THE EDITOR: On the morning of July 8 2003, along the main road of Fyzabad, two vehicle drivers stopped to buy doubles. They were each given a parking ticket by two police officers who were rightfully executing their duties. This example displays the undue hardship of the Fyzabad business community and the distress of their customers. Between the period 1986-1991 “No Parking” signs were placed on both sides of the main road in Fyzabad. This was not in the best interest of the community of Fyzabad. This action reflects the thoughtlessness of the individuals involved and has a negative impact on commercial activities along the Fyzabad Main Road. While business places along the Fyzabad Main Road are of varying sizes and activities, some are in a position to offer parking facilities to its customers. Most don’t have parking facilities and therefore it is necessary for their customers to park their vehicles on the road. On behalf of the business community of Fyzabad, I am calling on the relevant authorities to remove the “No Parking” signs from both sides of the main road and revert to the system prior to 1986 with alternate parking on different days.

ROGER SUPERSAD
Fyzabad

There’s no discrimination in Christ Jesus
Whatever your disability the Lord can use you
According to world standards you’re among the lower classes
But in God’s eyes you’re seated in heavenly places in Christ

Unfit, unemployable, no room in the inn
Compelled to carry heavy crosses alone
Persecuted, despised, scorned, scourged by tongues
Abandoned outside the gate of the rich to beg for crumbs

In our Father’s house are many mansions
Room enough for all who place their faith in Christ
Freedom to follow the dictates of the Holy Spirit
To walk in love, joy and peace with those who believe

None are exempted, no class, colour or creed barriers
Come just as you are, no skills or abilities required
No restrictions, only one command, love one another
Each free to operate in his own comfort zone

Your mission, to spread love throughout the nation
Using your disabilities to locate compassionate hearts
Compel them to join the circle of love
To isolate and insulate hatred and violence

Fields are white, ready for harvest
Separate sheep from goats wheat from tares
Love is the key, whoever fed and clothed the needy will enter
Those without oil in their lamps will hear “I never knew you.”

MARY BAPTISTE
Barataria

THE EDITOR: With all this talk of Caribbean integration and given its successive failures over the last 40 years or more, one wonders whether the destiny of Trinidad and Tobago does not lie with South America. Trinidad geologically and geographically is part of the South American Continent. If England is part of Europe our case for continental integration is far stronger. Were it not for the spineless short-sighted and misguided blunders of successive governments, Trinidad and Tobago would not only have been bilingual perhaps multi-bilingual (like Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire and St Martin) but decades ago we would have been able to make use of the fantastic resources of the South American Continent in combination with ours. For example, so many of our students could have been able to make use of excellent universities in our backyard and even more of our sportsmen would have been able to benefit from the superb sport training and facilities just a hop away from our door step.

With independence, we continued to be under the control of the British masters and now we are serfs both of the UK and the USA. “Massa day” was never done. “Rum and coca cola” continues to be our anthem for we are still working for the “yankee dollar.” Being aligned with South America does not mean substituting the British and American massas for Latin American massas. No South American country has given up its sovereignty with the possible exception of Columbia. With Guyana it is a different matter, in that it went along with Caricom and in the end has become another mendicant Caricom State depending on handouts from the British and the Americans. So far no local politician has had the vision, foresight or testicular fortitude to consider a South American destiny for our country but coming generations may well damn us in our graves for our cowardice and criminal sins of omission. How little do we care about our children and grandchildren.

M HOTIN
St James

THE EDITOR: In these days of strife, wrath and greed reflect on this. Trinbago has a hog and grog mentality.
Spend big, win your ham and grog.
Success or failure, birth or death
We eating pig and swigging rum
Till thy kingdom come.

Easter, Harvest or Love Feast the crowds come out
to drink wine and guzzle swine.
Plain-boiled, stewed, roasted or corned,
Salted or pickled, fried or baked Rufus is a must
For Christmas.

Who put the ‘unclean beast’ in all our feasts?
Is it the greedy businessmen or is it Satan?
Who cares? Not the avaricious Man.
Not the vendor who sells souse and pudding on Fridays
Or the soup lover who craves snout or pigtail on Saturdays.

Like Zephaniah’s Turkey, Mr Poker has a mother
He also loves Christmas and Easter.
Brother, to prevent bursitis, stop feasting on the beast.
Sister, garland instead of garnishing him.
Lads and lasses do your ABCs: dance a jig with the pig.

As for the grog it keeps your mind in a fog.
It shrivels your liver and damage your kidney.
Grog makes one listless and full of misery.
Keep this “hog and grog” behaviour at bay.

A P LEITH
Bon Accord, Tobago

THE EDITOR: Over the last few months I have read many letters regarding the great condom debate. I have read some very good articles, as well as some that I cannot believe seemingly educated people would write. There has been this uproar of how condoms would encourage sex, a point that I quite frankly can’t agree with. Condoms are to be used in sexual intercourse to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as to be used as a form of birth control. Notice that both of these reasons are not foolproof, but both methods are a heck of a lot safer than using no form of protection at all. We are not talking about locking children in a room with $1,000 and prostitutes, but we are talking about making available a piece of apparatus for safety in the event that sexual intercourse is had.

For all those parents out there, I am sure you bring up your children to the best of your ability, teach them all that you can, to wait to have sex until they are married with the person they love. But parents, I can assure you that sex is very rampant among our younger generation, right or wrong, that is the reality. But tell me realistically, if your daughter was going to have sex would you rather that she didn’t use a condom, risking pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases? I would certainly like to think not. I could not imagine that anyone would wish such a thing, in the event that someone you cared about was going to have sex, you would want them to be as safe as possible, and after abstinence, condoms are your next safest bet. It is up to parents to teach their children about sex and the responsibility involved, and to inform them that whenever they are to have sex, to be safe, and once the issue of safety comes up, I find it hard to believe that the topic regarding the use of condoms won’t be encouraged.

KELLY ROBINSON
Port-of-Spain

THE EDITOR: Once again we, the residents of Chanka Trace and surrounding areas, wish to place on record our deep gratitude to Mr A Ramjattansingh for the professional and exemplary manner in which he has handled the CEPEP project to date. Given Mr Ramjattansingh’s excellent planning, coordinating and management skills coupled with the selfless service he has rendered to us, we feel sure that the project will continue to be successful and consequently our living conditions will certainly improve. In view of the foregoing, and moreover the prevailing sanitary conditions that now exists in our immediate environment, we look forward with great hope that the relevant authority will extend the project in an effort to preserve the clean and tidy condition so that the neighbourhood will not fall into a state of neglect as was existing prior to the intervention of CEPEP.

S  SINGH
on behalf of grateful residents
El Socorro

THE EDITOR: I’ve been shocked and disappointed over the last few days, to read of the NALIS ban from the National Library of students from certain schools around East Port-of-Spain — particularly given the fact that the blacklisted schools are the ones NALIS should be trying most concertedly to reach. Even if the ban is lifted over the holidays, it should not be reinstated once the term begins. I understand that NALIS is having a difficult time establishing ‘library etiquette’ and handling what has undoubtedly been an overwhelming response from the general public. When I went to join up, I was told there was a three week waiting list to receive my library card. But what did NALIS expect? We, the public, will understandably have contradictory responses to the library. Yes, it is a gorgeous facility — both in terms of its aesthetics and the material one has access to. But let’s be clear, it’s going to take a while for people to get used to it.

Except if you attended UWI (which, prior to the new library, was, in my view the best library in Trinidad) the public has never had access to this type of library facility before. Although schools have libraries, their book collections are often woefully inadequate, and as one student said, sometimes he can’t even get into his school’s library because the person who has the keys hasn’t come in for the day. When I first went to the library weeks after it opened, I couldn’t contain the pride and delight I felt — at last there was a national library facility for learning and sharing knowledge that was worthy of the people of this country.  I thought to myself that these were the kinds of institutions that carry us forward as a country. But please, don’t write off a section of the population for the indiscipline of a few. Find a way to work with these kids. The new library has the potential to open our worlds and reveal new opportunities. Don’t take it away so quickly. We deserve this facility, and we deserve the time to grow into it.

MRH BROWN
St ANN’S