NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

I heard months ago that Guam had some mentions in Wikileaks, but was never actually able to look into it beyond seeing Guam on the index. Thankfully, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun has saved me the trouble of searching for Wikileaks for some of the juicier Guam mentions. These revelations are pretty significant, they reveal some major problems with the buildup, the plans and even the the reason why there was an early mention of a billion dollar road being built on Guam, that was quickly and quietly swept under the carpet and never mentioned again. We'll see what kind of impact that have locally, and see what sort of response JGPO and others can come up with to try and counter the Wikileaks revelations. ************************ EDITORIAL: Leaked Documents Reveal Shocking Japan-U.S. Diplomacy 2011/05/06 WikiLeaks has published vast troves of internal and confidential government documents that normally would have been kept inaccessible to the public for a certain, usually

I have been working recently with a group of people who are pushing for indigenous fishing rights. It is a complicated issue which few people on Guam really understand but tend to reduce to racist and supremacist caricatures. Those who oppose fishing rights for Chamorros, say it is just stupid racism which will lead to the over harvesting of our natural resources. Those who support it tend to say that Chamorros, all Chamorro, simply because they are Chamorro know how to protect their resources and that they should be free to enjoy their waters to their heart's content. Both positions are not really helpful to the issue at hand, and so I've often been irritated at how this issue should not be as contentious as it should be. It cuts right to the middle of American colonialism and multiculturalism and how these things restrict life on Guam, inhibit our ability to even imagine what life can be like. We become trapped in the way America is supposed to be, its limits and everytime we

Daily Yomiuri Shimbun Decision on Futenma Relocation Unlikely Until at Least 2011 Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent Aug. 22, 2010 WASHINGTON--It has become almost certain that essential details of the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture will remain unresolved until at least 2011, as the Japanese and U.S. governments have basically agreed to abandon the Aug. 31 deadline they set earlier. The two governments agreed Thursday on the outline of a report--to be released by working-level experts from both countries by the end of this month--regarding an exact location for the Futenma replacement facility and the design of its runway, according to sources familiar with the matter. The outline calls for the forthcoming report to incorporate two plans as "feasible options" for the relocation facility: two runways in a V-shaped formation or a single runway, with the understanding that the facility will be located on the shore

There were a number of things which overshadowed my trip to South Korea, and when I say overshadowed, I mean things which would constantly appear, be brought up or dictate the conversation regardless of where I went. For instance, the World Cup was huge while I was in South Korea and so everywhere I went, people were talking about it or sporting their pride in their national sport's team. Another issue was reunification and how recent elections this month have helped diminish so many hopes for progress on the re-uniting of the two Koreas. One issue however, especially in conversations with South Korea activists, whether in Seoul, Paju, Pyeongtaek or Jeju, which was always very prominent and had so many people angry, frustrated or on edge was the sinking of the South Korean military ship, the Cheonan in March. The ship was participating in joint training exercises with US military forces, when it ran aground and split in two 58 of those aboard survived while 46 died. The South Kor

My posting might become either very irregular or overly regular in the next few days, depending on how my access to internet and level of energy goes. I'm on a solidarity trip to South Korea right now. As the delegate from Guam I'm joining delegates from Okinawa, the United States and the Philippines in meeting with local peace, antiwar, demilitarization and reunification organizations. I have a crazy schedule of non-stop protests, workshops, tours and meetings for the next week, which includes a two-day visit to Jeju Island off the southern coast of South Korea. After spending one day here, para bai hu sangani hamyo, there is plenty to write and blog about. But the question remains, as to whether or not I'll have the time, energy or decent enough connection to keep posting. In the meantime I just wanted to share a short report that I just typed up, at the very last minute to be translated into Korean and be distributed at the different meetings I'm going to. Each o

President Barack Obama is not a liar, and when he isn't as progressive or radical as people would like him to be, its not because he is not living up to his rhetoric, one thing that has always been comforting about Obama and his rhetoric is that he has, since starting to run for office in 2007, always said exactly what he intends to do. Thinking that because Obama's skin color is a certain way, he would therefore be interested in keeping the war machines of the first world from waging war against any more black and brown peoples, is ridiculous. What Obama represents to you or to me, has very little to do with what consciousness he carries and uses to think about the world. Obama was against the Iraq War not on principle, but because it was a stupid war, a tactical/strategic mistake, that distracted the United States and its military from the real threats in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And although Obama was very generous and vague in his rhetoric on ending the war in Iraq, he wa