NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Lumiliko' yu' pa'go gi i sanhaya' na bandan Guahan. Hu tufong todu i tapblerun pultikat ni' hu li'e. Hu tuge' papa' hayi umusa Fino' Chamoru gi i tapblerun-niha (ti meggai) yan hu atan lokkue' hayi umusa i banderan Amerikanu pat i banderan Guahan gi i mensahin-niha. Meggai na kandidatu siha gi i dos patida ma u'usa i agaga', i asut yan i apa'ka gi i tapblerun-niha. Meggai lokkue' umu'usa i bandera Guahan yan i Guam seal, lao mas mau'usa i banderan Amerikanu. Malago' yu' sumangani i manmalalagu siha na guaha otro kulot siha (fuera di ayu na tres), ya guaha otro manera ni sina un usa para u representa i isla-ta. Bai hu tuge' gi otro simana i Guam Political Sign Awards. Hu litratu todu lin'e'-hu, ya para Guahu este kalang un gof mata'pang na sakkan botasion para tapbleru, guaha interesante.

Driving around the past few days was surreal. It wasn’t because of the change in the air due to the storm. It wasn’t because of the eerie clouds that have been hanging around lately. It was because of something that for a day or two largely disappeared from the island’s landscape, political signs. Si Yu’us Ma’ase to all the candidates who pulled their signs down during the most recent storm warning. It is one thing to have people use your signs as plywood after an election is over, it is another entirely to have your signs appear on Facebook or Instagram after one of them was thrown into someone’s windshield by wannabe-typhoon-force-winds. After months of watching these signs multiple faster than rhino beetles and brown tree snakes put together. After months of watching these signs, like gladiators bravely clash at street corners, in neighborhoods and in empty fields, using cut up American flags, partially hidden Guam seals and plenty of platitudes as their

I'm writing up my 2012 Guam Political Sign Awards. For those who need a reminder about what this entails, I thought I would post below my awards for the last election, in 2010. ******************* 2010 Guam political sign awards Wednesday, 10 Nov 2010 01:22am by Michael Bevacqua |  Marianas Variety News Staff The political signs are slowly getting taken down around island and so before we forget that for close to a year our island was covered in a sea of slogans, promises, and smiling faces, Id like to hand out my 2010 Guam Political Sign Awards. These awards are decided by me and me alone, there is no panel of judges who have debated or voted on them. The categories are neither fair, nor uniform, and they change for each election depending on what signs are out there. These awards are meant to be fun and funny, and rarely serious. These are not meant to attack any candidates, but are instead given to celebrate how invested our island