Let’s Fix It: Of snubs and Ifit
Thursday, 27 August 2009
by Sen. Judi Guthertz
Marianas Variety
JUST a few weeks ago, a congressional delegation came to Guam and the six members of the U.S. Congress met with members of the Guam Legislature more than once during their visit, and in general were friendly, open and welcoming to the local community. Their presence and their actions made the people of Guam feel as if we are an actual part of the American Union.
Fast-forward to this week and the Washington establishment presents its other face, and offers a totally different experience. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was here on Guam, and unfortunately he hardly paid attention to anyone who was not in uniform. He made some of us remember what it feels like to live in a colony.
Repeated attempts by my office to set up a meeting were ignored, and the Navy reportedly eliminated a visit with the Guam Legislature because of time constraints. There wasn’t even a courtesy telephone call or e-mail to say that the Navy secretary was going to bypass us, because of a trip to the CNMI and a meeting with the governor and
legislators there.
Sometimes, when we hear the tremendous buzz about the buildup, and we hear about all of the dollars and yen that will potentially be spent on Guam, we fall back into our “wishful thinking” mode. We think, “maybe our federal government will treat us fairly. Maybe they won’t ignore us this time. Maybe they won’t forget us this time. The reality is that we are an unincorporated territory, which is just a nice way of saying “colony.” We have a lesser status than the CNMI just 75 miles to the north.
The feds don’t need to talk to us, and they know they don’t have to. It’s frustrating that the CNMI has indigenous fishing rights and we don’t; they have relief from high ocean shipping rates and we don’t; they have SSI and we don’t.
And their legislators met with Secretary Mabus, and we didn’t.
Instead, we received an e-mail hours after the meeting didn’t take place, with an apology attached. We all know how it feels to be so unimportant that we don’t even rate an advisory call or e-mail in advance.
Despite the snub, we must move forward. Sen. Respicio and I are working with the University of Guam’s School of Business and Public Administration to put on the “Island Conference on the Guam Military Buildup: the Guam Perspective,” on November 19 and 20. We have invited President Obama, President Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, and a host of others. We will also be inviting both Navy Secretary Ray Mabusand Admiral Douglass Biesel, who is Commander Joint Region Marianas.
What better way for them to make up for what didn’t happen on this visit, and what better way for them to learn how the real people of Guam feel about the buildup?
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In a related matter, I’ve written to Admiral Biesel about the Ifit trees on military property. It’s the Territorial Tree of Guam and its very hard wood was used in traditional construction. It’s a favorite of a number of traditional carvers.
Upcoming military construction may require cutting down some Ifit trees on military property. Although Guam law protects the Ifit, I’m not sure it has any federal protection. I’ve asked Admiral Biesel if he could ensure that if Ifit trees are to be cut down, they are properly harvested and their timber be offered to the local carvers.
This could generate good will in the community. It won’t make up for past wrongs, but every step forward, no matter how small, is worth the effort.
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Senator Judith Paulette Guthertz, DPA, chairs the 30th Guam Legislature’s Committee on the Guam Military Buildup and Homeland Security. Send feedback to senatorjudiguthertz@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2009
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Original Landowners Protest
Activists protest outside new nature center
by Jean Hudson, KUAM News
Sunday, April 29, 2007
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The opening ceremony on Saturday for the new Nature Center at the National Wildlife Refuge in Ritidian was met with protest. The refurbished Navy facility sits on property that was once owned by Chamorro families, and when the military needed the properties for national defense, the properties were taken away through the condemnation process. But a few original landowners or their descendants say they weren't justly compensated, and one senator is trying to put a balance between the families and the purpose of the refuge.
Senator Jim Espaldon (R), who delivered opening remarks for Saturday's opening ceremony for the Nature Center, says the policy of the local government is to support the local people in its quest to right some wrongs in the past. But the freshman policymaker also presented a harsh reality, saying, "Land is a very dear and close to the heart-type of issue for the people of this island and especially now as we face a dramatic change in our island with the oncoming of the military buildup. We're going to see a lot more new businesses come in and we're going to see the dilution of the Chamorro people on their own island to become a minority in their own land."
The senator acknowledged that he was walking a very thin line when he attended the ceremony. Espaldon has oversight over the committees on Judiciary and Cultural Affairs, and sometimes those two matters conflict. Espaldon said, "What responsibilities do we have in terms of our culture? Do we allow people who come to our island to dictate how we are going to live and what kind of quality of life we're going to enjoy on this island? Or do we share with them exactly how we want this island to be and again it's not going to be an extreme, because yes even though we say this is exactly how it is - there's middle ground."
Members of The Chamorro Nation alongside original landowners and their families are protesting the presence of the Nature Center. Olympia Cruz says her family owned a little more than 7.5 acres of property in the Ritidian area, telling KUAM News, "They keep saying that we sold it. We never sold the land. I don't know where they get the ideal. And they say that we got compensated. Show us what compensation we had."
In reply, Senator Espaldon said, "Whether they were compensated justly or not is questionable. When you're under eminent domain proceedings and the government tells us that we need this land, you need to move, we will pay you for it - they have all the marbles on their side, what can you say?"
Catherine McCollum says her grandfather's Ritidian properties were also condemned. She stated, "The land was condemned, I believe, in 1963 and even then the only compensation they paid my grandfather was for a house was here. But continuation for compensation it never happened." Again, the senator said, "The local people have been very patriotic. They have always supported many of the doctrines and many of the principles that the American civilization was founded upon. But in the process every once in a while the consideration for the local people get lost."
Refuge manager Chris Bandy agreed with the senator, concurring that the refuge's purpose is to preserve the habitat for the benefit of future generations. He said, "It's something we'll have to work through. I think Senator Espaldon spoke well to the issue that we're all here. The refuge is not going to go away. We expect to have habitat here for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If some day the land becomes sovereign or the land reverts back to the people, as he said it'll be in as good a condition or better condition than when it was utilized in the 1960's."
"One thing that is reality today," said Espaldon, "is that even though it is our aspiration to get this land back from the federal government return it perhaps to the local people, the fact of the matter is that it is today under the control of the federal control and it is a wildlife refuge and it has the ability to preserve a good part of our cultural identity."
by Jean Hudson, KUAM News
Sunday, April 29, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The opening ceremony on Saturday for the new Nature Center at the National Wildlife Refuge in Ritidian was met with protest. The refurbished Navy facility sits on property that was once owned by Chamorro families, and when the military needed the properties for national defense, the properties were taken away through the condemnation process. But a few original landowners or their descendants say they weren't justly compensated, and one senator is trying to put a balance between the families and the purpose of the refuge.
Senator Jim Espaldon (R), who delivered opening remarks for Saturday's opening ceremony for the Nature Center, says the policy of the local government is to support the local people in its quest to right some wrongs in the past. But the freshman policymaker also presented a harsh reality, saying, "Land is a very dear and close to the heart-type of issue for the people of this island and especially now as we face a dramatic change in our island with the oncoming of the military buildup. We're going to see a lot more new businesses come in and we're going to see the dilution of the Chamorro people on their own island to become a minority in their own land."
The senator acknowledged that he was walking a very thin line when he attended the ceremony. Espaldon has oversight over the committees on Judiciary and Cultural Affairs, and sometimes those two matters conflict. Espaldon said, "What responsibilities do we have in terms of our culture? Do we allow people who come to our island to dictate how we are going to live and what kind of quality of life we're going to enjoy on this island? Or do we share with them exactly how we want this island to be and again it's not going to be an extreme, because yes even though we say this is exactly how it is - there's middle ground."
Members of The Chamorro Nation alongside original landowners and their families are protesting the presence of the Nature Center. Olympia Cruz says her family owned a little more than 7.5 acres of property in the Ritidian area, telling KUAM News, "They keep saying that we sold it. We never sold the land. I don't know where they get the ideal. And they say that we got compensated. Show us what compensation we had."
In reply, Senator Espaldon said, "Whether they were compensated justly or not is questionable. When you're under eminent domain proceedings and the government tells us that we need this land, you need to move, we will pay you for it - they have all the marbles on their side, what can you say?"
Catherine McCollum says her grandfather's Ritidian properties were also condemned. She stated, "The land was condemned, I believe, in 1963 and even then the only compensation they paid my grandfather was for a house was here. But continuation for compensation it never happened." Again, the senator said, "The local people have been very patriotic. They have always supported many of the doctrines and many of the principles that the American civilization was founded upon. But in the process every once in a while the consideration for the local people get lost."
Refuge manager Chris Bandy agreed with the senator, concurring that the refuge's purpose is to preserve the habitat for the benefit of future generations. He said, "It's something we'll have to work through. I think Senator Espaldon spoke well to the issue that we're all here. The refuge is not going to go away. We expect to have habitat here for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If some day the land becomes sovereign or the land reverts back to the people, as he said it'll be in as good a condition or better condition than when it was utilized in the 1960's."
"One thing that is reality today," said Espaldon, "is that even though it is our aspiration to get this land back from the federal government return it perhaps to the local people, the fact of the matter is that it is today under the control of the federal control and it is a wildlife refuge and it has the ability to preserve a good part of our cultural identity."
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