Impact of federal lawsuit

Members of the US Subcommittee on Insular Affairs have started weighing-in on the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure new immigration rules and regulations favor the CNMI.

Ooops! Attitudes have morphed from “threats” to “whispers”, a quiet acknowledgment that their work product—Public Law 110-229—is fatally catastrophic against an already dismal economic condition in the CNMI. Well, the GAO report said so and I couldn’t believe subcommittee members failed to take heed of the impending reduction in economic activities by as much as 50 percent. It must be a case of advancing to the rear!

But then politicians seem immune to the kinder, gentler impulses that quicken the conscience in the rest of us. The fact that they never had to live the net result of economic devastation they crafted is the very reason for the fitting imposition of arrogance. Am I making sense?

The closure and final departure of the garment industry next year—once generating $1.2 billion annually and remitting some $32 million into the local coffers in direct taxes—is now all but history. Did opponents or evil geniuses that fought long and hard to see its final closure offer economic substitutes? Has anybody seen Congressman George Miller, Alan Stayman, David Cohen and other nemesis of the CNMI? Nothing can be further from the truth!

This attitude reminds me of what U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his book, My Grandfather’s Son: “…when they want to kill you, they will” referring to the vicious and heavily contentious hearing on his nomination. But like a famous nationally syndicated journalist remarked, “Don’t let the bastards wear you down.” Indeed, they can subject the livelihood of the indigenous people to far deeper than abject poverty, but we will give not up what’s our rights guaranteed under the Covenant agreement.

It’s about time too to analyze U.S. economic policy in the CNMI. Let’s see what the other side of the Pacific divide did to improve relations. After all, the federal government trashed the report submitted by the Commission on Federal Laws. The feds called it a “waste of time.” It’s mind boggling why would it scrap the very vehicle provided to fulfill the U.S. government’s obligation to “provide for a progressively higher standard of living” for the indigenous people of these isles.

The days of the so-called Zoo Theory is history. It has no place in the daily conduct of global affairs in the 21st century. The CNMI will never be Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York City for we haven’t any aspiration to emulate what’s woefully foreign to our lifestyle. These isles will remain the permanent venue for all Chamolinians who were born here. Admittedly, we have a lot of catching up to do. But it must be done “Our Way” premise on the time-honored traditions of this archipelago.

So a lot of whispering or tiptoeing through the garden is crossing the Capitol right into Pennsylvania Avenue. But this Johnny Come Lately advice via email includes a footnote: “provided the CNMI drops the lawsuit”. Well, we’re only asking for our rights and there seems to be real substance in the lawsuit we’ve filed, for it must have stirred some shocking reaction among subcommittee members. It’s very American to seek redress via the court system! Let’s be upfront with our misgivings and please don’t impose that arrogant Anglo-Saxon superiority complex against us. We’re too familiar with it, having read and learned of all its ugliness from courses we’ve taken in U.S. History.

In vernacular: I guihan kulan linala` taotao. i tiyan guiya i presente, i dadalag i finaposta, i ilu i futtunata. Mauleg ta komprende man-ginen mano hit mage, mano `nai mangaige hit pago yan presisu na ta planea haf` sesso ta diseseha para futuron famaguon-ta. Dinaña gi hilo inagloflie yan antao na relasion sumen presisu na pisu gi tinituhon satton na inapipet piot gi halom rimulinon didog na chinatsaga. Fanacho natibu gi todo pinetsigen direchon taotao-ta. Si Yuus Maase`!