Don’t hold your breath

May 21, 2009

Dear Sir,

I refer to Trevor Moniz’s statement ... Moniz calls for BIU to open up its books!!

Tell him not to waste his time or “hold his breath” for this to happen ... As the late Harry Viera tried the same tactic, 30 years ago, when Ottie Simmons was the Union head!

The BIU are not a transparent organisation ... Never were & never will be! They keep their cards (financials) very close to their chest! Moniz should already know that fact, as he has been on the political scene for quite a few years now in Bermuda!

BRUCE MCCLARRON

Arizona

Culture’s bad influence

May 25, 2009

Dear Sir,

Why are we surprised at the recent events? When we glorify gang culture in movies and music, it is going to become part of our society.

Back in the Pleistocene Period, when I was a child, there were dire warnings that Superman movies would make all children leap off roofs. It was believed that this would be the effect of a movie seen maybe once or twice a year. Most kids didn’t. Maybe one or two who got high off sniffing glue did, but the majority knew it was fantasy.

Now when it is pounded into our children’s heads from our car speakers, when almost every movie sends this message of almost the celebration of violence and that all problems can be resolved if you just go out and shoot someone dead, with as much blood and screaming as possible, when you can buy video “games” that let you actually do the shooting yourself, is it any surprise that it becomes acceptable?

Throw drugs into the mix, and you have a pot just about ready to boil over.

I don’t pretend to know how to stop this. I am not sure that there is any solution. However, as parents, it is the choices you make that your children will, for the most part, copy. So if you think smoking a spliff while driving your kids to school is OK, if you think watching violent movies with your children is OK, if you think dressing them up like little gang members is OK (bling, expensive sneakers, tattoos), don’t complain when they become what they have been taught.

My heart goes out to those parents who do try to bring up their kids in a responsible manner, but those kids still get sucked in by peer pressure to become something they may not even want to be.

ST. GEORGE’S

Cruise casino times

This letter was sent to Quinton Edness and was copied to The Royal Gazette

May 26, 2009

Dear Mr. Edness,

I am concerned you may have inadvertently misled the public with your statements to The Royal Gazette printed on May 22, 2009. You were discussing proposed legislation that would make gaming legal on cruise ships while they are berthed in Bermuda’s ports.

You are quoted as saying: “It (cruise ship gaming legislation) will mean persons who would ordinarily go into shops, go sightseeing and do other things, many of them are likely to stay onboard the ship.”

Actually, old friend, that is not true.

The proposed bill would allow gaming on cruise ships between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. only. Of course between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Bermuda’s retail outlets are closed and the sightseeing tours are long over so entrepreneurs in those areas would be completely unaffected. As for those Bermuda businesses still open after 10 p.m., they will be largely unaffected as well, because cruise ship analytical research consistently shows that 95 percent of all passengers are back on the ship by 10 p.m. at night. This bill simply means Bermuda will be more competitive with other cruise destinations. Increasingly we risk losing cruise ships to destinations like Europe where the cruise lines can generate higher amounts of revenue per journey.

You recently submitted a retraction letter to The Royal Gazette editor on another matter which proved your commitment to conveying accurate information to the public. So I hope you don’t mind this clarification letter which is also being copied to The Royal Gazette in the spirit of the example you have set.

This proposed bill is very important to Bermuda’s cruise travel industry and I think the level of national importance will be fully realised over the next few weeks. The dissemination of accurate information will be crucial for an honest public debate.

DR. EWART BROWN

Premier and Minister of Tourism &

Transport

Editor’s Note: The following response has been received from Mr. Edness: “The Premier is correct that the shipboard casinos will only be open between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and that this will not affect most shops and so on and I thank him for pointing this out. I would ask the Premier to give Parliament assurances that these hours will never be altered.”

Gambling is moral issue

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 more 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

Right choice on bond

May 22, 2009

Dear Sir,

Much has been said recently concerning Government’s decision not to pursue the performance bond placed by Union Asset Holdings. The focus seems to be on the Premier and his decision regarding this matter. Let me say I’m not a fan or supporter of this Premier, however, I do believe he has made the correct decision in this matter.

First of all, if the matter were to be pursued in the courts there is no guarantee that the people would recoup the entire $6.8 million. It is my personal opinion, based on media reports at the time, that a legal challenge would probably end up in favour of the Union. I come to this conclusion for the following reasons:

1) The Union were not given their legal right as the Bond Holder to step in and attempt to provide a means to rectify the situation onsite.

2) The Ministry waited until the project was beyond repair before stepping in and removing Pro-Active from the site.

3) It’s possible that there could be further legal arguments as Pro-Active’s initial legal representative was soon after employed by the Government as a legal consultant.

There is no secret that the world economy is currently in a poor situation. Can we as a country afford to have bus service stoppages, dock stoppage and other industrial strife as we enter what is already going to be a poor tourist season? This would be a possible outcome if the Government chose to pursue action against Union Asset Holdings.

Yes, this is another financial mess we find ourselves in but this mess was created prior to Dr. Brown becoming Premier. The people who have been silent on this matter such as the former Works and Engineering Minister and the former BIU president are the ones who placed us in this position.

There are a number of lessons that can be learned from this and I hope at least two are acted on.

1) One would hope that the members of the BIU would seek to change the way in which the BIU management can allocate Union assets. I would hope BIU members pursue some changes to the BIU’s bylaws or internal constitution that would make it necessary for a membership vote before BIU management can place at risk funds and assets of the BIU.

2) Government should change/review its bondholder policy to ensure that any bondholder is fully vetted to ensure it can meet its obligations should any bond be called.

JAMES JACKSON

Devonshire

Thanks, Mr. Dennis

May 14, 2009

Dear Sir,

I have no doubt that Mr. Larry Dennis is looking forward with great anticipation to his retirement as Auditor General to the Government of Bermuda.

I can think of no one on the Island of Bermuda who has had a more difficult, stressful and thankless job than Mr. Larry Dennis. In the words of Mr. Dennis, in presenting his feelings and objectives on his job description I quote, “Auditor General, to add credibility to Government’s financial reporting and to promote improvement in the financial administration of ALL Government departments and controlled entities for which Government is accountable to Parliament.”

I would say that Mr. Dennis has, over the years and under the most difficult of circumstances, attempted to satisfy to his utmost, his job description. It is obvious, based on news reports, that Larry Dennis has attempted without fear or intimidation to fulfill his contract with Bermuda and the Bermuda people.

Unfortunately, Mr. Dennis with all his efforts in ethics and transparency has in appearance had to fight a very lonely battle. I have no doubt that Mr. Dennis has passed on to departments within Government his expertise and by this created a more professional department.

His efforts with the Big Dogs who feel untouchable within their fiefdoms has proven to be frustrating. It seems obvious to me as an outsider that most of the time the underlying problem for Larry Dennis has been cronyism and an issue that seems foreign to the Bermuda Government called “conflicts of Interest”.

I digress, this letter is to thank Mr. Larry Dennis for his tireless effort(s) on behalf of the Government and the citizens of Bermuda to bring honesty, credibility and, as much as possible under the circumstances, transparency to the Government of Bermuda.

Thank you Larry Dennis for all your efforts. May you Sir and your wife enjoy your retirement. God bless you both.

MICHAEL E. PITTS