A most welcome hearing

A month from now, the CNMI will be facing yet another congressional oversight hearing. During this hearing, U.S. House Representatives will be asking pointed questions about our reform efforts. Naturally, our delegation will be doing its best to convey the facts in the larger context of extreme media sensationalism and labor union propaganda.

But after the CNMI complies with these proceedings, we demand that other congressional hearings be held, not to further investigate the CNMI, but to scrutinize the overzealous actions of our detractors, especially the U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Insular (or Insolent) Affairs.

Bruce Babbitt, Al Stayman, David North, and Ferdinand Danny “pinto-boy” Aranza all need to be brought before an investigating congressional committee. They need to be questioned under oath.

House Resources Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) might do well to begin with a few sample questions, such as:

To Mr. Stayman and Mr. North: “Gentlemen, please explain why you violated the Hatch Act.”

To Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt: “Did any member of the White House direct you toward using the Interior Department to discredit the CNMI on behalf of Democratic campaigning labor unions? And how might this differ from a similar scandal involving Indian casino tribes and your department’s refusal to grant one of them a license because of Democratic political contributions on the part of a rival Indian tribe?”

To Mr. pinto-boy Danny Aranza: “To your knowledge, has your office been actively working and coordinating with Representative George Miller (Democrat) in the political destruction of the CNMI and its Republican allies? And what contacts have your office had with the U.S. media, Global Exchange, textile labor unions, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee?

“Also, please explain, Mr. Aranza, why you initially failed to comply with our congressional subpoena? Were you stalling for more time? What exactly were you trying to hide, Danny?”

To Mr. North: “If you didn’t violate the Hatch Act and didn’t do anything wrong, why did you resign from your post at the Interior Department last Friday? Hmm? Could it be a tacit admission of guilt? Huh? Care to admit it, sir?

“Also, isn’t it true, Mr. North, that you specifically targeted Republican House members for political destruction during federal office hours? In fact, didn’t you contact Democratic political campaigns, including last year’s challenger to Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), to offer incrimination information designed to damage
Republican re-election prospects?

“And in one memo you sent to the Democratic campaign against Rep. Bilbray, Mr. North, didn’t you explain your political activities this way: ‘My motivations are to elect Democrats to the House and to punish the handful of obvious GOP sweatshop allies, such as Mr. Bilbray. … My long-term reward [is] Mr. Bilbray’s defeat by Ms. Kehoe”?

“Isn’t that the real reason you resigned from Interior, Mr. North, because you were caught red-handed violating the Hatch Act while systematically targeting the NMI for destruction–a small island territory your office was established to nurture, protect and support?”

Make no mistake about it, folks: There is more filth and depravity in the U.S. Interior Department than there could possibly be in any so-called CNMI “sweatshop.”