Bermuda is like a lazy old man who still wants to be taken care of by his mama — refusing to leave the nest as it were. Or (and I don’t know why this comes to mind), the slaveholder who refuses to give up slavery because, not having the brains to make money any other way, he knows he will soon go broke.

It’s about time that Bermuda stops demanding to feed from the breast of Mother Britian and strikes out on her own. If Bermuda currently does not have the wherewithal to sustain herself independently then she must think outside the box and find a way.

But it appears when people of color here in Bermuda, even talk about addressing the injustices of the past and present. They are labeled as stupid, brain washed, blind sheep, and all kinds of disrespectful names, but yet some of theses same bloggers on this website and others are constantly saying, why can’t we just get along.

There is a famous quote that states ” NEITHER THE OLD-TIME SLAVERY, NOR CONTINUED PREJUDICE NEED EXTINGUISH SELF-RESPECT,OR CRUSH MANLY AMBITION OR PARALYZE EFFORT.” “paul Robeson”

So I say “STAND STRONG BERMUDIANS”.

Now I’ll wait for the haters resopnse

So whites are not Bermudian? The fact that my family name dates back hundreds of years, that my passport says Bermudian, that I’ve fulfilled my regimental duties, all are canceled out by the color of my skin? You do know that this island was uninhabited(that means no one lived on it) before whites found and settled it right?

You are doing a wonderful job keeping racism alive sir.

Do you think a President and entourage will work for free?

How many of those so-called independent countries are actually independent? Most depend on international aid and loans and must dance to the tune of those who give them money, whether it’s the IMF or Cuba or the US. Watch the movie Life and Debt to see what happened to Jamaica.

How many of the people in those so-called independent countries are as free as we in a so-called dependent territory are? Most of those people have no choices other than the severely limited ones in their country. They can’t leave because their money is worthless outside their borders. Free to travel? No. Free to be educated overseas? No. Free to improve their lot in life? No. Free to express opposition to government policy? Free to do the things they dream of? no…without money options are severely limited.

How many of the people in these so-called independent countries have any true voice in their government or freedom of speech? Many have non-democratic unelected self-appointed governments, corrupt governments, governments which would deal with the protest we have just seen by use of unnecessary force, politicians who are in it for themselves.

Dee mentioned Grenada…there are many many more…Those people are trapped, without choices in a hopeless situation.

You do own your land except for the above type scenarios, where people choose not to sell for a fair market price.

Access to live and work in Europe.

Better access to countries that otherwise require a VISA.

More confidence in investing in Bermuda.

There are another quick few….

So what would independence give us???

They do send ships in whenever there has been a hurricane?

I’d copy and pasted this letter, it had been written by a “Mr. Joe Wakefield” Now, whether or not it’s a fictitious name, I don’t know but what is mention make plenty of sense…

Raymond Ray

Dear Sir,
Nobody seems to have addressed the matter of finding out the facts needed for a Commission to work.
Firstly the title deeds and Parish Records would have to be researched to see who lived on the lands that were “grabbed:
That in itself would be a serious undertaking
As a conveyance lawyer I did some complex searches during my busy years (one in fact re the title of a roadway outside of a house owned by a close relative of Walton Brown and on that persons behalf). After that is done and presumably the property values at that time have to be determined.
Was there negotiation or compulsory purchase?
After that anyone claiming compensation would have to show their family tree which would involve the register of births deaths and marriages
That would be the initial stage — a prima facie case.
For a hundred thousand dollars the PLP could do that; they could get donations from rich PLP like Ewart Brown and Zane Desilva; surely they would want to kick into the fund. This appears to be a burning issue with W Brown and Marc Bean but it may be political play acting; if it is not the latter then they should do what they consider to be the right thing and put your money on it.
Once there is a prima facie case even if it was not for compensation but just for the historical record, a further attempt to get a commission going would be far more likely to succeed.
Just one more paragraph on property values.
If my memory serves me correctly I think that the price paid by Mid Ocean Club to the Bermuda Development company was 151 thousand pound sterling; that included the golf course and the building land surrounding it.
I do not know what state the parish records are in (remember there was no Land Tax then — the parish overseers collected ten shilling a year from some and say 2 pounds for the larger properties).
The parish records are poorly kept on a shelf in the registry and the metes and bounds of the properties will be vague at best without further evidence.

JOE WAKEFIELD

I think the younger generation can see through the spin and politricks.

It also suggests that there is hope for healing in the future.

LOL I can see clearly now the rain has gone

LOL

LOL

The message is a good one, though, as the word implies that one should take what is good from the past and bring it to the present.

LOL