Sept. 25, 2001 – More than 200 upper school students and faculty at Antilles School and members of the local Muslim community took part in a forum Tuesday to discuss issues of ethnic tolerance in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
Panelists included Antilles students, a counselor, teachers and the Islamic representatives. The goal was to preserve open-mindedness and multiculturalism, according to Michael Harrigan, the social studies teacher at the school who moderated the forum.
"We must continue to exhibit tolerance and respect for all humankind," he said.
People must make a distinction between the religion of Islam, which teaches peace and respect for other religions, and the terrorists who committed the attacks in the name of their religion, said Mansoor Thuneibat, a St. Thomas resident who was born in Jordan and later became a spiritual leader in the Islamic community on St. Croix.
"Islam was hijacked in those airplanes. Those men didn't represent Islam," Thuneibat said. Later, when a student asked what the panelists expected reaction in the Muslim world to be toward American demands that Osama bin Laden be turned over, Thuneibat responded: "We should not permit any criminal in our midst. He should be brought to justice."
Students offered a wide range of questions and opinions. Shana Karlin, a 10th grader, wanted to know what the panelists thought an appropriate U.S. retaliation should be. Lane Sell, another sophomore, said he thought people should put away their flags and what he called "jingoism," and treat the attacks as a human tragedy going beyond national boundaries.
Jill Tyler, a senior and president of the school's student council, said in a speech that history is full of examples of people waging war under the guise of religion. It would be wrong, however, to treat all members of any religion as aggressors simply because others are making war in their god's name, she said.
"How can you condemn an entire group?" she asked. "The men who hijacked those planes distorted the words of the Islamic faith."
Favinn Maynard, a sophomore on the panel, invoked the example of placing Japanese-Americans in concentration camps during World War II to show what can happen when whole ethnic groups are lumped together as scapegoats. "We are the human race, and it's time for us to take the next evolutionary leap," she said.
Harrigan said he hoped Tuesday's forum would be the first in a series at Antilles School to discuss topics that are shaping life in the Virgin Islands.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR HOLDS TOWNHALL MEETING
All workers in the Hospitality Industry are invited to attend a Town Hall meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Windward Passage Hotel on St. Thomas.
Representatives of the Hospitality Industry will be on hand to respond to questions and concerns.
Representatives of the Hospitality Industry will be on hand to respond to questions and concerns.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR HOLDS TOWNHALL MEETING
All workers in the Hospitality Industry are invited to attend a Town Hall meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Windward Passage Hotel in St. Thomas.
Representatives of the Hospitality Industry will be on hand to respond to questions and concerns.
Representatives of the Hospitality Industry will be on hand to respond to questions and concerns.
MUCKLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA AND OPEN HOUSE
The Lew Muckle Elementary School will hold a PTA meeting and Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the school's cafetorium.
Discussions will include 2001-2002 initiatives, election of PTA officers and an orientation session for parents and teachers.
Discussions will include 2001-2002 initiatives, election of PTA officers and an orientation session for parents and teachers.
MARKOE ELEMENTARY PTA MEETING
The first PTA meeting of the school year at the Claude O. markoe Elementary School will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the cafetorium.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend.
MUCKLE ELEMENTARY PTA AND OPEN HOUSE
Parents and guardians of students attending the Lew Muckle Elementary School are invited to attend the PTA meeting and Open House to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the cafetorium.
Discussions will include 2001-2002 initiatives, election of PTA officers and an orientation session for parents and teachers.
Discussions will include 2001-2002 initiatives, election of PTA officers and an orientation session for parents and teachers.
MARKOE ELEMENTARY PTA MEETING
The first meeting of the school year for the PTA of the Claude O. Markoe Elementary School will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the school's cafetorium.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TOWN HALL MEETING
All workers in the Hospitality Industry are invited to attend a Town Hall meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Windward Passage Hotel in St. Thomas.
Representatives of the Hospitality Industry will be on hand to respond to questions and concerns.
Representatives of the Hospitality Industry will be on hand to respond to questions and concerns.
BAPO'S SOFTBALL TEAM MEETING
BaPo's softball team will meet at 7:30 p.m. om Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Emile Griffith Ballpark.
for further information call manager Elmo Benjamin at 776-3618.
for further information call manager Elmo Benjamin at 776-3618.
WAPA CHIEF: HAZARDOUS-DUTY BENEFITS 'A MISTAKE'
Sept. 25, 2001 – Despite strenuous objections by Government Employees Retirement System and Water and Power Authority officials, the Senate on Monday overrode Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's veto of legislation granting early retirement benefits to certain WAPA hazardous-duty employees, expanding the number of eligible employees to 316 from the present 58.
It is a move that Joseph Thomas, WAPA executive director, calls "a mistake we'll all pay for. We will have to put a rate increase in effect to offset whatever we need to have to pay out. We have been trying to avoid a rate increase, but now our hands are forced."
Thomas said Tuesday, "It would be a lovely benefit if we were rolling in dough when anything's possible, but with the fragile situation that the utility is in, our economy is in, and GERS is in, the legislation is not a fiscally responsible decision."
Thomas said he has had his staff searching to find another utility anywhere that has a similar retirement benefit. At a WAPA board meeting earlier this year, he had said that, "Nowhere in the civilized world does such a program exist." On Tuesday he said, "We were anxious to see if one existed, but we couldn't find anywhere else that it has been done."
He added: "Everybody is aware that WAPA is struggling with cash flow; we're on the very edge. The money we are getting from the government's past due account goes 100 percent for long-term debt-related issues and maintaining rates at the current level. If we hadn't gotten the money exactly when we got it, we would have had terrible problems. Because we did get it, we no longer have a 'qualified' audit."
As far as the government's payment of its past-due accounts, he said, "We are hopeful we will have everybody current by Nov. 15."
Thomas said Laurence Bryan, GERS administrator, has claimed the hazardous-duty benefits legislation would pave the way for possible bankruptcy of the retirement system in years to come.
Turnbull vetoed the measure in August, saying he could not support legislation that would negatively impact the GERS. In a letter to Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd covering the veto action, the governor wrote, "The intent of this legislation is admirable, and the Legislature has seen fit to appropriate $1.9 million … to fund the mandate." However, he said, GERS had said the amount was inadequate, given actuarial calculations showing a current 6.63 percent deficit in pension contributions vs. payouts.
Turnbull also chided Liburd, reminding him that senators had been told at a July Finance Committee meeting of the possible deleterious effects the legislation could have on the GERS.
The Senate and GERS have a history of go-rounds regarding retirement funding and the system has a court case pending against the V.I. government regarding funding. The new legislation is projected to increase the system's unfunded liabilities by $1.9 million. Neither Bryan nor any other GERS officials was available for comment Tuesday morning.
Sen. Vargrave Richards, a consistent opponent of the measure, said Monday, "The $1.9 million would be a substantial increase in the unfunded liability in the fund. We've compromised the GERS system through a series of bad legislation to the tune of a $500 million, and still growing, GERS deficit. Frankly, we are talking about the pension plan for all employees of the government every time we undermine the system. We've been given warning that not enough money is being contributed to the system, and with the market slump, this is a swift way to deplete GERS investment accounts."
Richards added, "It's important to understand the integrity of the system. We've done nothing to maintain and sustain it. We may be emotionally attached to this measure, but the reality is this system is one day going to come home to roost. While I support the idea of hazardous-duty pay, I cannot support it now."
Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen succeeded in getting the override on a bit of parliamentary maneuvering around the "closed rule" in effect on all the bills the full Senate is hearing in a three-day session scheduled to continue through Wednesday. When the close rule is invoked, there can be no amendments to a bill before it is put to a vote.
The override passed on a 11-3 vote with Sens. Lorraine Berry, Roosevelt David and Vargrave Richards voting against the measure. Sen. Adelbert Bryan was absent.
Cash flow, fairness are barriers to business plan
In other comments to the Source Tuesday, Thomas expressed reservations about a proposal put forth by leaders of the territory's private sector on Friday as one of numerous steps to help the hospitality sector get through the economic crisis it is facing because of the drop-off of tourists in the aftermath of the mainland terrorist attacks. The hotel associations and chambers of commerce have asked that WAPA allow businesses to defer their WAPA bill payments for four months. They have proposed a similar reprieve from paying gross receipts taxes.
"We are doing something right now that might help a number of businesses and hotels that have been producing their own water and power — to get them on our system at reduced rates," Thomas said. "We are investigating energy-conservation plans and doing things internally that might help. The only problem is that we have cash-flow problems of our own. More than 50 percent of what we receive goes to pay our fuel bill each month."
Further, he said, "The other thing is the fairness issue. We got an earful when it became clear how much the government owed us. I've ordered electricity turned off over much smaller amounts." He said he understands the hospitality industry's problem but added, "We will have to be creative in what we do to help."
It is a move that Joseph Thomas, WAPA executive director, calls "a mistake we'll all pay for. We will have to put a rate increase in effect to offset whatever we need to have to pay out. We have been trying to avoid a rate increase, but now our hands are forced."
Thomas said Tuesday, "It would be a lovely benefit if we were rolling in dough when anything's possible, but with the fragile situation that the utility is in, our economy is in, and GERS is in, the legislation is not a fiscally responsible decision."
Thomas said he has had his staff searching to find another utility anywhere that has a similar retirement benefit. At a WAPA board meeting earlier this year, he had said that, "Nowhere in the civilized world does such a program exist." On Tuesday he said, "We were anxious to see if one existed, but we couldn't find anywhere else that it has been done."
He added: "Everybody is aware that WAPA is struggling with cash flow; we're on the very edge. The money we are getting from the government's past due account goes 100 percent for long-term debt-related issues and maintaining rates at the current level. If we hadn't gotten the money exactly when we got it, we would have had terrible problems. Because we did get it, we no longer have a 'qualified' audit."
As far as the government's payment of its past-due accounts, he said, "We are hopeful we will have everybody current by Nov. 15."
Thomas said Laurence Bryan, GERS administrator, has claimed the hazardous-duty benefits legislation would pave the way for possible bankruptcy of the retirement system in years to come.
Turnbull vetoed the measure in August, saying he could not support legislation that would negatively impact the GERS. In a letter to Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd covering the veto action, the governor wrote, "The intent of this legislation is admirable, and the Legislature has seen fit to appropriate $1.9 million … to fund the mandate." However, he said, GERS had said the amount was inadequate, given actuarial calculations showing a current 6.63 percent deficit in pension contributions vs. payouts.
Turnbull also chided Liburd, reminding him that senators had been told at a July Finance Committee meeting of the possible deleterious effects the legislation could have on the GERS.
The Senate and GERS have a history of go-rounds regarding retirement funding and the system has a court case pending against the V.I. government regarding funding. The new legislation is projected to increase the system's unfunded liabilities by $1.9 million. Neither Bryan nor any other GERS officials was available for comment Tuesday morning.
Sen. Vargrave Richards, a consistent opponent of the measure, said Monday, "The $1.9 million would be a substantial increase in the unfunded liability in the fund. We've compromised the GERS system through a series of bad legislation to the tune of a $500 million, and still growing, GERS deficit. Frankly, we are talking about the pension plan for all employees of the government every time we undermine the system. We've been given warning that not enough money is being contributed to the system, and with the market slump, this is a swift way to deplete GERS investment accounts."
Richards added, "It's important to understand the integrity of the system. We've done nothing to maintain and sustain it. We may be emotionally attached to this measure, but the reality is this system is one day going to come home to roost. While I support the idea of hazardous-duty pay, I cannot support it now."
Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen succeeded in getting the override on a bit of parliamentary maneuvering around the "closed rule" in effect on all the bills the full Senate is hearing in a three-day session scheduled to continue through Wednesday. When the close rule is invoked, there can be no amendments to a bill before it is put to a vote.
The override passed on a 11-3 vote with Sens. Lorraine Berry, Roosevelt David and Vargrave Richards voting against the measure. Sen. Adelbert Bryan was absent.
Cash flow, fairness are barriers to business plan
In other comments to the Source Tuesday, Thomas expressed reservations about a proposal put forth by leaders of the territory's private sector on Friday as one of numerous steps to help the hospitality sector get through the economic crisis it is facing because of the drop-off of tourists in the aftermath of the mainland terrorist attacks. The hotel associations and chambers of commerce have asked that WAPA allow businesses to defer their WAPA bill payments for four months. They have proposed a similar reprieve from paying gross receipts taxes.
"We are doing something right now that might help a number of businesses and hotels that have been producing their own water and power — to get them on our system at reduced rates," Thomas said. "We are investigating energy-conservation plans and doing things internally that might help. The only problem is that we have cash-flow problems of our own. More than 50 percent of what we receive goes to pay our fuel bill each month."
Further, he said, "The other thing is the fairness issue. We got an earful when it became clear how much the government owed us. I've ordered electricity turned off over much smaller amounts." He said he understands the hospitality industry's problem but added, "We will have to be creative in what we do to help."
