Ambrose M. Bennett
THE Truth is, it seems to be a pattern of secrets or should I say “holding-back on the reporting of OUR money” by the Governor. For TRUE, the MV editor caught the governor lying about NO Stimulus Funding remaining, only for him to magically find 212 million. Now the Governor waits over two years, after austerity as election season approaches, to tell us there is 414 million that was not used that give the appearance that he was “saving this ACE to play and Trump just adds to his Hand.” So why NOW are WE the People hearing about OUR money and he didn’t even bother to give us any kind of REPORT on the details of his trip that WE paid FOR & BY the People. It looks all staged for Arnold to have something to stand on in the next election, as he didn’t have an economic plan, just a re-election plan for Federal Bail-Outs! So, are WE really dealing with Arnold’s SECRET schemes that seem to be well planned out & choreographed with him joining the GOP & White house visit, the 702 & 902 talks to cover for his impotency with no Economic Recovery Plan (or) do WE believe the Governor magically found these funds at “the right opportune points in time”? So, what do you believe in this real-life “gullibility test” for voters to pass or fail AGAIN!
At least our Delegate King-Hinds is connecting the dots as I was hoping the Governor & Delegate would be working close together on the Federal Issues we are faced with navigating. But even with both of them working together, two weren’t enough to save Sodam & Gomorrah, as I think “it is no secret” the decision boils down to one man in the end — Trump. The Governor’s effort to court Trump is obvious and I pray that advisor WE are paying is earning his keep. Having a Republican Governor & Delegate may be our saving-grace but even that will be short-lived. I’m almost sure the dynamics of Our-Fathers-in-Washington is going to change in the mid-term. Heck, Trump may even find himself just trying to stay in office if the Democrats have the evidence & numbers to impeach him in two years BY the American People’s Representatives & Senators. So, WE will just have to wait & see, as any & everything is possible with Trump at the helm, so buckle Ur seatbelt! The traditional American politics & political decision making was trashed by Trump on Jan. 20, 2025.
I was noticing how much DEI was a topic on the mainland and the Truth is, the term DEI (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) has never been mentioned nor promoted in the CNMI, especially in the course of our Executive nor Legislature’s affairs beyond the recognition of MLK Day. I have absolute RESPECT for the Local People & their Culture. However, the first questioned I asked myself in silence when asked or told “to respect the Local Culture,” was “is anyone going to RESPECT me and my Culture too? For the Local People it has been a resounding YES, as I have gotten nothing but “love & hospitality” from the People ever since I arrived and even gaining weight from the Local “come-and-eat” hospitality! The problem of “equality & inclusion” only came about when Ambrose made the commitment to go beyond Education and to try and help the People by influencing the decisions in our Political Arena, which I was actually educated to do. FYI citizens, you need to know the CNMI Legislature paid for my master’s in education leadership along with 23 others. We all “signed an agreement to help the CNMI for at least five years after graduating.” Well, some left the next day we graduated, and many ended up at NMC & CHCC in many different capacities. However, after suffering the attacks by the Board of Education & even some prejudice teachers for trying to organize teachers to exercise their Federal Right to Collective Bargaining, only to be protected by the Law & then Governor Babauta, I made a conscious decision to stop trying to help teachers and put my Master’s course work in Political Science to work FOR the People. BUT our teachers are the ONLY teachers in America who still don’t exercise their Federal Collective Bargaining Right and can be fired “without cause” — still praying for teachers.
Being what I’m sure is the perfect example of DEI and being rejected by our leaders because “Ambrose TOOK OWNERSHIP in the CNMI to try and make a difference. It didn’t matter that I’ve lived in the CNMI since the early 1990s, “how DARE Ambrose tell our leaders what to do” seems to be their silent response to even reject things that could’ve made a difference. It also dawned on me that African Americans are almost never recruited, unless it was a highly specialized job. I just happened to be teaching in Guam and went to the Recruiting Session and was recruited by Principal Remy Mike. But it should be duly noted, thank God, that the AG’s office has always used talented African American Attorneys and the private businesses who made it a point to hire African Americans & Filipino Americans but TAYA with the government, except for “one,” Rebecca Warfield who was an African American DPS Commissioner at one time! I only bring up DEI because it is a very BIG thing on the mainland but not in the CNMI, which needs to change with more African Americans being recruited. However, I’m sure my participation and the sacrifices of ALL the African Americans in the Civil Rights Moment along with DEI helped a lot of Locals in securing great career jobs on the mainland. But our Republican led government has only been concerned with “party-loyalty” for people to qualify for a job, which I’m sure is common knowledge. DEI has proven its net-worth in bringing new perspectives & ideas that have been a tremendous asset to improving the quality of goods & services of businesses and government. So, what is the future for DEI in the CNMI, which is the ethical, operational & evolutionary quest to improve the CNMI question to be answered?
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.
