Ambrose M. Bennett
THE Truth of the matter is, someone must set the matter straight on OUR Institutional Politics which has been faltering for years, as it seems the People are finally starting to SEE & SAY they have had ENOUGH of the political “gaslighting, deflecting and slight-of-hand poli-tricks” when it comes to OUR Leadership in Government and now concerns rise in the Church’s leadership. FYI readers, every institution in America has some form of “Institutional Politics” be it the Government, Education Institutions, and now even the politics of the Church has become a major concern OF the People. But I was truly glad to see MANGO taking steps to try and move forward and become part of the government’s decision-making process, as they are the real experts, but WE will have to wait & see if leaders do THEIR part. The NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) have been and still are the most important agents FOR the People when it comes to “Culture and combatting Social Deviancy & Poverty.” KUDOS MANGO and praying the LT. truly listened and will do their part!
Sometimes the TRUTH hurts and I know some may not like nor want to hear this, but I must reiterate the TRUTH that “God does not make OUR political & church decisions.” He judges them it’s his job, which is WHY Bishop Comacho recruited me to stop the casino. WE have God’s teachings, and God will only watch & judge us later, as he only watches our choices and the results of OUR own good, bad or ugly decisions. This is the REAL DEAL! Now you know WHY WE, the CNMI, is continuing to suffer so much from “OUR own bad choices doing the same thing over & over expecting a different result electing Republicans for 30 straight years,” and Arnold is a Republican too regardless of what’s on his label. Now it’s being exposed Arnold is raising the pay for a “Republican Lobbyist” for TAYA — the Republican nepotism & favoritism poli-tricks and even raising his pay when WE had and still have a Delegate to lobby Congress FOR the CNMI — subterfuge in-our-FACES continues. But I’m getting it now why God is keeping me around, at 73, to keep-it-up, as I’m truly needed to educate & help his people for a BETTER CNMI. I think citizens need to be reminded that OUR Government belongs to the People but if the People don’t CHANGE and take REAL ownership in “making demands to the government (protesting),” which is American Politics, then it’s the Same-O Same-O for the past 30 yrs. Excluding me & Zaldy, only one Local, like in Sodom & Gomorrah, has come forth recently to complain. A Dunkalu THANKS to Peter Castro for fighting FOR the People.
However, the same phenomenon is taking place with the Church over the selection of our new Bishop when God had nothing to do with it. The decision for our new Bishop was made by “ordinary men” who surely already know God’s teachings, but WE also know that NO-ONE is perfect, not even our religious leaders. The Founders wisdom for America in the 85 Federalist Papers that I have read gave us the only two keys to the two-doors for successful governing over people be it in Government or any Institution within our society, which includes the Church. Those two keys are simple to use as everyone can use them, which is being an “informed & active citizen” is the simple task it takes from us all to hold our government & church accountable TOO the People! “All it takes for bad or evil to prevail is for the good men & women to do and say nothing.” There was virtually NO accountability nor oversight in our government and now for the Church. It is the fiduciary job of ALL the elected officials in the Legislature to place “checks & balances on the Governor” yet that has FAILED to happen tooooo many times in over 30 straight years in the CNMI. Ralph’s subterfuge was so bad a Judge is now calling for a Federal Investigation on his BOOST giveaway. Now Arnolds nepotism for Joe Palacios’ when WE need money!
FYI, I am also a Biblical scholar who used to write Messages in the North Star that are now part of my latest religious book “Bits of Wisdom & Knowledge” on Amazon Books, and I can see the same problem with government that just took place within the church. But I can’t be the only active citizen FOR the People on everything, as I can use some HELP! After the previous oversight for a Local Bishop, I was actually expecting a “petition to the Pope” that I would have signed but it never came and it still doesn’t exist. I think those complaining forget “you must make the FIRST step (petition) and then God can make two (touch their hearts).” But no Local who is complaining now took the leadership and started DOING SOMETHING to make SURE a Local Priest was our new Bishop & the same with our government. No “informed & activeness” thus WE see the results. Complaining after the fact, when you had a chance to influence the decision BEFOREHAND proves our Founders of America were soooo right in every aspect of institutional governing & leadership over the People.
FYI, I’m smelling an old “political PLOY” used for years by Republicans who injected culture, as they even used culture to stop me when they couldn’t even get new Local words added to the vocabulary to stop the deterioration of the language and now culture has spilled over into the church. Get mad at the Republican’s Cultural Affairs Office for the past 30 yrs. on language & culture issues but PLEASE not the church, it’s just wrong! Furthermore, it is the Church’s SINGLE job to “save souls,” not languages & cultures, as there is a plethora of cultures within the church. It’s also God’s church, not Local’s, as the church only CONFORMS to language usage to accommodate the parishioners who only speak a specific language, as the church needed to use the Local languages in the past. But the preservation of the Local Languages & Cultures is the sole individual responsibility of each Local person, as there are many people in the church who are NOT Local — for TRUE! If every local did their part in promoting & preserving the culture, there wouldn’t be complaints and placing it on the church.
Respectfully, Locals must tread very carefully in promoting a biasness in favor of Locals, which is not the purpose of the Church that works to save the souls in EVERY CULTURE, even those who don’t speak the Local languages! But I get-it the resentment, however, Locals allowed it to happen, as nothing was done to make sure a Local was appointed, duh! WE must respect and accept the decision and/or formally protest through a petition to the Pope. At least there is public oversight with the Church but not with our political leaders, only me & Zaldy. But please don’t get upset at the Church leaders, as WE can only pray for these ordinary men who may have made an HONEST oversight like WE have all done at one time or another. The focus might have been MORE on qualifications in the decision than on the NEED for a Local Bishop, as I’m sure the appointed one is surely qualified. But it was your job citizens to be an “active & informed citizen” for the results YOU desired be it within the church or government. But parishioners did nothing and complaining after the fact is “too little too LATE”! So don’t forget “the two keys for successful governance being an informed & active citizen” for a BETTER CNMI and a Local Bishop for the Church. God Bless & God Speed CNMI!
One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & lifetime Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
