NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

There has been alot of buzz lately around a case that was filed last year on behalf of a group of Samoans, that is a challenge to the Insular Cases and the relationship of people that live in unincorporated territories to the United States. The short name for it is Tuaua v. the United States. Samoa's relationship to the United States is perhaps even more interesting than Guam's. Although they are a territory and a colony as well, because of the particularity of their history, they are less intimately connected to the US than Guam is. If they are born in American Samoa then they are not US Citizens but instead nationals. They have US passports that have a disclaimer that clarifies that they are not truly US Citizens. They have a traditional government system that exists today alongside the government that has come through territorial status. They are not eligible to as many Federal programs as people in Guam, but they have more autonomy and local control. Part of the team ...

Below is my testimony in support of my cousin Cara's project Nihi. A locally made kids learning show, that I helped to write one of the pilot episodes for. The other day a hearing was held at the Guam Legislature to provide some funding to help get this project off the ground. As someone who helped make it possible, but also somehow who sees the potential for a project like this I was happy to come and show my support. You can read more of my thoughts below. I testified along with my daughter Sumahi, who was on my lap while I was speaking.  ****************************** Tinestigu ginnen Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua The Guam Legislature 6/12/13 Este i hagå-hu. I na’ån-ña Si Sumåhi. Desde mafañågu gui’ hu fino’ Chamoruruyi gui’ todu tiempo. Humuyonogña, siña gui’ fumino’ Chaomru. Esta kapas gui’ gi fino’ Chamoru. Kada diha kumuentos ham put mubi siha, cartoons, ga’ga’ gi lepblo yan maseha hafa otro gi lina’la’-mami. Lao achokka’ fifi...

Published on Thursday, June 13, 2013 by Truthdig Terror Bytes: Edward Snowden and the Architecture of Oppression by Amy Goodman Edward Snowden revealed himself this week as the whistleblower responsible for perhaps the most significant release of secret government documents in U.S. history. The former CIA staffer and analyst for the private intelligence consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton spoke to journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Barton Gellman in Hong Kong, providing convincing evidence that the U.S. government, primarily the National Security Agency, is conducting massive, unconstitutional surveillance globally, and perhaps most controversially, on almost all, if not all, U.S. citizens. The chorus of establishment condemnation was swift and unrelenting. Jeffrey Toobin, legal pundit, quickly blogged that Snowden is “a grandiose narcissist who deserves to be in priso...

STATEMENT OF ED ALVAREZ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMISSION ON DECOLONIZATION GOVERNMENT OF GUAM HAFA ADAI CHAIRMAN DIEGO MORE'JON PAZMINO ON BEHALF OF OUR HONORABLE GOVERNOR EDDIE BAZA CALVO AND OUR WONDERFUL PEOPLE, I PRESENT AN UPDATE ON GUAM'S EFFORTS TOWARD DECOLONIZATION OVER THE PAST YEAR. OUR COMMISSION HAS BEEN HEAVILY ENGAGED IN REINFORCING THE PUBLIC AWARENESS, FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE EDUCATION PROGRAM, AND COMPLETING THE ARDUOUS TASK OF FORMATTING THE THREE TASK FORCE'S POSITION PAPERS SO THAT THEY ARE EASY TO COMPARE, CONTRAST, AND UNDERSTAND BY OUR VOTERS. IT'S NO SECRET THAT GUAM, LIKE MANY ISLANDS IN THE WORLD FACE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES, WHICH HAMPERS OUR ABILITY TO FORGE AHEAD ON ALL LEVELS TOWARD A PLEBISCITE VOTE. SO WE CONTINUE TO MEET AND DISCUSS HOW BEST TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. ONE THING FOUND TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE HAS BEEN PUBLIC OUTREACH, AS THE COMMISSION CONTINUES TO MEET AND SPEAK TO PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, AN...

Pagan Island, the “Crown Jewel” of the Marianas, is again slated for certain environmental devastation, this time by a proposal from the U.S. Military to use it for “live-fire training” which includes everything from artillery to bombing. Pagan is a small island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It is one of the most biologically and geologically diverse islands in the archipelago, and is home to many threatened and endangered species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. Aside from its stunning beauty and rich ecological resources, Pagan is also one of the most habitable of the northern most islands in the CNMI. In fact, this island has supported the ancestors of Pagan islanders for over 3,000 years, as evidenced by Chamorro stone ruins found skirting its beautiful beaches. The U.S. Military plans to occupy ALL of Pagan Island for live-fire training and military exercises, ignoring the indigenous rights of Pagan Island...

Published on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 by Common Dreams Bradley Manning Is Guilty of “Aiding the Enemy”—If the Enemy Is Democracy by Norman Solomon Pfc. Bradley Manning (Portrait by Robert Shetterly) Of all the charges against Bradley Manning, the most pernicious—and revealing—is “aiding the enemy.” A blogger at  The New Yorker , Amy Davidson, raised a pair of big questions that now loom over the courtroom at Fort Meade and over the entire country: *  “Would it aid the enemy, for example, to expose war crimes committed by American forces or lies told by the American government?” *  “In that case, who is aiding the enemy—the whistleblower or the perpetrators themselves?” When the deceptive operation of the warfare state can’t stand the light of day, truth-tellers are a constant hazard. And culpability must stay turned on its head. That’s why accountability was upside-down when the U.S. ...

One project that I have slowly been working on for almost a year is to create a set of 60-second sports for KPRG about Chamorro culture, language and history in the Chamorro language. Last year UOG President Robert Underwood asked me to do something with Chamorro language and media. He made several suggestions, such as creating a Chamorro TV talk show or have Chamorro language radio interviews. All of these were wonderful ideas, but after I investigated them, they would require quite a bit of effort and planning, far too much for me alone. I look forward to trying to create something along these lines in the future. KPRG is right next door to UOG and I already work there for the radio show Beyond the Fence and so for someone whose plate is already overflowing with work this seemed like the most logical and most efficient choice. I met with Chris Hartig the General Manager for KPRG and he said that the best way to start off, and something that he was already ...

Statement to the Regional Seminar on the Implementation of the Third Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism Quito, Ecuador, May 28 – 30, 2013 Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Ph.D. University of Guam / Independence for Guam Task Force The world has come to a consensus that colonization was not right and that colonialism should be eradicated. Whatever rhetoric countries once used to justify exploitation and expansion and their domination over other free peoples has been disproven. Although progress and development can come about through colonization it is neither the most effective or the most moral way of carrying this out. The arc of history seems to clearly bend in one direction, from colony to decolonization. There are only 17 non-self-governing territories left in the world, and close to 200 independent nations, many of them former colonies. This truth however is not manifest in most of the remaining non-self-governing terri...

My first experience with the UN wasn't very useful or inspiring. Chamorros and representatives of Guam have been going to the United Nations to testify before the 4th Committee for more than 30 years. I became one of them in 2007. Prior to testifying I already knew quite a bit about the UN process and so I wasn't expecting that my testimony would make much of a difference. Those who come from colonies or non-self-governing territories like Guam don't get representation at the UN, but they do get a few chances to let their concerns be heard. The 4th Committee is the most auspicious of such occasions. You get to testify in a large room in front of delegates from the entire world. But the potential for the moment means little in terms of its actual effect. The day I testified it was like moving through an assembly line. Names were called. Testimonies given. Thanks given for the testimony. Move on, next name. It went on like that for hours. There were no questions asked whi...

Esta gof apmam este na hinanao-hu, lao ti mismo munhayan. Matto di lamita ha'! Esta munhayan i fine'nina na patte. Lumiliko' yu' giya California ya hu bisita diferentes na inetnon Chamorro guihi. Na'yafai este sa' sumugon yu' gi kareta para 1000 na miles gi tres dihas ha'. Pa'go mafatto yu' giya Ecuador. Para bei hu fama'nu'i guini gi i UN Regional Seminar. Para bai hu fa'nu'i i kumiti put i estao pa'go giya Guahan, ya bai hu apatte siha ni' inaligao-ku put i "decolonial deadlock." Estague i inatan ginnen i kuato-ku gi i hotet.

This week I am in California meeting with Chamorro organizations in Long Beach and San Diego. When I was in graduate school in San Diego, I worked very closely with several of these organizations. It has been nostalgic coming back and catching up with people and learning about what new projects they are working on and what are new ways that diasporic Chamorros are creating community. All of this reminded me of a question that a friend of mine asked me several years ago about what community building is like from a Chamorro perspective. Below is part of my answer tomorrow. *********************** It is important to think of community development not from any neutral or abstract stance, but rather take seriously the context that one intends to develop within, and by context I a huge number of things that must be considered both in the past and present. In conceiving this context, and forming it in a productive way, one must be prepared to bring into the analy...

Gaige ha' i kettura yan i inafa'maolek gi iya GMIF Pedro Onedera Guam PDN 5/21/13 Desdeki i ma babaña astaki i finakpo'ña i Mina'bente sais na Ferian Islan Maikrunisian Guåhan, sigi ha' hålom i finatton i taotao siha. Guaha inapurao, minannge' prugråma, kulot yan inafa'maolek gi i tres ha'åni na feria ni', sigun gi ma muebi para mes Måyu, bula minagof put i atte, fina'tinas cho'cho' kånnai, tradisiunåt, tinalenti yan finatta ni' prinisenta nu i taotao tåno' ginen Republic of the Marshalls, Republic of Palau, Yap, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Kosrae ginen iya Federated States of Micronesia, yan ta'lo ginen iya Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas yan islan Nauru. Desde franela, åtten botto, linasguen håyu, todu klåsen inatan åtte taiguihi litråtu siha, tiniffok, finattan agrikottura na tinanom, yan i petlas siha ginen islan Nukuoro, un islan Pålinesia gi iya estådon Pohnpei, bula siha na kosas para todu i taotao, ...