Dear Editor,
One of your readers, who constantly looks forward to my letters to you, told me that I often repeat certain things in my letters. I had a few questions for him in return. Do you pray, go to church, go to funerals? Do you have children, do to take pride in raising them correctly? Do they go to school?
I believe that all of these are cases in which we repeat ourselves constantly and it is a good thing. I believe in copying good things so I repeat them periodically. The young person who did not read letters to the editor three years ago, because that was not his/her thing, today is three years older and sees life still different because, besides the governments of Sint Maarten much governing on Sint Maarten has not changed; three years later this person will see things different and what did not resonate three years ago may well be meaningful today, and may start reading the letters to the editor, which by now we know represent the opinions of the people.
This is also the case with political elections. I cannot use Sint Maarten as an example, because what has been happening on Sint Maarten is not normal. Under normal circumstances, the young person who was 15 years old in 2014 would not be considered to vote, but three years down the road is another story and that person's interest may be fully into the letters to the editor to help him form an opinion of what is really going on in his/her country.
So, what will be repeating to one is news and enlightening to the other. Besides that, this is the modus operandi of the majority of politicians. I believe in “know better do better” and as long as I am able to do better I will do so. I do not wear my heart on my sleeve.
The other part of that conversation was about the flag on the Cape Bay hill. The gentleman asked me what I thought about hoisting the flag like the one on the crane in Cay Hill. There is a flag ordinance which explains about hoisting the flag – when, how, where and under which circumstances. What I have always known is that if the flag is hoisted at night it should be lighted. I do not know if there is anything special concerning the construction or form of the flag pole. But, like I mentioned once before what was the urgency in hoisting a flag there. I know it took money. I do not know who was directly involved in the money transaction, but I know someone should be held responsible for wasting our money and suffer the consequences. Nobody should foul up erecting a flag pole. Is this a case of how high or how low can we go? Sometimes I wonder if what President Harry Truman said is true.
Russell A. Simmons
