NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Every day I have a conversation about Guam and its political status and decolonization. At least once a week though, I have a conversation about decolonization or political status that crosses territorial lines.  It might be between Guam and any of the other territories or colonies of the United States.  It might be just a comparative discussion about where each territory is at. It might be a conversation undertaken to talk about how one territory should learn the lessons that others have.  For example, Puerto Rico being so much larger than the other territories, it is common to see the Independence movement there as looming large, and to feel that there is much other territories can learn from Puerto Rican independence activists about growing or sustaining their own movements.  But the visibility of the movement, especially given the larger population of Puerto Ricans in general, can sometimes obscure the fact that within Puerto Rico, the dynamics are much more comp...

Some recent updates on the health care debate in the United States. It is fascinating to contemplate that in the past few years one party lost political power in order to expand health care to tens of millions of more people, and now another party is on the verge of potentially losing power as well, by taking health care away from tens of millions as well. ************************* "Americans decided that health care is for all. Republicans want to roll that back." Former Vice President Joe Biden Washington Post July 17, 2017 As vice president, I met with Americans all across our country. What they told me over and over is that the Affordable Care Act gave them peace of mind — that if they got sick, or if their child got sick, they could get care and not have to worry about going broke as a result. They no longer had to lay awake at night wondering:  Can I pay for this treatment? What happens if she gets cancer? How will I feed my family and afford the care? ...

For those of you in Guam who might not know much of former General Michael Flynn, who recently resigned at National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, here are some article to get you up to speed. ************************************* Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence by Michael S. Schmidt, Mark Mazzetti and Matt Apuzzo New York Times February 14, 2017 WASHINGTON — Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump ’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election, according to four current and former American officials. American law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted the communications around the same time they were discovering evidence that Russia was trying to disrupt the presidential election by hacking into the Democratic National Committee, three of the officials said. The ...