MARIANAS VARIETY
Senators OK Lawsuit vs Gatewood
Wednesday, 20 May 2009 23:32 by Therese Hart
THE legislative committee on rules on Tuesday voted to adopt Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz’s resolution that endorses a legal action against federal court chief judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood to challenge her March 20 contempt order against the government of Guam.
The adoption of Resolution 114 authorizes the legislature to move forward with filing the action in the Ninth Circuit against Tydingco-Gatewood.
Resolution 114 was adopted by eight affirmative votes, one more than the minimum number of votes required to make it the official position of the 30th Guam Legislature.
The Committee on Rules is the legislative standing committee authorized to act on behalf of the legislature when the body is not in session. This panel, chaired by Sen. Rory Respicio, has jurisdiction over matters relating to the defense or initiation of court action on behalf of the legislature.
The district court used the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution to make null and void Section 6 of Public Law 30-1.
Section 6, prohibition on payments without appropriations states that the legislature asserts its authority to appropriate funds and determine the conditions for expending such appropriations.
After the government was held in contempt, it paid out over $5 million in weekly cash payments to federal receiver Gershman, Bricker & Bratton to fund the consent decree projects.
Prior to the vote, Respicio wrote to his colleagues, saying that Cruz has commissioned legal work on the merits of bringing a case against the district court.
The issue centers on the powers of the legislature and “it is our duty and obligation to defend an institution to which we were elected, and tasked with upholding the laws of the Constitution of the United States,” Respicio wrote.
Respicio said Cruz “has expressed his strong belief that we have faithfully done just that, in spite of the Chief Judge’s statement that we “resorted to frivolous modes of self-help, such as enacting patently unconstitutional laws…”
Committee members who voted to adopt Resolution 114 were Cruz, Respicio, Speaker Judi Won Pat, Sens. Judi Gutherz, Tina Muna-Barnes, Frank Aguon Jr., Adolpho Palacios, and Frank Blas Jr.
Showing posts with label Democrats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democrats. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Saturday, October 25, 2008
From a Footnote...To the DNC
MINAGAHET ZINE
Tulu'Nga'Fulu'Gualo
"From a Footnote...To the DNC"
October 3, 2008
ARTICLES
May 15, 2008 - Bei Falak Denver - I'm Headed to the Democratic National Convention
Yanggen ilek-hu na "excited yu'" siempre ti nahong este na fino'-hu para u na'tungo' hamyo i tinahdong-hu i minagof-hu put este! Mampos excited yu'! Mamposssss.
May 19, 2008 - From a Footnote...To the Democratic National Convention
My new audience, and one which I am definitely happy to engage with is a liberal, Democratic, progressive one. There is so much terrain, so many issues and so many ideas upon which there is a strong affinity between what I believe and what these other bloggers believe, but I know that given my political status, there will be very fundamental divisions and distinctions, that cannot be simply explained away as "politics" or simple differences of opinion, but stem directly from the ambiguous and colonial status of Guam.
June 26, 2008 - Fache'
TRUE RUMORS ABOUT OBAMA: Barack Obama is spearheading a movement to rename “Marine Corps Drive” “Marine Drive Magazine Drive.”...Barack Obama is the white lady in Mai'ina...Barack Obama was really the one who grabbed the gavel from Judi Won Pat...Barack Obama closed down Gameworks...Barack Obama is the reason that it always rains on Liberation Day...Barack Obama is the one who keeps putting casino gambling on the election ballots and who also keeps organizing the Lina’la’ Sin Casino movements...Barack Obama is the one who wrote all the terrible Guam jokes for Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Jon Stewart...When the Marines and their dependents get to Guam and the roads get worse, the infrastructure becomes even more strained and the cost of living shoots up even more, it will all be Barack Obama’s fault
July 9, 2008 - Racial Fantasies
From this perspective Obama does represent a huge shift. He is not just another rich white guy, who came from a perfect American home and had plenty of perfect American opportunities. He is not part of that fallacy of American normativity. Since he comes from modest means and a broken home, he does have a much more actual American story than most Presidents. But as a person of color, he also knows the pain of being an American who must constantly endure the racism of American race relations, where those with different names, skin colors, phenotypes or religions can always be treated like outsiders and always be told in both polite and impolite ways to "go home" or back to where they came from. Obama, as a Presidential candidate still isn't exempt from this. Despite being born in the United States and being a US citizen, there are still very strong rumors working their ways through "hard working" communities that argue that he isn't an US citizen and was in fact born in Kenya, and that he believes in one of those "non-American" or "anti-American" religions.
August 15, 2008 - Bloggers at the DNC
Whether this year results in significant gains for racialized groups is unlikely, but the Democratic National Convention will be a potent symbolic event, creating a huge emotional bubble amongst people in the United States, built from two very intimate, yet transcendent hopes. The first is the laudable hope that racism in this country can be surpassed and that dream of Martin Luther King Jr.'s is possible. The second is the selfish and self-protecting hope that should America at last elect a black person to its highest office, then white people who never owned slaves or killed Native Americans, will no longer have to feel guilty for the slaves owned and indigenous people that their ancestors killed or profited from
August 23, 2008 - Kao Sina Hu Interview Hao?
To tell you the truth, there is some hope on the horizon for this dream of decolonization for Guam, a faint trace fell into my inbox this evening. It is not much, and probably won't amount to anything, but it is still something.
August 24, 2008 - DNC Preview
Tomorrow is the first day of the convention and I'll have a lot more. I was able to meet up with the Guam delegation today. They all sported red Hawaiian shirts which made them very popular with the other delegations and they were often asked by complete strangers if they could take pictures of them. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this...
August 25, 2008 - DNC Day 1- The AAPI Matrix
I attended four Asian Pacific Islander Events today, and for the part of me that has lived out in the states for the past four years, and become accustomed to pan-ethnic rubrics such as “Asian Pacific Islander Americans” it was an exciting day. For the other part of me which is rooted in Guam, and had never even used the term “Pacific Islander” until I came out here, the day has been a bit disconcerting.
August 25, 2008 - DNC Day 1 - The Return of the Native
I think the crosswalk lights had been white for a while. Because he immediately darted off, in a different direction than which we had both been initially facing. In the last look that I got of his face, I saw a mixture of fear and confusion, as if the foundation for his identity in that moment had just completely collapsed and fallen away, leaving him to dangle without any certainty. I imagine that so many people who come to Guam serving in the military, or even tourists who visit Hawai’i get that look after they realize that a place that they imagined as theirs, whether it be a paradise or just another military base, in reality belongs to someone else, and has natives who claim it.
August 26, 2008 - DNC Day 2 - The Half Vote Dilemma
I've written before about the half-vote delegates that Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Americans Abroad receive in the Democratic Presidential primary process. For me this is just another sort of way in which the island is included and excluded, how it is never made a full part of the United States, but instead treated to small token gestures to make it feel more American then it really is. But this is my view on things, a member of the Guam delegation Taling Taitano...looks at it in a different way.
August 26, 2008 - DNC Day 2 - Okinawan Realities
I briefly met one elected official this afternoon, who had spent several years of her life in Okinawa. I introduced myself as the blogger from Guam. She mentioned having always wanted to visit Guam but never having the chance too. I took this opportunity to discuss the impending military buildup there...At first her face went ashen, and she said, oh no, how terrible.
August 27, 2008 - DNC Day 3 - Another Dispatch from the AA/PI Matrix
Guestblogged by Rashne Limki
The fundamental difference between the two groups (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) can be captured in one word – ‘colonization.’ The AAPI rubric is as absurd as AANA (i.e. Asian American Native American). But what makes the indifference, lack of awareness and absurdity starkly evident is that the majority of the speakers at the caucus stumble over the ‘PI’ part, hesitating about where exactly the letters P and/or I fit into the label. And of course, when not using the abbreviated version, the group is addressed simply as ‘Asian American.’
August 27, 2008 - DNC Day 3 - Looking for the Other Side of American Militarization
Coming from an island which has a far more intimate relationship to the military than any other military community (with the exception perhaps of the Marshall Islands), I'm struggling to find a place for the expression or even just mention of Guam's particular relationship with the United States military. Can any "real" "formal" American community, meaning those in states, know the feeling of being occupied in an American war, being displaced from your land to transform your island into a massive base, and also have your people then serve and die in that same military in record numbers? And this is all history which is not ancient, but has all taken place in the lives of my grandparents and thousands of other Chamorros.
August 27, 2008 - DNC Day 3 - War Reparations and Self-Determination are on the Table
Pilar Lujan also made an impact on the proceedings with her short, but to the point introduction to Guam, prior to providing the tally for the Guam delegation. She began by invoking that they were the delegation from Guam, "Where America's Day Begins" which was met by applause. She followed up this statement with a reminder that the Guam delegation seeks self-determination and war reparations from the United States. She again repeated a moment later, the reminder about self-determination for Guam.
August 28, 2008 - DNC Day 4 - The Lost Pacific
To say that this convention has been frustrating because of a lack of Pacific Islander presence would be a sen dongkalu na understatement. I've attended this week all of the events which were marked as "Asian-American Pacific Islander" or "Asian Pacific Islander American" and even "Asian Pacific American." I've had little to no luck. The delegates and representatives from these islands haven't been attending these meetings or even speaking at them.
August 28, 2008 - DNC Day - Operation New Life
She was considering how far things had come, how things had changed, how they hadn't, and how people came full circle. She is currently teaching journalism at Kent State University, and more than thirty years ago, over that war and its expansion into Cambodia had sparked even more protests, and at her current university several protesting students were killed to protect that idea of American exceptionalism, and that it above all has a right to wage whatever war it wishes.
August 28, 2008 - DNC Day 4 - Of Course...
I spent Barack Obama's speech crawling around on the floor of Invesco Field, trying to worm my way close enough to the candidate so I could get a decent picture of him with my cheap digital camera. Unfortunately, the closest I was able to get was right in the middle of the Texas delegation, so I have several dozen photos of a brown blur in a black suit that still has plenty of gravitas.
August 29, 2008 - DNC Day 5 - The War We Fight
Guestblogged by Victoria Leon Guerrero
Like Obama’s advisor, most political advisors know nothing about Guam . The DNC taught me that we will never have a presence until we make a statement. No one is going to listen until we shout loudly for our rights. There is no hope in fighting another country’s war. It’s time to fight for our own nation and her people.
August 29, 2008 - DNC Day 5 - Breaking News - Sarah Palin as Republican VP
I'm watching CNN right now and it seems that the Republicans have decided to make major history this election, by not just picking a woman for Vice President, but bringing together the first Father -Daughter Ticket in History!!!!
August 29, 2008 - DNC Day 5 - Some Quotes from the Week
Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo: "When I first sat in the Armed Services Committee, my first meeting. They said now, the question you ask, I was on the lower tier, the first row, now I'm on the second row. They said the question should be kind of generic and not too specific. So I had this question written out. Then I heard the rest of them, "my base" and "my state." I says, "Hey!" So when it came down to me, I said, "I want a carrier sent to Guam."
September 4, 2008 - Why Obama Has a Vision, While Palin Doesn't...Or Why I'm (sort of) a Community Organizer
When organizing communities, you are often working with an injustice and a vision. A community which is being mistreated, is not getting their fair share, has been ignored or forgotten, and you reference this historical or contemporary mistreatment in order to activate them, to propel them forward into a progressive, more inclusive, more prosperous, more equal or simply, just a better vision of the future. In Barack Obama's campaign you can see this, and contrast it with the McCain campaign's approach.
September 7, 2008 - Change You Can Handle - A White Compromise
But whereas Obama represents a change that "you can believe in" or a change which is derived from hope or dreams in a better future (something which, even if incrementally pushes you forward), McCain's campaign has changed this race back into the question of "change that you can handle." For all of those white voters out there who are uncomfortable or uneasy about voting for black man, who might be Muslim, and talks like he's smart and "uppity" McCain has offered them a chance to still change this country, but to still protect its perceived identity as a "white" nation. Protect the whiteness of America, but still be part of that bold pioneering American spirit!
September 13, 2008 - An Indigenous View on Palin's Alaska
There is far more to "Native America" than just casinos, and if you don't know about the fragile relationships that reservations or tribes have with their state governments in your state, its probably not because it doesn't exist, but its either because of the metaphorical erasure of Native Americans from American consciousness, or its because they were physically erased and displaced from your area or state.
Tulu'Nga'Fulu'Gualo
"From a Footnote...To the DNC"
October 3, 2008
ARTICLES
May 15, 2008 - Bei Falak Denver - I'm Headed to the Democratic National Convention
Yanggen ilek-hu na "excited yu'" siempre ti nahong este na fino'-hu para u na'tungo' hamyo i tinahdong-hu i minagof-hu put este! Mampos excited yu'! Mamposssss.
May 19, 2008 - From a Footnote...To the Democratic National Convention
My new audience, and one which I am definitely happy to engage with is a liberal, Democratic, progressive one. There is so much terrain, so many issues and so many ideas upon which there is a strong affinity between what I believe and what these other bloggers believe, but I know that given my political status, there will be very fundamental divisions and distinctions, that cannot be simply explained away as "politics" or simple differences of opinion, but stem directly from the ambiguous and colonial status of Guam.
June 26, 2008 - Fache'
TRUE RUMORS ABOUT OBAMA: Barack Obama is spearheading a movement to rename “Marine Corps Drive” “Marine Drive Magazine Drive.”...Barack Obama is the white lady in Mai'ina...Barack Obama was really the one who grabbed the gavel from Judi Won Pat...Barack Obama closed down Gameworks...Barack Obama is the reason that it always rains on Liberation Day...Barack Obama is the one who keeps putting casino gambling on the election ballots and who also keeps organizing the Lina’la’ Sin Casino movements...Barack Obama is the one who wrote all the terrible Guam jokes for Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Jon Stewart...When the Marines and their dependents get to Guam and the roads get worse, the infrastructure becomes even more strained and the cost of living shoots up even more, it will all be Barack Obama’s fault
July 9, 2008 - Racial Fantasies
From this perspective Obama does represent a huge shift. He is not just another rich white guy, who came from a perfect American home and had plenty of perfect American opportunities. He is not part of that fallacy of American normativity. Since he comes from modest means and a broken home, he does have a much more actual American story than most Presidents. But as a person of color, he also knows the pain of being an American who must constantly endure the racism of American race relations, where those with different names, skin colors, phenotypes or religions can always be treated like outsiders and always be told in both polite and impolite ways to "go home" or back to where they came from. Obama, as a Presidential candidate still isn't exempt from this. Despite being born in the United States and being a US citizen, there are still very strong rumors working their ways through "hard working" communities that argue that he isn't an US citizen and was in fact born in Kenya, and that he believes in one of those "non-American" or "anti-American" religions.
August 15, 2008 - Bloggers at the DNC
Whether this year results in significant gains for racialized groups is unlikely, but the Democratic National Convention will be a potent symbolic event, creating a huge emotional bubble amongst people in the United States, built from two very intimate, yet transcendent hopes. The first is the laudable hope that racism in this country can be surpassed and that dream of Martin Luther King Jr.'s is possible. The second is the selfish and self-protecting hope that should America at last elect a black person to its highest office, then white people who never owned slaves or killed Native Americans, will no longer have to feel guilty for the slaves owned and indigenous people that their ancestors killed or profited from
August 23, 2008 - Kao Sina Hu Interview Hao?
To tell you the truth, there is some hope on the horizon for this dream of decolonization for Guam, a faint trace fell into my inbox this evening. It is not much, and probably won't amount to anything, but it is still something.
August 24, 2008 - DNC Preview
Tomorrow is the first day of the convention and I'll have a lot more. I was able to meet up with the Guam delegation today. They all sported red Hawaiian shirts which made them very popular with the other delegations and they were often asked by complete strangers if they could take pictures of them. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this...
August 25, 2008 - DNC Day 1- The AAPI Matrix
I attended four Asian Pacific Islander Events today, and for the part of me that has lived out in the states for the past four years, and become accustomed to pan-ethnic rubrics such as “Asian Pacific Islander Americans” it was an exciting day. For the other part of me which is rooted in Guam, and had never even used the term “Pacific Islander” until I came out here, the day has been a bit disconcerting.
August 25, 2008 - DNC Day 1 - The Return of the Native
I think the crosswalk lights had been white for a while. Because he immediately darted off, in a different direction than which we had both been initially facing. In the last look that I got of his face, I saw a mixture of fear and confusion, as if the foundation for his identity in that moment had just completely collapsed and fallen away, leaving him to dangle without any certainty. I imagine that so many people who come to Guam serving in the military, or even tourists who visit Hawai’i get that look after they realize that a place that they imagined as theirs, whether it be a paradise or just another military base, in reality belongs to someone else, and has natives who claim it.
August 26, 2008 - DNC Day 2 - The Half Vote Dilemma
I've written before about the half-vote delegates that Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Americans Abroad receive in the Democratic Presidential primary process. For me this is just another sort of way in which the island is included and excluded, how it is never made a full part of the United States, but instead treated to small token gestures to make it feel more American then it really is. But this is my view on things, a member of the Guam delegation Taling Taitano...looks at it in a different way.
August 26, 2008 - DNC Day 2 - Okinawan Realities
I briefly met one elected official this afternoon, who had spent several years of her life in Okinawa. I introduced myself as the blogger from Guam. She mentioned having always wanted to visit Guam but never having the chance too. I took this opportunity to discuss the impending military buildup there...At first her face went ashen, and she said, oh no, how terrible.
August 27, 2008 - DNC Day 3 - Another Dispatch from the AA/PI Matrix
Guestblogged by Rashne Limki
The fundamental difference between the two groups (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) can be captured in one word – ‘colonization.’ The AAPI rubric is as absurd as AANA (i.e. Asian American Native American). But what makes the indifference, lack of awareness and absurdity starkly evident is that the majority of the speakers at the caucus stumble over the ‘PI’ part, hesitating about where exactly the letters P and/or I fit into the label. And of course, when not using the abbreviated version, the group is addressed simply as ‘Asian American.’
August 27, 2008 - DNC Day 3 - Looking for the Other Side of American Militarization
Coming from an island which has a far more intimate relationship to the military than any other military community (with the exception perhaps of the Marshall Islands), I'm struggling to find a place for the expression or even just mention of Guam's particular relationship with the United States military. Can any "real" "formal" American community, meaning those in states, know the feeling of being occupied in an American war, being displaced from your land to transform your island into a massive base, and also have your people then serve and die in that same military in record numbers? And this is all history which is not ancient, but has all taken place in the lives of my grandparents and thousands of other Chamorros.
August 27, 2008 - DNC Day 3 - War Reparations and Self-Determination are on the Table
Pilar Lujan also made an impact on the proceedings with her short, but to the point introduction to Guam, prior to providing the tally for the Guam delegation. She began by invoking that they were the delegation from Guam, "Where America's Day Begins" which was met by applause. She followed up this statement with a reminder that the Guam delegation seeks self-determination and war reparations from the United States. She again repeated a moment later, the reminder about self-determination for Guam.
August 28, 2008 - DNC Day 4 - The Lost Pacific
To say that this convention has been frustrating because of a lack of Pacific Islander presence would be a sen dongkalu na understatement. I've attended this week all of the events which were marked as "Asian-American Pacific Islander" or "Asian Pacific Islander American" and even "Asian Pacific American." I've had little to no luck. The delegates and representatives from these islands haven't been attending these meetings or even speaking at them.
August 28, 2008 - DNC Day - Operation New Life
She was considering how far things had come, how things had changed, how they hadn't, and how people came full circle. She is currently teaching journalism at Kent State University, and more than thirty years ago, over that war and its expansion into Cambodia had sparked even more protests, and at her current university several protesting students were killed to protect that idea of American exceptionalism, and that it above all has a right to wage whatever war it wishes.
August 28, 2008 - DNC Day 4 - Of Course...
I spent Barack Obama's speech crawling around on the floor of Invesco Field, trying to worm my way close enough to the candidate so I could get a decent picture of him with my cheap digital camera. Unfortunately, the closest I was able to get was right in the middle of the Texas delegation, so I have several dozen photos of a brown blur in a black suit that still has plenty of gravitas.
August 29, 2008 - DNC Day 5 - The War We Fight
Guestblogged by Victoria Leon Guerrero
Like Obama’s advisor, most political advisors know nothing about Guam . The DNC taught me that we will never have a presence until we make a statement. No one is going to listen until we shout loudly for our rights. There is no hope in fighting another country’s war. It’s time to fight for our own nation and her people.
August 29, 2008 - DNC Day 5 - Breaking News - Sarah Palin as Republican VP
I'm watching CNN right now and it seems that the Republicans have decided to make major history this election, by not just picking a woman for Vice President, but bringing together the first Father -Daughter Ticket in History!!!!
August 29, 2008 - DNC Day 5 - Some Quotes from the Week
Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo: "When I first sat in the Armed Services Committee, my first meeting. They said now, the question you ask, I was on the lower tier, the first row, now I'm on the second row. They said the question should be kind of generic and not too specific. So I had this question written out. Then I heard the rest of them, "my base" and "my state." I says, "Hey!" So when it came down to me, I said, "I want a carrier sent to Guam."
September 4, 2008 - Why Obama Has a Vision, While Palin Doesn't...Or Why I'm (sort of) a Community Organizer
When organizing communities, you are often working with an injustice and a vision. A community which is being mistreated, is not getting their fair share, has been ignored or forgotten, and you reference this historical or contemporary mistreatment in order to activate them, to propel them forward into a progressive, more inclusive, more prosperous, more equal or simply, just a better vision of the future. In Barack Obama's campaign you can see this, and contrast it with the McCain campaign's approach.
September 7, 2008 - Change You Can Handle - A White Compromise
But whereas Obama represents a change that "you can believe in" or a change which is derived from hope or dreams in a better future (something which, even if incrementally pushes you forward), McCain's campaign has changed this race back into the question of "change that you can handle." For all of those white voters out there who are uncomfortable or uneasy about voting for black man, who might be Muslim, and talks like he's smart and "uppity" McCain has offered them a chance to still change this country, but to still protect its perceived identity as a "white" nation. Protect the whiteness of America, but still be part of that bold pioneering American spirit!
September 13, 2008 - An Indigenous View on Palin's Alaska
There is far more to "Native America" than just casinos, and if you don't know about the fragile relationships that reservations or tribes have with their state governments in your state, its probably not because it doesn't exist, but its either because of the metaphorical erasure of Native Americans from American consciousness, or its because they were physically erased and displaced from your area or state.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Guam Primary Results
Bordallo, Aguon, Calvo finish strong in Primary
by Ronna Sweeney, KUAM News
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Low voter turnout may have been the key to having ballot tabulation for Saturday's Primary Election for Decision 2008 wrapped up shortly before 2am Sunday. In the race for Guam's congressional delegate, the incumbent Madeleine Bordallo took it by a landslide against Democrat challenger Jonathan Diaz. The tally - Bordallo got 8,766 votes, besting Diaz's 2,962.
In the all-important senatorial race, for the Democrats Frank Aguon, Jr. laid claim to the top spot, followed by B.J. Cruz and Ben Pangelinan. Sitting respectively at number four is Judi Won Pat who is closely trailed by Rory Respicio. Tina Rose Muna-Barnes took home the number 7 position, Adolpho Palacios came in at 8, trailed by Dr. David Shimizu at 9. And for the finishers in ranks 10-16 the list saw Dr. Judi Guthertz, Joseph Leon Guerrero, Matt Rector, Rosanna San Miguel, Robert Benavente, Phillipe Cruz and Luis Duenas.
In the Republican senatorial race, Eddie Calvo came in at number one, with Jim Espaldon at number 2 and Ray Tenorio at number 3. Frank Blas, Telo Taitague, Frank Ishizaki, and Mark Forbes follow thereafter. And rounding out the listing of 10 members of the GOP are Doug Moylan, Jesse Lujan and Dr. Dennis Borja.
View real-time Primary Election results by clicking hereStream KUAM's Election Night specialResults from the UOG exit poll
by Ronna Sweeney, KUAM News
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Low voter turnout may have been the key to having ballot tabulation for Saturday's Primary Election for Decision 2008 wrapped up shortly before 2am Sunday. In the race for Guam's congressional delegate, the incumbent Madeleine Bordallo took it by a landslide against Democrat challenger Jonathan Diaz. The tally - Bordallo got 8,766 votes, besting Diaz's 2,962.
In the all-important senatorial race, for the Democrats Frank Aguon, Jr. laid claim to the top spot, followed by B.J. Cruz and Ben Pangelinan. Sitting respectively at number four is Judi Won Pat who is closely trailed by Rory Respicio. Tina Rose Muna-Barnes took home the number 7 position, Adolpho Palacios came in at 8, trailed by Dr. David Shimizu at 9. And for the finishers in ranks 10-16 the list saw Dr. Judi Guthertz, Joseph Leon Guerrero, Matt Rector, Rosanna San Miguel, Robert Benavente, Phillipe Cruz and Luis Duenas.
In the Republican senatorial race, Eddie Calvo came in at number one, with Jim Espaldon at number 2 and Ray Tenorio at number 3. Frank Blas, Telo Taitague, Frank Ishizaki, and Mark Forbes follow thereafter. And rounding out the listing of 10 members of the GOP are Doug Moylan, Jesse Lujan and Dr. Dennis Borja.
View real-time Primary Election results by clicking hereStream KUAM's Election Night specialResults from the UOG exit poll
Monday, September 01, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Guam Blogger Headed to Democratic National Convention
PRESS RELEASE
August 20, 2008
CONTACT:
Michael Lujan Bevacqua
mlbasquiat@hotmail.com
Guam Blogger Headed to 2008 Democratic National Convention
As part of the Democratic Party’s emphasis on courting America’s “netroots,” at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, this August 25th-28th, bloggers will have unprecedented access to delegates and elected officials. More than 120 blogs have been given full press credentials in Denver, whereas only 30 received the same access four years ago in Boston. 55 of the blogs this year were chosen as part of the Democratic Party’s “State Blogger Corps,” with slots allotted to one grassroots blogger each, representing the 50 states and 5 territories. These bloggers will receive full press access to the convention floor, and be seated with their state/territorial delegations at Senator Barack Obama’s historic speech accepting the nomination of his party for President.
Michael Lujan Bevacqua was chosen to represent Guam at the convention. His blog, No Rest for the Awake – Minagahet Chamorro, which he started in August 2004, is dedicated to “Chamorro issues, the use and revitalization of the Chamoru language and the decolonization of Guam,” and aims to inform “people around the world about the history, culture and language and struggles of the Chamorro people.”
Bevacqua received an undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Guam, and is currently enrolled as a graduate student in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He has been involved in Guam’s decolonization movement for the past decade, by helping in the organizing of conferences and forums on Guam and Chamorro issues, and making presentations, both in Guam and in the United States, to facilitate greater education and awareness about issues pertaining to Guam’s political status.
During the convention, Bevacqua is scheduled to interview Congresswoman Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Congressman Ike Skelton (D-Missouri), Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), Congressman Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) as well as former Congressman Norman Mineta (D-California). The interviews will focus on issues important to Guam and Chamorros, such as the environment, voting rights, war reparations, the imminent military buildup, Federal-Territorial relations, and the decolonization of Guam. He is also slated to speak to Obama surrogates who can speak to the Senator’s positions on foreign/military policy in the Asia-Pacific region, national service programs, and Native American and Native Hawaiian affairs.
These interviews, as well as general updates from the Convention, will be available at http://minagahet.blogspot.com starting Monday, August 25th. For more information, Bevacqua can be contacted at mlbasquiat@hotmail.com
*******************************************
For More Info:
No Rest for the Awake – Minagahet Chamorro – http://minagahet.blogspot.com
Decolonize Guam - http://decolonizeguam.blogspot.com
Full List of 2008 DNC Credentialed Blogs - http://www.demconvention.com/credentialed-blogs/
Senator Barack Obama Campaign Website – http://www.barackobama.com
Democratic National Convention Website – http://www.demconvention.com
August 20, 2008
CONTACT:
Michael Lujan Bevacqua
mlbasquiat@hotmail.com
Guam Blogger Headed to 2008 Democratic National Convention
As part of the Democratic Party’s emphasis on courting America’s “netroots,” at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, this August 25th-28th, bloggers will have unprecedented access to delegates and elected officials. More than 120 blogs have been given full press credentials in Denver, whereas only 30 received the same access four years ago in Boston. 55 of the blogs this year were chosen as part of the Democratic Party’s “State Blogger Corps,” with slots allotted to one grassroots blogger each, representing the 50 states and 5 territories. These bloggers will receive full press access to the convention floor, and be seated with their state/territorial delegations at Senator Barack Obama’s historic speech accepting the nomination of his party for President.
Michael Lujan Bevacqua was chosen to represent Guam at the convention. His blog, No Rest for the Awake – Minagahet Chamorro, which he started in August 2004, is dedicated to “Chamorro issues, the use and revitalization of the Chamoru language and the decolonization of Guam,” and aims to inform “people around the world about the history, culture and language and struggles of the Chamorro people.”
Bevacqua received an undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Guam, and is currently enrolled as a graduate student in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He has been involved in Guam’s decolonization movement for the past decade, by helping in the organizing of conferences and forums on Guam and Chamorro issues, and making presentations, both in Guam and in the United States, to facilitate greater education and awareness about issues pertaining to Guam’s political status.
During the convention, Bevacqua is scheduled to interview Congresswoman Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Congressman Ike Skelton (D-Missouri), Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), Congressman Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) as well as former Congressman Norman Mineta (D-California). The interviews will focus on issues important to Guam and Chamorros, such as the environment, voting rights, war reparations, the imminent military buildup, Federal-Territorial relations, and the decolonization of Guam. He is also slated to speak to Obama surrogates who can speak to the Senator’s positions on foreign/military policy in the Asia-Pacific region, national service programs, and Native American and Native Hawaiian affairs.
These interviews, as well as general updates from the Convention, will be available at http://minagahet.blogspot.com starting Monday, August 25th. For more information, Bevacqua can be contacted at mlbasquiat@hotmail.com
*******************************************
For More Info:
No Rest for the Awake – Minagahet Chamorro – http://minagahet.blogspot.com
Decolonize Guam - http://decolonizeguam.blogspot.com
Full List of 2008 DNC Credentialed Blogs - http://www.demconvention.com/credentialed-blogs/
Senator Barack Obama Campaign Website – http://www.barackobama.com
Democratic National Convention Website – http://www.demconvention.com
Friday, May 02, 2008
Democratic Battles Shifts to the Pacific
Wednesday May 2, 2008
Democratic battle shifts to Pacific at weekend
By Maureen Maratita
Reuters
THEY can't vote for the president, but thousands of people in the tiny U.S. territory of Guam will do their bit to decide the Democratic candidate this weekend.
The Pacific Ocean territory, which sends eight delegates with half a vote each to the Democratic convention in August, holds its primary on Saturday.
With Barack Obama leading Hilary Clinton by an estimated 1,733-1,598 in the delegate count, the vote from Guam may not count for much.
But the grueling fight between the two has riveted attention in the territory.
"It is a rare opportunity for the citizens of Guam to participate in the presidential primaries in a way that can have real effect," said Ron McNinch, a professor of public administration at the University of Guam.
"Usually, the main choices have formed by the time of the Guam process."
Guam, a 212 square mile island in the Western Pacific Ocean, was ceded to U.S. control at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. It is the only significantly populated U.S. territory to have ever been occupied by a foreign power -- the Japanese during World War Two.
The island returned to U.S. control in 1944. The Americans then built up an air base there, which saw heavy action for bombing runs during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The United States plans to move 8,000 Marines and 10,000 dependents from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to Guam by 2014 as part of a global realignment of U.S. forces.
According to the Guam Election Commission, there are about 48,000 voters out of the island's 170,000 people, and about half of them are registered Democrats.
Only about 4,000 of these are likely to vote in the Democratic primary, but that is a huge jump from the 1,500 who voted in 2004.
The territory will also send five superdelegates to the Democratic convention.
People in Guam vote for a 15-seat unicameral house but have no electoral votes in the U.S. presidential elections.
"While it is ironic that Guamanians cannot vote for president, it is even more ironic that Guam has no voice in the U.S. Senate," McNinch said.
"For the first time since President Kennedy was elected in 1960, the president elected in 2008 will come directly from the U.S. Senate. Thus, the people of the U.S. territories face many ironies in their political relationships with the U.S. federal government."
But Guam is an island that has its own priorities. Democratic voters in the village of Inarajan cast their votes for the primary on April 26, so the village could celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph through the weekend of May 3.
On an island that has an annual calendar of fiestas set in stone, nobody has found that the least bit extraordinary.
##
Democratic battle shifts to Pacific at weekend
By Maureen Maratita
Reuters
THEY can't vote for the president, but thousands of people in the tiny U.S. territory of Guam will do their bit to decide the Democratic candidate this weekend.
The Pacific Ocean territory, which sends eight delegates with half a vote each to the Democratic convention in August, holds its primary on Saturday.
With Barack Obama leading Hilary Clinton by an estimated 1,733-1,598 in the delegate count, the vote from Guam may not count for much.
But the grueling fight between the two has riveted attention in the territory.
"It is a rare opportunity for the citizens of Guam to participate in the presidential primaries in a way that can have real effect," said Ron McNinch, a professor of public administration at the University of Guam.
"Usually, the main choices have formed by the time of the Guam process."
Guam, a 212 square mile island in the Western Pacific Ocean, was ceded to U.S. control at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. It is the only significantly populated U.S. territory to have ever been occupied by a foreign power -- the Japanese during World War Two.
The island returned to U.S. control in 1944. The Americans then built up an air base there, which saw heavy action for bombing runs during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The United States plans to move 8,000 Marines and 10,000 dependents from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to Guam by 2014 as part of a global realignment of U.S. forces.
According to the Guam Election Commission, there are about 48,000 voters out of the island's 170,000 people, and about half of them are registered Democrats.
Only about 4,000 of these are likely to vote in the Democratic primary, but that is a huge jump from the 1,500 who voted in 2004.
The territory will also send five superdelegates to the Democratic convention.
People in Guam vote for a 15-seat unicameral house but have no electoral votes in the U.S. presidential elections.
"While it is ironic that Guamanians cannot vote for president, it is even more ironic that Guam has no voice in the U.S. Senate," McNinch said.
"For the first time since President Kennedy was elected in 1960, the president elected in 2008 will come directly from the U.S. Senate. Thus, the people of the U.S. territories face many ironies in their political relationships with the U.S. federal government."
But Guam is an island that has its own priorities. Democratic voters in the village of Inarajan cast their votes for the primary on April 26, so the village could celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph through the weekend of May 3.
On an island that has an annual calendar of fiestas set in stone, nobody has found that the least bit extraordinary.
##
Guam Always Left Out to Dry
'Year after tired year, Guam has been hung out to dry'
5/2/08
The Marianas Variety
I listened attentively to former President Bill Clinton call some of the island's radio stations yesterday. I admit that it was nice to hear his voice once again, and many of my friends and family appreciated his time and attention. However, I'm struck by the fact that the former president is calling once again for our island's assistance when it is Guam that has needed the help of the Clintons and the federal government for many years.
The people of Guam donated almost $600,000 to the Democratic National Committee during the Clinton Administration and almost $200,000 to the Clinton-Gore Campaign of 1996. Justifiably, there was never any problem taking our money, and I know that my fellow Democrats on Guam never made the Clintons feel embarrassed for asking repeatedly for more. That's politics. I get it.
But what has irritated many of us about the Clinton Administration is their follow through. In early 1997, when there arose a series of questions about money from China that may have made its way into the Clinton re-election campaign, enough individuals in the federal government who were opposed to Guam Commonwealth falsely began to lump us into the China mix, labeling us a foreign country running interference in American politics.
It would have been a relatively simple task for someone inside President Clinton's Administration to take a stand and let our nation know about the sacrifices our island and its sailors, soldiers and Marines continue to make in the name of America's defense, that we're the first line of defense in all of Asia. But this never happened. In fact, after Guam and China were lumped together in the national press, after the Clintons went back to their homes, those who had taken our money would not even take phone calls from Guam representatives.
On Guam, we're realistic about our relationship with the greatest nation on our earth. We understand we are small, but we still believe we are significant. We understand that because we gave money time and time again does not mean we would automatically get something in return, but even a common courtesy of a returned phone was lost by late February 1997, and many of us felt as if we were penalized because we had helped. This is not what we in the islands expect from those we have helped.
On May 3rd, Guam will go the polls to vote for our choice for the Democratic nominee for president. It gave me a warm feeling that President Clinton visited Guam in November 1998, and that he called some of our island's media outlets today. But I don't want warm feelings any longer. I want a true seat at the table. I want hope. I want change. And Sen. Barack Obama, who currently leads in the Democratic Primary with the most popular votes, pledged delegates, money raised and states won, is the only candidate left of the remaining three who I believe could provide a greater voice for our people in Washington D.C.
Barack Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia as the product of a mixed race marriage. His mother worked through a period when they had to resort to food stamps and public assistance, and Obama excelled despite the obstacles. If anyone could ever understand the complex and unique struggles we face on Guam, it is Sen. Barack Obama, the inspirational junior senator from Illinois.
Ryan Flynn
Former Guam resident
5/2/08
The Marianas Variety
I listened attentively to former President Bill Clinton call some of the island's radio stations yesterday. I admit that it was nice to hear his voice once again, and many of my friends and family appreciated his time and attention. However, I'm struck by the fact that the former president is calling once again for our island's assistance when it is Guam that has needed the help of the Clintons and the federal government for many years.
The people of Guam donated almost $600,000 to the Democratic National Committee during the Clinton Administration and almost $200,000 to the Clinton-Gore Campaign of 1996. Justifiably, there was never any problem taking our money, and I know that my fellow Democrats on Guam never made the Clintons feel embarrassed for asking repeatedly for more. That's politics. I get it.
But what has irritated many of us about the Clinton Administration is their follow through. In early 1997, when there arose a series of questions about money from China that may have made its way into the Clinton re-election campaign, enough individuals in the federal government who were opposed to Guam Commonwealth falsely began to lump us into the China mix, labeling us a foreign country running interference in American politics.
It would have been a relatively simple task for someone inside President Clinton's Administration to take a stand and let our nation know about the sacrifices our island and its sailors, soldiers and Marines continue to make in the name of America's defense, that we're the first line of defense in all of Asia. But this never happened. In fact, after Guam and China were lumped together in the national press, after the Clintons went back to their homes, those who had taken our money would not even take phone calls from Guam representatives.
On Guam, we're realistic about our relationship with the greatest nation on our earth. We understand we are small, but we still believe we are significant. We understand that because we gave money time and time again does not mean we would automatically get something in return, but even a common courtesy of a returned phone was lost by late February 1997, and many of us felt as if we were penalized because we had helped. This is not what we in the islands expect from those we have helped.
On May 3rd, Guam will go the polls to vote for our choice for the Democratic nominee for president. It gave me a warm feeling that President Clinton visited Guam in November 1998, and that he called some of our island's media outlets today. But I don't want warm feelings any longer. I want a true seat at the table. I want hope. I want change. And Sen. Barack Obama, who currently leads in the Democratic Primary with the most popular votes, pledged delegates, money raised and states won, is the only candidate left of the remaining three who I believe could provide a greater voice for our people in Washington D.C.
Barack Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia as the product of a mixed race marriage. His mother worked through a period when they had to resort to food stamps and public assistance, and Obama excelled despite the obstacles. If anyone could ever understand the complex and unique struggles we face on Guam, it is Sen. Barack Obama, the inspirational junior senator from Illinois.
Ryan Flynn
Former Guam resident
Guam Democats Grateful for Privilege of Being Involved
Guam Democrats grateful for privilege of being involved
by Ronna Sweeney, KUAM News
Saturday, May 03, 2008
How have the campaign ads and interviews with local media for presidential candidate hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton paid off with the Democratic voters of Guam? A steady stream of such supporters made their way to the polls today. In Mangilao, retired sailor Manuel Leon Guerrero Sablan and his wife Aurora agreed it's an exciting time to be on island, with the former saying, "This is a very history for us to try and come out like this and try and vote for the president of the United States." Aurora added, "I vote for the people that will benefit the island of Guam, and this time I am going to vote for Hillary Clinton because she's going to be the first woman president."
While we found plenty of Senator Clinton supporters at the polls, equally out in force were those in favor of Senator Obama. Kerry Cutting said, "It's Guam's chance to be in the sun. I want to participate in the process. We usually don't get a chance to participate in the presidential process. I supported Barack Obama."
Some, like Bill Pesch of Sinajana, chose to keep their preference for either candidate private, but did note how important it is to be involved in the whole caucus process. "I think it's an exciting election, because really for the first time Guam's votes count and we've had some promises made by both the Democratic nominee hopefuls. Let's hold them to their words and see what happens if they're elected."
And with every vote counting, a number of island residents registered as democrats in order to participate today. Another Sinajana resident, Marvin Quinata encourages everyone to get involved, telling KUAM News, "It's for the better of the people of Guam, so I just want to tell my friends and colleagues to come down and vote because every vote counts because it will really help the people of Guam."
If you'd still like to participate in the Democratic Caucus, the polls remain open until 8 o'clock this evening.
by Ronna Sweeney, KUAM News
Saturday, May 03, 2008
How have the campaign ads and interviews with local media for presidential candidate hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton paid off with the Democratic voters of Guam? A steady stream of such supporters made their way to the polls today. In Mangilao, retired sailor Manuel Leon Guerrero Sablan and his wife Aurora agreed it's an exciting time to be on island, with the former saying, "This is a very history for us to try and come out like this and try and vote for the president of the United States." Aurora added, "I vote for the people that will benefit the island of Guam, and this time I am going to vote for Hillary Clinton because she's going to be the first woman president."
While we found plenty of Senator Clinton supporters at the polls, equally out in force were those in favor of Senator Obama. Kerry Cutting said, "It's Guam's chance to be in the sun. I want to participate in the process. We usually don't get a chance to participate in the presidential process. I supported Barack Obama."
Some, like Bill Pesch of Sinajana, chose to keep their preference for either candidate private, but did note how important it is to be involved in the whole caucus process. "I think it's an exciting election, because really for the first time Guam's votes count and we've had some promises made by both the Democratic nominee hopefuls. Let's hold them to their words and see what happens if they're elected."
And with every vote counting, a number of island residents registered as democrats in order to participate today. Another Sinajana resident, Marvin Quinata encourages everyone to get involved, telling KUAM News, "It's for the better of the people of Guam, so I just want to tell my friends and colleagues to come down and vote because every vote counts because it will really help the people of Guam."
If you'd still like to participate in the Democratic Caucus, the polls remain open until 8 o'clock this evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)