NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

  I am working tonight on a review of the past year on Guam in terms of decolonization. As a member of the Commission on Decolonization and the Independence for Guam Task Force and a community activist and scholar who has been working on and studying this issue for more than 10 years, I am excited to take up this task. Compared to the 1980s and 1990s when the issue of Commonwealth was prominent and much of the island was united behind it, the past decade and a half has been relatively quiet. Part of the reason for this is that the Commission on Decolonization, which replaced the old Commission on Self-Determination has lacked any real funding for the past two administrations. Staff positions have been paid for, but the Commission has received no funding whatsoever for programming or for educational materials. The previous administration under Felix Camacho almost seemed to shiver in fear at the idea of decolonization and did very little to support or promote it. When Eddie Calvo t

I want to write about these two statements, but I don't have much time today. Too many things to do. For now, I'll just leave them here for you to read and analyze and draw your own, hopefully critical conclusions. ***************** Statement of Governor Eddie Calvo "We Support the Buildup" I want there to be a clear message from Guam about the military buildup: we welcome it and we are at the table with the Navy to iron out the details. The military buildup is a program we support for many reasons. Among the countless economic benefits to the quality of life of our people is the honor of hosting the Marines during this dynamic period in world history. Is it a perfect proposal? No. That's why it's critical to maintain a professional and healthy dialogue fit for negotiation. We were respectful, yet strong when negotiating with Navy and federal officials when we came to office. The result of those negotiations was the Four Pillars. Wh