The Editor, Sir:Jamaica is truly in a state of disrepair and no change of government is going to rid the island of the problem of violence and crime. Jamaica is the only country I can think of that has had a sustained casualty rate of over 1,000 per annum while under civilian rule! No civil war exists but reading your crime stats would easily lead one to believe so.
collusion and cooperation
For such anarchy to exist, there has to be collusion and cooperation between gunmen, civilians and the corrupt authorities as was so plainly stated by a recent damning indictment by Dr Herbert Thompson. The Jamaican middle and upper class are too busy attending cocktail parties and travelling to and from the USA and UK when they want to escape. They have neglected to provide real moral leadership to the country and have led the way in material acquisition for the masses to believe that this is the only way.
I shudder to think what will happen in the next three years to the decent folk left in the country at the hands of merciless gunmen, corrupt police, immoral leaders and a backward middle class!
I am, etc.,
B0B KOWALSKI
kowalskibob25@yahoo.com
New York
Obama as hero
The Editor, Sir:
Barack Obama gives black children a belief in themselves that this generation has never seen. Especially in America, so many of our children are motivated by Obama's run for presidency. They are motivated because they see Obama as a true hero, the person like them with whom they can identify. I believe that more than any black leader in history, Obama instills in our children a sense of self that was missing. For so long, our children have been exposed to everything destructive to their self-esteem. In America, children associate with demeaning rap music, corrupt television and negative role models.
Obama breaks the mould and give black children the motivation, that if Obama can be president, then I can be president. Obama is creating a legacy that gives this generation hope and a legacy that will last for black children for generations to come. Now they know that they can be the president of the United States or achieve the destiny that all of them desire.
I am, etc.,
NYRON BLAKE
nyronblake@yahoo.com
Via Go-Jamaica
Reviving the railway
The Editor, Sir:
I was pleased to read in an earlier edition of The Gleaner that the minister of transport and works, Mike Henr,y met with the Chinese officials in a further attempt to resuscitate and revitalise the railway. I for one am very elated and optimistic about this latest attempt. Although in its present state the railway needs massive input to bring it up to date, the good news is most of its rolling stock is still intact.
cheap, convenient, clean
I believe the railway should be an integral part of any country's transportation network system or infrastructure - because it is perhaps the cheapest, convenient and probably the cleanest way to travel in the world. The building of Highway 2000 shouldn't compromise the revitalisation of the railway, it should complement it - by taking a lot of pressure off the roadway, especially in transportation of heavy loads.
Properly run and managed, the railway could encourage people to use mass transit and could be a sightseeing asset for tourism as well as the locals, also for concerts and sporting events.
One of the improvements I would like to see happen is for a line to be run from the wharf to Kingston yard just like a line used to run from Kingston yard into the rear of the Coronation Market. This would be convenient to transport cars and probably containers in a very economical way. In the time of the railway, in addition to transporting bauxite, it efficiently transported the bulk of the country's agricultural products. And because of its various departments, employed hundreds of people throughout the country. Bringing back the railway won't be exactly cheap, but with energy prices escalating with no end in sight and the global warning from auto emissions - it could be a blessing.
I am, etc.,
NOEL MITCHELL
Nlmworld@yahoo.com
Westchester, New York
A police mission statement
The Editor, Sir:
Successful businesses usually have mission statements. Something easy to remember and representative of the objectives and aspirations of the organisation. Jamaica's police need such a missive right now. We have been gentle in dealing with crime because of fear, and the reasoning that "man have to live".
However, the current situation suggests that no one will be left except the ones with the biggest guns and who are not afraid to use them if we do not establish a society of law and order. I suggest that the police commissioner recognise the problem he faces in curbing the wanton murders, and adopt as the police mission to:
'Identify, isolate and cauterise' all crime.
In medicine, when faced with aggressive diseases that can infect healthy tissue, it is necessary to remove the cancer or diseased part. There is still a lot of healthy tissue in Jamaica, but it will eventually be all infected or destroyed by the virus if we cannot remove the criminals.
employment opportunities
Street signs, proper roads and urban planning are essential parts of the crime fight, and provide employment opportunities. The commissioner should identify and delineate a place in which to start this initiative in collaboration with both political and business leaders. So, East Queen Street may be the obvious start at the Police Central Kingston location.
I am, etc.,
HUGH M. DUNBAR
hmdenergy@optonline.net
West New York, NJ
Via Go-Jamaica
Fathers, the glory of their children
The Editor, Sir:
Fathers are the glory of their children and children's children are the crown of old men.
My four children honoured their father and grandfather on Father's Day. They spoke to the fact that they were not perfect (as no earthly father is), but they were truly the best father and grandfather any children could have.
I know everyone does not have fathers like them as there are terrible fathers, violent fathers and absent fathers. But I know that there is a heavenly Father who promises to shelter those who do not have an earthly father to guide and protect them. He promises to care for them even if their mother and father forsake them. He promises that He will be a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows.
Without the mooring of our historical fathers and the guidance of our present fathers, we are floundering in a morass of self-centered materialism without a vision for our own future and that of our children. And what do we do?
standards
There is a heavenly father who does not change, nor is He subject to the changing whims of culture. Only in Him can we find stability. His standards endure, giving us a foundation upon which we can build family, culture, government and nations. Without His standards, we are adrift with every man deciding right and wrong in his own eyes.
See what we have today?
May God raise up hundreds of thousands of men to be truly great fathers at a time when families, churches and nations need them most.
I am, etc.,
MILLICENT BATTICK
Sbat65@gmail.com
13 Sunnyfield Drive
Kingston 19
