May 7, 2009

Dear Sir,

Permit me to make two comments on the article written by A. Dale Recorded Friday, April 24, 2009 entitled "Country is dying". Sir John Swan and MP Wayne Perinchief were trying to raise support for a casino on the island. Sir John making a comment..."Hamilton is dying", while Mr. Perinchief said... "It is not a moral issue... This country is dying.

Firstly a country's state simply reflects the prevalent state — whether this is the sum mental, physical, emotional, spiritual reflections of the people making up the country. To imply or perceive that our country is dying is to imply that we are dying. Does not death simply mean the lack of conscious thought? Is this statement trying to provoke us into greater or deeper thought expression? Are we failing to consciously go within ourselves to find out what it is we as a group need to benefit from then simply and rationally just express our true feelings? Or are we being manipulated (again) to not think and just stand around in that hazy Botox — induced numbing paralysis of tongue, brain and body? I exaggerate about the "haziness" just to make a point.

Secondly, to say that the need of a casino is not a moral issue is "loaded". Consider who benefits from a casino... on a superficial level only two parties — the owner/investors (they always win) and even more superficially the person who thinks he/she has won the jackpot. So this person is happy for how long? Until their friends, family, neighbours demand "a piece of the pie", until they realise that the price of concrete always increases and that nothing edible grows in concrete... need I go on? What are the results of winnings on others? Envy, Jealously, Lust, Selfishness — we all want to win, want more concrete in some form or mor trips or something. Eventually with gambling's highly addictiveness, we cannot pay our children's meals then excuses begin... our already unending stack of bills now never ends, we borrow money, lie, steal, cheat, what else... oh, we get depressed and then more depressed by this reality. So who benefits?

I think this is a huge moral issue. We all must think more. We are not dying.

EMPOWERMENT TO THE THINKING PEOPLE

Somerset