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Greetings from Guam "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill-will." - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) There is so much news to report, but so little space in which to do it. I am going to touch on a variety of local topics that have been in the forefront of our news lately. 1) A boat from Japan bound for Guam, carrying some Japanese sand, sank yesterday (Jan. 17) approximately 500 miles from Guam. This was no ordinary sand, but specially-grown and nurtured Japanese river sand that was to be used on the soccer fields here for the South Pacific Games (SPG) this May. And no, I do not know why they need sand for soccer fields, especially Japanese sand. Funny how rickety, old boats loaded with illegal Chinese aliens are able to make it here, but a boat load of sand from Japan sinks. There is a positive side to this tragedy: All 43 crew members were saved and Director James Cameron is reportedly looking into making a film about this incredible story. The SPG's are in trouble because our economy is about as vibrant as a slug (or Strom Thurman) on Valium. Four years ago, Guam won the bid for the games (which are held every four years), but it seems that the people in charge forgot all about it. Here is an excerpt from a secretly taped conversation between Linda Tripp and one of the leading organizers of the South Pacific Games: (To protect the identity of the SPG official, he will be referred to as Dopey) Linda: So tell me, Dopey, what are your plans this spring, will you be coming to the states at all? Dopey: Hmm, let me check my calendar...Let me see, it looks clear. Wait, I have SPG written here for May and June. SPG...SPG...? What did I mean by that? Linda: I dunno, but it sounds important. Whatever you do, save that calendar. Dopey: Oh, pooh, now I remember. It stands for South Pacific Games which we are hosting and I am in charge of fund-raising and getting the Japanes sand for the soccer fields. Linda: Well, how much money do you have to raise? Dopey: About 5 million. Linda: And how much have you raised so far? Dopey: Eleven dollars. Linda, let's keep this between us. People might get upset. They might even think that I sat on my rear for three and a half years when I was suppose to be out raising money for this event. Linda: No problem, Dopey, I won't tell a soul. But remember, save the calendar. 2) Did any of you mainlanders catch the article in the Washington Post a few weeks ago about the K-Mart on Guam? Basically, it was a positive article except that it made it sound like there is nothing to do on Guam except go to K-Mart. I suppose they are right if you do not like any of the following: the sun, beautiful beaches, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, hiking, golfing, the sun, swimming, cock fights, 5-star restaurants, water parks, museums, barbecues, movies, friendly people, and big insects. (Though I must confess, on more than one occasion I have called up my one friend and asked him if he wanted to peruse the automotive department in K-Mart. And I have taken a few dates out to dinner at the Little Caesar's in K-Mart....for some reason or another none of those women ever wanted to see me again. Come to think of it, they all opted to take a cab home...guess they did not like my truck? Or maybe it was riding in the back they didn't like?) Whatever, the gist of the article is that our K-Mart here is really big, always packed, rakes in globs of money, and is a great place to look for missing relatives and AWOL military personnel. What the article failed to mention was the fact that three missing children and eleven fugitives, all featured on America's Most Wanted were all located at our K-Mart one Friday night. 3) Three law firms (Saipan, LA, and NY) representing 25,000 workers have filed class action lawsuits against 22 garment manufacturers on Saipan. One billion dollars in unpaid wages and damages are being sought. What caught my eye - besides the front page article and the precceding three pages of related aticles - were the names of the companies being sued: The Gap, Wal-Mart, J. Crew, J.C. Penney, Nordstrom, Oshkosh B'Gosh, Lane Bryant (they are being sued for a little more than the others), Sears and Robuck, Tommy Hilfiger, The Limited, and the May Department Stores. All of the above-mentioned companies purchase apparel from independently-owned and -operated garment manufacturing companies. The treatment of these workers is rather appalling, to say the least. I am not condoning this, but think how much these companies would charge if their clothes were union-made in the US? Better yet, think about how much profit these companies are making? Excuse me now while I go make a pair of pants for myself out of banana peels or something. Hafa Adai Copyright © 1999 |
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