Columnists

A few miles back from the beach you will come across items that defy explanation. Lying among the jungle growth are pieces of rusted iron, red and flaky with age, barely resembling anything useful. Then there is the buoy, much too far from the shore to have been placed there purposefully.

Is it safe for you to swim in the sea? Yes, it is safe. Of course there are sharks but it is not dangerous.

THE Covenant is a promise, not a favor. For the people of the Marianas, it was never meant to be a polite thank‑you note to American power; it was a hard‑won agreement that our political union with the United States would protect our communities, our land, and our right to shape our own future.

The grown-up assumption is that high pay will incentivize us to choose jobs in construction, trades, caregiving, hospitality, restaurants, farming, or healthcare. Yet historically, in the States and other developed countries with high wages, labor shortages persist precisely in those occupations.

The idea that belonging should be tied to land ownership is not universal. It is the product of a particular historical system shaped by expansion, acquisition, and the transformation of land into a commodity.

FOR months, we have watched the pillars of our economy collapse in real time. Anchor hotels have closed. Major retailers have left. Tourism — our only major industry for 40 years — can no longer carry the weight of our government’s deficit. The CNMI is now standing at a historic crossroads.

THERE was a Commonwealth Utilities Corporation board meeting last week. I showed up, as I’ve done before, to give my three-minute statement. Like many citizens, I left with a familiar feeling — speaking into an empty room, with little response and even less dialogue.

SOME of the greatest poetry ever written was inspired by the sea. One thinks of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and the epic “Ulysses.” The ocean is not only a stage for heroics but for tragedy and dilemma.

IN our islands, we often speak of respect, unity, and community. We are taught not to disrupt harmony, to be patient, and to trust in leadership. These values are not weaknesses. They are part of our cultural strength and identity. But there is a point where respect turns into silence, and where si…

FOR decades, Pacific communities have been told that the International Seabed Authority or ISA would create a strong, science‑based Mining Code before any commercial activity in the deep ocean could begin. Yet today, the world is still waiting — and the ISA’s delays are no longer harmless. They are…