In September 1862, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery in the South a war goal, and dissuaded the British from intervening. The American Civil War was the deadliest in American history, causing 620,000 soldier deaths and an undetermined number of civilian casualties, ending slavery in the United States. The Black people were declared “free” in 1865. The social, political, economic and racial issues of the war decisively shaped the reconstruction era that lasted to 1877, and continued into the 21st century.
It took a great deal more sacrifices and the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King to pave the road for the Black people to be freed. The inauguration of Barack Obama can be a rejoicing and reflecting moment of all the sacrifices for democracy, freedom, and justice in America itself.
There are still more barriers to break down, however, which is where we are in this country. The people of Guam have fought for liberty and justice in World War II and continue to do so, but are still discriminated, suppressed, and denied liberty and justice deliberately by government officials.
Tyranny must be abolished on this U.S. soil Guam. All the local and federal government officials and the media must reckon that with tyranny, the BILLIONS of dollars dumped on Guam by the feds and others did not fix anything. In fact, it made matters worse today. With tyranny, Guam will continue to spiral downward draining the treasury further for no good reason.
Guam needs a person the likes of Doloris Coulter Cogan to advance America’s agenda on all men being created equal. I would like to see the people of Guam freed from tyranny under Barack Obama’s administration.
It would end another ugly chapter of America’s history.
TONY ARTERO
Agana Heights, Guam
