Would you kindly publish the following: Bermudians, and in particular St.

Georgians, would do well to pay attention to the planning application by Esso Bermuda for a gas station along Ferry Reach opposite the BIO station. That area is the gateway to Bermuda and the gateway to St. George. Some day in the future it should be lined with palm trees and other beautiful foliage to enhance it's beauty, not garish fronts and traffic from a gas station. There are already sufficient gas stations in the area to serve the general public starting with the one at Blue Hole Hill.

I would urge a quick objection to the planning department from St. Georgians who care about their environment, and/or The Bermuda National Trust.

Thank you Mr. Editor.

THE HONOURABLE QUINTON L. EDNESS CBE JP Warwick Scare tactics won't work December 20, 2000 Dear Sir, I have just finished reading your Letters to the Editor column via the internet. There was a letter written by Real Time explaining why certain persons choose to write to your column under a pen name. Please allow me space in your column to address this and other issues raised by Real Time.

Real Time, you mention that the reason for persons writing under a pen name is fear of reprisal, victimisation, refusal of work permits, black-listing for contracts and building permits. From this I gather that you claim that the PLP Government will make a person's life difficult if he speaks out against the agenda of the Government. I challenge you to give one example of the PLP Government intimidating or even taking such actions. If you can do this I will send you a letter of apology through this column, otherwise your fear of reprisal will come true by way of a letter of attack from me.

Firstly let me say that I very strongly oppose non-Bermudians getting involved in Bermuda politics. I currently live in the Bahamas and I live by example.

Although I have spoken out about politics in Bermuda for my entire adult life, it is not my place as a non-Bahamian, who has no right to elect any official to office, to express my political views. Yes, I am married to a Bahamian and if my wife wishes to make public comment that is her right as a voter but the fact remains I am only a guest of the Bahamas. I relate this to visiting somebody's home, I may not like the carpet or the drapes but what right do I have to interfere with his interior designs and tastes? In moving on, I do not know or care to know whether you are a Bermudian or a non-Bermudian. When you talk about victimisation of persons for speaking out you need look no further than the former UBP Government. Not so long ago if a person spoke out against the UBP political agenda, especially if that person was black, he could find his mortgage called in, he would suddenly lose his job or suffer some similar fate. I am not saying that the UBP arranged things like this, what I am saying is that not long after he spoke out these kinds of things would happen to him. When I began to get vocal about the politics of Bermuda this is one thing that I was told by many people to think about before I spoke out.

You have stated that Independence will bring about a dictatorship and the onset of internal disintegration and corruption that has accompanied such a step in virtually every other ex-dependency. This is a very strong statement and I challenge you to substantiate it, not with opinion or hearsay but with hard factual evidence. Remember now, many of the economies of the small Caribbean nations were suppressed under Colonialism prior to Independence so it will not be factual for you to state otherwise. Before you go around spreading propaganda about what happened after Independence to countries to the south of Bermuda go on a fact finding mission, either visit the countries for yourself to get firsthand information or go to the library and research the histories of these countries, therefore, when you make a statement about these countries you know it will be factual and that what you say cannot be disputed.

You have said that it is hard to think of a former dependency that is not miserable or under a dictatorship. A few examples are: Canada, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica. To be honest I cannot think of one former dependency that is under a dictatorship. If there are any please educate me.

Bermuda is the oldest self-governing colony, all legislation is debated and either passed or failed in both the Upper and Lower Chambers without any input from the `Mother Country'. I am not saying that there has never been any corruption in Bermuda but there is nothing to prevent it or internal disintegration from occurring whether or not Bermuda decides to choose Independence.

I am sick of persons such as you using scare tactics to prevent Bermuda from moving towards Independence. If you have clear factual evidence that the economy of Bermuda will collapse after Independence reveal it otherwise keep your scaremongering to yourself.

I can provide clear evidence of how successful a country can be after going it alone. The best thing to happen to the Bahamas was Independence. The same scare tactics you are using were used prior to the Bahamas electing Independence and clearly those fears have proven to be unfounded. Prior to Independence in 1973 the black majority, roughly 90 percent of the total population, were not afforded the opportunity to participate and reap the economic rewards of their own country. After Independence the government decided to embark on a real Bahamianisation policy in that whenever there was a qualified Bahamian who was capable of filling the shoes of an expat the work permit of the expat was not renewed. Does it not make sense that the indigenous people of the country manage the entities within the economy? What the Bahamas can boast of today is the fact that there are more Bahamians, black and white, in Senior Management roles in every industry than there are foreigners. Should this not be the position Bermuda is in after all the years of service and experience gathered by many Bermudians in the international insurance arena? Another aspect of the Bahamian life that fascinates me is the fact that there is very little evidence of racism. Through Independence, Bahamians came to realise that in order to succeed the country must operate as a cohesive unit and move forward as Bahamians, not as blacks and whites.

Well, Real Time, should you have a rebuttal I anxiously await it. As you can see I am not afraid of signing my name and I never will be. My parents raised me to always accept responsibility for my actions and by hiding behind a pen name I would be unable to do that.

GUILDEN M. GILBERT JR.

Nassau, Bahamas Let's look to home first December 28, 2000 Dear Sir, Independence? What Independence? We have all the independence we need. Just look at the present Government. Is anything standing in their way of doing exactly what they want? I do not want a passport that nobody knows. I do not want ambassadors, High Commissioners and representation in foreign countries. Who is going to pay for that? At the rate this government is operating, they would not want anything but the best and most expensive for their own. Have you any idea what housing, garaging, entertainment, schooling etc. costs in London and in Washington and in New York, for an ambassador, High Commissioner and a UN representative? That kind of lifestyle does not come cheap.

Why do we not forget about Independence, Boundaries Commissions and single seats. We have problems in this country. Has the PLP forgotten their voters? Their promises? All we see is bigger cars, expensive entertainment, more people employed at the Premiers' office, yet more and more trips abroad.

Charity begins at home and home is where the problems are. We need to get down to solve our own problems and not worry about champagne and more lavish lifestyle for the PLP Members of Parliament.

Please get on with the country's problems. There are people who do not have a roof over their heads and children being brought up in indescribably dreadful homes, overcrowded and sometimes unsanitary, with no family unit and no guidance. With role models like our government, they must be confused on how to behave in a civilized world, with leaders so arrogant and out of touch with people. We complain about the children's behaviour but when you look at the so-called "role models'', what are they to do? If their leaders can get away with that kind of behaviour, why not they also? Forget about single seats, independence and get on with helping the people who voted for you. If not you might not be able to enjoy the cars, the champagne and all those lovely first class trips for very much longer.

L.L.

Pembroke