A Royal honeymoonThis was sent to Premier Paula Cox and copied to The Royal GazetteJanuary 15, 2011Madame Premier Paula Cox,I read an article today in reference to tourism dollars being spent wisely…I believe if we (Bermuda) were to offer a “free honeymoon” (or something) to Prince William and Kate Middleton, for them to stay at one of our best hotels/resorts that we can offer can/will only be a “win, win act...”All the monies put out to see this event come to fruition will be “wisely spent dollars”.Can you just imagine all the media from around the world focusing on the event taking place here on “our Bermuda”, a British Colony?Bermuda deserves the type of attention that will obviously be following the “couple” wherever they travel…RAYMOND RAYSt. George’sCensus claim laughableJanuary 13, 2011Dear Sir,The article about the Census on your front page on Tuesday this week would have been laughable had it not been such a tragic reminder of the complete ineptitude of this Government.Valerie Robinson-James is quoted as saying that the Department of Statistics has “successfully scheduled a total of 1,262 telephone appointments...”. I think I constitute two of those “successfully scheduled” appointments. However, in each instance my telephone failed to ring at the scheduled time and hence no Census information has been taken.Rather than count the “successfully scheduled” appointments (in my case 100 percent of which failed to take place), why not count actual completed Census interviews? Or is this just another example of Government manipulation of statistics so as to try to disguise how incompetent they really are?ELSPETH BREWINWarwickRegiment’s positivesJanuary 13, 2011Dear Sir,I read that members of BAD continue to fight their conscription into the Regiment, despite having taken their case to the highest court in the land. Although I disagree with them, I did respect their fight on principle. However, their continued failure to serve makes me think their principle is less about human rights and more about being made to do something they don’t want to.Well, I don’t want to pay my taxes, but I do it anyway.In fact, I didn’t want to serve in the Regiment when I entered recruit camp at age 29. As an over-educated, white-collar technocrat, I was pretty sure the Regiment didn’t offer anything for me, and that I didn’t ”need’ it”, that I was “better”.Although I never would have volunteered, I am glad that I did my time. The Regiment taught me skills in leadership, time management, and teamwork that I use today at my fancy reinsurance job. In fact, I got that job through Army contacts. I was privileged to meet and serve with a large number of Bermudians from all backgrounds, who dedicate significant portions of their personal time and energy to our country and set a positive and constructive example for us all.And, I am proud that I wore the uniform and cap badge, which says on it “Bermuda’. They represent a long and rich history of service that cuts across Bermuda’s historical colour and class lines.I’m not going to lie to you; the Regiment is not perfect. Like any organisation of several hundred people it has its bad apples, and it struggles with the same social issues as the rest of the Island. Perhaps we should not have conscription, but we do. And anyone who has even a little actual experience with the Regiment knows that although it is not exactly summer camp, claims of ‘slavery’ and ‘ill-treatment’ are simply ridiculous.Finally, I would urge all Bermudians to look past the stereotypes about the Regiment and learn more before passing judgment.DOUGLAS S J DECOUTO PhDSouthampton