WHILE the Democrats may enjoy some sense of leadership in the House, the “strangle-hold” that the Republicans have on our CNMI society is for REAL and the only countermeasure to freeing the CNMI is for Republican “voters” to CHANGE if they truly care more about the CNMI than their personal politics! That old wisdom of “power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts” has come TRUE right in front of OUR eyes as the Governor now has control of the Senate, ALL the Government Agencies, Boards & Commissions. Given the strangle-hold the Governor has on our entire government, WE the People can’t just sit and WAIT for the Feds to rescue us AGAIN! WHEN are WE the People and our leaders going to “take matters into OUR own hands”! More importantly is the fact that this strangle-hold needs to be broken starting NOW! I’m for the Democrats but I’m also not afraid to say what needs to be done because I KNOW many voters didn’t sit and watch the former Independents “yell corruption & oversight only to be denied” and now that they have the power to hold the Governor Accountable I’m sure Democrat voters are expecting them to deliver.
The head-rest of George Washington’s “Rising Sun” chair.
File photo
We are quickly approaching a time for re-starting our economy and the Governor has PROVEN he is NOT the one to be trusted with much of anything, not even OUR credit card, as action needs to be taken because the CNMI is NEVER going to move forward with any real sense of progress as long as this Governor is in office. WE the People and our Democrat leaders need a real “political tidal change” and that takes “courage, conviction, fortitude and a lot of heavy lifting to turn things around,” as it is time to take the “kid-gloves off” and deal with the Governor and his strangle-hold on the CNMI. For me, he Governor’s powerful strangle-hold on the CNMI is why he was so defiant as to even think he could get away with the recent Ambrosio Pardon Gate Scheme that was my “last-straw.” The Governor & HIS Republicans already got away with sabotaging the Democrats in the last General Election getting the Democrat Candidate for Governor to step down leaving the party with a former Republican for its standard bearer.
Now the Governor is even more defiant to insult the Democrat Party with a scheme that is truly a betrayal of his Oath to OUR Constitution & the People and it was a CRIME of Extortion. Don’t forget how the Governor allowed the “GAVE-AWAY” of OUR Mariana Resort, he misuse of OUR money and purchased first-class tickets that CLEARLY violate the very CNMI Laws the Governor SWORE to uphold. It seems the Governor THINKS he can get-away with ANYTHING right in front of our faces and he is depending on Democrats to just “play-safe politics” and won’t touch him. But I’m truly praying along with a few thousand others I’m sure that he is in for a “wide-awakening” with one of the sunrises in the not too distant future and it won’t be the Feds but OUR Leaders knocking on his door with a subpoena to finally “testify in front of our House of Representatives” and be held ACCOUNTABLE, as NO ONE is ABOVE the LAW!
The main reason the Feds started their RICO Investigation was due to our “lack of oversight with the Governor” who was allegedly committing crimes with others and it has even come-to-light that the Chinese Government was even involved, which is a BIG NO-NO for State Officials! But our Legislature was doing NOTHING and depending on our AG to prosecute the Governor appears to be a total waste of time. Need I remind readers that “RICO implies that there is a criminal organization allegedly led by the Governor with some kind of criminal strangle-hold on society” — it doesn’t get any more serious. I know the Democrats are in a “precarious position” needing an Independent and a Republican to get things done but I hope they will agree and will at least try as it is truly “pathetic” that us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats have to wait and pray the Feds will save us from our OWN criminals. In the past the Governor’s strangle-hold has rendered all oversight and accountability checks by the former minority impotent but times and changed and Angel Demapan is not the Speaker — thank God for REAL!
I believe Governor Torres is the worst Governor we ever had taking us “nowhere, quick fast and in-a-hurry” and I challenge readers to try and “credit the Governor for accomplishing anything” — but I bet readers can remember the “PROSPERITY Lie” that got him elected. The Governor is soooo smart at changing the narrative & news cycle because he didn’t say anything in his defense for engineering the Ambrosio Pardon Gate Scheme that’s already OLD News and NOTHING happened to the Governor when it should. Instead, the Governor got in the news doing his “deflecting & gaslighting” making the “matching funds” an issue for citizens to be more concerned about so they won’t think about his recent alleged criminal activity but the Governor really needs to be held accountable.
But it is Republicans who are actually breaking the “Republican Strangle-HOLD” in Washington as Republican Business supporters and Republican voters are leaving the Party by the tens-of-thousands to join the Democrat Party and Republican Businesses and VOTERS in the CNMI need to be doing the very same thing — for REAL! Impeaching the Governor is definitely justifiable after the Ambrosio Pardon Gate Scheme and I’m sure many voters have witnessed MORE than enough corruption and criminal behavior; voters have endured MORE than ENOUGH embarrassment with MORE than ENOUGH reasons to support an impeachment and even “jump-ship” to join the Democrat Party like other local Republicans have already done. The only question in the CNMI is will ENOUGH Voters join the Democrat Party to totally sever the Republican Strangle-HOLD on our Government come 2022?
On a final note: I have it on good authority that the Governor is being TRUE to the Godfather figure as he has “dipped into NMC’s business” to try an influence the Board’s decision for a President. PSS is protected from the Governor’s influence by Law but NMC is not and I know there are two people with Doctorate Degrees who have applied. But the Governor’s choice does NOT have a Doctorate which already smells of “Politics OVER Practicality” and that means the Students LOSE and the CNMI LOSES. I hope this will help to put the Board on notice to not even consider the Governor’s choice which would really amount to a “political appointment” when NMC needs a President with an Education background who is capable of transforming NMC into a 4-year College. It’s the Government’s responsibility to set the conditions and create the infrastructure for our youth to excel and contribute to our society but all our Republican Government has done was promote a “Loyalty to Republican Agenda for Jobs” and now the Governor is trying to take over NMC with their Republican Emissary who will surely recruit our youth as Republican Voters.
I saw only one comment and a lot of “funny” by Republicans to the previous Sunrise Report calling for impeachment that was obviously written to DEFEND the Governor. But offering a defense will NEVER erase the facts of an actual crime. What is it when the Governor allegedly violates the Laws Governing the use of OUR money, what is it when the Governor allegedly BRIBES several elected officials with “the POWER to appoint Committees” that he IS NOT even supposed to have, and what is it when the Governor allegedly EXTORTS a private citizen to carry-out his BRIBES on elected officials? All of this stinks to high-heaven and I think most judges and us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats call these acts “bribery, high crimes & misdemeanors,” without the FBI’s RICO Investigation which is MORE than ENOUGH to impeach and convict the Governor — so for Democrats, its truly time to “don’t worry & be happy” you can finally hold the Governor ACCOUNTABLE!
FYI House of Representatives, it’s “FELONY” to bribe a police officer and the Governor allegedly “bribed & extorted officials and a private citizen.” WE (our Legislature) can’t just keep giving him a “free get-out-of-jail card,” as his alleged crime spree needs to STOP NOW! The Governor just doesn’t know where the line IS nor when to stop which is why he MUST be impeached to stop him and to start loosening-up the Governor’s Strangle-hold on the CNMI.
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.
