Mr. Babauta’s Marianas

Mr. Juan Nekai Babauta, our very own Resident Representative to Washington, D.C. and candidate for governor, has generously offered Tinian to the United States government for greater military use. If you must abandon your bases in Okinawa, says Babauta to Uncle Sam, please feel free to bring your forces right on down to Tinian. You are welcome to it.

In this connection, perhaps one might wonder: Does the island of Tinian belong to Mr. Babauta? Is Tinian his to offer to the U.S. military? For that matter, did Mr. Babauta consult with the people of Tinian beforehand–that is, before he so generously offered the island to the U.S. military?

Or are these questions basically moot? Do the people of Tinian and the rest of the Northern Marianas have no choice in the matter? That is to say, does the Covenant Agreement basically obligate us to accept whatever military presence the U.S. government foists upon us?

Now don’t get me wrong. Before you, our dedicated, hardworking, and patriotic men and women in the best armed forces in the world get angry with me, let me say that I am no “peacenik” liberal. As a friend of liberty, I basically support the U.S. military. My friend Major Ron Mandell (and even Guy Gabaldon himself, whom I admire) can vouch for me. I have no problem with James Norcross, a former CNMI prosecutor, moving out of Okinawa (where he serves as a JAG) and returning to the CNMI.

But there are some pressing considerations here, and we must objectively ponder all sides.

On the other hand, more soldiers equals more spending money in the local economy, which is welcome. But do the economic benefits outweigh the social costs involved?

Then, of course, there is the argument from the die-hard patriots, which goes like this: “Charles Reyes, you Chamorros and Carolinians would be nothing without the good old US of A. You want all the benefits but refuse to pay the price of liberty, which includes hosting a large military force, if necessary.”

To which I might reply: “How about using Martha’s Vineyard or Cape Cod for your bombing operations and training excercises? Come on, mainland Americans don’t want it in their (exclusive) backyards either.” All in all, though, there are a lot of factors to consider, assuming we even have a choice in the matter. At the same time, Mr. Babauta still might have been more careful about eagerly volunteering Tinian without considering all of the possible ramifications.

Strictly a personal view. Charles Reyes Jr. is a regular columnist of Saipan Tribune. Mr. Reyes may be reached at charlesraves@hotmail.com