NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

The conventions for both political parties this year have passed. Because of the time difference on Guam, I wasn't able to watch them as much as I'd hoped, because I was usually in class when people were speaking. I followed the coverage as best as I could, even writing about the Guam delegations for both the DNC and RNC and the way they represented the island in their roll call spotlight moment. I have only attended one political convention in my life and that was in 2008 when I got to be the "Blogger from Guam" to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where Barrack Obama received the nomination for President. I has wanted to go back to another convention or two, and toyed with the idea of attending this year, but my teaching schedule made it impossible. While reflecting on this year's convention and my own experience 8 years ago, I sifted through my digital files and came across this article this article that I written fro AAJA or the Asian American

In 2008 I was able to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver because of something called "The State Blogger Corps." This was a grassroots effort by the party to bring to the convention local blogs and progressive groups from all 50 states and even the territories to join the conversation and get access that they would surely not be able to get otherwise. With my press credentials from the State Blogger Corps, I was basically a member of Guam's delegation and also a member of the press. I got to go almost anywhere, even in places that normal member of the press weren't allowed to. I want to attend the 2012 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. I don't see any mention of the State Blogger Corps this time around on the Democratic Convention website. I don't know if I just can't find it, or if they aren't offering it this time around. The 2008 campaign appropriated alot of grassroots elements in order to symbolize that Obama was riding a

Right now I'm writing up my final thoughts on my trip in August to the Democratic National Convention and will be posting them soon. While writing, I had a chance to go back through my photos and see all the pictures I took of famous people while I was there. For those who want to radically increase the amount of people that they can claim to have been in the same room or within five feet from them, I highly reccomend going to a a Democratic National Convention (or even a Republican one). My list of famous movie, media and political celebrities that I can claim to have bumped into or been pushed aside by their secret service entourage shot up to well over two dozen. Here are some pictures of the famous people I saw at the DNC (naturally if we were to change this to list of people that I actually had the chance to talk to at the DNC, it would be much much shorter): The formating for the blog makes it tough to write the names of each famous person underneath their pictures, so I&

I was completely drenched, estaba sen sohgon yu' in American Presidential politics, for all summer and most of the spring. My blog was grateful for the attention, as plenty of times I was writing on it about Obama being smeared by Republicans or Race and Gender in the campaign , when I should have been working on my dissertation. I remember several times writing on my blog that I wouldn't be posting for a week or so, and then ending up posting about Palin or something else which had just pissed me off. This obsession reached its climax in August when I attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver and for almost two weeks, I thought of nothing else but Presidential politics, race, militarism, colonialism and US territorial - Federal relations. Now that I'm Guam, my intense link to the race is weakening, the need to constantly write about it, follow it and so on is dumidide dumidide muma'pos. Its slowly fading away. There are several reasons for this. 1. I&

Below is a letter I was forwarded by Michael Leon Guerrero from the Global Grassroots Justice . I've been waiting weeks for something like this to emerge, a Native Alaskan perspective on Republican VP choice Sarah Palin's record in Alaska. I'm glad that its finally here, because the lack of this perspective has been horrifying, especially amidst all the pro-Palin exuberant coverage. Although the erasure of the indigenous people of the United States is the norm (as they represent histories, legacies and contemporary realities that your "average" American citizen or politician refuses to deal with), I've been surprised at the lack of coverage of Native American opinions on the Republican Presidential and VP candidates. For McCain, coming from Arizona and being for several years the chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has a long relationship with Native American tribes, and has helped write numerous laws regulating their gaming industries and their

What I Learned from the DNC #5: Tokenism (this is the fifth in a series of concluding thoughts on my time as the blogger from Guam at the 2008 DNC) ************************** The presence of Guam and other territories at the DNC is a form of tokenism, it is not a gesture of respect or recognition based on necessity or power, but a gesture made to exude the benevolence and grandness of the one making the gesture. In times past the presence or inclusion of certain ethnic groups could be construed as tokenism, empty gestures to include you, which do not recognize you as having any power or standing. Nowadays, especially in this election where “white” people are showing continued quiet, but nonetheless present resistance to voting for a black man, the patchwork of ethnic groups that make up the Democratic party have to be respected and have to be recognized. With Asian American, Native American, Latino American and African American populations playing key roles in whether swing states

What I Learned from the DNC #3: Ocean of Excited Amnesia (this is the third in a series of concluding thoughts on my time as the blogger from Guam at the 2008 DNC) ***************************** To the world outside of the convention the purpose of this massive complicated event is to be a show of force, an articulation of their purpose and destiny to lead the country. Inside the convention, on the one hand, the purpose might seem to be about excitement and “revving up the base.” The convention is where the party gets “fired up and ready to go.” But during my time in Denver, talking to Hillary Clinton supporters, and also interacting with the Guam delegation, the other purpose of the convention, on the other hand appears to be the creation of a mass outbreak of amnesia. The media coverage leading up to Clinton’s speech was obsessed with whether or not the party could “heal,” whether or not the factions could come together for the good of their party. This coverage was naturally irr

What I Learned from the DNC #1: Democrats vs. Republicans (this is the first in a series of concluding thoughts on my time as the blogger from Guam at the 2008 DNC) **************************** For the territories the differences between Democrats and Republicans can be negligible and often boils down to simple politeness or rudeness. If Guam was to seek to become the 51st or 52nd state of the United States, then you would find the foundations of both parties be the same “NO!” but the rhetoric lain atop that foundation very different. One friendly, nicer, more willing to listen, open to nuance, while the other a clear, direct rebuke, like “You are not Americans!” Depending on your perspective this could be something or nothing. It could mean that engaging at the level of national American politics is either pointless or important, or some mixture of the two. For me, it creates the appearance of a far better possibility of working with Democrats instead of Republicans, and this

I'm still a bit groggy from all the energy and excitement from yesterday's events at the Democratic National Convention. I'm watching CNN right now and it seems that the Republicans have decided to make major history this election, by not just picking a woman for Vice President, but bringing together the first Father -Daughter Ticket in History!!!! ( joke via Rashne) The media was right, John McCain did pick someone younger than him. Although given all the possible names out there on the national scene, there weren't many people whom he could pick who aren't younger than he is, and in fact three of those names come from either Alaska or Alaska's biggest ally in the Senate, Hawai'i, Senator Ted Stevens, Senator Daniel Innouye and Senator Daniel Akaka. McCain had to pick someone younger than him, unless he was planning to exhume Ronald Reagan and create some elaborate Weekend at Bernie's farce over the next few months. I'm looking at McCain and Gove

Estague i chalan siha, nai mamamokkat yu' kada diha. Bula linahayan, yan diniskuti taiguini. Ai adai, esta mampos yafaifau ya puputi i patas-hu.

Yesterday was a confusing and crazy day. Interviews were difficult to come by and when I was able to speak to politicians about Guam issues or Pacific Islander issues, their answers were generic or banal. Internet was also an issue, as I had trouble nearly all day finding reliable internet as I shuffled around from DNC event to DNC event all around downtown Denver. Today looks to be alot better. I woke up this morning to find in my email inbox a wonderful email from one of the blogger media people, letting us know that we can request spots on "podium roundtalble interviews." As speakers at the convention step off the stage and into the sea of media and delegates they will have a blogger/press roundtable waiting for them where we can ask a question or two. You can only request three a day from the list of speakers. I'm sure most bloggers would go after a spot speaking to the bigger name folks from today's schedule. For me, I'm just trying to find people who can sp

Articles from The Nation , by people who are better writers then me, with better access and better resources. They all deal with different aspects of the Convention from police and protestors to recently chosen VP Senator Joseph Biden and his experience: The Most Powerful Man in Denver (You've Never Heard Of) Ari Berman Meet the lobbyist who's behind the Democratic convention. Shiny, Happy People Richard Kim The DNC is all big smiles, good cheer and shopping for souvenirs. Even the protesters can join in. What Exactly is the DNC? Christopher Hayes An extended party for big shots...an extended campaign commercial...a big fundraiser...a media boondoggle. Tailgating in Denver Ari Melber A backstage look at the DNC's kickoff. The Myth of Foreign-Policy Experience Katrina vanden Heuvel Just because Joe Biden has experience doesn't mean that he has the right answers on US-Russia relations.

Things in Denver have gotten off to a rocky start so far (no pun intended). Getting lost, problems with technology, confusion over passes and access. I'm having a great time, and very excited, but things have also been incredibly stressful. More soon on all that though. Everywhere you go in Denver, especially in the downtown area you see evidence of Democrats. They even have the official vehicles for the convention driving around with special DNC plates. And by the way all of them are hybrid. Here's a little silly humor for Chamorros and everyone from Guam. For those who know, she also has a hairstyling salon in Hawai'i. The lobby of the hotel where I received my press credentials was a madhouse. Motmot dimasaio. Although this convention is supposed to be fully wired, its been a real pain trying to find accessible wireless. Which as a blogger, really really sucks. Barack Obama's book Dreams of My Father is very good. Gof kapas na titige' gui'. Olaha