Optimistic... or Insane? HOTD

"Fitial: Full recovery ahead"

A Nursing School set up shop to train nurses. This "college" is set up in a former hotel and nurses will be able to get certified in 11 months.

While I think it is good that a business is opening I think it is a long shot to use this as an indicator that our CNMI economy is now on the upswing.

I would love to see any forecast as to the amount of money that will come to the CNMI gov't from this project. I am assuming they have a QC of some type that will minimize or eliminate most taxes. I am also assuming that the building is on Public Land and that fees for that are at around the 1% of fair market value to DPL. I am assuming that the Nurses will be housed at the facility (no rental income for other community members). I am assuming that most nurses will come from abroad, get certified and then leave so no real income generated by a newly created working member of the community.

Think the fever may be messing with the governors long term vision.

New Gift Ideas!!!

NEW ITEMS FOR THE HOLIDAYS. CLICK HERE!

Stocking Stuffers? Kris Kringle? Wedding Gift?

World Society for the Animal Protection Rep on Island!

Talk about timing.

Maybe Bruce can invite her over to the Canton Cages for an up close and personal with his supplier.

There is a good story that may interest him on the WSPA site:

http://www.wspa-international.org/campaigns.asp?campaignType=21

For the Love of Goats!

First Mr Bateman posts a blog speaking of bestiality and now he is condoning animal cruelty.

I wouldn't be as upset if I hadn't seen his image on the PAWs website?! Hypocrisy at it's finest.



I wonder if he is trying to corral all of the kids and get them into his cages?

UPDATE:

You may not want to do that Bruce: http://imkierkegaard.blogspot.com/2006/02/update-foster-parents-who-caged.html

Happy Customer Photo!

Just got this emailed to me today from one of my first satisfied customers :-)

Send me photos of you with your "Boycott Porky's" items.

Headline of the Day & Quote of the Day

HTD: Fitial calls for Benedetto's head


QTD: “I confess to some personal bias here-Representative Kaipat is my niece. She deserved better. Mr. Benedetto deserves not to be reappointed,” Fitial said.




Commentary: Stop picking on my niece!

Newpaper Quote of the Day!

As I peruse the various local papers I am struck daily with quotes that simply stun me. I must say that today's quote is also from a blog post.

QTD: "While I am sympathetic to their individual plight, and speak from the privileged perch of white male American, there is something unsavory about the desperate efforts of many Filipinos to flee their own country." [emphasis added]

From Mr. Turbitt's Blog/Column

One thing that added to my frustrations was the comments that people left on this blog post. One said that Jeff had hit the mark regarding aliens. Another said that they agreed with his concise analysis. Another mentioned it was a nice piece.

Nice piece?

Hit the mark?

In regards to the "unsavory" efforts of the "Filipinos" to "flee" their country statement Mr. Turbitt made, I have a few thoughts and questions.

What of those aboard the Mayflower? This too was “unsavory” in Mr. Turbitt's book? How odd that we celebrate their one-way departure and their landing in America with a nice savory cooked turkey in just a few days.

What too of the inscription on that lady's statue off New York? “Unsavory” as well?

What too of Mr. Turbitt that is here in Saipan? “Unsavory” for he has left his “home”?

There is nothing unsavory in my book about individuals relocating. Whether or not they have intentions of returning from where they came from and regardless of their individual reasons for leaving (be it due to lack of jobs, lack of food supply, disease, persecution, etc.).

The indigenous people of these islands many years back made a trip from a distant point and landed here in Saipan. They made this their home. Many did not return. Every day others from all across the world land on Saipan and set in their roots. They too make this their home.

Not every individual is nationalistic. It is not a duty of an individual to be such. To each his own.

I do not think you hit the mark in regards to aliens.

I was very disheartened by your remarks.

I guess what maybe savory in your book would be a group of "Filipinos" boarding a vessel and coming to Saipan. Then upon landing overthrowing the government and raising a new flag. Or perhaps had the Pilgrims decided to work for the Native Americans rather than taking their land would have been "unsavory".

I will not even touch on the "privileged perch of white male American" statement Mr. Turbitt made as it just screams "WTF".

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. inscribed on the Statue of Liberty

Boycott Porky's!

PP

Not Enough Time in the Day to Bitch!

I am swapped with things I would like to look into. I am looking over the newly enacted Labor Law of 2007. This is an eyeful.

I am also trying to figure out the regulations and laws pertaining to the absentee voting process in the CNMI. I have found so many discrepancies in the laws it is mind boggling that they had passed originally. Here is an example:

1 CMC § 6213(a) is amended to read as follows:
“(a) To be counted, an absentee ballot shall be postmarked not later than 10 days from the date of election and be received by the Commission not later than seven days after 12:00 noon on the date of election. If the Commission is using a post office box for the receipt of absentee ballots, it shall remove all absentee ballots contained in the box on and no later than fourteen days after 12:00 noon on the election date and such ballots shall be deemed to have been received within the deadline.

(1) Commencing with the date absentee ballots are first sent out until seven days after the 12:00 noon on the date of election, no less than two persons shall go to the post office, one of whom shall be designated by the Commission chairperson and the other of whom shall be designated by the Executive Director, to collect absentee ballots.

(2) The reply envelopes shall not be opened but shall be marked as provided in subsection (b) and deposited in a locked ballot box until processed by the Commission pursuant to subsections (c) through (h) seven days after the election.”

c. 1 CMC § 6213(h) is amended to read as follows:
“(h) The returned envelopes marked 'OK', together with the application attached, shall be delivered by the Commission to the accounting and tabulation committee seven days after on the day of the election, to be tabulated by the accounting and tabulation committee.”

There are so many things that scream "WTF" in this one section of the amended code.

I also wanted to look into who qualifies to receive and submit an absentee vote. How are the absentee ballots cross-checked to determine that the voter did not physically vote at a polling location on the day of the election and then also submit an absentee ballot (what precautionary measures are in place?). I have first hand accounts of voters who went to the polling places on Saturday and their names were not manually crossed off the computer print out listing. I fear that the names of absentee voters also appeared on these lists. What would stop someone from voting physically and then also mailing in an absentee ballot. A simple check would be to ensure that every individual that entered the polls on Saturday had their name crossed out on the computer generated listing (and initialed by the voter. As I did). Then when you receive the 1000 or so absentee ballots simply cross check the print out and determine if the person already voted on Saturday at a physical location. Not rocket science, however if the names were not being crossed of then it throws a major wrench into any cross checking procedure.

I am also still trying my best to stay on top of the Federal Senate and House Bills regarding CNMI immigration.

So much to do and so little time.

Ron, AIM HIGHER!

It seems Ron may have shook the hive with his letter to the editor. I have heard people say that the FBI needs to intercede and that Ron's advocating graffiti is awful.

I understand Ron's frustrations. The only question I have is why a movement for this one cause? Why not a movement that address the real problem? Our Government.

Now I will be clear (I know the Federal Prisons are Club Meds but I still don't feel like going to one anytime soon. Maybe after I turn 60). I am not advocating a Coup. I am questioning why Ron wouldn't have.

Why not call the citizens to take the government? Why not call for a Coup d'état?

How many people would be willing to support it? Would non-resident workers aid in a Coup? Is the public at that point yet? If not, at what point do we break?

I will write more on this in my next post. I am going to research a bit more on what I can say on the blogosphere and still be covered under the basic right to freedom of speech :-)

Boycott Porky's!

PP

Just In Time For X-mas! *** UPDATED***

Many have asked for it and who would I be to deny them.

Click here for: The Official "Boycott Porky's" Merchandise!

What better way to show your support than a customized "Boycott Porky's" Hat or T-shirt or Button or...


UPDATE (11/10/07) : WOW! I have sold 3 T-Shirts and 1 G-string to 2 satisfied customers. Let me know what other items you guys might want. I will have yard sign Billboards available by Monday. Feel free to pick up a few and just swap out any of those "YES on Casino" Signs that may still be lingering around out there.

Censored again. For the love of Goats.

Well add another to the sites that have censored my comments.

It appears that Mr. Bateman is hurting something terrible right now. His bar had a pathetic showing on Halloween and this last weekend was the slowest since he took the reins on the place. Top that off with the fact that his hopes for a lucrative consultant job with NMDIC just feel through his hands after the vote tally and you will understand the mental situation he is presently in.

Nothing displays his condition more than this post here:

I was wondering why a guy that hides himself behind an alias would be so obsessed, yes I think that word conveys the correct and specific malady, about a political initiative. There is only one plausible reason I can come up with and that is deceit via cover up. When his true identity is known, it will become plainly and absolutely obvious why you see all the running around in circles, pulling the hair out screaming 'propaganda' at the top of his lungs (okay fingertips) that Pee Pee boy aka Phlegmatic Playdough aka 13 different anonymous posters with the same classless writing style exhibits. You will then see what his true motivations are and what his true affiliations were and are. Thus his burning desire to keep his identity secret at all costs. Thus his obsession with the Saipan Casino Act. So I got down to doing a little cross checking and found, not his true identity yet, but his family tree so it is narrowed down considerably now. I have heard from a respected source that Pee Pee's Mom is a sodomite and does it with goats. Yes, goats. We're not talking merino sheep here we’re talking Billy Goat Gruff, cloven hoofed, smelly, shaggy goats. Not satyrs (as the family historian likes to pretend). The woman actually fornicates with ahem, should I say it again (?) goats, according to this reliable source. Here, go to his own site and check it out RIGHT HERE

I just read his column in the paper today. Rather than writing all that nonsense and the above post he could have simply come out and said "I am sorry. I was stupidly lured into the whole SCA thing for personal gain without regard for the public as a whole."


I did respond to the post from Bateman above only to wake in the morning and discover he has censored me. It is his blog and that is his prerogative. I will however attempt to paraphrase my response here:

Do you know why Plato is much cooler than Bruce? It's because of the goats. Ancient Greeks were all about goats. If it wasn't for goats, there wouldn't have even been any Greek gods. Zeus, the king of the gods, was actually taken care of when he was a baby by the goat Amaltheia when he was hiding from his old man Cronus in Crete. Zeus liked her so much he put her in the stars as Capricorn. He even borrowed one of her horns which became the cornucopia, the horn of plenty. We taught him everything he knew and then he taught the rest of them. This is the main reason why Greek gods are more fun and cooler to hang out with than any others. They're also less self righteous and bloodthirsty. Did you ever see a bloodthirsty or self righteous goat? The Greek god Pan? Part goat, baby! And did you know that the word tragedy comes from the Greek words for "goat song?" Greek drama grew out of the festival of Dionysus, god of wine, who had a thing for goats. His buddies were satyrs which were part...guess what? Goat.Greeks love goat meat. We use goat skin to hold our wine. I can go on and on.

It is a pity that Bruce has been so damaged by this ordeal.


It is when things are at their worst that the true character of a person is revealed.

Henceforth I will post all censored comments from the Pork Site here.

Boycott Porky's!

PP

For those just tuning in...

If you haven't noticed yet, there are a couple new images on the right side of this blog. Thank you Lil' Hammerhead for the "official supporter" image.

If anyone wonders how it got to this point, feel free to peruse this links (pay careful attention to the comment section --- mine specifically --- you will notice I was being far from rude):

Here is my first post regarding SCA and Mr. Turbitt's and Bruce's columns - this was dates Sept 16th (I was banned and censored for shedding light on how some people may misconstrue these columns. Jeff banned me from his site and changed his tune. Bruce has since called my mom a goat f&cker and began censoring my comments as well):

http://turbittj.blogspot.com/2007/09/casinos-not-poker-rooms-mv-3.html

And these are from Bruce's Site:


https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=1127960346162540451

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=8868555894032219311

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=7273682693714345070

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=1648235696190670915

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=1210228801534564959

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=3753441819699610411

And this blog post is the one that "made it easy" for me to say yes to the boycott:

http://saipanuvian.blogspot.com/2007/10/sour-grapes-for-tuesday-october-23rd.html

And a few more (at this point I had had enough):

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=7252221048016518079

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6089785680144928412&postID=946703578816599152

And this was his latest installment (he deleted my comment :-)):

http://saipanuvian.blogspot.com/2007/11/sort-of-makes-sense-now.html

Much Love Bruce!

Boycott Porky's!

The Pig Act is Dead.

Long Live the Goat!

Duty Done

I have submitted my vote.

Best of luck Bruce! I hope you get what you deserve. Thanks for all of your hardwork!

Boycott Porky's!

Commonwealth Employment Act of 2007.

I know you all have been waiting for it so here it is. Click here to download the Commonwealth Employment Act of 2007. It has been getting much press since it first came out.

It will take me some time to go over everything but I am determined to do so. Until then I will refrain from commenting on the analysis that has been given from both sides.

I do hope that the Legislature gives the public a chance to review this bill and holds a public hearing to get some feedback from the people they are representing and stop with the political games.

Saipan Casino Act for Dummies

Today's Marianas Variety has a very thorough analysis of the Saipan Casino Act. Just another addtion to the many well thought out pieces that have been written over the last few weeks.

I encourage everyone to read the Act and all of the breakdowns that have been published in papers and in comments and blogs.

Here is a link to today's.

Tina sure doesn't keep her letters under any type of number of words cap.

Boycott Porky's!

PP

Update: It is much easy to read it on her blog www.tinasablan.com/forum

Big Props to Tommy!

Tommy Remengesua Jr. Recognized by Time Magazine as and Environmental Hero

More Lies & Disception From the Pro-SCA Folks

So they went from this : http://www.tinasablan.com/forum/?p=21

to this:


So I guess they have been backed so far into a corner that they have nothing left to do then pretend to be me.

If you happen to see a comment posted anywhere in the blogsphere that doesn't Jive with what I have been saying on my blog then simply click on the name link "pragmatic plato". If it doesn't link back to this site then it is a proponent of the SCA masquerading as me. Fitting it is Halloween after all.

It is easy to tell the fake Plato he is posting the same idiotic BS that Bruce has been spewing.

Happy Halloween All!

Boycott Porky's!

PP

Best Blog Comment of the Day!

http://www.tinasablan.com/forum/?p=13#comment-419


Pete on 31 October, 2007 at 8:42 am Comment ID #419

"I’ve been tempted to vote “Yes” on the Casino Initiative solely because I abhor the pontificating of Ambrose (I love me; I think I’m grand. When I go to the movies, I hold my hand) Bennett.And while I think that La Fiesta would be an ideal spot for two upscale casinos - one at La Fiesta 1 and 1 at La Fiesta 3, with restaurants and other non gaming activities in the middle- this current initiative is so full of holes it’s making my swiss cheese jealous.So I’ll be voting “NO” to this initiative and “YES” for Tina Sablan on November 3."

A Call for a Boycott of Porky's!

BOYCOTT PORKY'S! The only thing right about this place is the name. None more fitting could describe the peice of shit bruce bateman is.

BOYCOTT PORKYS!

Why???

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=73744&cat=3

Glen, Lil, Jeff, et al ... that have said that I was being harsh, yes I am!

This is infuriating.

FROM THE PORK'S MOUTH: When it comes time to mark your ballot inside that closed voting booth, you must vote for those persons and initiatives that have the best chance to improve your lot in life and that of your family and country. “No” doesn't improve anything. “No” is just a blind cry against change. I will vote “Yes” for the Saipan Casino Act because I think it is in my family's best self-interest to have a better economy. I believe it is in your families' best self-interest to do so as well so I ask you to please vote “Yes” this coming Saturday.

And not one attempt to address even one concern or question.

GO TO HELL! YOU MONEY GRUBBING SCUM!

I will boycott you on priciple and I will encourage other to as well.

"Yes, I passed that terrible bill. Why? Well, why not?"

“I really didn't have too much time to review the bill and submit my comments because I was told that it would be calendared one day before. It was a crammed review. .I'm sure if I had more time I would've come up with more but there were pressure-internal and external pressure-to try and get that bill out,” he said.

Are you kidding me? Should this be a satisfactory explanation for pumping out crap legislation. If more time is needed then demand more time. What the hell is going on up there.

“I don't feel very comfortable with the bill. But with my amendments, I feel a lot better. I'm still not satisfied that it's the product that we need to put out, simply because there are so many contradictions on the bill, so many flaws, so many things that I do not subscribe to,” he said.

But he will give it the thumbs up and send it to the House and hope that they review and ask to sit down and discuss it. If they decide to just go with it and pass it then to the Gov's office it goes. We will never learn.

Read the whole story here: AND WE PUT THESE PEOPLE UP THERE?!

Best Headline of the Day

"Atalig stabbed Senate in the back"

So sad it is almost humorous. So let me see if I get this straight.

1. Reyes dealt with Atalig when drafting legislation to extend but limit the number of non-resident contract workers that CUC can hire. It appears that he dealt with him under the pretext that Atalig's company would do the manpower logistics.
   
2. Atalig did not agree with Reyes and the Senate lowering the number of non-res that CUC could hire.
   
3. Reyes and Atalig spoke about the issue and they arrived at an understanding that 8 non-res would be allowed under the Senate legislation.
   
4. Atalig decided to try his luck with the House and wrote a letter to the House requesting that they amend the Bill when it arrives on the floor.
   
5. Reyes found out about Atalig going to the House and cried foul. How dare Atalig approach the House in an attempt to get his way?
   
6. Reyes now irate adds a provision into the Senate bill to exclude any manpower agency with pending claims against them (Remember this excludes any company with claims against them. Not convictions). Obviously Reyes does not believe in the innocent until proven guilty philosophy.

So what is it the makes me so upset? The fact that Reyes was so tight with Atalig when drafting up legislation that should have been focused more on the plight of CUC and their needs? The fact that Atalig's company it appears was already given the manpower contract as implied by this statement from Reyes (where is the opening bidding process):

“I talked to him before we went to Rota and also talked to him on Rota informing him that we already consented to authorize not 20 of his employees, as we we're going to limit it to just eight, and he agreed. He wanted nine but I told him 'no.' He said to add one more, but I told him 'no!' The limit is eight and he consent[ed] to it,” said Reyes.

The fact that they would act so petty and with such a direct personal attack (on one company) when drafting up our public laws? The fact that he openly admitted all of this to the Tribune reporters?

PP

Learn Something New Everyday

It has been brought to my attention that I was not thorough enough on my initial readings of the SCA. I seemed to have overlooked a major caveat.

I have mentioned before that should this Act pass it could only be amended or repealed in the future by the same process that brought it into law (Local Initiative and a 2/3 favored vote within the third senatorial district).

Perhaps I was so steamed byt hte time I got to Article X of the Saipan Casino Act that my vision was blurred and my mind was overheated.

I WAS WRONG.

If this Saipan Casino Act becomes law (garnering the necessary 8,300 or so yes votes) it can only be amended by approval of NMD registered voters in the Third Senatorial District.

Article X, Section 8. General – Amendment. Any proposed amendment to the “Saipan Casino Act” shall be approved or disapproved by the NMD registered voters only in the Third Senatorial District through local initiative.

You hear that Bruce? That mean if you vote yes on this and then feel something should be amended you are Shit outta luck. You would not be allowed to vote on it.

Furthermore, at the moment the Election Office does not have a listing of registered NMD voters. This information is not gathered when an individual registers to vote, nor should it be. How on earth would we even be able to verify NMD of 12,500 registered voters? Genealogy studies of each and every individual? Just take their word on it and only check into one that people question? One of your grandparents would have to have been domiciled in the CNMI prior to 1950 and have been a TT citizen. Good luck with the paperwork on that.

I wonder how much it would cost to put that list together. I wonder how much it would cost to defend this clause in courts.

This Act gets better as each day goes by.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow morning for Harry's Show on the various aspects of the provisions contained within the SCA.

Boycott? Is It a Form of Freedom of Speech?

I have been mulling over another thing in regards to the Saipan Casino Act. Specifically, Bruce Bateman's Pro stance on the issue and his weekly preachings in support of it without ever once addressing the many concerns with the Saipan Casino Act itself.

Rather than analysing the Act and putting out any concerns that have been raised (Public Land, Unregulated Monopoly, Initial Funding, Legal Problems with the Act itself, etc) he has opted to continue spewing the same old propaganda in support of the Act and continued attacking those with questions and concerns on a personal level.

So that being said, should I try and start a Boycott of his Bar?

I first heard this the other day from a friend. I was headed out to have a few drinks and places to hit were being thrown out. Porky's came up and a person I was with said, "Hell No! I am boycotting that place." I was thrown aback.

I am a staunch supporter of freedom of speech. Having grown up in Saipan it was very disturbing to me that people who spoke their minds would often times be penalized with some sort of ostracizing on a personal or business level. I quickly told the group I was with that this may not be the "right" thing to do. I told them just because Bruce has a different stance on a public issue then you do should not be cause to inflict financial harm on him via a boycott.

I argued my position well and they all resolved not to boycott the place but reiterated the fact that they were upset with his position on the SCA.

After thinking on the matter a bit more and after posting numerous comments on Bruce's blog regarding his stance on the SCA I have begun to wonder if I was right in not endorsing a Boycott of Porky's.

Perhaps it was the premise for the Boycott that was wrong and not the boycott itself. What I mean is, Why not Boycott Porky's, not for the fact that Bruce supports the SCA, but Boycott it until he allays the public concerns and questions regarding the many facets of the Act that appear to be extremely detrimental to Saipan.

I mean he is publicly supporting it in his weekly columns, at debates, in conversations, and so forth and yet he never tackles the heart of the matter.... the Saipan Casino Act itself. In doing so I believe he is directly threatening the well-being of myself and those living in Saipan. Would I ever offer dinner to a burglar that was looting my house?

This is a very interesting conundrum.

In my opinion Bruce had jumped the gun and blindly embraced Casinos in Saipan before ever reading the Act (Just as Mr. Turbitt had). I believe he came under attack from those opposed to the Saipan Casino Act and lashed out in defense. He may now have so embraced his stance in favor of it that there (in his mind) is no going back. If this is the case then he is putting the island at risk and jeopardizing all those living in Saipan by spewing his propaganda. Why should I in turn assist him financially while he continues to harm me financially (taking my tax dollars to pay for this commission, taking our land at $1/year, etc.) without ever feeling obligated to explain away the many concerns or at least let us see what he sees in regards to these concerns. The "let's take a gamble" argument is crap.

What do you think?

PP (on the fence.... to Boycott Porky's or not to.)

Do I hear a "YES"?

Lil Hammerhead pointed something out the other day that has been really getting to me. She said that it is so odd that as soon as a conversation regarding the Casino Act starts to focus on the provisions of the act itself all of the Proponents quickly tuck tail and run.... usually tossing a few choice personal stabs before ducking out.

Why is this?

This blog actually started out indirectly because of the Saipan Casino Act. I had posted a comment on Mr. Turbitt's blog after he ran his column praising Casinos. to make a long story short, he banned and censored my comments when i told him that the public may infer that he was in support of the Saipan Casino Act. I also asked him if he had even seen the Act before running the column in the local paper. His response was unprovoked personal attacks resulting in him censoring my comments and banning me from his blog. My only point I was trying to get through was that he may want to specify that he is in support of Gambling and not the SCA if that was the case. Turns out a month later he seems to be singing that tune now... go figure.

I still don't understand why he lashed out in such a manner. If he ever posts the deleted comments the public can read through them and see that he was overly defensive and was reacting like a cornered cat.

But let me get back to my initial point. It appears that no matter what blog I hop onto that is dealing with the subject of the Saipan Casino Act, the proponents keep pushing these false promises in support of the act. As soon as I post a concern or question directly related to the provisions contained within the Casino Act they shell up and all goes completely quiet.

Here are a few blog examples:

http://www.tinasablan.com/forum/?p=5#comment-339
http://www.saipanwriter.blogspot.com/ (multiple instances on this blog)
http://saipanuvian.blogspot.com/2007/10/sour-grapes-for-tuesday-october-16th.html
http://saipanuvian.blogspot.com/2007/10/sour-grapes-for-tuesday-october-9th.html

Many other blog chains exist online and they all follow the same trend.

The only explanation I have is that those in support of the Act blindly embraced it without ever reading it. After coming under heat and trying their darnedest to argue their points they read the Act and found out that they were completely off-base in supporting it. Rather than come forward and just admit that they no longer support the Act itself they stick their heads in the sand like an ostrich. A few from time to time will shoot out nonsensical comments still preaching support but with no factual basis and still with no acknowledgement what-so-ever to the concerns and questions that have been raised.

Their is another possibility. Perhaps they did change their tune and decided to speak up and inform the public that they were no longer in support of the Saipan Casino Act. Perhaps that news go out to the NMDIC Mafia and they have bound and gaged them and thrown them into the back of a truck and driven them out to Marpi.

I guess what I am trying to get at is can anyone at all that is still in support of voting Yes on the Saipan Casino Act please step forward and address the numerous concerns that have been raised by myself and many others? Can any one of them address the damn Act itself?

I Love a Good Analogy

Just read a comment post that compared the citizens of our commonwealth to a bunch of individuals running in circles through the jungle blindfolded. I love to use analogies and this one is spot on:

http://www.tinasablan.com/forum/?p=5#comment-339

Enjoy

Your Computer Minute - Tech Talk - II

Ok this one is more like a Computer Second.

Just found this kewl Google BlogSearch Engine:

http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en

I am having loads of fum searching blogs from all over the world. It is cross blogform (will search a variety of differnt blog sites (blogspot, wordpress, etc.) .

Enjoy.

The Saipan Casino Act Conspiracy

So I have for a few weeks now been wondering what is going on in regards to this Saipan Casino Act and the heated debates we are seeing on both sides of the issue. I was not very surprised that when mentioning Gambling in the CNMI it will rouse up a good debate. What has surprised me the most is the way these debates have gone.

I have read the letters tot he editor, visited the PRO and CON web blogs, read comments and posts on various forums, personally spoken to people on both sides of the fence, etc. The thing that surprised me the most (and was the most alarming to me me) was that the PRO side almost never referenced or acknowledged any clause or provision actually contained within the SCA itself. Even more ludacris they would shun any debate dealing with exact provisions or the SCA initiative. They instead have been staunchly touting the SCA passage as a way for the CNMI to gain extreme wealth. They also speak loudly about how the passage of the SCA will kill the poker industry. They also speak of how this will save Govt Jobs and so on and so forth. Never once have I seen any of the proponents reference any clause within the Act that spells these benefits out.

How can people so blindly support something? I understand that their maybe a few people who will personally gain from the passage of this Act (7 Commissioners and Employees of NMDIC) but what of all the others?

Why would they purposely avoid looking at the SCA itself and instruct the voting populace to just blindly vote "yes" based on unproven, unfounded claims?

Why would they shun any question from a concerned voter that references any part of the SCA itself?

Why would they not want people to read and understand fully all of the provisions of the SCA?

I thought at first it was due to a strong influence by a few connected individuals who have already been given the head nod to have a Commissioners Seat ($4k/month and then readjust it themselves personally after 4 years) or perhaps one of the people who are connected personally to the relatively unknown NMDIC (Who is NMDIC? Does it exist?). I thought that perhaps their lobbying efforts were garnering so much public support and blind faith. I have seen this in the past. But I still was not conviced that this would be the root cause of a cluster group to so strongly and vehemently defend the SCA against any type of challenge or questioning.

There must be more to the SCA than I first saw (a few fat cats wanting my hard earned tax dollars to go to their mansions on the hill and fancy SUVs).

I think I have found it:


The PUBLIC LANDS PROVISION in the Saipan Casino Act. This provision has the strength and power to justify NMDIC pay top dollar to ensure that the SCA passes.

Here is the section in it's entirety:

ARTICLE XII - Section 8. Public Land. The Department of Public Land (DPL) or any future entity responsible for the administration of public lands in the Commonwealth, upon this Act becoming law and at the request of the NMDIC, shall issue public land to NMDIC. NMDIC shall hold leasehold interest to all public land issue by DPL and pay one dollar ($1.00) per year for the land or lands issue by DPL for as long as NMDIC is in business. The land or lands issue to NMDIC shall not be transferable. Upon dissolution of NMDIC, the land including all improvements shall revert back to DPL or its future named entity without cost.

If the SCA passes it will give NMDIC the rights to ALL PUBLIC LANDS at $1/year forever. That is right ANY AND ALL PUBLIC LANDS can be given to one for-profit corporation. The SCA does not state what the land can be used for. It does not state that it can not be sublet. It does not bar the NMDIC from doing anything at all with the land.

This is huge. There is no saving clause in the SCA that gives DPL the power to deny any request for land from NMDIC.

NMDIC can request ALL/ANY PUBLIC LAND in ANY DISTRICT. Yep Tinian and Rota too. There are no safeguards in place what so ever.

NMDIC will be the the sole lessee of ALL PUBLIC LANDS if they choose to request them. Why wouldn't they? They are a for-profit corporation. They will issue requests from the get go. They will amass all the public land. They will build whatever they want on the land and they will pay $1/year forever for it.

You may say that the this is no big deal. We can pass the SCA and if they do try this we can have the legislature amend the SCA to prevent this.

WE CAN'T. The legislature can not in anyway alter this Act once it is passed. In order to change it it would have to be through legislative initiative. The same drawn out process it is going through now.


This is INSANE.

Someone stop the madness.

You Are Gambling With My Children's Lives.

I have stumbled across what must be the most hot forum regarding the casino act online. Please Click on this link to it :

http://www.tinasablan.com/forum/?p=13

I will weigh in with more on the subject in the next posts. I have posted comments on the forum above. I encourage everyone to ask questions and use this forum and mine to create dialogue.

Let the people talk.

Your Computer Minute - Tech Talk

I will try and do a techie post at least once a month (maybe once a week). Seeing as how my day job has me dealing with software and hardware all day why on earth would I want to spend my free time doing this? Well, maybe I can get syndicated and slide in a few shots at Mr. Turbitt in print in the Tribune. And, hell, I more than likely will be doing this post on the clock anyhow.

Today’s Topic: Feed Readers (aka Feed Aggregators) - An Avid Bloggers Wet Dream Come True

What is a Feed Reader?

"In computing, a feed aggregator, also known as a feed reader or simply as an aggregator, is client software or a Web application which aggregates syndicated web content such as news headlines, blogs, podcasts, and vlogs in a single location for easy viewing."
~ Wikipedia

If you are like me, you spend quite a long time hopping from one blog to the next in order to find out if there are any new posts. An older shortcut would have been saving the blogs you frequent in your favorites or adding a bookmark of some sort within your browser of choice. While this makes it a bit easier to jump from blog to blog, you must still scroll through to see if there are any updates to each and every blog you visit. Comments within these blogs is a whole ‘nother story. To find out if there were any new comments posted since your last visit you have to remember how many comments were left the last time you stopped in and scroll through the blog looking for any of the "comments #" that has increased. This gets impossible if you have been away from a blog for any long period of time. Also, you may never see comments added to much older posts that do not show up on the main page of the blog site. I hope I have not lost you yet and that most bloggies can relate to this.

Well there is a very simple solution to this cumbersome procedure. Feed Readers have the ability to allow a user to consolidate all the blogs they would normally frequent into one easy access page (know as subscribing). That is right you can view all your favorite blog posts in one magazine-like online page.

"Blogger Nirvana" you say? Hold tight it gets better.

I know anyone that keeps tabs on more than 4 blogs will be thinking, "That would be Blog Post Overload". They may fear that they would be presented with a page full of contless old and new posts from the blogs that they decide to subscribe to. Fear not. Once you read a post you can mark it as read and it will no longer show on the page. Each time a new blog is posted on any of the blogs you subscribe to your Feed Reader page will automatically be updated (by the fairy blogger).

What this means is that you can now go to your Feed Reader online and it will present you with all updated blog posts (or ones you have not read) from all the sites you fancy.

"What about all the comments? You said it allows me to see all the updated comments within the blog?" you wail. This is true. Most blogs give the Feed Readers the ability to subscribe to the comments section as well. This allows you to see not only all update blog (or unread) posts on that one page but all updated comments as well.

No that I have sold you on the benefits and I have you drooling over this Feed Reader phenomenon, I know what little voice in your head is saying. "How much does it cost for this amazing service?" All this would normally run you around $39/month at your local Bloggers Buy retail store.... But if you act now and send me cash or check in the amount of just $38.99 This can all be yours. And for a limited time only the first 50 bloggers to purchase will also get a set of Ginsu blades....

Just kidding. The service is completely FREE.

There are many online Feed Reader services that allow you to sign up and start subscribing to your favorite blogs for Free. The one I use is Google's Feed Reader. Damn is there anything they don't do online? One of the neat features is that if you already have a Google Gmail account or Google Blogger account or Google Analyzer account, or Google Gbank account.... whoops, that’s right the Gbank service launches in Jan '08... then you can use your login name and password and log on immediately and start configuring your own personal Feed Reader.

Configuring it is as simple as browsing the internet.

1. Go to www.google.com/reader
2. Log in with your Gmail account
3. Hit the “add subscription” button
4. Type in pragmaticplato.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
5. Click “add”
6. And viola… the recent blog posts appear on the right side.
   

For comments do all the steps above but replace the URL in step 4 with the following: pragmaticplato.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default . The most recent comments from that blog will now also appear on the right hand side.

Continue this process until you have added all the blogs you care to follow, replacing “pragmaticplato” with the blog name of your choice.

After you have added all your subscriptions and browsed through all the posts and comments on the right side, click the “mark all as read” button at the top. Then click the “all items” button and every time you visit your Feed Reader site only the new comments and posts from all of your subscriptions will show up.

If I have succeeded in completely confusing you there is a very easy to understand tutorial movie on the homepage of the Google Feed Reader site that will clear it all up for you.

That’s all for today folks. Feel free to post any comments or questions. Till next week …. Happy Blogging!

Unfiltered.

Seeing as how this comment is getting lost in the flow at Saipanmiddleroad.blogspot.com I have decided to repost it here. I am very interested in what people may have to say on this issue. This is in regards to the heated controversy of having the Iranian President speak at Columbia. Many people have criticized this and said that he should not have been given him the stage.

I think that no one should be censored from speech. People liken him to Hitler. I say let him talk. People can listen and then come to their own decision on how they feel about him. I can come to my opinion without someone stopping me from listening for fear that I may not be able to handle what he has to say. Thank you for trying to protect us, but it truly is not necessary.

Who among us is so great that they have the right to decide these matters? Who is so perfect that they can cast such a large stone as one large enough to suppress the freedom of speech? Some have said that freedom of speech is limited to Americans. I can not believe that they feel that way. But that is their opinion and so be it. My opinion is that it is not limited. Speak. Question. Listen. Decide not to listen. Make up your own mind and stop worrying about filtering things for the masses.

If he is not welcome and people all believe what the press is reporting, if I am alone in believe that he should be allowed to say whatever he wants to, if all Americans believe he should not be given an audience then all they had to do was not show up. Quick easy simple solution. Obviously people showed up. Obviously the news covered it. Obviously they don't embrace the thought that he should not have been given an audience. How hypocritical is that that you say he should not be allowed to speak then go and watch him?

Here is my comment from Middle Road:

Pragmatic Plato said...
The homosexuality comment made up about 20 seconds of his entire forum. I personally feel it was slightly misinterpreted. I watched the entire forum last night (an unedited version). I have read interviews and backstories on him and seen him in two other interviews. He appears to be a very intelligent man. Many people's preconceived notions of who he is and what he believes in stem from misreported facts, spin, items taken out of context, etc.

I laughed at each and everyone of the questions that were asked of him after his speech. Each question was phrased with an attack and laced with information that may have not been accurate. I love the fact that he took a deep breath and entertained the questions none the less.

He was cordial, eloquent and poised. I often wonder how we as a country can so easily and blindly accept what mainstream media pumps out as truth. I also wonder why it is so hard for people to remove themselves from their own comfort zone and try and see things from another person's point of view.

Remember the US a few years back had slaves, committed hateful crimes against them, did not condone homosexuality, had massive amounts of crimes including death against homosexuals, aided iraq in administering the use of chemical weapons on iran, back isreal with support in a fight against the palistinian people, the only country to ever use a nuclear weapon in combat (not once but twice), continues to develop nuclear arms and test them, still has the death penalty and utilizes it, there are places in the U.S. in which homosexual acts are illegal and can be punished by imprisonment and fines, the list goes on and on.

Regarding the Homosexuality question, here is how our US Military sees homosexuality:

"US Military
Statute: US Code Title 10, Section 47, Subchaper X, Sec. 925. Art. 125. Sodomy.
Penalty: Court Martial
Classification: Felony
Restrictions: None
Enforcement: 106 members of the armed services were discharged during the 2000 fiscal year that ended September 30, 2000, for homosexual acts according to the Pentagon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Statute
Section 47 - Uniform Code of Military Justice, Subchapter X, Punative Articles
Sec. 925. Art. 125. Sodomy

(a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with
another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy.
Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.

(b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. "


Major case of pot calling the kettle black? Chime in. Lets try and keep this related to the issue at hand and not turn it into another "you are anonymous so it doesn't matter" debate.

9/28/2007 10:39 AM