No. 1 - Hinasso'-ku
When you live on a land that has been your ancestors’ land for thousands of years, you would think it would be inevitable for someone to take that away from you. But here on Guam and the Marianas, it is not like that. We have been subjects of foreign rule for hundreds of years and we continue to be those subjects. From the Spaniards, to the Japanese, and to the Americans, we have been living under oppression with our lives being dictated, our actions being subdued, and our voices being silenced.
When will we see the culture of our people thrive without the sarcastic comments of a late night show host? When can we see the native birds of our islands take flight through our skies without being frightened by gunshots and jet noise pollution? When can our lands and seas be free of toxic waste? When can our land be ours?
I believe the time to speak out about our concerns and problems with the military presence on our islands has passed long ago. We must now take action and put forth what we want to do with our lands, the lands that truly belong to us. Maybe it doesn’t have to end in an independent Guam, maybe it doesn’t have to end in the separation from the United States, maybe it doesn’t have to change any more that it already has. Maybe what we need to do is put our foot down and let them know that no more can be taken from us anymore. We have one-third of our land on Guam and more land in the northern islands that are in possession of the US for military purposes. We cannot allow any more lands to be taken from our people. With freedom comes giving up certain rights, but does that mean we have to give up more and more of those “certain rights” e v e r y s i n g l e d a y ?
I think not.
Si Shawn.
When will we see the culture of our people thrive without the sarcastic comments of a late night show host? When can we see the native birds of our islands take flight through our skies without being frightened by gunshots and jet noise pollution? When can our lands and seas be free of toxic waste? When can our land be ours?
I believe the time to speak out about our concerns and problems with the military presence on our islands has passed long ago. We must now take action and put forth what we want to do with our lands, the lands that truly belong to us. Maybe it doesn’t have to end in an independent Guam, maybe it doesn’t have to end in the separation from the United States, maybe it doesn’t have to change any more that it already has. Maybe what we need to do is put our foot down and let them know that no more can be taken from us anymore. We have one-third of our land on Guam and more land in the northern islands that are in possession of the US for military purposes. We cannot allow any more lands to be taken from our people. With freedom comes giving up certain rights, but does that mean we have to give up more and more of those “certain rights” e v e r y s i n g l e d a y ?
I think not.
Si Shawn.
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