Monday, December 3, 2007

Futility

Unity?
The self serving are all set to march with the self indulgent, the wishful thinkers and the naïve to the tune of Strauss’ famous Futility March later this week.

The US Congress will decide the fate of the CNMI when it determines to sap the last vestige of Covenant promised self rule via its proposed takeover or not. Marching won’t add or subtract from the chances of ‘enhanced immigration status’ for long-term foreign laborers, it’s already out of the equation. It has been removed from the bill. With the immigrant status provision the US bill had no chance of passing. Without it there is some chance it will, in the House version anyway.

The Northern Marians Legislature has already passed, and the Governor has already signed into law the probably unworkable PL 15-108 Labor Reform Bill. Marching will not repeal, redress, change or make it any more palatable to anyone concerned.

So why march? Well to recruit new dues paying members. To foment unrest which can be parlayed into organizer agenda goals at the expense of those gullible enough to take the proffered bait. To enhance the fiction that the majority of citizens want to see unique island culture replaced with ‘Tulsa with an ocean’, one size fits all US culture and regulation by uncaring bureaucrats 10,000 miles away. The majority does not.

Maybe if they are lucky, protest march organizers will get a small act of violence to splash on front pages. Nothing spectacular mind you. A policeman’s shove to maintain order or a parking lot scuffle between pros and antis will do nicely to prolong and expand the coverage for weeks. Calling it peaceful and prayerful does not make it necessarily so. Anti war protests of the 60’s and 70’s were always touted as ‘peaceful’ but often had incidents of violence associated with them. Let’s hope and pray that does not happen here.

So the unity march is more like a funeral procession than the uplifting show of unity it is advertised as. Many different diverse people going in many different directions seeking happiness in their own way is a recipe for a successful cultural relationship and a successful nation. A homogenous ‘unified’ vision of culture, is a recipe for robotic stagnation. Harmonious? Yes, hopefully. Unified? No, thanks.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

A cynic might think that some sleazy lawyers in the CNMI are trying to generate some business for themselves from some desperate, scared, and GULLIBLE alien workers.

Jeff said...

Something tells me that if you were born in a poor country, you'd be out there too, and all the rhetoric about the productive and unproductive would slide away. There are few people I've seen more productive than contract workers here, yet they are still broke. The system is nowhere near as fair as you seem to think it is Bruce.

Angelo Villagomez said...

Bruce, since you don't support the labor bill, I thought you would support this March.

I think you are just proving that you are anti-everything.

It doesn't matter what the subject.

Well, except for the casino. You liked the casino.

Bruce A. Bateman said...

I am absolutely opposed to this Labor bill and if that were the purpose of this march, to show opposition, I would be right up front, Angelo. That is not enough for them, however. The stated purpose is to show support for US federalization of immigration which I oppose as not in the best interest of the Commonwealth.

Yep, I did like the casino...which failed like a big dog. Now on to a better casino act which has a better chance of passing.

The Good news: maybe if Kumho attracts additional projects we can dispense with gaming as an added attration and go with water parks or giant windmills or something else. Goodness knows we need something to stimulate this economy.

Bruce A. Bateman said...

Support it or not, it is a futile exhibition. That's my point, Angelo.

Jeff, I'll talk with you about productivity some evening over a mojito or two. You are right, its not fair, but not much is.

Angelo Villagomez said...

In Korea they have casinos that do not allow Koreans inside. I'd support something like that, maybe.

I still say that the casinos should be a last resort.

There are so many economic opportunities that are not explored for one reason or another.

We piss all over one investor in order to give a "friend" a hand up. We refuse help. We say we can do it on our own.

I agree that Unity name is just an attempt to hide the true meaning of the March.

I found it disgusting that people follow Boni. He told people he would get them a greencard for $100.

He did that because he didn't have a job and needed money. That's effed up.

glend558 said...

Bruce a simple question..
If you were in their shoes,
You:
1 Would go for all you could get?
2 Would say nothing and take what is ever handed to you?
And your answer is______

Bruce A. Bateman said...

If I were in their shoes, Glen, I would save the marching shoe leather and spend my time trying to be useful to my employer so as to be renewed. If not renewed, they will be heading home...not something they want to do apparently.

BTW, trying to be useful to ones employer is certainly not something confined to foreign contract workers. All of us, when we work for others, need to be of use to be retained.

Bruce A. Bateman said...

By the way, a cynic would be correct in so thinking, nony.