NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Guam will elect a new non-voting delegate this year and there will also be a change in Adelup, where a new Governor will take over. This means there could be a significant shift in terms of federal-territorial relations for Guam. I don't mean much will change from the federal side, but from Guam, this moment could mean the development of a new approach or utilizing new tools for engaging the federal government on Guam issues. Depending on how you look at the past decade or so there has been some accommodation and some antagonism. From Congresswoman Bordallo, there was quite a meeting of minds over military buildup issues and the US Department of Defense, but that came at the cost of her representing the interests of the people of Guam. Bordallo was well-liked by many of her colleagues and well liked by the US military, but in my opinion, had long become detached from changing attitudes on Guam. When the protests and organizing around Prutehi Litekyan emerged last year, Bordallo w

  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

The end of one of modern Guam's most enduring eras is over. Last week we closed one of the most storied chapters of our island's history. We said goodbye to something which has in some ways been a terrible friend to the island and a necessary one as well. Through economic upswings, downturns, typhoons, an endless string of concerts by washed up musicians, the resurgence of Chamorro dance, and the sons of two different Republican Governors getting elected themselves to the island's highest office, this era had it all. Now it comes to an end. Last week Guam began the transition out of the Ordot Dump era of the island's history and with the opening of a new dump in Layon, Inarajan, we have now entered the Layon Dump era of history. Who knows what lies ahead for the people of this tumultuous little island as we go from putting our overabundance of garbage from one pile to another. *********************** New Layon Landfill now open FRIDAY, 02 SEPTEMBER 2011 01:

Minagahet Zine "CHULE' TATTE GUAHAN" Volume 7 Issue 1 September 27, 2009 h ttp://www.geocities.com/minagahet minagahet@lists.riseup.net Hafa Adai, yan welcome to i mina'kuarenta na Minagahet . Gof apmam desde humuyong un issue Minagahet. Desde i ma’pos na December. Ai adai, kalang ti hongge’on este. The absence of Minagahet for the past nine or ten months should not be interpreted as implying that nothing much has happened in Guam recently. So many things have been happening lately, and a few things which were supposed to happen, haven’t yet. There is definitely a change on the horizon, and as always, it will depend upon the activists and the people as to whether those changes benefit the few with the most, or the majority. In this issue of Minagahet, you will find links to several dozen articles dealing with the military buildup, the relationship between the Government of Guam and the US Federal Government, how the current political climate in Japan