Is invective now the norm?

June 21, 2010

Dear Sir,

I was a happy guest in Bermuda for over 12 years, and I am married to a Bermudian. I absolutely loved my years in Bermuda, and counted many of you as friends, regardless of your race, and left only because my husband's circumstances dictated it. How sad that the Bermuda I knew only 20 years ago is apparently lost forever.

I read every day with increasing horror, the spiteful and hate-mongering invectives thrown around by the ruling party. I am at a complete loss to understand how and when this became the "norm" in Bermudian political expectations? The fact that no one seems to seriously make an effort to put a stop to this behaviour is even more horrifying. I read the online stories about the Uighur fiasco, the scandalous spending on trips, the arrogance with which the PLP responds (or does not) to questions legitimately posed in the House by the opposition, and the unanswered questions about where all the money has gone, shaking my head over each new outrage.

But today's story about Mr. Burgess's response to Mr. Moniz strikes me as a complete loss of any kind of sense, responsibility or societal awareness. The thought that a government minister would publicly voice such a comment shows exactly how little the current government respects the people of Bermuda. It is bad enough that Mr. Burgess obviously hold such resentment against the non-black population, but the fact that he feels perfectly comfortable expressing this resentment in such a public forum is disappointing. And he does so, knowing that his own party will not only not censure him, but will probably congratulate him for the insult he has offered to the entire population. I am so sad that I can no longer recommend Bermuda as a travel destination to my many travelling friends and family.

Why would I send them to a place where there is no longer any respect offered, nor human kindness in evidence? The nice stories and letters from individual tourists praising individual Bermudians are lovely to read, but I fear, do not any longer reflect the attitudes of the majority of the population. For if the general population were really as disgusted by these behaviours as I am, they would surely do something about it.

BETH HALL

Silver Spring, Maryland

Less gang commentary

June 10, 2010

Dear Sir,

Myself and seven fellow vacationers spent the last eight days in Bermuda. We had a wonderful week except for our return taxi ride to the airport.

The driver of one of the two taxis immediately started talking about the recent gang violence on the Island, pointing out areas where various incidents occurred, etc. When one of our group tried to change the subject he immediately returned to the subject of taxi drivers being accosted by gang members and pointing out ways to spot members by what they are wearing.

Way too much information.

While it is helpful to be cautioned, this driver would make a tourist think twice about returning to Bermuda! Doesn't he realise tourism is his life and he is doing his country a disservice by constantly bringing this subject up? Of all people, a taxi driver should know better!

CHARLIE SLATTERY

Massachusetts

World Cup TV blues

June 14, 2010

Dear Sir,

Can't the Government pass a law to stop Bermuda Broadcasting Company ruining the World Cup every time it's on? Those of us who have to work during the day want to get home at night and watch a game, or at least extended highlights of the day's games, only to find there is nothing scheduled! Having blocked the real TV channels from showing anything (and I pay Cablevision for five sports channels); the least ZFB could do would be to actually have a couple of hours of coverage every night. Wouldn't their advertisers like to see their money better spent?

FOOTBALL FAN

Make yourself heard

June 12, 2010

Dear Sir,

As Bermudians begin to prepare for the World Cup and the start of their summer holiday, it's important to remember that not everyone enjoys the same kinds of freedoms we often take for granted.

A year ago, the world witnessed the horror of Basij militias shooting at protesters or ramming through crowds on their motorbikes. The killing of Neda Agha-Soltan in Tehran shot in broad daylight-encapsulated the brutal aftermath of the Iranian presidential election, which millions of voters believed was fraudulent and stolen. They came out into the streets in droves, demanding: "Where is my vote?"

But once the protests were violently quelled and news outlets shifted focus, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) began to systematically deny Iranians their basic human rights. Over 500 people were detained, and many were denied legal counsel or even access to their families. Human Rights Watch reports that the regime made use of extra-judicial killings, rape, torture, and arbitrary detention in its campaign against dissenters.

For Iranians, the fallout from the disputed election is no longer about reclaiming their votes, but about reclaiming their rights. Around 470 prisoners of conscience are still held in prisons across Iran on the basis of their political and religious beliefs. Others are afraid to speak out because of the dire consequences. In May, for instance, the IRI executed five for the crime of "enmity against God". It tortured them, denied them a fair trial, and even flouted Iranian law by executing the prisoners without notifying their lawyers and families in advance.

Regardless of your views on Iran, there is something fundamentally wrong when a government arbitrarily detains, tortures, and executes any person. Martin Luther King Jr., once wrote from a Birmingham jail that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere ... Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." And so, we must stand up to the IRI and condemn its crimes, for they are crimes against us all.

Organisers around the world have joined forces with NGOs and activists for a week of events exploring the human rights situation in Iran. To build up momentum, mobile billboards highlighting the plight of prisoners of conscience will roam the streets of London, Los Angeles, Istanbul, Austin, Amsterdam, Sao Paulo, and Johannesburg. Bus ads will also be seen in Johannesburg for the duration of the World Cup. In addition, South Africa's The Sunday Star printed a half-page advertisement on June 12 to mark the one-year anniversary.

You can find out about the events taking place around the world by visiting the coalition's official website at http://12june.org. You may also make yourself heard by writing to IRI embassies and consulates and to the Bermuda and UK governments. You can even send postcards to the prisoners of conscience to communicate your solidarity.

We may not think we can do much as Bermudians, but if you log on to the website and are moved to act by what you see, then please share some of the stories with your family and friends or post links online. You can join the swelling numbers across the world and witness just how much your voice can truly matter. Make yourself heard because they can't.

RICHARD AMBROSIO

On behalf of Unite For Iran

London

Trumpets are annoying

June 1, 2010

Dear Sir,

The idiot who decided to hand out trumpets to the fans at the World Cup should be locked in a cell with 50 trumpeters blowing his ears drums out.

After watching the opening game with the sound turned down and fifteen minutes of the second game with that incessant trumpet blowing which sounds like a swarm of bees around the commentators microphone I might just read the reports of the games in the paper. What a disappointment.

ERNEST MCCREIGHT

Southampton

Don't dump trash

June 12, 2010

Dear Sir,

Last night, June 11, some disgusting individual dumped a pile of trash including two mattresses, a lawnmower and God knows what else at the foot of my drive on Trimingham Hill. This letter is to warn this individual that I am setting up a night watch. This filthy behaviour is what is ruining our island home for ourselves and the tourists. People caught doing this sort of thing should be subject to a jail term.

E. RABEN

Paget