From 1946 to 1962 the US conducted 67 nuclear tests on Enewetak, Rongelap and Bikini atolls in the Marshall Islands resulting in radiation fallout across a large swath of the Pacific, including Guam.  Evidence for high levels of radiation exposure on Guam and its coverup by military authorities was provided in a sworn affidavit by US Navy Lt. Bert Schreiber, an atomic, biological and chemical defense officer stationed on Guam in the 1950s. Up to 20 years later, from 1968 to 1974, Guam had higher yearly rainfall measures of strontiun 90 compared to Majuro (Marshall islands). Lt. Schreiner did not make any public disclosure of his detection for radioactive material until he blew the whistle during the Blue Ribbon Panel on Radioactive Contamination on Guam held in Washington, DC on July 30, 2001. In November 2005, he returned to the island to make a public apology for remaining silent for over 50 years while the people of Guam were exposed to radiation, ate contaminated food and drank contaminated water.

In 2009, Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo introduced a bill (HR 1630) to amend the 1990 Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include Guam in the list of affected ‘downwinder’ areas with respect to atmospheric nuclear testing in Micronesia. In April 2010,  Senator Tom Udall introduced an amendment to RECA with the inclusion of Guam for downwinders compensation. To date, the people of Guam have yet to receive compensation. The territory currently qualifies for RECA compensation in the ‘on-site participants” category but  not for downwind  exposure.

Exposure to high levels of radiation have been linked to poor health outcomes, particularly in cancer related cases and diabetes . The technology to clean the environment of radiation does not  currently exist. As a result, people in the Pacific continue to suffer the long-term effects of radiation exposure from US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands and French nuclear testing in Polynesia.  The Pacific Association of Radiation Survivors, or PARS, is a nonprofit organization established to bring justice to those whose health has been negatively affected by exposure to radiation.

Program guests are Mr. Robert Celestial, PARS president  and Dr. Chris Perez, PARS medical advisor.  Mr. Celestial is an atomic Army veteran who was deployed to Enewetak in the Marshall Islands to attempt post nuclear testing cleanup.  Dr. Perez is a medical physician and member of the Army National Guard whose mother, now deceased, was diagnosed with a condition which would qualify her for compensation if Guam is included in the RECA downwinder  provisions. They discuss what brought them into this struggle for environmental and reparative justice, the intent of RECA, the role of PARS,  and the symbolic and material significance of federal compensation for radiation exposure for the people of Guam.  For more information, they can be contacted at 671-727-PARS.

On April 17, 2013 the Governor of Guam declared the island back in alert condition Green (indicating low risk of a foreign military attack and the return to normal operations ) while residents await further information about the arrival and deployment of the Army’s Task Force Talon — the unit from Fort Bliss being deployed to Guam to support the Terminal  High Altitude Defense missile system.  Just how serious is the North Korea threat of a missile attack on Guam?

This episode features a special panel presentation on North Korea held at the  University of Guam on April 11, 2013 sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts  & Social Sciences.  This presentation was entitled “We’re Still Here- What’s Next?” and featured an overview of Korean history by Professor Mark Ombrello (ombrello@hawaii.edu; see also HI408-01 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/111895715651101/)

The episode includes brief comments made at during the panel  from the following:  Dr. Michael Stoil Imstoil@uguam.uog.edu), associate professor of Political Science; Dr. Robert Underwood (raunderwood@uguam.uog.edu), UOG President and former Guam Congressman; Dr. Hyun-Jong Hahm (hahm0929@gmail.com), assistant professor of Linguistics; and Dr. Michael Bevacqua (mlbasquiat@hotmail.com), assistant professor of Chamorro Studies.  This panel presentation was edited to fit the format of this program.

Music selection”  “We Have Nothing to Envy in the World”  from a collection of North Korean government VCDs.   http://nothingtoenvy.com/videos/

Please forward this announcement to your respective networks and encourage listeners to submit their comments on line. Suggestions for future topics and guests or requests to be added  or deleted from this list may be sent directly btf.kprg@gmail.com

Thank you for listening to and supporting public radio for the Marianas — and for promoting Beyond the Fence, locally and abroad.

North Korea has issued a series of war threats and ominous announcements since March 7, 2013 when the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions against it for conducting a nuclear test in February.  On March 30 North Korea warned that inter-Korean relations have entered a ‘state of war’ and that it would retaliate against any U.S. and South Korean provocations without notice.  This third threat in less than one week makes specific mention of Guam as a possible target for a missile attack. As Guam officials reassure island residents, the Pentagon has announced plans to deploy a new missile defense system to Guam, one of several escalating moves from the Pentagon in response to what the Secretary of Defense calls “a real and clear danger.”

How does the study of modern history help us to understand this latest crisis in the Korean peninsula and the extraordinary ongoing tensions generated by colonialism, national division, and foreign intervention?

Our main program guest is Mark Ombrello (ombrello@hawaii.edu) an instructor of history at the University of Guam who is currently teaching a senior seminar on the History of Modern Korea. Professor Ombrello holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Anthropology from Emory University and a M.A. in Micronesian Studies from the University of Guam and is a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Prior to coming to Guam, he lived in Japan for ten years where he studied the Japanese language and taught English.

We conclude with comment from UOG sophomore and East Asian Studies major, Eric Rabago (ericysrabago@gmail.com) who is enrolled in the History of Modern Korea course.

Music selections: Arirang, a popular Korean folk song in both the South and North which is also considered an unofficial national anthem, sung by Ri Kyong Suk and Peace, the theme song of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, sung by Park Jun Hyun.

In recognition of Chamorro Month 2013, this episode examines comparative strategies for decolonization through the cultural fine arts and indigenous language revitalization.

Southern High School is on its way to becoming Guam’s first Cultural Fine Arts Academy. In the first half of this episode, Victoria Lola Leon Guerrero interviews Department of Education Superintendent Jon Fernandez (jonfernandez@gdoe.net) and Vince Reyes (malesso@guam.net). As part of efforts to renovate the school’s inoperable auditorium, Superintendent Fernandez envisions a new direction for the facility and the school: to become a place for students to learn about their culture and express it through the arts. He shares his vision for Southern High and describes the efforts made to develop the school’s Cultural Fine Arts Program. (Date of interview?)

In October, Vince Reyes, who founded the internationally acclaimed CHamoru dance group Inetnon Gef Pa’go, was reassigned from Inarajan Middle School to Southern High School to help develop a fine arts program. Since then, Mr. Reyes has been working with students at the school to create a performing group of dancers. He is also teaching Cultural and Traditional Dance to freshmen. He discusses his work at Southern and the possibilities that will come from this new Cultural Fine Arts Program. (date of interview?)

Song selection: Ginen Hågu sung by Inetnon Gef Pågo Tuninos, Southern High School’s Cultural Dance Group.

In the second half of this episode, Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua interviews Shinako Oyakawa Akamine (insert email address), an Okinawan decolonization and language revitalization activist. Shinako is currently a graduate student at Ryukyu University where she studies uchinaguchi, or the indigenous language of Central and Southern Okinawa. Guam and Okinawa’s history have many parallels, including periods where the language and culture of the native people were prohibited and denigrated by colonizers. Both also feature community efforts to revitalize their languages and bring them back to a healthy state. Shinako-san is the coordinator for Islander Language School in Ginowan City, where Okinawan elders teach parents and their young children to speak uchinoguchi. This interview was recorded while Dr. Bevacqua was attending the Island Language Revitalization Symposium at Ryukyu University in March 2013.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, this episode features excerpts of two presentations from the 7th Annual Women Veterans Conference held March 1, 2013 at the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort and an interview with a conference participant and scholar who is conducting research on Chamorro women in the military. This conference was sponsored by the Guam Vet Center, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, West Care Pacific Islands, and the Bureau of Women’s Affairs-Guam Department of Labor, Agency for Human Resources Development.

We begin with Catherine N. Illarmo (illarmo@teleguam.net), overall conference chair and recently retired Guam Vet Center leader, who briefly discusses the history of the conference, which she initiated, and the significance of the 2013 conference theme, “She Served, She Deserves - Enhancing Accessibility to Services.”

The invocation and keynote speech were given by Lt. Col. Donnette A. Boyd (email unavailable) who reflects on her experience in the military, from beginning as a member of a fighter squadron to becoming Wing Chaplain, 36th Wing, at Anderson Air Force Base-Guam. She places her personal story within the social history of women in the military, highlights some challenges of being in a male dominated profession, and shares three lessons for success that she learned from her mother, a Jamaican immigrant.

This past week Guam and the Northern Marianas bid farewell to nearly 600 soldiers who left for training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi before being deployed in April to Kabul and various forward operating bases in Afghanistan. According to the Guam Army National Guard, 50+ or 8 percent of this deployment are women. In another conference presentation, Angelina Quinene (aaquinene@teleguam.net), Chamorro wife, mother of four/grandmother of eight, and Guam Army National Guard veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007-2008 shares her experience “Moving Forward Into Recovery” from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and military sexual trauma with help provided by a Women’s Combat Trauma Center in Palo Alto, California.

We conclude with an interview with Ms. Ruth Craft (rcraft@hawaii.edu) a PhD candidate in American Studies, University of Hawaii-Manoa, who is recruiting participants for ethnographic research on Chamorro women in the military. She lived on Guam twice previously, first as the child of a US Navy service member in the 60‘s then as a US Navy wife in the 90’s.

Music selection: “Sister Soldier” by Randy Crenshaw and Buckskin (1990)

In recognition of Chamorro Month, this episode features interviews regarding I Sakman Chamorro, a trans-local project to build and sail a 47 foot single outrigger canoe from San Diego to the Marianas, a 6200 nautical mile journey to begin at the end of this year. This canoe is made from a 125 foot redwood tree and is a replica of an ancient Chamorro ‘flying proa’ which last sailed in 1742. This Pacific crossing is intended to honor Chamorro ancestors who were canoe builders, sailors and navigators and to promote the reclaiming and revival of seafaring knowledge and traditions.

Program guests are Mario Reyes Borja, who led the construction of I Sakman Chamorro in San Diego and Ron Acfalle, a Guam resident who helped to construct a smaller canoe, I Saina, which he sailed to the island of Luta (Rota) and back in 2009. Both are also involved in the Guma Sakman Project to build a A-frame canoe house at Ypao Beach to teach canoe building and to showcase I Sakman Chamorro after its arrival on Guam. This interview was recorded October 22, 2012 when Mr. Borja was on Guam to recruit his nine-member crew and to plan this Pacific crossing.

Mario Borja (mborja49@cox.net) is a Chamorro from the Mariana Islands, a culturalist, craftsman, amateur historian, and retired member of the US Air Force with a speciality in avionics and space surveillance. He resides in San Diego where he is an active member of the Sons and Daughters of Guam Club and CHELU, Inc. a non-profit organization dedicated to “educating the Chamorro people and the public in the preservation of our native language, heritage and culture; advocating to improve our population’s health, wellness and well-being; and creating, building and strengthening self-sustainability within the Chamorro community.” Mr. Borja’s reconstruction of lost history and I Sakman Chamorro project is the subject of a documentary short film entitled “Magellan Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” which debuted on island last August at the 2012 Guam International Film Festival.

Ron Acfalle (nativebuilders@yahoo.com) is a native son of the village of Malesso (Merizo), a contractor, and a former ROTC cadet and US Marine. He has been involved in teaching Guam youth about traditional Chamorro culture for more than 25 years. He is a former vice president for the TASI seafaring organization and founder and past president of TASA (Traditions Affirming Our Seafaring Ancestry). He is also a pioneer of the TaoTao Tano Chamorro Cultural Dance Group formed in 1984 and represented Guam at the 2004 Festival of the Pacific in Palau. He performs Chamorro chants and dances regularly at the Lina’la’ Chamorro Cultural Village in Tumon where he also led the construction of the traditional huts featured there.

Song selections: Guiya Mana’takaka ilo’ (He Was Made High), a tribute to sailors and navigators, recorded live for this episode on 2/28/13 at the Lina’la’ Chamorro Cultural Village and Hunggan Magahit (Yes It is True), a song about i sakman, which Mario Borja co-wrote and produced with Ben “Maga Lahi’ Lizama, January 2012.

On February 6, 2013 Governor Eddie Calvo gave his mid-term State of the Territory Address which was devoid of any mention of the military buildup that has been a major concern of Guam leaders and the island community since the initial plan for the relocation of US Marines from Okinawa to Guam was announced in 2006. This episode features commentary from the Governor’s office, the Guam Legislature, and the University of Guam about this notable silence as well as a performance rating of the Governor and responses from Southern High School students about what was said in this address.

In the first segment, brief commentary is provided by Mr. Mark G. Calvo, Director of the Guam Military Buildup Office and special assistant to the Governor; Dr. Richard Wyttenbach-Santos, who served three terms as policy advisor on the military buildup to former Senator Judith P. Guthertz; Senator Frank B. Aguon, Jr. who chairs the 32nd Guam Legislature Committee on the Guam US Military Relocation, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and the Judiciary; and Dr. Michael Stoil, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Guam.

At the beginning of his Address, Governor Calvo asked members of the island community to grade his performance thus far as governor. In response to this request, Southern High School Creative Writing teacher Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero asked her students to write letters to the governor assigning him a grade and explaining why they chose that grade. In the second segment, three of her students — Roke Flores, April Santos, and Aliresa Quinata —- read their letters and provide suggestions on ways he can improve their school and the island as a whole. After sharing their letters, April and Aliresa contrast the quality of education and resources available to them at Southern High School with the experiences of students inside the fence

This week the people of Guam bid adios and laid to rest two historians: one a native son of Guam and the other, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who made Guam home for over three decades:

Mr. Antonio (Tony) Manibusan Palomo was a former senator, journalist, teacher and director of the Guam Museum who passed away on February 1, 2013 at the age of 81. Dr. Dirk Anthony Ballendorf was a former Director of the Peace Corps in Palau, President of the Community College in Pohnpei (now the College of Micronesia), and retired professor of History and Micronesian Studies at the University of Guam who passed away on February 4, 2013 at the age of 73.

On today’s program, fellow historians pay tribute to these two remarkable men and provide commentary on their role and methods as historians and teachers. They also provide commentary on two books written by Palomo and Ballendorf, respectively, that illustrate the different contributions of ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ researchers and provide historical insights to the interplay of local and federal politics and the conundrum of Guam’s political status.

In the first half (recorded 2/7/13) , Guam historian and Beyond the Fence program host, Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua (mlbasquiat@hotmail.com) pays tribute to his mentor and provides commentary on Mr. Palomo’s book An Island in Agony (1984, self published) which chronicled the Japanese occupation of Guam in World War II. He discusses the impact of Mr. Palomo’s work on his own formation as an historian and in the retelling of Guam’s history from a Chamorro perspective. Mr. Palomo’s work represented the first post World War II attempt to celebrate the local and protect its cultural, linguistic, and historical significance.

Dr. Bevacqua is a graduate of the Micronesian Studies Program and now an assistant professor of Chamorro Studies at the University of Guam. His research, which deals with refocusing and reimagining Guam’s history in ways that strengthen and empower the Chamorro, rather than disempower them, owes much to Mr. Palomo. Dr. Bevacqua has a weekly column in the Marianas Variety and is co-producer of a forthcoming PBS documentary “War on Guam” for which Mr. Palomo was a valuable source.

In the second half (recorded 2/13/13), Dr. Richard H.J. Wyttenbach-Santos (doc.wyttenbachsantos@gmail.com) pays tribute to his friend Dr. Dirk Anthony Ballendorf. He provides commentary on the book, The Secret Guam Study: How Presidents Ford’s 1975 Approval of Commonwealth Was Blocked by Federal Officials (2004, Micronesian Area Research Center). This book, which Dr. Ballendorf co-authored with Howard P. Willens and dedicated to the people of Guam, explores the origin of an important and previously undisclosed secret study of Guam’s political status as well as the lengthy process undertaken, including a lawsuit, to secure these classified documents from the federal government. Because of the tenacious efforts of Ballendorf and Willens, these once secret documents are now available at the Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center.

Dr. Wyttenbach-Santos (doc.wyttenbachsantos@gmail.com) is a retired associate professor at the University of Guam where he taught History of Guam courses from 1992-2002 and also served as Vice President of Student Affairs. He played an instrumental role in assisting Willens and Ballendorf to gather materials and arrange interviews on Guam in support of the book. He is also author of several articles and conference presentations including one which disclosed the policy paper of President Carter on Guam’s political status which was a duplicate of the one that President Ford signed. Dr. Wyttenbach-Santos was also a career naval officer for 32 years as a surface warfare officer with a focus on political-military matters. His dissertation examined the decision making in D.C. as to what to do with the Micronesian islands after World War II and the political status of Guam. In 1974 the Navy assigned him to Guam to help solve the Sella Bay controversy and improve civil-military relations. He was an advisor to the US Navy on Guam and the Micronesian region for many years. More recently, he served three terms as Senior Policy Advisor on the military buildup to former Senator Judith P. Guthertz.

Music selection is “My Old Friend” by Tim McGraw.

Tinian is the second most populated (3,136 residents) of the three main islands which constitute the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI).  Over two thirds of the island is controlled by the US military of which less than one third has recently been returned on a ‘lease back’ term.  Company and battalion level non-live fire training areas  already exist and the island may be developed further to accommodate live fire ranges as well as greater aviation support training.  While details for the buildup are still being worked out, some Tinian Islanders question the economic benefits and environmental impacts that increased militarism will have on the island and seek to learn from the mistakes made and lessons learned on Guam.

These two program guests share deep ties to Tinian, a record of public service, and a commitment to cultural preservation and sustainability.  Each is pursuing different strategies for development, with one focusing on economic development and the for-profit sector; the other, focusing on human development in the non-profit sector.

In the first half,  our program guest is Phillip Mendiola-Long (phil@shermanpacific.com), a native son of Tinian and of a Chamorro mother and retired  Air Force Caucasion father.  Since returning from college18 years ago, Mr. Mendiola-Long has held various government roles such as the Chief Policy Advisor for the Mayor of Tinian, Chairman of the Marianas Public Land Trust, Board Member of the CNMI Free Trade Zone and member of the Governor’s and Mayor’s Military Task Force. He is the owner of Sherman Consulting, LLC, an administrative and management consulting firm that specializes in assisting US domestic and foreign firms set up business in Micronesia and assisting the US federal government (Joint Region Marianas and NAVFAC) with meeting coordination and ground logistics. He is also the President of the Tinian Chamber of Commerce (since 1996) and has been appointed by the US Secretary of Commerce to represent the CNMI in the Hawaii Pacific Export Council which is mandated to increase US Pacific Exports.  This interview was conducted December 11, 2012 when Mr. Mendiola-Long was on Guam attending the Micronesia Council of Chambers of Commerce meeting.

In the second half, we talk with Florine M. Hofschneider (florine hofsch@gmail.com ) who grew up in Tinian and has 35 years of public service experience in the Northern Marianas as a teacher, social worker, special assistant to the Tinian mayor, director of admissions and records at Northern Marianas College, and principal of Tinian Junior-Senior High School. She also had brief stints as the personnel manager for the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino and helping out with a family pizza franchise in Texas. She is a member of the CNMI Women’s Association and project director for a federally funded anti-poverty program that provides pre-employment training and job placement of US citizens in Saipan through the NMI Department of Community & Cultural Affairs. She is also a volunteer with Gineftao I ManMo’na (GIMM), a non-profit organization focusing on youth development, Chamorro language and culture preservation, and sustainable development. This interview was conducted on November 20, 2012  while Ms. Hofschneider was on Guam attending the Payu’ta 3rd Micronesian Non-Profit Congress.

Music selection is “Tinian” by Julian Hofschneider.

The eight days of Hannukah ended December 15 and Tuesday, December 25 is Christmas Day.  In celebration of this season, the spirit of hope and the promise of peace,  we are pleased to feature a montage of memories and songs contributed by Beyond the Fence guests and listeners.

Guam sends out and receives people from all around the world.  In the first half of the program, we begin with “Celebrating the Festival of Lights in Israel and Guam” by Tali Ariav, an instructor of English and Theatre at the University of Guam (recitation of A Hannukah Blessing). After her husband’s retirement from the Air Force, Teresita Garrido Roberto Cruz and husband, Simon, landed jobs working for the Boeing Company in Saudi Arabia. She describes the intrigue surrounding the celebration of “Midnight Mass in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia”(Oh Holy Night by Josg Grobin). Herta Laguana, part of a small community of German military wives on Guam, talks about her marriage to a Chamorro Vietnam veteran, widowhood, and “Passing On Christmas Traditions” (Stille Nacht-Silent Night by Nami-chan).  US Coast Guard Petty Officer Bob McCormick and wife, Amy, a substitute teacher at a DODEA school talk about why they prefer celebrating Christmas on Guam over their previous duty station in Alaska in “A Surfing Christmas at  Talofofo Bay” (Little Saint Nick by The Beachboys).

For many, the holiday season is a time of struggle with separation, loss and healing.  In this segment we are reminded of the sacrifices made by the sons and daughters of Guam and their families as Major Benjamin San Nicolas Guerrero (USMC retired) recalls Christmas eve 1967 when he departed Guam to return to the Vietnam Conflict, after three and a half months recuperation from serious wounds (I’ll Be Home for Christmas).  Another couple, Troy and Tricia Lizama, talk about the challenges of deployment and post-deployment adjustment in “Christmas Apart in the Horn of Africa and in Guam.” At the time of their year long separation, Troy was a member of the Guam Army National Guard,  Tricia was a member of the Air Force Reserves and they were parents of two small children (Blue Christmas by Amanda B, Muna). Reanna Naputi is the sister of PFC Richard Junior Degracia Naputi who was killed in Iraq on December 20, 2005.  On the 7th anniversary of his death, she talks about grieving their fallen hero and slowly “Getting Back Christmas” through the birth of her child and their family’s return to the nine day novena to the Christ child (Un Patgon - What Child is This?by Amanda B. Muna). 

We conclude this special episode with Capt. Christopher M. Hoyler, Public Affairs Officer, Anderson Air Force Base, who provides highlights of Operation Christmas Drop 2012 in Micronesia. Every year since 1952 joint forces across the Pacific come together for the longest standing humanitarian effort that the Department of Defense conducts (Here Comes Santa Claus by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters).

From November 8-10, 2012 the Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) conducted three scoping meetings in different locations in Guam seeking public comment on an adjusted plan to support training and operations for the Marines to be relocated from Okinawa. This adjusted plan includes seven alternative sites for the Live-Fire Training Range Complex (LFTRC).  These alternatives still include the Route 15A option, near Pagat, and another Rt 15 site in the north which threatens the continued existence of the Guam International Raceway and three sites within Naval Magazine in the south.  As previously noted, each has different land requirements.  No option is without controversy.

This episode features interviews with two citizens who discuss community resistance to the Naval Magazine option closest to Malojloj, Inarajan and Guam’s water reservoir for the South and the Rt 15 option adjacent to Anderson Air Force Base in the north.

In the first half, our program guest is Jose S.N. Chargualaf,  a retired Department of Corrections social worker and resident of Malojloj-Inarajan since 1947.  As a nature lover and someone who frequently hikes the area of catch shrimp and pick beetlenut. Mr. Chargualaf has been involved in two major grassroots resistance efforts related to land use. The first was the formation of Protehi I Tano’ta (Protect Our Land) in the late 80s which challenged a proposed plan for a $1.5 million mega resort in Malojloj-Ianarajan. The megaresort was not developed.  The second was the formation of PARA (People Advocating for Responsible Action ) several years ago which challenged the selection of Dandan for the islands’ landfill.  After years of controversy and despite consderabel opposition, this landfill was built in Malojloj-Inarajan.

In response to the SEIS scoping meetings, an adhoc group called Community Advocates of the  Raceway( CAR) has formed to resist the RT.15 option which threatens the continued existence the Guam International Raceway.

Our program guest in the second half is Henry Simpson, co-organizer and spokesperson for CAR and volunteer General Manager for the Guam Racing Federation which operates the Guam International Raceway.  A native of Washington and lifelong racing enthusiast, he moved to Guam as  a young man in  1967 and later established himself as a businessman with the opening of Island Imports, a Suzuki dealership, then later an Isuzu dealership.  In 1996, he supported the enactment of legislation which established the Guam Racing Federation and oversaw the acquisition and development of land for the Guam International Raceway, through a license with the Chamorro Land Trust.  This license is up for renewal in 2018.

Those who wish to support the campaign to save the Guam International Raceway may sign forma available from all Napa Auto parts stores, Medlerz Auto,  Racers Edge, Cycles Plus and all Shell stations.  All support forms must be submitted to CAR through any of these at locations by Friday, December 7.  However, additional on-line comments may be submitted directly to the Department of Defense through Monday, December 10 by going to at http://guambuildupeis.us/.

Please forward this announcement to your respective networks and encourage listeners to submit comments on line.  Suggestions for future topics and guests or requests to be removed or added to this contact list may be sent to btf.kprg@gmail.com.

This episode features excerpts from a lecture in a University of Guam Social Justice class on November 27, 2012 presented by Michael Leon Guerrero, a native son of Guahan, musician/ songwriter, with almost 30 years of grassroots, national and international organizing experience for global justice.  He is on Guam through December as part of an extended tour through the islands of Micronesia.

Michael Leon Guerrero (michael.leonguerrero@gmail.com) was the Director of the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance [ggjalliance.org/]from April 2004 until August 2012.  The GGJA is a national alliance of grassroots organizations building a popular movement beyond borders for peace,  democracy and a sustainable world. Previous to that he worked for 17 years at the SouthWest Organizing Project where he served as a community organizer, Lead Organizer and Executive Director, supervising organizing efforts in low-income communities throughout New Mexico and organizing campaigns on issues such as environmental justice, corporate accountability and globalization. He is a graduate of University of California at Berkeley and also studied at the National Autonomous University and the National Visual Arts School of Mexico City.  He was an intern with the Minority Activist Apprenticeship program of the Center for Third World Organizing in 1987 and a Youth Action Fellow in 1988. Currently Michael serves on the national board of directors of Jobs with Justice, the New World Foundation, and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

Our music selection is an original piece entitled “You’re So Money” composed and performed by Michael Leon Guerrero and Full Circle [http://fullcirclrock.net/], a classic rock band based in Los Angeles, California.

Please forward this announcement to your respective networks and encourage listeners to submit their comments on line.  Suggestions for future topics and guests or requests to be removed or added to this contact list may be sent to btf.kprg@gmail.com.

Thank you for listening to and supporting public radio for the Marianas — and for promoting Beyond the Fence, locally and abroad.

“Living Along the Fenceline” is a multilingual film documentary co-produced by Rev. Deborah Lee, Gwyn Kirk and Lina Hiroshina (www.manythreads.org) about seven courageous women who live alongside US bases from South Korea to Puerto Rico. The film explores the common threads in their experience as well as how each challenges the assumption that military bases make them safe and advances alternative ideas of peace and security.

An earlier version of this film was screened locally at the 7th International Meeting of Women Against Militarism held September 2009 and hosted by the Guahan Coalition of Peace and Justice [see genuinesecurity.blogspot.com/].  On September 12, 2012 the Guam Humanities Council sponsored a screening of the completed film with a panel presentation and discussion in conjunction with their  “I Kelat -Between Fences” exhibit [www.guamhumanitiescouncil.org].

In the first half of this episode, we feature a Skype interview (recorded 11/9/12) with Rev. Deborah Lee in Albany, California, followed by excerpts from “Living Along the Fenceline” featuring two women in English speaking communities:  LisaLinda Natividad from Guahan and Teri Keko’olani of Hawai’i.

Rev. Deborah Lee (rev.deb.lee@gmail.com) is the Program Director of PANA, the Institute for Leadership Development and Study of Pacific Asian North American Religion. She is also involved with the International Women’s Network Against Militarism which seeks to hold the U.S. government accountable for the violence, sexual exploitation, economic and environmental effects of U.S. militarism in the many countries which host U.S. bases. She is a mother and a minister at the New Fellowship, United Church of Christ in Berkeley, California.

In the second part, we provide coverage of the Guam Humanities Council panel presentation with comments from Dr. LisaLinda Natividad, Dr. Christine Delisle, and Ms. Selena Onedera-Salas, and excerpts from the open discussion. Dr. Natividad is the organizer and chair of the Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice and occasional host for Beyond the Fence.  Dr. Delisle is a member of the faculty in American Indian Studies, Gender and Women & Studies, and History  at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and curator for the “I Kelat  - Between Fences” exhibit. Ms. Onedera -Salas is engaged in various activities  that promote CHamoru language preservation, protection, and practice and other CHamoru/indigenous rights affairs through storytelling and literary arts.  She is a graduate from the University of Texas-San Antonio with a B.A. in Political Science and a Budget Analyst with the office of Senator Vicente Panagelinan.

Additional Links:

http://alongthefenceline.com

http://www.genuinesecurity.org

In May 2012, the Department of Defense announced that because of the adjustments to

the 2006 Realignment Roadmap Agreement relocating U.S. Marine Corps forces from Okinawa, Japan to Guam, the Department of the Navy was expanding the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the live-fire training range complex (LFTRC) on Guam to include an assessment of changes to the number and composition of Marines to be relocated. The adjustments included reducing the originally planned relocation of 8,600 Marines to a force of approximately 5,000 Marines which requires an assessment of potential environmental impacts related to the force reduction, base and family housing, and training requirements.

What this DOD announcement does not mention is that this buildup ‘do-over’ is also the result of the lawsuit filed by We Are Guahan, the Guam Preservation Trust and the National Trust for Historic Preservation because DOD violated the EPA process by not assessing alternative sites when it proposed Pagat - an ancient Chamorro village - as the preferred site for the live-fire training range complex.

From November 8-10, 2012 , the Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) conducted three scoping meetings in different locations on Guam seeking public comment on the adjusted plan, especially seven options for the live-fire training range complex which still includes the Route 15 A option, near Pagat Village. Each option has different land requirements. No option is without controversy.

This episode provides brief comments from several individuals representing JGPO, the local government, and the community who attended the final SEIS scoping meeting held November 10 at the University of Guam Fieldhouse.

In the first half, we begin with comments from two representatives of the Joint Guam Program Office in Washington, D.C. - Todd Spitler, Public Affairs Officer, and Dan Cecchini, Environmental Director;  then Judi Won Pat, Speaker of the Guam Legislature; and Victor Torres, Geographic Information Systems Manager, Bureau of Plans and Statistics.

In the second half, we hear from Joey Duenas, member of the Consolidated  Commission on Utilities; Tony Ada, member of the Board of the Ancestral Lands Commission; University of Guam students, Bella Fagota and Leiana Naholowaa; and Joe Quinata, Chief Program Officer, Guam Preservation Trust.

In addition to submitting comments at the scoping meetings, local residents can submit comments online at http://guambuildupeis.us or by mailing them to JGPO FWD, P.O. Box 153246 Santa Rita Guam 96915.   The deadline for submission of comments is December 10.  The SEIS is anticipated to be completed in 2014; the Record of Decision,  in 2015.

The processes of colonization and decolonization are not only political, but psychological, social  and cultural,  mutually shaping identities of both the colonizer and the colonized.  Local theatre and art lovers will have the opportunity to explore these themes of colonization and decolonization in island contexts through two creative productions which open this week and next.

The first is the performance of “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare, his final and one of his most beloved masterpieces, which opens  November 8 at the University of Guam Fine Arts Theatre, [Performances are November 8-20, 15-17 at 7 p.m. except November 10 which is a Saturday 2:00 p.m matinee. Tickets may be purchased at the box office: General admission ($7.50), Students ($5.00) and free for UOG/GCC students.]

The second event is the Guam Arts Exhibit  (GAXV) which opens at the Plaza in Tumon Bay on November 15 and runs through December 1. “GAX V” is presented by DFS Galleria and the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency (CAHA), along with sponsors DNA Evolution, the Guam Visitors Bureau, Docomo Pacific and AK Scion.. To view the schedule of events during the two-week art gallery, including Live Art Night, Live Music Night and Poetry Slam, go to: : http://www.facebook.com/GUAMARTEXHIBIT

Program guests in the first half of the program are Professors Michelle Blas and Jefferson Cronin (recorded 11/5/12). Michelle Blas (mcblas76@yahoo.com) is Guam born and raised and an Assistant Professor of Theatre at her alma mater, the University of Guam.  She is the director of “The Tempest” and was our program guest last April, together with members of the cast of “The Commerce of War - Mother Courage and her Children”, which she also directed.  Jefferson Cronin  (falstaf@guam.net} plays the main character, Prospero, the banished Duke of Milan.  He is a Professor of Theatre, Communications, English and Humanities, University of Maryland University College, a UOG adjunct instructor, and well known figure in local theatre.  Originally from Falls Church, Virginia, he came to Guam in 1993 as artistic director and founder of  Theatre Guam.  He is  a professional actor, director, writer, radio personality, radio and TV producer, newspaper editor, and lover and scholar of Shakespeare.

The Guam Art Exhibit (GAX) has been working for the past four years to build a community that fosters creativity and garners attention for local contemporary art. and thought-provoking and out-of-the-box creations. The Exhibit “GAX V” will showcase commercial artists, painters, illustrators, graffiti artists, sculptors, musicians, and tattoo artists. GAX has been able to reveal a side of local art that some may not have known existed, blurring the line between traditional and contemporary and reshaping our local identity.

Program  guests in the second half are Joshua Agerstrand artist and curator of GAX5 and Jeffry Ejan  one of the featured artists at this exhibit (recorded 11/7/12).  Joshua Agerstrand (josh.dizzyinc@gmail.com), is a illustrator and designer. His work explores themes of death and humor set against a bright, fun tropical color palette which have appeared in books, tee shirts & comics.  Jeffry Ejan (jeff.ejan@gmail.com). is a surrealist painter who draws inspiration from common, every day items and circumstances, which he then turns into extraordinary subjects in his artwork. His love of art began at a very young age and consisted of drawing various characters from Japanese cartoons, called anime. It was through drawing these characters that Jeff learned the basic skills he would someday use to create his Alice-in-Wonderland-meets-Fear-and-Loathing-in-Las-Vegas signature style.  Both are Guam born,  of Filipino ancestry and explore what it means to be Guam and to be Guamanian.

Music selection is  “The Tempest” by Robert W. Smith. and “babyboomers” by Monsters of Folk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q7NZMs-95s

Next Tuesday, November 6, Guam voters will be the first in the nation to go to the polls and vote in the General Election, to include a ‘straw vote’ for President, where “America’s Day Begins”

The local Democratic Party is campaigning to re-elect Madeleine Z. Bordallo to her sixth term as Guam’s Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. It also seeks to retain the majority in the 32nd Guam Legislature in order to continue to provide a check and balance to the Republican administration of Governor Eddie Calvo.  The local Republican Party is seeking to send a new voice, current Minority leader Frank Blaz Jr.,  to Congress and to recapture the majority in the Guam Legislature by campaigning as the  “true party of the people.”  The last unified Republican party government was in 2005 when Mark Forbes was the Speaker of the 29th Guam Legislature and Felix Camacho was Governor.

According to several recent studies,  including a major study by the Pew Research Center, which has tracked American values over the past 25 years, partisan differences now divide Americans more sharply than distinctions of race, religion, education or sex as a decade long wave has pushed Democrats and Republicans to opposite corners on a wide range  of formerly less partisan issues.  Both Presidential candidates emphasize the ‘clear choice” for voters on November 6.  This polarization has important practical consequences — forecasting continued gridlock in national politics on major issues.

But to what extent is this national partisan divide among Americans also evident on Guam?  And what will be the outcome of this election for Guam’s representation in Congress and the system of  checks and balances within the Government of Guam, especially in relation to the military buildup?

Program guests are Carlo Branch, Executive Director of the Guam Democratic Party and Mike Benito, Chairman of the Republican Party of Guam.

Mr. Branch (carlo.branch@gmail.com) has served under both Democrats and Republicans.  A former Youth Governor in 2001, he was originally appointed Executive Directory of the Democratic Party of Guam under its past Chairman, former Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez.  His tenure as Executive Director continued under Acting Chair Gloria Nelson, whose death the island mourned last week.  He presently serves as Chief Policy Adviser to Vice Speaker Benjamin J. Cruz., a Democrat (who is running for re-election).  In the past, he has served in equivalent capacities under Democratic Senator Tina Rose Muna Barnes (also running for re-election) and Republican Lieutenant Governor Mike Cruz.  He also served as a Governing Board member of the National Youth Leadership Network under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Mr. Benito (mbenito@paylessmarlets.com) was the campaign manager for the Calvo-Tenorio team then elected as the State Chairman of the Republican Party of Guam in March 2012.  He is a  prominent businessman and was Chairman of the Guam Chamber of Commerce in 2006 when the plan for the military buildup was first announced.  He is the General Manager of Pay-Less Supermarkets Inc., the Director of Community Foundation, the Chairman of Board of Guahan Waste Control, the Director of H2O Water Company, and the Vice Chair of the Guam Port Authority.

They each provide historical background to Guam’s two party system and the philosophical and organizational differences between the two parties.  They also discuss the partisan divide (both nationally and locally), Guam’s participation in the 2012 national conventions and comments on each national party platform, possibilities for a third party on Guam, anticipated consequences  for Guam of the outcome of the Presidential and Congressional races, and why Guam voters should vote Democratic or Republican on November 6.

This episode includes excerpts from the 2012 Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention when Guam cast their electoral votes

Additional links: http://www.guamlegislature.com

The Levin Camacho licensed attorney and community organizer  lead the conversations with a brief description of the law aspect of self-determination.

The special guest was Dr. Carlyle Corbin a United Nations advisor. Dr. Corbin presented on “Recent Developments in Contemporary Self-Determination.”

Dr. Corbin the Executive Secretary for the Counsel of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly, International Advisor on Global Governance, and is the former Minister of State for External Affairs and Washington Representative for Inter-governmental Affairs for the Virgin Islands.

UOG President Dr. Robert Underwood, spoke on the topic of “Culture and Education,” while Camacho will talk about “Empire and Oranges: The Legacy of Insular Cases.”

Episode 128 “Second Guam International Film Festival - Telling Our Stories” (hosted by Dr. Vivian Dames with production assistance of Daisy Demapan) airs 9/21/12.

Next week, from September 27-30, 2012 Guam is hosting the second annual Guam International Film Festival (GIFF).  This event kicks off with an opening reception Thursday, September 27, followed by three days of film screenings, filmmaking workshops and an awards ceremony. This year’s festival features 54 film entries,  selected from almost 200 submissions from 24 countries.  All films will be screened at the Micronesia Mall Stadium Theatre.  [For the festival schedule and other information, go towww.guamfilmfestival.com]

My guest in the first half of the program is Kel Muna (kel@guamfilmfestival.org) who, together with brother Don Muna, are the Executive Producers and Founders of the Guam International Film Festival (GIFF) and producers/directors of Guam’s first full-length independent film, Shiro’s Head. Mr. Muna is an independent producer, writer and director with over 13 years in the multimedia trenches.  He talks about developments since the first film festival last year and the 2012 festival program lineup, especially several films relevant to Beyond the Fence:  Ainikien Jidjid Ilo Boñ (The Sound of Crickets), Back to the Square, Magellan Doesn’t Live Here, and We Are Pagat [see Ep. 87 for the podcast of last year’s interview].

In the second half, we welcome back Cara Flores-Mays (cflores@weareguahan.com) and Leevin Camacho (leevin@gmail.com), from WeAre Guahan.  Ms. Flores-Mays is the producer of We Are Pågat, a short educational film about the community efforts to save Pågat village, which makes its big screen debut next week. Mr. Camacho is co-producer of the film and one of the local attorneys involved in the lawsuit to save Pagat from being converted to a Department of Defense live fire range training facility, a struggle which continues today. This documentary film is a joint effort of WeAreGuahan and the Guam Historic Preservation Trust which will be made available to the public by the end of November 2012 at www.weareguahan.com.

This episode includes audio clips from the GIFF trailer and from We Are Pagat.

Audio podcasts of all episodes are available for free by going to the Beyond the Fence link at www.kprgfm.com or directly to  http://kprg.podbean.com/. This podcast may be downloaded after October 1 which, as an added bonus, will include a recording of the September 30 GIFF awards ceremony,

Please forward this announcement to your respective networks and encourage listeners to submit their comments on line. Suggestions for future topics and guests or requests to be removed or added to this contact list may be sent to btf.kprg@gmail.com.

Thank you for supporting public radio for the Marianas — and for listening to and promoting Beyond the Fence, locally and abroad.