The Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday was interesting. A vote was held to make sure the formal position of the Chamber on the federalization issue agreed with the position held by most of its members. The answer was an overwhelming yes. Votes ranged from 10 to 1 in favor (3 positions), 4 to 1 in favor (1 position) and 2 to 1 in favor (1 position) of the positions promulgated by the Chamber’s Board. Looks like they had a pretty good finger on the pulse of members.
This photo was shamelessly pilfered from the Saipan Tribune website.
The print media here reported on it and of course made a certain Ron Hodges contrary remarks and thoughts a far bigger part of the story than they should have been. One must remember that all, yes all, the reporting staff of the two english language newspapers here are contract workers themselves and have a vested interest in the outcome of this proposed federal takeover of CNMI self government. The raving Hodges character, by the way, has a non-business selling real estate to no one on Saipan and employs zero, wala, zilch contract workers. I noticed the Variety had the most Hodges-skewed coverage.
I predict a barrage of immigration related stories pushed to the front pages and I predict some big, staged immigration gaff, which will just coincidently coincide with the arrival of the US congressional delegation. What a surprise. Remember the same PR tactic is used when each and every US envoy hits the tarmac here. Stayman is a PR whiz. We need to take a whiz… on his leg.
The print reporters here think they and other contract workers will be granted a fast track to the US nirvana job fair in the sky. What they’ll get, of course, is a limited visa to Guam where the canon fodder folks over at DoD need a few thousand workers to dig the trenches for the Okinawa retreat position. Once that job is done they will be herded back to the PI like a pencil without an eraser is tossed in the trash.
The lambs are easily led to slaughter.
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