By Jay Rojas

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Jan. 27, 2010) - First, I want to congratulate the "We are Guahan" group for their participation and thank them for the inspirational words shared at the recent formal hearings for the draft Environmental Impact Statement of the Guam military buildup.

I found their comments to be truly inspiring; with many of their words hitting home. Unfortunately, I was also very hurt by some expressions. While I agree that we need to protect our land and rights, we must also be fair and reasonable. I am Chamorro by blood and an American by birth. But I was never raised to convey much of what was shared.

Your words seemed to have an intense feeling of contempt against the United States and the U.S. military in particular. Your rage was poised against the men and women who protect our freedom. True, it is unfortunate that we have had almost 500 years of colonization, but we cannot change the past -- we can only sculpt the future. It is the United States of America that allows us to be educated in the states, gives us a right to vote, offers us freedom of speech and defends our island.

I was always raised to welcome others into my home, to greet them with a smile and offer them a seat at my table. In doing so, we have the opportunity to sit, talk, visit and learn from each other. But it was heartbreaking to see that many of you wanted nothing of it. You didn't want to hear it. You already decided that it was Guam vs. U.S.

Please tell us where all this hate come from? Where I was raised, hate was not a Chamorro value. And I was raised on the same island you try to protect.

Members of your group also said that we are treated like "second-class citizens." Let's not forget, Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Now before you get all "up in arms" about Eleanor Roosevelt being a first lady of the United States, please also note that she was also a revolutionary. And if it is a revolution that you want, there are ways to go about it without expressing so much hatred, anger and rage.

You may not agree with the Guam military buildup and that is your right. But if you don't agree with it, give us other options than to proclaim it is unacceptable.

How are we going to get our economy off the ground? How are we going to make the repairs our schools so desperately need? How are we going to attract more tourists when we cannot keep our public landmarks and beaches clean?

Please don't just stand and express your concerns, do something productive about it.

Isn't something to work toward a better use of our time than to sit and complain about what you do not like about our situation? I believe in leading by example.

So here's what I do not like -- Guam's ineffective politics. And every two years we get caught up in this election process where prospective and incumbent senators raise funds and solicit our votes. Every four years, it's two or four running for governor. They put up billboards with their faces or logos, wear one color for the rest of the year, and usually have little to no plan about what they are going to do in office. They say they have done this in the past, want to do this or promise to do that. But what happens if they don't?

I want a change, too. We may not be able to change the military's plans. But I can certainly try to change how we do things on Guam. It needs to start with who we choose to lead us. They want accountability? Hold them accountable. They want your vote? Let them work for it.

And here's my new resolution: To anyone considering running for public office, you will not get a dime from me to support your campaign. And you will not get my vote in this election. Unless you tell us what you are going to do while in office.

I have a voice and I have a right to vote. Give us a plan, not just rhetoric. I don't care who you are, who your family is, how many funerals you attend, or what you've done in the past. I do care about what you are going to do in the next two or four years. Don't promise. Don't try. Do something.

Pacific Daily News: www.guampdn.com
Copyright © 2010 Guam Pacific Daily News. All Rights Reserved