Bounty Killer and Mavado attempting to promote the 'NO violence in schools' message at Edith Dalton James High school in Duhaney Park High School. - Ian Allen

The responses to STAR columnist Leighton Levy's, column 'We should all drop Bounty', dated Friday, April 5, have been overwhelming. Here are a few of them.

Names of the respondents have been witheld on request.

Letter 1

Dear Writer:

I take the time to say I agree with you 100 per cent. It is time we say enough is enough to these DJs and that message should have been delivered with a Shandy bottle if they were not willing to listen.

What we need is hope, as fear feeds fear. If you listen to the music of yesteryear, they sang of a better Jamaica. Even in the face of adversity they sang of hope and that we can do great things. A song that comes to mind is Jimmy Cliff's "we can do it if we really want".

We as a society have to turn our backs on negative vibes and persons and this includes the lazy and no-good politicians who have only been feathering their nest.

However, I am not sure if we will ever stand up as we have for too long settled for second place as a people.

Continue to keep the light of hope burning in your articles.

God Bless

Sean M.

Letter 2

Hi Mr. Shearer,

I am a Jamaican living in America. I have been living in America for over 25 years, more than half my life and is now an American citizen.

I have visited Jamaica on an average of two to three times per year over the past 25 years.

I have consistently read the Jamaican printed media on the Internet. Your article "'We should all drop bounty' has given me a semblance of hope that not all Jamaican journalists have turned a blind eye on the destruction that these DJs are casting on the Jamaican society.

The Jamaican public needs more constructive articles like yours to educate them that the rubbish that these uneducated so-called "entertainers" are pushing are only detrimental to their freedom and lives.

It seems that if a DJ's lyrics do not contain "licking shots" or in some way glorifies the guns, yes, the guns that are used to rob and kill the Jamaican people at a rate that is the highest in the world, then they cannot perform. Some of our great Sinatra's will degrade their sisters, mothers, daughters, nieces and girlfriends to get a 'forward' from the audience that has accepted violence as a way of life in Jamaica.

I believe in freedom of speech in any society. However, whenever a person, whether in music or on a stage, promotes violence against individuals or the country or endorses criminals that are wanted by the authorities, that individual should be charged for terrorism.

Sadly, because of the high illiteracy rate of Jamaicans, the majority who listen to Bounty Killer and Mavado regaling the destruction of their lives by the Bone Crusher Gang, will never see or hear the content of your article.

J. W.

Connecticut, USA

Letter 3

Dear writer,

I read your column and I saw where you made some important points, where these entertainers often big up gangster. Why is it that someone would want to big up these guys? I think they are aligning themselves with these gangsters. I notice these latest DJs, all they sing about on a day-to-day basis are guns, war and bad boy business. I even read where sound system disc jockeys are now in fear because of these same guys. I don't know where this group of guys emerge from. They should be feeding hog, feeding chicken and planting more bananas and sugar cane. They should not be in the business. I think they are carrying down the whole works. What about all those other entertainers in the business who are making good contributions? Why can't these younger DJs take a leaf from their books?

C.P.

Letter 4

Dear writer,

First let me say how much I enjoy reading your comments and agreeing with almost everything you write on.

I am not sure what is going on in the minds of my fellow Jamaicans, when they would want to endorse something as gross as what those two empty nut shells said last weekend. How could any sober person celebrate someone or something that is working so hard to destroy what they have? I am so glad that you have commented on it and I only hope they read your article or they are told about it because you really fixed their business in it.

Thanks again, you will not fight them with guns and knives, but you certainly will destroy them with words.

D. L.

Letter 5

Writer,

Why don't you guys drop the politicians and MPs who attend the don's funeral. Are the dons not gangsters?

N.M.