What nonsense. This is our country and no one can take it away from us. We are the ones that run the government and control the power, and we have the final say in the politics of this country. In essence, we run things and we don’t have to explain anything to any outsider. THIS IS OUR COUNTRY!! My friends, too many [British] Virgin Islanders, who do not know better, are talking out of the abundance of their ignorance and are going around stirring up the emotions of people who do not know better. People who are born in a country do not give up their rights to expatriates foolishly. That would be like a man who builds a house and let another man comes in and does what he wants in his house to the point of taking it over. The man who allows such a thing to happen to him is nothing more than a galloping jackass! There is nothing wrong when a country is willing to protect itself from outside domination and rule. Let us look at the Bible story of God and Lucifer (Satan). Lucifer was the most beautiful angel that God created in Heaven. Lucifer was the leader of the heavenly choir. One day Lucifer became filled with pride and thought that he could run heaven. God said to him, “Mister, you got to be kidding! Two man jacks can’t live in the same hole. With that God threw Lucifer down to hell. God said to Lucifer, I don’t care where you boss but you will never boss heaven that I created.” HIP! HIP! That’s my God! My fellow Virgin Islanders, the expatriates who come to our country, come here for many reasons. They do not come here to take over; how silly of us to think that. Many people come to make a better life for their families and themselves; others come and after they find that it is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, they move on; others used our country as a stepping stone to greener pastures. Is something wrong with that? People must do what makes them happy. We must admit that our country does not have much to offer to the person who is trying to improve him/herself. This is a very bias society and full of bigotry. The government does not pay attention to the social ills of its people. The White expatriate, on the other hand, is glad to get rid of the cold weather, crime and the fast pace in America. After retirement many just want to own property and start a new life in the islands. Many of our white friends just love it here. Can you blame them? Nature’s Little Secret is like the Garden of Eden and the people are just wonderful! In America, Whites segregate against Blacks and Blacks segregate against Whites because there is ignorance on both sides. Many Whites want to get away from that ugly lifestyle so they come to the islands to live. The Virgin Islands is a tourist oriented community and our White friends appreciate our hospitality to them. Besides, we depend on the tourist dollars. In this society we do not see White people as superior. The reason why White people are that colour is because they do not have the brownish-black pigment melanin found in the skin and hair etc. Many of the White expatriates who live among us, while they improve life for themselves are also improving life for us. The most modern and new-fashioned elementary school was built by Mr Peter Haycraft and family. The new school in North Sound was built by the owner of Oil Nut Bay. Our White brothers and sisters do not want to take over the country. They just want to live at a certain standard and so should we. We as Virgin Islanders should be a bit more ambitious and take pride in ourselves and our country. We should not be aggressive but assertive. Parents should encourage children to think for themselves and not to be naïve and foolish. My fellow Virgin Islanders we must be cognizant of the fact that things in our country have changed. The country is not like in my father’s generation. Nature’s Little Secret is now a melting pot; diversity is strength. One day I hope we can become the great little nation the Honourable Dr Kedrick D. Pickering so often envisioned. We cannot go forward if we have our heads buried like ostriches in the sand. Brothers and sisters we must wake up and smell the coffee. If we Virgin Islanders are to be successful among the other nations that live here, it behooves us to stick together and pool our resources and recognize the strength in each other. As Virgin Islanders we must understand that there is strength in unity. In unity we stand, divided we fall. In conclusion, As Virgin Islanders we must learn to listen to reasoning and common sense. We should not let people control our minds or listen to foolish rhetoric that appeals to our emotions. We cannot stop the influx of people in and out of the territory; however, we can learn to live with each other irrespective of his/her ethnicity, race, or nationality. Psychology says we are more alike than different. No one drinks tea through his ears or eats food through his nostrils. We are all human beings created in God’s image. Virgin Islanders we should not be controlled with fear about the people who live among us. We all crave the same things: love, peace and happiness. My friend, life is like a game of tennis; the one who serves best usually wins the game.