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Showing posts with the label Salapen Federat

In the Land of Lobbyists

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Guam will elect a new non-voting delegate this year and there will also be a change in Adelup, where a new Governor will take over. This means there could be a significant shift in terms of federal-territorial relations for Guam. I don't mean much will change from the federal side, but from Guam, this moment could mean the development of a new approach or utilizing new tools for engaging the federal government on Guam issues. Depending on how you look at the past decade or so there has been some accommodation and some antagonism. From Congresswoman Bordallo, there was quite a meeting of minds over military buildup issues and the US Department of Defense, but that came at the cost of her representing the interests of the people of Guam. Bordallo was well-liked by many of her colleagues and well liked by the US military, but in my opinion, had long become detached from changing attitudes on Guam. When the protests and organizing around Prutehi Litekyan emerged last year, Bordallo w...

The Mayor of San Juan

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Estague i mayot giya San Juan, i kapitÃ¥t para i islan Puerto Rico, un otro na colony gi pÃ¥pa' i EstÃ¥dos Unidos. Gi ma'pos na simÃ¥na sen hinatme i isla ni' un dÃ¥ngkolo'lo' na pÃ¥kyo'. Meggai na taotao manmamadedesi guihi pÃ¥'go. Gof annok gi sinangÃ¥n–ña si Donald Trump yan gi bidan-ña i Gubetnamenton FederÃ¥t na ti manmatratrÃ¥ta i taotao guihi parehu put i estao-ñiha. Anggen un taitai pat un hungok i sinangÃ¥n-ña gof annok yan oppan na ha apagÃ¥gayi i minagahet colonial. Anggen ti siña un li'e' pat hungok, put fabot akompÃ¥ra i tratamento giya Texas yan Florida yan giya Puerto Rico. Gof annok ti manchilong todu gi EstÃ¥dos Unidos, Giya GuÃ¥han, fihu masÃ¥ngan na mamparehu hit gera, lao Ã¥he' gi pas. Gof annok gi hÃ¥fa masusesedi giya Puerto Rico na ti mamparehu hit lokkue' gi pakyo' pat otro taiguihi na klasen ira. ************************** Retired Lieutenant General: While Trump Golfs, San Juan's Mayor is 'Living On A Cot." b...

Tales of Decolonization #18: 300,000 New Reasons

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The United States has long ignored its obligation to Guam with regards to educating the people on their political status and enhancing their understanding of self-determination with the intent of pushing them towards a greater degree of self-government. For decades, activists and Government of Guam officials have called on the United States to fulfill this obligation, with little to no success. This past year however represented the first instance in recent memory of the United States accepting this obligation, as the Department of Interior has provided a grant of $300,000 to the Government of Guam to be used for political status education. Similar grants were also provided to other colonial possessions of the United States, with a similar educational purpose in mind. This money is promising, however most likely unique. Previous attempts to get this type of funding were met with confused responses at multiple levels and didn't go anywhere. As of today it isn't clear what ex...

Mensahi ginen i Gehilo' #16: Kao Siña ta Yamak i Chi-ta Siha?

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I asunton decolonization gof takhilo' gi halacha na tiempo giya Guahan. Magof yu' put este, sa' esta mas ki dies na sakkan hu kekechonnek este. Lao, kada na manli'e' yu' kombetsaion pat diniskuti gi kumunidat put este, ha na'annok na ti manlisto hit. Put hemplo, gi ma'pos na simana, humuyong na tinige' gi PDN put i salape' federat iya Guahan ha risisibi kada sakkan, ya put este na salape' siempre ti sina manindependente hit. Esta manoppe ham yan si Victoria Leon Guerrero. In kattayi i editor para i PDN, ya esta mana'huyong i tinige'-mami. Kada humalom yu' gi este na klasen diniskuti, hu huhungok i meggai na chinatkinemprende put decolonization yan i matulaika-ña i estao-ta pulitikat. I mas takhilo' pat i mas atdet na prublema, ti i salape' federat, ti put taimanu na para ta difenden maisa hit, ti put taimanu na para ta na'ladangkolo i ekonomia-ta. Todu enao siha, hunggan prublema, lao ti sen atdet. Guah...

Tales of Decolonization #15: Media Discoveries

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Every few years the issue of decolonization in Guam is taken up in a national or international context. This is always an interesting thing to witness, as so much of it depends on the attitude of the journalist. Guam is not something well-known in any context that is not centered around US military bases, Spam consumption or the travel of Japanese tourists. So, whenever a journalist has to take up the issue of covering Guam, either for a single instance or become the "beat" reporter for US territories, or the Western Pacific or for something else, it can be interesting to observe. Older analysts have referred to the constant rediscovery of Guam in this way, as every new journalist that is tasked with covering Guam has to undergo a short or very short process of learning about it and then making it known to their reading/viewing public. Sometimes they take a securely American position in their crafting of their narrative, and as such Guam is simply a forgotten or disres...