I had intended to stop writing about the delegate election only because I have family that I must think about who don't deserve the embarrassment of the slanderous attacks on my character. But after being strongly encouraged by a highly respected priest to “keep it up, there is too much anger and revenge in our society”-so I'm BACKKK!
The slander does not bother me anyway after putting my life on the line in the Civil Rights Movement when we used to chant “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me” from the use of the N word and worse. I won't dignify the slanderous attempts by trying to explain anything. As for the people responsible for the slanderous attacks on me, I'm sure voters could see through their hate and vengeance but I have chosen to “forgive them all, for they know not what they do”-a way to always win with love, something I learned from Jesus Christ. So let them who have not sinned cast the first stone so voters will see and remember their disdain behavior. FYI, a person's character is not measured by something 30 plus years in the past that was OK'd for me to teach and to even be considered for commissioner. Character is determined by what we have become and the children we have raised, so I'm very confident that my family, most of our society, and God is pleased with the end results.
As for the delegate election, one of President Lincoln's most famous quotes was “a house divided cannot stand” as he was referencing the pending Civil War. Just think if he didn't believe in the unity of America because a divided America, including the CNMI, would be very different places today. My fears for voters being permanently divided into splinter groups appears to be coming true after a decade or more of promoting one people, one direction. I have said it on more than one occasion that it going to take Devine Intervention to save voters from themselves to fix the CNMI. We have met the enemy and he is us, a 1950 Political Book collection of events.
How can we be brothers and sisters on Sunday and sworn enemies on Monday? Too many voters just don't get it and some don't even want to be one people! With four parties and a host of independents, the CNMI has become so divided by our leaders who are now encapsulating voters into their fighting with the governor they may never see the light in this generation. The governor's opponents have re-introduced the ugly character assassination approach to our politics will do any and everything against the governor and to hell with the consequences for the people. Our job as voters is to publicly “vet/debate” the candidates, not me but anti-Fitial supporters are vetting me because I pose one of the biggest threats, as the truth I have shared about both candidates cannot be disputed-so they try to kill the messenger.
The disenfranchised leaders dividing up the people must learn to keep it real. Like it or not we must give governor Fitial his due credit because he has simply out done many of the politicians in our government which is why they are so angry wanting revenge. I'm not saying he was right on everything but I will say he has proven to be the superior politician among the entire crew-so grow up fellows, take it like a man and stop pulling voters into your personal fight. The governor has continued to win and come out on top in the face of adversity and now he just won again and made his opposition and our media outlets look silly with a failed impeachment and a good power deal. The media and all of us need to exercise more caution before passing judgment and ready to execute the Governor or anyone in the news.
It has always been in voters' best interest to let them fight it out on the Hill and not get all worked up with the impeachment hype. Unlike many, I have chosen to remain professional and to accept the governor as our leader and to try to help the governor on something we agree on that is good for the people-a delegate with real voting power in Congress. To assert that everything the governor is trying to do is bad and that every person around him is bad demonstrates an evil ill-rational and prejudicial mind-set that can't be trusted for truth, fairness, and honesty.
I knew and even told voters the impeachment talk was more political hype than substance and the minority block knew even before they said it that they did not have the votes. So voters must ask why did they even say impeach the governor? The answer should be obvious-it was revenge by disenfranchised politicians who were politicking to get elected at any cost. Voters are being manipulated by their own anger to fight the governor.
These third parties are trying everything to make the governor look bad but in reality it reflects on and will cost the people. They tried to get the federal government involved in a state matter which has only served to make the entire CNMI look bad in Washington.
History should have taught us with the ARRA controversy of Mr. Ada, the federal government is not in a hurry to clean up a territory's mess so don't expect the feds to get in this and remember, those who don't learn the lessons taught by history are doomed to repeat them.
Yes, they may have hurt the governor's efforts but we the people will bear the cost in all future federal negotiations with a cloud of doubt hanging over the CNMI that we created in Washington! Be careful what you wish for, remember, the alien workers complained to the feds for help and they got a settlement but that same federal government sent them home and is sending all the remaining alien workers home against their will! Leaders and voters had better wake up and get a clean mind and open their hearts before we end up shooting ourselves in the head or heart by mistake figuratively.
I have total respect for the true independents who were brave enough to stand alone and not divide the people. But voters must send a signal to these third parties that we the people want power in Congress, which will also send a stronger signal for these third parties to return to a two-party system.
Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman
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