The only bad publicity ...

March 8, 2004

Dear Sir,

Bermuda's recent worries about the islands tourism industry received a well-timed boost from America's favourite gangster Tony Soprano (HBO's, "The Sopranos, March 8, 2004). The New Jersey crime boss tried to win over his former "shrink" with tickets for a romantic vacation getaway at Bermuda's Elbow Beach Hotel.

Millions of winter-weary American tourists who emulate Tony's dubious family values are probably contacting their local travel agents right now about visiting your pink sand paradise.

Your Ministry of Tourism couldn't have asked for a better prime time, season opening, upscale demographic marketing to and free courtesy of American television.

JOHN LUNDIN

Hollywood, Florida

Offering no guarantees

March 2, 2004

Dear Sir,

Premier Scott has said (Royal Gazette, March 1) that he isn't putting the Country on a "fast track" to Independence but that "the train is simply preparing to leave the station".

And that: "There can never be a full blooded, true democracy as long as our country remains as a Colony (sic) or an Overseas Dependent Territory (sic)."

And that: "...only with Independence can national unity be forged and pride in being Bermudian fully develop."

Well, if the train's about to leave the station, I hope we all have tickets. And that we all know where we're going! And is Bermuda not a democracy now, as an "Overseas Dependent Territory" (a designation which, by the way, was changed several years ago to British Overseas Territory, not to mention "Colony" which was dropped many years ago)?

Or is it that we need to be a "full blooded" rather than just a puny little anaemic dependent democracy?

And is Independence really going to bring us "national unity" so we can all be proud of being Bermudian? Tell that to the Zimbabweans (black and white), Ivory Coast people, Mozambicans, and any number of other countries which were colonies and waged civil war after independence.

Independence, I can assure you, doesn't guarantee "national unity" any more than being a "colony" precludes us from taking pride in our homeland. Bermudians must not vote for (or against) independence on the grounds of "pride", "national unity", and other rhetoric. That's not good enough. This isn't some PTA issue to be decided on with a show of hands and coffee and cake afterwards.

Bermudians must understand the practical implications of independence and the reasons for and against the issue.

What, for example, happens to our Bermuda status and nationality with regard to Britain and the European Union? And for that matter, with regard to our relationship with the United States? How will the justice system be changed as an independent state? Funding for defence? And so on.

These and many other real rather than emotional issues are things we must understand before we can make an informed decision about where our future lies. If we don't decide on the basis of informed judgement, we'll be playing a game of pin the tail on the donkey.

Except that there'll be a chicken, a giraffe, a bull, a mouse, a Warwick lizard, and a pig to pin the tail onto as well as a donkey. And we won't know which one we've pinned the tail onto until we take the blindfold off. (Let's hope it's not the bull.)

By which time it'll be too late.

PORGY

City of Hamilton

Setting record straight

March 8, 2004

Dear Sir,

Please permit me to set the record straight concerning the ownership of Bermuda Cement Company Limited.

Mr. Derrick Burgess, MP, and others seem to be of the opinion that the company is owned by Jim Butterfield, which is incorrect; the Butterfield family is not even the major shareholder. The single largest shareholder is Cemex, an offshore corporation, which owns 35 percent of the company; the remaining 65 percent is owned by 12 other shareholders, of whom 11 are Bermudian. This is a matter of public record which can be confirmed at the Registrar of Companies' offices.

JOHN H.K. WHITE

Director and Treasurer

Bermuda Cement Company Ltd.

What competition?

March 2, 2004

Dear Sir,

Could anyone please tell me how the "competition" is benefiting Bermuda?

All airlines, charge the same amount to go to the same places. New York, Boston, London, etc. It's ridiculous. "The price of living in Paradise"?

DRY ROLL

Devonshire

Cutting through ads

March 5, 2004

Dear Sir,

In response to 'Watching', in today's letters, The Royal Gazette:

In this week's category for 'Best Classified Ad', how about the sixteen-foot Chainsaw? It's not hard to imagine why it's "never been used, still in box".

A-M. GOSLING

Hamilton Parish

Parking ticket solution

March 4, 2004

Dear Sir,

While reading the Mid-Ocean News of February 6, I came across Random Notes, by Nicolette Reiss and I found her ideas on the subject of parking tickets very sensible and practical. Her suggestion

to charge interest on over-due tickets and "earmarking" vehicles in the TCD files to ensure that fines are paid before any such vehicle is re-licensed would certainly be a very cost effective and efficient solution to this problem.

HELGE TRAPNELL

St. David's

Get on the beat

February 21, 2004

Dear Sir,

The solution to Police foot patrols in the Town of St. George seems to me to be quite simple.

All Police, except those attending an emergency, should be required to do a ten- minute foot patrol when they being or finish using a patrol car.

WATCHING

Paget