In the platinum period

April 4, 2009

Dear Sir,

I was travelling along South Shore yesterday when I came across an endangered species. This rare breed is on the verge of extinction. No, it was not a Cahow or even a land crab. I was amazed! There perched upon a moped with red license plates was a pair of tourists. Wow! We must truly be in the Platinum Period.

LENNY THE LONGTAIL

Smith's

The icing on the cake

March 30, 2009

Dear Sir,

I am writing in support of Senator Michael Fahy's suggestions that cat's eyes reflectors and other road safety measures be introduced in order to help prevent the increasing carnage on our roads (Royal Gazette March 30). Senator Fahy also comments that there should be a zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol abuse, as the majority of road accidents do seem to involve drivers being intoxicated. I also support this suggestion but would comment further that the increasingly bad behaviour on our roads goes well beyond those abusing alcohol.

I am on the road most mornings by 7 a.m. and it is shocking to me the number of cars and bikes that are speeding at that hour, and in particular it is disturbing to me how many cars and bikes are driving on the roads without lights on in the predawn hours. I come out of an estate road onto to South Road each morning and have to use a mirror stationed across the street in order to see traffic coming from the west. I have to pull partially into the east bound lane in order to make a west bound turn and I cannot tell you how many times I've almost collided with a car or bike simply because they have not had their lights on and I therefore can't seem them coming in the mirror.

Even more disturbing is that these drivers are not limited to a few young and foolish "kids" but also include taxi drivers, bus drivers, commercial truck drivers and business men and women on their way to work. It is almost as if the bad driving habits have become ingrained in our culture! The icing on the cake was at 7.06 this morning when a car without lights on pulled out of Montpelier Road on to Middle Road, nearly causing me to swerve in order to avoid a collision; it was a Police car! Which is really ironic since it's the first Police car that I've seen on my daily morning commute so far this year!

There are a number of issues that the Island needs to address in order to improve behaviour on the roads, but I would think that first and foremost would be a properly trained police contingent out in numbers, enforcing traffic laws. After all, I've heard Sen. David Burch comment several times that we have 477 police officers in Bermuda – about five to 10 times the size of Force that you'd find in a similar sized community in the US or UK Where are all these officers! Perhaps instead of marching up to Government House demanding that the Auditor General be fired for actually doing his job, the Premier should march up there and demand that the Police Commissioner be fired for not doing his!

TERRIFIED COMMUTER

City of Hamilton

Setting the record straight

April 4, 2009

Dear Sir,

In Calvin Smith's Opinion article in your April 2 edition, he stated "President Obama took over as Commander in Chief of the US with stronger public support than any other President of post-Second World War America". Cal referred earlier in his article to reviewing Wikipedia for the definition of "economy". I took his lead and went to Wikipedia to look at the results of all the Presidential elections since 1948. The following had an Electoral College voters' landslide victory as follows. This can be translated into overwhelming public support.

1972 – Richard Nixon – 520. George McGovern – 17

1980 -–Ronald Reagan – 489. Jimmy Carter – 49

1984 – Ronald Reagan – 525. Walter Mondale – 13

Mr. Obama's numbers against Mr. McCain were 365 to 173, nowhere near a landslide.

In all, there were eight elections since the Second World War when the total Electoral College votes for the successful candidate were greater than Mr. Obama's. Don't get me wrong. It seemed as though Mr. Obama had massive public support when observing the jubilant crowds following his historic election. Although a conservative at heart, I was just as delighted as the vast majority of Bermudians when he defeated John McCain but I just wanted to set the record straight.

JOHN BARNETT

Warwick

A waste of money

April 3, 2009

Dear Sir,

And we thought the Big Dig was in Boston! Any of you PLP voters want to see where the money goes? Head on down Middle Road just past Lindos and take a gander at what has to be the biggest waste of money on a sidewalk in recent memory and a simple project that is taking so long to construct it is already got graffiti ... well, where in heck are Zane and Dennis when you need 'em?

There is more rebar being used here then in that wonderful $150 million Police Station in town and if you happen to go by the worksite a few times a day like I do ... when the 'workers' are not taking a break (which requires all of them to stop and chat together), they're going in such slow motion that it is very difficult to notice progress.

Doc and his PLP spend hundreds of thousands on simple projects like this; hundreds of thousands on that great engineering consultant Julian the QC; millions on a cricket team that can't beat Afghanistan (come on, the damn country has been at war for the past 18 years); God knows how many millions on so-called Bermuda Tourism advertising and the numbers just spiral down ...! It just goes on and on and on... When you PLP loveboat passengers finally decide maybe you've donated enough of your hard earned pay cheques to the fat boys at Alaska Hall, maybe there will be something left in the kitty when the next government shows up.

EYES WIDE OPEN

Southampton

Target drinks driving

Dear Sir,

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." I thought it was shocking that Dr. Froncioni chose to focus his recommendations for road safety on policing, tougher sentencing, and a graduated licence programme. In Bermuda, we do not, as a matter of procedure, take blood alcohol readings on severely injured or deceased persons involved in road traffic accidents, the effect of which is that even when a person dies in a single vehicle road traffic accident in the early morning hours, while the rest of Bermuda has already assumed that alcohol was involved, alcohol is seldom officially linked as a contributing factor to accidents.

Regardless of what is officially recorded, I doubt there is anyone in Bermuda that would bother to dispute the fact that alcohol has played a part in the majority of Bermuda's fatal road traffic accidents to date. Rather then make life miserable for all of us who are trying to get from point A to point B and incarcerate those who are doing it too quickly, at astronomical expense and questionable effectiveness, wouldn't it make sense to tackle drink driving first?

Prior Road Safety Officers had arranged for free soft drinks for designated drivers, and many of Bermuda's bars and pubs were keen to participate in that, at no cost to taxpayers. Bacardi already provides a free shuttle home albeit for too small a number of people, but it's a start. Not to mention that for the actual cost (as opposed to opportunity cost to the economy) of incarcerating one person, for one month, roughly $5,000, one could more easily hand out 250 $20 taxi vouchers a month to offer inebriated patrons a free ride home.

DRIVER

Paget

An update on YTB

April 2, 2009

Dear Sir,

Do you remember the scandal surrounding the YTB travel network MLM programme ... The one that Wayne Furbert fervently pursued and tried to convince everyone that he was recruiting into ... that it was a legitimate business? Here are some very recent updates for your perusal! The California AG is suing them for $25 million! The following links reveal more! Also ... the Better Business Bureau of St. Louis-Southern Illinois, where "yourtravelbiz.com" is based, tells Fox News "YTB" is also being sued by the State of Illinois in a suit that's seeking class action status. In addition, the BBB tells Fox it has received complaints from 31 states and countries, resulting in a "F" rating on their website.

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/Travel_Pyramid_Scheme_20090325

http://www.mlmwatchdog.com/pyramid_asta_mlm_travel_business.html

Please pass this important information on to your readers ... before they get taken for a $$$ ride!

BRUCE MCCLARRON

Arizona

Lead by example

April 2, 2009

Dear Sir,

Will Government Ministers and the Senate, including the Opposition, lead by example and be held accountable, both personally and in their public roles, when it comes to the important issue of energy conservation and efficiency? It's time for them to demonstrate leadership through:

¦ Reduction and 'greening' of Government's entire fleet of vehicles;

¦ Mandatory carpooling and/or use of public transportation for all Government employees, including those at the top;

¦ Creative approaches to traffic reduction (there are excellent approaches all over the world that could be adapted here);

¦ Legislation to limit the size of cars in Bermuda, and to mandate that all new cars brought in are 'green' hybrids or electric vehicles, as they become available in the global marketplace;

¦ Legislation to mandate that all new motorbikes brought in are 'green', preferably electric bikes which are quiet as well as energy efficient;

¦ Installation of small-scale renewables at all Government properties, including solar water heaters;

¦ Stringent and enforced energy efficiency rules for all Government properties (including Government housing);

¦ Strict enforcement of all planning rules for all construction on the Island;

¦ Tariff relief for Energy Star appliances;

¦ Installation of Energy Star appliances at all Government properties;

¦ Replacement of all incandescent bulbs in all Government properties with CFLs;

¦ Phased elimination of incandescent bulbs in Bermuda;

¦ Limits on air travel for business by all Government employees, including those at the top, to reduce Bermuda's 'official' carbon footprint;

¦ Ministers reporting on energy efficiency progress in their own households and personal businesses.

Government Ministers are in a position to change behaviour for the good. Just as they encourage us to be energy conscious, let's encourage them to demonstrate true leadership, as the Obamas are doing at the White House by making it energy efficient and planting an edible garden. Please, lead by example.

LONGING FOR LEADERSHIP

Pembroke

Who takes the blame?

This letter was sent to the Bermuda Hospitals Board and copied to The Royal Gazette.

March 31, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

Having been scheduled for an operation on Thursday the 26th of March, 2009 I attended a preop clinic on the Monday before. On my way home I received a call to the effect that I would have to attend a preop clinic the next day. I informed the lady that I had just left there. If that is not a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing I don't know what is. I arrived at the hospital for my procedure at 7 a.m. on the 26th. The nursing staff in the pre-admission area were both pleasant and professional. I was taken into the operating room at approximately 8.45 a.m. and once again the nursing staff were both pleasant and professional.

After the operation I was taken to the recovery room and not having had general anaesthetic I was fully aware of what was taking place. Here is where things started to go downhill. I and others were kept in the recovery room until 11 p.m. at night. Once again the recovery room nursing staff were both caring and professional. The last two nurses left on duty had seven patients to take care of and were working way past the end of their shift and were very tired.

On talking to them they told me that they had to return to work early the following morning. If people are tired they can make mistakes and the recovery room is not the place to make mistakes. The question I would like answered is if it was known in advance that all of us were coming in for operations on that particular day, why were the rooms not arranged in advance instead of waiting until we were all in recovery to juggle people around to find space for us which they did with constant phone calls from the recovery room supervisor.

I was talking to several of the nurses on my ward, and they were saying that they are expected to leave the ward and go to recovery to bring patients up to the ward. What happens if one of their patients already on the ward needs them urgently and something goes terribly wrong. Who do you think is going to take the blame? Once again the nursing staff on Cooper ward were both caring and professional.

My insurance covers me for semi private and I was put in a public ward. One would wonder what the insurance company would be charged. I was also not given a menu so I had to eat what I was given even if I did not like it. As you read this letter with a very few exceptions the nursing staff do a really excellent job. The problems with King Edward VII Hospital lie solely with the administration.

F. EVERETT E. GIBSON

Southampton

The power we truly have

Dear Sir,

Internationally there were two government takeovers reported in the media so far in March 2009. One was the dissolution of the Turks and Caicos government by the British Parliament and the instillation of the British Governor for Turks and Caicos to have power over the ministries and other state departments. The other takeover was that in Madagascar, where the President was deposed in a military coup and the coup leader stated he will be working towards a cooperative government in two years time. Obviously these two situations are totally different and have very complex starting and ending points not to mention the points in between. However, a key factor that is occurring in the two scenarios is the implications of power.

For indeed that is what dependency, as in British Dependent Territory, is all about — the power of one thing over another. A baby is dependent on its mother because the mother has the power to obtain food for it and the baby doesn't. A plant is dependent on the sun because the plant needs the sun's energy to provide it with the food it needs to survive. In Madagascar, the coup leader was able to depose the president because he had the power with the backing of the army, and some say the people, to do so. In Turks and Caicos, the British Government had the power to remove the Premier and dissolve the elected government because they had the constitutional power to do so. This is what being a British Dependent Territory is founded on — the relationship of power over powerless and the guise of pseudo-power through constitutional self-governance.

Even though the Turks and Caicos people had a national election in 2007 from which the local people elected their representatives, the British parliament has the power to cancel that in one sweeping blow. Many critics of this move by the British ask why was this method was the one chosen — surely, if the people of Turks and Caicos were truly dismayed at their government the Members of Parliament who represent the people would and could call for a vote of no confidence in the Premier. Where was the opposition and their role in the running of the country and the checks and balances on power?

There could also have been a proactive stance taken by the previous Governor, who started the commission of inquiry, much earlier on in the run up to the breakdown of trust in the Premier by the British to push for greater levels of accountability, transparency and effective governance. While the particulars of the actual state of the Turks and Caicos government in regards to corruption and effective governance can be debated once the official British Commission inquiry by Commissioner Sir Robin Auld is released, what is clear is that British colonialism still exist in the 21st century, although by a different name.

The implications for Bermuda and indeed the rest of the 13 British Dependent Territories is huge. Bermuda's independence as a nation is an issue much larger than Bermuda itself. It is an issue that actually is about decolonisation, not only for Bermuda but for many other locales around the world. Although colonialism has been practised by one power over another since antiquity, it is the episodes of colonisation that have taken place post-13th century by the European powers that continues to shape our geopolitics today. Along with Bermuda's continued colonial status and the associated on-island debate, a plethora of international concerns as varied and vast such as the past British-Irish conflicts, South African Apartheid, Russian-Ukraine gas disputes, Israel-Hamas dispute, ongoing conflicts in East Central Africa, aboriginal land rights disputes in Australasia, now Turks and Caicos and many more conflict issues around the world all have their roots in the seeds sowed by that era of colonialism.

Indeed, the colonialism perpetuated by the British Crown of which Bermuda is a part of, is one of particular viciousness. It is masked behind a well constructed and very complex façade of democratisation and freedom. When viewed in its legal context, the Crown itself is a corporation sole that represents the legal embodiment of the Executive Government. In English Law, a corporation sole is a legal entity consisting of a single ('sole') incorporated office, occupied by a single ('sole') man or woman. This allows a corporation to pass vertically in time from one office holder to the next successor-in-office, giving the position legal continuity with each subsequent office holder having identical powers to his predecessor. This single entity is embodied by the British Monarchy. In fact, the British monarch is not one but several corporations sole, one each for each of the Commonwealth countries the British Crown holds. Likewise, where these countries are federated, meaning they contain different states, these different states are held under the British Crown as well. Each one of these locations has a Governor or Governor-general who represents the British Crown. In this way, immense swathes of land are held globally under these structures, some which are recognised by the moniker overseas dependent territory, some having achieved political independence such as Australia, Canada and Jamaica and some owned outright as crown dependencies such as Jersey and Guernsey.

Lets be clear, colonialism is an extension of imperialism and its intention is clear, that is, the subjugation of a people under the soverignity of another national power. As stated in the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples — resolution 1514 (XV), "colonialism is the subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation, constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, is contrary to the United Nations Charter, and is an impediment to the promotion of world peace and cooperation, and that steps should be taken to transfer, unconditionally, all powers to the Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories so that they might enjoy complete freedom and independence".

Malcolm X, who later would take on the name El Hajj Malik Shabazz, would speak on colonialism many times. In his famous "Chickens come home to roost" speech in 1963, he drew a comparison between colonialism, trans-Atlantic slavery and the biblical event of enslavement of the Hebrews by the Egyptian Pharoah. He reminded us that the sociopolitical thought processes that have brought us modern day colonialism where the same roots that brought us these two slavery events. Although the individuals in governments who perpetuated this period of history have changed, the governmental systems that hold this system in place has not.

In reality, it has become deepened through not only systematic nuances but also through the history numbing affects of neo-colonialism. As the recent poll conducted by Research.bm outlines, there is much division in opinion on the issue of Bermuda's independence. There are splits along lines of political affiliation, race and economic standing. For me, what this demonstrates is that Bermudians in general do not know the abilities of their self to self-govern and to succeed. It suggests a chronic myopia, one that demonstrates that many Bermudians, whether white or black, rich or poor, do not understand the sensitivities of international cooperation and that there is much fear over losing things that are in reality will not be lost. For those that do know, yet still perpetuate a climate of negativity and fear on Bermuda's ability to operate as a fully independent nation, suggests that have their own selfish interests to protect, whether those interest be an affinity to the coloniser or a fear of the levelling of the playing field.

Any one that weighs the cost and benefits of our attachment to the UK will see that there is no direct benefit incurred on Bermuda as a result of this relationship that cannot occur if this was to be altered to one of an independent Bermuda. The main issue of benefit most quoted, are economic stability and the issue of free travel to the UK and Europe. For most Bermudians, even without the special arrangements we currently enjoy of being able to apply for a British Passport, visiting and working in the UK is readily accessible. As to our economic stability, this fear of loss is the most revealing issue into the Bermuda psyche. It shows the depth at which we attribute our success to the work of others where in reality it is the 'other' who has been successful due to our work. Turks and Caicos, like Bermuda, is home to thousands of international businesses.

When we question our ability to be independent, we question our ability to govern ourselves, to feed ourselves and to shape our own national destiny. We equate ourselves to a child who fears living the home once achieving adulthood or a full grown bird who is too scared to leave the nest even after taking their first successful flights. We have become like those slaves who after emancipation felt that they were better off in servitude to their former masters as they had no confidence in their ability to take care of their own selves. The recent developments in Turks and Caicos show us exactly how much true power we actually have over our own affairs and who at this constitutional juncture, can control our destiny without even so much as a visit to our beautiful island shores.

[AT]bodynoindent:DAVID CHAPMAN

London