Beach injustice

October 9, 2007

Dear Sir,

Around 1992, I took part in a march along Winsor Beach, Tuckers Town protesting the fact that the Tuckers Town beaches are inaccessible for use by the general public.

I also vaguely recall this issue being taken up by the PLP at the time with a view to righting this absurd situation — that the average Bermudian (i.e., 99 per cent of us) is denied the use of these many miles of our finest beaches. Well, here we are 15 years on and nothing has changed!

Perhaps it was the lure of these magnificent beaches that prompted Premier Brown to recently join the Mid Ocean Club. Perhaps Mr. Michael Dunkley as past MOC president and Premier Brown's sponsor for membership remarked something like, "Ewart, it's more than just golf. We've got some great beaches down here that you really ought to know about . . ."

Regardless, our Premier and our Opposition Leader are now co-conspirators in perpetuating this particular injustice — enough said.

DONALD WILLIAMS

Southampton

Premier’s true colours

October 14, 2007

Dear Sir,

He has his picture taken with every personality that comes to the island as witnessed by the latest music festival photo opt with Lionel Ritchie, Earth, Wind and Fire, Smokey Robinson et al. I’m sure he has a photo album full of his many photographic conquests.

If the Premier is so photo happy, where was he when Sir John Vereker, the former Governor of the island departed the island? Perhaps he was on the golf course practicing his putting skills or taking photos with the PGA staff. He certainly was not at the airport to bid farewell to Sir John.

Disgraceful is the best word that I could select to describe his absence at this occasion. The PLP criticises the UBP members for not attending functions but nary a word is said when the Governor of Bermuda departs and no high ranking PLP governmental official attends.

Thanks for finally showing your true colors.

JIB COLESWORTHY

Flatts

Praise for Premier

October 9, 2007

Dear Sir,

Please allow me a little space in your column to congratulate our Premier, The Hon. Ewart Brown, on an excellent job he and his ministry has done with putting together the 12th Annual Bermuda Music Festival.

Starting with Wednesday, October 3 through October 6, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire festival.

Excellent entertainment was received from both locals (which I was extremely proud) and the main acts.

Again, congrats go out to our Premier Brown and the Ministry of Tourism on a job well done!

SHERRELL MUNDY

Devonshire

P.s.If you need help trying to top this year . . . may I suggest Stevie Wonder!

Where are we going?

October 14, 2007

Dear Sir,

I'm watching "60 Minutes" on TV from Canada, they are covering Sheik Mouhammed in Dubai showing him driving around by himself, in his own car, without any bodyguards and everyone greets him because they recognise his vehicle and he extends greetings back.

Actually he moves around without security or bodyguards everywhere. Now doesn't that make you wonder ... why does Ewart Brown need a motorcade in our small Bermuda with nowhere to go? If a rich sheik of a country doesn't worry about bodyguards and motorcades, why should our Premier!

WONDERING WHERE THIS IS HEADING

St. David’s

Better uses for $200,000

October 8, 2007

Dear Sir,

$200,000 spent to study the disparities between black and white males in Bermuda. Yet another study to tell us what most of us already know.

Most of us already know that more black males in comparison to white males in both Bermuda and the US have higher rates of: being in prison; being involved in traffic fatalities (Bermuda); being victims of homicides; being raised in households by single mothers who are struggling financially; and black males have lower high school graduation rates, among many other social ills.

I’ve been on this Earth for 35 years as a black man. I’ve been working with young people of various races for the past 13 years. During my 35 years I’ve lost countless numbers of friends, cousins, and former students (black males) to the streets and prison systems in the US and here in Bermuda. I can’t even begin to express the pain and sorrow this causes me. I don’t need to read another report to know what’s happening with black males.

Instead of wasting $200,000 on another report, these politicians (Permanent Secretaries included) need to purchase and read Minister Butler’s book on successfully raising Bermudian boys. Imagine what the following organisations could do with $200,000: Big Brothers & Big Sisters ,The Boys Day Out program, Coalition for the Protection of Children, Bermuda Sloop Foundation, and numerous other organizations which have made a positive impact in the lives of many young people including many young black males

I find it baffling that such an expensive study is needed on black males when I believe that presently 23 (17 PLP, five UBP, and one Independent) of the 36 members of Parliament are black males. Nine of the 11 Cabinet Ministers are black males. Some MPs, Cabinet Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, and other officials need to hit the streets!

When you do get out on the streets leave your entourages at home. Make sure you ask plenty of questions and listen! Stop giving speeches and talking at people like you know everything. If you knew everything, you would not need all of these reports to find out what is happening to black males and to our young people.

Follow the example of your politician colleagues, MP Nelson Bascome and Sen. Gina Spence-Farmer, who have always made it a point to be out on the front lines and staying in tune with what is happening in their community.

Even President George Bush, prior to his bid for the presidency, made several visits to juvenile detention centres across his home state of Texas so he could gain some insight into why so many black and Latino males were in the criminal justice system. If George Bush (who is no Bill Clinton in terms of his endearment to the African-American community) can take such steps, if only for political purposes, to understand the ills of minority youth, then why on the earth can’t more of our politicians visit the schools; actually sit in the classrooms and cafeterias. They also need to visit and talk with black males in group homes, prisons, and on the street corners. Remember, no entourages!

These visits will be more insightful and revealing to you than any study conducted by an “overseas expert”. Talk to the parents of these young men; those on the right track as well as those who have gone astray.

Some of this calling for studies and reports remind me of the American Congress during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and early 1960s. Many white Congressmen wanted to form committees, study, form more committees, re-examine the report findings, then meet and talk some more about the “negro problem” . During all that time the “negro” continued to be brutally terrorised and oppressed throughout the South.

But this is Bermuda in 2007 and not America in 1957. The Parliament of Bermuda is made up of a majority of black males who are studying the problems of the black male at a cost of $200,000. While some black male politicians continue to order studies and analyse reports we are losing more and younger black males!

I’ve seen too many young black males filled with unlimited potential become just another statistic (high school drop out, convicted criminal, and on and on). Some of you politicians and officials may take issue with this letter, but just know that for the past nine years I’ve poured my heart and soul into trying to help young people in Bermuda while some of you gave fancy speeches, read expensive reports, but didn’t have the time to return the phone calls or respond to letters written to you recently by a concerned single mother pleading for your help for her young teenage son, who is a black male.

While that mother’s letter brought tears to my eyes, I understand your reasons for ignoring her and not being able to offer any help since you did not have your study completed on black males and therefore you could not understand what her son was going through.

KEVIN GRIGSBY

Warwick

Shocked by rejection

October 7, 2007

Dear Sir,

I was absolutely astounded to read about the rejection by the Development Applications Board and the Historic Buildings Advisory Committee, of the application by Mr. Tim Miller to install wind turbines on his home in Warwick.

The application was rejected "because the design and details would have a detrimental visual impact on the listed building". This building happens to be their home, the only people who will see it will be themselves and visitors to their home. If they are prepared to live with the visual impact for the greater good of the environment who are the DAB to refuse to even give this very worthy experiment a trial period. Belco supported Mr. Miller's application, the Department of Environmental Protection supported Mr. Miller's application and yet it was refused. Never mind the fact that 3,000 kilowatt hours of power a year would be saved.

Here is a gentleman who is trying to make a positive impact on our increasingly stressed environment. His efforts should have been applauded by all — instead he was given the pathetic excuse of "visual impact".

What about the visual impact of that disgusting abortion at Belmont Hills. I refer, of course, to the hideous mesh cage around the driving range which can be seen by half the island and which I have to look at every time I go out on my patio. This blight on the beautiful landscape of Warwick was done, presumably under an SDO, so that none of the neighbours could object. There is a visual impact for you!

Mr. Miller's wind turbines are nowhere nearly as ugly as the hundreds of large satellite dishes that sprouted up all over the island a few years ago — thank heavens they are now obsolete technology.

No, this has nothing to do with preserving visual aesthetics, it seems to me more than likely that this is simply another example of abuse of power by petty bureaucrats. The people involved in this decision should be ashamed of themselves.

A. SUMMERS

Warwick

No harder decision

October 7, 2007

Dear Sir,

Friday October 5, 2007 ended up being the worst day of my life.

My beloved horse Barney is in severe pain from arthritis, I now have to make the worst decision of my life.

Euthanasia carries the greatest emotional burden. The owner must cope not only with the loss of the horse but also with the direct responsibility for bringing about death.

I would like to thank Dr. Lucy Wheeler at Ettrick Animal Hospital who gave me great comfort and who made it possible for Barney to peacefully fall asleep. You are the very best, and a horse owners hero.

DEBOARH A. MASTERS

Devonshire

Customs and handbags

October 13, 2007

Dear Sir,

I am writing to let all those women out there who own designer handbags to have their handbags registered with Bda Customs.

Upon my recent return to the Island, I was harassed by an agent about my handbag. Since my handbag appears to be in new condition, (it's three months old and I only wear it for special occasions and never in the rain), I was repeatedly asked how old it was and if I had paid duty on it.

Of course the average person doesn't carry receipts from several months back, so I was forced to empty my handbag of all its contents and it was held in bond overnight until I was able to prove the purchase price and duty payment.

This is totally outrageous and it has gotten out of control. What do we have to do now, carry old receipts for every item we may wear that appears in good condition?

I want all the women on the Island to know that we should bombard the customs office with all our handbags and have the all registered.

Outraged

Pembroke

Time to come out

October 17, 2007

Dear Sir,

Thursday, October 11 was Canada’s National “Coming Out” Day. This same morning, I was walking to school, contemplating a paper on art and exile that I was due to hand in to an Art History professor the following Monday.

I snickered at the thought of such a celebration in Bermuda. I’d argue that the “coming out” of heterosexists and homophobes out of their hatred, close-mindness and self-affirming closets of condemnation would be much more of a momentous occassion to celebrate ...

How ironic, that the thoughts of exile and coming out can coexist in the queer identified “Bermudian” university student’s conscious…

Wishing you a happy (much) belated “Coming Out” Day,

SISELEY

(Self.Identified.Self.Exiled)

Ontario

Speak for yourself

October 17, 2007

Dear Sir,

I have to agree 100 percent with Stephen Smith that the advice of a Texan on the race problems of Bermuda is inappropriate and down right hilarious when it comes to population dynamics. What is going on?

I guess that Dr. Brown still relates to the African American experience!

Seeing Dr. Brown shaking hands with Hubert Ingraham of the Bahamas talking about the African Diaspora was interesting. Mr. Ingraham may talk African Diaspora, but he is in power because he has realised that an alliance with all the people of the Bahamas was necessary, and that all the citizens of his country deserved to be represented by his government. The PLP Bahamas (now the Opposition) was unable to learn any lessons of racial inclusion after decades of being in power, and I am afraid that their godchild PLP Bermuda seems doomed with the same blinkered lack of vision.

I am not saying that racism is not something that needs to be addressed in Bermuda. There is a lot that has to be done, It takes two to tango and two groups to work things out.

HOPING FOR CHANGE

City of Hamilton

Thanks, but it wasn't me

November 20, 2007

Dear Sir,

I wish to thank art critic, Mr. Charles Zuill, for his thoughtful and supportive critique of the recent photography show at the Elliot Gallery. I would, however, like to make a correction in that one of the photographs admired, the one described as "legs and feet of someone ascending a very yellow climbing wall" was, in fact, the work of Jordan Hames. Jordan is also a fellow student at BHS and the two of us were the only non-professionals in the show.

Thank you again for attending the show and for your supportive words.

Catherine Finsness

Warwick