Ambrose M. Bennett
THE TRUTH of the matter is each time WE (opponents of the GOP) try to take one step forward there are those who try to make us take two steps backwards. My online critics (elkapitan, JusticeFighter7, and Saipan Man) who think they know-it-all are clearly “backward thinkers” focused on the past, not today & tomorrow and are using their outdated rational to find reasons to fight the promotion of our Cannabis Tourism Industry or should I say to have something so they can use to attack ME! But times have CHANGED, and times are constantly changing leaving a lot of people in the wake of contaminated dust, which is why the silent majority don’t comment to their ugly diatribes about my Op eds — adults are far crueler than kids. But if anything, they are entertaining with their outlandish comments and the only reason I’m bringing their backwards thinking to the public is to show that WE (the CNMI) still have work to do. At one point in time the “gay people” were hush-hush,” and it took decades to change this perception. But even after the silent majority had changed their stance towards gay people, there are still GOP people who want to take us backwards trying to ban everything that was done to make sure the gay people are treated FAIRLY!
Well, the same phenomenon is happening with the legalization of marijuana in the CNMI, as there are those who still don’t want to accept the reality that the use of marijuana is no longer being frowned upon like it used-to-be, as it’s known as “living-in-the-past.” Most adults have experienced dealing with people who maintain out-of-date preferences in our society, as even children have been known to tell or say their parents were “tooooo old fashion.” I’m 73, but I stay in step with the times, as it was essential being a teacher — heck, I even wear baggy pants sometimes. My critics are so backwards that they think everything I write or do is related to me getting in trouble over 50 years ago, but there is no-shame in my game and there is nothing they can do to stop me.
These backward thinkers were trying to assert that the Chinese and South Korean governments are going to retaliate against the CNMI in some way because marijuana is legal in the CNMI. But to show how RIDICULOUS my critics sound, you don’t see the Chinese nor the South Korean Government putting their people through the ringer over marijuana usage on the mainland when they return, as there are 23 states that have legalized recreational usage. To assert that these countries are going to take a different approach with their citizens visiting the CNMI is nonsense, unless their citizens start getting caught at their airports trying to bring some back. That is WHY I have been pushing so hard for the “dog-searches like Colorado & amnesty box” to assure no marijuana leaves, which was in my draft of the original Bill, but it went in the trash along with other important things I recommended become law.
Heck, one commenter even informed me that Guam had legalized recreational use. But it seems Guam is also doing a “hush-hush” Cannabis Tourism Operation, because I didn’t even know they had legalized for recreational usage. I may have missed the announcement because my wife and I were in Germany for an extended period of time with our daughter when it happened. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what Guam has done but WHAT the CNMI plans to DO to capture the market in our region before Guam does! If it’s the CNMI’s intentions to continue with the hush-hush Cannabis Tourism like Guam, then WE must accept the reality that our Cannabis Tourism Industry may NEVER bring in any significant amount of NEW MONEY for the CNMI. Stop the “hush-hush industry talk” and promote our Cannabis Tourism Industry and even conduct the events that will entice tourists to visit the CNMI.
I do want to thank my critics for providing the platform for this Op ed though, I couldn’t have written it without you — LOL and please keep-it-up, as you’re at least entertaining for a laugh. FYI, the silent majority is not stupid, and your comments aren’t having any effect other than being entertaining and highlighting things that I might need to write about like your ridiculous assertions about the Chinese & South Korean Governments. My critics can go you-know-where because WE must promote our industries or it’s useless to have them, especially when the CNMI needs new money, as we are losing hundreds of thousands each year on the Cannabis Tourism Industry — for TRUE!
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 in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
