Re: Saipan Delegation passes Casino Bill

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert F. Kennedy

My friends, do not give up hope. This was only the beginning. Those few who stood against this bill on Capital Hill yesterday have begun the long process of rehabilitating the minds of the people of the Commonwealth. They have shown that it is OK to stand up and protest against our government. Yes, the legislature still passed the Casino bill, but do not for one second think that the protest was a failure.

The protest was a success, if for one reason only: we have planted a seed in the minds of everyone on Saipan...we need only to continuously water that seed and give it enough sunlight to grow, and soon, very soon, we shall HAVE our REVOLUTION that we so desperately need. Keep the hope alive. We WILL succeed.

Mark my words, WE WILL OVERCOME THE CORRUPTION OF OUR GOVERNMENT. ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, WE WILL RID THE CNMI OF THE PLAGUE THAT IS OUR CURRENT ADMINISTRATION AND OUR CURRENT LEGISLATORS AND WE WILL BRING FORTH A NEW EPOCH OF SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY FOR OUR ISLANDS.


BIBA CNMI.

The Time for Action is NOW!

FOR decades, we have put up with the greed, selfishness, and overall corruption of our CNMI government. Our so-called "leaders" have been the main cause of the rapid decline of the CNMI, enacting laws that served themselves and reflected only their personal goals and desires. And yet we have voted these people into office over and over again countless times. So many times, in fact, that these people think that they can get away with anything. The time has come to give them a reality check and remind them who they really work for.

We are the people who elect them, and we demand that they listen to us!

The House of Representatives is intent on passing the fiscal year 2012 budget bill this Friday. Included in the bill are:

• a pay raise for the lawmakers while they cut down on discretionary funds

• a $4 million cut in PSS funding, a $400,000 cut in NMC funding

• an $11,000 raise in BOE funding

They are also intent on passing House Local Bill 17-44, the Saipan casino bill, even after voters voted against a casino twice in our history. "Representative" Froilan C. Tenorio said he knows there are people who are against casino on Saipan, but “this is not the time to be protesting against something that will generate revenue for the government.”

He knows that people are against it, yet he is intent on pushing forward with it? This is outrageous! We can clearly see that our legislators seem to have forgotten or otherwise do not care about the will of their constituents. There has been great discussion about all of this on online forums and social media outlets, but nothing has been done. It’s time to stop talking, and start doing something about it.

We must come together and protest against these lawmakers and their intent to pass these bills. It’s time, CNMI. We must show them who’s boss! Together, with a united voice, we will remind them that they work for us, and we are not happy employers. They most certainly do not deserve a pay raise, and we do not want a casino on Saipan. On Friday, Aug. 26, 2011, we will make sure that they fully understand this. Meet us in front of the Legislature at 1pm, and bring your signs and your voices. On this day, CNMI, we will make history. Join us.

Go to http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164979866912694 to let others know you'll be there and to invite others to the event.

Re: Respect each other (Letter to the Editor, Marianas Variety, 03August2011)

I am not sending this letter in to the papers.  If you wish to comment on it, you may do so here.

You may read her letter at http://mvariety.com/2011080238992/letter-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-respect-each-other.php

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I would like to thank Ms. (Mrs.?) Winnie Atalig for her response to my letter.  It is great that the newspapers allow us to have such an exciting discourse.  I hope she is ready to take my response and understand that I am not attacking her as a person, for I do not know her personally.  I am simply replying to her letter and the beliefs and ideas she put forth in it.  Here goes...

Ms. Atalig believes that if someone was paid to help the CNMI grow, then “he doesn’t deserve credit for ‘helping’ the CNMI.”  If that is the case, then I suppose, according to her beliefs, none of our politicians deserve credit for “helping” the CNMI.  After all, they have been handsomely rewarded with lavish pay and benefits the entire time that they have been “helping” the CNMI, right?  Also, if we go by her beliefs, then I guess none of the other workers in the CNMI who have helped to develop our Islands (local indigenous included) deserve any credit for “helping” the CNMI.

She then goes on to give her own personal definition of what a resident is, which is inconsistent with the definition of the word “resident” in the dictionary.  She says that “a resident is someone who is born here, who has lived all his life here, who owns property here and is a voter.”  Having been born and raised in Saipan, and having lived there my whole life until after I graduated from high school, I consider myself to have been a resident at one point.  Unfortunately, I don’t meet the criteria set forth by Ms. Atalig.  Actually, if we go by her definition of a resident, that disqualifies a huge chunk of locals as well, considering that most of us can’t own land due to a controversial law which advocates racial discrimination.  Since we’re talking about legal issues here, let’s see which definition holds up in court; the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition, or her own personal definition.  I apologize if my definition hurt her, but the fact is, that is the dictionary definition of the word, and that trumps any personal belief of what it should be.

Apparently, she still believes that the granting of a better status to the non-indigenous resident workers of the CNMI will somehow cause the local indigenous population to lose their voice when it comes to the future development of our Islands.  I fail to see why many people believe this to be the case, so if anyone can please explain it to me, I would greatly appreciate it.  As far as I know, there is nothing in any current or proposed legislation that grants a better status to non-indigenous resident workers that will also take away the right to vote from the local indigenous population.  Again, if I haven’t done my homework, please, do correct me.

Then, she defends her Chamorro blood, saying that it separates her from the “nonresidents,” and she says that she wants to protect what is theirs, meaning “what we have been given the right to own and claim under the law.”  I have some news for her, and anyone else who aligns themselves with her idea of Chamorro supremacy: WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS.  WE ALL BLEED RED.  Take down the racial and cultural barriers for once and actually look at these human beings.  They wake up each day and think of how they can sustain their family.  They brush their teeth, they shower, they eat meals, they go to work, they love their family.  They try to make an honest living.  How are they so different from you and I?  

As far as her wanting to protect what is theirs, I didn’t realize that you had the right to own and claim racism under the law.  That’s really the main thing that I can see that they want to protect: their ages of racist ways and taking advantage of slave labor.  You won’t find a foreign contract worker in the United States who has lived here for over fifteen years and is still considered a foreign contract worker, because Americans believe in equal rights for all human beings and provide a way to gain lawful permanent residence, and possibly even citizenship.  Slavery was supposed to have been abolished in the United States a long time ago, but apparently, it is alive and well in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

She says that in protecting their assets and culture, “nonresidents should not be permitted to fish, hunt, make children, get married and take anything from our environment for free.”  I swear, I feel like I am reading this out of an American History textbook!  Her line of thinking sounds eerily similar to the racist caucasian population of 1950s America.  How is it possible in today’s America that anyone could be so self-righteous and ignorant that they believe they are superior to anyone not of their race; that people who are not of their race do not deserve to enjoy the same rights and freedoms that they enjoy?  That these non-Chamorro people don’t deserve to fish, hunt, make children, and get married?  This is ABSURD!  I cannot believe that anyone can honestly sit back and let this kind of thinking go unchecked.  I hate to break it to you, but we are all the same race.  We are all members of the HUMAN RACE.  Therefore, we all deserve equal rights.  You aren’t better than me or anyone else who isn’t “Chamorro” because we are all HUMANS.

She says that their culture is now dominated by other cultures and that “we are forced to change our language and our behavior.”  I have said it before, but I will say it again, for those of you who seem to have forgotten.  The changes you see in the Chamorro culture today are NOT solely the result of all these foreigners coming to live in the CNMI.  In fact, the only change in Chamorro culture that I see as a direct result of the foreigners coming to live in the CNMI is that it is apparently now a growing part of Chamorro culture to be extremely racist, hating all other races and believing in the supremacy of their own.  The other changes you see, whether it be in the way people talk or the way they act or dress, is a result of cultural globalization due to the television shows, video games, movies, and magazines that “your people” are exposed to.  If you cared so much about preserving your culture, perhaps it is not the non-indigenous residents you should be worried about, but the TV shows, movies, magazines, and video games that your children are so addicted to these days.

If she considered it such a threat for foreigners to come in and live on island, why on earth was she ok with it back when they invited all the foreigners to come develop their island and perform the jobs that the local indigenous population did not want to do?  She wants them to go through the same process as everyone else, but the laws in the CNMI prevent them from doing so.  In the U.S., foreign contract workers are provided with an opportunity to become permanent residents for their services to the country.  There is a process that they follow in order to do this.  Unfortunately, no such process has ever been set up in the CNMI; therefore, they are NOT able to “go through the same process as everyone else.”

No one started judging locals.  The “locals” brought it upon themselves when they decided to blatantly display their racism.  There is no judging involved; there is only the simple observation of the truth.  I don’t hate her for stating her opinion, because that is a right that she is entitled to under the Constitution of the United States of America, which I swore to protect and defend at one point in my life, even though I was not afforded those same rights while serving in the military.  I simply hate her opinion, which is so obviously rooted in racism and Chamorro supremacy.  I never said that I built the roads, airports, and hospitals.  Apparently, Ms. Atalig is so emotionally blinded that she now associates me with the non-indigenous resident worker population.  Sorry, Ms. Atalig, but I was born and raised on Saipan, and I am proud to be a local of the CNMI.  Furthermore, I never said for her to get out, or that this land was mine.  She misses my point every time because she is so blinded by her false beliefs.  In case anyone else misses my point as well, let me state it for you here and now:  My dream is for everyone in the CNMI, Chamorros, Carolinians, Filipinos, Chinese, Bangladeshis, Indians, Thais, and all other races alike, to live together in peaceful harmony with equal rights in a prosperous CNMI.  A CNMI where it’s not “you vs. me” or “Chamorros vs. non-Chamorros,” but US, UNITED as ONE people; the PEOPLE of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.  A CNMI where we can ALL work together towards the constant growth and improvement of our Islands and our people.

The foreign worker population in the CNMI does not desire conflict with the Chamorros.  All they want is an honest chance for a better life.  All they want is to no longer be treated as slaves.  All they want is a voice.  A voice, so that they can work together in equal standing with the Chamorros to help the CNMI become a better place.  They want the CNMI to succeed just as much as the local indigenous population wants to.  Please erase all thoughts in your mind that the foreigners are trying to steal the Islands from the Chamorros.  The non-indigenous population does not wish for a hostile takeover of the Islands.  They do not wish for any takeover.  They wish for harmony and equality and a peaceful life.

She wonders how I was treated here in the U.S., for me to have “all this hateful judgment” against her thoughts.  I was treated by my fellow Americans with kindness and acceptance, even though my skin color and ethnic background differed from theirs.  They gave me the same treatment that they expected me to give them.  I served alongside people from all over the United States and the world to protect and defend the Constitution that gives you the right to speak your mind.  We lived and worked together in harmony, regardless of where we came from.  THIS is why it upsets me so greatly to see that there is such great racism going on in MY homeland.  I cannot believe that I have been defending people’s right to speak racist thoughts and ideas back home.  It sickens me.  It disgusts me to a level I have never been disgusted before, and I have seen some pretty disgusting things in my time in the military.  

“Sadly, I thought that if you want to be part of a group, you should make friends, respect each other and help each other.  But many among us would rather fight for power than work as a team.”  Those were her exact words, and in saying them, she unknowingly tells us that she does NOT want to be part of the group that is the CNMI population.  Instead of making friends with and respecting the non-indigenous population, she insists that her race of Chamorros is superior and should always have a say in keeping the slaves as slaves, no matter how long they have been living and working legally in the Islands.  It’s absolutely disgusting.  “The CNMI should have the right to decide who should stay here?”  Well you obviously have decided that it was ok for them to stay there, since they have been living and working there for over 10 years (many even as long as 20!).  Why suddenly change your mind now?  Is it because they finally decided that enough was enough, and that they were tired of being treated like slaves?  Oh, so you’re alright with foreigners working for you and staying on island, as long as they obey your every word and live in conditions you give them and don’t complain.... I see.

“Yes, those born here have the right to become one of us, so I agree they should be residents.”  I had to laugh at this ridiculous statement.  First of all, who is she to say whether or not she agrees with U.S. citizens being residents of the CNMI?  Last I checked, the CNMI is a U.S. territory, and U.S. citizens can live there with no problems.  I think she is under the false impression that the CNMI is a sovereign country and that they have control over even the U.S. citizens who decide that they want to take up residence in the Islands.  I hate to burst her bubble, but that is simply not the case.  Secondly, what does she mean by “become one of us?”  If, by “one of us,” she means a racist xenophobic local, I think I’ll pass on that offer.  I prefer to live in a CNMI that gives all its residents fair and equal treatment, no matter what the color of their skin, their country of origin, or their religious beliefs.  Mutual respect for all human beings is truly the only way to live in this day and age.  

Her letter definitely explained her thoughts better than her last one.  Unfortunately, it also painted her as a racist xenophobic Chamorro supremacist.  Whether she truly is that, or if she is merely misguided into thinking that way, I do not know.  I do not know her personally, so I will refrain from passing judgment on her.  Everything that I know about her, I know from the letters that she sends to the papers.  I can only judge the ideas and thoughts that she puts forth in her letters, and it is very obvious that she has racist thoughts about the current situation.

Thank you for reading my letter.  I appreciate your time.  However, I am but one person.  Alone, I cannot make a difference.  But united with those of like mind, we CAN and WILL change the CNMI for the better.  I encourage all of you to stand up and speak out against the injustices that you see happening around you today.  Let your voice be heard; you never know who is listening and willing to support you.  Check out www.facebook.com/cnmiyouthrevolution, and if you agree with our manifesto, “Like” us and join the Revolution today!