By Ambrose M. Bennett – Activist
THE Truth is, after being on this earth 75 years I have seen too many things invoked as “DOOM, bad or wrong” based on pure skepticism, conjecture & supposition only to be proven WRONG by science & time. Most of the civilized world was FOOLED into thinking marijuana was this awful plant that DOOMED people to being crazy only to learn through science that marijuana is the SAFEST Vice compared to alcohol & tobacco — a proven TRUTH! Heck, mining reminds me of when mankind first went into space with all kinds of DOOM skepticism, conjecture and supposition of danger with the potential of a deadly viruses or parasites that could wipe out all of mankind – didn’t happen! WE learned the TRUE Reality once mankind ventured into space proving the opposition’s skepticism, conjecture & supposition was NOT the true Reality. The mining is an Intellectual Challenge for Intellectual Debate & Solutions for the best outcomes not “DOOM knee-jerk No reactions.” If WE just say No while failing to demand scientific oversight over the mining, WE will get the Same-O results of “avoiding change & progress ending up with No interest in the Economic Windfall from the mining for saying NO with no plan to control & benefit from the mining! NO will never deter or stop evolutionary change & economic demands!
Island governments in the Pacific are now faced with the formidable task of determining “HOW to deal with Deepsea mining,” as there are all kinds of “skepticism, conjecture (assumptions) & supposition (guess work) being piled on this topic. However, at the bottom of the pile of skepticism, conjecture & supposition there is “No Scientific Proof” to support the allegations, as there is yet to be any Deepsea mining. This is about securing CRITICAL minerals needed for America’s TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT and the DEMAND will only increase over time — an empirical FACT! Meaning, “the needs of the many (majority all of America) will always outweigh the needs of a few (minority islanders), which is simply how our Democracy in America and even the world works to a large degree — another empirical FACT! I read & do respect the recent letter on “Rethinking Deepsea Mining,” as some of the things COULD happen, but I beg to respectfully offer a commonsense rebuttal. Statements that assert DOOM to the ocean environment on what “Threatens & COULD happen” are just like the unproven skepticism, conjecture & supposition statements of opposition to marijuana & space travel that has ALL been debunked. In fact, it may be the first island group saying YES will be the biggest winner in Deepsea mining.
There are also legitimate arguments FOR deep-sea mining debunking these DOOM statements. It should be duly noted in a letter to the editor that “some support the mining” based on science, as Science & Scientists have the capacity to create ways to conduct mining with the least damage & adverse effects if given a chance! It is a fact that mining “could (& will) help the United States become more secure, energy-efficient, and technologically advanced” and NO doesn’t change this powerful fact. The CNMI stands a REAL chance to gain a significant Economic Windfall from mining, as America is not just going to ignore these “valuable metals such as cobalt, nickel, and platinum, which are in high demand for everything from electronics to clean energy technologies” and saying NO won’t change this powerful FACT! Just think, “Deepsea mining could (& will) help supply the materials needed to transition away from fossil fuels,” especially when “seafloor minerals are richer and cleaner to extract, resulting in less digging, less waste, and a smaller environmental footprint compared to traditional land-based mining.” Proponents for mining also share the FACTS that “new underwater robots, powered by artificial intelligence, are being designed to collect minerals more gently, minimizing sediment disturbance and potential harm to marine life compared to older methods” debunking the DOOM statements, as there will always be scientist on both sides, but ONLY pure science will tell the TRUE Reality! Heck, some traditional scientists still don’t believe in “ancient aliens” when the Pope has even admitted their existence, as pure science has more than PROVEN alien involvement in our human & technological evolution. WE must end the archaic thinking of the past and become forward thinking Intellectuals!
Its already being said Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have characterized the federal approach as “colonial,” but this is not about the “big fish eating the little fish” figuratively, as the minerals are simply a growing DEMAND. No disrespect intended, but unfounded assertions of “doom & gloom and culture” is not going to stop this HUMONGOUS Demand that continues to grow, which is the RAW & HARD TRUTH taught by History! My concern is the REALITY that the U.N. will allow the offshore mining in international waters regardless of what island governments say and investment money will build platforms and even islands to process these valuable minerals, virtually eliminating island governments from what is surely an “Economic Evolution of Prosperity to Supply an ever-growing Demand.” Mining is not about Social Reform but basic Economics of “supply & demand,” and the reality of “NO” is not going stop this evolution, which is why I suggest the wisdom of a “scientific approach. Islanders must create a plan to be-out-front & in control of the mining demanding inclusion in the decision-making driven by pure science & scientists” in the BEST interest of using the ocean’s resources & to gain the economic windfall that is so badly needed to improve the quality of life for islanders or face missing-out on the economic windfall. The reality is mining WILL happen which is not skepticism, conjecture nor supposition but a pure FACT based on real historical examples that WE should have learned from or be DOOMED to repeat the Same-O mistake with Deepsea mining! I hate to see the CNMI miss-out AGAIN on progress & prosperity for failing to be “forward thinking on this mining issue” only to see this pending Economic Evolution on mining pass-us-by, 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 & Religious Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
