11-29-02

Hi friends, this is Harry Blalock; General Manager for KZMI & KCNM radio stations. It's that time again to take a look at the issues of the week and offer some Food For Thought.

I'm sure that most of you heard my newscast Monday evening and Tuesday morning, when I read the speech that Congressman Frank Aldan delivered to the legislature the previous Friday. Congressman Aldan had a lot to say about me, and in his speech he judged my motives. For those of you that missed the speech, here are a few of the things he had to say about me; Mr. Blalock wants us to live in the days of bull carts and thatch huts, a sorry statesider's view of island paradise. With his so called reporting, it is clear that Mr. Blalock is bent on making a mockery of truth and integrity. Congressman Aldan also called me Good For Nothing, Hide Behind The First Amendment. He said that I lack journalistic ethics and skill, and then he called me a mongrel. Oh yes, and my favorite line, he calls me "a sorry of a man". The reason I bring all this back up, is that I want to make it perfectly clear why I do what I do, and what I'm trying to accomplish through my news and commentaries.

Contrary to Congressman Aldan's opinion, I am not bent on making a mockery of truth and integrity, in fact nothing could be farther from the truth. I have been a resident of Saipan for the past 6 1/2 years, and unfortunately I have noticed that what is reported in the news isn't always the truth, but rather propoganda used to try to convince people of one thing or another. The other alarming trend that I have noticed is there doesn't seem to be any follow up on stories or issues. In this particular incident, most of the media reported on the fact that Congressman Aldan was found in violation by Fish & Wildlife of knowingly hunting coconut crabs in the offseason without a proper license. He was fined $2,000 for the offense after having a hearing conducted by Fish & Wildlife Director Richard Seman. The Congressman was given 2 weeks to pay his fine, which was over 2 months ago, but to date, has only paid $400 of the fine according to the Public Information Officer for the Department of Lands and Natural Resources. Now Congressman Aldan thinks that this is no big deal, and never should have been reported in the first place. However, I find this quite disturbing and also very newsworthy, as his case will now be forwarded on to the Attorney General's office for prosecution. It is my opinion that our elected officials are accountable to the voters who put them in office. And I don't think it is unreasonable to expect our lawmakers to follow the very laws that they pass for the rest of us.

The reason that I report on such things, is that I believe that the voters need to know what their elected representatives have been doing for them. Do they actually uphold the laws that they pass, or do they think that they are above the laws, and can do as they please? How seriously do they take their oath of office? Do they really represent your interests, or are they just looking out for themselves? The reason that our elected officials are called "public servants" is that they are supposed to protecting our interests, and looking out for us. They are not supposed to be in office so that they can profit and benefit from their positions, but sadly, that is the case in far too many instances. They are also not supposed to be getting all they can for their friends and family while in office either, because that comes directly out of our pockets. But isn't that what is going on when the Governor gives salaries to his friends and cronies above the salary cap, what is legally allowed by law? We still don't have our tax refunds or rebates, but there are still a bunch of administration employees receiving salaries far above what the law allows.

Maybe I've been wrong all this time. Maybe these aren't issues that you want to know about. Maybe you don't care if your elected officials break the law, and then don't pay the fines that they are assessed. Maybe you don't care that our government is heading toward bankruptcy, and yet we are still giving inflated salaries to a select few. Honestly, I never expected to be popular for what I was doing. I expected that some people would be very mad. I expected that my life would be threatened, which it has been several times. But I thought that the truth was important enough, that none of these things should stop it from coming out. I also don't believe that just because a person makes a mistake, they should be punished for it for the rest of their lives, in the media or elsewhere. Just admit you made a mistake, pay what you owe to make it right, and then let's all move on for the good of our islands.

In reflecting on Congressman Aldan's speech, I have to say that I still believe in what I'm doing, and that I'm doing it for the right reasons. The truth is always the truth, and doing the right thing is always the right thing to do. I believe that the islands best chance to have honest and effective leaders is to have informed and educated voters. And we can't count on our elected leaders to just go to the people and be open and honest with them about everything, it just isn't going to happen. That's what the media is there for. They have a responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable, and to ask them the hard questions about the issues. The media is not supposed to be intimidated or swayed by government officials who hold power over them, but it happens. I can stand before you today, and feel good about why I have done and said what I have. I am trying to have a positive influence on our community, and fulfill my responsibility as a member of the media community.

It's been a while since I've asked for your feedback, but in light of Congressman Aldan's speech and accusations, maybe now is a good time to take the pulse of the community once again. Do you want to keep hearing about the issues, and know what your elected officials are doing? Or would you like me to only talk about positive things, and not discuss any of the questionable happenings on the hill? I am asking you what you want to hear about, now it's up to you to tell me. You can call the station at 234-7239, call me on my cell phone at 483-5064, or you can e-mail me at kzmi-fm@vzpacifica.net. But if you have any thoughts on the matter, or an opinion one way or the other, I really want to hear from you.

And today, we'll wrap up Food For Thought by talking with my longest sponsor for Food For Thought, Laura Tenorio from Ty & Tia. First of all, I would like to thank Laura for sticking with me as a sponsor, even though she has taken some heat for doing so. Here is Laura to tell you all about a very special event happening on November 30th.