Name 1 inspirational figure for Independence
-> Angel L.G. Santos
Fought for Chamorro people's rights. Died July 2003, age 44. Used
to be a senator. Was known as an advocate of Chamorro rights and credited for
the creation of the Chamorro Land Trust Commission. Was not easily intimidated,
and questioned authority in the proper manner.
pg 213
In early, 1993, Santos occupied land in Mogfog, Dededo, that
belonged to his grandfather before the US government took it in the late 1940s.
Santos' occupation of the land forced the US government to either condone his
actions or take the necessary steps to have him removed. Santos made the
decision early on to fight his battle in court, rather than perform additional
acts of defiance available to him. A preliminary court hearing resulted in the
US being ordered to refrain from interfering with Santos' occupation.
The US government had 2 choices in their quest to remove Santos:
charge him with the criminal offense of trespassing or some related
crime, or file a civil suit, requesting the US District Court to order him off
the property. A criminal trial would be by a jury of his peers which would have
worked to the advantage of Santos, who enjoyed a popular support. A civil
trial, on the other hand, would mean a decision would likely be made by a
single federal judge. The US chose the US judge.
-> Hope Cristobal Sr.
a Chamoru self-determination advocate for over thirty years. (Went
to the UN with her own money for 30 years.) She taught at the
University of Guam as a history instructor. She's a former Senator in the Guam
legislature, and a farmer. She has focused her efforts on urging
United Nations assistance to the territory with regard to implementing the
decolonization mandate for Guam. Went to the UN with her own money for 30
years.
-> Hope Cristobal Jr.
http://www.minagahetzine.com/sinanganashopecristobal (cool
article, check it, it's got some good stuff)
I am Dr. Hope Antoinette Cristobal, a Chamoru and Doctor of
Psychology. I was born and raised on Guam and dedicated my formal academic
training and career to the study of colonized and marginalized indigenous
communities. It is my hope that I may live to see the liberation of my people from
oppression, marginalization, colonization, and subordination as a Non-Self Governing
Territory. I remember as a young child attendee before the Committee of
24, with my mother, Former Senator Hope Alvarez Cristobal, as she urged
the Committee to look into the situation of Guam as a Non-Self Governing
Territory. At the age of 11, I could not understand the meaning of my
mother’s words, but heard and felt the urgency in her voice and presence
that day. Nineteen years earlier, I could not have fathomed that I would
be here today, with the same heartfelt message. As the world ushers in the
Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, I appear
before you as the second generation of Chamorus to come before your
Committee.
Name 1 SONG that symbolizes independence
We Are the Many by Makana
We Are the Many by Makana
1. We come here, gather ‘round the stage / The
time has come for us to voice our rage
Against
the ones who trapped us in a cage / To steal from us the value of our wage
2. From
underneath the vestiture of law / The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw
At
liberty; the bureaucrats guffaw / And until they are purged we won’t withdraw
Refrain
We’ll
occupy the streets, we’ll occupy the courts / We’ll occupy the offices of
you
‘Til you
do / The bidding of the many, not the few
3. Our
nation was built upon the right / Of every person to improve their
plight
The laws
of this republic they rewrite / And now the few own everything in sight
4. They
own it free of liability / They own, but they are not like you and me
Their
influence dictates legality / And until they are stopped we are not
free
Refrain
5. You
enforce your monopolies with guns / While sacrificing our daughters and sons
Well,
certain things belong to everyone / You’re thievery has left the people none
6. So
take heed of our notice to redress / We have little to lose we must confess
Your
empty words leave us unimpressed / A growing number join us in protest
Refrain
7. You
can’t divide us into sides / And, from our gaze you cannot hide
Denial
serves to amplify / And our allegiance you can’t buy
8. Our
government is not for sale / The banks do not deserve a bail
We won’t
reward those who fail / we’ll not move ‘til we prevail
Refrain
Repeat Refrain
We are
the many, you are the few.
Name 1 FILM that
symbolizes independence
-> Braveheart
W: "Sons of Scotland, I am William Wallace."
X: ("William Wallace is 7 feet tall".)
W: "Yes, I've heard. He's killed men by the hundreds. And if
he were here, he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts
of lightning from his ass. I AM William Wallace. And I see, a whole army
of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men.
And free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?
X: ("What? Against that? No! We will run! And we will
live.")
W: "Ay, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live. . . at
least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be
willing, to trade, ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, JUST
ONE CHANCE, to come back here and tell our enemies, that they may take our
lives, but they will never take, our
freedom!"
-In the 13th century, after years of political unrest, Scotland is
invaded and conquered by King Edward I of England. William Wallace, is
a Scotsman who is compelled to rebel against the English after an English
soldier tries to rape his wife, but she is publicly executed for
assaulting the King's soldiers. As Wallace's legend spreads, hundreds of Scots
from the surrounding clans join him. Wallace is soon captured and brought
before an English magistrate, tried for high treason, and condemned to public
torture and beheading. Even after being hanged and mutilated, Wallace refuses
to submit to the king by begging for mercy. As cries for mercy come from the
watching crowd, the magistrate offers Wallace one final chance. Wallace instead
shouts the word "Freedom!" just before the ax falls.
-Years after Wallace's death, Robert the Bruce, now Scotland's
king, leads a Scottish army before a line of English troops where he is to
formally accept English rule. Invoking Wallace's memory, Robert the Bruce
implores his men to fight with him as they did with Wallace. Robert the Bruce
then leads his army into battle against the stunned English, winning the Scots
their freedom.
Name 1 BOOK that symbolizes independence
-> Potiki
--Shows the struggle for independence and the obstacles that the
native people experience.
-A Maori community on the coast of New Zealand struggles to regain
control of their ancestral lands when a land developer wants to
purchase the community property, move the community meeting hall, and
construct many new building, including an "underwater zoo."
-The meeting hall is central to Maori life: it is where the
community meets to discuss and solve problems, and welcome visitors. It is not
a sacred building, but it is where rituals take place. And it has to be right
in the center of the community. So when the developers need as access road right
through the meeting hall, the small community feels vulnerable and pressured.
There are fruitless negotiations; implied threats, and eventually both sides
take the lay into their own hands.
-The story is narrated by a family. Hemi is a man who was laid off
from his job and realizes that this situation affords him the opportunity to
reconnect with the land, his culture, and his family. Other times, the story is
told by Roimata, Hemi's wife. She relates the growing concern the Maori have
about developers coming to their land, and their quiet, concerted efforts to
rebel. She details their successes and many painful failures.
-Hemi often says, "All we need is here, meaning that the
people should live off the land and what the land can provide for them. The author
emphasizes a return to the pleasures of farming and building and self-reliance.
It's never easy, but it's rewarding.
Convince someone from another group that independence is better
->Why IND is better
-Taxes go back to us and not the Fed Gov
-We get to choose everything
-Can make relationships w/anyone we want; the US no longer
dictates our foreign affairs
-IND is good for not just Cham (p261) According to Madeleine Borallo,
“it’s important because GU is our home and it affects us in a lot of ways.” If
you call GU your home, then you should support it.
-Right to self-determination
-Once
the US stops financial ties; when the US let go of PI, the first 10 years of
IND, the US helped them financially. -Afterwards PI was left on their own.
-IND Pacific nations, Palau, Papa New Guinea etc. stand alone w/their
own economy w/out being tied to the US
-Although we are IND, it is required of us to be INTERdependent;
just because we’re IND does not mean that we’re gonna sever all ties with other
nations
-We won’t be a part of the US’s $13 trillion debt
-GU will be eligible to join the UN general assembly/thrusts GU
onto the world stage/Asian nations might tap us for votes with the UN; winning
our favor for our votes; will not need to solely rely on our tourism
-More practical because the US can’t afford to keep us; Win-win
for both parties
-40%
less cost of goods shipped; we would only have to pay Export taxes from the
countries that we get stuff from
What are any questions you had while researching that we can use
to attack/bomb the other groups
FAS
-Under FAS many people will have dual citizenship consisting of US
citizenship and also a Guam citizenship, yet under FAS, the US has the
power to revoke US citizenship status for those born after the political status
change, how will you handle that?
-The
US will bully FAS. FAS means that there will never be peace in the Pacific
because there will always be nuclear poisoning.
-The whole point of IND is to do away with “we can’t depend on
ourselves” and start thinking like we HAVE to depend on ourselves
-Occupation Movement; change is inevitable
-If FAS associated with China: As IND, we can still get benefits
from the other countries, but we’d be seen as allies and not a little inferior
nation that they can bully; plus we are not limited to one country, we can
choose whoever we want
--Treaty with a time limit, binded by a contract
--FAS will be considered the minor partner, not the equal partner
like if we were IND
STATEHOOD
-The US is kind of imploding; people in the US don’t want to live
in the US anymore; they don’t even want statehood anymore, so why do we want
it? Political unrest/instability. It does not make sense to become a state
right now.
-Military growth: the US military is trying to expand and scaring
other IND countries and they feel like they should attack the US. Hawaii. When
Japan entered WW2 they attacked HI because they were the biggest connection to
from Asia to the US.
-Indigenous people have the highest rates of homeless-ness, drug
alcohol abuse, domestic violence, rape, homicide, suicide, incarceration,
violence against queers and women.
Explain why non-Chamorros should care about Guam's political
status
->China acknowledges increased military presence in the Pacific
as a declaration of war and warns that all those involved could be negatively
impacted.
(If
everything is made in China, and we go to war with China, where will we get all
our stuff?)
Obama has upped the pressure for greater
American power in Asia. The US would deploy a new American troop presence to
Australia, a counterweight to China’s regional influence. A Chinese military
official warned that the Australia deployment and other American military ties
in Asia indicate a “Cold War mentality” They believe any strengthening
and expansion of military alliances is not in keeping with the spirit of peace,
development, and cooperation, and does not help to enhance mutual trust and
cooperation between countries in the region, and could ultimately harm the
common interests of all concerned. With each new push on Asia from the
US, China has reacted with some indignation.
(Having the US stay away from us is actually safer. China has no
reason to bomb us if there's no military here)
->The birth of the US was founded on the notion of IND. It was
founded out of Protestants wanting to leave the church and therefore create a
new country. If IND was good for the States, why is it not good for GU?
The U.S. is against any status change, how would we change that?
(also see the next question)
The Department of Defense is trying to cut funds. The US should
grants us independence because they can't afford to keep us. It's a lot cheaper
for them if they just let us go, it'll be a Win-Win for the US and Guam.
Plus, the US gave up Guam for WW2 and they didn't give a crap.
A) US can’t afford Guam’s
dependency on Welfare and other federal support programs – independence is the
only option.
Chamorro activists resent the military’s arrogance and
pollution of the island’s water, rain forests, and the vast influx military
personal. The militarization of Guam is not in the interest of Guamanians or our
own. We (the US) pay out more than we get. In terms of welfare caseloads per
capita, Guam is second only to DC. “This little welfare state is subsidized by
American tax dollars. GovGuam receives $250 million annually and pays nothing
into the federal government.” Governor Calvo’s plan includes the statehood
option. Financially the only rational choice is to unilaterally cut the
Guamanians loose by granting them their independence – whether they want it or
not.
The imperialist movement sought to fulfill
America’s “Manifest Destiny” as the successor to the British Empire. The result
has been a fiscal disaster for the US, which can no longer afford to police the
world. This is military socialism at its worst: an occupied country whose
“citizens” are ruled over with arrogant impunity, and “compensated” by being
subsidized from cradle to grave.
B) Now’s the time to
convince congress – they face almost a trillion in budget cuts to defense
spending and are focusing only on dollar amounts.
The DOD is preparing for more than $400 billion in spending cuts.
That number will increase by an additional $500-$600 billion. Such cuts will
devastate America’s military predominance and leadership in the Pacific. Rather
than starting with US national security interests and then considering whether
they can be sustained in the face of defense cuts, the debate over defense has
focused on dollar amount. This lack if strategic analysis means that spending
cuts will be implemented with no sense of priority.
How will independence affect Guam's relationship to the US
military?
(see also above question)
->Right now, our current relationship is that the U.S. military
sees our island as property. In an independent Guam, we become partners with
U.S. Military rather than being told what to do. We would get to work with the
Military to shape our future. There are many possible examples to look to, the
PI for example charges the US $500 Million a year to use their lands for Navy
Bases.
-> Guam is the key to the projection of US military power.
Unfortunately, the US can’t afford to keep funding the Military Industrial
Complex. Granting Guam independence is key to prevent further economic
collapse. The US is currently facing its biggest recession since the Great
Depression. It’s in the US’s economic interest to grant Guam independence.
It is in contravention to Article V.18 of
the Plan of Action for the Second International Decade for the Eradication
of Colonialism wherein it is stated that “Member states, in particular
administering Powers, should refrain from the use of the remaining Non-Self-Governing
Territories for military bases and installation.”
->In a secret memo issued on November
21, 1945, Vice Admiral G.D. Murray, then commander of the Marianas Navy
Force, stated that “the economic development andadministration of relatively
few native inhabitants should be subordinate to the real purpose for which
those islands are held.” “Military control of these islands is essential as their
military value far outweighs their economic value.” Furthermore, while
recognizing Guam’s strategic importance, Murray stated that the island’s
commercial or industrial value and its resources were “of little or no
relative importance to the welfare of the United States.” “From the
military stand point,” Murray said, “a contented healthy and loyal native
population contributes a strong link in the strength of those lands as bases.”
What I have described in my statement IS
NOT a NSGT that is being readied to “attain a full measure of
self-government”. Rather, under the administration of the U.S. we see the exploitation
of a dependent people in a non-self-governing territory for military purposes
Describe one place that has become independent
Places to look into: the Philippines, Cuba, East Timor, Canada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba
->Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. In
1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, landed on and claimed Cuba. It
gained formal independence from the US in 1902. Between 1953 and 1959 the Cuban
Revolution occurred which removed the dictatorship of Fulgencio
Batista. A new government by Fidel Castro was later set up. Cuba is the most
populous nation in the Caribbean. Its people, cultures, and customs draw from
diverse sources. In 2006, Cuba was the only nation in the world to have met the
World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) definition of sustainable development.
-Cuba has found a new source of aid and support in the People's
Republic of China, and new allies in Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela and
Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, both are major oil and gas exporters.
-In 1996 tourism surpassed the sugar industry as the largest
source of hard currency for Cuba. Cuba has tripled its market share of
Caribbean tourism in the last decade; as a result of significant investment in
tourism infrastructure, this growth rate is predicted to continue.
-Today, Cuba has universal health care and although shortages of
medical supplies persist, there is no shortage of medical personnel.
->Some students choose to go to a
pre-collegiate school, technical school, or none at all. If they graduate
from the college preparatory school, they can attend college for free if they
choose.
->Cuba has eliminated malnutrition. The UN has put Cuba at
the top of the list of countries to look to for sustainable development - the
country plans to try and end poverty and create environmental sustainability by
2015. This is big for us because it's an example of a country that declared
independence AND had terrible relationship with the U.S. for over 50 years (a
trade embargo, cold war status), yet they are doing better than a lot of
places.
What would Guam look like in 2050 if it were independent?
-Pretend that you're a politician and be inspiring. Showcase how
Guam is brighter and that choosing independence brought Guam to its best possible
future. This isn't about solid facts, more like BS that has a possibility of
coming true. Try to paint a nice image.
->
Please check out everyone's separate writing prompt posts
What Guam historical
event supports independence?
->The Cham-Spanish Wars because it shows that the Cham just
wanted to be left alone since the beginning.
Ever since the first colonial rule came to Guam, and all the
colonial powers that have ruled since, Cham have only ever wanted their own
freedom, and their right to self-determination.
->Cham cultural Renaissance. When the Cham land trust was
started; a group of Chamorro occupied Adelup for 74 nights. We thought that was
kind of funny, because it’s echoing the Occupation Movement happening in the
US.
->Right Now is a historical
moment in GU history. Us, we the students of Independence, deciding what we
want our political status to be is historical in itself)
How
will independence affect Guam's relationship with Micronesia?
-> Through inter-dependency, Fiji is building a solar
panel industry and plans expansion for South Pacific Island Community
The
University of the South Pacific has connected Fiji’s largest grid-connected
photovoltaic system, to the island of Suva’s electrical grid on Saturday. The
landmark installation is part of a wider project by Fiji and the university to
equip Pacific Islanders with the requisite skills to see the photovoltaic
industry provide electricity to communities throughout the region. Because
Fiji’s also has hydroelectric resources, the University of the South Pacific,
located there, has installed the photovoltaic system as a training and
capacity-building program. The South Korean Government funded the project. The
university is working with a new organization, the Sustainable Energy
Association of the Pacific Islands, to carry out the task analysis and develop
competency standards and certifications for tradesmen and engineers to carry
out photovoltaic system installation and maintenance. Even with the high
electricity costs in some Pacific Island countries, off-grid applications
present the major opportunities for photovoltaics in the region. Although total
electrical generating capacity amongst the islands, of all kinds, remains very
small in the South Pacific, this could change as photovoltaics provide off-grid
electricity to many communities. “This is happening now. At the moment the
photovoltaic costs are on the high side and the capacity issue [stemming from a
lack of required skills] is a major issue. So this is what we’re focusing on at
the moment, the costs come down to maintenance and looking after the sites are
very, very important. And at the University of the South Pacific, we are
working on that.” Some off-grid locations in Fiji have previously seen NGO and
charity groups install photovoltaic systems there but there is no process for
their maintenance and, as such, many kilowatts of installations have fallen into disrepair.
separate but similar
question:
How would independence affect
unification of the Marianas?
Ideas include:
-how does independence hinder or support the reunification of the
Marianas
->if Guam was independent, it's possible that we could lead the
other islands to unify or be independent themselves. We could be lead and show
the way for the other islands to follow. People are always afraid of being the
first to do something. The second that someone finally steps up, is the same
second that others become more comfortable with an issue.
->Instead of being the tip of the spear for war and suffering,
we could be the start of reunification.
How does independence help Guam better control its economy, education,
environment, etc.?
HEALTH
->It is well documented that all colonized and
marginalized communities suffer from mental health issues of all sorts due
to socio-political and socio-cultural oppression. Individuals in these communities
have learned to either internalize their oppression (via suicide, depression, heart
disease, etc) or externalize their anger and frustration (via aggression toward
others, etc).
BAD THINGS
->Chamoru people are over-represented in correctional
facilities, probation rolls, and within the mental health system. My
people suffer high rates of family violence, substance abuse, teenage
suicides, school drop-outs, and other social problems (Rapadas, 2001;
Untalan, 1991).
->Young Chamoru males and females, when compared to the
general population, experienced the highest rates of alcohol and drug abuse,
were more actively suicidal, committed more overall offenses, reported more gang involvement,
and made up the majority of criminal recidivists, where assault and property crimes
were the most frequent criminal offenses (Rapadas, 2001).
MILITARY
There is also a high concentration of ALS (amyothrophic
lateral sclerosis), and Parkinsonism-dementia on the island
(Fitzpatrick-Nietschmann, 1983; Reed et al., 1970). Recent research has attributed
the high rates of ALS and Parkinsonism-dementia in Chamorus to the nuclear contamination
of our resources by the US military (Szyfres, 2007). The U.S. military is
indisputably the source of toxic contamination throughout Guam. According
to recent Public Health statistics, there is a high incidence of death from cancers
in the villages of Santa Rita and Yigo—the two villages adjacent to the two major
U.S. military bases.
->Ordot Landfill was a military-owned dumpsite after WWII, have
high traces of arsenic, lead, copper, mercury, tin, and PCBs (Szyfres,
2007). The 2001 written Congressional testimony of Retired Lt. Charles Bert Schreiber,
US Navy, revealed the storage, contamination, and cover up of nuclear
chemicals by his superiors in Guam (Schreiber, 2001).
->Since 1952 Guam has experienced a radioactive “attack” as described
by retired Lt. Schreiber, immediately after the US military detonated the Ivy Mike
hydrogen bomb on the island of Enewetak in the Marshalls, the Chamorus have NOT been
officially informed that they have been consuming radioactive rainwater.
ENVIRONMENT
->The capacity of our community and our ability to sustain
the quality of our environment and our resources—such as our
northern water lens system and surface waters in the southern part of the
island, our lands, our air, the tropical limestone and savannah forests,
the soil, our reef systems surrounding the island, flora and fauna, our
climate and our coastal resources— our whole small island ecosystem will
be significantly, adversely and
irreversibly impacted.
->The planned influx of military
personnel and their families to Guam is estimated at over 23% increase in
our population over the next 6 1/2 years. By comparison, the US had a population
increase of 5% from 2000 to 2005. The CIA marks overpopulation as
the largest environmental concern in the world. The rapid unnatural
population growth in our small island society is of grave concern today. The unequal distribution of population
growth in one sector of society will have disproportionate effects on ALL sectors
of society.
EDUCATION
->The results show that U.S. students must improve to compete
in a global economy, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said yesterday in a telephone interview. “The
brutal fact here is there are many countries that are far ahead of us and
improving more rapidly than we are,” Duncan said. “This should be a massive
wake-up call to the entire country.” Duncan said, “there are huge lessons
we can learn from countries that are both doing better than we are and
improving more rapidly.
->Fifteen-year-olds in the U.S. ranked 25th among peers from 34
countries on a math test and scored in the middle in science and reading, while
China’s Shanghai topped the charts, raising concern that the U.S. isn’t
prepared to succeed in the global economy.
ECONOMY
-Through regional independence the Republic of Fiji is making vast
economic gains and even counterbalancing Australian attempts to isolate them.
Australia’s
political policies toward Fiji have negatively impacted Australia’s reputation
in the region and stunted development opportunities among the Pacific Islands.
The Bainimarama Government continues to progress economically through freshly
formed partnerships with China and other Asian powers. The report comes only
days after the announcement of Fiji’s groundbreaking economic plan, which
reduces or eliminates taxes for 99 percent of taxpayers and improves the ease
of doing business in Fiji for foreign investment thought major tax cuts and the
opening of new sectors. The Australian government’s constant pressure to
isolate Fiji has in fact backfired and isolated Australia within regional
organizations. Australia’s exclusionary tactics have stilted regional
collaboration aimed at improving maritime security, curbing transnational
crime, pursuing trade negotiations, and expending trade relations. Fiji remains
open to trade, investment and tourism from all of its regional neighbors. In
recent years, the Bainimarama Government has implemented a host of reforms to
modernize Fiji – including such laws that create equal rights for women and
regulations that mandate transparency in government.
FAS group asked:
As an independent nation, how will Guam defend against foreign
invasion?
1) Foreign Invasion's more likely in the Status Quo (Increased) U.S. Military presence on Guam is the most likely scenario for Foreign Invasion.
As an independent nation, we can choose to completely rid ourselves of the US military. By kicking them out, we also get rid of all the nuclear weapons that they brought to our island. Not having any weapons of mass destruction on Guam also makes us less of a threat to the other nations.
If you think about it, the reason that Japan even bombed Guam and Hawaii back in the day was because the US had military bases there.
1) Foreign Invasion's more likely in the Status Quo (Increased) U.S. Military presence on Guam is the most likely scenario for Foreign Invasion.
As an independent nation, we can choose to completely rid ourselves of the US military. By kicking them out, we also get rid of all the nuclear weapons that they brought to our island. Not having any weapons of mass destruction on Guam also makes us less of a threat to the other nations.
If you think about it, the reason that Japan even bombed Guam and Hawaii back in the day was because the US had military bases there.
2) Establishing Pacific Island Alliances - And Promoting Regional Peace. We don't need a big buff Military. Check out Samoa, we could be just like them. They have no military whatsoever and they have never been invaded. Instead, they are allies with places like New Zealand and Fiji, and those places have a military.
Additionally, establishing a regional agreement to pursue peace in the area would de-escalate the scenarios for war. Obama has already declared that military control of the Pacific is central to the forward deployment of troops to Asia. Without control over the Pacific, the need for countries to protect themselves against each other completely decreases.
3) Forming an Alliance with China
Guam will have the power to ally itself with other nations. Guam is key to the U.S. military policy to contain China. Having said that, China would love to be friends with us because we could allow China to counter-balance U.S. Military presence in the region.
The difference between that and the Status Quo is as an independent nation, we would have a much more powerful say in how we interact with other countries.
Statehood group asked:
If Guam breaks away from the US, we lose financial aid, federal
funds, etc. How will Guam manage without the US?
->The US has an economic stranglehold on GU. The Jones Act
forces the price of imported goods up 40% because goods have to travel from
Asia all the way to the US, before they can come to Guam.
IND means that we can lease land to the US for use as bases. In
PI, the US has to pay $500 mil a year, and that is the size of GovGuam's
budget. We have 2 bases. Everywhere else in the world, the US pays to keep
their bases. The US isn't the only trading partner for GU. We can trade
regional between the Marianas and FSM, Japan, China, Taiwan etc.
->Chavez leads the way for independent nations to create new
alliances to counterbalance the US and Canadian hegemony.
Venezuela’s
President Chavez hosted Latin American leaders to create a new regional body
intended to counter the United States. The inauguration of the 33-member
Community of Latin Americans and Caribbean States (CELAC) deliberately excludes
Canada and the US. “As years go by, CELAC is going to leave behind the old and
worn-out.” Organization of American States that leftist nations say is under
Washington’s thumb. Chavez called the foundation of CELAC an achievement 200
years in the making, the realization of the ambitions of independence hero
Simon Bolivar. “Only unity will make us free.” “This is the path: Unity, unity,
unity!” “For some of them, there might be a little bit of anti-Americanism but
for many – and they have said it – this is just a very important step for them
to be together.” “Usually all these countries, whenever they would have met, it
would have been the US and Canada. This is the first time they’re doing it
without these two countries, and their aim is to foster regional integration.”
The countries of CELAC have nearly 600 million people and comprise the world’s
number one food exporter. They have a combined GPD of about $6 trillion –
roughly a third of the combined output of the US and Canada. Analysts say
that the new body shows the wish of Latin America and the Caribbean to move out
of the shadow of Washington. “This has been aided by a progressive
disengagement from the region by the US since the end of the Cold War, allowing
other countries – most notably China – to increase their footprint in primarily
economic terms.” “It’s the death sentence for the Monroe Doctrine.” Referring
to a hated 19th century
US policy that many Latin Americans regard as justifying meddling in their
region.
->China’s quickly becoming the economic power of the world.
Venezuelan Economy Depends in Chinese support.
Chavez said
China could surpass the US as Venezuela’s No. 1 trade partner due to a
strategic alliance. Trade has reached $20 billion this year, growing at a rate
of $2 billion a year. Trade between US and Venezuela has reached $33.5 billion;
trade is not expected to increase significantly. Diplomatic relations with the
US are frozen. Chavez said Venezuela’s growing ties with China are vital to his
country’s economic development. Chavez has increased oil in sales to China
in the past several years while trying to diversify Venezuela’s oil clientele.
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