Pågan Island featured on Talk Nation Radio
Michael Hadfield is a Professor of Zoology and Principal Investigator at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii, and at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center. He discusses the need to save Pagan Island, its people and other species, from the U.S. military. See http://savepaganisland.org
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Music by Duke Ellington.
Download from Archive or LetsTryDemocracy.
Pacifica stations can also download from AudioPort.
Syndicated by Pacifica Network.
http://davidswanson.org/node/4322
Guam: Where America’s Day Begins with Injustice
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) enters Apra Harbor, Guam for a scheduled port visit in 2011.
For Washington’s 9,000-strong Chamorro community, getting hassled going into bars is just the tip of the warship.
I’m 22 this year and still very new to the bar scene. I’m not too big on drinking, but I think dancing is medicine—the call and response between the beat and my feet, the sweat, embodying the fearlessness it takes to move my body in public.
I like to dance, so I’ve become very accustomed to this conversation with the bouncers:
“ID please.”“Håfa adai! Thank you, here you go.”
(Confused/Disgruntled Face)
“I’m sorry sir, I can’t accept your ID, do you have your passport?”
“I do have my passport, but as you can see sir, this ID says ‘Guam USA, Where America’s Day Begins.’”
“I see that, but Washington State Law requires a valid state ID.”
Here is the point in the conversation where I whip out my smartphone, pull up the bookmarked Washington State Liquor Control Board page with the relevant laws and read out loud: Types of Acceptable ID, Driver’s License, Instruction Permit, or I.D. Card issued by any U.S. State, U.S. Territory and District of Columbia.
Most bouncers have been real “cool.”
“I’ll let you in tonight, but next time bring your passport.”
Because, even though I was born in America, my Guam ID makes me a little less American.
It’s pretty frustrating having to explain U.S. History every time I want to go out to dance. But that’s just one of the smallest injustices the Chamorro people face.
Resilience runs in the blood.
When the United States seized Guam in 1899, as a part of the U.S.-Spanish War, a navy governor was appointed to be the supreme lawmaker of the island.
The governor passed general orders banning our native language, prohibiting whistling, banning dancing after 10:00 p.m., banning interracial marriages. Governor Adelbert Althouse even collected all of the Chamorro books and burned them.
At a time when Chamorros were not even considered citizens of the United States, my grandfather, like many of his generation, served in the U.S. Military during World War II.
Stationed at Pearl Harbor, he survived the kamikaze attacks. Hours before the infamous bombing, Guam was invaded by the Japanese en route to Hawai‘i. The American military, predicting the invasion, evacuated all of their personnel and dependents, leaving the Chamorro people to fend for themselves in a war fought between superpowers.
In 1944, American Troops re-invaded Guam and carpet bombed the island. Luckily, the Japanese had interned the Chamorros in concentration camps, so they survived. After the successful, “liberation” of the Chamorros, the U.S. seized two-thirds of the island for military bases. Ironically, the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the bombs that ended World War II, were stored and flown out of Chamorro land.
In 1949, the Guam Assembly walked out of session, forcing the federal government to grant self-government and citizenship to the people of Guam. So unlike our grandparents, our generation has U.S. Citizenship—we just don’t get to vote for president.
Over 70 years after World War II, the federal government refuses to provide reparations to the only Americans who lived through enemy occupation. The United States continues to evade responsibility for establishing over 100 toxic dumpsites (nuclear and chemical weapons) on Guam, an island eight miles wide and 31 miles long.
Today, Chamorros enlist and die in the military at the highest rates per capita, higher than any U.S. state.
As part of what the White House is calling the “Pacific Pivot,” Obama plans to move 60 percent of the military to the Pacific.
In 2009, the U.S. Military released a 10,000 page document, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, detailing the upcoming “military build-up.” Part of the plan is to dredge of 70 acres of healthy coral reef to house a Nuclear Air Craft Carrier, build a Missile Defense program and 5-Range Firing Complex on an ancient burial ground, seizing the entire island of Pågan, and exposing residents to mortars, howitzers, artillery, high explosive munitions and anti-tank weapons.
After several generations of military occupation, subsequent migration and attempted assimilation, my family is still not free. After my Grandpa, my dad, his brothers and so many of my cousins have fought for the freedom of Americans, my family is still not free. Even though our bodies have been poisoned, our language has been outlawed, and our land has been stolen, I am alive. I am alive and all generations of my ancestors are alive in me. I am living and our traditions, our language live inside of me.
With all of this trauma in my body, sometimes I just need to cleanse. On nights when I’m feeling like sweating the radiation out of my system, I’ve got to fight to get into the club.
Well, unless I bring proof of my legitimate citizenship.
I’m frustrated, but not surprised. I’m from Guam USA, where America’s day begins with injustice.
People and organizations all over the world have rallied to oppose the Department of Defense’s proposed “Military Build-Up.” Together we can protect our home. Take Action Now! Visit http://www.arkiology.tv/2013/11/14/take-action/.
This story originally appeared at The Seattle Globalist at seattleglobalist.com.
December 18, 2013
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) enters Apra Harbor, Guam for a scheduled port visit in 2011.
U.S. Navy photo by MCSC Peter Lewis
I’m 22 this year and still very new to the bar scene. I’m not too big on drinking, but I think dancing is medicine—the call and response between the beat and my feet, the sweat, embodying the fearlessness it takes to move my body in public.
I like to dance, so I’ve become very accustomed to this conversation with the bouncers:
“ID please.”“Håfa adai! Thank you, here you go.”
(Confused/Disgruntled Face)
“I’m sorry sir, I can’t accept your ID, do you have your passport?”
“I do have my passport, but as you can see sir, this ID says ‘Guam USA, Where America’s Day Begins.’”
“I see that, but Washington State Law requires a valid state ID.”
Here is the point in the conversation where I whip out my smartphone, pull up the bookmarked Washington State Liquor Control Board page with the relevant laws and read out loud: Types of Acceptable ID, Driver’s License, Instruction Permit, or I.D. Card issued by any U.S. State, U.S. Territory and District of Columbia.
Most bouncers have been real “cool.”“I’ll let you in tonight, but next time bring your passport.”
Because, even though I was born in America, my Guam ID makes me a little less American.
It’s pretty frustrating having to explain U.S. History every time I want to go out to dance. But that’s just one of the smallest injustices the Chamorro people face.
Resilience runs in the blood.
When the United States seized Guam in 1899, as a part of the U.S.-Spanish War, a navy governor was appointed to be the supreme lawmaker of the island.
The governor passed general orders banning our native language, prohibiting whistling, banning dancing after 10:00 p.m., banning interracial marriages. Governor Adelbert Althouse even collected all of the Chamorro books and burned them.
At a time when Chamorros were not even considered citizens of the United States, my grandfather, like many of his generation, served in the U.S. Military during World War II.
Stationed at Pearl Harbor, he survived the kamikaze attacks. Hours before the infamous bombing, Guam was invaded by the Japanese en route to Hawai‘i. The American military, predicting the invasion, evacuated all of their personnel and dependents, leaving the Chamorro people to fend for themselves in a war fought between superpowers.
In 1944, American Troops re-invaded Guam and carpet bombed the island. Luckily, the Japanese had interned the Chamorros in concentration camps, so they survived. After the successful, “liberation” of the Chamorros, the U.S. seized two-thirds of the island for military bases. Ironically, the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the bombs that ended World War II, were stored and flown out of Chamorro land.
In 1949, the Guam Assembly walked out of session, forcing the federal government to grant self-government and citizenship to the people of Guam. So unlike our grandparents, our generation has U.S. Citizenship—we just don’t get to vote for president.
Over 70 years after World War II, the federal government refuses to provide reparations to the only Americans who lived through enemy occupation. The United States continues to evade responsibility for establishing over 100 toxic dumpsites (nuclear and chemical weapons) on Guam, an island eight miles wide and 31 miles long.
Today, Chamorros enlist and die in the military at the highest rates per capita, higher than any U.S. state.
As part of what the White House is calling the “Pacific Pivot,” Obama plans to move 60 percent of the military to the Pacific.
In 2009, the U.S. Military released a 10,000 page document, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, detailing the upcoming “military build-up.” Part of the plan is to dredge of 70 acres of healthy coral reef to house a Nuclear Air Craft Carrier, build a Missile Defense program and 5-Range Firing Complex on an ancient burial ground, seizing the entire island of Pågan, and exposing residents to mortars, howitzers, artillery, high explosive munitions and anti-tank weapons.
After several generations of military occupation, subsequent migration and attempted assimilation, my family is still not free. After my Grandpa, my dad, his brothers and so many of my cousins have fought for the freedom of Americans, my family is still not free. Even though our bodies have been poisoned, our language has been outlawed, and our land has been stolen, I am alive. I am alive and all generations of my ancestors are alive in me. I am living and our traditions, our language live inside of me.
With all of this trauma in my body, sometimes I just need to cleanse. On nights when I’m feeling like sweating the radiation out of my system, I’ve got to fight to get into the club.
Well, unless I bring proof of my legitimate citizenship.
I’m frustrated, but not surprised. I’m from Guam USA, where America’s day begins with injustice.
People and organizations all over the world have rallied to oppose the Department of Defense’s proposed “Military Build-Up.” Together we can protect our home. Take Action Now! Visit http://www.arkiology.tv/2013/11/14/take-action/.
This story originally appeared at The Seattle Globalist at seattleglobalist.com.
Air Play: brown tree snakes & ballast water
BBC Report on the Island's Brown Tree Snake
13 February, 2014 Democracy Now Episode feat. Elizabeth Kolbert
Palau President Tommy Remengesau Declares Marine Sanctuary, Bans All Commercial Fishing
Palau's President Tommy Remengesau has declared the Pacific nation will become a marine sanctuary, where no commercial fishing will take place.
Mr Remengesau has told a UN oceans conference Palau's 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone will be a "100 per cent marine sanctuary", and commercial operations will be banned within the Pacific nation's territorial waters.
"We have no choice - the ocean is our way of life," he said.
"It's our livelihood, it's our culture, it's our economy - I always say the economy is our environment and the environment is our economy."
"You may ask why, why are you doing this? It makes every sense for our sustainability as a people, as an island nation, and as a community."
 |
| Seized Shark Fins [Palau Shark Sanctuary] |
Mr Remengesau says locals and tourists will continue to be able to fish, but no commercial scale operations will take place.
"I may not be the best fisherman, but I am a fisherman," he said.
"I can tell you that in just my generation I've seen stocks of fish dwindle down, I've seen the sizes of fish taken become more smaller.
"This is something that is far more than the economical loss of revenues for companies or other countries - you're talking about a livelihood that's really going to be decimated if we don't take the responsible action."
The marine sanctuary follows the declaration of a shark sanctuary in Palau in 2009.
Shark sanctuaries have since been declared in several other countries, including the Maldives, Honduras, Marshall Islands and French Polynesia.
 |
| [Micronesian Shark Foundation Palau] |
Mr Remengesau says a dead shark is worth several hundred dollars, but a live shark is worth $1.9 million in tourism during its life span.
He says his country will promote scuba diving, snorkelling and eco-tourism as an alternative income to commercial fishing.
"We're not just closing our waters and throwing away the key," he said.
"We're closing our waters because we will do our part of making sure that there's healthy stocks of fish in Palau that can migrate to other places, and that there are other options to grow the economy.
 |
| Nautilus, Palau. [Wikimedia Commons] |
"These are important ways to make a living and at the same time preserve the pristine environment that we have been blessed with in Palau."
Enforcement of the commercial fishing ban is expected to be a challenge, as the country only has one patrol boat to cover its economic zone which is roughly the size of France.
Last year it trialled unmanned drones, and is also looking for other technology partners to help enforce the ban.
Sustainable Development Goal
Palau is also urging the United Nations to adopt a new Sustainable Development Goal to protect the world's oceans.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals, which pledged countries to reduce poverty and improve health and environmental protection by 2015.
Stuart Beck, Ambassador of the Republic of Palau for Oceans and Seas, says the proposal for a 'stand alone' goal has three parts.
"One: healthy oceans - let's clean up the plastic gyre, let stop dumping garbage," he said.
"Two: restoration of our fish stocks - we can actually achieve that in our lifetime if we're smart about it.
"Three: bring some equity to the current resources being taken from these oceans by others."
Mr Remengesau says the health of oceans affects countries in a variety of ways, from rising sea levels, to ocean acidification and unpredictable weather.
"And so it is important that the United Nations in the next Millennium Development Goals, really put a stand alone policy on this."
Deputy Secretary-General with the UN, Jan Elliason, has paid tribute to the Pacific and other island countries for raising awareness of the issue.
"They have an acute sense of the dangers of climate change and the level of sea rise - becoming an existential threat for them," he said.
"They are a bit like the canaries in the coal mine, the canaries that warn us that now the oxygen is [running] out...they're the first ones to leave.
"We should listen to those states."
 |
| Palau is famous for its Rock Islands. |
http://au.news.yahoo.com/technology/a/21295718/palau-declares-marine-sanctuary-bans-all-commercial-fishing/
From urbandictionary.com
An island in the Pacific Ocean that is a territory of the U.S. Guam features the highest obesity rate, and highest rate of smokers in comparison the U.S. Over 60 percent of Guam's locals are utilizing goverment benefits because they are too lazy or too unintelligent to work. The local Chamorrons are very proud of their culture. The Spanish invaded Guam in the 1600's. They killed most of the males and impregnated the fat females. Guam was also invaded by the Japanese during WW2. All the local males were killed, or pushed off Two Lovers point. The Japanese efficiently killed all Chommoro males. This corrected thousands of years of inbreading. The gene pool is slowly getting better. However, most local males on Guam possess the intelligence of a small child. The females are actually quite intelligent. Guam features the worst education in the United States. Their Private Schools are the equivalent to inner city public schools in the U.S. The students don't care about their education, because they can apply for Food Stamps and Welfare through the use of U.S. citizens tax dollars.
I'm from Guahan, so most likely, I'm on welfare.
by C De Faz
September 10, 2010
you misspelled 'government' & 'inbreeding'
meanwhile...
Guam EPA Reminder : Fish/Shellfish Advisories Remain in Effect for Cocos Lagoon, Orote Point and Agana Swamp
Saturday, 01 February 2014
Guam News
- COCOS LAGOON: A fish consumption advisory for Cocos Lagoon has been in effect since 2006. The advisory stems from fish tissue sampling conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard that indicated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) above U.S. EPA recommended screening value for those fishing in recreational waters. The advisory only applies to consuming fish and does not cover swimming, wading or other recreational activities in the lagoon. PCB contamination in the Lagoon along the Cocos Island shoreline is suspected to have come from the former U.S. Coast Guard Long Range Navigation (LORAN) station on Cocos Island.
2006 marianas variety news article on LORAN station & contamination
- OROTE POINT: A seafood advisory was issued in 2001 for the west side of Orote Peninsula (Rizal Beach to Spanish Steps) and Gabgab beach in Apra Harbor. The advisory extends 600 feet from shore. Seafood caught in these areas may contain polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides or dioxins at levels that are not safe to eat. This includes fish, shellfish and algae or sea grapes. Fish samples were taken in 2001. The landfill has been cleaned and capped with a low permeability cover. The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) advises choosing younger, smaller fish and other seafood to reduce exposure to contaminates whenever possible. Residents are also encouraged to remove skin, fatty tissue in the belly and along the side and internal organs of seafood to reduce potential exposure to chemicals.
more information on Orote Landfill
- AGANA SWAMP: An advisory was issued regarding fish and shellfish in the Agana swamp and river in 2000. The advisory was issued after test results showed fish and eels in the river and swamp area had higher levels of Polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs). PCBs were used at the Agana Power Plant and were found in the soil near the electric transformers at the plant and in the Agana Swamp.
more information on the Agana Power Plant
Navy Dredging Could Harm Sea Turtles
Feb. 2, 2014
Written by Michelle Conerly
Pacific Sunday News
Two local sea turtle populations could be affected negatively by
work outlined in a new environmental assessment announced by the U.S.
Navy.
The Navy is looking to rehabilitate and modernize its existing X-Ray Wharf near Apra Harbor on Naval Base Guam to accommodate larger vessels by creating a fill-supported wharf and two mooring dolphins.
To do so would require both pile driving and dredging, the report states.
Dredging is cleaning out a waterbed by scooping out mud, weeds or rubbish with a dredge.
To complete the project, which could take about two years, a total area of about 103,500 cubic yards within 17.2 acres would need to be dredged to get the area to 35 feet deep, said William Austin, public affairs officer at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.
The report states "the Navy determined that the proposed action is likely to adversely affect Endangered Species Act-protected sea turtles due to elevated in-water noise levels from pile driving."
Brent Tibbatts, fisheries biologist from the Guam Department of Agriculture, said hawksbill and green sea turtles are two species that can be found foraging and possibly nesting in inner Apra Harbor, and would most likely feel any negative effects from the military work.
Combined, there are on average 22 sea turtles in the area per year, with peak sightings from July to October, Tibbatts said.
The safety boundary of the pile-driving noise to physically affect the sea turtles is about 150 feet, Tibbatts said, and an approximately 3,000-foot boundary is given before behavioral changes, such as swimming away from the noise, would occur.
If a turtle were to swim within
the 150-foot range of the work, damage could occur to the animal's
ears, brain, lungs and eyes, said Tibbatts.
Startling endangered animals and anything else that would affect an endangered species is considered a violation, but the Navy has applied for an Incidental Take Statement, which would allow for the changing of behavior for a short period of time since the work to be done won't cause any permanent damage, Tibbatts said.
In terms of dredging, the efforts by the Navy to control sediments in the past have been inadequate according to Tibbatts, who said that Agriculture would be monitoring that activity to make sure there aren't any disturbances.
The comment period ended this week and the Navy now will review the comments and, depending on the nature of the comment Austin said, they could be incorporated in the final environmental assessment.
The Navy is looking to rehabilitate and modernize its existing X-Ray Wharf near Apra Harbor on Naval Base Guam to accommodate larger vessels by creating a fill-supported wharf and two mooring dolphins.
To do so would require both pile driving and dredging, the report states.
 |
| Green Sea Turtle. |
To complete the project, which could take about two years, a total area of about 103,500 cubic yards within 17.2 acres would need to be dredged to get the area to 35 feet deep, said William Austin, public affairs officer at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.
The report states "the Navy determined that the proposed action is likely to adversely affect Endangered Species Act-protected sea turtles due to elevated in-water noise levels from pile driving."
Brent Tibbatts, fisheries biologist from the Guam Department of Agriculture, said hawksbill and green sea turtles are two species that can be found foraging and possibly nesting in inner Apra Harbor, and would most likely feel any negative effects from the military work.
Combined, there are on average 22 sea turtles in the area per year, with peak sightings from July to October, Tibbatts said.
The safety boundary of the pile-driving noise to physically affect the sea turtles is about 150 feet, Tibbatts said, and an approximately 3,000-foot boundary is given before behavioral changes, such as swimming away from the noise, would occur.
 |
| Hawksbill Sea Turtle. [nps.gov] |
Startling endangered animals and anything else that would affect an endangered species is considered a violation, but the Navy has applied for an Incidental Take Statement, which would allow for the changing of behavior for a short period of time since the work to be done won't cause any permanent damage, Tibbatts said.
In terms of dredging, the efforts by the Navy to control sediments in the past have been inadequate according to Tibbatts, who said that Agriculture would be monitoring that activity to make sure there aren't any disturbances.
The comment period ended this week and the Navy now will review the comments and, depending on the nature of the comment Austin said, they could be incorporated in the final environmental assessment.
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