IT is PURE LUNACY in delaying PROGRESS for the personal intentions of IPI, our biggest “accounts receivables,” and the Governor. I was trying to find out the status of the People’s Mariana Resort but what I learned was not pleasing as the 2 yr. Lease of the Resort under IPI ENDED in 2018, but I didn’t find out if IPI even PAID anything. But this fact alone means the Governor has DELAYED getting revenues FOR the PEOPLE’s Hotel in over two-years and there is still no Lease or RFP — what the heck is going on Gov! IPI was supposed to have finished the two-year lease and get a NEW Lease but that never happened and WE the People haven’t got any explanation. I hope voters can see this as just one reason WHY there was NO Commonwealth Address as WE have been waiting while the Governor DELAYS any and all burdens on IPI to PRODUCE OUR Money! Heck, I don’t think IPI has enough money now to pay for their “trash pick-up” not to mention the over 50 million they already owe us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats in Community Funds. If the Governor truly wanted to GENERATE some NEW REVENUE then why in the world hasn’t, he at least issued an RFP to lease the place – duh! But WE all know the Governor is literally SAVING the People’s Resort for IPI at the PEOPLE’s expense. I wasn’t yelling about the Mariana Resort for fun in my previous Epitaphs and Sunrise Reports because this is just one of MANY reasons why WE the People are suffering and why this Governor MUST be impeached because frankly, “WE the People really can’t AFFORD him for two more years” — sad but for TRUE!
The head-rest of George Washington’s “Rising Sun” chair.
File photo
WE the People can see how the Governor is DELAYING the signing of the lease for the Hyatt, which should have really been a simple formality based on the Hyatt’s history and importance to our Tourism Industry. Given the Governor has literally CHANGED our “Primary Economic Base from Japan Tourists to Chinese Tourists” along with the Pandemic the CNMI is lucky to even have a Hotel wanting to renew its lease. I do know that the reason Kan Pacific backed out was the “absurd increase in the lease cost and other unrealistic requirements that was added to the new lease” which was reported in the news. DPL literally “ran-away Kan Pacific” right in front of our eyes and didn’t get a permanent lease in the end so WE the People end up with TAYA (nothing)! It would be pure lunacy to continue delaying the Hyatt & Mariana Resort Leases which will bring-in immediate revenues so I hope and pray the Democrats will try to FORCE the Governor’s hand to stop these delays since he is putting the burden on Democrats to “generate some new revenue generating Bills” in the Governor’s own words.
WE are in the midst of getting ready to “re-open” the CNMI and we really need to “rebuild our economic base” to a large degree but it looks dismal due to the LUNACY in DELAYS by the Governor. I can remember writing the FIRST Marijuana Bill for then Rep. Stanley Torres and I can remember the 19th Senate hiring me and even sending me to the Mainland to study the Marijuana Industry to help them with Sixto’s Marijuana Bill. The problem was, the first Bill by Stanley Torres was “ahead of the times” and the second Bill I worked on to help Sixto was “not valued & appreciated” by Sixto and Republicans so much of it was scrapped. I can remember the Governor hiring me to be HIS Consultant when the Bill went to the House but it was “all show, misdirection and gaslighting” as the Governor NEVER met with me to discuss the final Bill, just a call to come to the signing. I now know he didn’t want me in opposition to the Bill so he hired me for show and misdirected me to work on the Bill keeping me from going public in opposition — he outsmarted me on that one but it will never happen again. But I did WARN about the potential for DELAYS and failure in getting a Laboratory and what happened, they ignored the very parts of the Bill that would have prevented the DELAYS in getting the Cannabis Tourism & Hemp Industries up and running. Maybe when we get a Democrat Governor, Senate, and House like the Republicans had and mess-up, then WE the People may get the Laboratory and the Cannabis Tourism & Hemp Industries up and running, as it has ALWAYS been up-to-Voters. The Democrats may try but I’m almost SURE the LUNACY of the Senate and the Governor will NOT cooperate. I actually feel sorry for our young Cannabis Commissioners & Director who weren’t given the “Laws & Leadership Support” needed to be successful and unless there is a miracle, WE are going to continue to see never-ending DELAYS to getting these two industries up and running.
WE are talking about re-opening our Tourist Destination Driven Economy but there is too much LUNACY at the top and WE don’t have anything NEW to attract NEW or returning tourists like Cannabis Tourism & the Amelia Earhart Monument. One of the things I focused on in my first Sunrise Report was the desire of the People of the CNMI to finally start seeing some NEW and EXCITING things taking place. I challenge voters to ask themselves “WHEN was I last excited about the CNMI” and I’m sure you may get it — that WE need NEW Leadership too. It is one thing to have NEW and EXCITING ideas but getting NEW out of conservative Republicans is like trying to get “blood-from-a-turnip” — it ain’t going to happen and that’s a fact Jack! Ms. Maria Castro has been trying educate the CNMI on the importance of an “Amelia Earhart Monument” for nearly four years now but instead of the Monument being met with OBJECTIVE minds and hearts she faced SUBJECTIVE minds and hearts that I’m sure is a result of the fact that she IS NOT a Republican follower or LOYALIST but a “free spirited woman”! Opposition to the monument has mostly been in “denial of testimonies by their OWN Local People” — whatever happened to the Local Expectations of “respecting, trusting & believing in your elders”? Some people even wanting “definitive proof that Ms. Earhart died on Saipan” before we put up a monument when the Monument is not even about where she died but HOW she LIVED, duh! But the biggest challenge was there was “NO direct money nor means for Republicans to manipulate the Monument” so they just sat on the sidelines DELAYING and watching opportunity just go-by-the-way-side.
However, I’m very confident the Democrats will proceed without-DELAY to assist the Earhart Association with identifying a suitable “public location” where Tourist Frequent to place the Monument, as the monument is about expanding the base of the CNMI’s Tourism Industry. Heck, we have and entire Mountain going up to Banzai Cliff that is full of jungles and could really USE another attraction for Tourists to see on their way to the top or coming down — it’s called DEVELOPING our Tourist Locations. But what I don’t get is WHY the Republicans couldn’t see the real intangible and unquantifiable value in having the ONLY Amelia Earhart Monument in the Pacific honoring this courageous Pilot and her historic flight that definitely ended in the Pacific. There are people throughout the world who will have a profound interest in the Monument and visiting an island in the Pacific where there are authentic Local Historic Accounts of Amelia Earhart. There is nothing wrong with promoting the “Local Historical Accounts” and leaving it up to the individual tourists to make-up their own interpretations as being true or false. There is also the fact that placing an Amelia Earhart Monument on Saipan won’t cost the CNMI one red penny but it will have the potential to bring and unlimited supply of many tourists with the potential to generate millions to our economy over the years. An Amelia Earhart Monument will definitely be a great addition for re-opening our economy as the Monument will surely afford the CNMI with MILLIONS in FREE Advertisement throughout the world about an Amelia Earhart Monument finally being established on the Pacific Island of Saipan. It would be pure LUNACY for the CNMI to miss-out on this FREE opportunity that will only require a small Lot of Land that will be a beacon in the Pacific for Tourists wanting to see the islands where Amelia Earhart is thought to have been last seen alive.
There are more examples of DELAYS but the point is made and I will end with the famous question most attorneys are taught to ask: “if not FOR Governor Torres would the CNMI be experiencing the lunacy and all these DELAYS to finding real prosperity FOR the People” — a question the FBI have already answered with their RICO Investigation of the Governor as an alleged LEADER of a Criminal Organization and HIS Republicans are not excluded. We the VOTES must stop these Republicans with their lunacy and delays if WE truly want to make progress to find real prosperity — for TRUE!
To be continued: One People One Direction.
The writer is a retired teacher, former CNMI Board of Education Member, James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
