Of Modern Day Slavery

As permanent guardians of these isles, we have endured vicious ruination of the image of the CNMI by malcontents. Our detractors have used prostitution (sterling case of glass house syndrome) to push their agenda.

They weren’t so happy when Congressman Don Young pulled down the veiled hypocrisy from their lobster red faces. The real issue wasn’t flesh trade or abuses, but labor unions` agenda to bring the local apparel industry here to its knees.

How does this veiled agenda measure against the thousands upon thousands of young girls (estimated to be about 50,000 annually) who are smuggled into the US mainland and forced into prostitution? These young girls are trafficked from Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia by organized crime gangs, according to a recent story by Reuters news service.

“Officials say half of them are women and girls–some barely into their teens–who are forced into prostitution, while the rest are people forced into involuntary servitude in homes, sweatshop factories and fields”. It’s a $9 billion a year global business.

There are bills now in the US Congress to change human trafficking and set severe penalties against perpetrators. Interesting though that the names of our detractors aren’t listed as main sponsors. Maybe they are supportive of these measures. Nonetheless, I don’t see Congressman George Miller’s name as chief sponsors on the list of measures nor Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Akaka.

The House unanimously passed its version on May 9th and the Senate followed on July 27th, also with no dissent. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, and Rep. Sam Gejdenson, a Connecticut Democrat, are the lead sponsors.
Senators Paul Wellstone, Democrat from Minnesota, and Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, are chief sponsors of Senate bills.

To put teeth into their quest for justice, the same agenda (federal take-over) should be pushed against any and all states in the union where prostitution exist. But our prime detractors can’t possibly dare stick their noses into the other states for each has its own set of representatives in the US Congress.
They’d probably be shouted at to brush their filthy teeth first before accusing others of bad mouth odor or the embarrassing “mind your own business” bit?

It’s all too obvious that their agenda is to inflict economic annihilation of the CNMI by bankrupting the local apparel industry through unreasonable measures. Had they been successful, it would have meant denying this group of US Citizens their economic freedom, the net effect being total hopelessness and abject poverty.

This adolescent attitude really fits my definition of racism that is very un-American! Unfortunately, our detractors have taken us on a ride to show that “might is right!”
Fortunately, too, the Friends of the CNMI have equally countered it with “right is might” and there aren’t any two ways about it either.

For now, I am ready to file a lawsuit against our detractors and labor unions who are behind the scheme to inflict abject poverty in this American territory. Millions of taxpayers money from both sides of the Pacific divide were wasted on illegal political activities.
This hard to come by funds are best spent on health care, scholarships, economic recovery, among others. I also pray that this vicious ruination isn’t repeated down the stretch. Si Yuus Maase`!