Ambrose M. Bennett
THE TRUTH of the matter is the Republican Party on the mainland is about to nominate a convicted felon as their candidate for President, absolutely UNBELIEVABLE hypocrisy. But it’s also ridiculous in the CNMI, as the Republicans here led by Ralph & Sixto convinced THEIR Republican led legislature to include in the Cannabis Tourism Law that “a convicted felon cannot serve as Director nor Commissioner” just to keep Ambrose from being involved — PATHETIC HYPOCRISY! Those who attend church KNOW that “if you do wrong there will be consequences,” but the problem with Ralph’s & Sixto led bigotry is that “the PEOPLE are the ones who are forced to suffer the severe consequences. The proof is in the fact that the Cannabis Tourism Industry is not even “treading-water” with no potential for improving, as I TOLD the Senate So that “the CNMI’s population is too small to fuel a prosperous industry.” Yes, some of the Dispensaries are doing good, but it’s not enough to move the needle out of the red into the black figuratively & literally! The industry was DOOMED from its very conception, as it was founded on “BIGOTRY” which should be clear NOW! “Those who don’t learn the lessons of history are DOOMED to repeat the same mistake” — HELLER Ralph & Sixto! I gave the Senate a “roadmap for a successful industry” in the first draft of the Cannabis Tourism Bill I wrote but they slaughtered most of it and now WE see the results! Republicans are touting “only China” while Cannabis Tourism has international appeal.
It’s sad a convicted felon can run for president, but in the CNMI a felon can’t be the Director nor Commissioner and the fact that the Director & Commissioner jobs are the ONLY two jobs in the CNMI with this ridiculous restriction that teeters on violating Equal Opportunity Law. WHO is going to rectify this HORIFFIC Bigotry in our law and remove the “bad luck” (consequences) imposed by Ralph, Sixto & the Legislature, as God Ain’t Sleeping! FYI, if you are concerned about me mentioning God, you should know he watches EVERYTHING even my Op eds, so please remember “we were given EVERY herb by God to use” and WE are supposed to use ALL Vices (alcohol, cigarettes & marijuana) in MODERATION — it’s in the Bible! Ralph, Sixto & the Legislature may have eliminated me with their bigotry, but they surely killed the BEST chance (person) to truly make the industry a money-maker for the CNMI — hypocrisy & the TRUE consequences!
“Fortune FAVORS the Brave,” as the Roman Empire was driven by this motto and “bravery” is truly a quality needed if the CNMI is to be successful with our Cannabis Tourism Industry instead of the hush-hush hypocrisy & bigotry! Republicans weren’t afraid to force the casino down our throats against the People desires in two NO Votes, but our Cannabis Tourism Industry has to be “hush hush” because the GOP know it was mostly Ambrose’s baby and it’s something different from gambling — hypocrisy! Just because WE legalized marijuana, the CNMI does not have the luxury to just “hope tourists will come without advertising” because tourists don’t know. Unlike Colorado, that got FREE National & International News coverage being the FIRST state to legalize, so tourists just flocked to Colorado. WE can learn from Colorado’s experiences which is why the Senate sent me there, but it was futile the HYPOCRITES didn’t listen!
The other big hypocrisy that’s going on in the CNMI is the Casino Commission scheme to stay alive, as I can’t stop thinking about the “bribe threat” trying to scare us — if you guys are capable of a bribe, WE the People don’t need you to be OUR Commissioners and stop the BS!!! The claim of making $60 dollars for a full day is BS, as you guys don’t work 8 hours every day and claiming regulatory fees are supposed to pay your salaries gives me the creeps when you guys are begging OUR government for money. You guys should have seen the “writing on the wall” and took care of business but you just sat ignoring my warnings and watched EVERYONE ELSE line up to collect and you guys didn’t collect a red penny, you are lucky I can’t fire you!!! Now you guys are talking about any and everything including issuing more licenses, just so you can keep HIGH paying jobs, as I know you are not working for FREE after the bribe threat. And WHO said WE the People wanted to issue multiple licenses, as you guys are still ACCOUNTABLE to the People! WE may want to seek an investor to turn the dead casino into a “Convention Center” so we can start becoming more of a business & family-oriented destination! I pray that someone who REPRESENTS the People in the Senate or House will call for a Public Hearing BEFORE these CC guys do anything else — PLEASE! WE need to start ANEW in Garapan. One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & lifetime Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
