Thanks, Smith's North

February 12, 2008

Dear Sir,

I feel like I owe it to Bermuda to say, "Thank You," and to Smith's North, (Constituency #13) "Bravo," for the way you voted in Election 2007. You have certainly sent the United Bermuda Party a strong message, as you were asked to do. It was indeed, a message like the one that the American people sent President Bush in their Mid Term Election in November, 2006. To Smith's North... I reminded you of the story of The Three Little Pigs. You rose to the occasion and you "delivered"... Well done!

After the election, Renee Webb said that the campaign was ugly and nasty. After the election, Mr. Dunkley said that nasty works. Before the election, I said that Mr. Dunkley's move to Smith's North to throw Mrs. Minors out of the House was ugly.

Now, from the outcome of the election, Mr. Dunkley, his family and his Party are all experiencing that ugly, nasty and stinking feeling. His move was the opposite to The Golden Rule.

Mr. Khalid Wasi said recently in The Royal Gazette, (in an interview with a reporter) that the white population does not vote for the PLP. That is something that all of us know very well. That being the case, the UBP garnered something like ninety-nine percent of the white votes; therefore the UBP and its supporters should be rejoicing instead of whining coming out of the election with fourteen seats.

Next, Mr. Editor, folks like Mr. Charles Jeffers and others have been saying that we need a strong and viable Opposition. Now we have an Opposition, but I question the "conscience" of the Opposition. For Mr. Trevor Moniz to sit in the House of Assembly on the backs of black people when he publicly called upon the Portuguese community not to vote for any PLP candidate: ... I ask ... Where is his conscience? He should not have accepted any of the black votes. If he still had the majority of votes without the black votes; then so be it. No one can question that. Without a conscience, a person is confused between right and wrong.

Once again, "Thank You, Bermuda," and to Smith's North... You delivered the icing on the cake. "Thanks."

RENDOL JAMES

Sandys

We are all patsys

February 20, 2008

Dear Sir,

In a recent issue of The Royal Gazette (RG for ease of reference) there was a letter from "Laverne Furbert Bermuda Sentinel" (LFBS for ease of reference). In this latest edition the editor of LFBS, Ms Laverne Furbert, extolled the virtues of Ewart Brown and described how he came riding in on his black horse to solve the issue of the sacked ferry pilot, who was driving drunk no less, with a boatload of passengers.

LFBS further reported that the said Ewart Brown brought sense to the occasion and avoided an all-out strike by supporters of the sacked ferry pilot, who was driving drunk no less with a boatload of passengers.

Upon the initial onset of this latest tug-of-war between the BIU and Government, over a ferry pilot who was driving drunk no less with a boatload of passengers, and before there was any hint of strike action, my wife asked me what I would do in the given circumstances. My reply, put the man on a desk job for two years, suspend his pilot licence for two years, make him take his pilot license exams again in two years time, require him to attend Alcoholic Anonymous for two years, and finally give him his old job back when he has completed all of the above.

My optic of all this, we are all being treated like patsies. Marine & Ports management do not seem to have a clue what they are doing in the HR area, the BIU is even more vacant in how to deal with such matters and readily threatens the public with disruption, and lastly maybe this was all a publicity stunt to make Ewart Brown look like a hero. It is to be hoped that LFBS will improve on her standard of reporting and avoid such one-sided articles in the future.

May I also be so bold as to suggest that I could in fact replace Ewart Brown as premier as I came up with the right response a week before him and could have avoided any of the posturing and threats that we were all subjected to. I might just have picked up the phone and said come on lads sort it out. But alas egos have to be stroked, don't they?

PHIL CRACKNELL

St. George's

Lessons from Kosovo

February 18, 2008

Dear Sir,

I shall preface this letter by stating for the avoidance of doubt that I have no political agenda.

Congratulations are truly in order for the citizens of Kosovo who have declared themselves to have the right to call their home a sovereign nation. Hats off too for those countries that are progressive enough to permit this fledgling nation that has seen the most horrific of atrocities visited upon its people, to enter the world stage as a free member.

It is hoped that the insatiable hunger for autonomy is met with an equal portion of economic fairness and compassion from the nations of the world as well as those within Kosovo with their fingers on the pulse of socioeconomic, political and diplomatic change.

Upon hearing the news of the birth of the nation, I was forced to recall my first case in the UK. The clients were Kosovan Albanians who had been forced to flee the country in the height of the civil war with the Serbian Army. If one has a week stomach skip the next paragraph.

The family home had been raided by a band of rogue Serbian soldiers. The husband/father had been strung up from the rafters by his wrists. His feet were spread apart and tied to distant anchor points. The shirt was ripped off of his back and the rogues played X and O's on his back and chest with their bayonets. The then-nine-year- old daughter was beaten about the lower legs with rifle butts so badly that the bone of her lower leg was left protruding from her shin. Her six-year-old brother was more fortunate, his leg was only broken by the rogues. The Wife/Mother was then subjected to five hours of repeated rape and torture by nine poor excuses for human existence dressed in the uniform of the Serbian army ¿ all in the presence and clear sight of her husband and children who were forced to watch.

In the waiting room of the Immigration Court Centre at Feltham near Heathrow, these children gave me one of the most inspirational messages of a lifetime. Their actions spoke volumes of their heart inspired intent. The intensity of their study said one thing ¿ "If education is the key, then I shall open this door and enter this western world, never to return to the hell from which we have fled!"

The daughter had in 18 months mastered the English language to a degree that would be admirable for a senior in high school. In the reports prepared for the Adjudicator, her teachers were astonished at her progress in all subject areas. This was a child who just 18 months prior had never uttered a word of English. Her brother, while a few years behind showed similar promise in English but was a mathematical wizard with a passion for science.

The family, who had little more than the clothing on their backs when they arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry, sat huddled together as though umbilical cords were attached between them. It was from beneath the protective arms of the parents that the children engaged themselves with their school work. Every now and then, father would reach his arms around the whole family and give them the most reassuring hug. They would in turn look at him and with their eyes tell him that we are OK and thank you and we love you!

Fighting tears is perhaps one of the most difficult battles in the struggle for composure. As I write this piece the welling of my eyes is only surpassed by the joy that I experienced when the Adjudicator announced that the family had suffered persecution on the basis of their race contrary to the UNHCR Convention and that they had a right to remain in the UK because they had a well founded fear of future persecution if returned to their home country.

By now, those children are at least 17 and 20 years old. One wonders to what heights they have risen. If early indicators are anything to go by, the sky is the limit. There are hidden morals to this story that I pray are not lost to those who have too much in the way of material assets and comfort.

First Moral: The inevitable departure from the family nest is the birthright of every child. That too is true of a people. As we engage on the world stage in diplomacy, business, e-commerce, sport and tourism, not necessarily in that order of course, we too must think of when it is that we ought to be considering the leaving of the nest. In our considerations we must approach the subject as one people ¿ Bermudians. We must by that time have had and had constructively, every size conversation there is that is designed to bring us together.

There is no room for disenfranchisement in this equation. If we cannot go forward with parity and a determination to succeed as a united people, then forget it! Let's remain the child of our colonial mother and the playpen of our global brothers and sisters.

However, we do so without any real reason to be proud as a people. We do so as a collection of individuals who for personal gain jockey ourselves into formidable positions for personal growth only.

Second Moral: Do we have to be driven to the depth of despair where the human spirit is tested to the nth degree before we are encouraged to grow through the acquisition of knowledge? If so, then look out! We have within this little society a sector of people who have been disenfranchised to a degree that they exhibit self-destructive tendencies that affect all of us through negative and often criminal actions visited upon every member of this society.

We often see the headlines, the youth, the majority of whom are growing and taking their respective places in our society, are the members of that growing sector of which I speak. We must ask ourselves some pointed questions because the residence in a blame society does not necessarily bring us the comfort of viable solutions.

Solution: We have a unique opportunity here in Bermuda as this is an island of considerable affluence in global proportions with a geographical fortune of 22 square miles with no areas that cannot be easily reached.

If all of us who are doing reasonably well took the time and effort to reach one young man and or young woman and truly encouraged him/her and gave them a real opportunity to grow up through a desire fuelled by a picture full of real possibilities and not just lip service, then together we shall have reached them all.

Our Government, whoever is the government of the day, cannot be held accountable for the social ills of the entire Island. This is not a nanny state. While our Government gets on with the business of governing the country, we must get on with the business of being our brothers' keepers through the embracing of one another without reference to race, colour, creed, political alliance, sexual preference or religion.

We must strive to leave no citizen behind! Love cannot be legislated; neither can the caring heart. However, if we are to grow as a people ¿ if we are intelligent enough collectively, in governing ourselves, we can be the envy of our global village ¿ as a people ¿ Bermudians all!

G. RICK WOOLRIDGE Jr. LL.B. (Hons)

City of Hamilton