Base Information/Correspondence - Installations in Guam Page: 16 of 742
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UNIVERSITY OF GUAM
UNIBETSEDAT GUAHAN
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam 96923
Telephone: (671) 734-9368/9469 Fax: (671) 734-9697
March 21, 1995
Hafa Adai,
First of all, I'd like to thank you for the base closure, It has been long in coming. Now allow me to
comment on how to rectify the problems i err-explain-thc-so ltia~ . for Guam's economy to
benefit from this closure.
The United States of America first established themselves on Guam in Feb. 1899, after gaining possession
of Guam from Spain through the Treaty of Paris. After arriving on Guam until the beginning of WW 11, the
military administration enacted laws to make the indigenous people here feel inferior. Laws restricting
language and culture have worked, for today the Chamorus are confused with their own identity. Also,
years before, our language was spoken at home but today one rarely hear parents speak to their children in
the native tongue.
The military administration had also condemned land valuable to the chamorus well-being. In basic facts,
your government have intentionally made the Chamorus dependent instead of independent. You have
turned Guam into a welfare island, dependent on your government with welfare, food stamps. People are
trying to find jobs instead of creating their own businesses. Attitudes concerning self-pride, self- reliance
are missing in a lot of the chamorus because your government strategy planned this. How do I know this ?
You have brought it into your educational system and you also have people here that have retired right out
of the Pentagon Strategic intelligence Unit.
Now let's correct your wrong doings! How, you ask ? Well, first of all, return the land not to the
government, because tdie past has made the general public mistrust this government, but to the original
land owners. Then you must encourage consolidation in order to turn these highly trained people of Ship
Repair Facility into a private business in which you loan them the money at a 4% interest rate. Then to
accomplish the repayment of the loan, you must .t,;,act these same group to do the toxic clean-up that
your government created.
Along with that idea, your government must give u:, the 200 lnile EEZ and remove the Jones Act. By
doing this, you have helped this island gain cconumic self-reliance. The port will become open to other
nations for ship repair, enabling this island to allow competition from other shipping lines instead of only
American Companies. Also by accomplishing this recommendation, you have helped to remove the
reliance we now have by lessening our need foi your welfare system. But then again, through past actions
and judgements, this request will never bear fru;t for your government would never consider this type of
action. In other words, are you going to prove mne wrong ? Are you going to assist and accommodate
Guamn's self-reliance in order to better our island, or are you going to prove me right?Sinc qe 0 /
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Howard A. em ' g 1. U
Student S r - University of Guam /1 rn r- //
A LAND GRANT INSTITUTION ACCREDITED BY ADESERN TON OFL LEGS
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Base Information/Correspondence - Installations in Guam, text, Date Unknown; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc27609/m1/16/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.