To Ms. Malone

First, I want to thank you, Juanita S. Malone, for giving me the opportunity to clarify this matter for you and others that share your opinion. First, you should wait until you hear both sides, the same practice used by the courts before writing opinions, especially in the news.

People have thrown boomerangs at me in the news and now you want to paddle me. What is it with these physical attacks? You admitted Taney’s decision contributed to the civil war but you never admitted he was wrong. I just happened to be the tip of the spear for change and sometimes, ugly things happen in the process to improve society such as the civil war. This matter won’t start a war but its basically about the same thing, the rights of people and their freedoms.

I am not proud of what I did and you should know it was the creativity to express the truth that caught Mr. Guerrero by surprise. It was also board members that leaked this to the press to slander me in the eyes of the community. Neither students nor the public would have ever known about this matter. I have never taught students to do such things but students do understand the freedoms that are granted under the Constitution. Students also understand that all forms of freedom of expression may not be likeable or even acceptable in certain communities but it is the right of every citizen. And now you want to physically abuse me for exercising my rights. Doesn’t your desire Ms. Malone to paddle me remind you of how slaves were beaten for the smallest of things? Does a finger deserve a beating?

It is also apparent that you don’t consider me a person of authority almost equal to any other BOE member. Mr. Guerrero and the chair are my fellow BOE members and I can communicate with them on an equal level. This is the same problem that I have been having with Mr. Guerrero.

You also seem to think that “collective bargaining” is MY goal. You are dead wrong. Collective bargaining is the goal of Teachers—something every teacher on the mainland has acquired. I am just trying to help teachers achieve this goal and right that has been theirs since 1935 under federal law and since 1985 under the CNMI Constitution. The Teachers of the CNMI chose well when they picked me and it’s just a matter of time before you and all my critics come to the realization that Mr. Bennett was right.

Ambrose M. Bennett
Teacher Representative