I DON'T know about the rest of you, but, for me, growing up here indoctrinated me with a "minimal choice" mindset. Basically, there was always a choice, but the options were few. For example, it was Channel 7 or Channel 9 (until VSB blessed us with one channel of snow ? at least in the area where I lived).) Trimingham's, Smith's, or Calypso for girls' clothing etc. So when I ventured into the shopping malls overseas I would be so overwhelmed by the choices available, I would, momentarily, find myself unable to act (i.e. shop!).

As I said, it was a momentary loss of ability ? my consumerism would always win out. I mention that to explain my recent dilemma pertaining to my choice of subjects to write about ? the events of late ? be they political, judicial, economic or just plain idiotic have been so abundant that I just didn't know where to begin ... it's been somewhat akin to facing an all-you-can-eat buffet!

Recently I have been saturated, nay drowned, with inspiration and I'll give you some idea of the topics I have been wrestling with: First we have those Bermudians who won't venture into Bermudian clubs to attend Bermuda Independence Commission meetings; then the topic of Independence itself and the omnipresent hypocrisy of some of its proponents and detractors; the Julian Hall trial; and all manner of other day-to-day events on this, our Fantasy Island.

As we are finally getting some, albeit vague and scattered information on the Independence issue.There was some whining as to the choice of venue(s) for the BIC meetings and I find most of the complaints completely off base.

For white people to claim that the venues were intimidating ones where whites may have felt unwelcome or uncomfortable, I say "too damn bad".

Those with this complaint need to ask themselves why they are living on an island where they are in a minority (race-wise) if they are uncomfortable around non-whites.

I think these meetings provided an excellent opportunity for whites to get out there and mingle with the majority of Bermudians, heretofore unknown and uninvited to their dinner tables and clubs.

White Bermudians feeling nervous at the thought of walking into an establishment with a non-white majority have only themselves and their misguided bigotry to blame.

An issue as very important as Independence, of interest to Bermudians of all colours and creeds, should have transcended any lingering racism or vestigial sense of exclusivity felt by some whites.

For my part, I tend to feel quite uncomfortable when I find myself at a party or club where there are only white people given the demographics of our island and I find myself wondering if some of my friends and acquaintances are in fact closet racists.

To be honest, I used to go to Warwick Workmen's when I was younger (circa 1985) simply because they served alcohol all night; however, the fact that my friends and I were perhaps the only whites in the place never stopped us from returning. In fact a few new good friends were made there.

Some of the venues for BIC meetings included cricket clubs and is there anything quite as Bermudian as cricket? No. We have a national holiday, Cup Match, dedicated to the sport in the summer and, the only reason you won't find me there regularly is because I find watching the game about as scintillating as watching grass grow.

However, many good DJs and acts can be enjoyed during weekends at these cricket clubs when the ticket sales for concerts cannot justify renting out Number One shed.

Back to Independence, the issue at hand.

I think most of us (including every single member of the BIC) had an opinion on Independence before the topic was re-floated by Alex Scott. That does not mean we cannot suspend judgement and consider any new or conflicting information that has the potential to shake some of the premises that formed our original opinion.

I have formulated any number of anti-Independence arguments based on the island's economics, arguments that few could counter sufficiently to warrant a change in my opinion on that basis. However, I have found a few educated and literate proponents of Independence who have publicly aired their views via newspaper columns and Letters to the Editor.

THEY have put forward some valid pro-Independence arguments based on non-emotional factors that should be re-aired and debated to see how much weight they hold (I have compiled a file of such arguments in order to assess these pro-Independence points and will address them in a future ).

Nevertheless, I'm sure the glaring irony (read hypocrisy) that a gentleman with the prefix "Sir" before his name heads the United Nations Special Committee for Decolonisation escaped few. How can he ever expect to attain any level of credibility in his mission to ensure all colonial ties world-wide are abandoned while simultaneously accepting a knighthood from the old colonial power?

And I'm not the first to point out the blatant hypocrisy of our Premier who refused to give credence to or be influenced by any "outside entities" until one came along that happened to agree with him. How can any committee whose mission is global decolonisation ever present an unbiased view?

But let's move on to another lack of consistency on the same topic of Independence.

I, for one, fully and unequivocally support the referendum method to determine our fate. After all, it is the only conduit that reflects the true democratic outcome of one person, one vote ? all votes of equal weight.

Naturally, I have signed the petition organised by the Bermudians for Referendum. My understanding of this organisation's mission is to allow us all to vote however we wish on the singular topic of Independence. Yet, when I visited this organisation's website I was both surprised and disappointed to see that the message contained within went beyond this mission by attaching opinions on which way to vote.

The organisation's inclusion of newspaper articles that only support a "no" vote serves to weaken the message of its valid mission (but then again, it's not like the members of the BIC were selected from anything other than a stacked deck). By attempting to influence which way Bermudians vote, the argument for referendum loses its focus and strength.

I wholeheartedly support each Bermudian's right to have a say in our island's future when it comes to a decision of such importance given its unknown and irrevocable nature.

And on this topic, I need to ask why our Premier would object to a vote via referendum if he is so convinced that we Bermudians would be best served by Independence now.

If he honestly believes we will be better off as an Independent nation, he should support that belief by letting the issue stand alone, vote-wise, on its purported merits. And if, as the pro-Independence lobby claims, we are a populace advanced and educated enough to self-govern, then we are likewise advanced and sufficiently educated to make the singular decision of whether or not to do so.

Simple logic, folks.