Sins of the father

May 28, 2008

Dear Sir,

Mr. Geoff Parker is appealing to Great Britain just as we, as blacks, once did under the leadership of Dr. E.F Gordon. She did little then and I would be surprised if she did anything more now, even if Mr. Parker does believe that our Government leaders "have ensconced themselves in an almost untouchable situation to do as they wish, to spend as much as they wish, ignoring all the basic principles of democracy and laws of natural justice"

That is not new. All of my life the Governments of Bermuda have behaved in a similar fashion. In any event Great Britain is likely to attach more importance to the evaluation by the American Consul, Mr. Gregory Slayton, of the Premier and his Government.

Mr. Parker claims to have trouble bringing in black members. Surprise, surprise! What does he expect? We are not all stupid. The surprise is that he has any black members at all, when he compares the black power salute with swastikas and cross burning.

Since he seems not to know, let me tell him that the swastika was the symbol of a racist Government that slaughtered almost 12(?) million people. The black power salute is a symbol of encouragement to those black people who have the courage to resist that same racism that enslaved millions of Africans for centuries, treating them like mere merchandise, with many more millions dying as a result of the brutal conditions of the Atlantic crossing. How many people have been killed by the black power salute?

He claims to be concerned about the Ashay Programme which he feels is developing a negative image of the white population among young children. However, 30 years ago, long before the Ashay Programme, Mr. Arnott Jackson, a "conservative integrationist" Negro wrote the following: "The peculiar breed of whites in Bermuda inflicted heavy damage and special pain on the black person and then took him to task if he cried out in pain. Looking into the cesspool of bigotry, ignorance and injustice" he discovered, "how difficult it is for a black person to study his history without building up a head of angry steam or in the retelling of the story to avoid feeling a bed of retaliatory resentment".

White people created their own negative image without any help from any history lesson. We, as blacks were, indeed "evolving quietly" as we had been doing for more than a century of white domination and racial exclusion.

Mr. Parker's indifference to the pain, anger, and frustration inflicted on black Bermudians in a distorted "process of evolution" is even more unfortunate than his perceived indifference of Dr. Brown towards the discomfort of whites. I have a general idea of how many blacks have been denied opportunities as a result of the indifference of whites towards their enslavement and exclusion. How many whites have been denied opportunities as a result of the Premier's indifference to their discomfort ?

The former Premier Alex Scott is indeed an honourable man. It is just that he did not have the courage to support those of us who believed that the evil of racism had to be directly addressed before any healing could take place. It is as a result of his lack of courage that black Bermudians had to turn to an "Americanised" approach to the issue.

It was not necessary because more than 50 years ago a white lawyer, Mr. Donald Smith, looked at the evil around him and warned the white community in these words: "Ultimately, the coloured people are going to take control of Bermuda on a racial basis because in our (white) foolishness we have failed to devise a proper democratic system."

He referred to the House of Assembly as the House of frustration and discrimination. It took more than 50 years for blacks to fully realise that whites would never devise a truly democratic system and that whites were totally ignoring the non-assertive, non-aggressive, intimidated black "Bermudianised" leadership. So they turned to an "Americanised" approach. Now whites are listening, including Mr. Parker. They had to directly lance the evil boil of racism so that healing might begin.

Silence and forgetting the past was not going to do it. Whites who continue to fail to take responsibility for the sins of their fathers not only fly in the face of reality but in the face of God who has said, "I, the Lord thy God am a Jealous God and visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation…" Exodus XX:6

DR. EVA N. HODGSON

Hamilton Parish

Debate shutdown

May 27, 2008

Dear Sir,

When the Premier of Bermuda decides to "shut down the debate" in Parliament whenever questions about corruption in Government are raised, you can't help wondering:

(a) What, as the servant of the People who elected him, gives the Premier the right, indiscriminately and unilaterally, to censor matters of public interest that are incumbent upon both sides of the House to debate for and in the general interest of the public at large? and

(b) What other matters will the Premier unilaterally and autocratically decide to ban for debate in the House that do not serve his or his Government's, as opposed to the People's, interests?

Politicians, like everyone else, have recourse to libel laws that protect them from defamations such as might arise from unsubstantiated accusations about corrupt, criminal or simply untrue or mischievous activities.

Censorship of such accusations is not a protection against them; it is an irresponsible and reprehensible betrayal of the democratic principles that protect the rights and freedoms of the People to know and be informed about the public behaviour of public servants who constitute the government of the land.

GRAHAM FAIELLA

London, UK

Visitor approves

May 27, 2008

Dear Sir,

To the people of Bermuda: Please accept our thanks and gratitude for making our ten-day holiday so memorable.

Travelling by bus and ferry, walking through towns and villages, eating in cafes, bars and restaurants, we were met with helpful and friendly people willing to answer our questions and to offer further help and suggestions for our benefit.

We must also sing the praises of the schoolchildren who unhesitatingly offered their seats to more elderly travellers (both local residents and visitors).

BRIAN C. WAITE

Preston, Lancashire, UK

Cycling tourists enjoyed

May 23, 2008

Dear Sir,

We recently had the pleasure of bicycling about your wonderful Island. We pedalled our tandem push bikes from our "home base" in Hamilton to both ends of the Island. We rode along the rail-trail, main roads as well as city streets. We were appreciative of the courtesy and wide berth given to us by all Bermudian drivers.

Despite roads that were narrower, with more turns, and riding on the left, we never felt unsafe. In fact, we felt safer than we might have on cycles with their higher speeds!

Bermuda is a perfect country for push bikes. The countryside is beautiful. The distances are short and rest opportunities abound. Any destination can be reached by pedal bike, as opposed to cycles which cannot traverse the eastern rail trail. The country wide speed limit is a great comfort. It is quite one thing to be passed by a truck at 50 kph than one travelling an excess of 100 kph!

We would love to return one day with stronger "stokers". We hope to see more bicyclists on the road by that time!

ROBERT CHEN, SYLVIE LEMAY AND CHILDREN

Toronto, Ontario

Parade assessed

May 28, 2008

Dear Sir,

Just thought I would mention the best and not so great parts of the parade:

1. Best dressed group: Warwick United Majorettes

2. Most stylish dancing Bermuda Group: Dragon Girls (no matter the song they continued dancing). Their outfits looked all right as well

3. Moving Up: United Dance Production (liked how my friend Jennifer set up that group even, if she wasn't the only one who set it up).The Bamboo Stick Dance was cool to watch.

4. Best Overall Group: Howard University

5.Most Un-Original: Dancerettes (if they're the original group why're most of the dancers under 20 years old? The dancers looked like teenagers and younger). Dancing may have been OK though. Cool outfits (royal blue,pink/silver)

6. Most Impressive: Whitney Institute Pom Pom Cowgirls and their green Bull mascot (I've never seen a green bull before). The two male dancers were cool as well.

7. Shouldn't Have Been Last: Girl Gombeys (how do you stall if you're the last entry in the whole parade?)

8. Stepping Up:Split Personality (even though one dancer unfortunately hurt her foot and another dancer barely danced, the group was still all right at dancing)

9. Could've Done Without The Flags: Bermuda Cancer (Not sure what the correct name is). Although it was a large group and people were soca dancing, flags weren't necessary.

10. Although Gombeys are hot, I think the heat got to the other groups and they were too tired to dance.

11. We should all know what wasn't hot even though it was included in the parade.

Nevertheless the parade wasn't all that with long pauses and some groups not really putting on a show. Heat does drain people so I'll say, next year just be more prepared.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Pembroke

Stranded visitor thanks

May 17, 2008

Dear Sir,

We would just like to say "Thank you" through your newspaper, to the very kind lady, who gave us a lift to Hamilton from the Open House & Gardens, in Tuckers Town, on May 14. We are visitors to the island, staying with a friend in Somerset and managed to get ourselves stranded!

At the same time we would also like to thank Customs and Immigration for the welcome when we arrived at the airport from the UK.

SYLVIA DRAKEFORD

Somerset