NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Someone once told me that Nicaragua is a land of wounds. If Latin America is a land of open veins, Nicaragua is a land of wounding after wounding. Since becoming independent from Spain in the early 19th century, it has gone through regular periods of social upheaval and repression, generally with the United States playing some form of oppressor. In the 1850's a US mercenary and would be monarch William Walker took over the country and re-instituted slavery. Although the US government didn't necessarily fund and organize his private imperial venture, they recognized his facade of a government, as it would be one where they were certain it would follow their interests. Walker was expelled by a coalition of local Central American leaders who all detested the power that the United States and its economic and military emissaries tended to wield over their local affairs. As the United States saw Latin America as their sphere of influence, they closely monitored any potential inte

Colonialism isn't supposed to exist anymore, which is why it is intriguing every time I hear someone use it and its imagery in order to make their point today. People who are trapped in relationships call them colonial. People who feel exploited name it colonial. People who feel oppressed refer to it as colonial. I have even heard it used in positive senses, as in moving into a place and changing the way it operates, for the better, as being colonial.  The colonial mention of the day comes from a group of Latin American leaders from countries who have long resisted United States hegemony in the region. The United States is trying to play is very su'anu with regards to the Edward Snowden scandal. They want to pretend like its nothing, like he's lint you just brush off your shoulder. It is no big deal. But at the same time they are applying very real pressure throughout the world in order to punish him and take away his options. The issue is not Snowden himself of cour

Published on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 by The Nation From the Archive: We Are the Patriots by Gore Vidal CD editor's note: The following essay appeared in the June 2, 2003 edition of The Nation magazine, and we reprint it today following news that Gore Vidal died yesterday at the age of 86:   I belong to a minority that is now one of the smallest in the country and, with every day, grows smaller. I am a veteran of World War II. And I can recall thinking, when I got out of the Army in 1946, Well, that's that. We won. And those who come after us will never need do this again. Then came the two mad wars of imperial vanity--Korea and Vietnam. They were bitter for us, not to mention for the so-called enemy. Next we were enrolled in a perpetual war against what seemed to be the enemy-of-the-month club. This war kept major revenues going to military procurement and secret police, while withhol

I'm writing a post right now about the "beauty" of the current situation in Gangjeong Village on Jeju Island South Korea where the people there have been resolutely resisting the building of a 400,000 square meter base which will be a dock for Aegis Destroyers from the US and South Korean militaries. Protests and civil disobedience were begun to stop construction, 34 people were arrested yesterday and I'm waiting for more details to say more. But in the meantime, I wanted to share some pictures from the current attempts to stall construction and also share a statement of solidarity with the people of Gangjeong from Japan. ************************** 【緊急声明】　Urgent statement 긴급 성명 韓国・済州島における海軍基地建設に反対します We oppose the construction plan of a navel base on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. 우리는 남한 제주도 해군 기지 계획 건설에 반대합니다 韓国政府は現在、済州島における海軍基地建設のための工事着工を、住民の反対の声を無視して強行しつつある。北東アジアの平和を求める私たち日本の市民は、工事着工の中止と基地建設計画の全面撤回を要求する。 The government of ROK is about to force throug

I'm on my way back to Guam right now, but I'll be stopping over in Hawai'i for a few days to visit family and also to work with the American Friends Service Committee there. They've lined up an interesting schedule of events for me, places to speak at, interviews, people to meet, and plenty of stories to listen to. I call this a "de-tour" because one part of my trip will be taking a "De-Tour" around Hawai'i, which is short for a "demilitarization tour." In it I'll drive around and see different sites of military poisoning or contamination, different sites of resistance, and meet with people at different levels of Hawai'is struggle for environmental justice and Native Hawaiian ( Kanaka'maoli) sovereignty. My presence on this tour is all about helping build solidarity networks between Chamorro activists on Guam and Hawaiian and Native Hawaiian activists. I'll be talking to people about Guam's situation, its legacy of

Gof magof hu na hu fakcha'i este na tinige'...put fin!!!! O'sun yu' put i invisiblity -ta yan banality -ta. From http://www.commondreams.org A New Network Forms to Close U.S. Overseas Military Bases by Medea Benjamin In a new surge of energy for the global struggle against militarism, some 400 activists from 40 countries came together in Ecuador from March 5-9 to form a network to fight against foreign military bases. The conference began in Quito, then participants traveled in an 8-bus caravan across the country, culminating in a spirited protest at the city of Manta, site of a U.S. base. While a few other countries such as England, Russia, China, Italy and France have bases outside their territory, the United States is responsible for 95% of foreign bases. According to U.S. government figures, the U.S. military maintains some 737 bases in 130 countries, although many estimate the true number to be over 1,000. A network of local groups fighting the huge U.S. mili

There is a very important conference taking place right now in Ecuador about the status of foreign military bases around the world. I am excited and grateful that three Chamorros will be there in order to testify and inform others about the situation in Guam, where because of the simple fact that Guam is not completely "foreign" but neither "domestic," this ambiguous political status somehow becomes transformed into the right of the United States to do whatever it wants to Guam. I'm attaching below a press release from the conference as well as the statement from I Nasion Chamoru put i estao militat giya Guahan pa'go. Magof hu na manggaige hamyo na tres guenao, ya en tachuchuyi ham. Na'tungo' i otro na mannatibu yan i otro na nasion-siha put i estao-ta, ya tungo' nai na gaige ha' giya Hamyo todu tiempo i espiritun i taotao-ta. *********** Declaration: International Conference for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases, March 5 to 9, 2007 Qu

I'm thinking about turning the posting of this article into a yearly thing for me. It was the first piece that I ever published in Minagahet Zine in 2003 and represented a huge shift in both my thinking and my ability to represent myself and my ideas publicly. At the time I was in the states living with my then girlfriend Rita, writing my master's thesis in Micronesian Studies and also applying to graduate schools. I hadn't really been that active on Guam. I had done alot of research, alot of talking and listening, spent time with different activist groups and learning from them what was being done, what had been done and of course, what was still left to be done. Coming to the states however, I found myself with so much information, stories and pain, most of which never seemed to find its way into public discussions in Guam. Disconnected, lonely, feeling malingu didide', I did what most people in this situation do, I started spending too much time on the internet, loo

HUGO CHAVEZ! I always find myself being very skeptical of him, yet every Venezuelan I've met or heard from says he is truly doing good for his people... Here are some articles, which don't paint him as Washington does, as an enemy of his people. But rather the way he really is, as an enemy of Washington, but a leader of his people. Yanggen guaha chansa-mu para un egga' i mibi, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," egga' ha'. Maolek na perspective put hayi Si Chavez, yan i estorian put nai i US yan i manakhilo' giya Venezuela, ma chagi muna'suha gui' gi un "coup." Chavez's Programs para i manaisalape http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0817-01.htm Mas put sa' hafa mangge Si Chavez http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0816-03.htm I US, ma keketahgue Si Chavez http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0218-01.htm Election Stuff http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0816-07.htm Sinangan-na Si Chavez http://www.commondreams.org/h