I'd like to draw everyone's attention to a matter of great importance to the island territory of Guam. As we speak, there is a bill before the Senate judiciary committee regarding this build-up. Whereas the people of Guam have no vote in either the House or the Senate, it is up to us to write to our elected representatives and ask them to allow the people of Guam to have a say in this matter.
For those who do not know, Guam is a U.S. territory east of the Philippines. Since they are not a foreign country, they have no right to say "no" to this military build-up, but neither do they have a voice in Congress to force debate on the matter. As it stands, 30% of the island is taken up by the military, and they are looking to expand even further. I am not explicitly opposed to this build-up, but I do feel that the good people of Guam (many of whom stood against the Japanese occupation during World War II, in the face of brutal persecution) should at least have the right to discuss the matter and consent to having even more of their island taken up by the U.S. military.
Please refer to this blog post on the matter, and if you are a constituent of one of these Senators, please write to them. Thank you.
http://minagahet.blogspot.com/2008/01/kontra-i-finafederal-i-cnmi.html