THE truth of the matter is Ralph Torres has made victims of us All in the CNMI in how he misused OUR money and now I’m (Ambrose M. Bennett) a clear targeted victim of Ralph & Sixto who conspired with the Legislature to make sure I could not be part of the Cannabis Industry. I made the mistake of telling these two I wanted to be a commissioner or the Director and it’s really common knowledge that I have a record so they put it in the law that a person with a record could not be the Director nor a Commissioner. The question is “If and WHO will fix-it” because I pray the Governor nor the legislature will allow any of the “Torres’ weaponized corrupt manipulation of our law with discrimination” to exist. As a result of the article on me being rejected the entire CNMI is talking about “how the legislature and the law are wrong” and even my critics are supporting me — maybe there is still hope for “good to win-out over evil.” Will there be Justice or the same old Hypocrisy?
But since my record is in question and there is no shame in my game — I will share. I was more of a victim than a criminal in Memphis nearly 50 years ago being caught in a scheme by one brother in California who put drugs in my suitcase for his brother in Memphis. So, when I went to pick up the suitcase I was arrested and couldn’t get out of it when the brothers didn’t take ownership and were denying anything to do with the drugs and the bag was in my name. This is why it is sooooo important to make sure no one you don’t trust to access your bags when traveling today. But it should be duly-noted that my explanation about my record to the Human Resource Officers at PSS was good enough for me to teach, because they understood the dynamics of the times back then and how “racism has led to many Blacks being in jail when they shouldn’t.” Had I been white I would not have a record — for TRUE, it’s now common knowledge throughout America about how Blacks were targeted for jail!
But I have spent the last two decades fighting FOR the People and FOR some of our Politicians. My wife and I worked tirelessly and endlessly to try and help Hofschneider & Palacios with their run for the Executive Office and more recently I worked to help Palacios & Apatang with their win. I also worked to help all the Democrats who are in office or part of the Palacios & Apatang Administration, especially Senator Edith who is over the JGO, so “WHO will try to help me and fix the law FOR the People & their Industry.” This may actually backfire on the handful of “political-hacks” who were so quick to print out my record and show it to the JGO seeking political revenge, which is why I’m not mad at the JGO. Heck my appointment was inside the paper but my rejection made the front page which speaks volumes to the nature of the beast in the media and in our politics.
The fact that the Director & Commissioners are the ONLY positions in the entire CNMI with this ridiculous restriction is proof that SOMETHING is WRONG! I was on the Board of Education and I can even be appointed as the Secretary of Finance with my record but not a Cannabis Commissioner — it’s ridiculous! Torres and Sixto fooled the legislature into committing this horrific erosion of Equal Opportunity law. What they did has literally put “my rights” on the demarcation line that separates a legal action and a violation of Equal Opportunity law. If I can teach our children then certainly, I can be forgiven to be a commissioner. It was obvious in the comment section to the article that I got a lot of support even from my critics because objective minded people see the law is wrong and it targeted me and needs to be changed! So, will the people witness Justice or Hypocrisy?
We have all seen & learned that our legislature moves FAST when it wants to! They wrote & passed the Casino law in a week; the Senate had no problem with rendering a “not-guilty” verdict for Ralph in a one-day Kangaroo Trial. More recently, Herman Guerrero was able to get a frivolous Bill passed in a week. So, if they truly want to fix the law they can and can do it in an expeditious fashion. We will see if I’m truly a member of the CNMI family or still just an outsider. It’s no secret that Ambrose M. Bennett did the research and wrote much of the Senate’s original marijuana Bill and that I understand and know more about what needs to be done. I may not be the only one who can help the Cannabis Industry but it’s no secret in the community that I am the BEST qualified to fix and turn the industry around — no disrespect to the present commissioners intended.
But it should be noted that Colorado was facing a class-action suit that prevented people with a record from working in their Cannabis Industry and now the same question must be answered in the CNMI and I would like to believe that our NEW leaders in OUR Government won’t let me nor the people of the CNMI down. It’s really ridiculous to be going backwards 50 years for a Cannabis Commissioner position just to stop me when the CNMI needs to be trying our VERY BEST to fix the present for a brighter and more productive future!!! But believe it or not, this is really MORE about the CNMI and the Cannabis Industry, not me. The truth is, the CNMI is really the bigger loser than I am, as the People had far more to lose from not getting the highly qualified & specialized expertise the people so badly needed to fix the industry that is costing far more to run in the hundreds of thousands than it’s bringing in. This is a true test of our leaders’ moral fiber & fortitude to simply delete two lines affecting the Director and the Commissioners in the law. I don’t mind God using me to test people, as he uses people all the time. I will be waiting and many citizens will be waiting to see what our Governor and/or the legislature will do to clean up another Torres’ & Sixto’s mess. 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.
Ambrose M. Bennett
