Violent crime is a scourge threatening the fabric of our society. We should be frightened into action by headlines telling us that over one thousand of our fellow citizens have been murdered to date.

We should be marching in the streets and demanding that our government wake up to this crisis stalking our very lives. Unfortunately, our society no longer appears to be shocked by the mayhem and murder. While the poor in the squalid garrisons cry for help and rescue from the murderers and armed marauders, the rest of us pretend that we are safe.

Where is the outrage when our police are ambushed and slaughtered? Why do we sheepishly accept the raping of our women and children? If we do not find a way to immediately strike fear into the hearts of these dogs of terror in the short term, we will all be facing a very bleak future.

- R Oscar Lofters,

Lofters1@aol.com,

Kingston 8,

Via Go-Jamaica

Since Hurricane Dean (August 19, 2007) I have been without telephone service on my land line and as a result I am not able to access the Cable & Wireless Internet service or make personal calls at home. I have been making repeated calls to the Call Centre only to be told on the numerous occasions that the cables have been burnt and that the technicians were working on the problem.

This same line has been repeated to me on each occasion for every week that I called since the service loss was reported. My calls are an average of three times per week. The new CEO, on his arrival in Jamaica, stated that customer service would be his number one priority, but I am yet to see that happening, as today is November 21, 2007 and I am still having a customer service nightmare.