Stop lying to us!

Dear friends and family:

Just when you thought Saipan voters made a huge statement to our leaders by overwhelmingly rejecting a local gambling initiative in the last mid-term election, greed and stupidity strike once again. Another gambling bill is being proposed, and I can’t understand which part of NO our leaders don’t understand. Is it the N or the O? Why can’t our leaders listen to the will of our people?? Saipan voters don’t want legalized gambling. If we did, the gambling initiative would have passed! Duh!

According to the latest gambling bill’s author, Rep. Oscar Babauta, the proposed “Video Gaming and Entertainment Card Games Act of 2008” will be different from the last three gambling bills that got shot down by the previous Legislature. “The activities proposed under this act are quite limited in nature, will be authorized only in a controlled and specific location and environment, will allow for the orderly transfer to La Fiesta of all video poker machine installations currently scattered and operating throughout the villages, will provide much needed tourist destination activity, and most significantly, can provide immediate funding relief to our cash-strapped CNMI government.”

Hmmmm, is it deja vu all over again? Spare us with the lies already! Do you honestly think our people are that stupid? Apparently you do, because why else would you want to stuff a gambling bill down our throats after we so clearly rejected it? Here are a couple of stupid lies I want to address:

Stupid Lie No. 1: All video poker establishments will transfer to La Fiesta. Hmmm, really now? Why should we believe this to be true??? Isn’t this similar to the same stupid lie we were told a couple of decades ago by our honest politicians (a.k.a. OBN, Old Boys Network) that poker would be limited to hotel premises only? Just exactly how stupid do you think we are? We give you just an inch, and you will take over the entire island! No way Jose! Not on my watch!

Stupid Lie No. 2: It can provide immediate funding relief to our cash-strapped CNMI government. Sure, of course it can! And so can legalizing heroin and prostitution! Is this gambling bill similar to the same stupid lie we were told twenty years ago that poker would generate millions of dollars from tourists? We were told by our honest politicos back in the day that locals would not play poker and that tourists would flock to our islands to play these fun-filled slot machines. But that was just another ruse, another lie, and instantly, our people became addicted to poker. And then our honest politicos brought it in to every village, where it further hurt our people, leading to a rise in domestic violence, child neglect, and crime! The majority of poker addicts are our people, not tourists! Our local poker addicts beg, borrow, and steal just to play this stupid game that is programmed to take their money! How many locals have become millionaires through playing these evil poker machines? And how many families have lost all their money to gambling and poker? The truth is, the only ones who truly benefited from poker were the owners! STOP LYING TO US!

You want to know the real way to provide immediate funding relief to our cash-strapped CNMI government? Have all of you so-called leaders return your leased cars, pay for your own cell phones and gas, and cut your discretionary fund in half, and cut your salary by ten percent since you did that to everyone else on the island (except of course yourselves and our judges and our Gov and Lt. Gov)! For once, lead by example, AND STOP LYING TO OUR PEOPLE!

By the way, I would like to know which Republican will support this gambling bill. Read your mid-term platform. You promised to get rid of poker establishments on Saipan once and for all. Were you telling the truth or was this just another gimmick to get elected? Show us fan if you are a liar!

No more! I will not tolerate lies about gambling! You have decimated the island of Saipan with your lies and you will be judged by all of us come the very next election! More importantly, don’t you ever forget that you will face the ultimate judgment one day by our Lord savior Jesus Christ! Fortunately, Jesus can’t be bribed and won’t buy in to your evil political lies!

Enough! I am asking every single person on Saipan to call or write Rep. Oscar Babauta and call or write your representative and demand they kill this stupid bill which will bring nothing but more pain and suffering to our island! To our elected leaders, is this the best you can do? Because if it is, please step down immediately and allow competent, creative people to take the lead!

I ask all of you to say no to any gambling initiative and stupid quick-fix schemes that will only bring more misery to our beautiful island. Our children have suffered enough! It is time we take back our government and bring it home to the common people! Power to the people of the CNMI! And shame on any leader who supports this evil gambling bill!