BEING an African-American and seeing the official recognition of “Juneteenth” gave me pause to reflect and appreciate this small step forward in America for the evolution of African-Americans as being truly respected, appreciated and honored for their role in America’s History. But it’s just another tiny step forward in a journey to the top of the mountain of equality and respect for ALL people of color. African-Americans are still celebrating the freedom of slaves in the shadows of white supremacy, murder-by-police and gun violence that is still being incubated and cultivated in many parts of America. Domestic Terrorism driven by racism is on the rise just like I predicted in my book The Audacity to Change in 2018. And there is also the fact that whenever, and I do mean WHENEVER Black folks take one step forward, THEY (White-folks, just the you-know-what kind) make SURE we take two steps backwards which is what THEY were already working on to attack the voting rights of Blacks but thank God the Feds have started taking states to court.
But I was glad to hear there was a Juneteenth Celebration on Saipan even if I couldn’t attend as that day is also especially special for my wife & I as we went on our first date on Juneteenth. The CNMI still has a long ways to go in just making ALL Americans equal not just us Black Folks but as John Lewis might say: “we can’t give up, we can’t give out and we must keep up the good fight making good trouble to better mankind. So, since no one did anything last year for MLK Day, I am going to do it myself with the help of others who are willing and I am also going to plan the Juneteenth for next year with the help of those willing. But I never thought I would see a Black President so I hope it is not too much wishful dreaming to think that one-day a Black Person, and maybe even one of my daughters, will be one of our elected officials — “time is always on my side” when it comes to change and improvements.
The Pudding or the Slop
Do you want to eat pudding or slop? President Biden said something not too long ago that really made sense about a lot of things in the CNMI when he summarized his talks with Putin — “the proof (quality) of the pudding is only revealed when you eat it” and for me WE the People have been eating slop with the quality of a “SPAM Government” for entirely too long. The Governor and these Republicans haven’t been feeding us pudding but indeed they have been figuratively feeding us SLOP as they have gaslighted every challenge that came before them and guess what – most of those challenges are still WAITING for the Democrats to fix. But it’s not fair to expect only one part of our government to fix EVERYTHING — it just doesn’t work that way. So, if voters want everything fixed then they need to fix every seat in the Legislature and in the Governor’s office by electing Democrats.
I don’t know about other voters but I WANT SOME STEAKS and I want steaks that are not “tokenism” like the 10 million given by Best Sunshine to pay our power bills after they had SUCKERED the CNMI into an exclusive Casino deal and didn’t have to pay taxes. I want steaks that come EVERY DAY to the AVERAGE Person in “HIGHER Salaries, BETTER Jobs by creating some kind of “manufacturing in the CNMI, such as Hemp Products to Export which is WHY I told the Legislature to Legalize Hemp in the first place so the CNMI could once again take advantage of the Made in USA Labels like the Garment Industry.” SECURED Jobs for Locals in Tourism. For example: “a Law protecting and promoting ONLY U.S. Citizens with a ten-year residency can be a Tour Guide, which is what Mexico did to protect their people and their history to make sure their history is told properly. Locals represent less than 10% of our Tour Guides. So, the proof of Republicans pudding is in the very slop we have been eating. I’m sure most voters with common sense who are not well-off will agree that the quality-of-life in the CNMI is closer to slop than pudding. So, if you think or know you’ve been eating slop you know what to do on YOUR Decision Day 2022.
For those who seem to think the new Democrat House of Representative Leadership are supposed to somehow fix ALL of our problems just because the Democrats control the Lower House — “you got another think com-in”, as we say in my culture. WE must also not forget that this is the “Torres Administration” and the buck (accountability) for ALL Government operations stops at Governor Torres’ Desk and not with the Speaker of the House. The Democrats can only do so much as the PROCESS requires the Senate and the Governor and even the Judicial System to weigh-in on the process. In fact, one of the biggest problems with the PROCESS now is WE the People have an AG who refuses to hold the Governor accountable for anything even when EVERYONE in the CNMI knows and can see OUR Laws are being broken, as too many people told the AG the overtime was illegal but he acted like a “church-mouse” if you know what I mean. Expecting the Democrats alone to figuratively deliver a “hole-in-one or a master-piece pudding” is RIDICULOUS, as my granddaughter might say.
Those complaining about a wasted 7 million when the main reason the 7 million is being wasted on Guma Hustisia is because of Republican Administrations, not Democrats. The main reason the Retirees’ 25% continues to be uncertain and the 40 million mandated by the Court was issued is because of Republican Administrations, not Democrats. The main reason CHCC and the Medical Referral Program have always been in peril is because of the Republican Administrations, not Democrats. The main reason PSS, NMC, NMTI, DPS, DFEMS, Corrections, Public Works, CUC… and the list that goes on of Republican FAILURES and not Democrats. The Republicans have been feeding gaslighted pudding when it was really slop and the main reason all of these things need immediate attention. But now the trick is to make it seem like the Democrats are somehow supposed to serve steak when WE the People are still under the alleged “Godfather Regime.”
So, to think the new Democrat Leadership can somehow clean-up and fix-up all the things the Republicans have messed up over the past two decades is like asking someone to make a “hole-in-one” on Tinian but they are teeing-off on Saipan, DUH! If voters don’t know by now that the gaslighted pudding of “INVESTORS” the Republicans have been selling for over two decades that has us in this desperate Economic situation today is really slop then WE are in much bigger trouble than I ever thought.
When the Governor asserted PROSPERITY, he was gaslighting and feeding us slop. When the Governor PROMISED to explain HIS misuse of OUR money, he was gaslighting and feeding us slop. When the Republicans faked like they were going to investigate the Governor they were gaslighting and feeding us slop. Form the very start of the Casino project the Governor and his crew of Republicans were gaslighting and feeding us slop. When the Governor implied there was an emergency just to keep the Legislature from budgeting the over half billion dollars he was gaslighting and feeding us slop while he literally pays airlines to do their job and offering hundreds of dollars to South Koreans while Locals got nothing but the continuation of eating his slop. I could go on and on with how the Governor and his Republicans have been gaslighting issues and feeding us slop but I pray this is enough for voters to see that WE must take control of OUR destiny come 2022 or we will continue to eat slop.
“The proof is in the pudding” and if you truly want pudding instead of slop you should know what to do by now given what WE the People have been eating for over two decades. More than anything WE the People need to restore real qualified leadership with real integrity in our government if we truly want to eat quality pudding and even steak every now and then — Decision Day 2022 will be your TURN decide what we will eat.
To be continued: One People One Direction.
The writer is an Economist, 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.
The head-rest of George Washington’s “Rising Sun” chair.
