April 24, 2004

Dear Sir,

Under the caption, "Democracy and Independence", in the April 21 , a proponent argues: "You can't have one without the other."

A logical extension of that premise is this: If democracy can't exist without independence, every State in the US would need to be independent from the US, as would the countries within the states and the cities within the countries.

Similarly, in Bermuda, the parishes would need to be independent from Bermuda as would the City of Hamilton. In logic, no geographic unit (New York, Bermuda, the City of Hamilton, Smith's, Flatts) would be too small to justify "independence".Would each street be independent, too, and each house? And would there be visas, immigration, import duties, bureaucrats, regulations and other taxes at each level ? i.e. endless replications of governmental costs? (Politicians love such complexities and costs, as their power is increased.) Therefore, the logical progression of the premise (that democracy and independence are "interdependent") leads to ludicrous ends.

Democracy does not require Independence in any form. In fact, democracy could function worldwide with no countries, states, counties or cities. Indeed, the United Nations, the World Court, the EU, etc., seem to be precursors of a One World Government in the future. Clearly, the trend is not for smaller and smaller governments, but, rather, for larger and larger ones.

Especially in our terrorist world, where countries are so suspicious of each other, the tinier the country, the greater the suspicious about it, which explains the microscope that America et al have put on the Caricom countries. If a country wants its voice to be heard, it needs to be aligned with a major power, such as Great Britain.

The lesser governments in America (the states, cities and countries) have substantial degrees of independence, as limited by the US Constitution and the powers ceded to the federal government. American's federal government, however, exerts enormous controls over does, say, the State of New York.

Thus, Bermuda enjoys virtual Independence now, without paying the heavy taxes and other costs of Independence, as it rides Great Britain's coattail worldwide.

Should the issue of Independence be decided by referendum or General Election? some argue for General Election, because more people tend to vote in General Elections. The problem is, in a General Election, the issue of Independence can get confused or even lost among other issues. Independence deals with the basic structure of the country, and nothing is more deserving of its own "election", and whoever votes should decide the outcome; that is the way that democracy is intended to work.

Some say that Independence does not need to even be put to public vote, and that, if the platform of the winning-party supports it, then, that party can impose Independence without any public vote specifically on Independence.

This would be the greatest injustice of all, as it suggests that the proponents of Independence don't believe that Independence can pass on its own merits, but, rather, only if obfuscated and hidden in some way from the people. Such tactics are the antithesis of democracy. If Bermuda is to change its colonial status, it should have the courage to do so in the broad light of day: in a special referendum. America and Canada went "independent" to avoid the yoke of British taxes. Bermuda suffers no such taxes and already enjoys the best of both worlds (democracy and independence) and its people bear a fraction of the normal costs. Bravo, Bermuda, for now.

April 13, 2004

Dear Sir,

Big Brothers and Big Sisters (BBBS) of Bermuda can appreciate that the jury is out on Youth Organisations in Bermuda, as the recent show of violence unsettled us all and acted as a mirror, yet again, to encourage BBBS to take a long hard look at itself.

BBBS is the longest serving youth mentoring programme established in Bermuda. It is a registered charity and is committed to providing children, primarily those from single parent homes, with positive and caring role models. As it core values, BBBS believes:

That each child has the right to an emotional link with someone, if they are unable to receive it at home;

That Littles in our care, are the future of Bermuda;

That no parent in Bermuda should feel that she or he, is without a caring resource;

That we provide a unique and vital youth service for our community.

At present BBBS manages more than 250 matched and unmatched Littles, with a limited part-time staff personnel and a full-time Executive Director. Although we feel we have been able to make an effective and positive difference in the lives of Bermuda's youth who come through our program, with our committed Work Team and Board, we are cognisant that there is still much to be done and that our role as an organisation must continue to remain as dynamic as the community in which it serves, if we are to remain effective.

BBBS, as stated by a caller to one of the talk shows, laments that we continue to have a number of unmatched Littles requiring Big Volunteers and invites those wishing to become a Big Brother or Sister to call us. We could use your help. At present we have a ratio of six to one (Littles to Bigs) males who come through our system and two to one (Littles to Bigs) females whom we service. Currently we are in the stages of developing a drive to encourage more dedicated Big Brothers and Sisters to join our programme in order to balance out the Bigs and Littles.

Another concern is that, as a rule, the Big Volunteers gravitate more readily toward those Littles between the ages of five and ten years old, leaving preteens and teens often waiting for much longer periods of time for a match, sometimes without success before their 18th birthday (particularly if they are already in their mid-teens when they join the programme).

We believe that there are individuals in our community who have passion and desire to mentor our youth. BBBS is therefore gearing up to develop a Teen Programme where "Big Buddies" can work with a manageable group of teens for organised fun and personal development activities to build self esteem and instill confidence. In addition, BBBS has expanded its programme to include physically challenged children, and we will aim to educate the Big Volunteers in his area.

BBBS cannot meet all the needs of the ailing youth in our society. We however, like many others, hear the clarion call to step up and do our share. As an organisation determined to make a difference in our society we are motivated to do more. We should not wait to hear the cries of our youth to do more. And we have not. We just share with you a little inside knowledge of where we are headed to improve our services in hopes of more. And we have not. We just share with you a little inside knowledge of where we are headed to improve our services in hopes of more fully meeting the demands of our community. What happened at Wellington Oval is a call to all of us to address the question: "What are we going to do?"

It is the responsibility of all leaders, youth organisations and concerned citizens to re-examine our duty and to act. BBBS appreciates the challenges and welcomes that the jury is out, to keep us focused to the task.