Being that it is Black History Month, I am writing this letter to my brothers who need to know this part of their history that will set them free from their spiritual bondage.

In biblical times there was a conspiracy to annihilate the male child and it is no different today. In Genesis 2:11-13 the first two rivers mentioned in the Garden of Eden are in Africa; the rivers Pishon and Gihon. The Pishon goes through Harilah which is Egypt. The Gihon encompasses the entire land of Ethiopia. Egypt and Ethiopia are in Africa. The other two rivers are of Mesopotamia (Hiddekel, Euphrates) and thus Afro-Asiatic.

These observations mean that the earliest humans were of a darker hue. From a Biblical perspective this is not a mere assumption. The Bible is full of positive references to Africa, the land of Moses' birth, Israel's infancy (God changed Jacob's name to Israel) and Jesus' early childhood. Any Bible concordance reveals the names of great Africans like Hagar, Abraham's wife Sarai, Ebed-Melech Jeremiah's deliverer, Simon, Jesus' cross-bearer and Queen Candance, Nubian treasurer.

The Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, `Arise and take the young child and mother and flee into Egypt (Africa). Matthew 2:13. When hiding someone you don't hide them where they stick out but where they blend in! I don't care how you wrap it up, bundle it up and dress it up, you can't hide a blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby in Africa! It wouldn't blend in, it would stick out. Could it be that God willed it that Jesus would be hidden in Africa because, with his physical features, he would blend right in? My brothers, they depicted the Biblical characters of the Bible as white because they were the ones that felt inferior. This is why they kept us oppressed for so long and have perverted the word of God to keep you in spiritual bondage.

This is why some of you are easy prey to drugs, alcohol, nicotene, crime, low self-esteem and some of you are being decieved by your own people who come with half truthes mixed with false doctrines and racist idealisms.

Scriptures expose Satan and his ploys, which is why he does everything possible to keep people from studying the Bible. Hosea 4:6 God says: "My people (all races) are destroyed for lack of knowledge (which is the word of God) because you have rejected knowledge.'' If we are going to set our brothers free we need to tell them their whole history, so that they can become whole people. We need to begin with our Biblical history.

DAMITA LASHORE Devonshire This is ridiculous February 29, 2000 Dear Sir, I see that our esteemed Member of Parliament, Ms Paula Cox is upset now because an expat has said they'd like to see her shot. What a paranoid bunch of people we now have sitting on the hill. I'm sure that sometime in my life I've said the same thing about someone without the slightest intention of going out, getting a gun and doing the dastardly deed.

"A half dozen shocked MPs sat in silence'' Oh come on, this is ridiculous! Why don't you people stop spending money frivolously and get on with running the country and that includes protecting the jobs of the many Bermnudians who are employed by exempt companies, who will surely lose their jobs when their companies leave for the Cayman Islands after having had their fill of this government and their silly antics! Does the Government now have spies in all the business offices writing down everything said by expats so it can be used against them come permit renewal time? Beware! Big brother is watching you! J.C. SIMPSON Bailey's Bay Don't forget our heritage February 25, 2000 Dear sir, It is ironic that any white Bermudian should compare any black Bermudian to Hitler! Hitler was about racism and racial superiority. They were white Bermudians who imposed this philosophical legacy on us and our immigration policy, from the outset, grew out of this philosophy, including the importation of the first Portuguese so that the then-Government could avoid hiring the newly freed slaves for public works.

Mr. Barritt's neurotic and hysterical charge of Hitlerism against any Bermudian concerned about our "cultural integrity'' and its corruption by an overwhelming "cultural invasion'' -- whether it be the Environment Minister's "sustainable development'' or Mr. Stuart Hayward's concern about protecting our cultural integrity -- misses the point.

None of the foreigners, expatriates, guest workers or non-Bermudians created our immigration policies or forced us, as Bermudians, particularly black Bermudians, to demean and undermine our own cultural values because we have so little respect for ourselves.

It was under a black Premier that our Sundays were first given over to international sports and races rather than Sunday School. It was a black Premier who encouraged a younger generation to despise, scorn, the values of an older generation that had fought to break down racial barriers because he said they were "passe'' and so the greed for money demeaned our values and our younger generations replaced our prayers with their drugs and the consequences. They were blacks themselves who decided to replace the Biblical warning "spare the rod the child and spoil the child'' because foreign expatriates screamed "abuse'' but they are ours who, not being spanked as children, are increasingly incarcerated as men -- not those of expatriates whose advice we followed. They were often black principals who permitted their non-Bermudian staff to change or modify their traditional policies, practices, values and attitudes from dress to discipline. They were blacks, not foreigners, who dispensed with the Bermuda Recorder. Foreigners may corrupt our culture but it is only because we do not value it, and so we destroy, our own heritage and traditional cultural values for a "mess of potage''.

They are blacks and Berkeleyites that have decided to eliminate, erase, all evidence of those generations of blacks who toiled, struggled and sacrificed for so long in the face of obstacles to build an institution of learning for blacks who were considered too subhuman to be educated. This Government, and most of the Cabinet are ex-Berkeleyites, seems to see as their standard a "Johnny-come-lately'', ill-conceived mega structure, a concept designed by Canadians and despised by most Bermudians, despite its currently excellent principal and its "state of the art'' physical plant. Fifteen years from now neither CedarBridge nor the new school will any longer be a "state of the art'' structure but our black heritage will have been wiped out and destroyed and generations of black Berkeleyites will see themselves, like Topsy, as having "just growed'' and so encourage the centuries- old contention that we, as a people, have no history.

Every ex-Berkeleyite should, in protest, rise in righteous, wrathful rage, instead they are behaving like frightened wimps, with no regard for their own heritage.

What is the purpose of a PLP Government if, without any consultation or careful thought, it is merely going to implement entrenched UBP policies? EVA N. HODGSON Hamilton Parish We're all in this together February 29, 2000 Dear Sir, On an island where everyone has a label I am an expat, foreigner, guest worker or, the most recent label, a kiskadee.

I came to Bermuda of my own free will because I had the honour and privilege to fall in love with and marry a born-Bermudian. Many people came because they were in search of a better life, others for career advancement. Whatever the reason, we are all here.

We do not have a vote but we do have voices. The born Bermudians use the talk shows to speak endlessly about politics, racism, tourism without fear of repercussion, they have no permits to be revoked. The politicians pander to their voters and say what they feel the voters want to hear, again without fear of repercussion, although they can be voted out; just ask the UBP.

It is the rest of us who should speak. The guest workers who want to make this a better place should speak honestly because we all do have a vote. Tourists have voted for years, not at the ballot box, but by going somewhere else. They will not be back in the same numbers. Cruise ship arrivals are up, not because their passengers want to come to Bermuda (although some do) rather they want to go on a cruise and Bermuda just happens to be the destination often without having to take a flight to do so.

Hoteliers have voted for years. They have closed their doors. Others such as Camberley, Ritz Carlton etc., have elected not to come in the first place, so they have voted as well. We do not know how many international companies have voted to stay away because their costs are going up compared to other jurisdictions or because other locales, like Cayman, are making it more attractive to go there. International companies who are here can vote to go somewhere else. The Bermudiana closed and ACE and XL took its place -- they too can vote to go elsewhere, just as Club Med wrote off its hotel investment so can gigantic multinational insurance companies.

The point is that the expat/foreigner/guest worker does have a vote as well.

They can vote to not volunteer their time and money for worthy causes. They need not make the gardens of Bermuda beautiful. They need not care for our children. They do not need to give up careers elsewhere to come to Bermuda to train Bermudians, whether they are born Bermudians or paper Bermudians. It is time the Government of yesterday, today or tomorrow recognised that there are 50,000 or so Born and Paper Bermudians and 10,000 or so non-Bermudian guest workers and we are all in this together.

The largest employer is tourism, next would be Government and lagging far behind in number would be international business. Instead of making paranoid statements about the tremendous number of workers needed to meet future needs and being overrun by the dreaded guest worker why not look at it sensibly.

Tourism is labour-intensive and has been declining for years. The largest contributor to the economy is International business and requires far fewer people. Why not continue to educate Bermudians not only in Bermudian history and world history but business and finance -- international companies support that initiative.

Bermuda once existed by growing onions and arrowroot and mining salt in the Turks and Caicos and can never go back to that way of life. Bermudians can also not potter down the road anymore. They can, however, continue to make this a beautiful and wonderful place to live by giving up the labels and working together. Hopefully they will vote to do so.

VINCE McGEEHAN Paget Someone needs to explain February 24, 2000 Dear Sir, Lend me your ear! Maybe through your column, the esteemed Hon. Nelson Bascome can shed some light on why two young men were sent to an approved society (see The Royal Gazette dated February 24) when two weeks ago there was absolutely no room for the three young arsonists. I am totally baffled! Maybe these two young men should have come from wealthy families or better still burnt down a school causing $1.6 million in damages! Someone needs to explain this. I will wait....

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Smith's Parish `A bunch of spoiled brats' February 25, 2000 Dear Sir, I have come to the conclusion that all Bermudians are nothing more than a bunch of spoiled brats. Over many years I have watched and observed how blame is castigated in different directions depending on the mood of the month. They even blame their bad weather on the United States and are often heard to say to visitors "well it is coming down from your country after all''.

I have heard blame heaped on the English, the Americans, the Canadians, the Portuguese, the Philippines, the Italians, the West Indies and more, but never on themselves. What creates this selfish phony society that Bermudians live in? Is it 30 plus years of economic boom, is it inherited wealth, is it created wealth, is it false pride, is it genuine pride, is it simply a closed mind mentality? I see now that the strain on the infrastructure is being blamed on the number of overseas workers who were invited to Bermuda by the very governments who never created or contemplated a cap on companies both local and exempt.

These people are now apparently undermining the culture of Bermuda which I have been thinking about and cannot think what that might be. Perhaps it is fitted dinghies; I don't know anywhere else in the world where they sail them? Grow up Bermuda, you are being lost in your selfish values and you need to come to grips with the "Club'' that you have created and how it needs to have a change of constitution and rules.

DON'T BLAME ME City of Hamilton Save us the lecture February 29, 2000 Dear Sir, Did everyone notice how quickly Stuart Hayward jumped to defend the xenophobic remarks of Arthur Hodgson? I wonder if Stuart (and his father) had the same sentiments while they were living as `foreigners' in the United States... for a combined total of some 30 years? Bermudians don't need to be lectured to by hypocrites.

Intemperate remarks and bad judgment by Government ministers and their followers are putting the livelihood of an entire generation of Bermudians at risk, and we should all speak out now before it is too late.

ROCKFISH Paget We need to get real March 4, 2000 Dear Sir, Instead of proposing the monitoring of racial quotas in the workplace and shorter but costlier work permits, I feel Government should be educating its supporters and indeed all Bermudians to the reality of the situation.

Expatriates employed by international companies do not take jobs away from Bermudians. On the contrary, international companies provide jobs for many Bermudians both directly and indirectly. Because an international company has a need to employ a foreigner's expertise that does not mean that the foreign worker is taking a job from a Bermudian; he or she may be making further jobs available to Bermudians.

Many Bermudians currently employed in the civil service, post office, docks, shops and supermarkets etcetera, not to mention the hotels, would also lose their jobs if some of our international companies decided to relocate to another jurisdiction should Government restrictions become too onerous. The message Government is presently sending out may please misguided supporters but it is not in the best interests of Bermuda or the majority of Bermudians.

ANNE PEARSON City of Hamilton Know thy enemy February 17, 2000 Dear Sir, There is an old expression which states `misery loves company'. Many of your recent letter scribes have been infecting a kind of poison into the community that is not unique, but left unchallenged will surely cause the demise of another part of our business community. Their consistent laziness in attempting to find out the facts first and then express an opinion is what gives rise to the misinformation campaign. The new target now appears to be the international business sector of Bermuda. The outlandish statements of `tax free', `not contributing their fair share', `responsible for high rents', etc. etc., were the same complaints used by the same complainers about the hospitality, retail, and foreign military bases when they were either leading or assisting our economy. The poison of envy and stupidity has seen either the demise of or the significant faltering of those sectors.

I wonder if any of your writers could assist me in advising which business, local or international, is taxed on its profits. I wonder if any of these writers could tell me which business, local or international, is subject to tax exemption by our government i.e. payroll, pension, land tax, stamp duty, customs duty, company registration/license fees etc. I wonder if any of these writers could speak to the amount of goods and services offered to our community by the international companies by way of scholarships, building investment, rental income, charities' support and lest we forget both direct and indirect employment. Lastly, I wonder if any of these writers could advise me how many and who of these international companies own the houses and or apartments which are charging exorbitant rents.

These writers are mindful of the beggar who complained that you only gave him $5 when he was begging for ten! Yes without a strong economy we can all enjoy cheaper living -- because it costs nothing to live in poverty. Instead of finding a new target to blame for our problems we should perhaps seek the advice of Pogo' ... we have seen the enemy and it is us'.

DAVID J. SULLIVAN Sandys Parish Arrogance gets in the way February 7, 2000 Dear Sir, When the last election approached I was filled with a sense of quiet desperation. I did not feel that the UBP deserved to remain in office after certain disgraceful occurrences, (the Colin Coxall affair, the Independence issue and Burgergate to name a few), but neither did I feel confident in the PLP's ability to lead this country. To me the choice was between what I perceived as "corrupt and competent'' and "corrupt and incompetent''.

Really, that is not much of a choice.

In honesty I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised at some of the positive initiatives that the PLP government has produced, (those they actually have produced and not just claimed credit for). This does not however excuse the blatant exchange of favours, back scratching and obvious misuse of government power to benefit themselves and their supporters that has been so rampant in the last year. The diary I am keeping of such embarrassments is getting depressingly long and involved. In addition to this, "opening the House of Assembly'' on the front lawn for the first time in history does not excuse their refusal to allow meaningful debate in the House of Assembly. What Bermuda is seeing a lot of flashy gadgets, catch phrases and flowery words trying to cover unforgivable indiscretions, mismanagement and conflicts of interest that should be grounds for prosecution. Our leaders, (regardless of their party), should be an example to all people and that especially includes being held accountable when they act in unethical fashion. Unfortunately, since the people who make the laws are the ones bending, (and breaking) them then this is not something we are likely to see any time soon.

Perhaps it is cynical of me to have long since given up expecting even the majority of our politicians to be of upright moral stature but I believe that if we cannot rely upon their morals we should at least be able to rely upon them being smart enough not to shoot the cow they are milking. When faced with a choice between those who are smart enough to hide their indiscretions and those who are not, I will pick the smart corrupt ones over the dumb corrupt ones any day.

The current Government should recognize that they were not elected because of their shining attributes. Their victory had as much to do with the blatant mistakes their predecessors made and disillusion among the staunch UBP supporters. Seeing the PLP make even worse mistakes would be funny if it wasn't so bad for the country as a whole. Despite the PLP's general belief that they have been elected to glorify themselves and that nothing good happened in the world before they existed, they do seem to have a few competent productive people trying to do good work among the more radical members. If we could just knock some of the arrogance off of the current ruling party then I do believe that they could settle down and do a decent job for the next four years. Unfortunately, I cannot see a way of doing this short of a revolution. Can I see a show of hands for the formation of the Bermuda Liberation Army.

GENERALISSIMO SUPREMO Warwick Opposition not that sharp February 23, 2000 Dear Sir, I was shocked to learn that the UBP opposition was critical of larger cars for Ministers. If they truly deserve to be the leaders of Bermuda they would know that among all the elements that make a Bermudian, the lust for a sharp car is in the top five. To think they led us all those years; no wonder they got voted out. For what would one struggle to the pinnacle of politics? The people's love? A sense of doing good? The righting of wrong? No! Getting a sharp car is the point and a real Bermudian politician would know that. And why this desire for a sharp car? Because then one's car shall be more sharp than other Bermudians' cars. And if one is a Minister one can have a special privilege of having a sharp car that no else except other Ministers can buy.

Unassailable sharpness.

Not necessarily. In politics, one always has to be nice to the voters. So once the Minister gets a sharper car and is faced with that political party pooper: jealousy. The Minister may, indeed he or she will, be forced to make access to sharp cars available to all Bermudians aching to fulfil their Bermudianness by owning a sharp car. Access to sharp cars must be equal! My Dad is a suspect Bermudian. He thinks the Suzuki Carry-All he has for his store is a great car for Bermudian families. It's cheap, narrow, spacious inside, child-proof locks, sliding doors, high roof, sturdy, perfect for big loads but seconds as a small van for moving lots of people, an unbelievable turning radius, parks in a shoe box, easy to drive and gets good mileage. There is just one problem with it -- it doesn't look sharp. The Government will not let you buy it for your family because its turtle-like looks will corrupt the patriotism of your children. Very wise. Dad thinks that looks don't matter. I'm just itching to call that number they have for reporting this kind of thing.

Now these small-car Bermudians (so-called) will come up with rational arguments for why we need fewer and smaller cars on the island. You know that you must not hear their pleas. Just turn on the TV and watch those all-wheel drive commercials. Now those are sharp cars. See how they easily conquer any natural terrain destroying desert environments in an ecstasy of destruction? Is that not sharp? Soon we shall be allowed to have humVs. They would take up a lane and half on Harbour Road. They are domestic tanks. Then we shall have truly sharp cars.

JOHN ZUILL City of Hamilton A cultural melting pot February 25, 2000 Dear Sir, What constitutes a Bermudian? Since there is no indigenous population of Bermuda -- we all came by ship or plane from somewhere else -- which `foreigners' should we blame for our ills? Or is Mr. Hodgson surreptitiously playing the race card? Our ills are no different from elsewhere in the world -- in fact a darned sight less I would say. I guess if we pulled up the bridge and filled the moat we could cut ourselves off from the evil world and vegetate into oblivion! Stop laying the blame where it doesn't belong -- the envious position we have been in over the past years is largely due to the input, financially and otherwise, of `foreigners'. Do we now want to throw away the spoon that feeds us? Scare them away, then you will see REAL social problems! What is any culture but a mix of cultures from all over. We really don't have our own culture, perhaps our friendliness is somewhat unusual to those coming from large cities, (don't fool yourself that it is unique to Bermuda), but hasn't that grown out of living in such a beautiful place, with the need to welcome visitors and workers (foreigners) who have been and are our bread and butter? In the global community how can any country hope to remain uninfluenced by exterior forces. How does the song go? "Wake Up To Reality....!''. We are forced to move with the times and accept that borders will become less and less meaningful. The prospect of people finally becoming `one' should excite even the most racist among us.

Our standard of living is the envy of many and this in itself creates problems -- expectations, materialism, a break down of family etc. etc. I think we need to think again if any of us believes that lessening the source of our security (or legalising marijuana!) will solve our social problems.

Stuart Hayward's concern over the population situation is well understood. We can only withstand so much and barring the restriction of births on the Island, with or without `foreigners', sooner or later we are going to have to face Bermudian overpopulation. You can't welcome growth and wealth with one hand and wave away its conditions with the other! An awesome but enviable problem, I agree.

V. ROBERTS Southampton A promise is a promise March 1, 2000 Dear Sir, A promise is a promise and it shouldn't be broken. The Berkeley Institute was promised almost four years ago a new school facility by the UBP Government. On Friday February 25, 2000 an honourable member of the UBP party made a statement concerning Berkeley Institute's new facility. "Can we afford this right now?'' he asked. I say yes you can. Let me ask you this: "Can the UBP afford another broken promise?'' I was promised in my third year of high school that I would get a new school facility. I was told that I would be utilising this new facility when I was in my final year of high school. I am in my final year of high school and the ground has just been broken (thanks to PLP). I am personally sick of having the UBP make statements and then never be true to their word. That honourable member seems more interested in his money than in the youth of Bermuda. It's the youth of Bermuda that have to live with the choices that the Government makes. When these present government members are gone, it's my generation that will be dealing with the choices made today.

This new facility is more than just a building with classrooms. It's opportunity, its hope for the future. Why should students and staff at Berkeley Institute suffer because the UBP is too cheap to care? My mother has always taught me to look at things not how they are now, but how they will be. She told me to look at the consequences of each choice before I decide what to do. If the UBP had done this, they wouldn't be where they are now. Just a slight reminder, when the next election rolls around, I will be able to vote and I'll remember who kept their promise.

ADWINA WESCOME-TROTT St. George's