http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../506200310/1014

Oh my God! And he's a REPUBLICAN! Camacho is about as loony as Bush and Schwarzenegger!
KT
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Careless Governor and his staff need to exhibit less haste, more diligence with policy matters.

Last week. Gov. Felix Camacho signed an executive order directed at the U.S. military that stated the government of Guam not only wants excess military land returned, but that it opposes the military's presence on Guam.

Considering the importance of the military to our overall economy, and the times in which we live, the poorly worded executive order is an example of careless action.

A document that represents the government of Guam's position on an issue as important as military presence needs to be carefully crafted, with the help of a broad cross-section of wise individuals from throughout the community who have intimate knowledge of the issue. There also must be particular care in reviewing it before it's made official.

Guam Economic Development and Commerce Authority acting Administrator Tony Lamorena said that that while the administration wasn't admitting there was an error in the executive order, it would be revised to "clarify a misinterpretation" of the order. That's a bit like trying to put toothpaste back into a tube after you've squirted it all over the bathroom floor.

This is the worst time for this kind of "misinterpretation." A lot of hard work by government officials and our business community has gone into working with the Pentagon to convince them that our island is ideal for further military expansion. Guam is up against Hawaii for the stationing of an aircraft carrier group, which will mean significant economic benefits for the entire community that is chosen.

In the mid-'90s, Guam was the only U.S. community that pushed for a reduced military presence. While that resulted in the return of the former Naval Air Station to Guam, it also resulted in losses of military personnel, hundreds of civilian jobs and enormous tax revenues, all of which have contributed to an economic collapse that has lasted nearly 10 years. We're just now beginning to see some potential signs of recovery.

And the world is much different today. The United States was attacked just a few short years ago. We are a nation at war, with troops in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is continuing tension in the region with China over Taiwan, the nuclear situation in North Korea and continued tension throughout the Middle East. The haste with which this executive order was written and signed shows a clear lack of sensitivity toward these realities.

What this community really needs is a governor and staff that exhibit a much higher degree of care, knowledge and diligence when it comes to formulating official positions on such important and sensitive matters.


Originally published June 20, 2005

http://www.guam-online.com/

Located approximately 3,300 miles West of Hawaii, 1,500 miles East of the Philippines and 1,550 miles South of Japan, the Island of Guam is the Western most territory of the United States and one of the leading tourist destinations in the Western Pacific. Although located in the Northern Pacicic, Guam is truly a tropical island paradise. Approximately 30 miles long and 4 to 9 miles wide, the Northern end of Guam is a plateau of rolling hills and cliffs rising to 600 feet above sea level. Waterfalls, rivers and bays abound throughout Guam's central and southern areas.

...

The Island of Guam has an ancient history and rich cultural heritage with 118 sites listed on the National and 155 listed on the Guam Registers of Historical Sites. The original inhabitants of Guam, the ancient Chamorro, are widely believed to have been of Indo-Malaya descent with linguistic and cultural similarities to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The first known contact with West occurred with the visit of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and Guam was formally claimed by Span in 1565. Jesuit missionaries arrived in 1668 to establish their brand of European civilization, Christianity and trade. During the Spanish period, the Catholic Church became the focal point for village activities and Guam became a regular port-of-call for the Spanish treasure galleons that crisscrossed the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to the Philippines. Evidence of Spanish influence can still be see today across the island and sunken Spanish galleons still lie under Guam's warm waters.

Guam was ceded to the United States following the Spanish American War in 1898 and formally purchased from Spain in 1899. Placed under the administrative jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy, Guam experienced many improvements in the areas of agriculture, public health, sanitation, education, land management, taxes, and public works. The U.S. Navy continued to use Guam as a refueling and communication station until 1941, when it fell to invading Japanese forces shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Guam remained under Japanese control until reclaimed by American forces in July of 1944. In 1949, U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the Organic Act, making Guam an unincorporated territory of the United States with limited self-governing authority, which it remains to this day.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113950.html

Guam is the largest and southernmost island in the Marianas Archipelago. The island is divided into a northern coralline limestone plateau and a southern chain of volcanic hills. Today Guam is an unincorporated, organized territory of the United States. The people of Guam have been U.S. citizens since 1950. They have been represented in the U.S. Congress since 1973 by a nonvoting delegate, but do not participate in presidential elections. The executive branch includes a popularly elected governor, who serves a four-year term. The legislative branch is a 21-member unicameral legislature whose members are elected every two years.

...

Guam's economy is based on tourism and U.S. military spending (U.S. naval and air force bases occupy one-third of the land on Guam).

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ndustries: U.S. military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles. Natural resources: fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan). Exports: $38 million (f.o.b., 2002 est.): mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products; construction materials, fish, food and beverage products. Imports: $462 million (f.o.b., 2002 est.): petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods.

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So, what does the governor want to do to support the people of Guam if the US leaves ? Great timing, too, with bases being closed

Pie, just between you and me, this Camacho guy is an idiot!

Here is his bio and picture: http://www.nga.org/governors/1,1169,C_GOVE...5ED_405,00.html

If it weren't for the U.S. military, the Guamanians, (they like to call themselves Chamoros now) would ALL have been extirminated and their lands taken away during WWII. Now Guam caters to Japanese tourism. The Japanese and Chinese have been buying up land and developing businesses there like mad. If the military pulled out of Guam, it would truly soon belong to Japan. In the 90's the American military DID give the land that the NAVAL AIR STATION sat on back to the government. There were military housing units that were very nice and well kept grounds. The government let them set abandoned with the jungle growing over them when they could have been rented or sold.

What the government would like back now is the prime land that Anderson Air Force Base sets on at the Northern tip of the island. They want their cake and eat it too.

I am ashamed at the Government of Guam's attitude toward the military. It wasn't like that when I lived there in 65-66.

KT

:crying:

Have to agree that this does not sound like good strategy on the part of the governor of Guam.

Also, isn't it in the best interests of the US to keep Guam as a territory due to its very strategic location ? Would we not be fools to give up Andersen AFB ?

Isn't North Korea somewhere over there???????????

hmmm......maybe the Republican Gov. of Guam, (Felix Camacho) should reconsider kicking the U.S. military out. What a dumb-@zz!

KT

half way down the page of:

http://outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher41.html

Read "Roosevelt's Strategy and U.S. Entry Into World War II"

Do the Japanese people really believe this?

KT