NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

At this year's Regional Seminar for the Committee of 24 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, attendees were treated to two presentations by experts on decolonization from the UN perspective. I'll discuss both presentations through my "Decolonization in the Caribbean" posts, but today I wanted to focus on the remarks from Dr. Carlyle Corbin, from the US Virgin Islands, who is a longtime ally with Guam and the Chamorro people in their struggle for self-determination. He offered a number of recommendations that the Committee could take up in terms of moving ahead with its mission of eradicating colonialism from the world and assisting the remaining non-self-governing territories. What is refreshing in terms of the seminar overall is the way it mixes scholars and experts with diplomats or government reps. The debate or discussions between country representatives and committee members tends to move in familiar and sometimes frustrating directions. Regardless of what is t

On August 28, 2015 the Department of Defense signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for their proposed military buildup to Guam. The military buildup and its impact on Guam has long been a topic of public debate. What has often been lost in the discussion of socioeconomic and environmental impacts is what effect a military increase of this magnitude may have on the Chamorro quest for self-determination and the decolonization of Guam. Since 2011 I have been a member of the Commission on Decolonization, and although many people might think of issues of self-determination and military increases as being separate, we should think of them as being more closely connected. The overall mission of the Commission on Decolonization is to educate the island community on issues of political status, in particular related to the holding of a political status plebiscite in which those who are legally qualified will vote on one of three future political statuses for Guam (integration, free associat

I am staying up all night tonight to finish an article on environmental discourses surrounding the US military buildup to Guam as it was proposed in the 2009 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and later formalized in their Record of Decision (ROD). This buildup as it was proposed never happened, as financial problems in both the United States and Japan as well as local resistance efforts, including a lawsuit ended up stalling and delaying the process for years. The buildup looks and sounds so much different today than it did five or six years ago. There is a greater emphasis on environmental stewardship and also constant reminders that the Department of Defense (who currently control 28-29% of Guam) plan to control less total land once the buildup is over. Part of the change in tone is due to the fact that the island of Guam changed in the buildup debate process. This is a key feature of my article. When the buildup was first announced, public opinion on the buildup was op

I'm currently in Okinawa doing research on resistance to militarization, but things were heating up this past week back in Guam with regards to our own recurring strain of militarization, known infamously as "the military buildup." The Governor of Guam Eddie Calvo met with a group over more than 50 activists and community members to discuss their concerns about the recent signing of the Record of Decision, which means the Department of Defense plans to move ahead with their plans for militarizing Guam. I wish I could have been there, I saw photos on Facebook and saw this article from the Pacific Daily News. Mambanidosu yu' nu ayu siha ni' mantachuchuyi i taotao gi este na asunto. ************ Activists voice concerns over buildup by Jerick Sablan Pacific Daily News 10/22/15 Several local activist groups met with Gov. Eddie Calvo on Tuesday to discuss their concerns about the military buildup. Despite the recent release of the Record of Decision — a d

Representatives of the group Our Islands Are Sacred delivered the letter below to Governor of Guam Eddie Baza Calvo at 4 pm on September 11th, 2015. The letter expresses the disapproval of many of the military buildup proposals to Guam and the Marianas by the United State and also to Governor Calvo's rhetoric regarding the buildup. The group is inviting community member to also submit letters to Governor Calvo expressing your own thoughts on the military buildup and the recently signed Record of Decision, which is meant to move the buildup plans forward for Guam. ****************** Open Letter to Governor Eddie Baza Calvo September 11, 2015 Hafa Adai Governor Calvo, When we first heard about the military buildup, we were shocked to learn how massive it was. We couldn’t believe the Federal Government would even imagine proposing something so clearly harmful for our island and our people. So we fought and we fought hard. We even took the feds to court and WON! W

Mafitma i ROD gi i ma'pos na simana. I Maga'lahen Guahan ha silelebra este komo un gefpago na rigalu para i taotao Guahan. Lao anai hu hungok i sinangan-na sigi di hu faisen maisa yu', "hafa magahet na ha taitai ayu na ROD?" Kao ha tungo' hafa ilelek-na? Anggen magahet na ha taitai ayu, ti sina ha sangan ayu. Ti ha konfotme i sinangan-na i ROD, ha chanda gui'. Gi i dinesganao-hu, muna'hasso yu' put i sinangan-na i difunto na Senadot Ben Pangelinan. Matai gui' gi ma'pos na sakkan, lao hu record gui' gi Mayu, anai tumestigu gui' para i huntan publiko put i SEIS. Estague i video para i tinestigu-na, ya hu pega lokkue' gi papa' unu na tininge'-na ginen i ma'pos na sakkan lokkue'. ******************* Estague i Mañamoru! ben’s Pen Published in Marianas Variety March 13, 2014 THE month of March signals the start of our celebration of Mes Chamorro. School children around th

FROM WE ARE GUAHAN DOD SELECTS ONLY CRITICAL RECOVERY HABITAT ON GUAM FOR SITE OF FIRING RANGE COMPLEX DOD has released a draft Supplemental EIS or SEIS proposing a site for a firing range complex that impacts over 250 acres of critical recovery habitat at Ritidian.  A bill has also been introduced in Congress allowing DOD to place a “surface danger zone” over the Ritidian Wildlife Refuge.   WHAT IS THE SEIS? The Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement or “SEIS” is a DOD study that announces DOD’s preferred choice for the location of two things: DOD's proposed firing range complex; and DOD's proposed Marine base and housing.   The SEIS also identifies environmental, social, cultural and economic consequences associated with DOD’s preferred choices. WHY IS IT BEING PREPARED? The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Guam Preservation Trust and We Are Guahan filed a lawsuit against DOD in November 2010 based on DOD’s failure to

Courtesy of Famoksaiyan Friends: From We Are Guåhan: DoD Refuses Public Involvement in Additional Firing Range Complex Studies June 15, 2011 Eight (8) months after making its Record of Decision (“ROD”), DoD has asked the District Court of Hawaii for a “voluntary remand” to do additional studies on the firing ranges that DoD has planned on building at Pågat Village and the surrounding area. DoD has refused to allow for any public input or participation in these new studies. DoD’s request to add more information to its previous studies comes weeks after an e-mail from JGPO about DoD’s plans for Pågat Village was publicly released. In the e-mail, which was sent seven days after DoD issued its ROD, Major General Bice of JGPO wrote to several high ranking DoD officials that DoD “can get all of the land eventually, including an SDZ [Surface Danger Zone] over Pagat; we have to be patient and build trust with the community first.” The e-mail from JGPO also said that DoD could get P