NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Last year, Our Islands are Sacred and other local activist groups penned a joint letter to Governor of Guam Eddie Calvo, challenging his support for the US military buildup to Guam. In response to the letter, which made a significant splash on social media, the Governor met with some of the authors of the letter to discuss their concerns. Central to rhetoric invoked in the letter focused on how the Governor had made several statements to the media that he was excited about the military buildup and what it might mean to Guam economically. As the military buildup, even in its reduced form, will most likely negatively Guam's environment, economy, security and cultural properties, the writers of the letter were incredulous that Governor Calvo would speak of the buildup with such excitement when so many negative aspects were involved. One of the suggestions that they made to Governor Calvo was that he invite the Governor of Okinawa to visit Guam with his staff and have a conversatio

The Importance of Noise Michael Lujan Bevacqua Guam Daily Post April 6, 2016 Writing about colonization in action can be a hysterical albeit terrifying experience. It is something that has consumed my work as an activist and a scholar for more than a decade. It reminds me of a Dilbert comic from long ago, where the pointy haired boss tells a worker that the collar he is putting on him comes with an electric shock which will buzz him if he leaves the area of his “office” or a circle drawn on the carpet. Later in the week the worker is still there and we learn that he has been taught to beg for food. Seeing colonization in action is paying attention to those invisible walls that keep the co-worker in his place, and trying to get others to adjust their eyes just long enough to see that nothing, to very little is probably there. Colonization can involve very clear forms of force, violence and oppression, but it leaves intangible, sometimes barely perceptible marks that persist even

One thing that I struggled with when I first became more conscious about issues affecting Guam, especially around political status, was the question of why more people weren't interested in this and why so few people were committed to the idea of changing it. For my entire life, for the entire lives of my mother and father, for the entire lifetimes of my grandparents, Guam has been a colony of the United States. The face of American colonialism in Guam has changed significantly. My grandparents grew up at a time when Guam was strictly segregated and Chamorros were openly treated as inferior to white Americans. Today, although people on Guam do regularly experience second-class treatment at the hands of the United States at multiple levels, it is easy to dismiss this as simple ignorance or lack of respect and not tie to it a larger political relationship. Para Guahu, ti ya-hu na mañåsaga ham yan i familia-ku gi un colony. Ti ya-hu na esta para kana' kuatro na siento na såkka

Last week was quite a crazy one. Governor Calvo, in his State of the Island address the week before, unilaterally called for a decolonization plebiscite, that instead of following existing GovGuam law, would circumvent it by using the referendum system instead. At the core of the Governor's plan would be the allowing for all people to cast votes in the plebiscite, but only a certain number, would be counted. It was a plan that might solve one problem, but create several dozen more. The past week was filled with meetings about this, in which the Governor eventually came to the understanding that his approach wouldn't necessarily be the best way, although it had been helpful in helping raise public interest in the issue. At present his office and the Commissions on Decolonization have committed to working together on developing an educational plan for a political status vote, and so things are looking up for the moment. Here is a statement that I helped draft in response to

In 2005 I started a blog titled Decolonize Guam or "Peace and Justice for Guam and the Pacific." I ran it with a few other people for about six years, and posted more than a thousand news pieces related to Guam and Chamorros, but and also wider issues related to war and peace in the US and in the Pacific. For some reason (lao ti sina hu hasso sa' hafa) we stopped updating it in 2011, after things connected to the public comment period for the US military buildup had officially ended. It might have been because I started writing a column in the then Marianas Variety, which became a new focus for me. It could have been because I was now more consumed with my role at the University of Guam, as a professor though and using that venue as a conduit for various types of activism or educational events. I'm really not sure why I stopped posting there and updating it, but looking back I'm glad that we filled the site for a few years worth of content, as I find myself r

A top Japanese government official visited Guam this past week in order to check on buildup projects. I'm waiting to hear if Governor Calvo will act on the request of Our Islands are Sacred, who encouraged him to reach out to the Governor of Okinawa and have a delegation visit them to discuss what problems they have with the US military presence there. Here are some articles about the recent visit. **************** Japanese chief cabinet secretary assess buildup-related construction by Nestor Licanto KUAM October 30, 2015 The top Japanese official charged with scaling back Marine presence in Okinawa is here for a tour of military facilities. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga got a firsthand look at buildup-related construction in Guam, which has a direct impact on marching orders. Secretary Suga was appointed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe specifically as minister for the mitigation of the impact of US forces in Okinawa. "And also the specific instructi

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

--> Last week I helped organize an informational meeting at the University of Guam for those wanting to learn more about the potential negative impacts of planned military buildups to Guam. We had a pretty good turnout with around 150 people showing up to hear presentations from the groups We Are Guahan and Our Islands Are Sacred. Help and information was given to those who wanted to submit comments. Although some might criticize the event as being “biased,” in truth all details that were discussed and made available were all produced by the United States Department of Defense through their environmental impact assessments. For those who take issues with what these groups are saying, their critiques all come from things the military itself is stating and claiming. The DEIS, EIS, ROD SEIS are all dense books published by the Department of Defense outlining what their plans are for Guam and what negative or positive impacts are foreseen. If you don’t like the contents of