TO quote Popeye the Sailor, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more!” I have reached my limit regarding how many of the people now living on Saipan are ignorant about its political history and relationship with the United States. The ignorance is overwhelming and many of the culprits seem to be U.S. mainland lawyers and other professionals.
Thanks to power and worldwide scope of the Internet and a relative new phenomenon known as “blogging” I see lots of words penned from and about the CNMI each week. Most write about the beauty of the islands and how great the people are. You have the standard ration of liberal bleeding hearts whose prose laments the plight of garment and other workers. Others complain that Saipan is like a Third World country because of the number of wild dogs and cats on the island.
That’s to be expected. Lord knows that when I first came to the place many years ago I viewed Saipan as the typical haole — i.e., comparing it the U.S. It took several months and making friends with many of the wonderful local folks I met, plus a few characters like Larry Hillblom and Bob O’Connor to “realign my values.” Include Paul Manglona and Teno in that crowd.
I also learned from these people what a special place politically the CNMI actually is. Because of them I have made it my personal mission to correct those who refer to the CNMI as a “U.S. territory,” putting it in the same boat as Guam, American Samoa and other protectorates.
Mainland journalists are lazy and think that anything past Hawaii is automatically a prize of the Second World War and a territory — and that’s what they write. Lawyers coming to the CNMI automatically try to imprint U.S. jurisprudence and all that it entails.
I address this to the government of the commonwealth: PLEASE take the following steps:
1. Prepare a one page pamphlet written in all appropriate languages that will be given to every airline passenger ON THE PLANE that says in a few short sentences that:
a. The CNMI is a commonwealth in self-determined political association with the United States.
b. It is NOT and NEVER HAS BEEN a “territory of the United States.”
c. It WAS a United Nations Trust Territory that was administered BY the U.S. under U.N. control until that relationship was supplanted by commonwealth status.
Each passenger would then have to sign this, saying they read the document and understood it and it would be handed in as they come through customs. If passengers have questions at the time, immigration and customs officials could answer them.
The printing costs could be absorbed by island merchants such as McDonald’s, Subway, etc. by putting a coupon at the bottom that is validated by a stamp or other way at the airport.
2. Make the first question on the driver’s license test, “Is the CNMI a territory of the United States?” either a yes or no answer. If they answer yes, they fail the test-period.
3. Make second question: “Define the political relationship of the United States and the CNMI.” It could a multiple choice:
a. A U.S. Territory
b. A Trust Territory of the U.S.
c. A Trust Territory of the United Nations
d. A commonwealth of the United States
If they get it wrong — they fail.
Finally, make the same questions a part of the CNMI bar exam. If the barristers fail this elementary question they have no business practicing law there.
As a closing thought I ask those of you who leave the CNMI for whatever reason and grew to love it, join me in correcting folks who insist on writing or saying that it is a territory.
This may seem silly to some, but I assure it is not. There are many on Guam who wish they had the CNMI’s relative independence.
Hafa adai from Northern Virginia where it is 19 degrees F and two inches of snow on the ground. I wish I was sitting at a beach pub, libation in hand and watching another memorable sunset.

DAVID T. HUGHES
Herndon, Virginia