henry Tucker created the UBP, its success was more or less guaranteed for a limited number of years – people would return it to power out of habit – and fear. Maybe Sir Henry thought his cobbled together UBP would serve as a stop gap remedy for what loomed ahead – maybe he expected the UBP parliamentarians to think things through more thoroughly and wake up to reality. If he did think that, he was dreaming.

Now, in 2008, we have UBP members of parliament who are not really UBP. As Julian so aptly put it: "We must really move on, Bermuda".

KATHLEEN BELL

Paget

Swan has work cut out

February 11, 2008

Dear Sir,

The Opposition Leader Mr. Kim Swan called for peace on the Sunday morning talk show.

I could not but wonder how that will go down with his Party. When the former Opposition Leader Mr. Wayne Furbert promised that if he won he would take a partisan approach he was promptly removed.

Last week when the Premier reached a peaceful settlement with the BIU and imposed a significant penalty on the Ferry driver under his no zero policy, avoiding a destructive confrontation with the BIU he was soundly criticised by a variety of UBP supporters, representatives and the press.

Some in the UBP clearly hankered for anything but peace as they charged him with backing down and speaking as if the ferry driver was about to pilot a boat tomorrow.

I wish the Opposition Leader well but he has his work cut out for him. At least the Premier can count on one UBP supporter in any effort he makes towards a peaceful approach in the upcoming session with its many challenges.

EVA N. HODGSON

Crawl

Neat little packages

February 13, 2008

Dear Sir,

I frequently benefit from reading Dr. Hodgson's letters.

As a white guy, I find her writings instructive in trying to understand racism from a black person's perspective. She writes forcefully, persuasively and with no nonsense language. I have no problem with that.

Dr. Hodgson's opinion recently (Letters to The Editor, February 13), that "no amount of discussion by whites concerning BHC scandal, corruption, the undermining of the judiciary, or the Auditor General, or democracy itself will ever persuade most blacks that there is any greater evil, or move corrupt governance that the racism which whites imposed on this concept in the 17th Century and continue to demonstrate", is interesting.

That there is no greater evil than racism is a matter of perspective. Certainly if you are black there probably isn't. I suppose if you are gay, disabled, a woman etc., you might of course have a different view. Depending upon your circumstances, all forms of discrimination seep into the very essence of life itself and creates misery for the victim.

That said, I was disappointed not to see Dr. Hodgson actually condemn the scandal, corruption, undermining of the judiciary etc. Her silence on the matters is deafening. Is she saying that because these matters are less evil than the past and current crime of racism they are acceptable? Is she urging black people to ignore the rights and wrongs of the matters on the basis that they are less significant to the bigger issue? Are we to ignore them in the 21st Century?

I would suggest Dr. Hodgson stops wrapping up most blacks (and most whites for that matter) into neat and convenient little parcels and talking on their behalf. Perhaps she should pay due cognisance to the fact that people of all colours are both discerning and intelligent, and are quite capable of forming their own opinions. To not accept that is arrogant in the extreme. Dr. Hodgson says, she speaks for herself and doesn't expect others to see or feel as she does. On this occasion she is correct.

In the universe in which I live, we don't rationalise our wrong doings as being acceptable, on the basis that something else is more wrong. If it's wrong – it is wrong. From the conversations I have, it is quite clear that many blacks are disturbed by what they see and hear as Tom Vesey commented. To think that way does not dilute the evils of racism.

SMITH'S

Tolerance, not anger

February 8, 2008

Dear Sir,

I find it remarkable that Ms LaVerne Furbert addresses so many letters to you on such a frequent basis.

She really must not have much else to do from day to day. If only the rest of us had the time to be so free to follow our fancies. How nice would that be? I mean, most of us have bills to pay and chores to do. We're busy scratching out a living to keep up with the times.

We're also too busy reconciling with our neighbours which results in releasing ourselves from the things that make us bitter and angry towards other people. We're too busy realising that you can't go day to day being riddled with so much anger and hatred that it just appears on our face and you haven't even said a word.

Too busy knowing that you can't cure the world much less save it from all the evils that run through it so instead you decide to live a life that encompasses inclusiveness, accepting other peoples' opinions even if they are opposite to what you believe and just tried and true acceptance of, well, people. And in turn, hopefully, people will see the same thing as you do and, hopefully, humanity will learn to live a little angry.

It's not always just as easy as that but I do believe it's called "tolerance". You know, boring day to day stuff like that.

MILTON RAPOSO

Smith's

Soul of the human family

February 15, 2008

Dear Sir,

I am a racist, meaning, I love and cherish my race. If the truth is told, most people are racist.

I am not prejudiced, I do not have to put down another race in order to love or advance my own.

Go around the world and you would see people loving their own, people have a natural inclination to gravitate toward their own race, especially when they are abroad, but that is not to say they cannot admire, mingle or even marry into another race.

If I show you a group photo of about 20 people and only one was of your race I bet you would look first at the one that looked like your race. Birds of a feather flock together but human beings should come together based on type.

God has revealed to us he has made the human beings blood according to type, if I have A+ and my sibling has B he is not my type, but if someone from another race has A+, he is my type.

If we can kill colour consciousness, the soul of the human family can come alive.

SAYEED RAMADAN

Smith's Parish

Thanks for a great day

February 12, 2008

Dear Sir,

I must write and say a huge thank you to the organisers of the Spittal Pond National Trust Children's walk on Tuesday, February 12.

What a great event – it started with excellent organisation and ended the same way. The guides were fabulous (special thanks to Patsy) and the "station" guides really enthusiastic. We all learned so much, both adults and children alike. (Our knowledge had increased 100 percent even before we left the parking lot!) The guides passed on the fun of enjoying our environment and the necessity to protect it, and children of all ages were enthralled.

Bermuda truly is another world. There are few places where people will take time out of their busy schedules simply to pass their passions onto young people in the hope of keeping the flame alive. We all had a Bermudaful day! Thanks so much to all of you.

CONTENTED

Sandys

Beware of job ad ...

February 14, 2008

Dear Sir,

I would like to alert you and readers to an advertisement that appeared in Wednesday's (February 13) edition on Page 63 asking for: "Part-Time Assistants wanted" and asking interested parties to contact someone at a yahoo.com address.

I would advise readers to not make contact as this appears to be an easy money-making opportunity but is actually a fraudulent offer where the "assistant" is supposed to receive a wire transfer and is asked to send a portion of the funds elsewhere. I would further suggest that in the future, ad requests of this nature be investigated further to ensure that they are authentic.

DAVID A. GIBBONS

Hamilton Parish

Editor's Note: Many readers will know that we published a story about this ad. The Royal Gazette is also examining its policies and procedures to detect and check advertisements of this kind.

Free transport for all

February 16, 2008

Dear Sir,

I consider it very wise of Government to have avoided a public transport free-for-all in its latest Budget.

You can't scrap fares for everyone as that would mean getting rid of the whole charging infrastructure, saving time and money from Day One.

You can't let commuters travel for free as that would reduce the amount of traffic on the road during rush hour.

You can't let expats travel for free because what have they ever done for Bermuda, apart from pay taxes so that you can introduce free buses for Bermudians?

You can't let tourists travel for free as that would result in too much good publicity overseas.

And you can't rush these things, as it is only 15 months since the Premier said that he would bring in free public transport.

Far better, then, to limit free travel to a small subset of the community so that bus drivers have to check whatever new document it is these lucky people will have to carry.

Plus, you can call a separate pat-ourselves-on-the-back press conference every time a new phase of free travel is brought in.

Yours at the back of the queue,

ANDREW R. DOBLE

Hamilton Parish